I made: Salsa, Hummus, Fruit Leather (more on that tomorrow), Tortillas, English Muffins, Wheat Bread, Two Entrees and a Kale salad. It was a busy weekend, but totally worth all the hard work! Jason and I have been enjoying the benefits of homemade delicious meals for the last week. And I gotta say, I'm about ready to quit my job, make myself an apron and become a full-blown house wife!
Before I get all hippie on you and explain why I chose to make my own food (and soon grow it), I'd like to say that I love being a "career woman" and working hard for my money, but making my own delicious, preservative-free food is time consuming. It took nearly my entire weekend to get everything together for the week. Mostly because these were all new recipes, and some of them I had to do over again! But, I can see why people would rather just buy it, than make it.
That being said, let me make my case for Homemade versus Store Bought.
Not everyone knows this about me, but a few years ago I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance. It's a form of pre-diabetes that basically means your body doesn't break down food the way it should. The doctors put me on a medication called Metformin. It's a drug doctors use to treat people with type-2 diabetes, and it basically levels out your blood sugar.
One thing to note about my year and half on the drug: it seriously screwed up my digestive system and made me really sensitive to processed foods, to the point where I get intense stomach aches when I eat too much. Because of those stomach aches, I've done a lot of experimenting with making my own food.
It's time consuming, yes. But making my own breads, sauces, snacks and meals makes me feel better. I control what's put into each thing that I make, and I can pronounce them all. That's the major thing for me. I've noticed that with things that I don't make I seem to get a stomach ache if I eat too much of it. And that doesn't just mean when I eat more than a serving, it's if I eat it in my regular diet.
So my argument for homemade is that it's healthier for you. You control what you put in it. But, it's time consuming. That's my same argument for growing your own vegetables and herbs. I would love to grow some of my own herbs and veggies and fruits, because I feel like I waste a lot of produce because it rots easily. But, it too is a lot of work.
So, I guess the question that you have to ask yourself is: how much time are you willing to invest in your food?
For me, I'm willing to invest one day a week to make my own staples and healthy meals for the week. Would I recommend my schedule to anyone else? Yes! As long as you are willing to spend the time! Do I think there's anything wrong with buying stuff at the store? Heck no! Not everyone has the time or desire to make everything from scratch and there are some really convenient things about pre-made groceries. I just know for me, making my own works better for me!
As far as cost goes... it's about the same, maybe it costs a little less to make your own.
What do you think of making your own food? Is it something you would invest your time in, or do you prefer just buying it all at the store? I'd love to hear your input, leave a comment below!
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