How to cook all tiffins for the week with ₹500 groceries?

Question

How can you cook all your tiffins for the week with just ₹500 in groceries? Get a sample shopping list and menu for a budget-friendly lunch plan.

Answer 1

Planning meals, buying in bulk, focusing on affordable staples like rice, lentils, and vegetables, and utilizing leftovers creatively are key to cooking tiffins for a week with ₹500. Prioritize simple, nutritious recipes and avoid expensive ingredients.

Detailed Explanation:

Cooking tiffins for a week with a limited budget of ₹500 requires careful planning and resourcefulness. Here's a step-by-step approach:

1. Meal Planning: Start by planning your tiffin meals for the entire week. List out the dishes you want to prepare, focusing on simple and affordable options. Consider dishes like rice with dal, vegetable pulao, roti with sabzi, or upma.
2. Inventory Check: Before heading to the store, check your pantry for existing ingredients like spices, oil, salt, and any leftover grains or vegetables. This will help you avoid buying duplicates.
3. Grocery Shopping: Create a detailed shopping list based on your meal plan and stick to it. Prioritize buying in bulk whenever possible, especially for staples like rice, lentils (dal), and flour. Look for seasonal vegetables, as they are usually cheaper. Consider buying vegetables that can be used in multiple dishes.
4. Focus on Affordable Staples: Rice, lentils, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and seasonal vegetables are your best friends. These ingredients are relatively inexpensive and can be used in a variety of dishes.
5. Utilize Leftovers: Plan to use leftovers creatively. For example, leftover rice can be used to make fried rice or upma. Leftover sabzi can be stuffed into roti or used as a filling for sandwiches.
6. Simple Recipes: Choose simple recipes that require fewer ingredients and less cooking time. This will save you both money and time.
7. Avoid Expensive Ingredients: Steer clear of expensive ingredients like paneer, nuts, and exotic vegetables. Opt for cheaper alternatives whenever possible.
8. Cook in Bulk: Cook larger batches of dishes that can be stored and used for multiple tiffins. This will save you time and energy.

Pro Tip:

Soak lentils and grains before cooking to reduce cooking time and improve nutrient absorption. This also helps in saving fuel and making the food more digestible.