(did I make any sense?) LOL! Not really!!
What are you looking for? Home made chicken nuggets? Home made catsup? How to make sausage? French fries from real potatoes?
Cake from scratch?
I make my own cookies, breads and cakes..
I make oven fried potatoes from whole potatoes, I don't eat Oreos ( very often!!) never twinkies, very very rarely potato chips...and occasionally hot dogs?
What do you want?
Linda C

Linda, I'm not sure what I'm looking for! :) I was hoping you would give me some ideas I never considered making "homemade" Ok, yes, chicken nuggets, homemade ketchup - I'm sure my kids won't touch it - what is a substitute for crackers? What else?

Simple Baking Mix
(Makes 10 cups)

9 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/3 cup baking powder
1 cup instant non-fat dry milk
4 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups shortening

In a very large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, dry milk, salt; mix well. With a pastry blender, cut shortening into dry ingredients until mixture resembles course cornmeal. Store in tightly sealing containers. Mix may be stored at room temperature for several weeks.

To make biscuits: Use 2 cups of the mix to 1/2 cup water. Stir water into the mix.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Roll around in flour until dough can be rolled.
Roll into 1/2 inch thickness and cut biscuits. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, will make about 10-12 small biscuits.
To make drop biscuits, use more liquid and drop on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

To make dropped dumplings in soups and stews, make dough the consistency for drop biscuits, and slide off of a wet spoon into the lightly boiling liquids and cover and steam for 15-20 minutes.

To make coffee cakes, add an egg, some vanilla or other flavored extract and sugar to taste and enough liquid to make a good dough, lay in a greased pan and top with apples or other fruit and streusel topping.

If you like a buttermilk baking mix, add some powdered Buttermilk to replace up to of the dry milk.

(I have found that King Arthur flour works best.)

Blueiris~ I make sauces. I try and read ingredient labels more than ever. I've cut way back on alot of things we used to buy. I'm heading more towards organic and GMO free products. Which cost a bit more, but..I know I'm giving my family a little less carp, even in convience foods.

I don't have an arsenal of recipes..I usually do a google when I'm looking for something specific.

I do my own tarter sauce, thousand island dressing, barbeque sauces, and things like that too. I follow the recipes in one of my diabetic cookbooks. Healthier choices and taste fine. I rarely to never use artificial sweetners, even if the recipe calls for them. I react to most of them in a nasty way. So, I will use honey or sugar, but we are not sweet eaters, so not too much even then.

I dehydrate, freeze, and can fruits and vegetables and that is a huge savings and I can regulate our salt and sugars better.

The best place to find recipes for almost anything is at your county extention office. I have gotten recipes to make my own soda pop to how to grind my own wheat.

Making mixed rices with seasonings is another of my favorite "make myself" projects. I like to mix various brown rices and grains and make seasoning pouches of my own herbs from the garden. Very easy and a quick fix for dinners.

I am not married to the idea that I have to make it myself. I have many of the items I do myself in my pantry or refrigerator. But, I do my own as much as I can because of the sugar and salts mostly. And, I want to keep a better eye on hidden fats. I like to get rid of perservatives and only use citric acid when I dehyrdate, can or freeze, if anything. I do use alum in my pickles and I believe that is a sulfate for those who need to know, but it also give my pickes great crunch. Without it, they are okay, but not as much of a crunchy snap, so I use it.

I use a lot of fresh lemon as a perservative and color agent when the flavor won't impair the final product. The lemon makes the foods not oxidate to brown for example.

I make my own bread some of the time, but we have found Sara Lee Country Style Whole Grain White bread quite good and we like Sara Lee Whole Wheat Whole Grain with Honey very good too. And, when I am close enough, I will pick up some bread at a few different bakeries we like.

Shop the outside aisles of the supermarket where the fresh produce, meats, poultry, dairy ect live...avoid the inside aisles loaded with products which were originally developed to make our lives SO easy-yea right!!

Heck, you can bread chicken peices in crumbs made from your own baked bread or whatever bread suits you. Dip em in fresh salsa serve with corn on the cob and oven fries...sure beats anything processed!

If you want to get your kids to eat fresh veggies, let them plant a garden. Take them to the farmers market and let them pick new things to try and let them see you and any other adults try new things. Good luck!

