I am often asked if it is possible to eat healthily on a budget… and I can understand why it gets asked! It seems and is crazy that you can buy a 1kg bag of chips and chicken nuggets for the same price as you would pay for a 125g punnet of fresh raspberries!
If given the option, I think we all know which option we should take, but it can get tricky when we have families we need to provide for or just some plain old craving to fix. However, do not despair, here are some good tips which will allow you to eat as healthily as you want – even when you are on a budget!
Here is a list of ideas – but please let me know if you have any more!
· Use the leftover chicken from a roast to make a risotto, a chicken pie or a chicken salad and go one step further and use the bones to make stock for chicken broth soup.
· Got some old tomatoes left? Whizz up over-ripe tomatoes in a blender and use in place of canned tomatoes, you can put it in pasta sauce or on pizza bases, and it’ll save you on buying any from the shop.
· If you have some out-of-date vegetables, these can be used to make stock or soup and you can then freeze it for a later date.
· Use over-ripe fruit, use these to make smoothies or put on top of yoghurts, or even stew them and make yourself a delicious compote.
· Vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and courgettes that need using up can be roasted in a little spray olive oil and can then be kept in the fridge for 3–4 days.
· Last but not least, save the pennies by stocking up the cupboards for those days when you think you don’t have anything in and you may as well just get that takeaway! Try to keep your cupboards full of non-perishables so that you can always throw a few things together to make a scrummy meal, thereby reducing the temptation to just head out or order that naughty takeaway. Here are some suggestions for you to stock up with –
o Flour (plain and self-raising, preferably wholemeal, for baking)
o Rice (wholegrain)
o Wholewheat pasta
o Reduced-salt soy sauce
o Cooking oil (buy an oil sprayer so you use less)
o Canned fish (tuna, sardines, mackerel – in water or tomato sauce)
o Canned beans (baked beans, butter beans, cannellini and kidney beans)
o Canned tomatoes
o Eggs
o Chilli powder, dried herbs and spices (such as black pepper, oregano, thyme, basil, fennel, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon – instead of salt)
o Onions
o Garlic
o Potatoes
o Stock cubes (watch for salt)
It can be hard to know what to do with leftovers but there are lots of tips and tricks out there and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be surprised at how much you could save.