Netizens criticize Neri Miranda’s P1,000 weekly meal plan

SHARING advice and tips, particularly on handling finances, running a business, and becoming a mom, is not something new for actress-turned-entrepreneur Neri Miranda. 

But her effort to help individuals prepare a healthy but affordable weekly meal plan earned the ire of many netizens.

Neri shared a sample weekly meal plan, which, she said, can be achieved with only a P1,000 budget. She also suggested various dishes that people could have for breakfast and lunch for the entire week. 

“Para sa mga nanay ba mamamalengke bukas pagkatapos ihatid ang mga bata sa school, eto na, pakiprint na po eto, kumpleto pati palengke list,” she wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post.

“Nagtry akong magbudget ng P1,000 for a week. Kung may sukli pa yan, pwede pangdagdag merienda o baon ng mga bata,” she added.

In her weekly meal plan, Neri proposed scrambled eggs with tomatoes and onions (served with rice), porridge with a boiled egg, a peanut butter sandwich, corned beef with rice, champurado with tuyo, a tuna sandwich, and oatmeal with banana for breakfast. 

For lunch meals, she suggested ginisang monggo, pork sinigang, fried bangus, giniling na baboy, tortang talong, and chicken tinola.

Neri labeled the dinner column of the meal plan “leftovers.”

She also made a shopping list for the ingredients in her suggested dishes.

However, Neri’s weekly meal plan made netizens raise their eyebrows. She trended on X on Thursday, as many social media users criticized her meal plan for being “unrealistic.”

One netizen questioned how Neri was able to craft a weekly meal plan by spending only P1,000.

“Pinipilit ko isipin papano magkakasya ang 1K for a week sa isang pamilya. NA MAY SOBRA PA. Unless meal plan ‘to ng mga langgam ha hakhakhak,” they posted on X.

One X user shared how much it cost her to cook chicken tinola for four people.

According to the netizen, she spent P180 for chicken, P10 for ginger, P47 for sayote, and P35 for garlic and onion. This totaled P272 for only one dish.

“As a family na nakatira na nga sa bundok lingon sa likod may mga gulay [naman] na pwede pitasin pero sorry di makatotohanan ang 1k for a week,” she said.

“Sorry di ako maka get over sa dinner leftover ok naman kumain ng leftover kung may tira talaga kaso sa 1/2 na yan wala talaga,” she added.

Some netizens, on the other hand, made memes out of Neri’s weekly plan.

Prior to deleting her weekly meal plan, Neri updated her Facebook post to apologize for forgetting to mention that she gets other ingredients, such as vegetables and eggs, for free.

“Sa amin po madalas free po ang mga eggs. Tapos yung vegetables and fruits namin kasi mahilig po akong magtanim,” she clarified.

“Pasensya na po. Next time, ilagay ko po lahat ng details at how much,” she added.

The National Nutrition Council previously said that it would cost P1,212.650 a day for a five-member family to have healthy meals. But this could go higher, depending on a person’s nutrient requirements.

Chito defends Neri

Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Chito Miranda took to X on Friday to defend his wife.

In his post, Chito mentioned the P2,000 meal plan that his wife previously crafted, which the latter initially did for fun. 

Neri shared it with netizens when she thought it could be useful to others, Chito said.

“Meals were cheap but relatively healthy and consisted mostly of vegetables,” the singer-songwriter said.

“She also reminded those who will be using her meal plan to add portions as needed, depending on their family’s size and appetite,” he added.

When this meal plan became a hit with Neri’s followers, the actress-entrepreneur challenged herself to make a cheaper meal that would only cost P1,000. 

“Kahit madaling araw na, she eagerly shared it with her followers (and again, madaming natuwa at nagpasalamat) and since it was intended for those who already knew what she was doing, she made the crucial mistake of not filling in the details,” he said.

Chito noted how Neri was easily criticized when her only intention was to help.

“Grabe di ba? Naisip lang naman ng asawa ko na baka sakaling makatulong yung meal plan nya sa mga tao that might find it useful, na-bash pa sya ng mga taong hindi naman nakasubaybay kung bakit ginagawa nya yung meal plan,” he said.