5 Week Kitchen-less Meal Plan

I am super excited for our upcoming kitchen renovation. I am not super excited about having no stove for 10 weeks. My budget (and waistline) cannot handle 10 weeks of eating out, especially for a family of 5. To ensure we make it through with plenty of home cooked meals, I’ve created a 5 week kitchen-less meal plan.

If you are renovating, experiencing a period without a kitchen, or waiting on a back ordered appliance, read on for my detailed plan and recipe links.

Supplies

We do have a partial kitchen in our basement which I am very grateful for which includes a fridge, dishwasher, and microwave. We also have an outdoor grill that can be used, weather permitting. To supplement the lack of stove/oven, however, we will be using the following:

Crock Pot – A large programmable crock pot will be your best friend, like this 8 qt option.
Toaster Oven – We have this Breville toaster oven with tons of features, including an air fryer, that make it pretty ideal. If you want something a little simpler try this model that’s still large enough for baking but half the price.
Waffle Iron – A waffle iron isn’t necessary but if it’s something you have then go ahead and use it for some variety! This option from Cuisinart includes both waffle and pancake plates.
Rice Cooker – We have used this rice cooker for many years and it also includes a steamer tray for additional uses. If you don’t have a rice cooker you can easily sub in microwaveable rice packets.

Other gadgets could be swapped out, depending on what you already own and your tastes:

Air Fryer – This NuWave air fryer has a good sized basket and comes highly rated.
Pressure Cooker – I was tempted by this multi-function pressure cooker that also slow cooks, steams and sautés. Since I already own the other small appliances noted above, I didn’t end up purchasing it.
Single Burner – If a stovetop is a must, then a single burner cook top is a good temporary option.
Indoor Grill – This indoor smokeless grill gets high reviews.

Meal Plan

I decided to go with a 5 week kitchen-less meal plan that we can just start over again after the first 5 weeks are up. Fingers crossed the project sticks to the 10 week timeline. You’ll notice I did a few “theme” nights and kept the crock pot cooking to 2-3 times each week. The recipes in the plan are linked below as well as some alternatives. For sides I’ll just use whatever produce is in season or looks good at the store that week.

Note: A few recipes call for browned meat which I made ahead of time and froze. To be on the safe side I pre-cooked 2 lbs ground beef, 2 lbs ground turkey, 3 lbs taco meat, and 3 lbs Italian sausage.

Breakfast Recipes

Crockpot Recipes

Toaster Oven Recipes

Garlic Herb Baked Chicken Wings
Sesame Chicken and Veggies
Baked Ravioli
Sausage and Veggie Foil Packets
Pineapple Chicken (can bake at 415 for 25 minutes)

Other/Alternates

Peanut Chicken Wraps
Ham and Swiss Sliders
Huli Huli Chicken
Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup
Charcuterie/Grazing Boards – These can be a lot of fun for everyone in the family. If you need some ideas check out this blog post.
Home Chef Meal Service – We’ve been loving occasional Home Chef meals for a few months now. All ingredients and instructions are delivered to your door each week (you can customize how much you want, when you want it). They even have oven ready options. If you want to give it a try use code LAURAS4535 for $35 off your first order.

Whew, that was a lot! If you made it this far thanks for sticking with me and stay tuned for our kitchen renovation details and all of the amazing organization to follow.

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