Savvy mum shares ‘items to look out for’ in supermarket to make family meals from just 70p
The mum-of-two, 35, knows how difficult it is to cook cheap meals that are healthy especially amid the rising food prices
BECKY
A savvy mum-of-two has shared her techniques for dishing up tasty homemade meals for a little as 70p per portion.
Becky Alexander, nutrition coach from South Wales, serves delicious yet healthy meals for her family each week.
The mum-of-two, 35, knows how difficult it is to cook cheap meals that are healthy especially amid the rising food prices.
However, she has managed to provide delicious food on a budget, and she hopes to help others do the same.
Becky, who shares budget meals on her Instagram, thatwellnessmum, learnt how to cook in her early 20s whilst travelling abroad to places such as South America and Spain.
On her travels she learnt about the importance of making delicious yet highly nutritious meals which led her to starting a nutrition coaching course.
She stopped buying meat from the supermarket as it has become “so expensive”, instead she opts for chicken breast online
BECKY
Please write at least 2 paragraphs
She has always been conscious about spending but now even more so with the cost of living, but she still prioritizes cooking healthy meals for her family.
Top tips
She stopped buying meat from the supermarket as it has become “so expensive”, instead she opts for chicken breast that she can buy online.
Whilst at the supermarket she picks up staple items such as potatoes, bananas and carrots.
All of these foods are versatile, packed with nutrition and easy to cook with.
She encourages households to make the most of their freezer to help cut back on costs as they can freeze food to avoid waste.
Freezing portions of a bulk-made meal means people can defrost it on the side and have the food ready to cook without needing to nip to the shop when they are short on ingredients.
The savvy saver said: “Over the last few years, I’ve stopped buying meat from the supermarket as it’s become so expensive, especially for a family like ours who stock up on chicken breast.
“There are a few items I always look out for at the supermarkets - having these staples means you can always bulk up a meal for the family to enjoy.
“Potatoes for example are a no-brainer. Home-making family favourites like chips, mash potato and crisps are cheaper and healthier to the premade alternatives.
“Another is bananas - they don’t cost much to buy and they’re full of potassium and fibre. They can also be used to make a delicious loaf of banana bread. Carrots are also a great basic and can be used to bulk up meals.”
Becky used a money-saving hamper from MuscleFood to further reduce the costs of her food shop without compromising on taste or nutritious value.
She said: “We found it’s so much cheaper to buy our meat in bulk which we can then freeze for future meals.
“There’s also the convenience aspect of having it all delivered at once, so you’re not having to make a last-minute trip to the supermarket and spend unnecessarily.
“We used the MuscleFood hamper to make a delicious chicken curry, bacon lentil stew and sausage tray bake which the whole family enjoyed. It’s brilliant how little it cost us to make!”
With the MuscleFood hamper, Becky made chicken curry, bacon lentil stew, beef stir fry and sausage tray bake which was low cost for the whole family.
Here are Becky’s three top tips for saving money:
Vigorous planning
She said: “Having a solid food shop plan is key to a stress-free experience. Plan basic ideas of what you’d like to cook for the week. Make sure to always use this list when buying your ingredients and think carefully about what you need.”
Same ingredients for multiple meals
“When deciding what meals to make in the week, a great tip is to use the same ingredients for multiple meals. Not only does it help save money buying multiple items but it also reduces food waste.”
Shop seasonally
“People don’t realise items such as mango are expensive due to import tax while items such as parsnips, potatoes and carrots don’t have those transport costs so they’re cheaper to buy and use for multiple meals.”
Beef stir fry
- 400g minced meat £2.90
- 240g white rice 449
- 1 green papers 30p
- 200g frozen green beans 20p
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce 15p
- 1 tsp fresh ginger 5p
- 1 tbsp brown sugar 5p
- 1/2 fresh red chilli 10p
Total £4.19
Cost per serving 70p
Sausage tray bake
- Pork and caramelised onion sausages £1.71
- 1 red pepper 30p
- 3 small red onions 30p
- 600g white potato 39p
- 400g peeled plum potato 35p
- 2-3 garlic cloves 6p
- 1 chicken stock cube 6p
- 1 tbsp Italian herbs
Total cost £3.22
Cost per serving 81p
Chicken curry
- 600g chicken breast £3.22
- 240g white rice (uncooked weight) 44p
- Chicken stock 5p
- 400g peeled plum tomato 35p
- 3 tbsp medium curry spices 18p
- 2 – 3 garlic cloves 6p
- Sour cream 3 tbsp 30p
- 1 white onion 30p
Total cost £4.82
Cost per serving 80p