Healthy eating on a budget
Eating healthily doesn’t mean you have to spend lots of money on
food. Here are some tips for eating a healthy and balanced diet
without breaking the budget.
What you buy
n Plan your shopping to avoid expensive, impulse
buys. Write a meal planner and shopping list, and set yourself a food shopping budget and then stick to it.
n Try not to go shopping on an empty stomach – you
may be tempted to buy more than you need.
n Buy store-own brands instead of well-known ones
– they’re usually cheaper and just as nutritious.
n Be wary of ‘Buy one get one free’ offers. They can
be good value but often they can tempt you to buy more than you need or can actually use.
n Be wary of special ‘reduced price’ offers – they may
not be as good value as they sound.
n Supermarkets often have offers on perishable foods
(foods that need to be stored in the fridge) that are near their sell-by date. If they can be frozen it’s worth stocking up.
n Pre-prepared and convenience food often
costs more – a homemade pasta sauce can be a third of the cost of a shop-bought one.
What you eat
n Avoid ready-made meals. They can be more
expensive than preparing the food yourself. Cooking can take more time, but will pay off in terms of health and expense.
n Cook a big batch of soup, stew, curry, pasta etc and
freeze any extras.
n When buying fresh fruit and vegetables, choose ones
that are in season as they’re usually cheaper.
n If you have the space, grow your own fruit and
vegetables – lots can be grown in containers and pots.
n Canned and frozen fruit and vegetables are usually
cheaper than fresh ones and are just as nutritious.
n Pulses (ie chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans) are a lot
cheaper than meat and are full of vitamins, minerals and fi bre. Try cooking more veggie meals like dahl or vegetable stew.
n Make your own packed lunch to take to work, college
etc rather than buying lunch.
n Love your leftovers – an average UK household
throws away a third of the food they buy, but with some careful planning, you can make a meal out of what you would usually throw away.
Meal planning
Taking time to plan your meals
for the week will cut your food
bills and avoid wasting leftovers
or spending extra money on
take-aways and last minute
ready meals.
How to plan your meals
When planning your meals, concentrate on weekdays, as weekends are more flexible and you may want to go out to eat or choose a weekend treat. If you shop weekly, write a weekly meal planner, or if you shop fortnightly, plan for a fortnight. Start by writing a list of five meals you enjoy and if you cook for other people (family, partner, housemates) include meals they also enjoy.
Try to vary the types of meals (pasta one day, rice another; fish one day, meat another) and include different fruit and vegetables.
Write these meals on a chart (see the meal planner chart on pages 4–5).
Add accompaniments to each meal (eg what vegetables will be served with/included in the meal).
Use the information you have to put together a shopping list and add rough quantities or everything you’ll need. This is also useful for helping you achieve your five fruit and vegetables a day: eg if you make a tuna pasta bake for four people, include one can of sweetcorn (1/4 can = one portion), two peppers (1/2 = one portion) and 12 mushrooms (three = one portion). Each person eating this meal will receive three portions of vegetables for the day.
Check you have the basic essentials for the week’s meals (pasta, rice, tinned food such as tomatoes, tuna etc, vegetables, frozen foods).
Example five-day meal planner
Day
Meal ingredients
Week’s shopping list
Monday
Chicken/vegetarian»curry:
Chicken (leftover from Sunday roast), onion, mixed vegetables, tinned coconut milk, curry paste, rice.
»
for the vegetarian option, you can substitute the chicken with Quorn chicken pieces.
To buy: 2 onions 2 courget tes 8 mushrooms 1 pepper 1 potato 1 sweet potato Tuesday Sausages»
with bubble and squeak:
Sausages, vegetable leftovers from Sunday roast (potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, parsnips etc).
»
for the vegetarian option, you can use vegetarian sausages.
1x pack sausages 1x tinned coconut milk 1x tinned tomatoes 1x tinned mushy peas 2x packs of frozen mixed vegetables Frozen fish fillets
Wednesday
Tomato pasta:
pasta, onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, mushrooms, courget tes, pepper.
