A SAVVY mum shared her go-to recipes for stretching your grocery shop.
Her low-effort meals are created with fussy children in mind and will only set you back a quid per portion.
In her viral video, Instagram user Grace Mortimer (@_myfirstmeals) talked her 638,000 followers through five recipes.
“I have got five delicious new recipes that come in under a pound per portion from Aldi to help you through this February half-term,” she told her audience.
“I don’t know about you but I find that school holidays can just be a lot, there’s a lot going on, there’s a lot more thinking, planning, cooking, and it can be quite expensive.”
Grace decided to lay out a meal plan that was aimed at keeping costs low so parents have more money to spend on activities during the break.
First, she showed her viewers a creaming broccoli soup, which she topped with parmesan croutons.
The Instagrammer broke down the cost of the simple dish, which amounted to just 87p per serving.
Next, she constructed a fish finger sandwich on a bap, with tartar sauce, lettuce, and a side of oven chips.
This handy dinner only take minutes to make and costs just 97p per serving.
She also recommended a roasted cauliflower curry, which she created using all Aldi ingredients.
Served over a bed of white rice, this dish breaks down to just 96p per serving.
For a wholesome comfort dish, Grace made pizza-inspired loaded jacket potatoes.
Heaped with red peppers, red onions, and mozzarella cheese, each potato will only cost you £1.01 to create.
And for her personal favourite, the busy mum demonstrated how to make her “incredibly easy no-cook pasta sauce”.
She explained how the handy recipe is “just a case of popping things in a blender and pouring it over cooked pasta”.
For this recipe, she used one tin of chopped tomatoes, one tin of sliced carrots, and one jar of grilled peppers.
How to cut the cost of your grocery shop
SAVING on your shop can make a big difference to your wallet. Here are some tips from comparison site Money.co.uk about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills:
- Write yourself a list – Only buy items that you need. If it isn’t on your list, don’t put it in the trolley
- Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping
- Never shop hungry – you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling
- Don’t buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they’ll charge for chopping can be eye watering
- Use social media – follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals
- Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains
- Check the small print – It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more
- Use your loyalty cards – Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards
She boiled 500 grams of pasta before draining it and setting it aside.
Next, Grace used a hand held blender to combine her three vegetables into a puree.
She then poured the pasta into an over dish and covered it in the homemade sauce.
After topping with mozzarella, she placed the pasta bake into the oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese began to bubble.
Grace revealed that she highly recommends trying out her pasta recipe.
Her personal favourite dish breaks down to just 89p per serving.
She explained that the portions are huge so they ensure “you’re getting quite a lot of bang for your buck”.
