INEXPENSIVE Healthy foods?

katemarjoram

Let me say I understand somewhat where you are coming from. I left home at 19 and was studying and on a very limited budget and had NO IDEA how to cook healthily with limited $$$$.

One of my favourites recipes for using up left over veggies (or any that are going a bit manky) is a vegetable frittata.

Beat up 4 or 5 eggs with a little salt and pepper (to taste). Throw in whatever veggies you have. For stuff like spinach/silverbeet chop it roughly. For veggies like peppers, tomato, mushrooms, carrots, pumpkin or sweet potato dice it into small cubes. For carrot or zucchini grate it up and squeeze out the excess liquid before adding it to the mix. If you can afford the calories you can add some grated cheese or bacon pieces. Poor the mix into a quiche dish and bake at about 180 degrees celcius (350 fahrenheit) for about an hour or so (you'll know it is done when you touch the centre and it is spongy to the touch).

You can have this dish hot with a side salad or take cold slices to work for lunch. It also freezes - just pre-cut your portions then you can take it out and microwave it on an as needs basis.

You can also experiment adding left over fresh herbs or dried herbs to give it different tastes.

Another good (cheap) meal is vegetable soup, I love making it on a cold winters day. In a big stockpot put about 1 litre of veggie stock and half a litre of water. Throw in a third to a half of a packet of soup mix (you'll find it in the soup aisle, often on the bottom shelf). I add a tub of tomato paste so that the end product doesn't just look like dirty dishwater. Then throw in your chopped up veggies - include a variety such as turnip, potato, onion, sweet potato, pumpkin, zuchinni, parnsip, carrots, spinch/silverbeet (add this in the last hour of cooking) - whatever is in season or cheap. Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste. If you want meat you can throw in a ham bone (take this out about an hour from the end and remove the meat and add it back into the soup). Let the whole lot simmer for 4-6 hours. You will probably need to add water along the way. I like my soup super thick so it is more like stew so I let it simmer right down but if you like watery soup just add more liquid. Now here is the neat trick my mum taught me. To freeze portions get out all your coffee mugs and line them with freezer bags. Ladle in the soup and tie the bags shut. Pop the coffee mugs into the freezer overnight. The next morning remove the mugs and run them under hot water for 30 seconds each. The frozen soup portions will slip out easily. You then throw the frozen bags of soup back into the freezer and voila you have a stack of individual serves of healthy, yummy home made soup.. When it comes time to eat it just grab one out of the freezer, run the bag under hot water for a few seconds then turn it into a bowl and microwave it.