You don't have to spend a lot to eat well. Although yes, for the sake of truth, it should be noted that good products such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and cold-pressed oils often cost more than bread, pasta, and even meat. Most of my clients who switch to complain that it's more expensive. Of course, I always have an answer for them:

Eating right today saves you health and money in the future. After all, you do not have to pay doctors and buy medicines for numerous ailments.

But is there really no other way out, and will you again have to invest not only your strength, but also half your salary in your health? And this is more than realistic in the face of rising food prices ...

I hasten to please you. Not necessarily! I offer you my personal life hacks of a nutritionist on how to eat cheap, but tasty and healthy.

1. Cook with seasonal ingredients

This means that if tomatoes and cucumbers do not grow in your area in winter, then ... exclude them from the diet for this time of year completely or reduce them to a minimum. Replace them with canned ones (preferably those prepared by your grandmother or yourself). And even better - for root crops and cabbage of all varieties. Instead of salads from arugula and other fresh greens in the off-season, prepare salads from cabbage and beets. Lean on until you overwinter. Such food will cost you much less. And you will avoid unnecessary substances from sprayed foreign vegetables.

2. Say no to convenience foods

It just seems that dumplings are not so expensive. good dumplings often cost more than meat. And the bad ones… why do you need them at all? If you buy meat yourself and spend a wonderful evening with your children making dumplings for a month in advance, then it will cost you much less. And they will taste even better.

My holy rule: homemade food is preferable, tastier, healthier and cheaper than semi-finished products.

The most that I can buy from laziness is ready dough for pizza. But sometimes, when I think about how much I could make pizza crusts for this money, I quickly regret this decision. So don't repeat my mistakes.

3. No sausage

First, it's harmful. And secondly, it's expensive. If you really want a sandwich, then you can bake a piece of meat with spices in the oven and cut thin slices from it. If you live alone or eat little at home, then so that the meat does not disappear, you can freeze it in a ready-made form and get it as needed.

If you like lightly salted fish, then it is much cheaper to salt it yourself. Here is the main universal recipe, according to which I salt the fish.

For 500 grams fish fillet take 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar (mix salt and sugar well). Roll the fish in a mixture of sugar and salt, cover with a film or just leave it in a sealed container and send it to the refrigerator for a day. Everything! A day later, the fish is ready to eat. If desired, you can add any dry herbs (dill, parsley ...) and / or something strong, for example, sprinkle with cognac, whiskey or vodka. After salting, the fish can be cut into portions, or you can freeze for the future.

4. Make a menu for the week

Nothing saves money, time and nerves quite like putting together a weekly menu. To the question of the family “What do we have for dinner?” you will always have an answer ready. Yes, and you yourself do not need to suffer every day over this issue.

Yes, you have to spend an hour a week on making a meal plan. But I promise you that later you will thank yourself for this, and more than once. Agree, and so it is necessary to make different decisions all day long and implement them. By compiling a menu for the week ahead, you will save yourself from making two more decisions a day: what to buy on the way home and what to cook from this now, but preferably in a quick way?

When compiling the menu, take into account your plans for this particular week in advance and on some days prepare larger portions so that there is enough food for two days. Soups and stews are best suited for this purpose.

For example, if on Wednesday you are on, then on Tuesday cook something for two days at once. Then you don’t have to starve yourself after fitness or nullify your efforts by eating the leftovers of a cake that has been lying around in the refrigerator since the weekend.

5. Buy as many products as you can from wholesalers

Yes, the quality and range of products in some of them leaves much to be desired. But buckwheat from Magnit is definitely no worse than buckwheat from Azbuka Vkusa. And the price differs sometimes very seriously.

Personally, I do this: after making a shopping list, I first go to a cheap supermarket and buy everything possible from my list there. Then I go to a good/expensive store that definitely has everything or almost everything.

Yes, it takes longer. But I only buy groceries once a week, because I have a menu and a shopping list for it. Compared to running to the grocery store daily on my way home from work, my method is both faster and more economical.

6. Don't throw away food

Learn to eat the leftovers in the refrigerator first, and only then go to the store.

