Want to make your own trail mix? Oatmeal cups? Flavored cream cheese? Frozen taquitos? There are loads of convenience foods you can make better and cheaper yourself.
Pictured: Instant Oatmeal Packets: How to Make Your Own
There are a lot of things out there that are convenient to grab when you’re out and about. The grocery shelves are filled with snacks and goodies and premade concoctions that are easy to serve at home.
These “convenience” foods make life easier, to be sure, but they can be less than good for us, overly priced, or both.
You Can Make Convenience Foods Better & For Less Money
You probably already know that my heart belongs to homemade. Back in the day when I was young and wrinkle-free, I made lots of things homemade, from 80’s scrunchies to calico shorts, pie crust to popovers.
The casual observer might have thought I was being snobbish, but honestly, I just wanted to save money making things myself.
And have matching shorts and scrunchies. (What can I say, it was the 80s?)
And delicious pies.
And yummy popovers.
Pictured: Good Cheap Eats Cookbook
Over the years in an effort to maximize our resources and enjoy great food at the same time, I’ve slowly started making more of those things that I count as expensive junk food.
I don’t want to be held hostage by frozen foods, bottled beverages, or snack pack sizes of anything. I want fun food to reign at my house, but not at the expense of good health or high prices.
I want to encourage my husband in his desire of eating better and more economically at work, and for my kids to enjoy great homemade food so that they don’t grow up having to mend their ways.
To make cooking and eating just a little more enjoyable and a little bit cheaper?
Who can say no to that?
Make convenience foods yourself.
Making your own convenience foods isn’t exactly “convenient”. There’s a reason why these products are so very popular. They’re easy to grab and throw in your cart. The marketers have convinced you that it’s too hard or too expensive to make it yourself.
It’s true. There’s a history of food manufacturers realizing that if they can just convince the consumer that it’s too hard to mix together flour, butter, and eggs to make a cake on her own, then she will buy the cake mix.
The mix that she has to add butter and eggs to anyway!
(Michael Moss‘ book, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us is a great read if you want to learn more.)
Pictured: Ultimate Carrot Cake
I’ve reaped numerous benefits in making convenience foods myself, including be able to:
- experiment with new recipes and things I’ve been hesitant to attempt on a regular basis, like homemade bagels – they are delicious!
- perfect some old favorites that we already love, like tamales
- develop more strategies that will help my family eat better and cheaper, even when we crave “junk food”
- make packing lunches and road trip food a little bit tastier, healthier, and less expensive
Now, there is a reason why manufacturers do so well, selling convenience foods. Some things just aren’t better to make yourself. In the sense that they take a long time or have elaborate prep steps or just don’t cost that much less homemade.
A rotisserie chicken from Costco is easier and about the same price as roasting a chicken myself, so I’m more apt to buy one than to go the DIY route.
However, there are quite a few things that are definitely better (& cheaper!) homemade. Check out these recipes and give one a try!
The taste of homemade corn tortillas just can't be beat. You'll never want to buy the bagged variety again. And you'll be pleased to see how easy they are to make! Say goodbye to frozen pizzas forever. This easy cheesy pizza will become a Friday night tradition. Enjoy the San Francisco treat without all the preservatives. This seasoned rice pilaf is the perfect, easy side dish! Soups, stews, roasts, and casseroles will be packed with flavor with this homemade dry onion soup mix you can make yourself. Ditch the can, man. You can make your own cream of chicken soup for cooking! It tastes delicious and has no preservatives or ingredients you can't pronounce. Homemade vinaigrette dressing mixes up in minutes, making for the ideal homemade substitute for bottled salad dressings that are full of salt, sugar, and fat. A handful of spices are all you need to mix up your own buttermilk ranch dressing at home. It's tastier and exceedingly fresher tasting than the bottled variety. Jarred marinara sauce may be cheap, but this sauce takes just minutes to prepare yourself at home -- and it tastes so much better! Canned salsa is for other folks. Enjoy fresher flavors for less when you make your own salsa at home. Skip the bakery section. These orange cinnamon rolls are just the perfect start to the day. Fresh flavors and nothing artificial! As cool as canned biscuits can be, these taste so much better. You'll taste the difference in the very first bite! No more frozen or refrigerated pie crusts. This one comes together quickly and easily and tastes amazing!Convenience Foods You Can Make Better & Cheaper Yourself
Homemade Corn Tortillas that Will Rock Your Taco Night
Easy Cheese Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce
Seasoned Rice Pilaf (like Rice-a-Roni but better & cheaper!)
