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Do you want to cook more and prepare more homemade dishes ? Excellent initiative: you will eat better and save money at the same time. Here are 20 do-it-yourself food ideas to save money .
With our busy lives, it may not be realistic to make ALL these dishes yourself, ALL the time! But if you’re already taking a few of these ideas on a full-time basis and adding a few more to your repertoire to do when the opportunity arises, it’ll still be fantastic.
1. Broth
Do this when you have leftover chicken; it is then practically free. In addition to costing nothing, making broth allows you to recover food and avoid waste. Keep the chicken bones and leftovers cooked, and to flavor your broth, keep your vegetable scraps and peels in a large airtight bag in the freezer as you go. You will have all the ingredients at hand to concoct a tasty broth.How to make homemade broth
A homemade chicken noodle soup recipe
2. Breadcrumbs
No need to spend on it! To do when you have leftover bread that has become a little less fresh. You can also make your own croutons with leftover bread.
3. Oatmeal
No to small sachets already prepared! It’s really simple and cheaper to buy oat flakes and above all hardly longer (5 minutes at most?) You can flavor them to taste, add a drizzle of maple syrup, fruit according to seasons, etc
Check out the No-Bake Blueberry Oatmeal recipe .
4. Nut butter
Making nut butter is a lot easier than you think. You will only need a food processor or a very powerful blender such as a Vitamix. Above all, homemade nut butters are usually less expensive than store-bought ones, especially if you buy the nuts on special or in bulk .
5. Des tortillas
It takes a little longer, but you can make them ahead of time and freeze them. And it immediately elevates a small ordinary Mexican dinner into a real “fiesta”!
Check out the recipe for making homemade tortillas.
6. Hummus
Preparing your own hummus requires only a few ingredients and a few minutes. All it takes is a can of chickpeas, some olive oil and a blender. And you can flavor it to anything!
Check out the avocado hummus recipe
7. Tomato sauce
It’s the kind of thing to prepare in larger quantities on a Sunday with bad weather. Then, we freeze it and it always makes a base for tasty and quick meals!
Here’s how to never miss your tomato sauce
8. Pie dough
We concede, making your own pie dough is not exactly easy and takes a little time. But a “batch” made with just 1 pound of butter yields 9 pie crusts, which you can freeze in individual servings and have on hand for months afterwards. When you start doing it, you can never go back to the commercial ones! Ideal when the butter is on special, so that it costs even less.
Check out the pie dough recipe and our tips for making it a success every time.
9.Granola bars
Making granola bars is not complicated and not only saves money but also controls the ingredients you put in them. So we can add exactly what we like, not make them too sweet, etc.
10.Des muffins
Having a small “batch” of muffins in the freezer is just great, as much for lunches in a hurry as for the lunch box or snacks at home. The best time to make them: when your bananas are overripe, when the berries are on special, etc.
11. Cretons
Marie-Eve Laforte
It’s very easy to make and it adds a little something to brunches! And we can add different seasonings to them, according to our desires!
Consult the recipe for the best homemade cretons .
12.Pizza sauce
So simple and so tasty! The pizza sauce can also be frozen so you always have some on hand for pizza dinners !
Check out the homemade pizza sauce recipe
13.You pesto
It’s done in minutes and compared to store-bought options, it’s bursting with flavor! Feel free to vary the herbs and nuts, for that matter. You can also make it with sun-dried tomatoes.
Check out our recipe for express sun-dried tomato pesto .
14. From marinades
If you like the taste of pickled vegetables, there really is no need to buy them! You can prepare a quick version, without complicated steps or sterilization, which allows you to enjoy it right away.
Check out our quick vegetable marinade recipe .
15. Iced tea
Homemade iced tea and variations with green and white tea
Commercial one has only one taste: sugar. Making it yourself costs just a few pennies and allows you to explore so many different and delicious flavors!
Check out our Perfect Homemade Iced Tea Recipe + 3 Variations.
16. Compote
Nothing could be simpler: cut fruits (with or without peel), cook them over low heat until they fall apart, with or without sugar. No need to add a lot of sugar either! The most advantageous is to do it with seasonal fruits, when they are abundant and not expensive. It freezes very well!
Check out our 5 easy homemade fruit compotes.
17. Chicken pot pie
This might be the best comfort food recipe out there, so having one in your repertoire is a must.
Check out our recipe for Easy Chicken Pot Pie in a Skillet.
18.Bread
It is certain that doing it every day is a bad contract. But doing it when you have the time or to make a dinner a little special is heaven.
Check out our homemade bread recipes:
19.Barbecue sauce
It only takes a few minutes. And it’s the best!
20.Ice Pops
Whether it’s with juice, purees, yogurt, smoothie… It allows you to spend the little extras and then it’s so much better than store-bought ones!