Dollar Stretchers
Plum perfection Christmas
Friday, 23 December 2011
Plum pudding, plum jam, plum sauce – this fruit is popular the world over. For me it's the ultimate Christmas fruit because when I was growing up, my gorgeous mother, Margie, seemed to spend the entire week before Christmas over a bubbling preserving pan dealing with the plums from a bumper-cropping tree in our garden.
Belly busting for blokes
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Belly busting for blokes is a new book that's packed with practical tips and easy and tasty recipes featuring the hunger-busting power of feel full foods like nutrient-rich protein and lower GI carbs. Dietitian and author Nicole Senior talked to us about why blokes need to learn more about food and conquer the kitchen to bust their belly.
Downsize your dinner plate to control portion sizes, lose inches and save money
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
'It's easy to blame our supersized food supply (think jumbo muffins and whopping burgers like the 'Quad Stacker') for our supersized waistlines,' says dietitian Emma Stirling. 'But when was the last time you had a good look at the portion sizes you serve up at home?
Cut costs and calories with chew foods
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Gary Moore of Leichhardt writes (back on 10 October 2011) that 'Despite much public debate, very few nutritious alternative meals and foods have made their way at low prices to the nation's supermarkets and fast-food outlets.' Does he actually do the shopping?
When Angels Cook
Monday, 08 August 2011
Say it with a dish is what Sister Germana wants us to do. 'After all, cooking is a language everyone understands when they sit joyfully at table,' she writes in her Italian best-seller: Quando Cuciano gli Angeli, adding 'remember, good food is an opportunity to help others smile and feel loved.'
A Generous Helping
Friday, 05 August 2011
'Good food is an opportunity to help others smile and feel loved' writes Sister Germana in her classic: When Angels Cook. Up in Queensland this year, they have been showing just how true this is.
Cutting back on meat
Friday, 05 August 2011
Make it a tasty side show and not the main event and you'll be doing your budget, your health and our planet a favour.
The Scoop on Lentils. Frugal, filling and great extenders
Tuesday, 05 July 2011
Like other legumes, lentils nourish and nurture without breaking the bank, even if you opt for canned convenience. They can stand alone in soups, salads, sides and stews or add them as a thickener or extender.
Embracing leftovers
Tuesday, 05 July 2011
A great little book slid over my desk this week – Making a Meal of It: smart ways to buy, store and use up food (Wakefield Press). Available from good bookstores and online here, it's an A to Z guide to making the most of the fruit and vegies we feel most guilty about throwing out – the brownish half avocado, wrinkled mushrooms, sad carrots, not-so-green-anymore herbs, tired tomatoes and shrivelled capsicums (peppers). It's the perfect resource for frugal, waste-conscious Money Saving Meals readers.
Keeping chooks (chickens)
Monday, 09 May 2011
When we wrote Money Saving Meals, we confessed that one ingredient we always paid extra for was eggs. We both buy free range because we hate the thought of chickens cramped in cages. We like to think of them running around some sort of approximation of a farmyard. Better still, of course, would be to keep chooks yourself if you had the space. Sadly we don't.
Making a meal of prunes
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Don't confine prunes to the breakfast bowl. This fruit is a great team player in many recipes. They enjoy star status in many cuisines and are a frequent ingredient in North African and Middle-Eastern cuisines and in Finland they're often used in pork and duck dishes.
Philippa tries out The Food Lover's Diet
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Recently I had the opportunity as an editor to work with Dr Penny Small (Head of Corporate Nutrition Nestlé Oceania) and her team of dietitians to help her create The Food Lover's Diet an innovative weight management program or healthy eating plan for those of us who have busy lives, who love good food and who want to be able to do up our jeans.
Baked Relief and the power of food as a recipe for recovery
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Dietitian and blogger Emma Stirling gives us the scoop on this amazing project. Baked Relief (http://bakedrelief.org/) is an inspiring back to basics home nourishment approach to providing help where it's really needed.
Stocking a healthy "emergency" pantry
Thursday, 17 February 2011
The mopping up after the floods and cyclone in Queensland and Victoria and fires south of Perth in WA is a reminder to us all that emergencies can happen anytime or place and whether it's a natural disaster or a neighbourhood emergency, the things we take for granted (food, electricity, gas, water) could be disrupted in a flash.
Throw another prawn on the Barbie this summer!
Wednesday, 08 December 2010
We chose this recipe for Garlic Prawns for our December update as we Australians love to celebrate summer and the festive season with regular trips to the fish market so we can 'throw another prawn (shrimp) on the barbie'.
