The R100 grocery list that makes supper for a whole week
In any other economy, you might be tempted to find a high-paying job to avoid the mid-month blues. That may not be possible in this economy. Instead, if you…
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In any other economy, you might be tempted to find a high-paying job to avoid the mid-month blues.
That may not be possible in this economy.
Instead, if you want your salary to last until month-end, you can rely on a trusty mid-month hack.
Spend R100 on this grocery list and get supper for an entire week.
R100 Buys a Grocery List that Makes Enough supper for a Week
This list can help you when funds are low. But it’s also scientifically proven to contain all the nutrients you need.
The three ingredients, when combined, should give you enough meals for the week.
Buy a starch. On a budget, you have two options: Maize meal and rice. Choose whichever suits your taste. This list relies on rice.
You can buy a 2-kilogram bag of parboiled long-grain white rice and have it cooked in 30 minutes.
Most weeks, supermarkets will have one brand of 2kg rice on promotion.
If your budget is strict, maize meal might be a better option.
It’s slightly more expensive to buy at R35 for 2.5kg, but you can get breakfast and supper from it.
Choose your protein. You really only have one option: pulses, also known as legumes.
Lentils will be the best choice because they’re key to the scientific process.
To get a tasty lentil dish, you need sauce. Stick to the rule: If you aren’t sneezing, it’s not seasoned.
Use any meaty marinade in your fridge or meat-flavoured spice in your cupboard.
With enough meaty flavour, you won’t get any earthy notes common when cooking lentils.
Choose your vegetable. To create a complete dietary profile, choose butternut or carrots.
Butternut offers you the most value for money.
You can get a pocket weighing roughly 6 kilograms for R40.
Carrots, on the other hand, cost R20 for 1 kilogram.
You can also buy an onion, one or two tomatoes, and some green pepper to flavour your lentils, should you make any savings.
If you fill a bowl with 50% rice, 25% lentils and 25% butternut, you should be able to get 21 meals from these ingredients.
You could comfortably feed two people supper with this list.
But families may need to get a second bag of lentils to last for a week of suppers.
If you have more than R100 and want some actual meat in the meal, you have two options: chicken soup packs or pork.
Chicken soup packs are sold at Pick ‘n Pay and Shoprite for R55 per kilogram.
Pork sells for R60 per kilogram at most supermarkets.
The Science Behind the Complete Meal
Beyond being affordable, this meal is scientifically proven to contain every nutrient you need.
According to a daily nutritional calculator, the average South African should be getting the following nutrients:
The average South African is based on data from Statistics South Africa.
A 350-gram bowl of lentils, rice, and butternut can get you roughly 25% of these nutrient requirements.
This is based on Eat This Much: cooked and unsalted rice (175g), lentils (87.5g), and butternut (87.5g).
There are also other health benefits to this cost-effective meal.
Data fro…