BUDGET MEAL PLAN FOR 1 MONTH
With this plan, I don’t have to cook every night and we also save electricity.
Let me share with you what I do. All vegetables I try and get whatever is on special or on “throw out” but still useable.
- From the local vegetable market:
- 3 kg carrots
- 8 packs green beans
- 3 kg butternut
- 3 kg onions
- 2 kg sweet potato
- 3 x punnets mixed peppers
- 7 kg pocket potatoes
- 9 bunches spinach
- 3 cabbages
- At the local supermarket and butcher:
- 1 kg mince
- 2 kg beef meaty bones
- 2 kg pork meaty bones
- 2 whole chickens
- 1 kg mutton (if I’m lucky to get)
- 2 kg plain soya mince
I cook all the vegetables, except the cabbage and the peppers, on the same day and divide it into 500 ml tubs.
With the cabbage, I prepare “oumas onder die kombers” (meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves) with the outer soft leaves and finely chop the rest of the cabbage, which I use for a curry cabbage.
Usually, I get about 7 – 8 tubs per vegetable, from 6 different vegetables that’s 42 bowls of vegetables in total.
You can also prepare mac and cheese and freeze it.
I use 3 kg macaroni and it serves 7 meals.
I chop the peppers and add them to the meat dishes as I cook the meat.
I also cook the meat all at the same time and divide it into bowls or tubs.
Beef meaty bones:
Cook the beef meaty bones in a pressure cooker until the meat falls off the bones (you’ll be surprised how much you get).
With this meat I prepare pepper steak pies (add potato cubes to make more), beef stew (add vegetables that’s on promotion at your local supermarket, about 2 packs with potatoes) and beef curry.
With this meat I get:
4 x round pepper steak pies (milk tart size)
5 – 6 bowls of beef stew
3 – 4 bowls of curry (any leftover gravy, you can use for the pies)
That gives me 14 meals.
- Pastry for the pies:
- 250 g margarine
- 1 egg
- 4 cups of cake flour
- pinch of salt
Mix the ingredients together, add cold water to form a stiff dough and use.
Mince:
Mix ⅔ of the mince with ½ the soya mince to make the meatballs for the “oumas onder die kombers” (meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves).
This makes about 6 meals.
With the rest of the mince and soya mince, I prepare savory mince, to serve with pasta.
This makes about 2 meals.
That’s another 8 meals in total.
The mutton:
If I’m lucky to get it on special, I prepare tomato stew, enough for 4 meals.
Pork meaty bones:
Cook ⅔ of the pork meaty bones in a pressure cooker until the meat falls off the bone (you’ll be surprised).
Prepare a pepper pork casserole, with the budget peppers added.
This will be enough for 5 – 6 bowls.
The rest of the meaty bones, I bake on the evening in the air fryer and serve with a sweat and sour sauce. It taste just like ribs.
This gives me 3 – 4 meals.
The pork serves another 8 meals in total.
The chicken:
Cook 1 whole chicken in the pressure cooker.
Use the breast portions to prepare chicken and mushroom with rice, serves 4 meals.
With the rest of the cooked meat, prepare chicken and mushroom pies, serves 4 meals.
Prepare lemon chicken or chicken casserole with the 2nd chicken (add vegetables that’s on promotion from your local supermarket, about 2 packs), serves 4 – 5 meals.
The chicken serves ± 12 meals.
All the meat therefore provides about 42 – 46 meals.
The meals are frozen, I write each bowl or container down on a list and we tick it off as we use.
I feed my family of 3 for under R1500 per month for dinners and they get proper helpings and balanced meals.
We only cook a little rice, mash or pasta with each meal in the microwave, if needed.
Ideas and photos: Elsa Lax