Thrifty mum who preps ALL her food ahead of time shares how she made 50 hearty meals for less than $100
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Trying to save money in the midst of an economic crisis can be extra challenging. Grocery prices, petrol, and the overall cost of living are surging (along with my temper…) so it’s never a bad idea to learn how others are successfully managing their finances.
Previously, Frugal Aussie shared how she made 20 ALDI meals on a budget. But more recently, one savvy mum revealed how she prepared 50 meals and 10 salads for less than $100 through meal prepping.
Kaitie Purssell who’s also hailed as the ‘queen of meal prepping', made a total of seven healthy dishes that she freezes and reheats when needed, all of which are between 260 and 575 calories.
The hearty meals include a slow-cooked pork curry, Mexican lasagna, Tuscan chicken stew, chicken fried rice, chicken and chorizo enchiladas, beef and sweet potato stew, and chilli con carne.
Kaitie after preparing meals. Image Credit: Woman’s World
“I know this type of bulk meal prep can be overwhelming to some, and I can see why. But truly, it's not that hard and I recommend those who want to meal prep to start small,” she advised.
“Cook double or triple serves of dinner each night and start building a freezer stash, even on days when you are at home, throw something in the cooker just to portion it up and freeze. It takes no time and it basically looks after itself.”
With some practice, planning and consistency, you'll eventually fall into the habit of meal prepping during the week or on Sundays. Opting to buy ingredients such as meats and frozen vegetables in bulk is also a good way to save extra money.
It's essential to meal prep food that is suitable for freezing and reheating - meals such as pasta, stews, and curries are a few examples.
Label all the food containers if you’re planning to freeze them and before popping them in an oven or a microwave to reheat, make sure that the food has been completely defrosted and cooled.
Back in 2020, Kaitie shared that she used her skills to lose weight after having a baby.
“Meal prep is all about saving time and money,” she said, adding: “I often make one meal and turn it into three, adding extra vegetables if I want to save extra money.”
“I often make a triple batch of the mince part of the recipe while also adding a tin of lentils or two to make my dollar stretch a little further,” she said.
Image Credit: The Healthy Mummy
If you want to give meal prepping a go, Kaitie suggested that the best thing you can do is set aside some time in the afternoon or evening every week so you won’t have to think about it later when you get busier.
“If Sunday doesn't work for you, find a time that does!” she said.
“I often spend less than an hour in the kitchen preparing a whole week of food for my family. It doesn't have to be hard or take all day!”
The busy mum who often has a hectic work schedule added that she always thinks it's much easier to cook in bulk and freeze at least one portion.
“It's so much cheaper to make most things from scratch, it doesn't take much longer and you are cutting out a lot of sugar and other nasties by doing so,” she explained.
“Always get the ingredients for a meal and make double, triple, or quadruple the amount of the dinner you're making each night and freeze it,” she said.
“That's how I started. If I was making one banana bread, I'd make two, cut one up and freeze it.”
Kaitie's healthy meal prepping played a huge role in her weight loss, allowing her to shed a total of 21 kilograms. Another great money-saving tip she shared is to shop online instead of in-store. This prevents you from grabbing things you don’t really need as ‘impulse buys’.
Have you tried meal prepping before? If you’ve got some money-saving tips up your sleeve, share them with us in the comments!
Watch how Kaitie prepares her meals below:
Video Credit: The Healthy Mummy
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