Our 10 A Day Family Meal Plan for week of 27/02/2017 - £90

There's been coverage in the news this past week about the recommended amount of fruit and vegetable portions we should consume every day.  It's now thought that 10 portions a day is the ideal to reduce the incidence of a multitude of diseases.  This means 800g of different fruit and vegetables for adults, and 400g of different fruits and vegetables for children.  For our family made up of 2 adults, 2 teens, a tween, and a toddler, this means we would need to eat 28kg of fruit and vegetables per week as a household.

Smoothies which include two or more whole fruits or vegetables count as no more than 2 of your five a day, or alternatively a 150ml serving of fruit juice is one of your five a day.  Beans and pulses count too as one of your five a day.  A 30g portion of dried fruit, such as raisins, dates, sultanas and apricots, counts as one of your five a day as well.

Frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables count as well as fresh, and frozen will usually be cheaper and cut down on waste as you only use what you need. For more information on portions sizes for your 10 a day check out the NHS Live Well website.

I decided to devise a meal plan to see if it was possible, and viable from a cost perspective, for us to eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetables each day.  We usually manage at least our 5 a day so the task of adding in another 5 portions of vegetables or fruit to our day took a little bit of thought and tinkering, especially as they all need to be different fruits or vegetables.

Our shopping was more expensive than usual, 30% more expensive, despite me trying to cut costs by buying frozen vegetables and the cheapest fresh fruit and vegetables I could find for our online grocery shop.  The variety needed for 10 a day means that you cannot just load up on a few cheap vegetables or fruits, although I have tried to use cheap and in season produce where I can.  We will be drinking plenty of water this week too, more than usual, as we're eating quite a bit of fibre with all the extra fruit and vegetables.

You could of course get special deals at local markets, vegetable box schemes, or reduced bargains at the supermarket which would all help cut the costs of eating your 10 a day.  Growing your own fruit and vegetables is a great way of cutting costs too, many can be grown in small spaces in pots or other containers.

Meal Plan 

Monday

Overnight Oats with grated apple and sliced banana.

Vegemite and Cheese Wholemeal Swirls with piece of fresh fruit, carrot and cucumber sticks, with herbed yoghurt dip.

Chickpea, Mushroom and Spinach Curry

3 onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 peppers, finely chopped

3 Tblsp curry powder/paste, as hot or mild as you like

1/3 cup/6 Tblsp tomato paste/puree

500g mushrooms, roughly chopped

2x 400g tins chickpeas

500g spinach, I used frozen

1/3 cup/6 Tblsp natural yoghurt

In a large pan over a moderate heat, sprayed with a little oil, cook the onion, garlic and peppers until softened.  Add the curry paste or powder and cook for a minute or two until fragrant.  Add the tomato paste, mushrooms, chickpeas (including the liquid from the tin), and spinach.  Add a little hot water if the mixture looks too dry.  Cook for about 15 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.  Remove from the heat and stir through the yoghurt.  Serve over rice or with Vegetable Naan breads.

Tuesday

Pancake day breakfast. Pancakes with sliced banana, apple and berry compote, and topped with natural yoghurt.

Vegemite and Cheese Wholemeal Swirls with a piece of fruit, tomatoes and cucumber sticks.

Shepherdess Pie

2 x 400g tins lentils

3 onions, finely diced

3 peppers, finely diced

4 sticks celery, finely diced

4 carrots, finely diced

400g mushrooms, finely diced

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

1Tblsp Marmite/Vegemite

600g sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

Spray a large heavy based saucepan with a little oil, put over a moderate heat, and cook the onions until softened, add the celery, carrots and peppers, cooking for about 8 - 10 minutes until softened.  Add the mushrooms, lentils (including the water from the tins), and Worcestershire sauce, Marmite/Vegemite and cook for a further 20 minutes, uncovered, until the mixture has thickened and the mushrooms are cooked through.

Whilst the lentil mixture is cooking, boil the sweet potatoes until soft.  Mash with a little butter, and season to taste.  

Put the cooked lentil mixture into a large oven proof dish, top with the mashed sweet potato, then bake at 200C/Fan 180C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 20 minutes.  We served ours with steamed peas and sweetcorn.

Wednesday

Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and sliced banana, an apple for afters.

Couscous and Chorizo with diced tomatoes, grated carrot and diced cucumber, with herbed yoghurt dressing and a piece of fruit.

Packed with Veg Macaroni Cheese

Cheese sauce

50g butter

50g flour

600ml milk

150g grated cheese

500g pasta

2 large leeks, finely sliced

3 peppers, finely diced

400g broccoli florets

400g frozen peas

400g frozen spinach

50g finely grated cheese, for topping

Make the cheese sauce by putting the butter, flour, and milk over a moderate heat.  Whisk constantly until the mixture boils and thickens.  Turn down the heat, boil for a minute or two, still whisking.  Take off the heat, stir in the cheese and mix until combined.

