Eat well on the cheap

A*takeaways*and ready meals can be expensive. Not ideal if higher bills means you're counting every penny. There is a solution: make the same meal at home. Not only will it be healthier, it's*cheaper too.







Perfect pasta
An average ready-meal lasagne can cost £3.99 at the supermarket and one portion can contain up to 632 calories. Add a cheesy garlic bread and a bottle of coke and the cost rises to £6.36. But the total cost of this convenience meal may be as bad for your waistline as your wallet, clocking up around 967 calories.

If you swap your microwave meal for a home-cooked alternative, you can save in*calories and cash.

Method:
Fry 100g of lean beef mince with half an onion, one garlic clove and a grated carrot. Stir in a tin of tomatoes and 100g of cooked pasta, sprinkle 30g of cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes.

For just £4.28 you can buy enough ingredients to feed four people, just over £1 a person, and the calorie content per portion is just 703.

You save:
£5.29 and 264 calories.

Instant Indian
Everyone enjoys a night in with an Indian takeaway but a korma with rice and naan bread can amount to as many as 815 calories per portion. Buy it ready-made from a supermarket and you’ll pay around £5.13. Order it from a restaurant and the price could be £8 to £10. Making your own version is quick and easy, and at around £4.50 for four people, or £1.13 per person, it's also far cheaper.

Method:
Fry some diced chicken breast pieces in*a little vegetable oil until golden brown, then mix in a jar of korma sauce from the supermarket and simmer until cooked. Serve with 70g of basmati rice and a plain naan bread. One portion then adds up to just 576 calories.

You save:
£4 and 239 calories.

Pizza paradise
Pizza is a popular choice when you need a quick and easy bite to eat. But once you’ve loaded on the toppings and added a side order of potato wedges, it’s both expensive and fattening. The average takeaway pizza costs around £10, and if you add a fizzy drink and wedges it adds up to a massive 1,060 calories: that's almost half a woman’s daily allowance.

Method:
Making your own pizza is fun and easy, and a ready-made pizza base can cost as little as 99p. All you have to do is add a couple of tablespoons of shop-bought passata sauce for a simple tomato topping. Top with slices from half a ball of mozzarella cheese and some chopped peppers and grill under a medium heat until the peppers are soft. The total cost is £2.91 and the calorie count is almost halved, at 688.

You save:
£7.09 and 372 calories.

Top tips
Follow these tips to make sure your diet is good for your body and your bank balance:

  • Buy only enough fresh fruit and vegetables for the next couple of days so they won’t end up going off in the bottom of your fridge.
  • When it comes to fruit and veg, dried, frozen and canned (in juice, not syrup) are just as good as fresh.
  • Grow your own ingredients. If you live in a flat, plant some herbs in a window box. They're easy to grow and a great way to add some quick and easy flavour to your meals cheaply. If you have a bigger garden, try planting low-maintenance vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots.
  • Shop at local markets. They're often cheaper than supermarkets and offer a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.
  • In-season fruit and vegetables*are*usually cheaper. For information on what’s in season, see the Eatwell site of the Food Standards Agency (see Useful links).
All calorie counts are based on products from a leading supermarket. Products from other supermarkets may vary in price and calorie count.






















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