Quarantine grocery list for 14 days

First, my thoughts are with those who are impacted by COVID-19 already. I wish a speedy recovery to all those who are ill, and to those whose loved ones are battling this virus. I also want to express admiration and gratitude to the medical professionals on the front line of treating those who are ill. I am trying to do my part by staying home and crating this quarantine grocery list for the rest of us.

Now let’s get to it. Say that you need to self-quarantine for 14 days, what are the things that you will need? Here is a collection of all items, with the assumptions and core food items that you will need.

Generally speaking, your body will need macronutrients and micronutrients. The macronutrients are the ones that the body needs in large amounts, as they provide energy (calories). Micronutrients are mainly vitamins, minerals, and water. Follow the end of the post for a detailed nerdy approach. Else, just read on for a description in layman terms.

Assumption #1: You live in the city

Which in turn means that you live in an apartment like every one of us, which then, in turn, means that you will not get a lot of exercise. As you will work from home and will not do much, there will be no commuting, no going up and down the stairs for meetings and coffee, no lunch somewhere 15 minutes away, no nothing. Just from the kitchen and back. So if you are not careful, this extra precaution will help you put some extra unhealthy pounds – or in other words, 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Before anything, there are plenty of home-based exercises around. just give it a quick google.

Based on this assumption, your carb intake needs to be controlled so I don’t want to see you buy a bunch of those toasty bread. You need to take your carbs from natural sources(such as rice, oats, potatoes).

Also, again, generally speaking, your calorie intake with your calorie expenditure should be on some sane level. So, as you are not doing much, you should also not eat much.

Assumption #2: You are most probably working remotely

Maybe somewhat not related to the grocery list, but to the general furniture. You need to make sure that you have a proper working space, where you sit down and keep your back straight. Also, one of the key problems of working at home is snacking. So when you go do your grocery shopping list, no chips and stay away from sweets. Carrots are your friends.

Assumption #3: You are freaking out and you think that you need to prepare for the end of the world.

Of course, this is scary, but one of the key problems of this scary situation is the scare itself. I am not saying that you should not care, but I am also not saying that you should go mental and buy 10 packs x 12 toilet paper rolls (Which if you do, you will last 640 days or 4571% of your quarantine – obviously if you go to town 3 times a day – Note this awesome website)

Enough, let’s get to the food.

14 days, means 14 breakfasts, 14 lunches, 14 dinners and 14 days worth of snacks for 1 person: a ready-made quarantine grocery list!

14 breakfasts

You are either an “eggs and salami person with toast”, “oatmeal with dried fruit and milk or both. If you are like most of people, you will do both.

1. 10 eggs (a carton of eggs)
2. 2 packs of any salami (some sort of wurst)
3. 500gr of oatmeal
4. 2 cartons of yogurt
5. a pack of mixed dried nuts (family pack)
6. 5-7 bananas
7. 1 instant coffee (the Nescafe type, which will last you 3 months)
8. We are not getting toast, we do not deserve it.

14 lunches

Here you need to have 3 basic dishes, which you will cycle and adjust. The core of the dishes will need to have a protein, a carb and some veggies.

Your protein can be any type of meat, lentils or beans. Your carbs need to be rice and potatoes. Your veggies are whatever you want

• Dish 1: 150gr of chicken breast, 50gr of rice, 100gr of veggies
• Dish 2: 150gr of chicken breast, 200gr of potatoes, 50 gr of veggies
• Dish 3: Chilli con Carne with rice (50gr of rice 1/2 can of beans, 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes, 150gr of minced meat)
• Dish 4: Lentil soup (150gr of lentils 20gr of onions)
• Dish 5: Risotto (100 gr rice, 50gr of veggies)

Let’s multiple everything by 3

1. 1kg of chicken breasts
2. 500gr of minced meat
3. 500gr of lentils
4. 1 kg of potatoes
5. 500gr of rice
6. 2-3 packs of frozen veggies
7. 2 cans of beans
8. 2 cans of chopped tomatoes
9. 500gr of onions

See these recipes https://www.kitchenetterecipes.com/easy-chicken-veggies-and-rice-asian-style-stir-fry-wanna-be/ and https://www.kitchenetterecipes.com/here-is-how-to-elevate-boring-boiled-vegetables/

14 dinners

On this quarantine grocery list, dinners are the part where you are not gonna like me anymore. Here we need to cut down a bit. Our lunches have been a little heavy and we have overeaten a bit. So in here, we have to cut down. Generally, speaking dinners should be optional, but as you are bored from staying home all day, I have to give this to you.

In the first part of the quarantine, salads are your friends here and they are very tasty friends.

1. You will need to choose a bunch of bases (like 2x romaine lettuce, 2x arugula or something similar)
2. Then you will choose some freshness (250 gr cherry tomatoes are your best friend, peppers, and onions as well)
3. You will add a bit of fun – with some cheese 200-300grs, pick whatever you want.
4. You will need a dressing (pick some honey mustard or french dressing)
5. Add some protein (maybe some 2-3 tuna)

Some days, you will just need a bit of yogurt (3-4 ) with some fruits(apples, blueberries, frozen fruits, just get sone). And some other days, you will not deserve anything because you ate too much lunch

With those, you can make 8 salads, 4-6 fruity yogurts and there you have it

14 snacks

You already got bananas and a family pack of dried fruits. Now you will need carrots and oranges. This is your snack.

Supplements:

The basics of all supplements are as such: Vitamin D and fish oil(or omega 3) in the morning after breakfast, vitamin c during the day. Zinc in the evening after dinner and magnesium before you go to bed.

That’s it! this quarantine grocery list wasn’t that hard, was it? Now for the rest of you that have excess toilet paper, let us know how you can cook them 🙂 Also do me a favor and follow me on instagram.

Final note: The image is not mine, Bloomberg via Getty Images