Penny-wise palate: Budget cooking guru delivers flavourful feasts at $150 weekly!
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In an era where the cost of living is soaring and every penny counts, Australians are constantly on the lookout for ways to tighten their belts without compromising on quality or nutrition.
Enter Chelsea Goodwin, a Brisbane-based meal-planning maestro who has mastered the art of feeding her family sumptuous dinners without breaking the bank.
With her new book, she is sharing her wisdom with the world, proving that a tight budget doesn't mean tight flavour.
Chelsea's approach to grocery shopping is both strategic and savvy.
She allocates $150 per week to nourish herself and her three teenagers—a feat that many would find daunting.
Yet, through meticulous planning and a few clever tricks, she makes it work—and deliciously so.
One of the cornerstones of Chelsea's strategy is to plan at least one meal a day for the entire week.
‘There is no other solution as far as I'm concerned than really careful meal planning,’ she said.
‘For me, dinners are the trickiest part of my budget because we eat quite a lot at dinner, so once I got that under control, I found everything else started to fall into place nicely.’
Chelsea's culinary repertoire includes a variety of vibrant and flavorful dishes such as rainbow minestrone, beef chilli mac and cheese, Greek lemon chicken, and loaded potatoes.
‘I love spinach and feta pasta because I can go to the supermarket and grab all those ingredients as they're available in the deli and freezer and you can get them all for around the $10 mark,’ she shared.
‘It only takes about 20 minutes to make. If my plan has gone out the window and I need to just run in and grab something that is always what I will go for.’
Chelsea often prepares fried rice as one of her favourite meals, usually towards the end of the week, using leftover vegetables from her weekly grocery shopping.
‘We'll chuck everything in there, all of the broccoli stalks and eggs, and that's a really delicious dinner that we can whip up pretty quickly,’ she explained.
Chelsea mentioned that she only schedules dinners for the week, while breakfasts and lunches are based on leftovers and what ingredients are available in the fridge and pantry.
‘I have in my head all of my breakfast and lunches and know what to buy and can work with my pantry staples for a lot of those meals as well, but [for] dinners, I plan down to every single ingredient,’ she said.
She also shared she doesn't keep traditional breakfast foods at home and opts for dishes like eggs on corn fritters, made with leftover vegetables and canned corn kernels, or pancakes using ingredients from her pantry.
‘We do often have hot breakfasts or we'll just have something really simple like toast,’ she stated.
‘We'll try and utilise any leftovers for lunch we're not using for another dinner. We might have a bit of roast chicken leftover so I like chop that up and make a sandwich filling with that or I'll make a salad.’
Interestingly, Chelsea abstains from the popular trend of meal prepping; instead, she prefers to cook as she goes, finding this method more adaptable to her family's needs and less wasteful.
‘I've tried it but it does not work for me. I know it works for a lot of people, but I prefer to prep and cook as I go,’ she shared.
When deciding which supermarket to shop at, Chelsea suggested choosing the one where you are most familiar with the pricing and offers a rewards program that suits you best.
She also advised getting to know the times when stores mark down items like meat and fresh produce.
‘When it comes to markdowns, ask the staff at your local supermarket what time they mark down their meat and their produce. They will tell you and you can plan your shop around that,’ the mum explained.
Although she appreciates markdowns, Chelsea rarely checks what's on special because these deals may tempt her to purchase items she doesn't actually need.
‘Don't even think about going to the supermarket without a plan and a list,’ she warned.
‘I am no longer tempted to shop the specials unless they’re items on my list because for me that causes me to blow my budget often and I try and limit my shops to just once a week.’
The savvy mum begins her weekly shopping by selecting budget-friendly cuts of meat and seasonal vegetables.
She mentioned, ‘I'll be buying chicken drumsticks, bone-in chicken thighs, and large pieces of beef that I can use over multiple meals.'
‘I'll only shop seasonal vegetables as well, even if a recipe calls for a certain vegetable, I will always substitute it if it's not in season or if the price isn't good.’
