Eat well and cheaply

04 Nov 2013

Sometimes we turn our back on healthy eating because we think that eating well can cost a fortune. Here are some handy ways to make sure you stay healthy and save your dollars at the same time.

Planning is everything

Planning and preparing your meals over the weekend means you’ll have access to plenty of healthy and cheap meals whenever you need them. Have a look through your kitchen cupboards and see what you have around. Then create a number of meals from the ingredients that you already have. If you need to shop, before you hit the supermarket, make a list of the ingredients you do need to purchase and steer clear of any other aisles that you don’t need to go down. 

Fruit and vegetables

When shopping for fruit and vegetables, it’s best to buy those that are in season as these will always be cheaper. If there is a fruit or vegetable that you need for your meal and it’s out of season, check to see if there’s an in-season alternative or check the price of the canned or frozen variety. The canned and frozen options will also last longer.

Go vego

Lentils and eggs are cheaper than meat. For one or two meals a week, why not go vegetarian? There are plenty of delicious, easy vegetarian recipes that are filling. Plus, taking one or two nights a week off meat is great for the heart and cholesterol.

Buy in bulk

It’s much easier to eat well if the healthy foods are already in your pantry. If during your weekly shop there is a special on, buy up. Alternatively, make sure you have beans, lentils, pasta, crackers and tuna cans constantly in your cupboard. This means, if you find yourself without a meal, there’s no temptation to go down the road and buy some hot chips or order greasy takeaway. Just make some crackers with tuna and some vegetables, and you have a tasty, healthy snack, if not a whole meal.

Make your own snacks

Taking one day to prepare a whole bunch of snacks and having them available makes it easier to stick to a healthy eating plan. Plus, baking something yourself is a whole lot cheaper than the packaged variety, especially because most of the ingredients will already be in your cupboard. Bake some raspberry muffins, using brown sugar not white, or make some fruit scones.

Search recipes by ingredient

if you have a specific ingredient at home or know that there’s a special on a particular cut of meat, type that ingredient into a search engine and look for recipes around it. It means you know you’re saving money on the primary ingredient and you can purchase cheaply if you need to.