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, adding the frozen vegetables for the last 5 minutes of boiling time.  Drain well.  Soften the leeks and peppers in a frying pan, sprayed with a little oil, over a moderate heat.

Mix everything together, the cheese sauce, cooked  pasta and vegetables, then serve sprinkled with a little of the finely grated cheese.

Thursday

Overnight oats with grated apple and chopped banana

Vegemite and Cheese Wholemeal Swirls with a piece of fruit, carrot and cucumber sticks

Roast Chicken with Roast Vegetables (roast sweet potato, parsnips, potatoes) served with steamed greens, peas and sweetcorn

Friday

Wholemeal toast with toast with peanut butter and sliced banana, an apple for afters.

Roast Vegetable Wraps with chickpeas and herbed yoghurt, a piece of fruit and cucumber sticks.

Chicken Stirfry using cabbage, carrots, broccoli, mixed greens and noodles. 

Saturday

Full English Breakfast with tomatoes, baked beans, eggs, bacon and mushrooms.

Root Vegetable Soup with Hidden Goodness Rolls

Vege Chilli with peas and corn, served with wilted greens and sweet potato wedges.


Sunday

Overnight oats with grated apple and chopped banana
Chickpea, sweetcorn and pepper fritters, with tomato salsa and coleslaw

Chicken Fried Rice with broccoli, spinach, and peas.

Shopping List

46 items: £89.96

Packets and Cereals

1x   Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                                      £2.18

1x   ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg)                                   45p

1x   Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (500g)                                            54p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg)                                        40p

1x   ASDA Cous Cous (1Kg)                                                                   £1.20

1x   ASDA Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g)               65p

1x   ASDA Brown Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                                   £1.20

1x   Nuh’un Ankara Makaroni Vermicelli (500g)                                     78p

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x   ASDA Baked Beans Reduced Sugar and Salt (4x410g)                 98p

2x   ASDA Chilli Beans in Chilli Sauce (290g)                                        80p

1x   Whole Earth Smooth Peanut Butter No Added Sugar (340g)          £2.00

5x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                                  £1.75

2x   ASDA Green Lentils in Water (400g)                                               £1.10

2x   ASDA Double Concentrated Tomato Puree (142g)                         70p

Dairy and Eggs

3x   ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                           £2.97

2x   ASDA British Whole Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                                         £1.98

2x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                           90p

1x   ASDA Free Range Mixed Weight Eggs (15)                                    £2.00

2x   ASDA Smartprice Mature White Cheddar (385g)                            £3.78

Frozen

1x   ASDA Frozen for Freshness Summer Fruits (500g)                        £2.00

2x   ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (1Kg)                                                 £1.98

1x   ASDA Frozen for Freshness Broccoli Florets (1Kg)                        £1.10

2x   ASDA Smartprice Peas (1Kg)                                                          £1.52

1x   ASDA Scratch Cook Whole Leaf Spinach (1.3Kg)                           £1.50

Fruit and Vegetables

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Salad Tomatoes (750g)                          £4.20

27   ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)                     £3.78

1     ASDA Grower's Selection White Cabbage by Weight (1.3Kg)         £1.03

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                                          £1.50

3     ASDA Grower's Selection Courgettes by Weight (300g)                 £1.71

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                          £1.25

6x   ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                                   £3.30

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                                     £1.10

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Sweet Potatoes (1Kg)                            £2.85

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Sweetclems (1.4Kg)                               £6.75

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Brown Onions (1Kg)                               £1.48

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic (4)                                                95p

6x   ASDA Smartprice Apples (500g)                                                     £3.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection British Parsnips (500g)                           59p

3x   ASDA Smartprice Mushrooms (650g)                                              £4.20

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Red Chillies (60g)                                   55p

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Mixed Peppers (700g)                            £3.60

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Extra Trimmed Leeks (550g)                  £2.25

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x   ASDA Smartprice Cooking Bacon (500g)                                        57p

1x   ASDA Extra Special Chorizo Casero Sausage (225g)                    £2.00

1     ASDA Free Range Whole Chicken by Weight (1.9Kg)                    £6.84

Drinks

1x   ASDA Italian Roast and Ground Coffee (227g)                               £2.00

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket, and are correct as of 25 February 2017.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

Our shopping was purchased online from Asda on 25/02/2017, had we shopped elsewhere our groceries would've cost:

£90.04 from Lidl

£94.96 from Tesco

£96.59 from Sainsbury's

£98.94 from Morrisons

£127.22 from Waitrose

£131.99 from Ocado

How many of your 5 or 10 a day do you usually have? What are your top tips for eating more fruit and vegetables without breaking the budget?

6 comments Budgeting Tips, Dinners, Gestational Diabetes, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Pasta, Rice, Vegetarian