karadinart (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
karadinart) wrote2013-06-27 07:11 am
karadinart) wrote2013-06-27 07:11 am
Six processed foods you can easily make at home
Salad dressing
Next time you grab a bottle of salad dressing off the shelf, read the ingredients. It may alarm you that something so simple has so many ingredients that you've probably never heard of. Some keep the dressing from spoiling on the shelf while others are used to improve texture. While some may be harmless, it's easy to avoid them if you make your own dressing at home. A simple dressing takes no more than 10 minutes to make and is as easy as whisking oil into vinegar and throwing in a few seasonings like garlic powder, Dijon mustard and minced garlic or shallot. Making your own dressing can help you control calories too. If you find a recipe you like, double it so you can keep some in your refrigerator to use throughout the week.
Breakfast cereal
With more than 100 kinds of cereal in many grocery store aisles, choosing a healthy cereal can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Some cereals are packed with sugar while others are low in nutrients that you want to get out of cereal, such as fiber. Take the stress out of the search by making your own granola or muesli mix at home. You can pick the ingredients and have control over how much fat, fiber and sugar goes into your first meal of the day. Homemade granola holds well, so make a batch on Sunday and you'll be set for the rest of the week. And cost-wise you will get more for your money by making a batch than buying a box of cereal.
Canned soup
It sure is convenient to have canned soup on hand, but it's high in sodium (yes, you can get lower-sodium versions, but that limits your selection). And many cans are lined with the chemical BPA, which has been linked to infertility, heart disease and diabetes. So instead of forgoing soup altogether, get out your soup pot and get cooking. Most soups freeze well, so if you like the convenience of portion control, freeze them in individual serving sizes. Don't have the whole afternoon to spend in your kitchen? Many delicious soups can be made in 30 minutes or less.
Pasta sauce
We don't often think of pasta sauce as being "sweet," but many jarred pasta sauces have sugar listed as an ingredient. Although it's not a lot of sugar, it certainly isn't necessary. Another problem with jarred pasta sauce? It's high in sodium. You can do much better at home. You can make a simple sauce by just adding garlic powder and fresh basil to canned no-salt-added crushed tomatoes (look for crushed tomatoes in glass or aseptic packaging if you're worried about BPA) and add a pinch of salt to bump up the flavor. Or you could sauté fresh chopped tomatoes and minced garlic in olive oil in a sauté pan until they melt into a nice thick sauce. Either way, you have options. If you make a big batch, you can freeze leftovers for later use.
Flavored yogurt
Plain, low-fat or nonfat yogurt offers plenty of calcium and probiotics that help with digestion. But no one wants to eat plain yogurt by itself, so we often reach for flavored varieties. The problem here is that flavored yogurt can contain artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. Even the healthy-sounding "fruit-at-the-bottom" stuff is less than ideal, since it can come loaded with sugar, making it more like a dessert than a breakfast food. The solution? Stir fresh or frozen fruit into plain yogurt. One trick to making it taste sweet without adding sugar is adding a splash of vanilla extract for a confectionary flavor.
Granola & energy bars
Granola bars seem healthy, but if you've ever looked at the nutrition label, you may think otherwise. Sure, they may have grains and nuts, but they also tend to be loaded with sugar and fat. There is no reason to cut them out of your life completely, though: you can make them at home cheaply and with much less fat and sugar than what you might find in a boxed version.
Next time you grab a bottle of salad dressing off the shelf, read the ingredients. It may alarm you that something so simple has so many ingredients that you've probably never heard of. Some keep the dressing from spoiling on the shelf while others are used to improve texture. While some may be harmless, it's easy to avoid them if you make your own dressing at home. A simple dressing takes no more than 10 minutes to make and is as easy as whisking oil into vinegar and throwing in a few seasonings like garlic powder, Dijon mustard and minced garlic or shallot. Making your own dressing can help you control calories too. If you find a recipe you like, double it so you can keep some in your refrigerator to use throughout the week.
Breakfast cereal
With more than 100 kinds of cereal in many grocery store aisles, choosing a healthy cereal can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Some cereals are packed with sugar while others are low in nutrients that you want to get out of cereal, such as fiber. Take the stress out of the search by making your own granola or muesli mix at home. You can pick the ingredients and have control over how much fat, fiber and sugar goes into your first meal of the day. Homemade granola holds well, so make a batch on Sunday and you'll be set for the rest of the week. And cost-wise you will get more for your money by making a batch than buying a box of cereal.
