When you hear stories about people having to choose between feeding their family and heating their house you know people are doing it tough.

Sascha Farley knows what it's like to handle the family budget - and wrangle four fussy eaters at the same time.

"Right now it's more important than ever for us to save money on groceries without sacrificing nutrition or taste," she says.

Farley, who lives on Sydney's northern beaches, has been a member of The Healthy Mummy community since the birth of her second child five years ago. The Healthy Mummy is a healthy lifestyle program designed to support women at all stages of motherhood.

As well as losing 34 kilograms on the program, Farley reckons she's saved more than $10,000 on groceries over two years using The Healthy Mummy app.

"By using The Healthy Mummy app, you can have access to a variety of health and budget-friendly recipes that your whole family can enjoy."

"We have a mix of fussy kids and big eaters, so we always have to find a balance between us all so I don't have to cook different meals for each family member."

Farley took up the challenge of coming up with a week's worth of dinners for less than $50.

"This great variety of dinner recipes are super budget friendly and nutritious," she says.

"The cost per serve ranges from $1.41 for the lentil chilli con carne to a tasty chicken and peanut sesame noodles at $1.84 per serve.

"The total amount for the seven dinners totals $49.08 for a family of four."

She says with a little preparation families can stretch their grocery budget and still enjoy nutritious and tasty meals.

"Now more than ever it's important to stay healthy and keep costs down. It can be done."

Ingredients

Method

1. Cook pasta following packet instructions.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C and spray two 20cm cake tins with cooking oil spray.

3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add mince, garlic, herbs, onion, carrot and zucchini. Cook for three to five minutes or until mince is browned and vegetables are soft.

4. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook for five to 10 minutes or until the sauce starts to reduce.

5. Add pasta to the frying pan and stir through.

6. Pour bolognese mix into prepared tins and top evenly with mozzarella cheese.

7. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.

8. Divide each tin into four serves.

Note: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for three to four days.

Serves 8.

$1.82 per serve.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Cook noodles according to packet instructions then chop into smaller pieces.

2. Combine mince, noodles, chopped coriander, grated carrot, chilli sauce and egg.

3. Place mixture into a lightly greased muffin tray (to make single serve meatloaf) or a baking tin or ovenproof dish and place in oven for 30 minutes until cooked through.

Serves 4.

$1.79 per serve.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Place diced pumpkin, onion and zucchini on the tray, top with 1/2 of rosemary and garlic cloves.

3. Spray with cooking oil and season with salt and pepper.

4. Roast vegetables in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

6. Whisk eggs with greek yogurt and prepare an oven safe round quiche or casserole dish by spraying with cooking oil spray.

7. Add roast vegetables to the dish, removing garlic cloves.

8. Crumble 1/2 of the feta on top and add cherry tomatoes, top with remaining feta.

9. Pour the egg mix over the vegetables and top with remaining rosemary, add extra salt and pepper to taste.

10. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is a little wobbly but not wet to touch.

Note: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for three to four days.

Serves 8.

$1.99 per serve.

Ingredients

Method

1. Cook rice according to packet directions.

2. Lightly spray a frying pan with cooking oil spray over medium-high heat.

3. Add the sausages and cook for five to six minutes, to brown all over. Remove the pan and set aside.

4. Add onion, mushrooms and sweet potato to the pan and cook for four to five minutes, or until sweet potato is tender and the mushrooms have released their juices.

5. Slice the sausages into 2cm segments. Return to the pan with the curry powder.

6. Stir well, then add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

7. Just before ready to serve, add the baby spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted.

8. Divide rice and curried sausages evenly between six bowls to serve.

Note: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days or frozen for up to three months.

Serves 6.

$1.79 per serve.

Ingredients

Method

1. Prepare soba noodles according to packet directions.

2. Heat the sesame oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.

3. Slice the chicken and add to the pan. Cook for one to two minutes to brown on all sides.

4. Add the peanut butter and soy sauce and stir to combine.

5. Add a little water to make a sauce that coats the chicken.

6. Cook for a further three to four minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

7. Add drained noodles to the pan and toss to combine all ingredients.

8. Place baby spinach in a serving bowl and top with chicken and soba noodles.

9. Sprinkle over the spring onion and sesame seeds to serve.

Serves 4.

$1.84 per serve.

Ingredients

Method

1. Cook rice according to packet directions. Drain and rinse tinned lentils.

2. Finely chop the onion, add to a saucepan with the oil and saute for three to four minutes until translucent.

3. Crush in the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

4. De-seed and chop the capsicum. Then add to the pan together with the spices and sauté for another minute.

5. Add tomato, lentils and salt to the pan and simmer for five to 10 minutes until starting to thicken.

6. Season with pepper. Serve chilli in a bowl with the rice.

Serves 4.

$1.41 per serve.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with paper. Lightly spray pumpkin, zucchini and capsicum slices with cooking oil spray and spread on tray. Roast for 30 minutes or until golden and tender.

2. Rinse and drain kidney beans and mash with a fork.

3. Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking oil spray. Add a tortilla to the base of the dish. Spread a quarter of the passata over the tortilla and top with pumpkin slices.

4. Top with another tortilla and another quarter of the passata, and layer with roasted zucchini slices. Sprinkle over half the grated cheese.

5. Add another tortilla on top and spread with mashed beans and layer the roasted capsicum over the beans.

6. Top with the remaining tortilla and spread over remaining passata. Sprinkle over remaining grated cheese. Place dish in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden.

7. Slice into four pieces, one piece is one serve.

Note: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for three to four days. Just reheat covered in the oven or microwave before serving.

Serves 4.

$1.63 per serve.

Want more recipe ideas? We've got a tasty offering that'll leave you satisfied. Enjoy it here. Bookmark the page so you've got a wide selection at your fingertips next time you're hitting the kitchen.