Make the most of money-saving silver beet (Swiss chard) in season or in your garden
Friday, 23 July 2010
In the Kitchen Garden at school, I have just discovered how incredibly easy it is to grow silver beet (also called Swiss chard) and rainbow silver beet. It is very prolific, providing a bountiful harvest with leaves you can pick as you need to, so there’s no waste.
Money saving winter warmers
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Head for the comfort zone with these money saving soups and stews that will warm you up on the inside. We have provided links for the ones that are on the website; the others are in our book, Money Saving Meals.
How can I get my kids to eat more veggies?
Thursday, 17 June 2010
These days the universally acknowledged truth is that kids and veggies just don't go together. 'Since I have been teaching children how to cook as part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program at Bondi Public School my views have totally changed,' says Diane.
Warm up this winter with soup - and pocket the savings
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Not only does a main meal soup lift the spirits, restore the mind, warm the heart and delight the tastebuds, but it can be a great budget stretcher. You can create a one-pot wonder soup with what you have on hand in the fridge, freezer and pantry – leftover vegetables and herbs, a little rice, barley or pasta, a can of tomatoes or beans, a touch of spice, and dinner is served.
Diane’s perfect pesto for schools with a nut-free policy
Friday, 16 April 2010
Because peanut and tree nut allergies can be life-threatening and because children with these allergies can sometimes react even to a trace of them, many schools have become peanut and tree nut free.
Emma Sandall's Figgy-flavoured Pear and Walnut Slice
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
We always have something in the cake tin for a little sweet treat to follow dinner. One of my favourite combinations (and I am not alone in this!) is fig and walnut. Another favourite is pear and walnut. I thought that a slice that combined these loves, plus the surprise on the palate of a bite of chocolate would be quite delicious...
Julie and Julia and THAT Boeuf Bourguignon
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
You saw the movie and watched the Oscars, and now you want to try THAT beef bourguignon, the dish with the co-starring role in Julie and Julia that didn't even rate a nomination.
Roberta's Tasty Fish Cakes
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
‘Many classic dishes originally came into being to avoid waste, but have stayed popular (or enjoyed a resurgence) because they simply taste good; fish cakes are one such dish,' says Roberta Muir, Manager of Sydney Seafood School.
Emma Sandall's fabulous frugal fare in the spotlight
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Emma Sandall is a dancer/choreographer. She and her partner Cass Mortimer Eipper have just set up a dynamic new dance company, Ludwig. Long hours, a tight budget and the need for a healthy meal to give them the energy they need for rehearsals and performing means that meals have to be planned, not left to chance.
Cooking from the kitchen garden
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
I have taken on an exciting new challenge for 2010 - Kitchen Specialist for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program which has been introduced at Bondi Public School in Sydney's east. The children are a very enthusiastic and exuberant bunch and love the garden and eating the dishes we make.
Healthy money-saving meals and snacks on a gluten-free diet
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
‘There is much more to your gluten-free lifestyle than focusing on foods you need to avoid,' says Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian Dr Kate Marsh.
Money Saving Meals Makeover: Coles "Feed your family for under $10"
Saturday, 05 September 2009
Diane’s healthy meal challenge for Coles ‘Feed your family for under $10’ campaign.
If Coles ‘Feed your family for under $10’ campaign is anything like Sainsbury’s ‘Feed your family for a fiver’ with Jamie Oliver, it will be very healthy for the supermarket chain’s bottom line. But how healthy are the everyday meals ‘young gun’ Australian chef Curtis Stone has come up with for families?
Money Saving Meals 'Masterchef' Makeover
Thursday, 30 July 2009
A health and price challenge
OK, you loved the show and now you are inspired to try some dishes. You loved Julie and her style of home cooking (we did) so you've decided to make her Pan-fried Steak and Chips with Tarragon Salt (the judges raved about it).
Home cooking cheaper and healthier than KFC, McDonalds and Domino’s Pizza
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
We hear that people are turning to fast food to save money. We compared the costs of KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut ‘meal deals' with similar home-cooked meals. If you buy a takeaway ‘meal deal' once a week, you save around $350 a year if you make it yourself along with saving yourself some 52,000 kJ (12,380 calories) per person. Check out our findings HERE.
Kick the stock box habit
Sunday, 28 June 2009
The cheapest ready-made stock in a box costs $2.89 for a litre (that's 4 cups). The equivalent for stock cubes is 47 cents per litre (4 cups) and for stock powder is 22 cents per litre (4 cups).
10 tips to cut your food bills
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Cutting your food bills is easy with these 10 easy tips.
It's available from all leading booksellers throughout Australia and New Zealand or online from