Here's everything you need to make healthy meals on a budget
Although 2020 has been a difficult year to say the least, with our daily routines thrown into chaos and things looking a little different to what we’re used to, some of our daily struggles still remain the same, with one being how you can feed your family for less.
Healthy eating on a budget can be tricky, but if you keep your cupboards stocked up with these 10 essential items, cheap easy healthy meals are more affordable than you think. So you can make delicious home-made meals for all the family without breaking the bank.
Canned beans
Packed with protein and fibre to keep your feeling fuller for longer, beans are a great way of bulking out a meal with pulses to save you forking out on meat. Kidney, cannellini and butter beans taste delicious mixed into a chilli or vegetable stew, and you can pick these up in your local supermarket for less than £1 a tin.
For something a little more classic, baked beans are an age old favourite. Smothered onto a baked potato, on toast, or as an accompaniment to your fry up, baked beans go with anything and are full of flavour.
Pasta
Spaghetti, linguine, penne and tagliatelle are just a few of our favourite types of pasta, and this versatile dish has so many different varieties you’ll never get bored. Bought in bulk, a pasta dish can cost just pennies per serving and is so quick and easy to rustle up. With some pasta sauce, chopped tomatoes and mushrooms as a base, you can get a taste of Italy for a fraction of the price without leaving your own home!
Potatoes
The ultimate versatile carb, is there nothing the humble spud can’t do? Mashed, boiled, fried or baked, potatoes can be anything you want them to be and are a cheap way to bulk up a meal to help you feel full for less.
Minced meat
Relatively cheap to pick up at your local supermarket, minced meat can help form the base for lots of classic home-made meal recipes and takes no time at all to cook in a hot pan. From chilli to Shepard’s pie, to spag bol and home-made pizza, minced meat is one thing you need in your fridge for cooking healthy low cost meals on a budget.
Tinned tomatoes
Cheap and easy to find, and full of vitamin C, B, and E, tinned tomatoes are a kitchen cupboard essential. These tasty tins of goodness are the basis of classic dishes such as spaghetti bolognaise, chilli con carne and curry and are handy to have around. Available to pick up from the shops for just pennies, make sure you’re fully stocked when it comes to these must haves.
Eggs
Scrambled, boiled or fried, eggs are cheap way to get some high-quality protein into your diet. With most of the protein from eggs being in the egg white, the white is also rich in vitamin B2. A great source of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as zinc, iron and copper, keep in your fridge to preserve the freshness.
Whole chicken
A Sunday dinner favourite and a great way to get your protein, a roast chicken is cheap, tasty and versatile. Not just for Sunday dinner, a roast chicken can be used to make a variety of dishes and is a great way to meal prep for the week ahead. Chicken curry, pasta or salad, you might be surprised at how far a medium to large chicken will go!
Rice
White and fluffy, sticky, egg fried, basmati or pilau, rice, much like the pasta family, is rich in variety making the possibilities for making delicious dishes endless! Whether you boil it or microwave it, buy in bulk or in pre-portioned cartons, rice is quick and easy to prepare and cost pennies per portion, making it the perfect side dish for curries, chilli’s and so much more!