Yes, I understand that you are calmer if there is always milk and milk in the refrigerator. But the world will not collapse if they are not there for two or even (horror!) three days. Connect fantasy. After all, if you have at least some products, then you will not remain hungry. When cooking with leftovers, you will try new ones, sometimes unexpectedly. delicious food and also save a lot of money. After all, rarely do any of us manage to go for milk and buy only milk ... As a rule, we fall for marketing tricks and buy more of what we need.

My kids, for example, love bananas. I buy a ton of them a year. And often at the end of the week they still end. At first there were indignations: “How so! No bananas in the house, mom?!”. But then the children reconciled themselves and began to eat what they give. And we also lost headache how and what to feed the child.

In my weekly menu, I introduced the day "dinner from the leftovers." On such a day, I either put on the table all the half-eaten hot dishes left over from the previous day or two, or, if there are none, I cook something from what is left. Usually this day closes the week.

7. Pay attention to frozen vegetables and berries

They are just as good as fresh ones. Especially in spring and autumn, this advice will come in handy. Such vegetables and berries are frozen immediately after harvest, so they nutritional value maximally preserved compared to those "fresh" vegetables that are stored in cellars for weeks.

The only but: when you choose them in the store, make sure that they are not covered with ice and do not roll into lumps. This suggests that the conditions of their storage were violated at some stage, they were half-thawed and lost some of their nutrients.

Good frozen vegetables and berries should be crumbly.

8. Look for expired products

Not always, but often there is a discount on such products. If not, then go to the cashier and demand a discount. It is more profitable for them to sell you at a discount than to throw away products.

Often, manufacturers over-insure themselves with product expiration dates. I hardly pay attention to the expiration date of cereals and pasta, spices, salt, tea and other products that can be stored for a long time.

If it is meat, then, when you come home, immediately freeze it, having previously laid it out in portions in plastic bags. Do not forget to sign them with a regular ballpoint pen, indicating the content and date of freezing. Otherwise, you won't be able to recognize anything later.

If these are cheeses and dairy products, then it is better to eat them as soon as possible (no later than five days from the date indicated on the package). Well, if today you are going to cook something with cottage cheese, and it just lies on the shelf discounted due to the expiration date, which also expires today.

ATTENTION! These products are best left in the store if the expiration date has expired: fresh meat and poultry; salted and especially salted fish; thawed foods that, in theory, should be frozen; milk and bread.

9. Cook for two days

As mentioned above, this will save you time. In addition, oddly enough, it will cut down on food costs. The secret is that there will be less leftovers.

If you have a very large family and everything is eaten at once, then from the possible leftovers you can make an excellent dinner the next day for someone from home.

10. When compiling a menu, choose dishes where products are repeated

If you have a cabbage salad, then you are unlikely to eat a whole head of cabbage at a time. Therefore, it is advisable to include on another day either cabbage soup or stewed cabbage. If one of your dishes has basil or parsley in it, then use them in at least one more dish this week. That way you don't have to throw anything away. After all, throwing food away means throwing away money.

To be honest, when conceiving this article, I was not sure if I would get enough advice on the topic. But in the process of writing, I remembered many more ideas that I successfully apply in life. So many that all of them did not fit in this article. Therefore, I promise to continue this topic in the future.

Good health to you!

Food is a significant expense item. Eating out is for a variety of reasons. During lunch, the city's cafes are overflowing with students, white-collar workers, and tourists. But is it possible to have a hearty meal in Moscow for 200 rubles? About inexpensive establishments with quality cuisine - in our material

1

funky lab

A cozy gastrobar with a steampunk interior is located in the center of Moscow, near the Tretyakovskaya metro station. The creative idea of ​​the restaurateur Alexander Viazhsky is similar to the designer - both in terms of design and in matters of serving dishes. So, borscht is served here in two plates: thick separately, broth separately. Eat it alternately or mix - the visitor decides. The same goes for salmon tartare and even ice cream.

The chef at Funky Lab is a real Frenchman, so the menu includes dishes such as Burgundy beef, a variety of steaks and sauces. "Golden" time in the gastrobar - from 12:00 to 16:00. It is during these hours that you can taste an inexpensive soup of the day and a delicious budget salad for 120 rubles.