Cheers!
Susie-having hot dogs tonight!! LOL!!

Just by paying attention to the sodium labeling you can make better choices when purchasing groceries. Frankly, throw away the crackers entirely - whole wheat toast or Carr's whole wheat crackers (amazingly good, slightly sweet, especially since I don't like their water crackers at all) are so much better nutritionally. Since my MIL prefers soft, mushy white bread, we compromised on the Sarah Lee brand whole wheat breads - 3 grams of fiber per slice, but softer and less "chewy" than the traditional high-fiber WW breads of many other brands.

One of my favorite quick recipes is a homemade 'shake and bake' mix. 1 lb unseasoned bread crumbs with my own blend of spices (paprika, a little McCormick's lemon pepper which is the lowest commercial sodium brand we like; then marjoram, oregano, ground celery seed, and basil), along with 1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds.

Olive oil greases the foil-lined pan; a little oil dribbled over the tops of the coated boneless chicken pieces, and then baked in the oven 375 degrees for however long you bake your chicken. I always use trimmed boneless thighs, it's about 25 min in my oven. Yummy, simple, and makes devastating lunch sandwiches the next day - what more could you want?

I prefer to use the heart-healthy Bisquick mix as it's made with canola oil and not solid shortening. Also, the low-fat Hellman's/Best Foods mayo is outstanding - no one will ever know the difference.

There are brands of non-thickening fiber you can use in cooking and baking that will help add fiber without throwing off the recipes' taste, such as Benefiber.

Buy brands with as little salt and sugar as you can. Substitute plain or vanilla yoghurt with chopped fresh or frozen fruit added, rather than the usual corn syrup-sweetened stuff.

Buy the heart-healthy soups rather than the usual high-sodium types, or learn to make your own. My mother always had a chicken stock or chicken-pork stock on the stove or in the refrig, and I do also.

Rinse high salt items, like canned beans, before cooking them. I do a lot of Asian cooking, so I switched from soy sauce to oyster sauce, which has more flavor and less sodium. There are many fruit-based barbecue sauces or marinades with very low sodium, that add good flavor to chops, burgers, roasts, etc., without using excessive salt.

I make a chili rub for ribs and chicken with no salt at all, then foil-wrap the meat for baking. Then I spread it with barbecue sauce - Bronco Bob's mango-chipotle sauce is yummy without being extra hot! - and broil it till crispy.

It can take a very long time to get people off the salty/sugary taste of commercial foods - it's taken me literally almost a decade to get my DH off processed foods. Now he's finally at the point he won't even eat food that's too salty-tasting! Considering that he hates wasting food, this is a real victory for me.

blueiris, it depends on how much work you want to do, LOL. I make my own sausage and even ground my homeground beef and pork and stuffed hot dogs. I can all my own jam so I can reduce the sugar by quite a lot, make all my own pickles, relish, catsup, salsa. I bake all my bread, including one of my favorites, pita bread and seldom eat fast food. Once in a while I'll have Oreos but there is zero chance I'd ever eat a Twinkie!

I've even ground my own peanut butter but I don't like it, I like Peter Pan. (grin)

Here's my "famous" salsa recipe:

ANNIES SALSA

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
3 - 5 chopped jalapenos or to taste
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
16 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, Process 15 minutes for pints in a hot water bath.

You may increase the amount of hot peppers if you want more heat, but reduce the green pepper or onion by the same amount to retain the acidity of the recipe and keep it safe to can. You dont have to use jalapenos, you can use any hot pepper you have on hand. I like habaneros but they are VERY hot. Be careful.

The tomato sauce and paste are for consistency only, I like a salsa so thick it sits on my chip, you can leave it out but it is "runnier" without it.

Let's see, how about jam? The original recipe called for six cups of sugar, but I've cut that in half and it's still just fine, if your apples aren't too sour.

Apple and Maple Preserves
>
> 12 cups finely peeled, cored and chopped tart apples (about 6 pounds)
> 3 cups sugar
> 1 cup grade A, light or medium, amber maple syrup
> 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
> 1/2 teaspoon allspice
> 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
> 1/4 teaspoon cloves
>
> Cook until mixture thickens. Stir well so the jam does not burn. Usual > with jars. BWB 10 minutes.

