2 Week Meal Plan for 4 with Grocery List
Get a basic grocery list and meal plan for a family of 4 in the event that you can’t leave the house! Affordable meals that use mostly shelf stable products are included.
I spent most of the morning at the grocery store after receiving the news that a neighboring school district might be closing for the foreseeable future. And, that our City was declared to be in a “State of Emergency.” I’m anticipating receiving the news that our school district will close as well, and seeing a lot of closures and event cancellations throughout our city.
I’m the type that tends to freak out a bit when there are natural disasters or health emergencies. I would very much rather be safe than sorry, especially now that I have a child!
While it’s unlikely that grocery stores will completely close in the event of a quarantine, supplies may be disrupted and/or it may not be possible to venture out into a public place. With that in mind, I stocked up on shelf stable items today to be sure that we’re covered in the event we have to spend 2 weeks at home.
I truly hope things don’t get severe, and that I over planned here. But, again, better safe than sorry. My plans are to keep buying and using our perishables for now. But, if things get bad, I think we now have enough on hand to make it through!
Without further ado, here’s the coronavirus quarantine meal plan for a family of 4!
Grocery List
Meat
- 5 lbs of deli meat
- 2 packages of hot dogs
- 2 pounds of chicken breast
- 1 pork roast (4-5 pounds)
- 6 pounds ground beef
- 1 beef roast (4-5 pounds)
Place all meat, save for the hot dogs, 1-2 pounds of ground beef and 1-2 pounds of deli meat into the freezer.
Pantry
- 40 ounce jar of peanut butter
- 18 ounce jar of jelly
- 64 ounces chicken broth
- 4 boxes of Velveeta Shells and Cheese (does not require milk or butter)
- 3 12-packs of fruit cups (mandarin oranges, pears or peaches)
- 2 jars of salsa
- 4 pounds spaghetti noodles or pasta of your choice
- 4 jars of pasta sauce (15 ounces each)
- 4 cans chili tomatoes
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cans black beans
- 4 cans chili beans
- 4 cans of corn
- 4 cans of green beans
- Assorted mixes. Check the instructions and choose those that only need water to be added. I have a few examples below:
- Muffins:
- Pancake Mix:
- Cornbread Mix:
- Biscuit Mix:
- JELLO! Choose fruit flavors that just need water added like:
- 3 bulk bags of cereal
- Shelf stable milk
Other
- 4 loaves of bread
- 3 bags of tortilla chips
- 10 pound bag of potatoes
- bag of yellow onions
- 3 pounds carrots
- 4 packages sliced cheese
I chose the carrots, onions and potatoes for their long shelf life and variety of uses. You can certainly purchase more fruits and vegetables, but plan to use them within the first week.
Bread and cheese can be frozen, put 3 loaves and 3 packages of cheese into the freezer after purchasing.
Meal List
This grocery list will cover the essentials for the following meals:
- 52 sandwiches total
- 32 with deli meat and cheese
- 20 PB&J
- 8 hot dog and mac and cheese meals for the kids
- 4 spaghetti and meat sauce dinners or goulash
- 2 Chili dinners
- 2 Pot Roast dinners
- 2 Pulled Pork dinners
- 2 Chicken Tortilla Soup dinners
- Muffins, cereal and pancakes for breakfast
Side dish options:
-
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked potatoes
- Roasted potatoes
- Fresh or roasted carrots
- Corn
- Green beans
- Chips and salsa
- Rice
- Canned Fruit
- Biscuits from mix
Canned tuna and canned chicken might have a place on the list also – could use them with meat pies or tuna salad, etc. Chicken could be used with noodles or rice for a main dish or soup. Applesauce would be good for kids and adults, and canned mandarins, pineapple, and peaches. Canned items will have a long shelf life.
I truly hope Americans can be brave and get through this pandemic without too much trouble or heartache. It’s scary out there.
Totally agree. I stocked up on applesauce and canned mandarins. The canned meat was wiped out for me! I will venture out again sometime next week and hope for better availability. Stay safe, Barbara.
Great ideas for a list, but I would use frozen vegetables and dried beans, rice, fresh cheese not salt loaded velveta,
Hi Bill, I completely agree, but was assuming someone might only have a small freezer to work with, in which case I prioritized freezing filling items like high quality protein and bread for sandwiches rather than vegetables. If someone had a deep freezer, yes, frozen veggies would be the way to go.
Brilliant Apples, oranges and sweet potatoes!
Love this and sharing