Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to find one box or bottle in your house that you think you can make yourself, find a recipe, and try it out. If it’s a success, commit to never buying that package again (except in times of duress, like new babies or other big stresses).
Level of Commitment: Making Strides
Last week’s conversation on Reverse Engineering a Recipe for Real Food Quality was spectacular. (See the comments there for some additional information on fixing up your family recipes to get rid of the boxes.) Time and time again, though, it’s the snack foods that trip people up. So many of you are seeking good to-go foods and easy munchy items for the kiddos.
Me too.
Want to know a little secret?
I still use Cheerios at church. And in the van. *cringe*
There’s just nothing that is so easy to eat, no crumbs, and always available. My daughter loves my homemade crackers, but it’s not easy to keep up with the demand. Besides that, when she throws Os all over the van, it’s just a mess, but if they were painstakingly crafted homemade crackers eating carpet fuzz, I might just have to cry.
That being said, I try really, really hard to limit the Os to when we are out and desperate.
The more I read ingredients labels, the more easily convinced I am that getting rid of anything that has an ingredient label is a really crucial goal. Just try to keep track of the number of time you see “soy” and “corn” as you peruse your cupboard. (See two gals who think soy is the worst food you could put in your mouth here.)
I’ll share my faux wheat thin cracker recipe with you this week, and if condiments are your hang-up, be on the lookout for a dressings round-up tomorrow, along with my first vlog of homemade mayo. (Don’t worry, I’ll still type out the recipe for those of you who, like me, skip the videos.)
Ideas and Resources
For some good ideas for things like goldfish crackers, graham crackers, cracker crackers, mac & cheese, pitas, hummus, fruit roll-ups, cornbread, English muffins, chocolate pudding and more check out the Carnival of Un-Processed Foods.
My archives include:
- Whole wheat tortillas
- Granola bars and granola
- Cornbread
- Biscuits
- Almond Power Bars
- Yogurt Cheese (for cream cheese)
So what’s your mission? If you have your “try-it” recipe all picked out, feel free to share it in the comments for others’ benefit. Me? I’m tackling soaked granola this week.
Giveaway Winner for Charlie’s Soap
It was such fun reading all your green cleaning resolutions and the sites you like to hit other than mine. I shouldn’t be amazed that there are so many good blogs out there; it’s a big Internet, you know? But I am still amazed. Only a few were mentioned multiple times. Just thought I’d share – your other favorite blogs include:
- Money Saving Mom
- Daily Pleasures
- Kingdom First Mom
- Elana’s Pantry
- The Nourishing Gourmet
- Totally Together Journal
- Passionate Homemaking
- Naturally Knocked Up
- No Time for Flashcards
- jasmine star photography blog
- Tiredtwang.blogspot.com
- www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com
- www.romantichome.blogspot.com
- GNOWFGLINS
- Conversion Diary
- Simple Mom
- Life as MOM
- The Crafty Crow
- www.Freebies4mom.blogspot.com
- Keeper of the Home
- http://www.just-making-noise.blogspot.com/
- http://spaininiowa.blogspot.com/
- Get Rich Slowly
- Cheeseslave
- Kelly the Kitchen Kop
- Progressive Pioneer
- Hallee the Homemaker
- www.aholyexperience.com
- Heavenly Homemakers
- Smitten Kitchen
- Ten Minutes to Digest
- www.StuffOnMyCat.com
- www.dailypleasures.blogspot.com
- Home Sanctuary
- A Holy Experience
- http://down—to—earth.blogspot.com
- Raising Arrows
- Raising Olives
- Reading to Know
- Thought for Food
- Real Learning
The winner of the Charlie’s Soap Giveaway is number 317, Stacy of 4 Living Simply! Please email me at kitchenstew [at] gmail.com with your mailing address. Congrats!
I’ve been thinking this exact thing for a long time, Katie. It’s integrated into my new year’s resolutions, which I’m still working on. (I’m not a bandwagoner – I like to take my time with this sort of thing. I’m hoping to write my resolutions post sometime this month. :>))
I need to poke around your archives, but I don’t think you’ve covered this yet – the addictive nature of food additives? I have found myself “rewarding” myself with food, and I will bypass perfectly good leftovers in the fridge to make something from a box that requires cooking (AND dirtying a pan – I’m as dishes-averse as you are!). But I need to wrap my mind around it better first, and I haven’t even started poking in the interwebs yet…
.-= Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Declutter Challenge: 40 Bags in 40 Days =-.
