Hi, friends! This post is brought to you by the genius that is Dusty Pyatt. Dusty has been a dear friend of mine for basically forever and part of Team Simplified also for basically forever. Like, she packed planners in my living room with me back when I paid her with a fantastic lunch. I digress. She's the real deal in the kitchen. And I've been looking to her during this pandemic for ideas for prepping for a potential few weeks in our home.
Q: What are you doing to make sure you have enough food for your family to eat for (potentially) two weeks at home?
We love using the monthly spread of your Simplified Planner (or whatever you use) to map out meals for 2+ weeks. Simply take inventory of the food you have, and write down meals you can make with that stock. If you're able, stock up on what you need. Try not to overstock. This exercise will help you do that. Here's a peek at my monthly spread. If you don't have a planner, click here to download a free monthly calendar printable from Simplified.
Q: Help. I need ideas for easy, simple meals with easy-to-access ingredients.
- Clean out the fridge and make snack plates. This is a great way to use fresh food so it doesn't go bad and so you don't dip into your freezer stock right away. Think cheese, pickles, olives, fruits, basically anything you can put onto a plate and call a snack.
- Hamburgers or hot dogs with tater tots or french fries.
- Breakfast for dinner. Everyone loves a good waffle and bacon. Add an egg and make a waffle / bacon / egg sandwich!
- Grilled cheese and soup. (Hi, this is Emily jumping in to say YUM.)
- Soup. Make a big pot of veggie soup (or whatever you like) and save leftovers for lunch. Try Minestrone, Chicken Taco, or Emily's favorite Cowboy Soup. (Hi, Emily again. Put all this in a pot and simmer: 5 cans of beans (any type), 1 packet of ranch seasoning, 1 can of rotel, 1 packet of taco seasoning, 1 lb ground beef, if you want. You'll love it).
- Chili, and save the leftovers.
- Chili dogs (freeze buns for meals after the fresh stuff is used or for garlic bread with spaghetti).
- Enchiladas (tortilla shells and cheese freeze great too).
- Spaghetti.
- Tacos.
- Spaghetti Pie (made with leftovers from spaghetti).
- Taco Quiche (made with leftovers from tacos).
- One-Pot Hamburger Helper
- Chicken and Rice
Here are a few other great recipe ideas:
- Team Simplified's Favorite Weeknight Meals
- Follow Dusty on Instagram for easy Keto ideas
- Two-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Just a tip: Stock up on fun food too. A little Kraft Mac-n-Cheese might be good for our souls right now.