Canned soup
It sure is convenient to have canned soup on hand, but it's high in sodium (yes, you can get lower-sodium versions, but that limits your selection). And many cans are lined with the chemical BPA, which has been linked to infertility, heart disease and diabetes. So instead of forgoing soup altogether, get out your soup pot and get cooking. Most soups freeze well, so if you like the convenience of portion control, freeze them in individual serving sizes. Don't have the whole afternoon to spend in your kitchen? Many delicious soups can be made in 30 minutes or less.
Pasta sauce
We don't often think of pasta sauce as being "sweet," but many jarred pasta sauces have sugar listed as an ingredient. Although it's not a lot of sugar, it certainly isn't necessary. Another problem with jarred pasta sauce? It's high in sodium. You can do much better at home. You can make a simple sauce by just adding garlic powder and fresh basil to canned no-salt-added crushed tomatoes (look for crushed tomatoes in glass or aseptic packaging if you're worried about BPA) and add a pinch of salt to bump up the flavor. Or you could sauté fresh chopped tomatoes and minced garlic in olive oil in a sauté pan until they melt into a nice thick sauce. Either way, you have options. If you make a big batch, you can freeze leftovers for later use.
Flavored yogurt
Plain, low-fat or nonfat yogurt offers plenty of calcium and probiotics that help with digestion. But no one wants to eat plain yogurt by itself, so we often reach for flavored varieties. The problem here is that flavored yogurt can contain artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. Even the healthy-sounding "fruit-at-the-bottom" stuff is less than ideal, since it can come loaded with sugar, making it more like a dessert than a breakfast food. The solution? Stir fresh or frozen fruit into plain yogurt. One trick to making it taste sweet without adding sugar is adding a splash of vanilla extract for a confectionary flavor.
Granola & energy bars
Granola bars seem healthy, but if you've ever looked at the nutrition label, you may think otherwise. Sure, they may have grains and nuts, but they also tend to be loaded with sugar and fat. There is no reason to cut them out of your life completely, though: you can make them at home cheaply and with much less fat and sugar than what you might find in a boxed version.
no subject
Breakfast cereals: it's winter here, nothing like old-fashioned porridge for brekkie! (Don't use instant oats - they're like chalk and cheese and nowhere as filling as the real thing). I make up a batch at a time (70g oats + 400ml skim milk cooked for 7 mins = 2 serves). Divide into individual serves and refrigerate or freeze - just grab a container, heat and add fresh or defrosted frozen fruit for a sweet taste. Chopped peaches, apricots and berries are yummy! Bananas are supposed to be tasty as well, but as I'm allergic to them I wouldn't know. Very healthy and cheap!
Canned soups: since I've been making my own soup at home I find I can't eat tinned/dehydrated packaged soups - they taste like glue!!! It's because of the thickeners that are also added to them.
Pasta sauce: I do the same thing but throw in the garlic, onion and tomato to simmer into a sauce while I have a shower/do some ironing etc then stir fry all the other ingredients in the sauce - a reasonably quick meal and no extra pots to clean!
Flavoured yoghurt - can't touch the store bought one's now, they're too sweet! And the 'fruit' at times looks and tastes suspicious. I buy the plain low fat no-added sugar variety and add my own fruit. For a real special treat try plain yoghurt topped with honey and crushed nuts - I ate this all the time in Greece. Haven't tried the vanilla extract trick - will certainly give it a go!
Granola bars - why eat these when you can have chocolate? I get the very dark bitter stuff - you can't eat too much of it but you still get the choccie rush!
Yogurt
First time I put berries in yogurt, I used blueberries, and it was too sour somehow. I think I'm too used to sugar.
I also often leave my lunch in the car (in the cooler) and I've been using mason jars as lunch containers.
no subject
- one soup spoon of olive oil
- one soup spoon of sesame oil
- one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
- one teaspoon of soy sauce
- one very full teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- parsley, shallots, onions (frozen or dried in little bottles is fine)
Et voilà!
(If you're on a diet and worry this will add too many calories from fat: add two spoonfuls of orange juice, which gives you more sauce for repeated use.)
no subject
I make my own soup, and yogurt too, fun and yummy! : )
no subject
All the rest of that stuff I made already, because the processed kind is gross (but hey, I'm basically a hippie). Except yoghurt, which since I live two miles from an organic dairy that does amazing yoghurt isn't a big deal. (Also hey, I LIKE plain yoghurt! Hmph. *g*) But what else is amazing on it--a bit of honey drizzled over it, with or without berries and/or granola. This is one of my favourite things in the world.