{"id":2523,"date":"2025-04-01T11:36:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T22:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/?p=2523"},"modified":"2025-04-01T11:40:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T22:40:25","slug":"good-food-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/good-food-on-a-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Food On A Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>My latest post for the <a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Brooklyn Wellness hub<\/strong><\/a> is a collection of tips and recipes for eating well on a budget.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>These are not easy financial times and many people are struggling with their food budget. It\u2019s tempting to buy the cheapest food available, without worrying about quality. But if we look back to the wisdom of older generations , there are options for good, nourishing meals that are budget friendly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Home cook your meals and snacks. <\/strong>Make this part of the family culture. Involving the whole family in food prep and cooking will help prepare them for later life.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>There\u2019s no need for \u2018fancy\u2019 meals. Meals can be very simple, but still nourishing &amp; appealing.<\/li>\n<li>Use foods with the least processing possible, for better nutrition<\/li>\n<li>For treat nights, make your own pizza, fried chicken, curry or fish and chips<\/li>\n<li>For when time is short, have a variety of pre-cooked meals in the freezer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Shop wisely<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are big price differences between the supermarkets<\/li>\n<li>Shop the specials, check online, and shop in bulk \u2013 maybe join a co-op.<\/li>\n<li>Buy produce in season when cheapest and freeze, bottle, dehydrate or make preserves<\/li>\n<li>Build relationships with a farmer or hunter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Produce your own food<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Grow your own fruit and veg \u2013 see <a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/02\/23\/growing-a-nourishing-garden\/\"><strong>Growing a Nourishing Garden<\/strong><\/a>. Invest in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/koanga.org.nz\/our-shop\/seeds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heritage seeds from Koanga Institute<\/a><\/strong>, or purchase from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kingsseeds.co.nz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kings Seeds<\/a><\/strong> or your local garden centre. Visit Tui Gardens for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tuigarden.co.nz\/planting-calendar\/?region=Wellington&amp;monthId=3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">what to plant when<\/a><\/strong>. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/koanga.org.nz\/store\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Koanga<\/a><\/strong> also sell heritage fruit trees and more.<\/li>\n<li>Keep hens for eggs<\/li>\n<li>Learn about foraging <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wellington.govt.nz\/news-and-events\/news-and-information\/our-wellington\/2021\/01\/welly-walks-te-ara-papararangi-track\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on the land<\/a><\/strong> or in the sea, or take up hunting yourself. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.urbanforaging.co.nz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Urban Foraging<\/a><\/strong> website has a map of free nut and fruit trees by area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Plan meals in advance<\/strong>, to reduce waste<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You can always change the plan if needed, but knowing what you\u2019re making for the next few days takes away a load of stress<\/li>\n<li>Base your meals around what you bought on special in this week\u2019s shop, what ripened in your garden and anything in your freezer that needs eating soon<\/li>\n<li>Plan to use up leftovers eg roast lamb on Sunday, lamb rissoles for Monday night dinner, sliced lamb for sandwiches, and make some stock with the bone<\/li>\n<li>Have a \u2018fridge clean out\u2019 meal each week before doing grocery shop. Make a casserole, stew, soup or frittata. Or have a smorgasbord of leftovers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cook in bulk<\/strong> and freeze already cooked meals<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Soups and stews, for example, are ideal for making a big batch of and freezing<\/li>\n<li>At the weekend, cook in bulk, for the freezer and for the coming week.<\/li>\n<li>Keep a list of whats in the freezer and when it was frozen, so you can use the oldest things first and nothing gets forgotten<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/03\/30\/good-food-on-a-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>the rest of the article here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other recipe collections<\/strong> on the Wellness Hub website are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/12\/shakes-smoothies\/\"><strong>Shakes &amp; smoothies<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 for breakfast, after school snacks<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/01\/10\/breads-of-all-kinds\/\">A variety of breads<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 something for every eating plan<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/01\/19\/baking-savoury\/\">Baking \u2013 savoury<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/01\/20\/baking-sweet\/\">Baking \u2013 sweet<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/12\/bliss-filled-balls-bars-bites\/\"><strong>Snack balls and bars<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/02\/25\/shop-bought-snacks\/\">Shop bought snacks<\/a><\/strong> (reviews)<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/01\/22\/real-food-lunchboxes\/\">Lunchbox ideas<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/04\/15\/winter-soups\/\"><strong>Warming winter soups<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/12\/01\/summer-soups\/\">Cooling summer soups<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/13\/finger-foods-for-potlucks\/\"><strong>Finger foods for Potlucks<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 Xmas or any time of the year<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2025\/03\/26\/peas-beans-cheap-tasty\/\"><strong>Legumes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/13\/veges-simple-or-sumptuous\/\"><strong>Vege recipes<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 for Christmas lunch, or for every day<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/30\/luscious-desserts\/\">Luscious Desserts<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 some more decadent, but many are healthier options<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/04\/28\/winter-tonic\/\"><strong>Winter tonics<\/strong><\/a> (or any time of the year you need some TLC)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/14\/christmas-breakfasts\/\"><strong>Christmas Breakfasts<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/16\/christmas-lunch-dinner\/\"><strong>Christmas Lunch \/ Dinner<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/10\/easy-versatile-xmas-cake\/\"><strong>Easy As Xmas Cake<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 adaptable for most diets<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brooklynwellness.nz\/2024\/11\/15\/christmas-drinks-desserts-sweets\/\"><strong>More Christmas sweets, desserts &amp; drinks<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My latest post for the Brooklyn Wellness hub is a collection of tips and recipes for eating well on a budget. These are not easy financial times and many people are struggling with their food budget. It\u2019s tempting to buy the cheapest food available, without worrying about quality. But if we look back to the wisdom of older generations , there are options for good, nourishing meals that are budget friendly. Home cook your meals [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[44,37],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2523"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2526,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523\/revisions\/2526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}