Budget snack hacks from a busy mum

Healthy Mummy Rae is a wanderlust mum of 4, who is very lucky for the past two years to be full-time traveling across the country with the whole family.

Rae says space is very limited in the caravan so she likes to meal prep little meals more often, instead of doing big bulk cook-ups.

“Our life is super all over the place, so having easy-to-grab snacks on hand that we can eat between caravan stops is so handy and important to us.”

“Budget-friendly recipes are exactly what we need as we don’t have a regular income at the moment.“

Rae originally lost 20kgs with the Healthy Mummy and is back at it once again looking to lose 10kg this time round.

Read on for Rae’s helpful budget snack hacks.

Read Rae’s story here and also here > Mum lost 25kg and now earns a full time wage working FROM HOME!

Rae’s favourite budget and kid-friendly Healthy Mummy recipes

Rae says budget-friendly recipes are exactly what they need to stick to at the moment as they travel across the country with no regular income.

She certainly knows just how much The Healthy Mummy can help you stick to eating healthy meals on a budget! We have over 6000 recipes for you to choose from in the Healthy Mummy app.

Rae often makes a batch of The Healthy Mummy dips from the app and Healthy Mummy bliss balls, as well as these yummy budget and kid-friendly recipes below.

Banana Cake (44c per serve)

This delicious recipe for Banana Cake makes 12 serves. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Coconut, Oat and Date Energy Balls (62c per serve)

Make a batch of these 3 ingredient chewy Coconut, Oat and Date energy balls on your meal prep day, to store in the freezer for a quick snack on the go throughout the week.

Pumpkin Scones (27c per serve)

Pumpkin scones make a delicious and nutritious snack. This recipe also serves 12 and can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

More bliss ball recipes – 10 bliss balls under 100 calories

Healthy Hidden Veggie Sausage Rolls (67c per serve)

With just a handful of staple ingredients, you can whip up a batch of these tasty Hidden Veggie Sausage rolls in around 15 minutes! These easy sausage rolls make the perfect snack that you can store in the fridge or freezer.

Tips for eating healthy and budget-focused

• Rae recommends you shop the specials as often as you can
• Be willing to pivot if an ingredient is too expensive
• Set time aside to prepare
• Many hands make light work so get the kids involved
• Think about what you’re cooking and how you can best utilise your appliances
• Set up your work areas before you start
• Think about how each thing is cooked so you can make the most of your space and time
• Use similar ingredients throughout your recipes

Rae’s top meal prep tip? Train your kids to help out!

Get the kids involved with everything, including picking things while shopping and also menu planning.

Rae’s daughter is whipping up a healthy batch of Zucchini Muffins above. Yummy!

“While they are helping you can take the time to talk about nutrition with your kids and the importance of eating good healthy foods for optimal health.“

Rae shares her sneaky tip if you need to hide veggies from the kids – grate veggies into your recipes and use the slow cooker so you can’t even see them! They will never know!

Rae’s top tips to save money

• One fab tip Rae shares is to shop later at night for the best specials.
• Use the same kind of ingredients so you can buy in bulk and save.
• Check the price per gram and not by unit for the best value.

Rae’s weight loss story

Rae shares with us, “I lost 20kgs with the Healthy Mummy back in 2014 and kept it off for years before the world lost its mind and I started to snack my feelings again.

“Shame, guilt, grief, excitement, hope, knowing are all right here in this picture and I’m sharing with you (even though I could vom) because we’re in this together and friends do not keep good things to themselves.

I’m 2 weeks in, and close to 3kgs down.

I’m here to make incremental changes that lead to me truly knowing that I am a fit and healthy woman, and I’m going to show you behind the curtain how I’m going to do it.“

Rae’s 3 top tips for staying positive while losing weight:

1. Take your time

“There is no race, it really doesn’t matter if you get to your goals in a month or a year. What matters is that you have cemented better practices to ensure that this sticks as a lifestyle.”

2. Everything in moderation

“If losing weight means missing out on living your life then you have missed the point!

The Healthy Mummy teaches you balance and moderation and encourages you to eat the cake at time but to then come back to your better choices.”

3. Be kind to yourself

“It doesn’t chastise you for going off plan, it simply encourages you to remember the way you felt when you were eating good clean foods. It’s passive aggressive like that!

“Knowing that you are perfect right here in the now but that you are aiming for a healthier version of your perfect self is the best motivation that you can ever have.”

Discover how Single Mum of 2 feeds family for just $150 a week

Read more:

How to meal prep for a family of 6 on a budget

Busy mum of 3 made 330 back-to-school snacks for just $220

Fiona made 232 snacks for just over $70 thanks to her top meal prep tip!