Catsup? Of course, I grow the tomatoes, LOL. That recipe is at home, but I'd gladly post it next week, when I get home from babysitting Dad and Stepmom.

I also make mayo, salad dresings, pancake and biscuit mix, hot chocolate is always "from scratch". Oh, and I make my own yogurt too!

Annie

Hi blueiris - I'll keep thinking - because I'm kind of trying like terri is. I'm educating myself and my family about what we should be eating and we're trying to cut way back on processed foods.

One biggie that I'm making right now (did the broth yesterday - the brown sauce today..) is this. Sharon's Beef Stock. Also on the thread are some wonderful recipes for chicken stock, fish stock and vegetable stock.

Stacy

Let's see -- I make my own salad dressings. But I still buy ketchup, mayo, A-1, worcestershire and soy sauces.

I make my own chicken stock. I'll have to tackle making beef stock soon.

I whip whipped cream from fresh cream. I make salsa but haven't canned any yet.

I don't make any canned soups, stews, pastas, etc.

Blueiris - what do you buy now that's processed?

I make all my own chicken stock, and since Tuesday night and a little virtual help from Lindac all my own beef stock from now on also! (Thanks, Linda, by the way. I saved your method a while back!)

Learn to can! Lots of healthy stuff you can make and control the ingredients if you know how to can. Many things that can be canned can also be frozen, so if you prefer not to can, freeze!

I freeze extra veggies all the time. If red peppers are on sale I buy lots and either roast and freeze, or chop and freeze. If I have celery, green beans, onions, corn, broccoli, etc that I can't use up before they would go bad, I chop and freeze to use for soups and stews later on.

I make Annie's salsa, so I can vouch for that, too. Haven't had a jar of store bought salsa in over 3 years! Other things I can are Sharon's famous dill pickles, spaghetti sauce, sweet pickle relish, tomato sauces, jams, jellies and preserves.

I have, in the past canned peaches and veggies, but need to get back into that this year. SOOOOO much more flavorful and nutritious than commercially canned, and you control the amounts of sugar, etc.

I have not made this yet, but plan to very soon. Someone (sorry, don't rememeber who) posted this here back in 2003.

John's Ketchup

8 lb ripe tomatoes
2 large onions, peeled & chopped
2 green peppers, seeded & chopped
1-1/2 tsp whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks ,broken into pieces
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp whole allspice
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 c vinegar
2 tsp salt

1. Place tomatoes, onions and peppers in non-reactive pot. Cook, uncovered on high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
Reduce heat to medium and cook 30 minutes more. Press mixture through strainer and back into pot.

2. Tie cloves, cinnamon, celery seed and allspice in cheesecloth. Add to tomato mixture along with sugar, cayenne pepper and mustard. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until mixture is reduced by half it's volume, 2-3 hours.

3. Add vinegar and salt. Continue cooking oer low heat until consistency and taste suit you-about 2 more hours. Remove spice bag and spoon ketchup into hot clean jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Process for 10 minutes in BWB. Stoer in cool, dark place until ready to use. Refrigerate after opening.

Note: for less spicy ketchup, remove the spice bag after step 2. Ketchup will be brownish in color from the spices, but that's OK.

Good luck!
Linda

Stacy, that's my next step..making my own stock/broth. And have it in the freezer. I do make chicken stock when I have the "bones"..like now..
I buy GF organic low sodium chicken broth and use that even for beef based stuff.
I am now buying only organic milk(the kids LOVE it~but it's not cheap!) and dairy products for the most part.
I will go back to gardening this year too. Our farmers markets are small and once a week....and only in the late spring and through summer.

We love Annie's Salsa. But I can't grow tomatoes very well..but am gonna try this year again.
I need to collect Annie's Ketchup recipe myself.
I make my own jams too.

I'm also trying to convince hubby to let me have some egg layers of my own....we'll see.....

Blueiris, I don't think of most basic condiments as processed foods, even though I guess they are. I buy ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, mustards,etc. Also crackers, dry pasta, canned tuna and salmon as well as basic baked goods such as bread, rolls etc. Just watch your labels.

