I’m a Millennial Quarantining by Myself. Here’s My 2-Week Meal Plan
With store runs reduced to a minimum and random grocery staples out of stock (sour cream, really?), meal planning is looking pretty different for a lot of people these days. We talked to one millennial who’s quarantining alone about how she’s been strategizing two weeks’ worth of dinners. (As told to Katherine Gillen.)
“I’ve always liked cooking elaborate recipes, but quarantine has forced me to be a lot more flexible with what I make and eat. Minimizing grocery runs means lots of strategic meal prep and relying on pantry staples, long-lasting produce and plenty of hot sauce. I’ve also been freezing servings of some of the dinners that I make, which helps break up the monotony of batch cooking for one.”
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Week One
Monday: Cheeseburger and Fries
“I ordered from one of my favorite delivery spots in the neighborhood—fortunately they run their own online ordering, which makes me feel better that my purchase actually supports the restaurant. It was delicious and I felt miserable afterward.”
Tuesday: Baked Sweet Potato
“‘X on a sweet potato’ is something I’ve been doing a lot. This time it was caramelized cabbage.”
Wednesday: Frozen Veggie Dumplings and Some Cucumbers with Chili Crisp
“I haven’t had it in me (yet) to make dumplings from scratch, but these were tasty enough, especially with lots of chili crisp.”
Thursday: Bean Soup with Crusty Bread
“I was pleased with my improvising on this one. I flavored the soup with a ham bone that I’d frozen a few months back, along with odds and ends from the pantry and vegetable crisper. I ate it for lunch the next few days and was able to freeze two servings.”
Friday: Katsudon
“A crispy fried pork cutlet served over rice with a nice savory sauce and a beaten egg—a very cozy meal and a good mix of textures.”
Saturday: Fried Rice
“Leftover rice from the katsudon became fried rice the next day, with some frozen mixed veggies, scrambled egg and lots of scallions.”
Sunday: Popcorn
“I got tired of doing dishes. I’m currently out of Old Bay, so I sprinkled garam masala on the popcorn instead.”
Week Two
Monday: Broccoli, Cheese and Potato Casserole
“I made this a while ago and pulled a serving out the freezer because I didn’t feel like cooking tonight.”
Tuesday: Ramen
“I never really had an instant ramen phase in college but have been eating a lot of the Samyang Hot Chicken Flavor variety during isolation. I added in cabbage, a slice of cheese and scallions.”
Wednesday: Risotto
“I found a bag of arborio rice in the back of my pantry! I added miso and it was really tasty, but I made way too much and risotto doesn’t make for the best leftovers.”
Thursday: Arancini and Steamed Bok Choy
“I figured out what to do with (some of) the leftover risotto.”
Friday: Cheese and Crackers, Salami and Cucumbers
“It’s starting to feel like summer, which means it’s too hot to cook.”
Saturday: Buldak and Kimchi Potato Salad
“I wanted to do something with the lone chicken breast in my freezer so I made a slapdash buldak (a spicy Korean chicken dish with topped with broiled mozzarella cheese), served alongside some kimchi potato salad.”
Sunday: Ants on a Log
“No, you’ve completely regressed to a childlike state.”
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