Recently, Chelsea noticed cabbage prices soaring up to $10. To save money, she opted for prepackaged coleslaw mixes, which are much cheaper.
‘I have a larger list of pantry staples so each week I'll go through that and look at what I need to top up then I develop all my meals around that one list so I don't need 500 different spices,’ she added.
‘That keeps it simple for me, having that limited pantry staple list.’
Chelsea began sharing her tips and meal-planning methods in a social media group that quickly grew from a few hundred followers to tens of thousands in just a few months.
Her efforts ultimately resulted in her securing a publishing deal and publishing her book, $10 Meals with Chelsea, in April, which became a hit among Aussie mums.
Her straightforward yet detailed approach to writing recipes and meal plan guides struck a chord with thousands of readers, particularly beginner cooks and individuals with ADHD and autism.
‘I have a lot of people in my group from the beginning that were responding really well to the way I write my recipes, the level of detail that I give and the way that I set them out,’ she recounted.
Just a few years prior to launching the social media group, Chelsea shared she had little cooking experience.
‘Maybe five years ago I couldn't boil an egg. I couldn't fry an egg. I couldn't cook rice. I was just really awful, and my kids hated my food,’ she recalled.
‘I've been on a journey with my cooking and whenever I write my recipes I'm always thinking that I need to write it for the cook that I was five years ago.’
You can purchase $10 Meals with Chelsea as an e-book or paperback from various retailers like Amazon, Big W, and Dymocks.
Looking for ways to save money on groceries and still enjoy delicious meals?
Chelsea Goodwin has become a household name with her budget-friendly meal-planning tips, helping families across Australia stretch their dollars without sacrificing taste.
Her $10 Meals with Chelsea cookbook gained popularity among Aussie mums, offering simple yet flavourful recipes that won't break the bank.
Now, discover how this culinary whiz whips up mouthwatering dinners for just $1.60 a plate, continuing the tradition of savvy cooking and economical dining.
Have you tried any budget cooking techniques? Do you have any cost-saving tips to share with the community? Let us know in the comments below.
Enter Chelsea Goodwin, a Brisbane-based meal-planning maestro who has mastered the art of feeding her family sumptuous dinners without breaking the bank.
With her new book, she is sharing her wisdom with the world, proving that a tight budget doesn't mean tight flavour.
Chelsea's approach to grocery shopping is both strategic and savvy.
She allocates $150 per week to nourish herself and her three teenagers—a feat that many would find daunting.
Yet, through meticulous planning and a few clever tricks, she makes it work—and deliciously so.
Chelsea Goodwin shared budget cooking tips and meal-planning strategies for feeding a family on $150 weekly in her book, $10 Meals with Chelsea. Credits: Instagram / Chelsea Goodwin
One of the cornerstones of Chelsea's strategy is to plan at least one meal a day for the entire week.
‘There is no other solution as far as I'm concerned than really careful meal planning,’ she said.
‘For me, dinners are the trickiest part of my budget because we eat quite a lot at dinner, so once I got that under control, I found everything else started to fall into place nicely.’
Chelsea's culinary repertoire includes a variety of vibrant and flavorful dishes such as rainbow minestrone, beef chilli mac and cheese, Greek lemon chicken, and loaded potatoes.
‘I love spinach and feta pasta because I can go to the supermarket and grab all those ingredients as they're available in the deli and freezer and you can get them all for around the $10 mark,’ she shared.
‘It only takes about 20 minutes to make. If my plan has gone out the window and I need to just run in and grab something that is always what I will go for.’
Chelsea often prepares fried rice as one of her favourite meals, usually towards the end of the week, using leftover vegetables from her weekly grocery shopping.
‘We'll chuck everything in there, all of the broccoli stalks and eggs, and that's a really delicious dinner that we can whip up pretty quickly,’ she explained.
Chelsea mentioned that she only schedules dinners for the week, while breakfasts and lunches are based on leftovers and what ingredients are available in the fridge and pantry.
