There are a number of foods that are not only less expensive to make than they are to buy, but are also way healthier when prepared from scratch. The other bonus is that you’ll have less packaging to toss into the waste stream.
Here’s my list:
Granola: It’s dead easy to make and those fancy gourmet granolas at the store are really pricey. I also love that I can customize my granola to exactly what I want.
Soup: I rarely buy boxed or canned soup because it’s one of the least expensive and easiest meals to make. It cost me less than 3 bucks and takes me less than 20 minutes to cook up a huge pot of organic veggie soup.
Egg or Tuna Salad: I couldn’t believe the price of the tuna salad at both Gelsons and Wholefoods – same with egg & tofu salad. It’s so easy and a fraction of the price to make your own.
Gucamole: Ridiculously easy to mash up your own avocados with a chili and some lime juice. Store-bought ones often contain preservatives and thickeners.
Pesto: I really dislike most store pesto. It’s inexpensive and way more delicious to make your own. It takes me all of 20 seconds to throw the ingredients into my Magic Bullet Blender (basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, & Parmesan).
Dressing/Vinaigrette: I never buy bottled versions as they almost always contain preservatives and thickeners. It takes all of a minute to pour olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard and honey into my blender. I make a huge batch and keep it in an old jelly jar for the weeks ahead.
Hummus: Again – waste of money to buy your own, when you can throw your garbanzo beans into a blender with a little tahini, lemon juice and garlic.
Soda/Sparkling Beverage: Waste of money, unhealthy and even with the healthier brands, you’re still dealing with a lot of packaging. I use my Soda Stream to carbonize my water and add organic fruit concentrate.
Croutons: I love croutons on just about anything, especially Caesar Salad and to top soups, but I never buy them from the store – way too expensive. I simply cube up a stale loaf of bread, coat the cubes in olive oil, season them and place in a hot oven for 15 minutes.
Pastry: Pie pastry, as in “Puff” or “shortcrust” is so ridiculously easy to make – flour, butter, salt & water – that’s it! Frozen pastry and pie crusts are pricey and when you make your own, your guests/family will be super-impressed.
Pancake Mix/Baking Mix: If you look at the ingredients of most pancake mixes, it’s literally just flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and a few additives. It’s so easy to make your own and customize with ingredients that you have at home anyway (flax meal, chia seeds, chocolate chips, pecan nuts etc.)
Marinera Sauce/Pizza topping: This is a no-brainer. All you need is an onion, garlic and couple of cans of organic tomatoes. I make a huge batch of it and freeze it in my glass Pyrex storage containers.
Flavored Cream Cheese: At this time of year you can buy all those delicious tubs of seasonal cream cheese, such as pumpkin, honey/almond etc. They are pricey, so I always buy a block of plain cream cheese and blend it with whatever my daughter is in the mood for. Her favorite is raw honey and almonds.
Breadcrumbs: Coming up to Thanksgiving, I’m beginning to see packets of breadcrumbs in the store for all those fall casseroles. I never buy them, but instead toss the stale end of bread in my blender and freeze them.
Tapioca/Rice Pudding & Jello: I can’t believe how expensive these are, even in Trader Joe’s. It’s so easy to make all of these desserts and very inexpensive. I love to make rice pudding with coconut milk and cinnamon.