Check your cupboards for:
Curry paste/powder Rice (preferably brown) Pasta (preferably wholewheat) Tomato puree Ground coriander
Thursday
Vegetable tagine with couscous:
sweet potato, onion, mixed vegetables, tinned tomatoes, ground coriander, ground cumin, raisins, vegetable stock, couscous.
Cumin Raisins
Vegetable stock cubes Couscous
Bread Flour Eggs
Friday Crunchy fish and potato wedges:
Meal planner template
Day
Meal ingredients
Week’s shopping list
Monday To buy:
Tuesday
Wednesday Check your cupboards
for:
Thursday
Healthy eating on a budget
Here are examples of how
cooking from scratch can
sometimes be cheaper and
more nutritious than buying
ready-made meals* :
Ingredients for pizza to serve 4:
Bread roll x 4 = 3p Passata = 8p 1 onion = 11p 1 pepper = 50p 4 mushrooms = 31p Cheese = 42p Total = £1.45
Cost per serving = 36p
Cost of shop bought pizza to serve 4 ranges from
£1.04 (cost per serving = 21p) to £2.99 (cost per serving = 75p).
Ingredients for potato wedges:
1 potato = 6p
1 teaspoon oil = minimal
¼ teaspoon cajun spice = minimal
Total cost per serving – maximum 8p
(including oil and spice estimate).
Cost of shop bought potato wedges (per 1 serving) ranges from 17p to 56p.
Ingredients for muffins (makes 6)
1 pot yoghurt = 6p 1 pot sugar = 4p ¾ pot oil = 7p 3 pots flour = 2p 1 egg = 13p 1 apple = 9p Total = 41p
Cost per muffin = 7p
Cost of shop bought muffins range from £1 for 4 (25p each) to £1.99 for 4 (50p each).
Healthy eating on a budget
The following recipes provide
one serving and three portions
of vegetables.
Five days of recipes
1. Frittata
2. Herby spring vegetable pasta 3. Green vegetable risotto 4. Spicy stir-fry with noodles 5. Thai green noodle soup
Shopping list:
1 pack of mushrooms 86p 1 large courgette 32p
1 large leek 63p
1 pack of stir-fry vegetables £1 1 tin of chickpeas 48p
½ cup of rice 3p
1 pack of noodles 97p
2 eggs 36p
Cheddar cheese 60p
Total food bill = £5.25
Frittata
Ingredients:
1/3 leek, sliced 1/3 courgette, sliced 4 mushrooms, sliced 1/3 tin of chickpeas 2 tablespoons grated cheese 2 eggs
Equipment:
Sharp knife Chopping board
Tablespoon Grater
Frying pan or microwave dish What to do?
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan and add the leeks, mushrooms and courgettes.
2. Soften over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. 3. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further minute. 4. Beat the eggs with a tablespoon of milk and season
with ground black pepper.
5. Pour the egg into the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes. 6. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and place the pan
under a hot grill for 2–3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
7. Cut into wedges and serve. To microwave
1. Place the leeks, mushrooms and courgettes in a shallow microwave dish.
2. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until soft. 3. Add the beaten egg and sprinkle with grated
cheese.
4. Microwave on medium for 5–7 minutes or until the middle of the frittata is just set and the cheese has melted (time depends on strength of microwave so keep checking every few minutes to avoid rubbery, overcooked eggs!)
Herby spring vegetable pasta
Ingredients:
1/3 leek, sliced 1/3 courgette, sliced 4 mushrooms, sliced 1/3 tin of chickpeas 2 tablespoons grated cheese 1 nest/pack of noodles ½ teaspoon of dried herbs
Equipment:
Sharp knife Chopping board
Tablespoon Grater
Frying pan or microwave dish What to do?
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan and add the leeks, mushrooms and courgettes.
2. Soften over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. 3. Add the herbs, chickpeas and cooked noodles
and heat through for a further minute.
4. Stir in the cheese and heat through until it melts. 5. Serve sprinkled with a little more cheese. To microwave
1. Place the leeks, mushrooms and courgettes in a shallow microwave dish.
2. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until soft. 3. Add the herbs, chickpeas and cooked noodles
and microwave for a further minute.
