It may seem difficult to feed your family healthy on a budget, but it’s possible to get healthy food on the cheap! We’ve put together some top tips on how to feed your family good food for less.
Avoid processed foods.
It may seem like a cheap and easy way to eat, but much of the processed food on our supermarket shelves is not only unhealthy, but not as good value for money as it seems. Items like chicken nuggets may have less than 50 percent meat and you can’t be sure which part of the chicken it came from. You can make much healthier chicken bites with minced chicken breast, lightly coated in flour and quickly fried in a light sunflower seed oil, for example.
Replace the novelty cheese with a good helping of mature cheddar cheese; this way you get a lot of flavor for your money and you don’t need to use as much.
It may be worth considering a bread maker. While this will set you back around £45, you’ll save money in the long run and be able to enjoy fresh bread whenever you want. You can also use a bread maker to create your own pizza bases. Try using whole wheat flour and interesting toppings. Kids will love making them with you and will be much more likely to clean their plate.
avoid waste
If you make a meal like pasta, cake, or stew, don’t be tempted to eat it all at once. People can always order a second helping if needed and what’s left over could make a great lunch for you the next day. Invest in some handy containers so you can be prepared to store in the fridge for up to two days.
This does not apply to fish dishes and remember that you can only reheat other food once, making sure it is piping hot before serving. However, some pasta and rice dishes can be enjoyed cold. Similarly, if you find you have extra boiled potatoes, why not make a little potato salad?
Look for discounted products
It may be worth checking out the reduced items shelf every time you visit your local grocery store. Most of the items will be there as they are close to their expiration date, but they can often be frozen, so grab them and stock up.
plan ahead
Planning your meals can really help keep the cost down, so consider what you could buy for the week, i.e. you could buy twice the meat for less if you plan a meatloaf and spaghetti bolognese for the week. same week.
grow your own
Potatoes, salad items, herbs, and fruit are just a few of the items you can grow yourself to reduce cost. For some of these items you don’t even need a garden and they will be packed with nutrition if you can eat them fresh from the plant.
