Caitríona Redmond: How to eat well on a budget — plus my slow cooker vegetable soup

'By making these simple swaps, we can continue to support Irish producers on a tight budget'

Caitríona Redmond's slow cooker vegetable soup.

It used to be that I selected whatever I wanted. I chose my shopping on a whim and tended to go with things that fit my lifestyle: Convenience food, food that could be cooked in the oven or micro waved straight from froz en and eaten on my way to or from work. All of these things took a toll on my body and my purse, but I never really gave it much thought. I enjoyed food, but I didn't care where it had come from to land on my plate so long as it hit the spot and didn't involve much effort. The price wasn't an issue.