3 simple foods you should absolutely make from scratch

Hi reader, You know how some people collect stamps or quarters or stuffed animals? Well, I collect meal plans. Totally nerdy - I KNOW - but seeing recipes that OTHER people pick is what gives me inspiration when I make my own meal plans. Oftentimes though, these other meal plans use foods that aren't exactly what I'd use… For example, they might make a slow cooker pot roast and use a packet of dry onion soup mix and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Personally, I'd make my homemade dry onion soup mix and my homemade cream of mushroom soup instead. I don't necessarily make EVERYTHING on the meal plan from scratch, especially if we're in a busy season, but there are a few things that I ALWAYS make from scratch instead of buying them. 1. Bread Healthy bread is so cheap to make, that it seems silly to pay $3-4 per loaf. And considering my daughter is sensitive to modern wheat, it just makes more sense for us to make our own loaves of einkorn bread. If you've never made bread before, start with either no-knead artisan bread (great for soups and salad nights) or man bread (great for sandwiches). Both are GREAT recipes for beginners, because you really can't screw them up! 2. Beans I like to keep a can or two of beans in my pantry - just in case - but if I make a meal plan that includes beans, I intend on making those beans from scratch. Cooking beans from scratch is cheaper than the cans, and since they're easy to make in bulk (especially when I use my Instant Pot), it's just not worth buying the cans on a regular basis. (If you don't have an Instant Pot, here's my slow cooker beans method.) 3. Seasoning Packets Need ranch dressing? Dry onion soup mix? Taco seasoning? I make all of these myself for 3 simple reasons: They use ingredients I already have. They're CRAZY easy to make. I know exactly what they're made of - no junk! Tip: Anytime you make your own seasonings, make a 2x or 3x batch and label them. That way you'll have some in your pantry, ready to go next time! 4. Dressings I don't even remember the last time I bought salad dressing! From ranch dressing to Caesar dressing to cilantro lime vinaigrette to Italian dressing to Greek dressing… I make them all myself. Not only can you control the ingredients (again, no junk!), but I always have the ingredients on hand. And they can all be made in 5 min or less! I'm curious, reader, what do YOU always make from scratch? Hit "reply" and share with me! ALL my best ♥, PS: Cooking food from scratch is a GREAT way to save money...when it makes sense for you. What's on my list may not work for your family and that's OK! I teach that concept again and again in my courses Grocery Budget Bootcamp and Meal Planning Bootcamp. Both courses will be open for enrollment NEXT WEEK during the Black Friday in July sale. They offer an in-depth look into grocery budgeting and meal planning. I highly recommend digging deep into these programs to really maximize your grocery savings and meal planning efforts. (And I'm not the only one to recommend, ask any of my 1000+ graduates who have saved over a MILLION dollars on food!) Also included in the sale are two bundles to help you save on groceries NOW.  Grocery Savings Quick Start Bundle Fight Inflation Bundle Both bundles are FULL of resources that will help you save on food right away. There's recipes, meal plans, cheat sheets, and helpful guides. The ebooks in these bundles have never before been publicly available and I'm SO EXCITED to share them! Click here for a sneak peek into the sale and I'll let you know when it starts!!   Popular on the Blog this Week Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Ice Cream My homemade peanut butter chocolate chip banana ice cream recipe uses just one main ingredient and you don't need an ice cream maker – just a food processor or a blender!   Read More Here   The Best Healthy Foods to Buy in Bulk We buy in bulk to save money, but which items won't go bad over time? Here's a great list of 20+ healthy foods that will last at least a year in storage. Read More Here   25+ Food Substitutions that Save Money Here are 25+ Healthy and Easy Food Substitutions that will save you money, time, and space in your pantry! Learn more here on stocking a real food pantry to save time and money! Read More Here   Freshly Updated Dairy Free Homemade Ranch Dressing Easy and healthy dairy-free ranch dressing made from scratch. This recipe uses ingredients you already have, can be made without buttermilk, and tastes better than Hidden Valley! Whole30, Paleo and Keto approved – my whole family loves this dressing!  Read More Here  Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Skip the oven this summer and make slow cooker chicken instead. Perfectly moist chicken that lasts us 4-7 meals without heating up the kitchen. Read More Here  Oatmeal Chocolate Cake This healthy chocolate oatmeal cake recipe uses old-fashioned leftover oatmeal instead of flour. A brown sugar or cream cheese frosting makes it dessert! Read More Here  New Posts on the Blog This Week July Meal Plan Use this one month meal plan for July to help you plan simple summer dinners! Easy, healthy, fresh meal ideas to feed your family good food all month long. Enjoy meals like Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Soup!  Read More Here

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