Hello everyone! I am here again to give you ideas for budget ulam recipes for the week. In this series which we started last month (Check out past posts here), we aim to provide nutritious yet affordable recipes that could hopefully ease your burden of planning for meals, thinking about the ulam for the day, market and grocery shopping, and ensuring that the budget is followed.
As mothers we are blessed to have been given the responsibility to choose and prepare nourishing meals for our families. In provers 31:27-28 it says “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her…” So to aid us in planning budget-friendly and nourishing meals, allow me to offer you our suggested recipes for the week:
Cooking nutritious yet affordable meals for the family
Like the past week, the recipes in this list can all be cooked for a budget of Php150.00 to 200.00 and could produce about four-adult portioned sizes. These ulam ideas are also easy to prepare. SOme may require two steps but nothing really complicated.
If ever there will be other ingredients like seasonings, most are pantry staples. If ever they are not in your pantry then consider buying a pack as an investment. Anyway, if you divide your use into the next couple of days or weeks, then the amount shall redound to our target of more or less Php200.00 per main dish. So without further ado, here is our list of budget ulam recipes.
List of budget meal ulam ideas for the week 2023
- Chicken binagoongan. This is a very easy and affordable recipe to prepare. Just pre-fry two medium sized eggplants. Saute onion, tomato and garlic. Add the bagoong and a teaspoon of sugar. You may also add sliced siling pansigang at this point if you want it a bit spicy. Add the chicken pieces and ensure that the chicken is cooked through. Add 1/4 cup of water and simmer unti;l the bagoong or shrimp paste gets a bit oily. You can then add the cooked eggplants and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Ginataang Tilapia. This one is easy and nutritious! Fry two to three pieces of sliced tilapia. You may slice the fish into three or half, depending on your preference. Set aside. In the same pan, saute onion, garlic and ginger. Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cracked pepper, plus one piece of chicken cube. Once boiling add the fried tilapia pieces and bring to a boil. Simmer for about five minutes and then adjust seasoning to taste. Patis is a good choice when it comes to seasoning coconut milk based dishes. You can also add in siling pansigang at this point. Serve with a smile!
- Chicken Arroz Caldo. Arroz Caldo can be eaten in our house as a whole day meal! It can be eaten as lunch, the left over as merienda, and then the next day, it can be eaten as breakfast. Even your babies who are beyond 6 months can eat this (more baby and toddler food ideas can be found here)! Extra money saved for its budget can be used to buy Tokwa for a soy-tofu side dish mala “tokwang walang baboy” 🙂 Here is an easy recipe I previously posted.
- Tuna spaghetti. Let us take a break from rice and use our favorite pasta in making this super easy dish: Tuna Spaghetti. Just sauté your favorite can of tuna in onion and garlic. If you are feeling generous you can add all purpose cream to make the dish creamy but if not then the oil from the pasta should be enough. Season with salt and pepper, and if you have Basil at home then add some shakes of it.
- Bangus a la Pobre. This is another budget friendly yet nutritious recipe that could feed a family of four or five. Even kids will be happy to eat this especially when the Bangus is boneless. Here is an easy recipe to follow.
- Pork Sinigang using sinigang cut. Sinigang cut of pork is less expensive compared to the liempo cut, so one can easily go ahead and make use of it as a dinner or lunch ulam. Just make sure to add kangkong, labanos and gabi to fill up the recipe. Of course encourage the kids to eat up their veggies too!
- Chicken Liver and Gizzard Adobo. This is an easy and super yummy recipe that will ensure that you will reach out for more rice. It may take a bit more time to cook, but the effort is worth it. Plus left-overs can be easily frozen! Here is a good recipe that I have tried.
So there goes our list for the week. I hope you come back again next week for our fresh list of suggested ulam ideas.
Food for the soul
At this point, I hope you can allow me to share one of my favorite bible verses, this time from the Gospel of St. Matthew:
“But he answered, “It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Thank you for stopping by and till next post!
