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    Home → Recipes → Food for thought

    Published: Mar 18, 2020 · Modified: Jul 27, 2021 by Caitlin · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    58 Recipes You NEED When You're Hunkered Down at Home

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    Being hunkered down at home doesn't mean you have to sacrifice restaurant-quality food, nutritious meals or happy hour cocktails! This awesome collection of 58 recipes will cover everything from cooking with kids to making meals out of pantry staples, plus everything in between!                                                 Collage of 4 images for 58 Recipes you need when you're hunkered down at home

    Dining out is one of my favorite activities, but certain times call for cooking at home instead! Whether it's a blizzard making roads unsafe, having kids that are home from school, or just trying to cut back on spending, it's always important to have a good supply of go-to recipes to pull from when you need them.

    Given our current world-wide health status, you are probably hunkered down like the rest of us, trying to stay healthy and avoid social settings. In many states, our restaurants are limited to carryout only right now.

    I will always 100% push for supporting local businesses, and although restaurants are doing their best to still provide for the community, our current situation definitely requires more meals being cooked at home. 

    I've joined forces with some of the best food bloggers in the game to create this all-inclusive recipe list to help you quickly find simple dishes you can make at home. Just because you can't dine out doesn't mean you can't use this time with your family or roommates to explore new recipes, cook some of your favorites right in your own kitchen, and even have some fun with some kid-friendly dishes or DIY cocktails!

    Check out the categories below and be sure to save this post for future reference! Although this is particularly useful right now, this list can also be used during future cold and flu seasons when you're trying to avoid public places! 🙂

    Easy or make-ahead breakfast ideas

    It's always important to have a few go-to breakfast recipes on hand, especially when the kids are unexpectedly home from school for a few days! (Or weeks...or months...) Skip over the cereal and cook one of these easy make-ahead breakfasts instead!

    Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole from Cuts and Crumbles

    Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole

    Make Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches from The Cozy Cookbreakfast sandwich with bite missing

    Easy Mini Pancake Muffins from Cooking on the Front Burnershand grabbing mini pancake muffin off cooling rack

    Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread from A Simple Palatecinnamon raisin bread loaf in pot

    Breakfast Pizza with Bacon and Eggs from 24 Bitebreakfast pizza slices on plate

    Breakfast Strata With Croissants from Meals with Maggie breakfast strata in pan

    Cinnamon Coconut Granola from Raia's Recipeswhite bowl of homemade granola

    Loaded Breakfast Bowls from Cuts and Crumblesclose up view of loaded breakfast bowls with ketchup on top

    Make Ahead Oatmeal Cups from Entertaining with Bethoatmeal cups on plate

    Eggs and Baked Beans from Posh Journalbeans with overeasy eggs in individual pots

    Cost-Effective Lunches

    These cost-effective lunches will help feed your family without breaking the bank. Plus they're so delicious that your kids won't beg you to take them to McDonald's instead! Keep these recipes on hand for last-minute lunches so you won't be forced to order out!

    Quick and Easy Flatbread Pizzas from Finding Zestsliced flatbread pizza on cutting board

    Cheeseburger Bombs from Sizzling Eatscheeseburger bombs on white plate

    Turkey Enchurritos Bowls from Cuts and CrumblesTurkey Enchurrito Bowls

    Fried Chicken Meatballs from The Incredible Bulkschild hand grabbing chicken meatball off black pan

    Nacho Quesadillas from A Taste of Madnessquesadilla dipped in guacamole

    Easy Individual Lasagna Cups from The Cook's Pyjamasclose up of individual lasagna cup

    Restaurant Quality Canned Refried Beans by Smarty Pants Kitchenbowl of refried beans next to pico de Gallo

    Simple, healthy dinners

    If you're like me, you're probably on a constant search for new dinner ideas. I'm always trying to come up with dinner recipes that are just as healthy as they are fast and easy! These dinners whip together easily and can serve the whole family (or be reheated if you're only cooking for 1 or 2), which is ideal for any time you're hunkered down at home!

    Best Ever Gluten Free Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet from A Sprinkling of Cayenne cheeseburger macaroni in skillet

    The Ultimate Homemade Lasagna from Maple and Mangowhite pan of lasagna

    Easy Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef from Delightfully Low Carbshredded beef on blue plate

    Easy Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup from Kitchen Gone Roguebowl of chicken tortilla soup

    Easy Black Beans and Rice from Easy and DelishBeans and rice in skillet

    5 Spice Perfect Air Fryer Chicken from JZ EatsAir fried chicken on white plate

    restaurant copycats

    I will always advocate for supporting local businesses and restaurants, but if you're unable to eat in public or simply wanting to experiment with cooking some of your favorite restaurant meals at home, then check out these copycat dishes below!

