Homemade Pantry Foods

Homemade is better. Homemade foods are healthier, more economical and taste better than any processed grocery store food that you can buy. By making foods at home, we are consuming simple, natural ingredients while also reducing the sodium and fat in our diets.  One of my favorite books that helps with replacing processed pantry foods with homemade versions is The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making, by Alana Chernila.

Alana's book covers all the basic food categories, including:

• Dairy
• Cereals and snacks
• Canned fruits, vegetables and beans
• Condiments, spices and spreads
• Soups
• Baking mixes
• Frozen foods
• Pasta and sauce
• Breads and crackers
• Drinks
• Candy and sweets

Enjoyable to thumb through, Alana's book is filled with engaging photos of her family as they prepare favorite recipes.  It's a lovely book that inspires the reader to get started making homemade versions of such staples as corn tortillas, hummus, sauerkraut, fish sticks, veggie burgers, ketchup, granola, graham crackers and toaster pastries. 

If you've never made granola or corn tortillas, you might give it a try!  Both are very easy to make and taste divine.  See my Vanilla Almond Granola recipe that I shared a couple Christmases ago for a great recipe to try!