‘I have in my head all of my breakfast and lunches and know what to buy and can work with my pantry staples for a lot of those meals as well, but [for] dinners, I plan down to every single ingredient,’ she said.
She also shared she doesn't keep traditional breakfast foods at home and opts for dishes like eggs on corn fritters, made with leftover vegetables and canned corn kernels, or pancakes using ingredients from her pantry.
‘We do often have hot breakfasts or we'll just have something really simple like toast,’ she stated.
‘We'll try and utilise any leftovers for lunch we're not using for another dinner. We might have a bit of roast chicken leftover so I like chop that up and make a sandwich filling with that or I'll make a salad.’
Interestingly, Chelsea abstains from the popular trend of meal prepping; instead, she prefers to cook as she goes, finding this method more adaptable to her family's needs and less wasteful.
‘I've tried it but it does not work for me. I know it works for a lot of people, but I prefer to prep and cook as I go,’ she shared.
When deciding which supermarket to shop at, Chelsea suggested choosing the one where you are most familiar with the pricing and offers a rewards program that suits you best.
She also advised getting to know the times when stores mark down items like meat and fresh produce.
‘When it comes to markdowns, ask the staff at your local supermarket what time they mark down their meat and their produce. They will tell you and you can plan your shop around that,’ the mum explained.
Although she appreciates markdowns, Chelsea rarely checks what's on special because these deals may tempt her to purchase items she doesn't actually need.
‘Don't even think about going to the supermarket without a plan and a list,’ she warned.
‘I am no longer tempted to shop the specials unless they’re items on my list because for me that causes me to blow my budget often and I try and limit my shops to just once a week.’
The savvy mum begins her weekly shopping by selecting budget-friendly cuts of meat and seasonal vegetables.
She mentioned, ‘I'll be buying chicken drumsticks, bone-in chicken thighs, and large pieces of beef that I can use over multiple meals.'
‘I'll only shop seasonal vegetables as well, even if a recipe calls for a certain vegetable, I will always substitute it if it's not in season or if the price isn't good.’
Recently, Chelsea noticed cabbage prices soaring up to $10. To save money, she opted for prepackaged coleslaw mixes, which are much cheaper.
‘I have a larger list of pantry staples so each week I'll go through that and look at what I need to top up then I develop all my meals around that one list so I don't need 500 different spices,’ she added.
‘That keeps it simple for me, having that limited pantry staple list.’
Chelsea began sharing her tips and meal-planning methods in a social media group that quickly grew from a few hundred followers to tens of thousands in just a few months.
Her efforts ultimately resulted in her securing a publishing deal and publishing her book, $10 Meals with Chelsea, in April, which became a hit among Aussie mums.
Her straightforward yet detailed approach to writing recipes and meal plan guides struck a chord with thousands of readers, particularly beginner cooks and individuals with ADHD and autism.
‘I have a lot of people in my group from the beginning that were responding really well to the way I write my recipes, the level of detail that I give and the way that I set them out,’ she recounted.
Just a few years prior to launching the social media group, Chelsea shared she had little cooking experience.
‘Maybe five years ago I couldn't boil an egg. I couldn't fry an egg. I couldn't cook rice. I was just really awful, and my kids hated my food,’ she recalled.
‘I've been on a journey with my cooking and whenever I write my recipes I'm always thinking that I need to write it for the cook that I was five years ago.’
You can purchase $10 Meals with Chelsea as an e-book or paperback from various retailers like Amazon, Big W, and Dymocks.
Looking for ways to save money on groceries and still enjoy delicious meals?
Chelsea Goodwin has become a household name with her budget-friendly meal-planning tips, helping families across Australia stretch their dollars without sacrificing taste.
Her $10 Meals with Chelsea cookbook gained popularity among Aussie mums, offering simple yet flavourful recipes that won't break the bank.
Now, discover how this culinary whiz whips up mouthwatering dinners for just $1.60 a plate, continuing the tradition of savvy cooking and economical dining.
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