4. Add the cheese and stir through. Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the cheese has melted.
Note: Try replacing the grated cheese with cream cheese for a delicious creamy sauce.
Green vegetable risotto
Ingredients:
1/3 leek, sliced 1/3 courgette, sliced 4 mushrooms, sliced 1/3 tin of chickpeas 2 tablespoons grated cheese ½ cup of rice
1 cup of vegetable stock ½ teaspoon dried herbs Equipment:
Sharp knife Chopping board
Tablespoon Grater
Frying pan or microwave dish Cup What to do?
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan and add the leeks, mushrooms and courgettes.
2. Soften over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. 3. Add the rice and stir-fry for a further minute. 4. Add the herbs, chickpeas and vegetable stock. 5. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 12–15 minutes
or until the rice is cooked. Stir a few times during cooking as you may need to add a little more stock or water to the rice if it absorbs all the liquid before it’s cooked.
6. Stir in the cheese and heat through until it melts. 7. Serve sprinkled with a little more cheese. To microwave
1. Place the leeks, mushrooms, courgettes and herbs in a shallow microwave dish.
Thai green noodle soup
Ingredients:
4 mushrooms, sliced 1 nest/pack of noodles ½ pack of stir-fry vegetables 2 mugs of vegetable stock 2cm block of creamed coconut, chopped
2 teaspoons of thai green curry paste Equipment:
Sharp knife Chopping board
Tablespoon Grater
Frying pan or microwave dish Mug What to do?
1. Place the vegetables, curry paste and coconut in a pan and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes. 2. Add the noodles and vegetable stock. Bring to the
boil and simmer for 5 minutes. 3. Serve.
To microwave
1. Place vegetables, curry paste and coconut in a dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes. 2. Stir in noodles and stock and microwave on high
for a further 4–5 minutes or until heated through. 3. Serve.
Spicy noodle stir-fry
Ingredients:
4 mushrooms, sliced 1 nest/pack of noodles ½ pack of stir-fry vegetables 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
Equipment:
Sharp knife Chopping board
Tablespoon Teaspoon
Frying pan or microwave dish What to do?
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil with the Chinese five spice in a pan and add the vegetables.
2. Stir-fry over a high heat for 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the noodles and heat for a further two minutes. 4. Stir in the soy sauce before serving.
To microwave
1. Place the vegetables and Chinese five spice in a dish and microwave on high for two minutes. 2. Stir in the noodles and microwave on high for
a further minute.
3. Stir through the soy sauce and serve.
Note: Add prawns or cooked chicken for extra protein.
Love your leftovers!
An average UK household throws away a third of the food they buy.
With some careful planning you could make a meal out of what you
would usually throw away and save up to £400 a year.
Try the following ideas to use up the food most frequently thrown away.
Bananas
Make a fruit smoothie: blend a banana with 1 mug of milk and add honey to taste. Add any other soft fruit you may have leftover.
Make a fruit loaf: Mix 1 mashed banana with 1 mug of milk, 1 mug of Allbran cereal, 1 mug of self-raising flour, 1 mug of dried fruit and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake at 180°C or gas mark 4 for 40–45 minutes or until golden brown.
Pasta
If you cook too much pasta when making dinner, save some to make pasta salad for your lunch. Stir in 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise or dressing, and add a filling of your choice (tuna, ham, chicken, chickpeas) and some salad and vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber, onion, sweetcorn, peas, watercress, beetroot).
Eggs
Use up your eggs by making a frittata or omelette. Whisk 2 eggs and season with pepper. Fry some vegetables in a pan (mushrooms, onions, peppers, sweetcorn). Add the egg and cook for 3–5 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese and put under the grill until the cheese has melted.
Mashed potato
Make fishcakes with any leftover mashed potato: Season 1 cup of mash with pepper and 1 teaspoon of herbs. Add 1 small tin of fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel) and ¼ cup of breadcrumbs or crushed oatcakes. Shape into cakes, coat in flour and fry each side in a little oil for 4–5 minutes.