About ten days ago, the Canadian Health minister advised people to stock up so that they would have enough food for two weeks of quarantine. The Covid19 virus, also known as Coronavirus, has thrown people into a full blown stockpiling frenzy, with shelves emptying across the globe. With some planning though, and a few trips to the store, you can calmly put food aside to last you two weeks of quarantine without going crazy. Aside from stocking up on a little bit of toilet paper (seriously people, why do you need 100 rolls of toilet paper!), tissue, soap, detergent, alcohol and aloe gel to make my own hand sanitizer (2/3 90% isopropyl alcohol to 1/3 aloe vera gel), medications and advil, I also stocked up on staples and frozen goods that would ensure we would all eat delicious and nutritious food should we be asked to put ourselves in isolation.
I am starting to see see advice online on how to stock your pantry to make sure you have good nutritious food should you be asked to self isolate for a period of two weeks, or what famous chefs would make if they are in quarantine. But really, that’s not that useful.
I thought I would go one step further and share with you the two week quarantine meal plan and shopping list that I came up with to make sure that while we may not be allowed to leave the house, we will still eat well! I am French after all, and if you’re going to feed yourself, it may as well be delicious. I should mention that we are a family of four with a 15 year old boy that is always hungry, and an 11 year old girl that is very fussy and hates all dairy (which is why frozen pizzas are not on the menu!) except chocolate milk, and also won’t touch eggs. Argh.
I have not included recipes here, just brief descriptions of assembly methods. Please post comments if you would like me to develop these further into recipes, or make these into a downloadable Coronavirus Two Week Quanrantine Cookbook.
Let me start off with my two week isolation shopping list that covers everything I need in case we are put into quarantine. A lot of this was purchased at Costco. I’ve divided it into pantry staples and freezer goods. A chest freezer is a must I think if you’re going to put enough food aside:

Pantry staples:

Instant oatmeal packages
Coffee and coffee filter
Tea
Applesauce (I bought six)
Long life chocolate milk
Canned tomatoes (6-8 cans)
Tomato sauce (2-4 jars)
Low sodium chicken broth (12)
Olive oil
Pasta
Chick peas (6 cans)
Black beans
Mixed beans
Corn
Tuna
Soups
Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
Chopped garlic
Chopped ginger
Coconut milk (3 cans)
Gnocchi
Red lentils
Dried peas
Taco kit
Skim milk powder
Rice
Dried mushrooms
Long life milk (12 1 litre boxes)
Freeze dried parsley
Boxed mashed potatoes
tahini
lemon juice
Bisquick
BBQ sauce
Salsa
Chocolate
Brownie mix

Frozen foods

Ready made wonton soups (they had these are Costco and they looked delicious)
Frozen croissants (12) (did I mention I was french?!)
Ground beef (4 packages)
Lamb chops (8)
Honey baked ham on the bone
Chicken breasts(8)
Frozen spinach
Frozen peas
Frozen edamame
Frozen pork dumplings (1 pack)
Frozen apples
Frozen pineapple
Frozen broccoli
Frozen french fries
Tater tots
Frozen corn
Frozen chopped onion
Frozen green beans
2 dozen Bagels
Ready to bake baguettes (6)
Orange juice concentrate
Frozen strawberries
Sausages (8)
Chicken thighs (2 packs of 8)
Chicken breast on the bone (4)
Pancetta (3 packs)
Stewing beef (1 pack)
Whole chicken (1)
Pork shoulder (also called picnic roast) (2)
Sliced turkey breast (lunch meats)
Frozen chicken soulaki (already cooked, from Costco)
Falafel
Tzaziki (you can freeze this)
Cheddar (you can freeze cheese if you are going to grate it later)
Flour tortillas
Pita breads
Butter (you can freeze it)
I am considering chopping some red peppers into strips and freezing them to use in soup etc)
Burger buns
frozen pie shells (4)
frozen puff pastry
I also chopped up some bananas and threw them in the freezer for smoothies
I put some fresh thyme in the freezer too as it’s my fave
I chopped some carrots and put them into bags in the freezer for soups
Shredded parmesan (or buy the shelf one)
Ice cream
Bacon if you can’t live without it!

I also have an ongoing supply in my house of basics like salt and pepper, vegetable oil, mustard, spices, onions, bread crumbs etc. I also usually have enough jam, honey, maple syrup, pancake mix etc that I didn’t feel I needed to go out and stock up on these things.

