5 Foods to Stop Buying and Start Making at Home

5 Foods to Stop Buying and Start Making at Home

Grocery prices are going up everywhere.The other day, I took my husband grocery shopping with me and I sighed when I looked at all the prices.

“I remember when that cream cheese was only $1.09 a block. Now, it’s $2.50 on SALE”

“See that sour cream there? It used to be $1.50, now it’s $1.99”

“Ugh! Why on earth is the ice cream $7.00 a bucket now?” (don’t judge…it’s a staple in our house)

You get the idea.It actually was quite disparaging to me, because it means our grocery budget is stretched out to the max these days. And, it may be that way for many of you as well. I want to show you how we save money starting with making these 5 foods to stop buying and start making at home. Simple, easy and far more nutritious for you, too!

5 Foods to Stop Buying and Start Making at Home

Homemade Pizza

A frozen pizza will cost you about $4.00 and take out pizza can cost up to $10 for a medium. With hungry teenagers who practice TaeKwonDo 3 hours a day, we need about 4 pizzas for my family. And $16-$40 for one meal just isn’t in my budget. Not to mention the questionable ingredients! So, I learned to make my own!

For the crust you will need:

1 cup warm (100°) water

1 T. dried yeast

2 T. sugar (or honey)

2 T. olive oil

3 cups flour (I use whole wheat, but you can use white if you like)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Begin by sprinkling the yeast over the warm water. Add the sugar and oil, and stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes to “proof”, then add the flour in 1 cup increments. Mix on medium speed with dough hook (or get some really good arm exercise and knead by hand) for about 1 minute, then add the garlic powder and salt. Mix together well for 5 minutes to allow gluten in flour to develop.

Allow to rise for 5-10 minutes, while oven is preheating to 450° degrees. Roll out the dough onto a cookie sheet, pizza pan or baking stone. Pierce with a fork all over, also called “docking the crust”. Bake the crust for 7 minutes alone. Remove from oven, and top with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Return to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese is nicely browned and bubbly.



**TIP**

Allow the pizza to cool for 5 minutes before you cut it. This will help the cheese to stay in place, especially if you are like my family and pile that cheese on high.

Premade Pancake Mix

You’d be amazed at how long I bought into the notion that I *needed* to actually buy the dry boxed pancake mix! I’m almost embarrassed at the fact that it took me YEARS to figure out that all I really needed was flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder! Add to that some milk, melted butter and eggs…and voila-pancakes!

So, here’s my go to recipe for pancakes:

For the dry mix:

12 cups of whole wheat pastry flour, or a combination of white/wheat

2 Tablespoons of baking powder

2 Tablespoons salt

4 Tablespoons sugar (sucanat, organic cane juice, other dry form of sweetener)

Mix the above ingredients and store in a tightly closed container. I put mine in a gallon sized glass jar on my pantry shelves. Use within 6 weeks.

To make pancakes, simply take 2 cups of the mix, add 4 tablespoons melted butter, 2 eggs and 2 cups of milk. Mix gently and use 1/4 cup of mix per pancake.

**TIP**

Wait until the pancakes are all bubbly and dry on the top side before flipping over. You only want to flip them one time, otherwise you may end up with tough pancakes.

Taco Seasoning

At the average price (in my area) of $1.39 for a couple ounces of questionable seasonings, it’s a wonder more people don’t make this on their own. Here’s my favorite recipe:

1/2 cup chili powder

1/2 cup paprika

1/2 cup cumin

1/2 cup garlic powder

1/2 cup dried onion, or onion powder if you prefer

1/2 TEASPOON cayenne pepper (more or less, to taste for spiciness) Mix all together and store in a covered jar or container for up to 6 months. To use, simply add 1/4 cup of mix and 1/2 cup of water for each pound of browned meat.

**TIP**

This is also great sprinkled on roasted potatoes or on chicken.

Homemade Tortillas

We can easily go through about 50 tortillas a week, especially if my daughter makes lunch. Her favorites to make are quesadillas and tacos. Of course, they are really only flour, salt, fat and water and take about 10 minutes to make. Just long enough to grate cheese, or brown some taco meat. And, for some reason, I felt that I was buying time or something when I bought them in the plastic little packages each week. They were nice, but these homemade ones ROCK!! All you need is

3 cups flour

1/2 cup fat (lard, tallow, shortening…butter won’t really work well here)

1 tsp salt

up to 3/4 cup water

Mix together the salt and flour and cut fat into it until it’s about the size of peas. Add water, 1/4 cup at a time until dough comes together. Knead together for about 2 minutes until smooth. Allow the dough to rest, under a damp cloth for about 5-7 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 little balls. Roll out with rolling pin and place on a dry skillet. Cook for about 1 minute on each side. Remove to a plate with a towel covering to help hold in heat.

**TIP**

If you happen to have any left over, heat up some coconut oil, or tallow the next day to 350°. Cut the tortillas into triangles with a pizza cutter and fry up. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder for some delicious chips for snacking!

Homemade Mayo

When I tell people that I make my own mayo, I have gotten responses from “oh, cool!” to the blank stares as if I told then I could transmute base metals into gold. It’s so simple, so easy to whip up a batch of your own mayo that you’ll wonder why you should buy the store bought stuff ever again!

You’ll need:

4 large eggs, brought to room temperature, with 3 separated

1 Tablespoon mustard (yellow is fine, but I like to use the brown for a different flavor)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

In a blender or food processor, add 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg, the mustard and salt. Mix on high for a minute. While the mixer or food processor is still running, gently drizzle the olive oil in a little stream. This will begin to coagulate and thicken as you do. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

**TIP**

You can lacto-ferment your mayo by increasing the salt to 1 Tablespoon, and stirring in 1/4 cup whey to the finished mayo. Allow to sit at room temperature for 7 hours before storing in the fridge.

What foods are you making at home that you used to buy?

Click here to see 5 MORE foods you should stop buying and start making at home

Original article and pictures take thehomesteadinghippy.com site