3 minute read
SMART LIVING
from Asda Magazine October 2022
by Asda
Smart
LIVING
We’re all trying to make our money go further these days – so every issue we’ll bring you our triedand-tested ways to cut kitchen costs and still enjoy delicious meals all week long
Have you tried our new Just Essentials range yet? With over 300 budget-friendly products in all categories of the store (including fresh fruit and veg, fresh meat, fish and poultry), they’re already hugely popular. We’re loving seeing your hauls on Instagram – keep saving, and and keep sharing.
WORDS SUE QUINN
Handy herb swaps
Missing a herb from a recipe? Swap it! Soft-stalked herbslike basil, parsley and coriander can be used interchangeably, as can woody ones like rosemary and thyme. Or, use 1tsp dried herbs for 1tbsp fresh.
GREAT TASTE, LESS MEAT
Replacing meat with pulses like beans and lentils is a brilliant way to reduce costs – and you needn’t lose the meat altogether. Just swap out half the meat in a stew or curry and replace with Just Essentials by Asda chickpeas for a budgetfriendly meal.
USE (ALL) YOUR LOAF
In the UK we throw away 20 million slices of bread each day, so try these nifty ways to use up past-their-best loaves: l To refresh stale bread, sprinkle slices with water, wrap together in foil and place in a 150°C oven for 5-10 minutes. Ta dah! Soft again. l For breadcrumbs, blitz stale bread in a food processor and stash in the freezer in zip-lock bags. Try mixing a handful with a splash of olive oil and grated cheese for a tasty mac ’n’ cheese topping. l Make croutons. Toss cubes of stale bread with a little olive oil and roast at 200°C for 10 minutes, or until golden. Combine with roasted squash and broccoli, cooked brown rice or spelt, chopped herbs and a pinch of chilli flakes. Season and dress with olive oil and lemon juice.
STEPS TO … 3 FREEZING FRUIT
1CHOP IT Core and chop apples and pears, de-stone stone fruit, hull berries and peel and chop bananas. Spread out on trays lined with baking paper and freeze.
2FREEZE IT Transfer everything to zip-lock bags or freezer-proof lidded containers before putting back in the freezer. All the pieces will be nicely separated.
3USE IT Use straight from the freezer in smoothies, or in crumbles and pies. Also defrost and serve warm or cold with breakfast cereal, pancakes or yoghurt.
@BEATTHEBUDGET WITH MIMI HARRISON
Batch cooking made simple
Insta-cook and queen of thrifty feeding Mimi Harrison is better known as @beatthebudget – she’ll share her canny kitchen hacks with us here each issue.
Batch cooking is a huge part of my routine. It saves time, reduces food waste and helps make budgets go further. Here’s how to make it easy! USE IT UP When planning batch cook-ups, remember that meals can share ingredients without becoming samey. Use a pot of cream in a silky pasta sauce then pour leftovers into a vegetable frittata, for instance. Clever planning like this will help us use everything up and stick to our budget.
FREEZE IT UP Opting for
freezable recipes – like veggie lasagne – means you can bulk-buy ingredients and get better value per portion. You’ll have speedy, ready-made meals to heat up for the weeks to come, too! I’ve implemented a ‘freezer cycle’ at home, where new meals go in when an old favourite comes out. MIX IT UP Try batch cooking one element of a meal then adding it to different dinners that week. Sliced chicken breasts fried with mixed peppers and spices could be used in burrito bowls, pasta dishes and fajitas, for instance. This means when you come to cook, the bulk of the prep has already been done. It’s especially great to do this with a meat recipe as it splits the cost of the protein (often the most expensive part of our weekly shop), over several days.
