5 Foods to Make at Home to Save Money + Provide Better Ingredients for your Family
At the Weston A Price conference in October, I saw Dr. Bill Schindler speak and he said something that really resonated with me. He shared that one year he made an entire thanksgiving meal from scratch (he made the cheese, butchered the meat, fermented different foods, etc) and while it was exciting to make an entire meal from scratch, it didn’t change anything for his family on the day to day. He encouraged us to make small changes that eliminate unnecessary ingredients and reduce costs around grocery spending. I’ve taken this as my mantra for this year to get back to the basics in the kitchen and start making several of our daily staples.
I always encourage clients to focus on making as many things at home as you can. Making one simple change like sourcing or making sourdough bread at home can vastly decrease the amount of processed ingredients and additives you and your family are exposed to! It doesn't need to be complicated. Keep your food simple and try to stick with real, whole foods and homemade options when possible!
It’s important to read labels and know what’s in your food. Food shouldn’t be complicated and real, whole foods offer more nourishment and support for your body!
Sourdough Bread
Conventional bread often has seed oils and added ingredients that aren’t beneficial to our health.
Ingredients:
Water
Flour
Salt
Starter
Recipe to Make the Dough:
520 grams organic bread flour
12 grams sea salt
385 grams water
90 grams starter
Mix starter and water in a small bowl until well-mixed. Pour the starter-water into flour. Mix for about l-2 minutes using the wood spoon- it will be hard to mix. Get all of the flour mixed in well and cover with a wet kitchen towel and let rest 15 minutes. Follow with your favorite fermenting / baking style.
Raw Ice Cream
Homemnade Ice Cream cuts out gums, emulsifiers and additives
Ingredients:
unpasteurized + unprocessed milk
honey
maple syrup
vanilla
salt
egg yolks
raw cream
Recipe:
1.5 cups whole raw milk
2 cups raw cream
7 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup maple syrup
tsp honey
Mix all ingredients in a mixer and then add to ice cream maker on ice cream setting. After it's done, freeze for up to 4 weeks!
Raw Butter
Raw butter provides more enzymes and probiotics than conventional butter.
Ingredients:
Cream
Salt
Recipe:
Let the separated cream set out at room temperature for 2 hours. Pour the cream into your blender and blend for about five minutes. Remove the butter and any small pieces that are floating in the buttermilk with a slotted spoon or clean hands. Rinse the butter under cold running water while squeezing and kneading the butter with your hands. For salted butter, add salt to taste. Work the salt in with your hands. To maintain freshness, keep the raw butter refrigerated and freeze any leftovers!
Bone Broth
Store-bought bone broth is expensive and usually high in sodium.
Ingredients:
chicken feet
chicken carcass
onion
garlic
salt
celery
carrots
apple cider vinegar
seaweed
herbs
Recipe:
1 lb chicken feet
1 whole chicken carcass
1 onion
1 whole garlic
2 celery stalks cut in half
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 carrots
1 piece of seaweed
Handful of fresh herbs (I used parsley!)
Add all ingredients to pot and cover with filtered water (we use the water from our aquatru). Bring pot to a boil and after boiling lower to a light simmer for 48 hours.
Raw Yogurt
Store-bought yogurt is high in sugar and it's difficult to find a grass-fed option.
Ingredients:
raw milk
honey
Recipe:
1 quart raw milk
1/4 cup yogurt starter
1 tbsp raw honey
Heat milk in a saucepan over a medium-low flame until it reaches about 110 F.
Remove from heat and whisk in the yogurt starter. Pour the mixture of fresh milk and starter into the yogurt maker and culture it according to the manufacturer’s instructions, about 8 hours or until it sets and smells pleasantly sour. Stir in honey and serve with fruit.