Homemade

It's been awhile since I have posted anything "Kitchen" or "Saving" related, so today I thought I would post a couple of things regarding both!

One of the reasons I think it has become so expensive to feed our families is because we have become so busy in our daily lives and have come to rely on pre-made, packaged foods too often.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am of the opinion that there is a time and place for shortcuts and I know that I take my fair share of them.  But I am also always on the lookout for something that will save me some money and be SO good that my family will never know it didn't come from their favorite jar! 

Some of you are going to be thinking, "Yeah, that sounds great Sara, but those things take time and I am all about saving time.  My schedule is crazy and I just don't have time to whip up something from scratch every night for dinner."  To that I shout, "AMEN SISTER!"  I hear ya!  So before you start hating me, I am going to let you peak into my thoughts for a moment...scary I know!

First of all I am by no means a "health nut" but I do believe in trying to eat healthy, while still enjoying it all!  Kind of an oxymoron, right?  What that means is that I want my family to eat from the food groups, but to also really SAVOR and enjoy what they are eating.  With that being said, one of the main reasons that I like something homemade or from scratch is the control that I have of what goes into it.  I don't have access to preservatives or chemicals that are sometimes added to foods to lengthen their shelf life, therefore, they don't make it into my dishes.

Second reason that I like something homemade, from scratch...it reminds me of the way my grandma used to cook and I feel closer to her and totally more DOMESTIC this way!  Each time I whip up a recipe from the ground up it makes me think of all the love that went into all the food my grandma used to prepare for our family.  That's really a silly reason to want to cook from scratch, but it's my truth!

And finally, cooking from scratch, homemade, generally results in SAVING MONEY!  I know that there are occasions and certain items that are probably cheaper to buy pre-packaged and that's fine to do.  But don't you want to have at least a few recipes in your backpocket that you can call your own when you set them down on the dinner table?  I know that I do!

Today on Tasty Kitchen, they have a post dedicted to Homemade Ingredients!  Go and check it out.  I know I plan to try this spaghetti sauce, because I have yet to find the perfect, from scratch recipe for our family!  What are you going to try today?

Next time I will talk about how I make cooking from scratch more efficient!