If you’re like most people, it’s tempting to grab convenient, shelf-stable foods at the grocery store these days. Many unknowns leave people feeling uncertain and out of control. When it comes to shopping, the answer is like any other response: go out as little as possible. If you can stretch your grocery trip to two weeks, do it. This will help all of us maintain a safe environment for those who are most vulnerable. To help you shop less, we have developed recommendations for you to eat for the next two weeks. It’s simple.
Week 1:
Plan to eat as you normally would.
(If you aren’t accustomed to cooking or don’t know where to start for week one, we recommend Mealime. It’s a super simple, free app and website that allows you to build delicious, healthy meal plans for your household. Once you pick out all the recipes you want to make, the app will build you a grocery list and even connect to Instacart or Amazon Fresh for delivery.)
Week 2:
Use our 7-day menu plan using mainly shelf-stable and frozen foods. (We recommend doubling recipes so you have enough for leftovers for lunches.) Don’t forget to include breakfast staples such as whole-grain cereals (cheerios, raisin bran, etc.), eggs, fruit, and potatoes. Or, use our recommendations for breakfast below.
Week 2- Shelf-stable recipes
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
| Breakfast | Shamrock Smoothie | Fruit Oatmeal | Blueberry banana smoothie | Cereal with milk
|
Fruit Oatmeal
|
Peanut butter smoothie | Cereal with milk |
| Lunch | Cheese Quesadilla | Chicken stir-fry | Turkey chili | Fettuccini alfredo | Black bean soup | Tuna melts
|
Vegetable soup
|
| Dinner | Stir-Fry | Turkey chili | Fettuccini Alfredo | Black bean soup | Tuna melts | Vegetable soup | Protein pasta and tomato sauce |
| Snacks | Tortilla chips with corn and black bean salsa
|
Trail mix | Crispy chickpeas
|
Peanut butter Rice Krispy treats | Caramel popcorn | Rice pudding
|
Cranberry almond Trail Mix
|
After you have your grocery list and meals written down, you can use a delivery service such as Instacart, Peapod or Amazon fresh to deliver these meals right to your door. This can save time and money by decreasing those sneaky end-of-aisle impulse buys.
Additional Resources: