Healthy Food Staples I love & How to make them on a budget…
Gone are the days where it’s chic to show yet another overpriced, overhyped meal with ingredients sourced from the magical wonderland of Narnia.
My aim with this post is to share some of my cupboard stables and how to include these in your diet cost-effectively:
Flavoured Quick Oats – I love these oats from My Protein, they mix really well and are nutritionally balanced, I try to keep unflavoured, chocolate and vanilla in stock, but it’s very simple to create your own ‘stock’ at home.
How to: Grind 100-500g of oats in processor or similar (I use my nutri-bullet) until a fine flour forms. Mix in cocoa powder and store for instant chocolate oats, add vanilla essence for vanilla and you guessed it, nothing for unflavoured!
Powdered Peanut Butter – I really enjoy using this for baking and if a recipe calls for a nut butter sauce, it’s also great if you’re calorie conscious. However, this can be costly and I firmly recommend making your own if you’ll use it often.
How to: Simply buy peanut flour, add water or milk, plus sweetener and salt – recipe here.
Nut and Grain Flours – Ahhh, that frustrating moment when a recipe calls for an alternative flour and you’ve only got half the amount required left? Don’t worry, I’ve got your back here! Generally, the price of buying a grain flour is more significant than making it yourself and if you make it yourself, there’s no waste and it saves a trip to the supermarket.
How to: I’ve written about making your own nut and grain flours here.
Fresh Berries & fruit – Hand’s up all my fellow berry/fruit addicts! Okay, buying fresh fruit is wonderful but it needs to be eaten fast and sometimes preparation takes time. I firmly recommend heading to local markets (if possible) or supermarkets such as Lidl or Aldi for the best budget fruit.
How to: To save money, buy frozen and leave out to defrost when you fancy some fruit. Or if you have space, try growing your own or going blackberry picking and freeze for when the season allows. Also, Tesco is now stocking frozen pomegranate seeds, which is ideal if you want some to sprinkle over breakfast or salad.
Top Tip! Speedy chia jam? Defrost your berries of choice, pulse in a blender and mix in chia seeds. Leave for 20minutes in the fridge and voila, instant chia jam.
Protein Powder + Alternatives – I’ve realised that as much as I love protein powder, it doesn’t always agree with me. I keep some in our cupboards just encase, however, I’m enjoying using alternatives such as rice and hemp protein. There are many places you can track deals on supplements or I recommend following your favourite brand on Twitter to be in the know about deals.
How to: An alternative I’m enjoying is using egg whites instead, whilst this won’t work for vegans (flaxseeds or chia are great) I buy egg whites and freeze in little containers for when I need them.
Caulirice or Broccoli Rice – I try to avoid this because my partner feels’s that it stinks the whole house out, to put it mildly! Ahem, my heart sinks a little when I see people buying this because frankly, it’s just so easy to make.
How to: Process cauliflower or broccoli in a processor, heat and serve or freeze in portions when required.
Top Tip! Roasted vegetables in a hurry? Another time saver of mine is bulk buying various vegetables, roasting them and freezing for future use, this saves waste and means you’ll always have vegetables ready if you’re in a hurry.
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I hope you found this helpful, let me know if you have any tips to share?
Katie
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