Revive tired veg and cheap cuts of meat with our brilliant diet that will help you save pennies and lose pounds

MAKING healthy meals with a slow cooker is easy on your wallet – and a great way to use cheaper cuts of meat and veg nearing its sell-by date.

This week in our Save Pennies, Lose Pounds series, Nathan Anthony — whose healthy slow-cooker recipes have made him an online sensation — reveals some of the tricks of whipping up filling family meals that also help you slim.

Clare Wilkinson

Ebury Press

Nathan’s book, Bored Of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, has soared to the top of the bestseller list.

He reckons slow cookers are a no-brainer for rushed households on a budget.

Nathan, below, said: “Using one costs pence to make nutritious meals.

“Although it needs to be switched on for a long time, it is very energy efficient and doesn’t use much electricity, so tends to be cheaper to run than a standard oven.

“Low and slow is also a great way to cook cheaper cuts of meat.

“And if you have some vegetables that are looking a bit tired, or there’s some yellow-label or discounted vegetables in the supermarket, it can turn something that could become food waste into a healthy and delicious meal.”

• Bored Of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, by Nathan Anthony, is out now (Ebury Press, £18.99).

Spanish chicken casserole

Serves 4, 388 calories per serving.

Cost of ingredients: £5.89, Cost to cook: 48p

Olivia West

YOU NEED:

• 4 chicken legs
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp chilli
• 100ml red wine
• 500g passata (use more if you wish)
• Handful of olives
• ¼ jar (around 70g) sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp cornflour to thicken, if required

METHOD: Coat chicken in the paprika, salt and pepper and fry in oil until skin crisps up.

Add to slow cooker, with all ingredients, for four hours on high, or seven to eight hours on low.

TIP: Perfect for dipping buttery, crusty olive bread. Heaven.

Chilli con carne

Serves 4, 318 calories per serving.

Cost of ingredients: £8.45. Cost to cook: 41p

Clare Wilkinson

YOU NEED:

• 500g diced beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red chilli, sliced, with seeds
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 150ml beef stock
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 curry leaves
• 30g dark chocolate, chopped
• 400g tin of kidney beans, drained
• Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD: Place all the ingredients except the chocolate and beans into the slow cooker, stir and season to taste.

Cook on low for about six to seven hours.

Add the chocolate and beans and cook for another hour.

TIP: This is such a tasty dish. Kidney beans and a little dark chocolate are added for the last hour of cooking so the beans hold their shape and the chocolate adds a richness to complement the spices (trust me on this).

You will probably never use mince in a chilli again, I know I don’t.

Roast and gravy

Serves 10-11, 305 calories per serving.
Cost of ingredients: £12.72. Cost to cook: 41p

YOU NEED:

• 1.5kg beef roasting joint
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped (skin left on)
• Handful of fresh rosemary
• 100ml rich beef stock
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• Gravy granules or 1 heaped tbsp of cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp water (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD: Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat on the hob, then place the beef in the pan and sear on all sides until just browned all over.

Place all the remaining ingredients except the gravy granules or cornflour paste in the slow cooker, stir then turn the meat in the liquid to coat, and season to taste.

Cook on low for six hours.

I like beef pink in the middle, but everyone likes theirs done differently.

Slice into the beef to check if you are happy – if not, cook for longer then check again.

Remove from the slow cooker and use the cooking juices to make gravy.

Stir the cornflour paste into the juices to thicken, or add the gravy granules for ultra-rich gravy.

Serve with potatoes, carrots and lots of green veg.

TIP: Beef this size is a tight squeeze in my 3.5-litre slow cooker, so you might need a larger model if you are feeding a crowd.

Beef stifado and orzo

Serves 4, 522 calories per serving.
Cost of ingredients: £8. Cost to cook: 20p

Olivia West

YOU NEED:

• 400g beef
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 onion
• 1 beef stock pot/300ml water
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 3 carrots
• 100ml red wine
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 330g of dry orzo or penne
• 700ml beef stock
• Parmesan or other cheese to top (optional)

METHOD: Add everything to the slow cooker except the orzo and additional stock and cook on high for three hours or low all day.

Add orzo and additional stock and cook on high for 45-50 mins until the pasta has cooked and absorbed the additional stock.

Different shapes of pasta may require more stock but you can always add extra if required.

TIP: The pasta cooks in the sauce so there’s no need to boil anything.

I use orzo but you can use penne or tagliatelle if you like.

This reminds me of a spiced beef risotto of sorts.

It’s so flavoursome.