Welcome to 5 Days of Cooking from Scratch with Homemade Mixes! I am so pleased to be working with the January Hopscotch from the iHomeschool Network. So many amazing topics are being shared this week and here on Meet Penny, I am inviting you into my kitchen. Please pardon the mess.
Quick tips for getting started
We are all busy people. I don’t think I have ever met a person who said, “No, I’m not busy.” Since we are packing so much into our days, mealtimes seem to get the pinch and cooking from scratch is replaced by convenience mixes. The terrible thing is that those mixes are packed with an A to Z list of things you cannot pronounce.
Instead of relying on these over-processed, preservative-packed mixes, why not make your own? Getting started is the hardest part but these tips can help.
- Just do it. Make up your mind that this is going to help your family get healthy without taking up a lot of your time and get busy.
- Start with a clean kitchen. The counters will get a little messy but if you start with a clean kitchen and an empty dishwasher, you can prepare homemade scratch mixes quickly.
- Make everything at once. Dedicate 30 minutes each month to preparing your mixes. That’s all it will take. If you have a smaller family, you might even see your mixes last longer.
Shopping list for cooking from scratch
When you start looking at the recipes for homemade mixes, you might be surprised to find that the ingredients are all pretty similar. I like this because I can buy my ingredients in bulk and save a bundle!
Here are the basic ingredients you will need to have on hand:
- Unbleached all purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour, optional
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable shortening, coconut oil, or unsalted butter
Storage solutions to keep it fresh
In order to keep your convenience mixes safe and usable, you need to store them properly. You can choose to store them in canisters for about two months or in the freezer for 6 months. Please note that any mix that uses butter or is made from freshly ground wheat will need to be frozen.
Coming this week…
I can’t wait to see the baking mixes you use for the cookies and tortillas. I have been making one for pancakes and waffles that we really enjoy, but I kind of stopped there and haven’t had enough motivation to move forward with other things.
I am very excited to be sharing these with you this week. It has been a delicious project. 🙂
I can’t wait for the gluten free mixes!!!
I just couldn’t leave my gluten-free friends out of the series. I know it must be difficult to live a gluten-free lifestyle. It’s the least I can do to help. 🙂
Awesome! Waiting on the edge of my kitchen counter for more….such a great thing to share! =)
Thank you, Marsha. This is a super-fun series for me too. 🙂
How can I see these recipes? Help!
I’ve linked the recipes in the post so hopefully that will help. 🙂