Assumptions for the plan
- Family: Sara, Ahmed, and two children (ages 7 and 10) — 4 people.
- Week: 10–16 October 2026.
- Budget: EGP 1,800 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the whole week.
- Available supplies already deducted:
- 1 kg rice
- 500 g lentils
- 1 bottle oil (assumed enough for the week; if nearly empty, add 500 ml and recheck budget)
- No mushrooms are used.
- Cooking time: planned for about 45 minutes active time per day, using leftovers for dinner and simple stovetop cooking. Cut chicken small and dice vegetables small to stay within time.
- Price note: all costs below are planning estimates only and must be checked against store prices.
Daily meal table for 4 people
| Date | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Time note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 10 Oct | Ful medames with 4 boiled eggs, bread, cucumber/tomato | Chicken with rice and salad | Leftover chicken with bread and salad | About 45 min active; boil eggs while chicken/rice simmer |
| Sun 11 Oct | Omelette with tomato/bell pepper, bread | Lentil soup with 4 boiled eggs and bread | Leftover soup or cheese sandwich | About 40 min; use available lentils |
| Mon 12 Oct | Labneh with cucumber/tomato and bread | Pasta with minced meat tomato sauce | Leftover pasta | About 35 min |
| Tue 13 Oct | Ful with 4 eggs scrambled in, bread, tomato | Mujadara: rice with lentils and caramelized onion | Leftover mujadara with salad | About 45 min; use available rice/lentils |
| Wed 14 Oct | Scrambled eggs, bread, tomato/cucumber | Chicken with potato-carrot and rice, salad | Leftover chicken/vegetables with bread | About 45 min; cut chicken and vegetables small |
| Thu 15 Oct | Cheese with tomato/cucumber and bread | Pasta with tuna and tomato sauce | Leftover pasta or quick salad | About 30 min |
| Fri 16 Oct | Eggs with tomato/cucumber and bread | Chicken soup with vermicelli and bread | Leftover soup with bread | About 40 min |
Combined shopping list after deducting available supplies
Available supplies used — not to buy
| Item | Available quantity | Used in plan |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 kg | Day 1, Day 4, Day 5 |
| Lentils | 500 g | Day 2, Day 4 |
| Oil | 1 bottle | All cooking |
Estimated planning costs — check against store prices
Protein and dairy
| Item | Quantity to buy | Planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 24 eggs | EGP 90 |
| Chicken pieces, cut small | 1.3 kg | EGP 490 |
| Minced meat | 300 g | EGP 135 |
| Canned tuna | 2 cans | EGP 130 |
| Cheese | 250 g | EGP 90 |
| Labneh | 250 g | EGP 70 |
| Canned ful | 2 cans | EGP 120 |
| Subtotal | EGP 1,125 |
Bread and dry goods
| Item | Quantity to buy | Planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Baladi bread | 12 loaves | EGP 180 |
| Pasta | 500 g | EGP 35 |
| Vermicelli | 100 g | EGP 8 |
| Subtotal | EGP 223 |
Vegetables and fruit
| Item | Quantity to buy | Planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Onions | 1 kg | EGP 40 |
| Garlic | 1 head | EGP 15 |
| Tomatoes | 1.5 kg | EGP 55 |
| Cucumbers | 500 g | EGP 25 |
| Carrots | 500 g | EGP 25 |
| Potatoes | 500 g | EGP 20 |
| Bell pepper | 200 g | EGP 20 |
| Lemon | 2 | EGP 12 |
| Subtotal | EGP 212 |
Pantry and seasonings
| Item | Quantity to buy | Planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato paste | 200 g | EGP 30 |
| Salt | 500 g | EGP 12 |
| Black pepper | 50 g | EGP 35 |
| Cumin | 100 g | EGP 30 |
| Paprika | 100 g | EGP 25 |
| Sugar | 250 g | EGP 15 |
| Tea | 100 g | EGP 40 |
| Subtotal | EGP 187 |
Budget check
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated shopping total | EGP 1,747 |
| Weekly budget | EGP 1,800 |
| Remaining buffer | EGP 53 |
Important: These are planning estimates only. The costs need to be checked against actual store prices before shopping.
If store prices are higher than estimated
To keep the week under EGP 1,800, you can adjust in this order:
- Reduce chicken from 1.3 kg to 1.0 kg and replace one meal with eggs, ful, or pasta with tomato sauce.
- Remove canned tuna and replace with 4–6 eggs or extra cheese/labneh.
- Reduce minced meat from 300 g to 200 g and stretch the sauce with more tomato and onion.
- Buy fewer loaves of bread if your family eats less bread, or use leftovers from rice/lentil meals.
- If you already have salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, sugar, or tea, deduct about EGP 157 from the estimated cost.