Today has been a day of preparation and realisation. I soaked chickpeas for the first time last night (I know, how shocking is that coming from a Nutritional Therapist?!!). I was surprised to see them double in size, and when I did the calculation…..

14p for 100g dried chickpeas makes the equivalent of a 400g can of cooked chickpeas which costs 55p in the cheapest supermarket.

I then began kicking myself as I realised that I’d be wasting an awful lot of money over the years. My next thought was, how many meals can I make out of chickpeas? We love hummus, falafel and curry, so there will be recipes for these on the blog at some point this month.

Another staple in our household, is peanut butter. It gets spread on toast, dolloped into porridge, used as a dip for sliced apple and carrots and is sometimes just eaten by the spoonful. I usually buy Whole Earth Organic peanut butter which comes in at £3.19 a jar, so I thought it high time I attempted my own. After all, if you read the ingredients on a pot, it usually just says peanuts, salt and sugar. I picked up a kilo of organic peanuts wholesale for under a fiver and began roasting and blending until I had 3 jars of golden smooth nut butter. I omitted the salt and sugar as it truly didn’t need it. It was so delicious I know I’ll have to ration ourselves to a teaspoon at a time (recipe to follow).

This afternoon we went on the hunt for some organic vegetables and ended up in Eynsham, home to The Garden Market greengrocers. This beautiful little shop stocks local seasonal fare from Oxfordshire and other neighbouring counties. I  met Jonathan who kindly agreed to make me up a £10 veg and fruit box, my full review will be linked here.

Back at home we were having withdrawal symptoms from all the sweets over Christmas so we whipped up a tray of buttery flapjacks (recipe here). I found a fantastic deal on 3kg of Organic oats from Uhuru on Cowley Road which we have been using for breakfast porridge all this week. One single serving of porridge gives you 50% of your RDA of Zinc, lots of lovely B vitamins and slow releasing carbohydrates to keep you full all morning. Furthermore, oats are proven to lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and boost serotonin to help fight depression! They are wondrously simple, wholesome and versatile. If you grate in some carrot to the flapjack mix before baking you’re also getting on of your 5 a day! Sadly, I can see I’m going to have to ration these to one-a-day.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Thanks for visiting the site. I’m excited yet apprehensive at starting this challenge for January 2015. I’ve been mustering up all my strength this past weekend to kick-start our family eating on a budget. Who’d have thought it would be so tricky, but after all the indulgence of Christmas it seems even more unfair that we’re going back to basics this month.

To put things into perspective, I have to remember that many people around the world have to eat frugally every month of the year. Furthermore, I know it will be good for us. We’ve become so spoilt and wasteful around the Festive Season and it’s good to rein in our purses and perhaps also our waistlines after a gluttonous period.

I visited Oxford’s Summertown Farmers Market yesterday with all the hope of the New Year, but left with one lonely cabbage and a spaghetti squash totalling £2. I turned my back on beautiful joints of beef and speciality cheeses, but a self-righteous voice inside of me said I could make something delicious out of these humble vegetables, with a little imagination.  The cabbage will make a nice accompaniment for my Sunday roast chicken and the spaghetti squash is a hearty meal in itself with lashings of garlic parsley butter. Let’s hope it’s not just lentil Dahl and rice for the rest of the week. Although spying the cake and pastry stand at the market did remind me that I need to make a batch of brownies and flapjacks to save us succumbing to the desires for shop bought treats.

I’ve never been so expectant of my trial veggie and fruit box from North Aston Organics which should arrive soon. Who thought that vegetables could seem so glamorous, but it’s true – if you want to eat healthily, you really have to base each meal around a local seasonal vegetable which will provide the most vitamins and minerals available at this time of year. If some-thing’s been picked before ripening, sat on a plane and then on a supermarket shelf for weeks it’s lost a lot of it’s nutritional value. I must remember to locate my scrubbing brush; a necessity when receiving and cooking authentically soil covered vegetables.

Right, that’s it for today, I must get my spaghetti squash in the oven and put some chickpeas on for soaking. Every day I’ll post our family evening meal, it’s nutritional value and how much it cost to make. Posts on discounted local produce and veggie boxes will come as-and-when I find and use them. Plus I’ll regularly update on our progress and how we’re finding and coping with the whole process.

Lastly, if you have any frugal recipes and tips you’d like to share please don’t hesitate to contact me on carolinementzer@gmail.com

Thank you!