5 (easy) Pantry Essentials You Could Be Making From Scratch
I’m sure most of us have heard at some point that processed foods are not the best for our health. Then you tell yourself you are going to “cut back” on the snacks, frozen dinners, etc. But when cravings hit, or you are having a hard week, you go back to buying those easy pre-prepared foods. One way you can stop this cycle is by learning how to make those processed foods at home instead. Instead of “cutting out” foods from your diet, you can replace them with the homemade versions! Which are so much yummier anyway! Bonus: it is very comforting knowing exactly what you are feeding you and your family!
Granola
There are so many good reasons to learn to make your own granola. One, you can create your own unique ingredient and flavor combinations. Although I now love most granola ingredients, I used to be a strictly chocolate and almonds girl, a very picky eater. So i loved being able to make the perfect granola for my taste. Granola can also replace store bought cereal. Instead of those processed ingredients you can have whole foods, like oats, nuts, and seeds. I use this recipe by Love and Lemons as a guide for when I’m making granola. You can easily switch out the nuts, add some seeds, or use a different nut butter. Make it your own!
Applesauce
After making applesauce just a few times, you won’t even need to look at a recipe. It’s so simple! You can check out my super simple smooth applesauce recipe here on the blog. I like to make and keep a jar of unsweetened applesauce to use in baking, but I also love a good batch of fresh homemade sweetened applesauce with cinnamon. And it tastes SO MUCH better than store-bought apple sauce. Better yet, eat your homemade applesauce warm, it is so yummy and cozy. If you would like to take it one step further, buy your apples from a local orchard or farmers market. You will help support local businesses as well as have just about the freshest applesauce you can get!
Salad Dressings
I used to be the person that ate ranch on everything. It was the only dressing I knew. After cutting dairy from my diet, I found that I did not know how to eat a salad anymore without having ranch to smother every veggie. My homemade salad dressing journey began when I made a copycat of the Chili’s quesadilla explosion salad (but make it vegan). Random I know, but I loved this salad. I found a copycat recipe online that included a homemade dressing recipe. It tasted exactly like what I wanted!! I started looking for more salad recipes with dressing recipes to go along with them. GAME CHANGER. For the past year my go-to SO easy to make salad dressing has been olive oil, honey, lemon juice, salt & pepper. That’s it! Just whisk or shake together those 5 ingredients. It takes a minute to make and it’s so nice to not be wondering what all those ingredients on the dressing bottle are.
Croutons & Tortilla Strips
Another salad ingredient super easy to make at home with ingredients you probably already have, croutons! I like to save the crusty ends of loaves of bread to later turn into croutons. You can take any (unsweet) bread (the crusts or not), cut it up into cubes, drizzle some olive oil on them and any seasonings you like. Spread them out of a sheet pan and toss them in the oven! You can also make tortilla strips the same way! I like to use tortilla strips in some tex-mex salads (like the Chili’s one) and in some soups and chilis. With a quick google search you can find so many easy recipes, just find one that suits you!
Vegetable Broth
I found myself using a lot of veggie broth this winter! I’ve been making more soups than ever, and I also have started cooking things like rice and lentils in broth instead of water (highly recommend). I knew I could easily make broth from home but it sounded daunting! While broth can be simple to make from scratch, it may be pretty inconvenient and may even cost more if you are not someone who makes home cooked meals often. I thought it sounded intimidating at first because there are so many recipes out there, I wasn’t sure what was best, and I thought I would do it wrong. I turns out though, it is hard to mess up. I start by saving scraps of veggies, primarily celery, carrots, onions, and garlic, but other veggies can be used as well! I store a container of these scraps in the freezer. I also make sure to wash off these pieces of the veggies before storing them! Then once I restock on all my veggies (like if I am planning on making a big soup), I wash, cut, and prepare all the veggies at once. As I go, I take all the skins and scraps that I do not want to use in my meal and put them in a big pot, and then I also add all the other scraps I have saved or any veggies that are about to go bad. Then I cover all the veggie scraps in water (about 2 inches higher than the veggies) and then let that simmer for an hour. Strain the broth, compost the veggie scraps, and you are ready to go! You can keep a jar in the fridge and freeze the rest, or whatever you think is best for how often you use broth.
It can be intimidating thinking about making every food/ingredient you use from scratch. Fortunately, no one is asking you to give up processed foods all together, and start cooking from scratch 24/7. Just replacing a few foods you regularly buy with a homemade version, is a big and rewarding step! I hope this list gave you some ideas and gave you the boost you need to start cooking from scratch.
