HEALTHY FOOD ON A BUDGET
At CAP we know how hard it can be to eat healthily on a tight budget. Following our research which showed that more and more people are turning to cheaper, processed foods as finances get tighter, we wanted to do all we could to help.
Below are six great recipes to download that will feed a family of four for about £4. The recipes feature fresh, cheap ingredients with lots of fruit and veg. We've also got our top ten tips to help you stretch your food budget without having to turn to junk food, so tuck in!
Roasted Red Pepper, Rocket and Goats Cheese Pizza
TOP TEN TIPS:
1. Eat seasonally - fruit & veg that is in season is cheaper. Check out the BBC's food in season information here.
2. Cook in large batches and freeze portions - e.g. a big stew or pasta bake, chilli, soup etc.
3. Plan meals and make a shopping list. For example, if you buy a pot of cream, plan enough meals that use it, so that it doesn’t go off before it’s finished.
4. Shop at a farmer's market.
5. Grow your own veg if possible. Carrots, tomatoes and courgettes can all be grown in pots quite easily.
6. Make your meals from scratch as much as possible.
7. Make your own smoothies as a cheap substitute to soft drinks. Buy fruit when it's on offer. You can buy a cheap blender for around £8.
8. Buy the less popular cuts of meat - e.g. brisket, silverside of beef, liver, chicken thighs and drumsticks.
9. Try vegetarian cooking. Soups are cheap and easy - buy a pack of stew vegetables (carrots, parsnips, onions, swede) which you can cook with salt, pepper and stock to make a soup. Adding potato makes it filling.
10. If you can’t live without meat, use less than you normally would and use lentils or tins of beans to pad out a meal. Kidney beans, butter beans or mixed bean salad all make filling substitutes.
