Slow Down
Many of the great national cuisines come from truly humble beginnings. From Italian peasant food, to Asian street food, Lebanese, Indian, Moroccan and more. The key is in the cooking. Each of these cultures have used creative techniques, such as slow cooking, spicing, dry frying, pressure cooking and marinating, to transform cheap cuts of meat and vegetables into melt in the mouth creations.
Part of this return to and preservation of traditional cooking methods, is The Slow Food Movement, a movement designed to counteract the harmful effects of fast food, by educating home cooks on the health, environmental and economic benefits of traditional cooking. It might be time to call mum or grandma and take her up on that long overdue kitchen lesson.
Grow Your Own
Whether you have a window sill or a quarter acre block, everyone can enjoy the benefits (and satisfaction), of home grown veggies or herbs. Fresh basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, coriander and more can be grown in small pots on your window sill, and are sure to liven up many meals. If you’ve got the space, a small veggie patch can provide you with fresh ingredients year round for a quarter of the price. To get started, why not check out the herbs and veggie seedlings for sale at your local growers market – they will be cheap and you can get some great tips from the seller to help get you on your way.
Or, Go to the Growers
If your thumb is anything but green, there are several ways to access fresh ingredients for less. Try seeking out your local fresh food coop or farmers markets. If you don’t fancy spending every Saturday morning at the markets, get a group of friends together and take turns to buy in bulk – not only will you have better negotiating power, but it will become a fun way to enjoy market fresh produce at rock-bottom prices, and a good excuse to drop by your friends.
Cook in Bulk and Freeze
So you’ve got your mountain of fresh ingredients but don’t want to be tied to the kitchen; it’s time to put those old tupperware containers to use, cook in bulk and freeze. One afternoon of solid cooking, can mean a month of healthy home made heat and eat. Soups, pasta sauce, curries, and stews have a lot of crossover ingredients, such as onions, garlic, winter vegetables, stock and herbs, which means an hour’s prep and an afternoon’s slow cooking is all that’s needed.
Single? Buy Family Portions
One of the few remaining negatives to going it solo is the premium cost of individual portions. If you buy your meat, poultry and fish in large portions and divide into freezer bags, you’ll save money and the number of trips to the supermarket. A visit to the fish market, or your local butcher, followed by a few minutes of dividing and sorting, is time well spent, and will make light work of creating simple meals after a long day at the office. Even bread can be frozen, so you’ll never let unused slices to go to waste.
Fast, healthy eating is easily achieved, with a little organisation, a refresher on traditional techniques, and a few alterations to where and how you shop.