Location: st. Bolshaya Polyanka, 7/10, building 1

Working hours: from 12:00 to 00:00 seven days a week

A photo: funky lab
A photo: funky lab
A photo: funky lab 2

"Dining Room No. 57"

It would seem that the time of canteens is irrevocably gone. But not in the case of this authentic culinary establishment, where dishes are prepared exclusively from a book of recipes for delicious and healthy food. Popular with Muscovites and guests of the capital, Canteen No. 57 is located in one of the most important stores in Moscow - GUM. Probably, the owners of the institution are very generous and hospitable people, because they often arrange promotions during which you can save a lot.

In addition to traditional meat and fish dishes, in the dining room there is a rich vegetable, fruit, lenten menu, and there are also pastries to order. Thematic dishes (for example, soldiers' potatoes, Strawberry Heart biscuit) are waiting for visitors during calendar holidays. Many people come here for a sip of nostalgia for the Soviet past. The cost of dishes ranges from 60-80 rubles.

Location: GUM, 3rd line, 3rd floor

Working hours: from 10:00 to 22:00 daily

Photo: otzyv.ru
Photo: anothercity.livejournal.com
Photo: gastronom.ru

Domozhilov

Named after the brand chef Ivan Domozhilov, the original 70-seat buffet is located in the Artplay Design Center. Huge panoramic windows of the studio overlook Syromyatnicheskaya embankment. Instead of a menu, there is a showcase with dishes. Self-service and disposable tableware do not overshadow the richest assortment of pastries (about 140 varieties).

Among the dishes prepared in the kitchen of Art Clumba: borsch with tongue, mushroom beef stroganoff with chicken, baguette with Tambov ham, nicoise with tuna, salads, soups, cheesecakes - and all this at very affordable prices. Special offers in the menu can be read by the LED ticker.

Location: st. Nizhnyaya Syromyatnicheskaya, 10, building 2

Working hours: from 10:00 to 22:00 seven days a week

Photo: domogilov.ru
A photo: Domozhilov
A photo: Domozhilov 4

"Cowberry"

A culinary cafe with a berry name is located in the very center of old Moscow - not far from Kitay-Gorod. On the menu inexpensive meals at home: herring under a fur coat, bean soup, Greek moussaka, empanadas, pies, etc. - which can also be ordered in a takeaway container. Brusnik has a huge assortment of sweet pastries and desserts (from 60 rubles). And one of the most popular drinks is chamomile tea.

The institution is also known for its well-chosen musical arrangement, so here you can chat and even whisper in a comfortable environment.

Location: st. Maroseyka, 6-8, building 1

Working hours: from 08:00 to 23:00 seven days a week

A photo: "Cowberry"
A photo: "Cowberry"
A photo: "Cowberry" 5

"Baking and pilaf"

This Uzbek restaurant - creative project young restaurateur Maxim Agashkov. Its name speaks about the dominant dishes. An inexpensive establishment with a simple, cozy interior in white and red colors is located near the Taganskaya metro station. Bestsellers: samsa, pies, chicken bouillon, manti with lamb, lagman. But the main dish of the restaurant is plov, which is cooked in a huge 80-liter cauldron (for 150 servings) by Uzbek chefs. There is only one step from maximalism to minimalism: "Baking and Pilaf" can accommodate only 12 visitors.

Location: 1st Goncharny Lane, 4\3

Working hours: daily from 08:30 to 22:00

Photo: Vera Mishurina
Photo: the-village.ru
Photo: the-village.ru 6

"Marukame"

Noodles from the popular Japanese network Marugame Seimen (whose branded dish is udon noodles with various additives) - great option for a tasty and inexpensive lunch in the range of 180-200 rubles. The network of Moscow cafes is modeled after Asian prototypes: a small hall, a separate kitchen with a distribution line connecting locations. All dishes are prepared on the spot: from a large cauldron, in which the famous thick sanuki-udon noodles are boiled, steam dissipates in a mist throughout the hall.

On the menu: kamaage udon (noodles with dashi broth sauce), ontama bukkake udon (noodles with soft-boiled egg), tonkatsu udon (noodles in broth pork rib with pickled egg), etc., as well as salads and rolls.

A photo: "Marukame"
A photo:

A flight to Moscow for several days is accompanied by the selection of a hotel for temporary accommodation and a place to eat. Booking rooms at Uninn hotels is carried out in advance, but it is really possible to take care of the food ration only after the plane lands at the airport.

