You can eat cheap, healthy and make enough to go around! (Cooking on a Budget!)

Member Name: katyboo123

Product:	Cooking on a Budget!
Date:	11/11/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It might even help you lose a few pounds in weight as well!

Disadvantages: Not everyone has a £50 a week budget - but if you dont, source cheaper suppliers!

Here you go, this is my plan for cooking on a budget. A budget of £50 actually to feed a family of 4 in accordance with government guidelines on nutritional intake for a week, no consideration given to allergy sufferers sorry, I just don't suffer myself so I haven't got a clue what is good and what is not for you guys! It is also on the assumption you have basic store cupboard ingredients, like herbs and spices, flour, etc. If you don't have these in you should stock up! Then you will always be able to knock up something scrummy and nutritious like a pasta pour over, even when you have nothing fresh in! Plus, eating good healthy stuff is perfect on a diet. You will lose weight too!

Shopping List:
2 x 15 Eggs £1.50
3 x 2L of Skimmed Milk £4
Sack of Potatoes £3
1 x block of budget / value Cheese £2
Bag of Value Pasta £1
Value 150g pots of yoghurt (6 pack) x 3 £1.20
Turkey Breast (4 pcs) £2
Turkey Mince £1.50
Frozen Salmon / Cod / Smoked Haddock (4pcs) £2.50 each - choose 2 out of 3 = £5
Lean Steak Mince £2.50
Value Fresh Orange Juice 60p x 4 = £2.40
6 x Bread (choose a mix of value loaves for toast and better quality for Sandwiches) £4
Own brand museli (add sultanas to taste if required from store cupboard or weigh your own shop) £1
Raisins x 12 boxes £1
Packet of Value biscuits 30p
Tinned Chopped Tomatoes x 4 £1.50
Tinned Beans x 4 £1.50
Fruit and Veg from a market stall:
Tomatoes, Peas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brocolli, Cucumber, Carrots, Parsnips, Lettuce, Onions, Banana, Apples, etc - as much as you can get for your money for £10

Breakfasts: Small bowl of Museli, topped with low fat yoghurt and banana, glass of fruit juice, one slice of toast OR Omelette in a non-stick pan with one slice of toast OR poached / soft boiled egg and soldiers OR 2 toast OR bowl of Museli with Milk

Lunches for Children: Sandwiches, Yoghurts, Raisins, piece of fruit. You could make some cheese savoury, cheese, sliced egg sandwiches instead - or even Egg Mayonnaise. Consider making last nights left overs in to a pasta pot too, some older children will enjoy this with a little salad too.

Lunches for Parents: Home made soup. All you need is chopped tomatoes, chopped veg, herbs and spices, garlic, bring to the boil, blend when soft and then either keep in the fridge or freeze! For a little more sustenance include pasta, rice or noodles and blemd those in too once cooked.

Evening Meals: Think in 3s. You need to have a third of your plate full of veg or salad, a third full of meat, egg or proteins, and a third full of starchy stuff, like pasta or potatoes. You can make from the ingredients above: Home-made turkey burgers, chips (from potatoes then oven back them), salad OR Turkey Steak with Jacket potatoes, beans and peas OR Fish, Chips and Beans OR Fish, Potatoes and Peas, OR mince pour over vegetables and knock some yorkshire puddings up out of flour, egg and milk / water OR Spag bol OR Chilli - batch cook and freeze!

Snacks or Suppers: Cheese on Toast (think match box size block of cheese grated - it goes further). Biscuit and a Cuppa. Yoghurt mixed with Fruit. Banana Sandwiches. Fruit Smoothy, Veggie Smoothy.

You may even have a couple of quid left over to buy a couple of bags of chips from the chippy as a treat :o)

I think that a lot of parents allow their children to be fussy but we grew up on what we were given. I know its hard, but when I was young it was hard because my mates would be eating cheese strings and pepperami's etc - now no one has the money to buy lunch box treats like this anymore! Happy healthy eating on a budget...

Things to remember!

Include at least 3 portions of calcium for kids each day. This could be:
A 200ml glass of milk
A small (150g) pot of yoghurt
A matchbox size (30g) serving of cheese

NB: Low fat options contain as much calcium as full fat - so cut down on the full fat milk and rich yoghurts!

Include 5 portions of fruit or veg a day. This could be:
One apple, orange pear or banana or a similar sized fruit
Half a large grapefruit
A slice of melon
2 satsumas
2 plums
1 handful of grapes, cherries or berries
1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit (such as raisins and apricots)
Three heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw, cooked, frozen or tinned)
1 dessert bowl of mixed salad
A glass (150ml) of 100% fruit or vegetable juice counts as 1 portion no matter how much you drink (this is because the juicing process removes most of the fibre from the fruit)
A 150ml smoothie counts as 1 portion but some smoothies on the market may contain 2 portions if they contain at least 150ml of fruit juice AND at least 80g of crushed fruit (or vegetable) pulp.

Try to include low fat meats, plenty of eggs and at least 2 servings a week of fish

Milk and dairy gives you:
Calcium: needed for development and maintenance of healthy bones
Zinc: required for tissue growth and repair
Protein: needed for growth and repair, and also a source of energy
Vitamin B12: required for blood cells and nerve function
Vitamin B2: needed for the release of energy from carbohydrates and protein
Vitamin A: (in whole milk products) for growth, development and eyesight

Fruit and Veg gives you:
Vitamin C: needed for healthy skin and body tissues, also to aid the absorption of iron
Carotenes: required for growth and development
Folate: needed for red blood cells
Fibre: keeps the gut healthy and helps prevent constipation
Carbohydrate: a source of energy

Meat, Fish and Eggs give you:
Protein: needed for growth and repair, also a source of energy
Iron: especially red meat, needed for healthy red blood cells
B Vitamins: especially vitamin B12 (this is found naturally only in animal sources and is required for blood cells and nerve function)
Vitamin D: in meat, required for healthy bones
Zinc: (e.g. found in meat, shellfish, nuts, pulses and eggs) required for tissue growth and repair
Magnesium: (e.g. in nuts, fish and meat) helps the body use energy. Needed for healthy tissues and bones
Omega-3 fatty acids: in oily fish, may help protect against heart disease

Summary: :o)