Is it possible to eat healthy and cheaply?

[wangle99]

Really need to overhall our eating habits as they are fairly attrocious. DS has got a wheat intolerance and we think DH has dairy intolerance so now seems to be a good time to look at all the food we consume!

Are there any good cookbooks for eating healthy that you could recommend? I have the dinner lady ones but they seem to be good wholesome British stodge!

Thanks

The New Covent Garden Soup books are the ones I always come back to at this time of year. Easy, tasty, wholesome and filling. Most recipes are very economical too.

Slow cooking - means you can use cheap cuts of meat

Lentils - cheap and healthy

No particular books but you could think about Indian and Middle Eastern cookery. Lots of pulses - cheap and lovely. No heavy reliance on meat.

Well speciality things like Doves farm gluten free flour are always more expensive unfortunetely. As are soya dairy alternatives. As vegans, we try to see these things as treats rather than staples, and if I don't want wheat, I try making cornbread with cornmeal which you can buy in bulk and it's not too dear. Starches like rice and potatoes are always nice and cheap.
Fruit and veg are expensive for what they are, usually, but they are essential so just try to buy from wholesalers, markets, and special deals, plus not too many special exotic items. This will keep produce costs down.
If you want to increase calcium then value soymilks are not too bad, and things like tahini, figs, and leafy greens pack loads of it.
As far as the cookbooks go, just use the regular ones, but make subs for cheapest (and healthiest!) ingreds. where you can.

Eat seasonal fruit & veg & make seasonal salads eg use shredded cabbage & chopped apple/orange & dried fruit in the autumn & winter: far more nutritious, tastier & better value than out-of-season lettuce, tomatoes & cucumber. You could also get a salad sprouter & make your own beansprouts etc, which are especially good for winter salads.

I agree that chunky soups are a great way of eating healthily & cheaply, & you can make them into a main course by the use of pulses & filling but healthy root veg in the winter (& maybe rice & a bit of curry powder for mulligatawny) or things like fresh toms, carrots & courgettes + potatoes in the summer (add pasta for minestrone or pesto & green beans for pistou).

I have (vegetarian) cookbooks by people such as Rose Elliot & Gail Duff that I've had for years, which have loads of cheap & wholesome but interesting recipes, & once you get into it, you can make up your own combinations of soups/salads/stews etc.

I agree that Indian food gives lots of opportunities for cheap meals, & tofu is full of nutritional value & not expensive, just needs marinating eg in soy sauce & fresh ginger for stir fry. Ring the changes with different grains: if you have a good wholefood shop they're likely to stock a lot of variety including things such as unusual grains & non-wheat-based pasta, & you could eat it with a chunky tomato sauce (use fresh in summer, tinned in winter) or mushroomy sauce.

Then there's things like veggie frankfurters that are very versatile: our children like them just with veg & pots, or to make them go further you can put them in a German-style lentil soup, chopped up with pasta or in a salad.

Then there's Quorn or TVP mince, which are both healthier than beef mince & form the basis of nutritious traditional meals such as shepherd's pie & chilli con/?sin carne.

If you don't have one already, a bread machine could be a good thing to put on your Christmas list as you could save loads of money by making your own wheat-free loaves. They always come with recipe books, & along with many others I recommend the Panasonic.

Like the sound of the german style lentil soup Overthehill - do you have a recipe please?

Vege curry and rice is a cheap and easy meal, espcially if you use cheap veggies like potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and frozen peas.

Baked potatoes and a sausage and bean casserole is another one.