Hot meals and drinks at Yunin Hotel

The reason is that the transportation of food by air transport is possible in certain quantities:

1. the volume of liquids and products in baggage is not more than 100 ml (honey, cheese, drinking yogurt, alcohol, jam);
2. the total volume of plastic packaging should not exceed 1 liter.

The exception is baby food for citizens flying with children under the age of 2 years. They can take containers with liquid over 100 ml in their baggage.

Adults will not be able to prepare their own food for several days and transfer them to Moscow, so you should think about where it is better and more profitable to eat.

Features of catering places

In the airport building

As soon as the plane has landed, it is possible to eat at local cafes in the building of Vnukovo airport. For budget tourists, such food will be costly. In many places Catering prices for dishes are 2 times higher than for the same products, but in a cafe away from the airport or in canteens at hotels.

If the traveler has an unlimited financial budget, then this option will be quite suitable. The only thing to consider is the noise at the airport. Constant alerts about plane departures, people talking in different languages ​​and phone calls can be annoying factors, especially for people who are used to comfort at a high cost.

Close to the airport

The nature of the dishes of one region may differ from another. Therefore, upon arrival in Moscow, one should remember that national food may be poorly perceived by the digestive organs. To avoid deterioration of health and save your financial resources, it is worth buying food in stores. As a rule, products familiar to a person from another country are always available on the shelves at a very affordable price.

In addition, when buying food in a store, you can arrive at a hotel or inn and cook a dish that is suitable for yourself. This option is suitable for those who have a lot of free time.

In hotels near Vnukovo airport

One of the most practical places to eat can be considered a hotel, where a room for temporary accommodation was booked. As a rule, in the structure of the hotel there are places for catering with affordable prices for tourists and fresh dishes. Guests do not need to spend time preparing food. All you need is to arrive at the hotel, check into your room and go down to the cafe operating at the hotel.

Cafe at Uninn Hotel

The advantage of choosing such a place to eat is to save time. The cafe is open all the time, which means that you do not need to spend precious hours traveling to restaurants near the airport or to the center of the capital. The guest can eat at any hour of the day or be sure that upon arrival at the hotel he will not remain hungry.

Along with this, the guest receives a comfortable meal. In the cafe at the hotel, the customers are often the guests themselves. For those who live in such a hotel for several days, going to a cafe will not cause discomfort, as they will know where it is more convenient to sit down, what is better to order.

The best option is to eat in a cafe from the hotel

Food is the most important issue for any traveler. So that hunger does not spoil the impression of tourism, you just have to choose the right place for food. most profitable and practical option becomes a cafe in the hotel. There will always be a place for hotel guests and a suitable diet: fresh and tasty dishes at an affordable price.

Was with you. See you!

Slightly tired of the household stereotype that you eat at home:
1. Cheaper.
2. Tastier
3. Less risk of poisoning.
4. Correct.

I don't quite understand quite modern, wealthy people who have achieved a lot and ..... who don't go to restaurants. They go shopping and fill their big fridges with groceries and cook, cook, cook....

Now I will smash these soviet stereotypes to smithereens.

1. Price. Eating at a restaurant is cheaper. It is a fact. I'm not talking about expensive restaurants. I'm talking about restaurants of the democratic segment near the house. And I'm not talking about large families with a grandmother in the state, who cooks all day. I'm talking about modern small families for 2-3 people
Let's count. Foodcost Light Cafe 25%. I remind you that Light Cafe http://lightcafe.ru is a democratic restaurant near the house, in which all residents of the surrounding houses must eat daily. 25% means that if I sold you something for 100 rubles, then it took me 25 rubles to buy products.

But this is on average. Come on with examples
Coffee costs 100 rubles, the cost price is 10 rubles.
Morse costs 50 rubles, the cost is 3 rubles.
Tea costs 140 rubles, the cost price is 10 rubles.
Shawarma costs 290 rubles at a cost of 90 rubles
Teebon steak costs 800 rubles at a cost of 550 rubles
Beef stroganoff costs 350 rubles at a cost of 150 rubles.

Pay attention, I get super profits on drinks, everything is much worse on food. Half of the hot dishes on the menu have a food cost of 50% or even higher.

