Vegetables are good for your budget

I was in the supermarket last week when I heard one woman say to another, “Gee the cost of meat is getting ridiculous.” She’s right. Meat, particularly good quality meat, will test nearly any household budget, especially if you’re serving it every night. The price of meat is yet another great reason to increase your veggie intake and improve your budget.

Rosie, a MyBudget team member, sent me this recipe for Pick ‘n’ Mix Vegetable Shreddies from the One Handed Cooks website. The recipe is designed for toddlers, but I’ve been adapting it for adults and bigger kids by adding chilli and other spices. Everybody loves it.

I’ve been sneaking veggies into our family diet in other ways, too:

Chicken rissoles with grated zucchini and carrot (Combine chicken mince, egg, breadcrumbs or quick oats, seasoning and grated veg; mix well and form into patties before shallow frying.)

Tuna patties with mashed chickpeas (mash together or food process canned tuna, canned chickpeas, grated potato and carrot, ¼ cup of flour, beaten egg and seasoning; coat in breadcrumbs (optional) and refrigerate for 30 minutes before shallow frying.)

Vegetarian lasagna — Nobody seems to notice or care that it’s absolutely meat-free. I usually use onion, mushroom, baby spinach, carrot, capsicum, eggplant and zucchini. A large tray provides us with two family meals.

Vegetarian tacos — Same as with veggie lasagna; if anyone has noticed that the filling is meat-free, nobody has bothered to complain!

What are your favourite budget-friendly recipes?