By: Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP
Salesian Cooperator

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Budgeting is in everyone’s mind due to the sinking economy during this COVID season. However, if you know how to shop and become a smart consumer, you will not only save money but have healthy choices for your purchase. For this week, I am not writing as a nurse, but as a housewife who shares good tips on food and smart shopping. I will conclude with a sample menu for the week for you as a fun activity.

Tips on shopping:

• Do comparison shopping; look at the advertisement/specials of the week from supermarkets/stores (from mail or online). The on-sale items are usually in season and therefore with their abundance, the producers want to get rid of them before they go rotten.
• We seldom buy things that are not on sale.
• Some chain stores are usually more expensive; however, they might have advertised on-sale items weekly. So, look for the great buy.
• From time to time, chain stores offer competitive prices.
• The 99 Cents stores are another alternative option; we get lettuce, 3 pounds of potato, blue berry (if they are in season), celery, artichoke in a jar, and two pounds of spaghetti for 99 cents. Please note that I have no stocks in their store, but just sharing my personal experience with grocery shopping.
• Think about meal planning that can provide 2 menus: an example would be to get, for example, chicken leg or thigh. Use the meat for one meal and use the bones to make a good broth that you can combine with vegetables and rice to make a good soup for lunch.
• Spices: look for spices that do not have fancy wrapping. Regular stores offer spices at a much lower price than say, the farmers’ markets.

Below are sample menu plans for the week that you might want to look at. We can budget for $35 per week or $5 per person per day.

Breakfast	Toast, banana, 6 pieces of nut.	Oak meal, apple, 6 pieces of nut.	Banana pancake, 6 pieces of nut.	Toast, melon, 6 pieces of nut.	Oak meal, orange, 6 pieces of nut.	Blueberry pancake, 6 pieces of nut.	Yoga, banana, 6 pieces of nut.
Lunch	Vegetable chicken soup with rice.	Chicken fried rice, with mixed vegetable.	Spaghetti with cheese, spinach and tomato.	Chicken leg/thigh in curry sauce – rice or pasta.	Fish (grilled or pan fried) in Pesto sauce.	Stir-fried beef with mushroom/broccoli, served with rice or pasta.	Cheese/Tuna  sandwich with fresh green salad.
Dinner	Pork chop with onion and squash.	Pan-fried fish in tomato Sauce over rice.	Chicken breast in lemon sauce, Green salad	Stir-fried meat with mixed vegetables.	Fancy Mediterranean salad – mixed greens, beans, nuts, can add apple, or melon,	Mushroom soup, add diced Tofu, egg flower, diced chicken over rice.	Steak and baked potato.

Your homework from the Care Ministry this week: check out the menu and see if you can create your own?

We love to hear from you: kunlouis@gmail.com