Let's assume for the purity of the experiment that the average food cost in the kitchen is 30%.
That is, a dish that sells for 100 rubles costs me 30 rubles.

The markup of hypermarkets is 30% on average. This is if we take, say, the same large packages that I buy for a restaurant. Bags of sugar, 3 kg bars of cheese, tons of meat, and so on.

Let's try to buy ingredients for beef stroganoff in the Ocean. We will need:
1. Beef 400r per kg (300)
2. Mushrooms 250 r per kg (180)
3. Bulb onion. 30 r per kg (9)
4. Cream. 80 r for 0.5l (60)
5. Potatoes 30 per kg (7)

About spices, butter, flour, I am silent. Let's assume it is.

In brackets is the price at which I buy.
If we turn this into the cost of one serving, then I will cook beef stroganoff for 150 rubles. You for 220 somewhere.
But there are nuances.
1. You won't be able to buy exactly the amount of potatoes you need. You will be left with a lot. Most will be thrown out. Or it will crumble somewhere, not because it is necessary, but because so that it does not disappear.
2. Walking around the store, you are sure to pick up a bunch of things you don't need. Although okay, I will not talk about it. When you come to my restaurant, I will also gladly sell you an extra cup of coffee.

So buy Beef Stroganoff from me. For only 350 rubles.

In general, I conducted an experiment here, I decided to note New Year Houses. For the first time since 2003. I celebrated all these years at work. 12,000 rubles got me this new year's dinner for two with drinks. HOUSES. With a bunch of cooking, dirty dishes and so on.

So count. Eating at a restaurant is cheaper. I have lived like this for many years. And this is not because I work in a restaurant, I eat in not only mine. Recently my refrigerator broke down. It didn't bother me for about six months. Why do I need a fridge if I don't smoke?

2. Tastier.

Sometimes, an ordinary person can cook delicious food. Many even have their own signature dishes. But it is impossible to cook delicious food all the time. Cooking is hellish work. And as a result, the desire to eat at home rolls down to dumplings. So, of course, you can cook dumplings very tasty. And boil the kettle. But it is better to outsource the issue of food.
Believe me, a professional chef cooks better and tastier than you. And even your wife/grandmother/mother-in-law.
Sometimes, of course, I can change the wheel myself with a jack, in extreme cases, but more often somehow in a tire shop ......

3. Less risk of poisoning.
Oh, those self-confident housewives. Oh, those soviet grandmothers who consider their kitchen sterile.
See the rabbit? Me neither. But he is!
Violation of the commodity neighborhood, ignorance of storage and preparation technologies, use of the same utensils for fish/meat/vegetables, etc. etc. Not a single household kitchen will pass even the most purchased SES check. Unsanitary conditions, dirt, germs, and what not in your very clean kitchens.
I urge the refrigerator to fill with wine and cheese, and use the stove only for the kettle.

4. Correct.
Eating at home is wrong. Here are some more arguments.
- At home, you do not control the portion size and eat much more. Hence the problem of being overweight.
- Eating at home and buying products in a hypermarket, you support big business and the stratification of society into rich and poor. Ate in a restaurant - supported a small business. Small business is the backbone of the economy.
- When eating at home, your family spends too much time shopping, storing and cooking. The most irreplaceable resource is time.
- Eating at home is not romantic. Well, we are adults, eating at home is the way to everyday life and sex once a month.
- Nutrition at home - spend 30 minutes a day washing dishes. There are things much higher.

Dear restaurant guests. Yes, things are not going smoothly in our restaurants yet. In general, this business is only 20 years old in our country. We (restaurateurs) do not know much ourselves. I admit, sometimes we also forget for some moments. I admit, we sometimes mow down on trifles.

But we are growing. New restaurants open every day. They are more interesting, more technologically advanced, more diverse.

Help us. Scold us. Write reviews. Demand quality. And everything will be Ha-ra-sho in our restaurant business.

In the meantime, throw out all this food from the refrigerator and urgently find yourself a restaurant near the house. To just eat there every day. Such as Light Cafe. Meet the owner and chef there. Take a look at the kitchen. Become a friend of the restaurant. Try it. You'll like it.

