Mahal Ang Bilihin! Make A 2-Week Meal Plan To Save Time And Money
Is there nothing to eat or you just don’t know what to make?
“What should we have for today?” At one point in your life as a homemaker, you’ve likely been stumped by this question. Indeed, what new dish can you come up with for your family when you’ve already cooked every single dish you can make in the last 10 months of lockdown?
There’s a simple trick to it: meal planning.
Gail Nimo is no different from her grandparents, siblings, and husband who are all skilled in the kitchen. She believes that “Food is love served on a plate,” thus, cooking became her way of showing affection to her loved ones.
“Being able to see the smile on their faces whenever they like the food I prepared is more than the satisfaction I need,” she says.
For someone who started cooking at the age of eight, meal planning for a family of five is easy as pie for Nanay Gail, who showcases her creations on Instagram.
“In making a meal plan, I always consider [our] budget, the availability of the products, and the season. Also, [I make sure] that each meal can be eaten by [everyone in the] family, [even] those with certain allergies. Sometimes, it also depends on who had a bad day or needs a bit of a perk up.”
Because of the COVID-19 situation, Nanay Gail does her grocery and wet market shopping every two weeks and tries to tick off everything on her list in one go to avoid multiple trips.
Aside from bringing your own eco-bags, Nanay Gail also advises, “Stick to your list and your budget [since] it’s easy to get carried away when you are in the grocery. Always check the expiration dates. Have a ‘suki’ in the market to save time. Go to market early to get the best and freshest produce for that day.”
If you’re running out of ideas, check out Nanay Gail’s 2-week meal and snacks plan for her family of five.
WEEK 1
Monday
Breakfast: Tapsilog + fruits
Lunch: Chicken and pork adobo + nilagang okra
Snack: Ensaymada + coffee or juice
Dinner: Breaded pork chop + ginataang sitaw at kalabasa
Tuesday
Breakfast: Pancakes and bacon + fruits
Lunch: Escabeche + pritong talong
Snack: Nilagang mais
Dinner: Pinatisang manok + veggie salad
Wednesday
Breakfast: Pandesal+ cheese pimiento + luncheon meat + fruit yoghurt
Lunch: Inihaw na tilapia + talbos ng kamote with ginisang bagoong balayan in olive oil
Snack: Egg pie + coffee or hot chocolate
Dinner: Sinaing na tulingan + pritong talong
Thursday
Breakfast: Champorado + tuyo and dilis + fruit
Lunch: Tinolang manok + pritong daing na bangus
Snack: Cupcakes + buko juice
Dinner: Nilagang baka + pritong isda
Friday
Breakfast: Sopas + tinapay with butter + fruit
Lunch: Tortang giniling + ginisang sayote
Snack: Tuna sandwich
Dinner: Ginisang monggo + paksiw na bangus
Saturday
Brunch: Adobo rice + boneless dilis + sarciadong itlog + Spam + fruit
Snack: Ginataang bilo-bilo
Dinner: Inihaw na liempo + chicken wings + ensaladang manga
Sunday
Brunch: Hotdogs + bread + potato frittata + fried rice + tinapang salinas + fruit
Snack: Kamote + banana que
Dinner: Sinigang na hipon + pritong galunggong
WEEK 2
Monday
Breakfast: Longsilog + fruits
Lunch: Tinapang bangus + chopsuey
Snack: Spanish bread + coffee or juice
Dinner: Pritong isda + pinakbet
Tuesday
Breakfast: Corned beef + fried rice + eggs + fruits
Lunch: Adobong manok + ginataang langka
Snack: Nilagang kamoteng kahoy + niyog with coco sugar
Dinner: Chicken curry + lumpiang togue
Wednesday
Breakfast: Pancakes + bacon + fruits
Lunch: Misua bola-bola + tuna omelette
Snack: Biko
Dinner: Inihaw na bangus + laing
Thursday
Breakfast: Pandesal + pansit canton + boiled eggs + fruits
Lunch: Ginataang tilapia + pritong tokwa
Snack: Inihaw na saging
Dinner: Beef caldereta + vegetable salad
Friday
Breakfast: Pandesal + cheese, butter, and jam + fruits
Lunch: Ginisang monggo + adobong pork belly na tuyo
Snack: Chicken sandwich
Dinner: Fried chicken + gising-gising
Saturday
Brunch: Spam + daing + fried rice + eggs + fruits
Snack: Palitaw + suman
Dinner: Sinigang na hipon + inihaw na liempo
Sunday
Brunch: Fried rice + tocino + ginisang tuna + scrambled eggs + fruits
Snack: Arroz caldo + tokwa’t baboy
Dinner: Beef steak + steamed vegetables
Nanay Gail’s family strives to reduce food waste, moreso during this pandemic. “Leftovers, especially the ones that don’t spoil easily, [are kept] in containers or zip lock bags [to be] refrigerated or frozen.” She says that she either reheats leftovers or recycles them into a new dish to avoid wastage. “My family won’t [even realize] it’s leftover food.”