With all of these things on hand, here are 14 lunches and 14 dinners I came up with. I definitely have enough to make more of than just this, or share meals with elderly neighbors should the need arise to help my community out. I did realize that fresh food (we have salad with every meal) would be difficult and we would really miss crunchy food. Am considering grabbing some pickles, and maybe those lettuces that have the roots attached, although I’m not sure I have room in my fridge to have a bunch of lettuce growing in the back of it. I am also making sure I have 12 eggs in the fridge at all times.

My plan for breakfasts:

Bagels
Pancakes
Croissants
Biscuits
Oatmeal
Home made muffins (made with frozen fruit, and early on while I still have eggs)
Smoothies (spinach in these!)

14 Lunches:

1. Wonton soup (just heat and serve. I made sure these didn’t have MSG as that gives me a headache)
2. Three bean salad (can of beans, can of tuna, can of corn if you like it, chopped shallot if you have it, tsp of mustard, 2 tblsp vinegar, 3 tblsp oil, salt and pepper, dried parsley)
3. 4. Turkey/blt sandwiches (2x)
5. Chicken souvlaki (frozen chicken sticks, pita breads, tzatziki, pickles)
6. Tomato soup (home made or canned)
7. Ham/split pea soup (after having eaten honey baked ham, boil bone with dried (soaked) peas)
8. Corn chowder (corn, onion, red peppers, spices, and broth)
9. Cream of broccoli soup (onion, broccoli, spices, broth, skim milk powder after it’s cooked and shredded cheese on top)
10. Hamburgers and fries
11. Falafels (I would likely make some hummus at some point with chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and oil)
12. Curried red lentil soup with coconut milk
13. Quiche (pancetta/bacon, egg, milk and cheese)
14. Pea soup (sort of like broccoli soup) with pancetta and croutons (make croutons out of stale baguette from lunch, brushed with olive oil and salt and baked in the oven or pan fried)
15. Fried dumplings and edamame (make sauce with soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and hot sauce)

14+ dinners:

1. Chicken pot pie (I make a delicious one with chicken thighs sauteed with pancetta, onions, thyme, mushrooms, (re-hyrdate dried mushrooms in warmed up white wine), then thicken it with broth and flour, and top with puff pastry
2. Chili
3. Chicken fajitas (recognizing that the peppers would likely be soggy, and we would re-use thawed tzatziki instead of sour cream)
4. Spaghetti bolognese
5. Beef stew (with red wine, tomato sauce, broth, carrots onions and mushrooms) with mashed potatoes
6. Chicken and broccoli stir fry with rice
7. Pulled pork on baguette with mustard and fried onions
8. Roast chicken with thyme and garlic and tater tots, served with stewed tomatoes (remove juice from whole canned tomatoes, lay whole tomatoes in oven pan, top with breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and Parmesan, cook 20 minutes, then broil)
9. Grilled sausages with fried gnocchi and green beans
10. Tacos (again, no sour cream here, but hey, we are on lock down, so will make do with tzatziki and salsa!)
11. Grilled lamb chops with green beans and tomatoes and rice (make a tomato sauce with lots of olive oil and garlic, then add green beans and cook until beans are done)
12. Pork shoulder with white wine and mushrooms (insta pot pork shoulder with onions, mushrooms, thyme and white wine) with mashed potatoes
13. Baked chicken breasts (on the bone) with garlic and thyme with french fries and broccoli
14. Pasta with sun dried tomatoes, sausage and garlic
15. Coconut curry (thai curry paste, chicken thighs, broth and coconut milk) and rice
16. Mushroom risotto (I usually have arborio rice, and this works so well with dried mushrooms)
17. Butter chicken (spices, chicken, canned tomatoes in insta -pot, then finish off with coconut milk)
18. Honey baked ham, mashed potatoes and peas

I also thought about our sweet tooth, so had the following ideas for

Desserts:

Apple/fruit crumbles
Fruit pie
Brownies (I bought mix, the kind where you just add water, no eggs)
Apple sauce
Ice cream

I would love to hear your comments or feedback. I am not a dietitian, but someone that knows how to cook, a pretty good planner, and a mom. I have tried to make sure all meals provide protein, grains and fruits and vegetables. As the season moves one, it may be a good idea to plant some lettuce in the yard. I really think that’s the thing I would miss most should we be put into a two week quarantine. But I’m not worried. I’ve planned, and if we get sick, we get sick. We will do out part to make sure we don’t infect the community by staying home and eating well!

Virginie