Skip The Pre-Made: Never Buy These

When we’re in a horrible rush, which most mothers are, it just seems downright easier to grab a can of this, or a packet of that, when in the store.  There’s a reason why “convenience” food sells. But if you want to save money and your health,  you might want to consider putting a few of your go-to products back.

Here are the 10 that I never buy pre-made:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Canned beans and veggies: Remember that almost all canned foods, with the exception of companies like Eden Foods, use cans with liners that contain BPA (Bisphenol A). This is a good reason to stop buying cans period. I always buy beans (garbanzo, etc) dry, because all you have to do is remember to soak them overnight, and you’ll save $$’s!

4. Gucamole: Ridiculously easy to mash up your own avocados with a chili and some lime juice. Store-bought ones often contain preservatives and thickeners.

5. 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).

6. 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.

7. Hummos: 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Pre-Cut fruits & veggies: Never buy these – they are way more expensive and honestly, if you own a sharp knife, there’s no excuse. The only time I ever stray is with Butternut Squash, as it’s so hard to get the flipping knife in!