Have you popped by the local takeaway one too many times this month? Do you regularly throw away large amounts of wilted salad from your fridge? Are you blowing a small fortune in the local deli every lunchtime?
If your answer is yes to any of these, a little menu planning could go a very long way; helping you save money, eat healthier and even lose some weight in 2017... all without even trying!
1. Start afresh
Whenever you have half an hour free, empty every kitchen cupboard and place all the food on the kitchen table. Dump everything that's out of date, unhealthy or rarely used. Organise everything into categories (starches, pulses, spices etc.), then write down a few ideas to use up the food you're keeping. Extra fusilli? Whip up a make-ahead pasta tuna bake to heat up for the kids after football practice. Excess rice? Boil it and fry it with an egg, some spring onion, chicken pieces and soy sauce as a hearty main course, or serve it with a homemade chickpea curry on your meatless Monday.
2. Build a store cupboard to suit your family's requirements
Now that you have plenty of space, it's time to stock up on multi-purpose essentials. Tinned beans, lentils and chopped tomatoes are key. Oats, eggs, coconut milk and dry noodles are great additions too.
Having multi-purpose ingredients on hand gives you more choice when time is tight. For instance, if your brood always eat cereal for breakfast, you can try serving scrambled eggs or overnight oats instead.
3. Fill up on the good stuff
Make your food budget stretch a little further by bulking up your favourite dishes with tasty but healthy ingredients. For instance: adding a large punnet of mushrooms to 400g of lean minced beef can almost double its volume, without losing any flavour - ideal in a lasagne. Plus it's lower in calories and fat, making it healthier! Pop leftovers in a container to warm up for lunch at the office.
4. Try make-ahead meals
Boiling potatoes for tonight's mash? Make extra to keep in the fridge to top tomorrow's shepherd's pie. The same applies to cooking larger quantities of rice, beans and pasta, all of which would be a delicious addition to healthy soups and stews.
Do you have freezer-friendly containers? You can also use freezer bags for certain dishes, but air-tight food containers work best. Find containers that are suitable for freezing but can also be thawed and reheated in the same container for ultimate time-saving.
Top tip: If you're storing soups or sauces, store them in specific portion sizes, so you don't need to defrost it all at once.
5. Pack a lunch
With a little creativity and planning, you could be tucking into a gourmet lunchbox every day... for a fraction of the cost of that pricey deli sandwich. Make up tubs of three-bean salad, fresh salsa, grated carrot and sliced meat or boiled eggs, then transfer your choice of fillings to a lunchbox to enjoy in a wrap or pitta bread at lunch time. This method is also great for kids, who are more likely to eat something they've concocted themselves. Liven up their favourites with relish or a drizzle of fresh pesto.
6. Make a list
Every weekend, spend five minutes making a list of meals for the coming week. Wherever possible, make a larger portion than you need and freeze the leftovers for those nights when you're delayed at the office or football practice is delayed or the car breaks down on the school run.
Go to lidl.ie/healthy for more great healthy hacks, tips, tricks, recipes and much, much more, and search for us on social media using #LidlHealthHacks.
