Top Tips For Putting Cheap And Healthy Meals On The Dinner Table
Trying to feed your family food which is delicious, healthy, and doesn’t cost the earth can feel like a losing battle sometimes. With so many mouths to feed, it isn’t surprising that many families choose the quick, easy options, rather than the most nutritious meals. But with childhood obesity problems on the rise in our country, I believe we owe our children a healthy start in life by teaching them great eating habits from a young age. If you want to put healthy and cheap food on your family dinner table, here are a few ideas to make it a little easier.
Grow your own
A vegetable garden is a thing of wonder, and it’s exactly as low or high maintenance as you make it. Kid love digging the soil, planting the seeds, and harvesting all the great food at the end of the season, so all you have to do is keep an eye on them for any signs of problems, and work to keep the bugs and birds off. At the end of it, you’ve got some great, healthy veggies, and a kid who’s slightly more enthused about their food. Plant high-calorie veg such as potatoes and corn, rather than salad leaves and cucumbers to get the most for your money.
Make the most of freebies
The world is full of coupons, store treats, and discounts if you know where to look. This is great for filling your cupboards with, but it’s even better for getting meals out for special occasions for cheaper. There are plenty of ingenious ways to get free stuff online, including filling in surveys for coupons and leaving good reviews on Yelp and the like. Using sites such as LivingSocial or Groupon can get you some real bargains for bulk food items and restaurant meals too. The more time you put in trawling these sites, the more you get out.
Cook in bulk
How often does cooking for the family feel like too much of a chore after a long day, so quick and unhealthy food takes priority? If you cook large, healthy meals such as veggie soups and stews in bulk, and then portion and freeze them, you’ve always got a hearty meal to hand when you don’t feel like cooking.
Don’t buy unnecessary foods
Junk food is unhealthy and expensive, and other than as treats, they have very little place in the family home. Imagine how much you could save by cutting cookies, candy, and chips from your shopping list? Give it a go, and make fruit or nuts the snack food of choice, and see how much you save and how much more energy everyone has.
Use farmers’ markets
Buying food directly from the producer is a great way to save money and guarantee your family fresh, healthy, and delicious food. You’re even helping the local industries as well, which is a bonus for your town.
Some other ideas include trying Meat Free Mondays and experimenting with veggie meals, and making huge one-pot meals to last the rest of the week. Do you have any handy hints for making your meals healthy, delicious, and cheap? I’d love to hear them.
