Feeding your family nourishing meals is becoming more challenging as food prices rise. But with a bit of planning there are simple ways to shop on a budget. Real Nutrition's Michelle Koolen has developed a menu for a family of four for a week and it came in under $170. Here's the plan, complete with recipes:

MONDAY

BREAKFAST: Porridge with milk and peaches. 2 cups oats, 1 cup milk, 1 tin peaches (or other fruit) in juice. Cook oats on stove top or in microwave with water and top with a little milk and the tinned fruit. Cost: $3.09 = 77c/serve

LUNCH: Tuna salad sandwich on wholemeal bread with low fat mayonnaise, piece of fruit. $8 = $2/serve

DINNER: Bean burritos 8 tortilla breads, 2 cans chilli beans, 3 tomatoes chopped, diced cucumber, lettuce leaves, small pot of low fat sour cream, 1 cup (120g) grated cheese. Heat chilli beans in a pot while tortillas are warming in the oven. Place chilli beans onto tortillas and top with tomato, cucumber, lettuce, a little sour cream and a sprinkling of cheese. Fold over and serve. $12.60 = $3.15/serve
Daily total: $23.69

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST: Easy home-made muesli (see recipe in factbox at bottom of page). $4.60 = $1.15/serve

LUNCH: Egg salad sandwich on wholemeal bread with low fat mayonnaise, piece of fruit. $6.82 = $1.71/serve

DINNER: Tuna and tomato pasta. Packet dried spaghetti, 425g tin tuna in brine, 400g tin chopped tomatoes, 400g tin pureed tomatoes, 1 diced onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves, teaspoon mixed herbs, pinch of chilli powder (optional). Boil spaghetti until just cooked. While spaghetti is cooking, lightly saute onion and garlic in a pan. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Flake tuna and mix into sauce. Add herbs and chilli powder to flavour. Serve on top of cooked spaghetti. Add a light sprinkling of parmesan cheese if desired. $7.07 = 1.77/serve
Daily total: $18.49

WEDNESDAY

BREAKFAST: Wholemeal toast with peanut butter, piece of fruit. $3.33 = 83c/serve

LUNCH: Potato salad, piece of fruit. 6 hard-boiled eggs, 4 medium boiled potatoes (both can be cooked the night before), onion diced, lettuce leaves, 2 tomatoes, 4 tablespoons low fat mayonnaise/dressing. Chop the eggs and potatoes into bite sized pieces. Mix in onion, tomato and salad greens. Combine with low fat mayonnaise or ranch dressing. $8 = $2/serve

DINNER: Chicken pitta pockets. 4 pitta pockets, 400g diced chicken, lemon pepper seasoning (or other seasoning if preferred), large bowl of shredded cabbage, 2 grated carrots, 3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce and cup natural unsweetened yoghurt. Mix cabbage and carrot together with sweet chilli sauce and yoghurt. Shake seasoning onto chicken and cook in a pan. Warm the pitta breads in the oven, then stuff with chicken and lots of the coleslaw mix. $10.65 = $2.66/serve.
Daily total: $21.98

THURSDAY

BREAKFAST: Poached or hard boiled eggs with wholemeal toast, piece of fruit. $4.42 = $1.11/serve

LUNCH: Roast chicken drumsticks with rice salad. 8 chicken drumsticks, cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, 3 cups cooked rice, 1 tomato diced, diced cucumber, diced onion, 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix soy sauce with honey and use to baste drumsticks. Roast drumsticks in the oven for 45 minutes (can be prepared the night before). Mix cooled rice with vegetables, remaining soy sauce and oil. Serve with the chicken. $9.75 = $2.44/serve

DINNER: Mexican bean & vegetable soup with crusty bread. Loaf of crusty wholemeal bread, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can chickpeas, 1 can crushed tomatoes, medium onion chopped, 1 clove garlic crushed, 1 celery stick chopped, 2 carrots chopped, a few shredded spinach leaves, 2 cubes chicken stock, spices to season (1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon ground coriander). Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add onion, garlic and spices. When onion has softened, add drained chickpeas, kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Mix stock cubes in 3 cups hot water to dissolve, then add with carrot and celery to the bean and tomato mix. Simmer for 20 minutes then add spinach to wilt. Serve with crusty bread. $9.27 = $2.32/serve
Daily total: $23.44

FRIDAY

BREAKFAST: Weetbix with milk, piece of fruit. $5.98 = $1.50/serve

LUNCH: Ham salad wrap, piece of fruit. 4 flat bread wraps, 400g shaved ham, 2 carrots shredded, lettuce leaves shredded. Lay out bread, top with ham and salad, then drizzle with sweet chilli sauce, chutney or low fat mayonnaise and roll up. $10.30 = $2.58/serve

DINNER: Hamburgers. 4 hamburger buns, 500g mince, onion finely chopped, 1 egg lightly beaten, teaspoon ground coriander, teaspoon paprika, cup breadcrumbs, lettuce leaves, tomato, small tin beetroot, tomato sauce. Mix mince, onion, egg, coriander, paprika and breadcrumbs together and shape into patties. Lightly fry or grill until cooked. Fill buns with patties, salad, beetroot and tomato sauce. $11.07 = $2.77/serve
Daily total: $27.35