    Ribeye Steak and Shrimp with Parmesan Sauce (Applebees Copycat) from Zona Cookssteak topped with shrimp and parmesan sauce

    Mushroom Chicken (Panda Express Copycat) from Savory with Soulchicken and mushroom on white plate

    Harvest Grain and Nut Pancakes (IHOP Copycat) from Food Meanderingsstack of pancakes topped with whipped cream

    Lettuce Wraps (P.F. Changs Copycat) from Couple in the KitchenLettuce wrap ingredients on white plate

    Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili Mac (Skyline Copycat) from Dad What's 4 Dinnerwhite bowl of chili Mac topped with cheese

    Fancy restaurant meals you can make at home

    Just because you're hunkered down at home because of bad weather, in order to prevent illness, or for any other reason, that doesn't mean you can't treat yourself to a 5-star meal! Now's the time to get into the kitchen and start experimenting with some of your fancy favorites! From classic Italian meatballs to duck confit, you can follow these recipes below to create a wonderful meal right at home!

    Italian Lamb Shanks with Parmesan Polenta from Couple in the Kitchenlamb shanks with polenta on white plate

    Reverse Sear Steak from Cuts and CrumblesReverse Sear Steak

    My Favorite Meatballs with Fresh Basil and Parmesan from Feast in ThymeSpaghetti and meatballs in white bowl

    Slow Cooker Duck Confit from Emma Eats and Exploresduck confit on white plate

    Been Cheek Ragu from Another Food Bloggerbeef cheek rags on white plate

    batch cooking ideas

    Batch cooking is ideal for large families but can also come in handy for times when you're hunkered down and don't want to keep hitting the grocery store! If you can cook some meals in advance to survive off of all week or freeze and re-heat over the next few months, you can help alleviate some of the stress of meal prepping and give the grocery store workers a breather! These meals are also ideal for delivering to those who can't easily get to the store so they can still enjoy nutritious homemade food!

    4 Keto Crockpot Freezer Meals from Low Carb with Jennifercollage of 4 easy meals

    Three Cheese Eggplant Parmesan from Emma Eats and Explores white pan of eggplant parmesan

    Tater Tot Casserole from Feast for a Fractiontater tot casserole with scoop missing

    Smoked Pork Butt Tacos from Cuts and Crumblessmoked pork tacos

    30 Minute Feel Better Chicken Soup from Cuts and Crumbles30 Minute Feel Better Chicken Soup

    Smoked/Grilled food

    Luckily the weather is warming up so we can get outside and do some grilling or smoking! You can check out our complete list of recipes from The BBQ Brothers, but here are a few good ideas to try out when you're homebound!

    Grilled Fruit Platter with Two Luscious Sauces from Paleo Gluten Free Guygrilled fruit on platter

    BBQ Chicken Breasts–Sunday Meal Prep from Cuts and CrumblesBBQ Chicken Sunday Meal Prep

    Mexican Carne Asada Marinade from Hilda's Kitchen Blogcarne asada sliced on cutting board

    Smoked Mac and Cheese from Cuts and CrumblesSmoked Mac and cheese

    Meals made from pantry staples

    If you're feeling sick or when the weather gets nasty, going to the grocery store may not even be in the cards for you. If you're unable to stock up your kitchen for any reason, don't panic, we've got you covered with some meals that can be made with items you probably already have in your pantry right now!

    Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca from Hint of Healthywhite bowl of spaghetti with red sauce

    Slow Cooker No Knead Bread from Baking Queen 74round bread loaf in pot

    Quick and Easy Apple Cinnamon Bread from Super Golden Bakesstack of sliced cinnamon apple bread

    Chicken Soup with Spaghetti Noodles from Organized Islandbowl of chicken soup with spaghetti noodles

    Spaghetti Aglio e Olio from Simply Delicious FoodSpaghetti in white bowl

    Homemade Graham Crackers from Owl B Bakingstack of homemade graham crackers

    Kid-approved food

    Planning a cooking session with kids is a fun way to keep them engaged if you're trying to entertain them when they're home from school. Keep some of these kid-approved recipes on hand so they can learn how to whip up their own snacks and meals!

    Monster Pancakes from Fab Food 4 Allpancake shaped like monster with face

    No Bake Sheep Grahams from Dancing Through the Raingraham crackers decorated with marshmallows like sheep

    Sammy's On A Stick from Bakers Beanssandwich ingredients on skewers

    Homemade Gummy Bears from Chewable Structureshomemade gummy bears on blue platter

    Cocktails

    Need to bring the bar to you? Whether you're home with the kids or just unable to get out to your favorite watering hole, you can still enjoy all of your happy hour favorites! Work on your bartending skills by whipping up one of these cocktails below!

    Ultimate Cadillac Margaritas from Dishes Delishyellow drinks in glasses

    Raspberry Gin Fizz from Savored Sipsred drink in wine glass

    Lemon Ginger Mocktail from Always Use Butteryellow drinks in clear glasses

    Blue Lagoon Cocktail from Mom Foodiebright blue drinks with lemon slices

    Cherry Margaritas from Seasonal Cravingscherry margaritas on white and red towel

    From all of us food bloggers to you, stay healthy, eat well, and enjoy these delicious recipes while you're hunkered down at home! 🙂 Comment below with your favorite one and share this post with your fellow hunker-downers! 

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    Hey I’m Caitlin! I am the chalkboard artist, photographer, writer, and overall boss-lady behind Cuts and Crumbles! I love sharing easy recipes that are possible for any skillset and suitable for any occasion! From recipes with low-calorie ingredient swaps to more indulgent dishes and even off the grill smoked specialities, I've got you covered!

    More about me →

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