I rarely buy prepared foods such as soup, stock, processed cheeses, cookies, cakes, snacks, pasta sauces, canned veggies ( OK I fell off the wagon last night and had canned veggies but honest it is very rare!!!LOL). Also I never buy frozen foods, except veggies , fruit and puff pastry. No need for frozen fries, chicken fingers, wings, frozen appetizers etc. All those things can be made from scratch for a whole lot less money and no hidden stuff.

My rule is to shop the outside of the store.....produce, bakery, meats, and dairy and only go down the other aisles if I have something specific on my list like flour, spices, coffee, tea, pasta etc.

One disclaimer, it may mean you know what you are eating, it sure will taste better but it won't necessarily mean you end up thinner...LOL

There's a difference between processed foods and convenience foods. Convenience foods would be frozen fruits and veggies, and bagged lettuces for example. Even canned tuna, salmon and crab. Those are fine.

LOL Sharon - yes it doesn't do much good to switch to non-processed foods if you are just going to overeat!

I came up with these recipes years ago when I started removing trans-fats from our diet and using whole grains.

I have also altered many "Gifts-in-a-Jar" recipes by using whole grain flour and other ingredients I consider healthier choices, and use those as my homemade convenience foods.

-Grainlady

Good-For-You-Baking Mix
(Bisquick Substitute)

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 c. white whole wheat or spelt flour (freshly milled or commercial)
3/4 c. Morning Moo's (whey-based milk substitute) or non-fat dried powdered milk
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. cornmeal
3 T. baking powder
3 T. flax meal
1 t. salt
1 c. softened butter or coconut oil (I avoid trans-fats in shortening)

In a large conatiner thoroughly combine all the dry ingredients.

Add the softened butter (or coconut oil) by using a pastry blender to cut the fat into the mixture until it is evenly distributed.

Store, tightly covered, in a freezer so the butter and wholegrain flour doesn't go rancid.

Quick Drop Biscuits
3 c. Good-For-You Baking Mix
1 c. plain yogurt or drained kefir curd
Combine baking mix and yogurt just until moistened. Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 425°F pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 16 biscuits.
--------------------------------

PANCAKE MIX

3 c. freshly-milled white wheat flour (hard or soft wheat varieties) OR spelt
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c. multi-grain cereal (5-, 7, 10, etc. - looks like chopped whole grain and is used for cooked cereal)
1 c. cornmeal
5 T. baking powder
4 T. flax meal
1 T. sugar

Mix all together. Store the mixture in an airtight container in the freezer.

Makes approx. 7-1/2 c.

To prepare 6 small pancakes:

Lightly beat one egg with 1/2 c. - your choice - of one of the following (or a combination of them), yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, sour cream, or dairy/non-dairy milk.

Optional: Add 1 T. melted butter or coconut oil to the mixture.

Stir in 1/2 c. of the pancake mix. Do not over-mix. If the batter seems too thick, add a little milk. If too wet, add a little more mix.

Ladel out the batter onto a pre-heated griddle and fry cakes over medium heat, turning once.

You sure can make your own crackers....but you can also make pita chips which area very good substitute, and you can make bread crisps by cutting skinny slices of a good firm bread, brushing it with olive oil and baking in a slow 300 oven until lightly browned and crisp...you can also season them with dried herbs and garlic posder and a little ground chilis.
As for that Sara lee bread! EWWW!
Last summer I bought some for the grands when they were here and about 3 slices got put into the back of a cupboard after they left. I didn't discover it for a month or more. Summer. Bread in the cupboard for weeks....
Anyhow it didn't mold, didn't dry out....and even tasted pretty well like it did when new ( I would have said fresh but I doin't believe that stuff ever was fresh!). It's so full of preservatives It will probably last forever in the land fill!
And to solidify the experinent, the kids mom picked up some when they were here at Christmas. This time it didn't stay for more than 2 weeks in the cupboard before I found it....mainly because there was 1/2 a loaf.
Nope...no mold...no drying out, no stale taste.
I used to like Sara Lee products....but no more!
Linda C

Linda, that is the one thing I've got to get the boys off of.
Sara Lee White Whole (grain) Wheat "kid" bread.

They do like to eat my gluten free bread I make though..so it wouldn't be to hard I guess..I just need to do!

