Meal planning is super helpful. For me, this doesn’t mean I always know the exact meal I’m going to eat, but I’ve figured out what is needed on my weekly shopping list.

• Leafy greens
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Bell peppers
• Onions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Proteins – mushrooms, fish, eggs
• Pineapple
• Oranges
• Plantain
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Beetroot

Seasonal vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli tend to feature but only when in season. The same goes for fruits like mangoes.

Once these basics are available, it’s easy to make a stir-fry or a salad. Healthy eating initiates from the mind and it’s then transformed to the shopping list.

I also almost always have oats, fonio and Ogi (pap) available too. They’re always great to have around when I don’t feel like a smoothie for breakfast.

With the vegetables available, the next thing is to decide on what starchy vegetables to have or not have with my meal. Baked plantain is a favourite and it features quite often.

Healthy eating on a budget starts with planning. This is nothing rigid, it’s just arming yourself with the right base for your meals.

That’s this week’s tip. What local fruits and vegetables are your favourite and what do you do with them? Till next week….