Meal Planning in a Pandemic

A lot of you like me, have a pantry stocked with pasta, rice, canned or dried beans, canned or frozen veggies and tons of snacks for my teenage daughter in preparation for a shelter-in or lockdown due to the pandemic. With grocery stores shopped over, your pantry is what you have to meal plan with. Both the Mexican and Middle Eastern cultures use a lot of beans and rice and Italians are known for simple pasta dishes, so turn to these cultures to find recipes (Google search, anyone?!). Based on my pantry and my fridge and freezer here is my menu plan for for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Curry chickpeas and Kale with Quinoa

Thursday: Bean Chili with rice or cauliflower rice

Friday: Veggie burgers (frozen) and roasted potatoes

Saturday: GF Pasta with kale and Mozzarella

Sunday: Refried bean (canned) Nachos

The link below provides a primer on what should be in your pantry, fridge or freezer at all times. This will help you always be prepared, even on a nite , not during a pandemic, when your are too tired to grocery shop or cook a gourmet meal.

Pantry, Fridge and Freezer Staples

(I recommend printing it out and saving for later when the store shelves are stocked a plenty.)