Lockdown? Make your food last longer

COOKING DURING A LOCK-DOWN


The President has just announced the 21-day lock-down and I'm sure every parent everywhere felt their brain go


How on earth are we going to survive our families, with our kids and spouses in such closed quarters for 21 days?

Not to mention what do I cook?

Don't fret. Help is on hand.  With a few rules in place, you AND your family will survive and thrive. Your grocery cupboard and your budget will also survive with just a few minor tweaks.

Rules for Lockdown


  • Be kind and considerate to each other ALWAYS.
  • Try understanding the other person's point of view BEFORE you react.
  • Give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe s/he didn't mean it in a negative way.
  • Before you say anything, ask yourself is this really necessary?
  • When the inevitable argument occurs, stop. Think to yourself: do I need to be right? DO I get a prize for being right?  The answer is  NO. Your family relationships and your sanity are more important than your ego. So end the argument- do you want to be right or to be happy?
  • Make sure there is something to eat, always. People get angry when they are hungry.
  • You know all those games you tell your kids you used to play when you were little- teach it to them.  Act goofy and be funny. Laugh your head off acting silly with your kids- no one cares but your kids will remember this time fondly when you were REAL, not a fake working version of yourself. And you'll feel better too.

Back to the food.

You remember around the end of 2019 when you promised yourself that next year, 2020, you were going to add more vegetables and beans into your diet?  You were going to eat less meat, buy fewer processed foods and really take care of your family's health?  You remember how that fell apart 2 days after work/school started and you did not know what to cook?




You will finally be able to keep that promise. You see it takes 21 days to instill or break a habit. And the SA government has given people the time now to rethink their diets and lifestyles.  Don't worry: we're going to come out of this Covid-19 pandemic stronger, healthier and better families.

So make sure that you add the following items to your grocery list.


  • Dry beans: this includes sugar beans, broad beans, any one that you like
  • Lentils: same as above
  • Canned foods like baked beans, butter beans, tuna or pilchards (not too many)
  • plain flour (for baking, making bread, rotis, puris, pancakes,doughnuts)
  • rice
  • tomato paste sachets (in case tomatoes reach ridiculous prices)
  • salt and sugar 
  • instant yeast sachets
  • baking powder
  • honey
  • dried herbs
  • spices like chilli or curry powder, coriander (dhania) powder, tumeric powder, cinnamon sticks etc)
  • some fun baking stuff like sprinkles, cocoa, dried fruit, chopped nuts, coconut - things the kids can get excited over.

Now the fresh stuff.  DO NOT buy too much of these items below. For one, they spoil easily and two, it's a waste. Rather take what you can use up in the next 2- 3 weeks only.


  • Onions
  • Potatoes (sweet and white)
  • Butternut
  • Baby marrow
  • Garlic
  • Peppers
  • other vegetables that you like
We're going to break bad habits and learn some new skills in this 21 days. 


We can do this.

So go get your groceries. Tomorrow we start cooking!














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