SATURDAY

BREAKFAST: Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast, piece of fruit. Two eggs per person. $4.96 = $1.24/serve

LUNCH: Mini pizzas, piece of fruit. Packet pitta breads, tin spaghetti, 300g shaved ham, a few mushrooms sliced, capsicum sliced, 1 cup (120g) grated cheese. Spread spaghetti over the pitta breads. Top with shaved ham, sliced mushrooms, and capsicum. Top with grated cheese and grill/bake in the oven to melt cheese. Eat hot or cold. $12.95 = $3.24/serve

DINNER: Beef stir fry with rice and vegetables. 3 cups cooked rice, 500g chopped beef, juice of 1 orange, cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 2 cloves garlic crushed, onion cut into slices, 1 head of broccoli, 1 carrot and a capsicum. Mix orange juice, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and garlic in a bowl. Add beef to mixture, cover and marinate in fridge for 15 minutes while chopping vegetables. Add the beef, onion, and marinade to a large pan and stir until beef is cooked. Lightly steam the broccoli, carrot and capsicum. Mix the vegetables with the meat, or serve the meat on rice with veges on the side. $11.95 = $2.99/ serve
Daily total: $29.86

SUNDAY

BREAKFAST: Baked beans on wholemeal toast, piece of fruit. Two tins of beans.
$3.90 = 98c/serve

LUNCH: Ham & cheese pasta salad, piece of fruit. 400g packet pasta shapes, can corn kernels, 2 tomatoes chopped, diced cucumber, 300g chopped ham slices, 1 cup (120g) grated cheese, low fat ranch dressing. Cook pasta shapes. Let cool and add drained corn kernels, tomatoes, cucumber, ham, and cheese. Mix together with dressing.  $11.38 = $2.85/serve

DINNER: Potato fish cakes with salad. 415g tin salmon (or tuna), 3-4 medium potatoes (or kumara) cooked and mashed, onion diced, 1 egg, cup flour or bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon mixed herbs. Flake salmon into a large bowl and mix with mashed potato and onion. Add egg and herbs, mixing well. Shape into patties, coating in flour or breadcrumbs. Bake or lightly fry and serve with some sweet chilli sauce and a large salad. $7.95 = $1.99/serve
Daily total: $23.23

 WEEKLY TOTAL: $168.04

(Costings are based on advertised prices on a supermarket website.)

Click here for the shopping list for this seven-day menu (pdf file)

Savings: three-pronged attack

HOT TIP #1: EASY HOME-MADE MUESLI
Making your muesli has never been so easy or so tasty. Make your favourite cereal go further by bulking it out with wholegrain oats and fruit. Mix together 1 box of your favourite low-fat fruit muesli, a 1kg bag of wholegrain oats, 1 cup of sultanas and store in an airtight container.

HOT TIP #2: SAVVY SHOPPING
Most major supermarket chains now have internet stores. Save time and money by shopping online. While delivery charges usually apply you may find the following benefits will give you greater savings:

• Check your food bill as you go. This makes it easier to stick to budget.
• Avoid impulse spending and the temptation to throw extras into your trolley.
• Delete items from your cart with the click of a button if you change your mind or need to lower your bill.
• Compare prices of all brands of a product quickly and easily without the need to wander up and down supermarket aisles checking price labels.

HOT TIP #3: SAVE $1000
If you're spending $3 a day on a café coffee, your annual coffee bill will add up to $1092. That's two return airfares to Australia! Look for cheaper alternatives such as making your own instant coffee or filter coffee, or better still, switching to antioxidant-rich green tea.

Keeping the bill down

Real Nutrition's supermarket detective, Lynda Smith, shares her tips for smart shopping:

• Plan at least a few of the meals ahead.
• Shop with a list and stick to it.
• Compare prices between supermarkets (Foodtown and Woolworths are online, so you can check them before you go), fresh produce stores, bulk bin stores and butchers.
• Sacks of potatoes and onions are usually cheaper at produce stores, while you'll likely get a better deal on cereals, rice, dried beans and lentils at bulk bin stores.
• Try shopping online; budgeting is easier and you won't impulse buy.
• Always have basics on hand - think eggs, rice, pasta, lentils, canned tomatoes/fish/beans/soups, herbs, spices and sauces; buy these on special.
• Buy lots of bread when it's cheap and freeze it.
• Switch to spray oil - you'll use less, so it's cheaper and healthier.
• Stock up on marked-down frozen veges, tinned fruit and mince.
• Make leftover veges into soup (with lentils or rice for bulk) and stew over-ripe fruit to go with breakfast or puddings.
• Use just a little bit of meat in stir fries; use noodles and seasonal and frozen veges to bulk it out.
• Mix up your mince repertoire with lentils and beans, spices and sauces.
• Bake your own biscuits and cakes with home brand ingredients - these are often much the same as expensive brands, but better value.
  

This article was written by Michelle Koolen and was originally published in the Sunday Star Times, 4 May 2008.