In this interview we spoke to mum of two Kimberley Saunders
about cooking healthy food for a family of four living on a
tight budget.
Is it hard to cook good quality meals for our children when
you are on a budget?
No, not really because it depends on how well you know the
basics of cooking and nutrition. A lot of that's been lost
as they didn't teach it in schools in our generation and
there are people who think you have to buy things that are
cheap on the price label without realising that it's not
healthy or that it's actually more expensive than it lookss.
Does cheap meals mean burger and chips?
No it doesn't. You can buy a bag of chips for about a pound
and that will only do one or two meals for a family of
four, but you still have to have the burgers and there's a
lot of fat in that food.
What are the alternatives?
You could still have a meal of hamburger and chips but
adapt it. There could be a lean turkey mince homemade meat
patty, put under the grill and serve with green beans and
sweetcorn. For a family of four that'd be around
£2.50. I'm not saying that chips aren't fine for the
occasional treat. The green beans you could get fresh,
tinned or frozen so it's available to anyone regardless of
budget.
What about kids that are picky?
I do understand that some people say their kids won't eat
some things. It takes a bit of fortitude and patience to
get a child to eat healthily. One of the things that kept
me going was saying that there are children in Africa
who've never seen a chip in their life. If a child is
hungry they're going to eat it.
What tips would you give parents?
Start small, start healthy versions of their favourite
food. Chicken nuggets for example. We got chicken breasts
and made our own. We did roasted potatoes instead of chips.
Fish fingers we turned into tuna patties. It's a bit of
tuna fish mixed with a bit of egg, put breadcrumbs over the
top and cook.
What about mothers who are pressed for time?
The tuna patties are as simple as opening the tin and
popping under the grill. I know a lot of mothers are
pressed for time. Why not invest in a slow cooker. You can
do roasts, soups, casseroles. You can even do puddings in
it.
Should we shop in the supermarkets or smaller shops?
Look at what you're getting and what you have available in
your area. If you have a good market by you it's cheaper to
go to the market to get your vegetables. If you've got a
good local butcher get to know him. If you have some garden
space grow your own vegetables. It's important that
children know where their food comes from. I know my
children wouldn't touch tomatoes until we grew cherry
tomatoes in our own garden.
What basics should we have in the cupboard to try and save
money?
A good stock cupboard would include tuna, tinned fruit and
vegetables with no salt added. I would recommend always
having eggs on hand - another quick meal.
What other tips do you have?
A big portion of our budget goes on food. I write meal
plans so I know what I am going to cook. I'd go to the
supermarket and not even look at the offers. You really can
feed a family on a very small budget.
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To find more great interviews just like this one, why not
visit the My Baby Radio website, at
http://www.mybabyradio.com/pregnancy-birth/finance/feeding-f
amily-is-costly/
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