Low cost happy family meals

Eating well can boost your mood as well as your health!

Find healthy recipes and some tips for shopping better on a budget.

All the recipes in this guide are vegetarian but you can add meat or fish if you like.

Based on ASDA prices, for £30 you can get:

• 2 x milk
• 2 bags oats
• 1 essentials Weetabix
• 1kg frozen garden peas
• 250ml olive oil
• frozen veggie sausages
• frozen veggie mince
• 1kg whole wheat pasta
• 1 packet whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 basics pesto 
• 1kg brown rice
• tin of green lentils
• 2 tins of chickpeas
• 2 tins of essentials baked beans
• 2 tins of essential kidney beans
• 4 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tomato puree
• tin of peach slices
• tin of sweetcorn
• 1 jar peanut butter
• 1 pack vegetable stock cubes
• 2 loaves of wholemeal bread
• 500g red lentils
• 1 packet crumpets
• 2 packets dark chocolate
• 10 bananas
• 2 packs wonky apples
• 2 packs wonky pears
• 2 large bags of mini satsumas
• 1 large bag of wonky potatoes
• 8 basics baking potatoes 
• 1 large pack of wonky carrots
• 1 pack wonky peppers
• 2 cucumbers
• 1 broccoli
• 1 bag of sweet potatoes
• 1 bag of essentials onions
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 savoy cabbage
• 1kg wholemeal flour 
• 2 x honey
• cinnamon
• popcorn - plain or lightly salted
• vanilla essence
• trail mix
• 2 x plain rice cakes
• 2 x basics hummus
• 8 wholemeal tortilla wraps
• natural yoghurt
• basics frozen berries
• butter/spread
• soy sauce

To shop better on a budget, you can:

• choose essential/basics bread and wonky fruit/vegetables to save money
• go to the reduced section before you start shopping for bargains
• freeze foods if you can to keep them for longer
• never go shopping when you’re really hungry, as you will buy more than you need
• buy the basics first and then if you have extra money that week you can buy extras and treats
• get seasonal vegetables are always cheaper and better for you and the planet

1. Choose whole wheat pasta and brown rice - it will fill you up for longer than white and is full of fibre, so will keep your tummy in better health
2. Choose wholemeal bread - it’s full of more vitamins and minerals and fills you up more
3. Steam, grill or poach foods instead of frying - it's less fatty and often tastes better too
4. If you eat meat, try having at least one vegetarian meal per week - it will help the planet and often costs less
5. Eat seasonal foods - it's cheaper and better for you and the planet

Eat the rainbow

Choose bright and colourful fruit and vegetables and make a rainbow on your plate. They're full of goodness and all the bright colours will make you feel happy.

Snack on fresh fruit cut into slices and chopped vegetables like carrots with hummus or a home-made dip.

 

Ingredients

For one serving, you'll need:

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of frozen berries
• half a cup of oats
• 200ml milk - any type will do
• 100ml water
• 1 teaspoon of honey

Method

1. Mash the berries and banana
2. Whisk the water, milk, oats, honey and fruit
3. Mix together

This is also a great mid-morning shake for an energy burst.

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas - keep the liquid
• 1 cup of frozen peas thawed
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 lemon squeezed
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Blend or mash all the ingredients with a potato masher or back of a fork
2. Put in the fridge for 10 minutes and then
3. Eat with carrot sticks, toasted pitta bread and cucumber

Tip: this is great in a hot jacket potato with some grated cheese on top.

Other snack ideas

For a quick, healthy snack, you could:

• slice an apple and spread peanut butter or honey over each slice
• try plain rice cakes with mashed banana and a drizzle of honey
• add toppings to plain popcorn, like cinnamon and honey, dried fruits, coconut, chopped nuts and melted chocolate

Oats are great for:

• releasing energy slowly
• keeping us full up
• providing fibre and iron
• helping to boost your mood

Ingredients

For one serving, as breakfast or a snack, you'll need:

• 1 cup of oats
• 1 and a half cups of milk - any will do
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoon of honey
• 1 banana chopped and any other fruits to serve

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients (except the banana) together well
2. Put in a glass or bowl or jam jar and top with sliced banana
3. You can add lots of layers with colourful fruits too to make it look really bright and colourful and you can also add frozen berries, peanut butter or any other fruits you like

You can eat this hot or cold. If you'd like to heat it, you can do this on a stove or in a microwave.