Homemade Onion Soup Mix to Replace that Foil Packet
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup for Cooking
Basic Vinaigrette Better than the Bottle
Delicious Ranch Dressing You Can Make in Minutes
Marinara Sauce Simple Enough for Everyday
Homemade Salsa - It's Easier than You Think!
Orange Cinnamon Rolls that Don't Come in a Can
Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits to Make at Home
Ditch the Frozen Crust with this Easy Pat in Pan Pie Crust Recipe
This post was originally published in September 2013. It has been updated for clarity and relevance.
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Lol! I do 10 of these. I used to do oatmeal packets for my husband, but he’s stopped eating them and the vinagrette.
I think the cream soup mix is my favorite.
Jessica Fisher
Nicely done!
MaryAnn Coy
I have to cook my own chicken at home. Those ready cooked broiler chickens are sky high in sodium, high in fat, and I swear the skin has sugar on it to help it brown, it tastes sweet. Anyone who has High Blood Pressure, Cardiac or Renal Issues, or Diabetes,
or a Low Fat Diet for Medical Issues needs to beware, processed/convenience foods. That includes condiments, all sauces, gravies, and herbs, spices, & seasoning mixes! Excess sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, unnecessary chemicals, preservatives, natural & artificial flavors & colors, MSG, GMO, BHA, BHT, BPA lined cans, undeclared ingredients including non food fillers, extra fat, extra sugar, artificial sweeteners (migraines or seizures) extra salt for flavor enhancement. Read labels every time, products change formula constantly, GMO altered ingredients. Not to mention the price of processed/convenience foods. I have to make pasta & pizza sauces, seasoning mixes. There is dairy sneaked into the weirdest stuff and I’m allergic to cow dairy. I can’t have cayenne pepper or store bought chili powder both make me horribly sick. I add the other spices and use real jalapeños or red pepper flakes by the pinch. I am allergic to shrimp & lobster. At 1 point I read Progresso Clam Chowder’s label & found Shrimp broth. Since then the formula has changed, but not my mind. Allergens are another thing to watch out for in processed/convenience foods. Keep Scratch ingredient recipes coming, please. I prefer baked beans from scratch, way less, salt, & sugar, no salt tomato paste instead of the ubiquitous ketchup, extra molasses and less brown sugar, lots of onions & garlic, Liquid Smoke to keep the lower sodium bacon to a minimum. There are many reasons to make things from scratch. #2 reason is they taste better. #1 reason, you have 100% control over what goes in, and no hidden undeclared ingredients!
M. G.
I followed this link from Pinterest, in the hope that there was an actual recipe for taquitos. 🙁 Guess I’ll be removing that pin.
Jessica Fisher
Sorry that Pinterest wasn’t clear. You can find my beef taquitos recipe here. My chicken flauta recipe (similar to taquitos) is here. So yummy!
Mia
Thank you and keep the recipes coming! You are one of my fave 31 Dayers! 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Aw, thanks!
Cherie
This series has really met a need for me – my time and schedule are tighter than ever!
Your burrito post got me started
I’ve taken some odds and ends out of the freezer and made chi ken and cheese burritos – also shredded some BBQ pork and made a dozen slider sandwiches
A little ground beef and pork became a sheet of “meatballs” last night that ill turn into meatball calzones this afternoon
I had been doi g pretty well with breakfasts but I see I now really need to keep “instameals” for days the teens are famished and there’s no time to cook
Jessica Fisher
Yay! I love to hear these great success stories!
Veronica
I just started making my own granola at home, so yummy and easy! However, I would like to go a step further and make granola bars for snacks on the go. I hope you can include a recipe for these one of these 31 days! Looking forward to your posts! Thank you!
Jessica Fisher
It’s on the plan!
Gaby@AventurasVerdes
I can’t wait for the series to start!! Yei!! Thanks for sharing!
AdenaF
I will definitely be following this one! I’m trying to only eat out once a week (Sunday) but I’m gradually even wanting to start using crockpot more and freezer meals to eliminate that. I feel bad that alot of times my freezer contains processed frozen foods instead of homemade ones that I freeze.
Vanessa B
I’m looking forward to this series for so many of the reasons you named. My husband is always asking me, “what can I just grab and eat?” One can only eat crackers and peanut butter so many times I guess. Just yesterday I walked through the frozen food section and felt like I’d passed through an alternative dimension. Everything was so foreign to me.
carey
What a great topic, I’m really looking forward to your recipes!!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving
I love this, Jessica! I, too, want to have fun foods in my house with worrying about the health or high prices. I will be following along, and am excited to gain some more great recipes from you!
kort
so happy for this 31 Days series, Jessica!
i’ll be writing about Advent at my place….and checking back here too! can’t wait!
http://onedeepdrawer.wordpress.com/keeping-advent/