Hello, we are in the kitchen of the property we are house sitting currently. So I thought
I'd take the time to show you our latest favorite meals. In New Zealand, currently grocery prices
are absolutely crazy, food prices for a couple is about $250 dollars a week, but we've been able to
cut that by a third and our weekly grocery bill lands at around $150 to $170 New Zealand Dollars
for two people, so let's get on to the recipes. This first recipe is the recipe my dad used to
cook all the time but he used fish, which I've swapped for tofu. Because I eat a whole food
plant-based diet I don't eat oil, so I cook with water, but you can use olive oil if you prefer.
Next, chop all the vegetables. I always use carrot and celery when making a soup base because it
means I don't need any pre-made stock. This made enough for one meal for my husband and two meals
for me, so depending on how much or little you eat this recipe is enough for two to four servings.
Once the onion has fried, add all the vegetables and spices. The secret
ingredients to this recipe is of course saffron which makes it such a fun and warming soup.
Add enough water to cover the veggies or use vegetable bouillon if you have it on
hand and cook until the potatoes are soft and tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. [Music]
Once the vegetables are cooked you can add the tofu and then make the cream.
I like to make a cashew cream by blending cashews and water, but you can also use
store-bought cream made from oat or soy, this is what makes the soup so rich and creamy. [Music]
This next recipe is hands down my favorite dinner recipe, because it's super healthy but it doesn't
taste like it. If you like pre-made baked beans this will be less sweet but way healthier,
and you can always add date syrup if you need more sweetness. Start by frying onion and garlic in
water, and then add chili flakes, smoked paprika, black pepper, molasses and tomato passata.
I like to rinse the tomato bottle once it's empty and then add that water as well,
which also reduces waste. For this recipe I'm using two cans of pre-cooked butter beans,
since I can't buy them dry here, but if you can it's way cheaper. Then put in an oven
proof dish and cook at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes to an hour,
and the longer you cook the richer the flavour. We like to eat this with boiled potatoes and sautéed
kale, and it's so filling healthy and delicious. This recipe is enough for four servings. [Music]
Next meal is a smoothie bowl, because sometimes I like to have cake for dinner, but then I make this
instead. It satisfies my sweet tooth and although it's a bit more expensive than the other recipes
it's a lot cheaper and healthier than eating out. I buy mixed berries in bulk, because they
tend to be the cheapest option. Then I topped this one with half a banana, half a golden kiwi
fruit because they're on sale so very lucky, chia seeds, walnuts and raspberries from the garden.
I wouldn't buy fresh raspberries,
so if you don't have raspberries in your garden just use frozen berries instead.
The next recipe is a classic veggie stir fry, but it's a bit healthier since we're omitting
oil. I like to add red cabbage since it's quite cheap but super high in antioxidants,
together with broccoli, carrot and any other vegetables you like.
I'm adding garlic and ginger to taste, and we're using a block of tofu for protein. [Music]
If you want to make this quite a bit cheaper, since tofu is quite expensive,
at least here in New Zealand, you can use edamame beans instead of tofu.
Once everything is chopped, fry all the veggies in water and soy sauce and then
add the spinach and tofu and cook until everything is cooked through. We like to
eat this with quinoa for a healthy option, but rice or noodles would be a lot cheaper.
And do let me know if you try any of these recipes or if you have any questions. [Music]
I've saved the cheapest meal until last. This recipe is enough to make three meals for my
husband or four meals for me, but if you want to make it last a bit longer you can either add
two more potatoes to the recipe or have it with garlic bread on the side. Carrots and potatoes
are some of the most affordable vegetables you can get so we use that as a base for every soup.
To make this recipe super simple I like to cook all the vegetables and spices together.
Cook them for about 5 minutes then add water to cover and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Letting the spices and onion cook for a few minutes brings out the flavours and makes your
meals a lot tastier. I'll leave all recipes and prices in the description box below the
video if you're interested. Once it's all cooked I like to add chopped kale and pre-cooked lentils,
but you can of course use canned lentils or any beans that you like.
Dry legumes are always cheaper to buy so we buy lentils in bulk whenever we can. I know this is a
difficult time for many people and we've certainly noticed the increase in price, especially among
healthy food, but I hope these recipes can help you and your family eat healthy without breaking
the budget.Tthank you so much for watching and I'll see you all next week, bye. [Music]
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