Live Below The LineRecipe Ideas

Living on less than $2.25 a day for food and drink is not easy but it is possible. Across the globe 1.4 billion people do it everyday for everything- food, drink, healthcare, education, travel, everything.

The eating and drinking is the easy bit, but shopping for groceries on such a tight budget is alien to many of us. You, like us, probably don’t use the cheapest supermarket for your weekly shop but instead the one most convenient to where you live. As you prepare for challenge week however, its essential you shop around for the best deals.

It can also be tricky knowing what on earth to eat. That’s why we’ve asked last year’s Challenge participants to help us share some of their recipe ideas. We hope you find them useful!

Also remember that the kind of foods that we’ll be eating during challenge week are the foods of our great grandparents. Its a good idea to look to the older generation to find out how they cooked thriftily! Its also worth looking at the peasant dishes of our ancestors and seeing what they ate as well.

FRUGAL DAHL by Aimee Caruthers

“This should make ten 1 cup servings (it was my unch and dinner for 5 days)”

•2.5 cups of red lentils, rinsed thoroughly•800g whole tinned tomatoes•1 onion, diced•1 large carrot, grated•1 tsp oil•1 tsp tikka masala spice mix•1 tsp saltHeat the oil in a 3 litre saucepan over a medium heat. Sautee the onions until clear. Add the spice and stir until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, lentils and 3 cups of water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes. The lentils should be nearly done. Add the grated carrot, then season with salt and

cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.

Wholegrain Oats Porridge by Amy Diffey”This works great for breakfast or supper!”

•9 Tablespoons oats (40g) •1/8tsp salt•1 small banana (or half a large one)

Soak the oats overnight (usual porridge ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part oats). When you want to eat them, simmer gently, stirring frequently.  Even with soaking it still needs at least 15mins to be semi-soft! Slice the banana as finely as possible over the top when served.

Homemade Crackers by Joleen Bridgen“This was a favourite with me for last years challenge. They aren't the most flavoursome cracker, but they were crunchy and great for nibbling on- especially with Bananas on them! They really got me through the day! Would also be great with soup or dinner”•40g plain flour•2 tsp oil•small splash of water

Roll out to about 3-5mm thickness and cut into rustic crackers, or leave whole and break into pieces once cooked.  Bake on an oven tray at 200c for 12-15 minutes. I prefer them on the browner side, for crunch. Eat plain, or with sliced bananas on top. Else serve with soup or dinner.

Homemade Baked Beans by Ange Holtslag“We ate this the last day of the challenge on homemade bread made from 5 day fermented (wild yeast gathering) flour/water/lil' sugar mix!”•1.5 cups dried haricot beans•1 onion•1/2 a grated apple •can of tomatoes•pinch of salt•2tbsp brown sugar•curry spice (we had a few tbsps from bulk bin at Indian spice store)

Soak beans overnight in 2 cups of water, in an oven dish/casserole dish. The next day mix in all the other ingredients. Put on bake in oven for ages, 1+ hours till beans are cooked. Yum!

Happy Cooking everyone, and good luck!