Page 10 - HFHB - Magazine

Shopping healthy on a budget

We have covered some basic swaps you can make to
start eating healthier. Now we need to cover the When you are putting together your meal plan, base
budget side. There is a common misconception; that your meals around cheaper proteins; mince, sausages,
healthy eating is by far more expensive than eating tougher cuts of meat (for the slow cooker), eggs,
unhealthy food. My main reason for starting this chicken drumsticks, lentils. All of these will still make a
business was to dispel this myth; with a little education wholesome meal for your family; and you can buy these
and some preparation you can easily feed your family proteins in bulk and save more and make it go further.
healthy, wholesome food on a limited budget.
Look at other cheap ingredients that you can use to fill
First Step: Make a Meal Plan for the week/fortnight, out your meals, like frozen vegetables. Frozen veggie
whatever works for you. I do weekly meal plans and mixes like peas, corn and carrots are great options to
shops. If you prefer to push it to fortnightly then that is use in things like pasta bakes, fried rice etc; to add in
fine too; you my find you need to do a top up shop for extra nutrients and make the meal go further. Grab
bread, milk. Include all of your meals and snacks on the some other chunky vegetable mixes; like ones that
meal plan. include broccoli and cauliflower to add to slow cooker
Repeat meals for more than one day; you can easily meals. The veggies will break down during the cooking
have the same two breakfasts alternatively for the whole process; and can be mashed up a bit so fussy eaters
week. Have one meal for dinner and have the leftovers will never know they are there.
for lunch the next day. This all adds up to saving you
time in preparation and also money. Instead of having Also pick meals that will use ingredients that you
to buy ingredients for 21 different meals you can make 7 already have in the house, you would be surprised at
different meals and repeat them. Make a base of what you can make with some pantry staples. “Honey
savoury mince and have some with mash one Soy Chicken” for example, all you need is honey, soy
night; create your own meat pies another night. Make sauce, mustard and your chicken drumsticks and you
up a batch of Mexican mince and have burritos one can add your choice of side to go with it. Some other
night; and loaded potatoes another night. suggestions for healthy, budget friendly dinners are
‘make your own pizzas’, spaghetti Bolognese or savoury
Pick 2 or 3 snacks that you can make in bulk yourself mince with mash, sausages and mash, veggie fried rice
and freeze so they last longer. Remember making with egg, slow cooked beef stew.
something yourself (even if it has sugar as an I always plan to make enough of one meal to get at
ingredient); is going to be better for you and your family least 2 or more extra meals out of it. One for lunch the
than the highly processed ‘snack’ foods at the next day for me and hubby and one for the freezer for
supermarket. I love making a Muesli Slice for myself those nights when I don’t feel like cooking. You can
and my daughter loves chocolate cupcakes in her even include a ‘leftover’ night in your meal plan.
lunchbox. You can make sweet or savoury muffins; they
freeze great and when put in a lunchbox will be Second Step: Make a Shopping List. This may seem
defrosted by recess/lunchtime. like a no brainer but take the time to check the