Here's one for you:

HOMEMADE SHAKE 'N BAKE

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cracker crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried basil
Cooking oil

Combine dry ingredients and shake together in a jar. When ready to use, brush chicken with oil and place in bag with enough mix to coat. Shake until well coated. Bake according to standard recipe, or at 375 F. for 35-45 minutes or until done. Store mix in a closed jar in the refrigerator.

Note: Good on pork chops also.

Posted at Mimis Cyber-Kitchen by SandyOH 4/12/02.

Cheez Whiz. Or at least cheese spread. I don't know the ingredients on the jar because I don't want to know LOL. But I have made my own cheese spread by whizzing shredded cheddar cheese with some light mayo until smooth, adding a bit of skim milk to get the right consistency. You can vary the cheese as well to get different flavours - sometimes I add some havarti or montery jack or colby cheese. Note that I shred my own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese tastes and acts different because it is starched to prevent clumping in the bag. I don't want that starch.

You can make your own unsweetened fruit drinks by mixing real fruit juices with some water. You can come up with your own custom mix, and I have mixed carrot juice with apple and orange and nobody was the wiser. I do this because there are no additives or dyes, you control the amount of fruit juice to water, no corn syrup, and I can make sure it does not contain grapefruit (which I cannot have). You would be surprised how much water you can add before it becomes too tart! Best with LOTS of ice cubes in your glass and a squeeze of lime.

My husband loves "nacho cheese" dip but the ones you can bu are loaded with chemicals, extra sodium, and fat. I mix shredded light cheeses with a bit of light cream cheese and about an equal amount of salsa. Heat in the microwave, stirring well after every minute. At first it will look clumpy but keep heating and mixing until it smooths out. Add a dollop of light sour cream and stir well, then eat with tortilla chips. It looks like vomit (sorry about that LOL) but it tastes really good.

I think it's all a matter of balance. If my kids would have eaten brand-name processed cereals every morning or drank soft drinks (even diet), making my own mustard would have only been a drop in the bucket toward healthier eating. Look for the big offenders first - bread, cereal, rice mixes, cold cuts, wine, bacon, drink mixes, etc. Then work on condiments.

I make my own ketchup, mustard, salad dressings and relishes but that's mainly because I like the taste better than the purchased versions.

RICE-A-RONI

2 Tbs. butter
1 cup finely crushed vermicelli noodles
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add noodles and stir for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add rice and stir for another 4 or 5 minutes. Add broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave pan covered for 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings.

MUSTARD makes about 2 cups

2 cups dry white wine
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves, garlic, minced
1 can (4 oz.) dry mustard
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 tsp. salt or less to taste
Few drops tabasco and Worcestershire sauces

Combine wine, onion and garlic in small saucepan; bring to boil; lower heat; simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into bowl and cool to room temperature. Strain wine mixture into dry mustard in a small saucepan, beating constantly with a wire whisk until very smooth. Blend remaining ingredients into mustard mixture in saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly; cool.

Pour into a glass jar; cover and chill at least 2 days to blend flavors. Keep refrigerated.

Wine?!

I did not have time to read all the responses here, I just came in from shoveling and am heading back out in about 10 minutes. But I would like to suggest reading the Top Secret Recipe cookbooks. There are home versions of all kinds of things, from Whoppers to KFC to Tony Roma's ribs. All the recipes I've tried have been good (not whoppers, I don't eat those) and if you see an ingredient you don't want to use (KFC uses loads of MSG so there is some in the recipes to get the correct flavor) you just leave it out or sub something else. I have 5 of these books, I always use either the Tony Rama or Chili's rib recipes (which are identical but for the sauce. Look for them at your library.

Thanks for posting your mustard recipe, Ruthanna. I have a recipe that I've been using, but I think I'll like yours better.

My husband's on a low sodium diet, so I make a lot of things from scratch. But I'm always on the lookout for low sodium products that I can use too. As other have said, looking at labels is the key to buying items free of the things you want to avoid.

