Tasty ideas on a budget

Confession time: I spent a bit more money than I expected over the Christmas and holiday break. I’m sure I’m not alone, so we’ve put together this special budget food issue to help get finances back on track and prove you don’t have to spend a lot of money to eat healthily – and deliciously. Every recipe includes the cost per serve, so you can see exactly how little it can cost to eat well. We know everyone’s budget is different, but we’re sure you’ll find plenty of recipes in this issue that suit your household’s spending.

However, watching your wallet doesn’t mean socialising is off the menu – our dinner party feature on page 49 delivers a mouth-watering three-course meal for less than $10 per person. If you’re a fan of humble mince (count me in!) turn to page 58 for a variety of delicious mince recipes that won’t break the bank. Our book extract on page 78 is by blogger Jody Allen of the Stay at Home Mum blog, who shares her tips for getting, and keeping, that grocery bill down.

How do you save money on food? We’d love to hear your secrets.

It seems like healthy eating is so confusing these days with new “diets” coming out every day and “experts” popping up on every corner. We sat down for a long conversation with our dietitian, Dr Kate Marsh, and asked her everything we ever wanted to know about food. Her answers start on page 86 and are full of information you can put to good use today! We’ve also got some new research about type 2 from the Garvan Institute, look at how to “thaw” a frozen shoulder and why we need to keep moving.

Plus, take a look at our new travel feature (page 128) – each month we’ll be visiting a different location and mapping out a 10,000-step walk that gets you seeing the sights and moving more. Where would you like us to visit next?

Cheers.

Alix Davis, Editor