Eat healthy on a budget

[Gemz1]

I feed 5/6 people every day, finding eating healthy is expensive, and there is only so much frozen mixed veg we can eat! I have £100 a week to feed us... I just struggle to do it healthy. Even making changes such as wholemeal pasta... costs more that the value white pasta I buy.

[Zest]

Hi Gemz1 ,

I'm just dashing out the door, but saw your post, and wanted to give you a link to a previous thread about this subject, that might be helpful as a starting point for you?

healthunlocked.com/healthye...

Zest

[Gemz1 in reply to Zest]

Thank you, i pretty much do the same. Need new ideas

[Zest in reply to Gemz1]

You could try the BBC Food programme website, called 'Eat Well for Less' as they have some good ideas for recipes on a budget:

bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/b...

Zest

[Gemz1]

I need to make these cheap dinners healthy... for example I can feed 5 on a pack of spaghetti = 20p, jar of sauce £1 and garlic bread = 60p. Sometimes a sprinkle of cheese! Obviously not the best with the spaghetti being white (wholemeal cost more I can't find cheaper one) jar sauce isn't that healthy as it has added things but to buy tomatoes, herbs etc to make my own will cost more than £1. Tried growing on tomatoes but failed!

[Rignold Keto]

Buying tinned tomatoes and an onion would cost less than £1. Less than half that in fact. Jar of mixed herbs is about 80p but would last at least six months.

[Gemz1 in reply to Rignold]

Didn't think of tinned tomatoes just fresh. I will give that a try. I had tried a recipe with passata stuff and it was awful!

[Rignold Keto in reply to Gemz1]

If you sweat the onion on a really low heat for a good 15 mins or so till it is really soft, then let the toms simmer very slowly, topping up with water every now and then if it reduces too much you will get a nice rich sauce. My other go to trick with swag sauces is to use a small packet of minced beef and add a good couple of handfuls of porridge oats. This thickens the sauce and almost doubles its volume. The oats also have good anti cholesterol effect so counter the fat content of the mine if buying the cheaper 20% fat type. So healthy and thrifty and satisfying ll at once.

[Gemz1]

My husband is currently working 2 jobs... and I have the kids to look after but work in my spare time most weekends! More we work...more we have to pay (full rent, school uniform etc) we have chickens and eat them and their eggs so that's a big help, grow what we can but not successful. Our problem is cheap meals are not so healthy... fish fingers and chips from freezer.... costs very little... makes you Fat! Fresh vegetables, decent cuts of meat add Up!

[Hidden in reply to Gemz1]

I do resonate and feel for you Gem as I totally agree with you in that healthy eating tends to be more costly. I would love to buy organic but it costs so much more; also I am buying Lactose free milk as I have IBS and I think I am intolerant to Lactose but the milk is so much more expensive than normal milk. I much prefer healthier food as I detest white foods but do know they are so much cheaper.

I hope that the helpful website that BadHare has shared with you is helpful (I am certainly going to have a look at it).

[BadHare]

This is a good website: cookingonabootstrap.com/cat...

If possible, buy healthy foods in bulk. I get 2 or 3kg bags of seeds & lentils, which work out at up to half the price of smaller packets.

Sometimes shopping early or in the evening is good for bargain fruit & veg.

Look at the difference in nutrition between things like value white & wholemeal pasta. You'll likely find the latter is more nutrient dense, & being wholemeal makes it more filling, which makes the white stuff a false economy.

[Zest in reply to BadHare]

I like the look of the 'Sprout Scones' - would never have thought of that idea!

cookingonabootstrap.com/201...

Gemz1 - that website does look very useful - and I agree with Hidden that the site BadHare has recommended is worth a look.

Hope you find some recipes you like.

Zest

[Blake_Davis]

Gemz1 ,

I certainly understand your pain. One key to eating on a budget is getting more quantity for your buck! I see that you are living in Europe, so I'm not sure if bulk food stores are very accessible. Here in the U.S., we have stores such as Costo and Sam's that sell bulk quantities of food for a reduced price. Rather than shopping for a week at a time, try shopping for 2-3 weeks in advance to get those bulk deals. This may require some extra planning, but could be well worth it in the long run. I'm actually in the process of creating a project to help people like you eat healthier on a budget. I'd love your input! Here is a 4 question survey I've put together to help me address this need: blakedavis.typeform.com/to/...

Blessings,

Blake