When money is tight, it can be hard to put food on the table. During the winter months so many of us have to choose between heating and eating. Have you heard of batch cooking? This is when you prepare meals in batches. You cook more food, less often. You can then set it aside, saving you time and money when it comes to preparing food every day. Storing these portions for later can be fantastic for a number of reasons, one of which is because you can buy groceries you see on offer and turn them into more affordable meals. Let's have a look at batch cooking on a budget which could a gamechanger to your eating habits this winter.
Buy In Bulk
So we've established what batch cooking is, when you prepare a lot of meals and store them for when you need them. We'll get onto the storage later but the preparation is key to begin with. You need to get the ingredients you need to make the meals you want. Think about the types of foods that you enjoy eating, the ones that are perhaps family favourites. Also take into account the time of year. If it is the cold winter months, hearty casseroles and pies might be exactly what you're looking for. Once you have decided what to make, you need to get your hands on the ingredients. By buying in bulk, you should be able to save yourself cash. Bigger packs are usually better value. Not always though, so be sure to check the cost per 100g.
One tops tip is to get ingredients which can be used in various ways. For example, mince can be used in a variety of different meals. No one wants to eat the same thing day in, day out. It gets boring. However mince be can used in cottage pie, lasagne, chilli con carne and more! These are also perfect meals to portion up and save for when you need them. Using one main ingredients as the basis for your meals will help you save money when you're batch cooking on a budget.
Soup is also wonderful to make in batches because you can use whatever is in season, which is usually cheaper. You can even find yellow stickered discount items which are sometimes reduced by up to 90%. It's always worth looking in supermarkets the night before you plan to cook your meals. You never know what you might find on offer and it could allow you to create something quite spectacular.
Dedicate A Day
When you are batch cooking on a budget you need to give yourself the time to actually prepare your meals. Think about how much time you might spend each evening cooking food. Well, if you dedicate a day to your batch cooking every month or do, you can create some fantastic meals, portion them out properly and get them ready for when you need them. Sometimes it doesn't need to be a full day, you can use a couple of hours in the morning to prepare, them them cook whilst you are doing something else and then return to finish them off.
Consider using your slow cooker too as they are a fantastic helping hand. It's also worth creating a meal planner based on the amount of meals you make. That way you will know when you are due to run out and can plan in your next day of batch cooking on a budget.
Stretch Your Food
How many meals can you get out of your ingredients? This is one of key points of batch cooking on a budget. You need to get the absolute maximum from what you buy. Be sure that nothing is going to waste. Strip every ounce of meat from your chicken. Boil up the bones for a broth and base for soup or stock. Throw vegetable peelings into your soup for extra flavour and nutrition.
Use slightly less mince in your chilli and buy an extra can of kidney beans to bulk your portions up. Supermarket own brand tins are much cheaper than branded ones, yet there is very little difference. Chopped tomatoes are chopped tomatoes! Get the cheapest ones! Know your potion size so you aren't overloading your containers. That way you will be well fed, avoid food waste and make more meals from your ingredients.
Utilise Your Freezer
Get to know your freezer. What is in there already? How much space is there for batch cooking on a budget? What containers sit perfectly in it so you can use every square inch of freezer space? Stack it so you can access what you need to in the order you need stuff and keep it free from frost. Your freezer is a team mate when you are batch cooking on a budget. You are making all this healthy food, marvellous meals for as little money as you possibly can. The food has to be stored somewhere. You might need to get food out first thing in the morning to defrost during the day or with some meals you can cook them from frozen in their foil containers. Keep a list of what you have in your freezer with your meal planner, so you know when you are running low.
Plan Your Meals
The meal planner is so important. Knowing what you are having and when is key. You can plan your meals based around your busy schedule. If you're not going to be back until 8pm on a Thursday because you are at a yoga class, you might want to just microwave some soup, instead of waiting for a lasagne to cook. Plan what you will be eating based on what you are doing and the meals you have prepared and put in your freezer.
Batch cooking on a budget takes some time and effort but it can save you so much money, whilst ensuring you eat well. Use these top tips, find recipes you might not have thought of and be sure to reuse containers where possible too. Have fun batch cooking on a budget.