Everyday we are hearing in the media that prices are rising, fuel and food being our biggest concerns. This week I share some of my tips to help you eat healthy and still stick to a budget.
What is healthy eating?
I don’t believe in having to eat avocado and spirulina powder to have a healthy diet. On a budget, exotic ingredients can be unattainable, but that doesn’t have to mean you can’t eat well. Getting the basics right is key, quality protein, fibre, good fats and colour are my four essentials on any plate.
Reducing processed foods has to be everyone’s aim. Poor quality processed foods are driving ill health and it is a false economy.
My Top 5 Budget Healthy Tips
- Make a shopping list – wasting food is bad for your pocket and bad for the environment. You also make better decisions when you have a shopping list.
- Your freezer is your friend – frozen fruits and vegetables are available all year round and are extremely cost effective when foods are out of season. Also utilising leftovers and reducing food waste by cooking everything you buy fresh and freezing it for another day.
- Know what’s seasonal and local – buying locally and seasonally is far cheaper. Check prices in your supermarket and budget stores for their seasonal specials on fresh fruit and vegetables. Consider buying into a wonky box – I love OddBox.
- Get protein savvy – protein is the essential building blocks of every cell in our body. Having quality protein with every meal is really important, but that does not have to mean lots of meat. I encourage you to buy better quality meat, cheaper cuts and speak to you butcher. Fill up on lentils, beans and chickpeas. They are super super cheap and full of protein and fibre.
- Batch cook – this is a great way of saving time, but it also saves fuel. If you make and cook two hotpots for example, you only need to heat briefly on the second eating. I also recommend cooking up big batches of mince with onions and lentils, then freeze ready to make dishes like bolognese and chilli.
I understand it can be hard to satisfy a family, especially if you are busy and have fussy eaters, but you can feed your family well without having to resort to dodgy nuggets. I created a handout especially for the weeks when you either cannot afford to, or choose not to shop. Filled with quick, easy recipes that are from 5 ingredients or less from your store cupboard.
My links
Do you have any recipes that you’d like to share?