Peeling garlic was Jenel Laureta’s first kitchen duty as a teenager. With her grandfather’s influence, she developed her cooking skills over the years.
“My family inspires me to cook,” she says, and it shows on her Instagram account. “Eating out is quite costly in the long run, so I [prefer] to just cook at home,” she says.
Mommy Jenel always factors in her husband’s and son’s preferences when planning their weekly menu. She shares, “What my family wants to eat for the coming week is always a big consideration. I only cook what we/they like to eat to avoid wastage.”
She makes it a point to list down the ingredients by category before she leaves for the supermarket or wet market. That way, she is less likely to forget anything. During the first few months of the pandemic, she did her groceries every two weeks, but she has gradually gone back to going weekly.
Her tip for other moms: “Have a list. It is important to stick to your list [no matter] how tempted you are to pick up extra items. Spoilage is [likely to happen] if you indulge yourself with extras.”
Make cooking for your family a worry-free affair by following Mommy Jenel’s 2-week meal plan.
WEEK 1
Monday
Breakfast: Tuyosilog + saging + coffee
Lunch: Ginisang ampalaya + halabos na hipon
Dinner: Ampalaya omelette + pritong danggit
Tuesday
Breakfast: Pandesal with butter + sunny side up eggs + coffee
Lunch: Sinigang na pata
Dinner: Pritong salay ginto + sabaw ng sinigang
Wednesday
Breakfast: Pancakes with bacon + coffee
Lunch: Chicken afritada
Dinner: Stir-fry veggies
Thursday
Breakfast: Tuna omelette + garlic rice
Lunch: Chicken pork adobo + nilagang itlog
Dinner: Pinakbet + pork barbecue
Friday
Breakfast: Ginisang itlog with spinach + fried dried pusit + fried rice
Lunch: Paksiw na bangus + ginisang monggo
Dinner: Lechon kawali + munggo
Saturday
Breakfast: Vienna sausage + pancit canton + sunny side up eggs
Lunch: Pork steak + ginisang sayote
Dinner: Estofadong pata
Sunday
Breakfast: Corned beef with cabbage + pritong dilis
Lunch: Beef kare-kare
Dinner: Macaroni soup + toasted bread
WEEK 2
Monday
Breakfast: Hotdogs + scrambled eggs + pandesal + coffee
Lunch: Tinolang manok sa gata
Dinner: Crab relleno
Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal + fruit platter + pineapple juice
Lunch: Pritong isda + ginisang baguio beans
Dinner: Bicol express
Wednesday
Breakfast: Tocilog + coffee
Lunch: Daing na bangus + nilagang talong, okra at talbos ng kamote
Dinner: Nilagang manok
Thursday
Breakfast: Tinapang bangus + ensaladang kamatis, sibuyas at labanos + fried rice
Lunch: Adobong sitaw + fried chicken
Dinner: Sinigang na hipon
Friday
Breakfast: Ham and cheese sandwich + orange juice
Lunch: Patola misua with meatballs
Dinner: Asadong liempo
Saturday
Breakfast: Longganisa + atchara + sunny side up eggs + coffee
Lunch: Sinuteng pusit + ginisang kalabasa at talong
Dinner: Tacos
Sunday
Breakfast: Cereals + mangoes + coffee
Lunch: Roasted chicken + roasted vegetables
Dinner: Aglio olio pasta with shrimps and broccoli
According to Mommy Jenel, with a small family like theirs, leftovers are inevitable, but it does not mean these go to waste.
“What I do is I reheat and serve them again. I also think of something creative to make the leftover food seem [like] a new dish altogether. This way, you are not only saving money, but also get to be creative in the kitchen,” she says.
Nothing beats homecooked meals in cost and nutrition. Save time (and your sanity) by planning ahead!
