Our modern society has so much to offer! We are blessed beyond belief in more ways than we could even list. Even the poorest person in our country is much wealthier than many kings of old! We have electricity, running water, fresh air, and healthcare at our fingertips. We have money and time saving devices. Because of cars and the interstate, we can travel much farther for those goods even in an afternoon. With planes and the internet, our vacation spots can be all over the world and we can book it in advance. What luxury!

So, with all of that being said, why would I want to cook food from scratch? What reasons would I have for making meals in this antiquated fashion? I was hoping you’d ask…

It is Healthier

As you may have guessed, I believe this is the best way to create meals for my family, one reason being the health benefits. If we are using ingredients to make meals and not relying solely on pre-made foods, we are using veggies and fruits in their most complete form. When foods are highly processed, they lose most, if not all, their nutrients and vitamins. This can mean raw foods, like fresh carrots and apples. But, it could also mean frozen foods. Broccoli, for instance, looses much of its nutrients the older it gets. So, if you pick or buy freshly gathered broccoli and freeze it, you are preserving those essential goodies. One of our favorite vegetables is frozen peas! Opting for frozen and fresh give you a most nutritious way of cooking.

It is NOT as time consuming as you think

We are all given the same 24 hours in a day and we choose what to do with our time. Yes- there are amazing time saving devices! But, speaking from personal experience, I often take that saved time and waste it instead of putting it to better use. Cooking from scratch is not a waste of that precious time! Let’s say you are making supper. Isn’t it much quicker to throw a pot roast, potatoes, and carrots into a slow cooker in the morning than getting out sandwich making supplies and making sandwiches for your family? Honestly, if we are talking about time, it is much quicker to throw on the pot roast! (not to mention possible leftovers…) But, this does require some planning. That is also a good use of that 24 hours. Planning isn’t wasted time, it is being prepared. And, don’t we always enjoy something or get more out of something if we have prepared for it? (see my Meal Planning post)

Now, let’s consider some of those time saving devices. I know of some people that will chop all of their vegetables for the weekly meals on Monday. Using a dicer or even a food processing device can save much time. But, it is up to you if that device is worth the space it may take up.

Here are a few of my favorite ‘from scratch’ devices:

• Food Processor
• Kitchen Aid stand mixer
• Kitchen Aid shredder attachment
• Emulsion blender
• Slow cookers in various sizes
• Kitchen Aid grain mill attachment

The price difference may surprise you

If we consider that a bag of whole, unpeeled potatoes can cost $4.48/3 pounds (organic) OR you can buy a bag of instant mashed potatoes for $1.44/4 ounces, we can see a huge difference. That $5 bag will be several meals- possibly mashed, fried, potato salad, and pot roast, depending on the size of your family. Wow!

Of course, we know that buying fresh means using those foods up whereas boxed items can be on the shelf for months, if not years. That is something to consider when you are meal planning. However, many root vegetables last a lot longer than things like lettuce or zucchini. Just know what you like to cook, and go from there. Your grocery bill may shock you…

Oh, that TASTE

No one can tell me that a box of mac n cheese tastes better than homemade. Sorry- I am not sold. However, I definitely know that if you are used to eating ‘from scratch’ all of the time, sometimes a treat to you is a store bought cupcake. That is reality! But, all in all, eating foods hand made are always better than store bought. Not only is it the actual taste of the dishes and their nutrition, it is also what is behind that dish- I prepared this meal with love and my own two hands. I love it when my kids help in the kitchen and I can tell my Sweet Husband that they peeled the carrots, they made the fruit salad, they brought in fresh strawberries for dessert.

No Additives

When my second son was much younger, we were watching for patterns in his eating. His heart would begin racing and he couldn’t stop moving. It was concerning. After much intentional food (etc!) patterning, we discovered that he was allergic to artificial food dyes. And again, after much research and digging deeper, I discovered the harm in those dyes and the many horrible things they are linked to, including this hyperactivity without control. So… we stopped all artificial food dyes. The kids and I no longer eat any candies, chips, cake mixes, icing, etc. with these ingredients. Once I began watching for it, I was shocked at how many food items (and medicine!!!) it was in. These artificial dyes are banned in many, if not all, European countries. With that being the case, we can find gummy candies from Germany at world market stores that we can eat as an occasional treat.

Another additive we steer clear of is high fructose corn syrup (HFC). And, I must confess, it took me giving up my Dr. Pepper also. I can suffer from many types of headaches, but once I gave that up, I noticed an obvious change. I still suffer from headaches, often due to weather changes, but I have linked this type of sweetener to some of the routine headaches I would get.

In most cases, pre-packaged foods must have preservatives in order to make it on the shelf. That doesn’t always mean the preservatives are artificial. But, a tip I learned and continue to try and implement is: shop on the outskirts of the grocery store. I know some people grow most or all of their own foods- my family and I aren’t there. Lots of us still need a grocery store and, with that being said, we still want the healthiest options. You will find the fresh and frozen items on the edges of your grocery store. Most places begin with produce, then comes meat, followed by dairy, and lastly, frozen goods. Have you ever noticed this? The boxes and cans and pre-packaged items are in the center aisles. And, yes, sometimes we need those too! Flour, baking soda, chocolate chips… yum. See if you can stick to the outer aisles next time you shop.

I don’t always

Yes. The truth is, I don’t cook everything from scratch. I have mentioned in a previous post of our Saturday night tradition of a junk food picnic. I buy chips and granola bars and lunch meat. I even try to be picky as to those processed items and their ingredients. As much as I’d love to make just everything… I can’t. I love adding new homemade things to my repertoire, of course. But, I can’t do it all. So, what does this mean? It means that sometimes, we do eat junk food. It also means I buy handmade or homegrown things from others/shops. It means that I continue to seek to cook almost everything from scratch, but that I give myself grace and allow for times of pre-made mac n cheese. I try to stick to an 80/20 sort of ratio… I don’t calculate anything exactly. But, we eat from scratch most of the time, we don’t all of the time.

What does this sound like? Realistic? I want to challenge you, wherever you are in your ‘from scratch’ cooking journey: try something new this week. Do you often use canned carrots for dishes? Buy a bag of carrots next time. Instead of offering packaged snacks to your kiddos each day, have apples and carrot sticks on hand. No judgment here! We all have reasons for what we do- above are mine. What are yours? From Scratch doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating. Don’t run away! Just try whole foods and see what you think. It’s definitely worth a shot.