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Katie Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Lenetta,
Katie
I have not covered it at all, and it’s not a subject I know much about – but I’d believe it! Looking forward to seeing what you find out – want to guest post?
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I don’t have any opportunities to reduce the number of ‘boxes’ in my cupboard this week, but I did give my sister my pancake recipe! (http://kristens-kitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/pancakes.html)
I have already tackled biscuits and pancakes. I’ve tried tortillas once, but I need some more practice to master them.
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Please share your recipe for soaked granola!
I think that my little ones and I are going to try making some homemade crackers this week. Right now we are making yogurt together (the milk is heating up, so I took a few minutes away from it), which is something that I have been doing for a few years, but I thought that it would not hurt to try to pass on the love of making and enjoying your own homemade food to my little ones.
Thanks again for choosing me to win the Charlie’s Soap! I am so excited to try it out!
.-= Stacy´s last blog ..Another giveaway over at Simple Mom =-.
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I made Oven Baked Barbecue Chicken on Saturday, and it was nice to not have to use/buy bottled barbecue sauce.
.-= Wendy´s last blog ..Oven Barbecued Chicken (Dark Days Challenge) =-.
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This is an excellent challenge, but scary at the same time! I know how to make mayo and ketchup from scratch as well as dressings, but often I choose a prepackaged option (organic though it may be) because I don’t plan ahead or think ahead. Just last week I was thinking I NEED to start making these items as regular as I do bread and cereal. I committed to never buying these again except for rare exceptions – and you know, we were able to do it with just a little forethought. I am running low on ketchup, so I think I’ll choose this item. Yikes!Here we go!!!
.-= Amy blogs @ River Rock Cottage´s last blog ..First Poll Results! =-.
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Katie Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Woo hoo! That’s the way to do it, Amy, one item at a time!
Katie
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Hi Katie!
Thanks for sharing all of your findings!
I decided to make my own granola bars and used your recipe. They turned out good, a little crumbly! I LOVE granola bars as a snack food and usually buy Kashi, so I think I just saved some money but didn’t sacrifice taste
Kathy
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Inspired by your post on reverse-engineering food, I decided to try to make chicken corn chowder. I’ve been taking the canned version to work and love it, but I knew it couldn’t possibly be good for me. Well, reading the ingredients label convinced me of two things: 1. It’s a very simple soup and should be easy to duplicate, and 2. two-thirds of the ingredients list were things I didn’t want to put in my mouth. My soup is in the crockpot now, and if it’s a success, I’ll link back to it for your carnival. It sure smells good.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Next, I want to try to make my own barbecue sauce. I’m sure I can make it better than the bottle, and it will let me make pulled pork BBQ from scratch!
.-= Sheila´s last blog ..How to be a Snob on $7 a Day =-.
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Katie Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Sheila,
Katie
You get the “ohhh yeahhhhhh!” award this week!
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I recently started making your granola cereal much to my husband’s delight! We like those granola type cereals but drying to find one that didn’t have HFCS, transfats, etc. and was affordable was disspointing. No more disappointments, now that I’m making it on my own!
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I realized my recipe doesn’t really fit your carnival — it’s not a hamburger-helper-type meal, but just a reverse-engineered soup. But it WAS good, and here’s the recipe:
http://agiftuniverse.blogspot.com/2010/02/chicken-corn-chowder.html
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Great post!! I have been working on healthier eating for a couple years now. But really got serious this fall about making more from scratch. I have perfected my mayo and love it!!! Yesterday I made my second batch of cream of mushroom soup, yummmm. (will use for a stroganoff recipe) I will never go back to the can. The last three weeks I have been making my own version of the green Naked juice. (even cheeper than Costco or Sams;)
Now you have me thinking about what else I can make. Thanks!
PS Try the Kashi Heart To Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal in place of Cheerios – O’s and hearts:)
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Kesha Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
michelle,
do tell! do you have a site? what’s your green juice recipe?
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This is a really great post! I don’t have children, yet, but I would imagine that I would cry too, if my homemade crackers ended up on the floor…LOL! It all about the baby steps – and what you can manage.
.-= Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen´s last blog ..Nourishing and Comforting Shepard’s Pie =-.
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I am so glad I found your site! I am trying to go to the using no unproccesed foods but hubby is fighting me every step of the way. Tonight I’m making “hamburger helper” I found a box in the back of the cabinet during my Eat From the Pantry Challenge… we’ll see how all that turns out. LOL I’m nervous! Thanks for all the great info! I can’t wait to try and make tortillas!
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Katie Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Keli,
Welcome aboard! Many of us are in the same boat, and we’ll try to keep each other afloat – Katie
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