Pandemic Meal Planning

This post discusses strategies for meal planning and grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you need help finding affordable food during this time, please visit Feeding America.

I’ve used meal planning as a grocery strategy for years. A meal plan helps me make the best use of fresh food and sales. It reduces cost, waste, and trips to the store, not to mention that 5 p.m. “What am I making for dinner?” panic.

With grocery distribution facing bumps and shortages, a meal plan can seem like a ridiculous idea. How can I plot dinner ideas when I don’t know what will be at the store?

Two Weeks at a Time

Here’s the key I’ve found for pandemic meal planning: schedule two weeks of meals at one time.

My first week of plans involves meals using fresh food. The second week mostly uses frozen or shelf-stable foods already in my pantry or freezer. When I see which groceries are unavailable, I’ll find out which meals won’t work. They get bumped to the back of the plan and replaced with something else. Recipes with fresh ingredients always get priority on the schedule. 

Here’s an example of how a plan might look. In this illustration, I’m planning to get groceries on Monday, so the recipes with fresh ingredients start then.

If the store is out of chicken, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes, then I will revise my plan so that meals with those ingredients go towards the back of the list. 

The next week, I’ll do a new two-week plan — the shelf-stable recipes get bumped back again as I replace those meal ideas with planned fresh food (the frozen food gradually will get rotated into the plan before it expires.)

A huge advantage of the two-week plan is time flexibility. If I’m depending on grocery delivery and can’t get a spot for several days, I know I’ve already got meals I can cook. If someone in my house gets sick, I can take my time to make arrangements for food without worrying about meals right away.

Plan, Don’t Hoard

I try to always keep a few extra staples on hand. For many items, this means I have a back-up in our basement pantry (a holdover from my couponing days). So when we open our last bag of flour, I put flour on my shopping list. The same goes for frequently used foods like frozen spinach, brown sugar, and diced tomatoes. 

The key here is not to rush out and buy ten cans of diced tomatoes (or 20 rolls of toilet paper). If I typically use one can of diced tomatoes every week, I’ll make a goal to keep three or four cans around, just in case. Each week, I buy just one or two extra items to keep a ready stock of back-up groceries. This gradual approach to stocking up is gentler on the supply chain and my budget. 

For instance, back in February, I figured COVID-19 would hit my city in a few weeks. Each time I went to the store, I bought one or two extra things — a package of toilet paper one week, a bag of flour another week, and some additional frozen veggies tossed in here and there. By early March, I was ready with plenty of food.

The gradual stock-up also allows the flexibility to be generous. If my neighbor needs some paper towels or my local non-profit has a food drive, I’ve already got items to give without an additional grocery trip. Stocking up is a luxury that many do not have; keeping my privilege in mind reminds me to share, not hoard.

Also, I try to exhibit patience and wisdom in the process. If stores are running low on an essential item, I won’t buy an extra that week. I can leave it for someone else. This goes double for cleaning supplies and protective gear; if I don’t need that extra hand sanitizer, can of Lysol, or mask, I’ll leave it for someone working on the front lines of the virus. 

Good Recipes for Lean Times

With all this home cooking, easy recipes are essential. I have two favorite sources for recipes that are inexpensive and kid-friendly.

Budget Bytes features hundreds of recipes created by Beth Moncel. Inspired by Beth’s own need to eat healthily on a budget, the site has a wide variety of dishes, from one-pot pasta dinners to make-ahead freezer meals. Some of my favorites are SNAP-challenge recipes like Penne Pasta with Sausage and Greens, designed to be affordable on a budget of $4.50 a day. I love that Budget Bytes currently has pandemic-friendly articles like Long-Lasting Produce to Stock Up on During Isolation and 200+ Recipe Ideas for Pantry Staples.

Good and Cheap is a cookbook for people on tight budgets, especially cooks using SNAP/food stamp benefits. Author Leanne Brown has made the PDF available online for free so that anyone can use the recipes, which include ideas for all meals of the day as well as specialty items like aqua fresca, rice pudding, and roti.  Print versions of the cookbook are available to purchase, and I encourage anyone who can to order a copy to support Leanne’s work (bonus: when you buy a book, another will be sent to someone in need). 

As I share my tips for meal planning in a time of social isolation, I don’t want to overlook the fact that planning recipes and shopping for groceries are privileges. In a time when many people find themselves without income, employment, or access to grocery stores, food banks are filling the gap wherever people need help. In my city, Second Harvest Food Bank has seen a 67% increase in the amount of food they are distributing since this time last year.  Let’s watch out for our neighbors by donating to Second Harvest and Feeding America, sharing what we have, and helping whenever we can.