Being A Foodie On A Budget

Yesterday’s copy (Thursday, 21st August 2008) of the Daily News Newspaper featured a wonderful article by Carol Browne, a consultant dietician to the South African Sugar Association. It is proposed that you could eat healthily at an average of R11 per person per day. Yes, you read right, R11!

While the menu and meals suggested won’t land you on the cover of Gourmet Weekly, they are rather inventive, tasty, nutritious and, most importantly, inexpensive! The main concept behind this thrifty eating plan include the guidelines set out in the South African Guidelines for Healthy Eating.
• Drink lots of clean water – Water is a cheap and easy way to quench your thirst. Tea and coffee can make up a part of your daily-recommended consumption and is much cheaper than fruit juice and fizzy drinks.
• Starch is the basis of meals – Use options such as pasta, porridge, rice, potato or bread to make up the main part of your meal. From these inexpensive base products, many tasty meals are within reach.
• Fruit and vegetables every day – Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Vegetables are also a much cheaper option than meat, so try to bulk up meat dishes such as stews and soups with as many vegetables as possible. Also, try to buy your vegetables fresh rather than frozen as this a cheaper option.
• Dry beans, split peas, lentils, soya – Legumes aren’t only for vegetarians, they are a wonderfully healthy and inexpensive ingredient to add to even the most hardy of meat-lovers’ diets. Legumes can bulk up a meal to make it more cost effective and, if you’re feeling up to it, can substitute for meat in certain meals.
• Chicken, fish, meat, milk and eggs in moderation – These products can all push your monthly food bill through the roof, but there are a few things you can do to minimise the injury to your pocket. Meat dishes can be bulked by adding vegetables and beans. Frozen fish is a rather expensive options, so next time you’re at the supermarket, make a turn past the fresh fish counter. When buying poultry, consider the option of buying whole chickens and then cutting them into portions yourself.

Meal ideas suggested by Carol Browne

Breakfast
• Soft porridge with sugar and milk. Tea with milk and sugar. Alternate between mealie meal, mabella and oats porridge.

Packed Lunch
• Brown bread sandwiches and fresh fruit
• Leftovers from the main meal the previous day with fresh fruit
• Home-made soup with barley and split peas
• Rice salad with extra vegetables
• Potato salad made with extra vegetables and cottage cheese dressing

Main Meals
• Beef, bean and vegetable stew served with rice and butternut
• Vegetable breyani
• Curry mince and rice, with salad (use half mince and half curry-flavoured soya mince)
• Bean and vegetable stew served with phutu
• Home-made chicken a la king (use half chicken and half butter beans), rice and vegetables

Please consult the SouthAfricanFoodies.co.za website in the coming weeks in order to find tasty yet cost-effective recipes – they will be arriving soon. Until then, have a wonderful, food-filled weekend.