Lentils and vegetables help to keep you full and are full of goodness. Brown pasta keeps you full up for longer than white.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 4 carrots washed and roughly chopped
• drizzle of olive oil
• half a cup of red lentils
• 2 red peppers, seeds removed, roughly chopped
• 2 sweet potatoes peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons of tomato purée
• 1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes
• 250ml water
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the oil and onion and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until just softened
2. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer gently for 45 minutes, until the vegetables and lentils are cooked
3. Mix well with cooked pasta and add some cheese on top if you like

Tip: separate into portions to freeze and use at a later date. You can use any veggies in this dish - butternut squash, parsnip, swede and beetroot all work well.

Leftovers

If you have leftover sauce, you could:

• add 1 pint of water to the sauce before you blend and make it into a lovely soup to have with some bread
• add some frozen mince and a cup of stock to the sauce, to make a bolognaise and have with spaghetti

A hearty and cosy veggie shepherd’s pie that all the family will love.

Ingredients

For 4 servings, you'll need:

• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• a little oil
• 2 carrots, chopped into small chunks
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tin kidney beans - any tinned beans will do
• 1 tin of butter beans
• 100g of lentils
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 300ml vegetable stock - any will do
• salt and pepper

For the mashed potato topping, you'll need:

• 700g potatoes
• 50ml milk
• a little butter or oil if you like
• salt and pepper

Method

1. First make the mash - boil water in a large pan, add potatoes and a pinch of salt and cook for 20 minutes
2. Fry onion and garlic for 2 mins, then add the celery and carrot and cook on a low heat for 5 mins - add the cinnamon, beans, lentils, tomatoes and stock, then mix
3. Cook on a low heat for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft - you can add more water if needed - then add the herbs, mix well and put into a large dish
4. Preheat the oven to 180C, drain the potatoes and mash them with a little milk, olive oil, salt and pepper - then put the mashed potatoes on top of the bean mix
5. Spread it out evenly and top with the mash, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

If you do not have an oven you can use a grill for 5 to 10 mins to get the mashed potato topping crispy. If you do not have an oven or grill you can eat this like a stew.

Leftovers

If you have leftovers, put all the pie into a bowl and mix well.

Shape into patties and fry in a little oil on a low heat until golden each side and have with some green vegetables.

Ingredients

For 4 servings, you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1 large sweet potato washed and chopped into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
• 1 tin kidney beans
• 1 tin chickpeas
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 150ml water
• salt and pepper

To serve, you'll need:

• cooked rice
• plain yoghurt

Method

1. Heat the oil a large saucepan and lightly fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft, then stir in the spices and cook for 2 minutes - add all the other ingredients and 125ml water
2. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, and simmer for 20 minutes
3. Serve with cooked rice and a spoonful of natural yoghurt on top, or you can serve in tortilla wrap with some salad and grated cheese and roll up like a burrito

Tip: leave a bowl of raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, cucumber slices and salad leaves for your kids to munch on with lunch and dinner.

Leftovers

Use up leftover chilli by mashing the chilli with a potato masher and then making into patties.

Leave in the fridge for an hour to chill and then fry on a low heat for 10 minutes on each side to make spicy bean burgers. Serve in a bread roll with salad and ketchup.

Ingredients

For 4 servings, you'll need:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 300ml vegetable stock - any will do
• 1 tin chickpeas or beans
• 8 sausages, sliced - any will do
• splash of soy sauce

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C
2. Brown the sausages in a saucepan with a little oil on a low heat and add the onions, carrots, celery and red pepper
3. Add a tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, drained beans/chickpeas and soy sauce
4. Add as much stock as you need to cover ingredients, then salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 20 mins on low
5. Serve with a mashed/jacket potato or cooked rice and some green vegetables, like broccoli

Leftovers

If you have leftover stew you can make a yummy minestrone soup for the next day.

Add 500ml of stock (1 stock cube in hot water) and some broken spaghetti (about 150g wholewheat spaghetti broken into small bits).

Cook for 15 minutes and serve with some bread.

Try to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables. Frozen and tinned vegetables count!

Make sure you stay hydrated by drinking lots of water throughout the day.

Eating gut friendly foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, beans and pulses can help to keep your tummy happy. Gut and brain are connected. A happy tummy can support your mood.

1. Drink plenty of water - at least 6 to 8 glasses per day
2. Make sure you stretch throughout the day - stretch as high as you can and then try and gently touch your toes
3. Try and go out for a little walk once a day if you can and walk quickly so your heart starts to pump quicker - it's so important to get daily exercise
4. Try to think about one thing that you’re grateful for every day - maybe it’s your pet or your teddy bear or maybe it’s because you made a new recipe from here and it’s tasty
5. Remember to eat your 5 fruit and vegetables a day - it will make you feel full of energy

Thank you to EMAS ( Ethnic Minority Achievement Service)

Public Health Schools

Gem's Wholesome Kitchen

Design by Nikki Dupin for Studio Nic&Lou