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While we’re currently in a cost of living crisis, we’re all looking for ways to save money. It’s important to try to save energy to keep our utility bills manageable. We still need to heat our homes and feed our families. Read on for some tips on ways to save money including using energy efficient cooking with an air fryer:
How to Save Money Cooking Family Meals
Here are my three top tips for saving money while cooking family meals. In the last few months our energy bills have increased a lot and they’re set to increase again. We’ve noticed food prices have jumped up a lot in the last few weeks too. So we’re saving money where we can by:
- Meal Planning
I know I always say it, but a meal plan for the week really does help you to save money on your food shop. It also saves time and reduces food wastage. Plan “leftovers” or quick meals for those busy evenings to ensure your meal plan is possible to stick to.
2. Eating Less Meat
Save money by eating less meat. Going meat-free, even once a week can save pounds. Although I’m vegan and our eldest daughter is vegetarian, the rest of our household does eat meat. We’ve found swapping meat for vegetables and pulses, during our food shop, cuts down our spending. Vegetables are too good to only be used as a side dish- make them the main event of your meal at least once a week.
3. Using Energy Efficient Cooking Methods
Cooking accounts for around 14% of the electricity demand in UK homes. Alternative cooking methods, such as air-fryers are more energy-efficient and economical than other methods of cooking. Air-fryers cook food fast at a really high temperature with a fan. A typical air-fryer is a similar cost to run to an oven but it heats up quickly and you can cook meals in a fraction of the time (up to 75% quicker), making it a great-value cooking method. Slow cookers also use far less energy than your hob or oven too.
Using an Air Fryer
We’ve been considering getting an air fryer for a while as we’ve heard really good things and we’re keen on cooking more efficiently and saving money. Very sell a great selection of air fryers to suit all budgets. We were very excited to review the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone 7.6L Air Fryer AF300UK. We decided to make cauliflower the star of our show, rather than being put on the side lines as it usually is and made a delicious meal of Air Fryer Cauliflower Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries- take a look at our recipe below:
Air Fryer Cauliflower Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries
We made this family friendly meal budget friendly by swapping chicken and vegan chicken for cauliflower. You can use fresh cauliflower or frozen, but make sure you allow the cauliflower to defrost and dry first. We also saved money by cooking more energy efficiently. Using an air fryer also meant we needed less oil, making this recipe more healthy and it crisped up the cauliflower nuggets and sweet potato fries beautifully making it delicious too!
Prep: 20 mins Air Fry: 25 mins Serves: 4
Ingredients
(use your seasonings of choice that you have in your store cupboard. Add onion powder and garlic powder if you wish. Omit the chilli or peri-peri flakes if you prefer them less spicy)
Cauliflower Nuggets
1/2 cauliflower or 1/2 bag frozen cauliflower
150g flour of choice (I used oat, plain is fine)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
1 teaspoon chilli or peri-peri flakes
salt and pepper to taste
300ml milk of choice (I used soya)
100g panko breadcrumbs
a glug of olive oil
Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes
a glug of olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Cut the cauliflower into small florets.
- Put the flour and spices into a bowl. Whisk in the milk to form a batter. Put the panko breadcrumbs in another bowl.
- Dip each cauliflower floret into the batter to coat, then toss in the breadcrumbs until well coated. Drizzle over a glug of olive oil and mix well.
- Peel the sweet potatoes if desired. Chop into equal sized “chips” of desired thickness (cut off the ends of the sweet potato to avoid thinner chips cooking too quickly. I used all of the sweet potato to avoid wastage).
- Toss in olive oil and seasoning until fully covered.
6. Insert crisper plate in both the air fryer draws. Add cauliflower nuggets to zone 1 drawer and sweet potato fries to zone 2 drawer. Select Zone 1, AIR FRY to 200°C and 15 minutes. Then, select Zone 2, AIR FRY to 200°C and 20 minutes. Finally, select SYNC and press START to begin.
7. Occasionally pull out the air fryer drawers to shake and toss the food and check the progress.
8. Prepare your sides. I served it with salad and vegan coleslaw. Boiled vegetables, sweetcorn or baked beans would go well too.
9. Serve cauliflower nuggets with sweet potato fries, salad and vegan coleslaw. A crunchy, colourful and quick meal.
Ninja Foodi Dual Zone 7.6L Air Fryer Review
I was so impressed with the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer. As soon as it was unboxed it was ready and easy to use. I found it simple to make air fryer foods and can’t wait to try more recipes. I’m also looking forward to using the other cooking modes- Max Crisp, Roast, Reheat, Dehydrate and Bake. The SYNC function is very handy to ensure the different foods cooking finish at the same time.
Alternatively, if you’re cooking one big batch over the two zones, you can choose MATCH to automatically use the same cooking settings. I also like the way it’s easier to check on your food while it’s cooking and give it a good shake throughout. It was definitely a lot faster cooking homemade nuggets than my oven, making this more energy efficient and therefore helping us to save money. Most importantly the food was hot, healthy and delicious too.
I was so impressed with the crispiness of the cauliflower nuggets- they were perfect! I haven’t even tried the Max-Crisp mode yet!
Vegan Air Fryer Meals on a Budget
Apart from buying the cauliflower and the sweet potatoes, this recipe mainly used store cupboard spices and some milk and olive oil that we always have in the cupboard and fridge anyway. Here are some more vegan air fryer budget meals we’re planning to try (I’ll add links once I’ve made them):
- Crispy garlic mushroom salad
- Crispy Kale Pesto Pasta
- Stuffed peppers
- A vegan roast
- Baked sweet potatoes or baked potatoes
- Crispy, cheesy Broccoli
I’m also looking forward to air-frying tofu, tin potatoes, dill pickles and chick-peas!
Do you have an air fryer? What’s your favourite budget recipe?
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