One thing is make is a take off on Adele Davis' recipe called "Better Butter." She was a nutritionist from the 60s & 70s -- one of the first health food advocates. I make it for several reasons: First of all, it helps me regulate the salt content. Although butter is no longer the cholesterol culprit it once was, cutting it with a "heart healthy" oil is a good idea. This recipe allows you to spread the butter when you take it out of the fridge. And, the combo of butter & oil makes it good for cooking & light sauteing. Finally, nothing beats the taste of butter, so this satisfies without having any guilt.

Better Butter Spread

1 pound butter
1 cup light flavored oil

Let butter come to room temperature & whip. Slowly add oil until all is incorporated. Pack into container & refrigerate.

Notes: For salt free spread, use unsalted butter. For lightly salted spread, use 2 cubes unsalted butter & 2 cubes salted butter. For barely salted spread, use 3 cubes unsalted butter & 1 cube salted butter.

I usually put the butter in the microwave for a few seconds until softened, not melted. Then I whip with a fork & add the oil gradually. My son uses his KitchenAid mixer.

This is an interesting thread - there are a lot of good ideas, recipes and tips. Thanks for posting the question, Blueiris

Instead of boxed breakfast cereal, here's a granola I make instead. I do vary it some each time I make it, but it's a good basic recipe, and you can use your imagination to change it as you see fit.
_______________________________________________________________________
From Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Granola

6 cups flaked or rolled grains
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Salt 1 cup raisins
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
3/4 cup honey, golden syrup or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees (my note - I've found this to be too hot, and generally set the oven at 275, but maybe it's my oven)

toss the dry ingredients but not the raisins together, then add the oil and sweetener and toss again to coat them thoroughly. Spread the mixture on two sheet pans and bake until golden, turning every 10 minutes so that it browns evenly. When done, after about 30 minutes, add the raisins and let cool. As the granola cools, it will lose its stickiness and become crinchy. Store in a tightly covered jar.

Low fat granola: Omit the oil and toast everything as suggested. Keep the sweetener or reduce it. It does give the cereal a nice crunch and is perhaps a better idea than simply passing the sugar bowl.
__________________________________________________________________________

The variations I've done include adding walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, flax seed, and omitting the raisins. Sometimes I add quinoa, but that makes it a bit too crunchy. Oh, I use oatmeal as the main grain. Sometimes I add vanilla, and change around the flavorings some, depending on what sounds good at the time. You can use a cup of fruit juice as a substitute for the oil, too.

Sally

Going through a bunch of stuff I had stored in the basement, I found a recipe booklet entitled "Wine-Art".

I have no idea where I got this booklet. I would be happy to post any recipes you may want. Here's the Index of the booklet.

Acid Control
Apple Wine
Apple Cider
Apricot Wine
Beetroot Wine
Birch Sap Wine
Blackberry Wine
Blackcurrant Wine
Blueberry Wine
Carrot Wine
Cherry Wine
Choke Cherry Wine
Citrus Champagne
Cleanliness
Crab apple wine
Cranberry wine
Dandelion wine
Elderberry Wine
Fig wine
Fluid Measure Equivalents
Gooseberry Wine
Grapes
Grape Concentrate
Grapefruit wine
Loganberry wine
Mountain Ash
Native North American Grapes
Orange wine
Oregon Grape
Parsley wine
parsnip wine
peach wine (fresh)
peach champagne
peach and honey wine
pear wine
pearson square
pineapple wine
plum wine
quince wine
raisin wine
raspberry wine
redcurrant wine
rhubarb wine
rice wine
rosehip wine
rosepetal wine
rowanberry wine
saki wine
salal berry wine
saskatoon berry wine
standard bottling method
strawberry wine
sugar control
temperature
thompson seedless grapes
yeasts
yeast starter

Whatever info you want on any topic in the Index, just let me know!

I also have my mom's Tomato Chow recipe if you want it.

I've bookmarked but haven't read this thread, so if I'm restating someone, I apologize.

I pretty much don't buy 'processed foods' either - just salad dressings since I don't use them much and they would go bad if I made them from scratch.

There are few things I can think of that I can't make on my own - two are Oreos and Cheetos. For those, I buy Trader Joe's or health food store versions than don't have as much garbage ingredients. I will NOT be denied my cheese puffs.

