healthy_eatingJust because you are trying to lose weight doesn’t mean you can’t save some money at the supermarket.
Today we have 8 tips for how you can ramp up the flavours and cut down the costs at the same time – all while living a healthy eating lifestyle.

  • Lighten up on the meat

So often we are used to using a certain amount of meat in our meals, but you might find that if you use a little less – no one will notice!
Try for instance our healthy Shepherd’s Pie which uses only 250g of lean mince and is bulked up with a simple tin of lentils. You honestly don’t miss the extra meat.
You can also make the side dishes the star with ideas from our website. This way you can serve less meat/fish/chicken as the side dishes will shine.

  • Try going meat free twice a week

A tasty vegetarian meal served a few nights a week means you can save the money you would normally spend on meat. We have so many ideas for vegetarian meals, from a healthy Curry Noodle dish, to a Sweet Potato and Coconut Curry, to a Mexican Stir Fry.

  • Make your own take away

Not only will this save you money it will save you plenty of fat, sugar, salt and calorific extras that get delivered with your Friday night dinner.
We’ve got some great ideas such as a 2 Ingredient Pizza Dough (yes, really!); a delicious Chicken Satay recipe; and about 10 different Burger options to suit any fussy eaters.

  • Make ahead

There is something so satisfying about seeing plastic containers full of healthy food in your freezer.
By cooking up a big batch of meatballs, curry or soup and freezing it in family or single size portions, you know you have a nutritious meal waiting for you when you are tempted to dial in.

  • Make lunch plans

No, not at the local café or pub – at home! Often as busy mums we have breakfast sorted (hello Healthy Mummy Smoothie) and we plan our dinners for the family – but we sort of let our meal planning for lunch slide.
This can be a spanner in the works for your weight loss if it means you end up grabbing something on the go, which most likely wouldn’t be as nutritious as something you had prepared yourself.
So if you love the chicken rice paper rolls from the local deli, why not make a load of them for your lunches for the week?
If you love going out for dumplings, whip up a batch of our Chicken and Lemongrass Potsticker Dumplings and freeze them in lunch-size portions that you can just heat and eat.
If you’re a sucker for the café style sandwich get the ingredients in the house to make your own, such as this easy Salmon Salad Sandwich.

  • Soup it up

Don’t for a second think of soup as a second class citizen as a filling lunch or dinner.
Though it is often served as a starter in a restaurant, you can jazz up your home made soup and make it something that the family looks forward to each week. Why not try making Wednesday night soup night?
You can check out the fruit and veggie market and see what vegetables are in season and affordable, then make your soup from those.
If your kids or partner can’t handle soup without bread, avoid the heavy garlic breads or traditional white loaves and choose a tasty wholegrain bread that has the added benefit of seeds or nuts on top.
Sprinkle a little bit of good quality Parmesan cheese on top, or dollop on some natural yoghurt for a creamy finish.
Here are three of our favourite tasty (and budget friendly) soups:

  • Always keep eggs in the house

If you’ve got eggs, you’ve got a meal. Try our ‘Anything Goes’ style frittata where you can use any veggies that you have on hand. Sprinkle with cheese if you have some and serve with crispy rocket lettuce.
Or if you end up needing a quick meal at home you could try our Best Ever Egg Sandwich.

  • Cut down on pre-packaged snacks

Sure they are handy, but once again the processed snacks are often a) more expensive and b) higher in calories/fat/salt/sugar than your home made versions would be.
Why not make a batch of healthy savoury muffins, freeze them individually and pull one out in the morning?
Or try your hand at some of mum Linda’s Chocolate Fudge Bites? Just 3 ingredients!
We also love healthy dips like our famous chunky guacamole, hommus, or beetroot dip which are so simple and absolutely divine.
Or try our 2 Ingredient Date and Coconut Balls.
Plus take part in our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges which give you over 700 recipes, meal plans, shopping lists and exercises plans – every day – learn all about the challenge here
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