We continue to talk on the topic: "Popular questions that arise during a holiday in the Crimea." I would like to dwell on the topic of food and nutrition. Alas, eating homemade healthy food on vacation will not be easy. We hope that our advice will help you avoid mistakes that can lead to serious health problems.

We will not talk about healthy eating, because there are terabytes of information on this topic on the Internet. Our goal is to maintain healthy digestion on vacation and visit excursions to palaces and wineries, and not to the pharmacy and infectious diseases department of the nearest hospital.

So, where is the best place to eat in Crimea?

Let's consider several options in turn.Imagine a classic situation: sun-sea-beach, everyone is sunbathing and swimming. Sooner or later we will want to have a bite to eat, preferably far from the sea. Here, tents with various fast food come into view: shawarma, pasties, whites and pies. Buying these fragrant “snacks” is fraught not only with simple indigestion, but also with a huge number of gastrointestinal infections. Even if initially the meat in shawarma is fresh, then after 2-3 hours in the sun among the flies, you can’t eat it, and even more so feed it to children. Even if you feel dizzy from hunger, it’s better to “starve a worm” with ice cream, or take fruit to the beach, and then eat something safer. In fairness, it should be noted that the prices for beach fast food are very tempting, and many vacationers take risks by dining on chebureks for 12-15 hryvnias / piece.

Consider another option - cook on your own.

If you want to minimize health risks and save money, you can cook your own food. Fortunately, in the private sector and apartments, there is usually a kitchen, or at least a stove. This is especially true if you are traveling with a child.

In every resort town of Crimea there is a small market where can i buy necessary products. Lobsters and black caviar may not be there, but you can always buy vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, cottage cheese, milk.

A liter of milk on the market costs about 35 rubles / kg, cottage cheese - 200 rubles / kg. A kilogram of pork or beef will cost you no more than 240 rubles / kg, even in season. The prices for vegetables are as follows: potatoes 15-30 rubles/kg, carrots 16 rubles/kg, cabbage 20 rubles/kg. Please note that these are 2012 prices. Food prices may vary depending on the resort. In Yalta, everything is 10-20% more expensive, in Feodosia, on the contrary, it is cheaper.

Why fruits in Crimea?

This question is of interest to everyone who goes on vacation with a child. He must receive the necessary supply of vitamins for the whole year. Where else is there fruit, if not in the places where they grow.

At the height of the season, prices for fruits in Crimea rise unreasonably, but towards the end of August they become available again. A kilogram of delicious juicy apples will cost you 50-60 rubles / kg. For peaches they ask from 50 to 120 rubles. depending on the variety. Plums are sold for 50-70 rubles, and grapes - from 40-100 rubles. Figs have recently appeared on the shelves of the Crimean markets, although the price still leaves much to be desired: from 150 rubles / kg.

Alas, there is not always a kitchen on vacation, and often it is simply too lazy to cook. You came to rest in the Crimea, and not stand at the stove. Hungry, we begin to frantically look for the longed-for sign “Cafe” with our eyes, while it is desirable that it looks more or less decent.

The most simple and effective method- ask the question: "Where is it better to have lunch here?" local residents. One doesn't answer, the other answers. Locals will not advise you on a place that they have not been to or doubt. Another plus of this method is that the “natives” will not dine in expensive cafes. By following their advice, you can save some money. But remember, no matter how modest the cafe is, a serving of 200-300 grams of barbecue will cost you like a kilogram of meat on the market, so you need to be prepared for this. The order of prices in catering establishments of the Crimea is extremely disparate. In a dining room in Evpatoria, a portion of borscht can cost 40 rubles, and in a restaurant in Alushta or Yalta - 400 rubles.

Feel free to ask the locals for "Where to eat and buy wine".

Another burning question on vacation - where to buy wine. We strongly advise against buying this product on the street. Local residents, under the guise of wine, sell bodyaga, which they can’t even call a liquor, let alone wine. There is only one way out - specialized stores from the Inkerman or Massandra factories.

Whatever type of food you choose on vacation, be vigilant. A product that causes even the slightest suspicion is better not to buy. And the salad “with a smell” in a cafe should be abandoned. Even if you are convinced that this is the specifics of the dish or the “special” sauce, do not give in. Life and health are always more important than any conventions.