Cooking healthily on a budget

   

We are all feeling the effects of the credit crunch, and the cost of living particularly of housing, utilities and food has continued to steadily rise over recent years...

So how do you make your precious pennies stretch further while ensuring the food you buy is healthy and nutritious? Here's some money-saving ideas to keep your kitchen cupboards well stocked and your bank balance in the black, plus a selection of thrifty and delicious recipes from our planner.

Plan ahead to avoid waste

It is estimated that in the UK we throw away over £10 billion worth of food every year, and for some more sobering facts about how much food we waste, take a look at this site.

Where possible always go food shopping with a list, never go when you're feeling hungry and try to avoid impulse buys; it is difficult when supermarkets have so many 'buy one get one free' or 'three for two' and other tempting discount offers but a general rule is: if you are 50/50 (or less) about whether the food will actually be used. save your money. Don't be taken in by the savings so frequently offered on unhealthy food like crisps biscuits and other 'empty calories' salty or sugary snacks; if you stock up on these they might not be wasted but having the temptation close to hand in the kitchen might mean your weight loss programme will be jeopardised! Try to plan your diet week by week and to know what foods you need to stock up on. You can always use any leftovers to make tasty homemade soups.

After cooking a whole chicken for example boil up the carcass with a selection of vegetables, a few sprigs of thyme, a couple of bay leaves and some ground salt and pepper to make a delicious stock and perfect base for chicken soup or a risotto. Overripe fruits are great combined with frozen berries ice cubes and/or natural yoghurt for smoothies; a super breakfast option. You might find it's a good idea to invest in a bread maker and a slow cooker and certainly a food processor/blender will come in handy.

Check your fridge and cupboards regularly and after every new shopping trip place the new items at the back so the old items are used first. Consider using a kitchen composter and buy a selection of sealtight tupperware containers in various sizes for easy fridge and freezer storage. Visit the site Love Food Hate Waste for more handy hints and tips.and great recipe ideas. It also includes a downloadable food waste diary.

Grow your own

If you have a garden, and particularly if you have a greenhouse or potting shed it is easy to grow your own fruit vegetables and herbs throughout the seasons. Take a look at this article about growing your own herbs – no garden necessary! You just need a few pots  a few packets of seeds and a windowsill.

A well-tended garden can yield crops of all your kitchen cupboard staples: potatoes, tomatoes, lettuces, squash, peas, courgettes, carrots, all kinds of berries – and all certified organic, because you know exactly where they came from and even get to pick them yourself!

If you really get the taste for the Good Life, you could even get a henhouse and a chicken run – just two or three happy broody hens will provide you with half a dozen or more delicious, fresh free range eggs every week – soft-boiled or scrambled, an egg is a great start to the day, and of course the basic ingredient for simple, cheap and tasty dishes such as omelettes and tortillas.

Cooking in bulk

For those with a number of hungry little mouths to feed, there is some useful advice here from website netmums. Make your own baby food (it’s easy with a blender or a simple hand whisk) and avoid kids ready meals – even when they are on ‘special offer’ it's a false economy and it's always better to cook from scratch at home with your own ingredients. Even if there is just one or two of you in your household it's usually wiser to buy loose veg (not pre-packaged) and prepare enough for at least two meals and freeze whatever isn't used (preferably in individual freezer bag single portion sizes) to save time as well as cash. It is easy to make curries casseroles and stews in large quantities and also staple dishes such as spaghetti Bolognese; although remember that most food particularly anything containing meat can only be frozen defrosted and reheated once.

Cupboard staples – cans, bottles, tins and packets

Most tinned fish is significantly cheaper than buying fresh (sardines, salmon and tuna) they keep for ages and contain Omega-3 oils and other important nutrients. Opt for fish tinned in spring water rather than brine or oil. Your cupboards should always be stocked with the staples: tinned tomatoes and trusty baked beans plus a selection of dried pulses such as lentils, grains such as wholegrain or pearl barley, assorted canned beans, rice, noodles, couscous and pasta (these are great for adding bulk to a whole range of casseroles, soups, stews and salads). Also stock up on oil (sesame, olive and rapeseed), soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, chilli and stock cubes.  all of which are indispensable for those leftover stir-fries and soups... simple snacks like cheese on toast are jazzed up nicely with a dash of Worcester sauce.

Make some frugal swaps – and time your shopping wisely

Swapping ‘posh’ and ‘prestige’ ranges (e.g. Tesco Finest) for budget ranges can save a small fortune on your weekly shop. These are not the only savvy swaps to be made. Shop around for the best deals – generally, there isn’t a huge amount of difference price-wise between the major supermarket chains but you may well see a significant reduction in your food bill if you shop at Lidl or Aldi (particularly if you currently favour Waitrose or M&S).

Try to buy ‘in season’ and opt for locally-grown produce where possible. Food shopping at night usually yields most of the best ‘mark down’ bargains as supermarkets begin stickering their short-dated stock in the evening to shift it quickly before the following day.

Your freezer is your friend

Most frozen veg retains its nutrients so a side serving of steamed petits pois will still count as one of your five a day regardless of whether they came from your freezer or fresh from your greengrocer. Frozen veg is also comparatively cheaper to buy in bulk so it’s worth looking out for large packs or special offers (such as buy one get one free) as you can keep them in your freezer for many months.  Remember that most food is OK to freeze – exceptions are: salad items and vegetables with high water content (e.g. celery and cucumber) eggs and most dairy products (milk is OK). On any packaged items check for the “suitable for home freezing” label.

Some cash-kind recipe ideas

Each of these super-simple recipes features the right quantity of ingredients for one person – just increase quantities accordingly if you are cooking for two or three or four or more! Remember any leftovers can be frozen.

Summer vegetable soup

20 ml Yoghurt - Low Fat Natural

1 Carrot Medium

40 g Potatoes

1/2 cloves Garlic

1/2 Leeks Medium

1/4 Onion Medium Raw

5 Asparagus

1/2 Vegetable Stock Cube - Low Salt

200 ml Water

Chop all vegetables into bite sized chunks.

Heat a little oil in the bottom of a large sauce pan and cook the chopped onions and the crushed garlic for 2 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock cube, the water and all the vegetables to the pan and bring to the boil.

Place the lid back on and simmer for 15 minutes or until they are all cooked.

Stir in the yoghurt for the last 2 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and serve.

Cholesterol Busting Root Vegetable and Lentil Soup

1/4 Carrot Medium

1/2 Parsnips Medium

1/2 cloves Garlic

1/4 Onion Medium Raw

30 g Red Lentils -Dry/Uncooked

1 slice Rye Bread

1/2 Vegetable Stock Cube - Low Salt

300 ml Water

Dice the onion and fry it in a splash of oil in a large pan on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add crushed garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.

Dice all of the other vegetables and add them to the onions and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Then add the water, stock cube and dried lentils.

Bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft.

Serve with the rye bread.

Vegetable Spaghetti Bolognese

100 g Quorn Mince

1/2 Peppers Medium

1/2 cloves Garlic

1/4 Onion Medium Raw

2 sprigs Basil

1 tbsp Worcester Sauce - Anchovy Free

100 g Tomatoes chopped - Tin

50 g Spaghetti - Gluten Free

Heat a splash of oil in a large pan over a medium heat.

Once heated add the chopped onions and crushed garlic and fry gently until soft, 3-4 minutes.

Add the sliced peppers and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Then add in the quorn mince, tomatoes and the Worcester sauce to the pan, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a pan of water to the boil, add the spaghetti and cook as instructed on the packet.

At the last minute add the chopped basil to the bolognese and season to taste.

Drain the pasta and serve the sauce on top.