A money-saving mum of two has explained how she dishes up homemade meals from as little as 70p a portion. Nutrition coach Becky Alexander serves healthy meals for her family and is sharing how others can reduce their weekly food costs in three simple steps.

The mum of two from South Wales used a 90-piece family feeder hamper from online healthy retailer MuscleFood to cut back on the most expensive parts of her food shop. The hamper includes 2.5kg Chicken Breast Fillets, two Beef Rump Steaks, Beef Meatballs, Pork Sausages and more.

Among the meals, Becky made a chicken curry for 82p a portion, a sausage tray bake for 81p each and a beef stir fry for 70p per person. The 35-year-old mum is keen to provide nutritious yet budget-friendly meals for her two children, Alexis, 13 and Tobias, five.

She acknowledges it’s difficult for many families to cook meals which are both cheap and healthy amid rising food prices, which is why she wants to share helpful tips on how to cook tasty meals for less. Becky, who shares budget meals on her Instagram, thatwellnessmum, said: “I’ve always loved to cook since my early 20s after I went travelling to places such as South America and Spain.

“While there I enjoyed various cuisines and met some fantastic people who taught me about the importance of making delicious yet highly nutritious meals. It even inspired me to start my nutrition coaching course which I completed around a decade ago. It’s helped me learn how to cook up healthy meals which don’t cost a fortune to make.”

Becky says she has always been careful about what she spends on food but the rising cost of living and hike in energy bills has resulted in her being even savvier when it comes to the food shop. Becky explained: “I’ve always been conservative about what I'm spending, but over the last two years with bills going up, I’ve had to think even more about what I’m spending.

“What’s important for me is for my family to eat healthy, home-cooked meals which don’t cost too much to make. Luckily I now know what to look out for when it comes to the food shop but many are unaware and simply don’t have the time to compare prices or look elsewhere.”

Becky is keen to help share with other people how they can reduce their weekly spending to cope with the rising cost of living. She said: “Over the last few years, I’ve stopped buying meat from the supermarket as it’s become so expensive, especially for a family like ours who stock up on chicken breast.

“There are a few items I always look out for at the supermarkets - having these staples means you can always bulk up a meal for the family to enjoy. Potatoes for example are a no-brainer. Home-making family favourites like chips, mash potato and crisps are cheaper and healthier to the premade alternatives.

“Another is bananas - they don’t cost much to buy and they’re full of potassium and fibre. They can also be used to make a delicious loaf of banana bread. Carrots are also a great basic and can be used to bulk up meals.”

Becky used a hamper from MuscleFood to reduce the costs of her food shop. She said: “We found it’s so much cheaper to buy our meat in bulk which we can then freeze for future meals.

“There’s also the convenience aspect of having it all delivered at once, so you’re not having to make a last-minute trip to the supermarket and spend unnecessarily. We used the MuscleFood hamper to make a delicious chicken curry, bacon lentil stew and sausage tray bake which the whole family enjoyed. It’s brilliant how little it cost us to make!”

She says it is important for households to make the most of their freezer to help cut back on costs. Becky said: “Using the freezer is so important for us mums. Freezing portions of a bulk-made meal means you can defrost it on the side and have the food ready to cook without needing to nip to the shop when you are short on ingredients.

“The beef stir fry which I made from the hamper is a great example of this. I bagged up the meat and flattened the bags to allow for more room in the freezer. This way you can fit more into your freezer and have plenty of future meals stored whilst saving money on various ingredients.”

Becky’s three top tips for saving money:

Vigorous planning

Having a solid food shop plan is key to a stress-free experience. Plan basic ideas of what you’d like to cook for the week. Make sure to always use this list when buying your ingredients and think carefully about what you need.

Same ingredients for multiple meals

When deciding what meals to make in the week, a great tip is to use the same ingredients for multiple meals. Not only does it help save money buying multiple items but it also reduces food waste.

Shop seasonally

People don’t realise items such as mango are expensive due to import tax while items such as parsnips, potatoes and carrots don’t have those transport costs so they’re cheaper to buy and use for multiple meals.