For crackers, we've been using Milton's brand, from Costco or Trader Joe's. Again, looking for a 'healthier' brand instead of trying to recreate the wheel. I find that I don't do so well on that front!

For instant gratification, you can't beat homemade salad dressings. It will probably take you longer to get the ingredients out on the counter than to actually make a dressing, and it will improve the taste of the salad as much as using a garden-fresh tomato instead of a hydroponic one! Since they're quick, inexpensive and usually keep a long time, it's definitely practical to have several on hand if everybody in your family prefers a different 'flavor'. If you have kids who won't touch a salad, try making ranch with a little less milk or buttermilk than called for so it's thicker. Tell them it's a dip, and even picky eaters can usually be coaxed into trying it with something that's raw and good for them. And I can almost guarantee that the next time you have company for dinner, somebody will say, "Ooh, your dressing is so much better than mine! What brand do you buy?" It's priceless to see the looks on their faces when you say, "Well, actually..." lol

Of course, salad dressing is a small item in the grand scheme of things, even though making it should give you a lot of positive reinforcement. Ruthanna made such a good point
about identifying the "big offenders" so you won't just be spittin' in the wind in your efforts to eat healthier meals. If you're a working mom juggling an insane schedule, chances are that casseroles are a mainstay, so one of the huge culprits is soup. (Cream of ______, anybody?) Learn to make a white sauce instead, seasoning it with various herbs and spices and adding different cheeses for infinite variety and insanely improved taste! It's easy as can be, I promise.

Also, as so many others have said, make your own broth. There are some superb tutorials, with lots of pix, on recipezaar for chicken, vegetable and shrimp stock. (I apologize again for not figuring out links here. Just click on "Communities" at the top of the recipezaar home page, then scroll down to the French Forum.) There was an amazing post here the other day about beef broth. You have to babysit a little since it must simmer for several hours, but the 'hands on' time is minimal, and it's so simple to assemble that a 3rd grader could do it. (Well, maybe a 6th grader, since a knife is involved...) So don't be intimidated when you think "homemade broth"! It's as simple and straightforward as boiling eggs. If you never bought a can of Campbell's again, it would reduce the offending stuff in your diet to an astounding degree.

Then there are all those little foil packets. Fajitas, tacos, spaghetti sauce, chili, Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix... Lots of dishes are so simple if you just sprinkle in the stuff in the little foil packet. Not great, but edible. I'm thinking the junk in those little foil packets probably is about the unhealthiest stuff you buy. If you use them often, your salt intake is off the charts.

The internet is such a wonderful source for recipes for stuff like Creole/Cajun seasonings so you can reduce or eliminate the salt. Here's a recipe I found for a substitute for dry onion soup mix. Haven't tried it yet, but I plan to soon.

Lipton Onion Soup Mix Sub

4 t. beef bouillon granules
8 t. dried onion flakes
1 t. onion powder
1/4 t. celery salt

Mix well to blend. Can be stored for up to 6 months. Equivalent of 1 envelope dry onion soup mix.

With pre-teen or teenaged children, snacks may be the single biggest problem you need to address. There is nothing in the frozen food section you can't do better and cheaper at home, using far less sodium and preservatives. But there's a big trade-off of taste vs. time. Maybe you could organize a OAMC group of moms, preparing dozens of after-school snacks to be frozen? Or just call your sister and demand that she come over to help? :)

The main thing, I think, is to keep a sense of balance. Healthy is wonderful, but all of us must have our "Cheetos" in one form or another. If your family hates one of the substitutes you come up with, give it up. There are other ways to introduce healthy foods that they will enjoy. If your kids are miserable without their Oreos, preach moderation instead of denial.

Shambo, or others, when you mix the oil with the butter,
1) what kind of oil do you use and
2) does it have an expiration if refrigerated?

I don't know why I didn't mention "The Pantry Gourmet" by Jane Doerfer. It's out of print but always available used at amazon. It's a Rodale Publication and Rodale has been a pioneer in the healthy lifestyle and organic farming movements for decades.

There are lots of recipes for making your own crackers, condiments, pasta, cheese and many other categories of pantry staples. That book might be just what you need for inspiration.

Thanks, Ruthanna, I'll look into it!

blueiris24:
We use canola oil. That's what the original recipe we found several years ago called for.