*This post contains affiliate links.
While I have always had a love for all things home-made, I began my from scratch journey about a year ago. This entails trying to cook/bake as much food from-scratch as possible. It has been a huge game changer for my little family and I hope to start others thinking about how they can start their own from-scratch kitchens!
Why You Should Consider Cooking From Scratch
Let’s begin with the reasons you should consider starting a from-scratch journey of your own:
1. The health benefits are limitless!
This is one of the main reasons I began trying to cook as much homemade food as possible, even down to the ingredients. If you hang out here you know that my husband has ulcerative colitis. In 2022 he made the decision to come off all medication and control his UC completely by diet. Because of this we have to be very careful about the things he is eating.
You might not have a serious illness, but I challenge you to research the connection between cancers/other diseases and the things in your diet. All the dyes, sugars, and chemicals being pumped into our bodies on a daily basis for the sake of convenience is sickening.
Choosing to cook from scratch gives you an empowering sense of doing the best thing for your family.
2. Cooking from scratch is often much more cost effective.
The cost of cooking your own food, real food, is often much cheaper than the processed food at the store. In some cases this might seem like a stretch. For example, you can buy a box of macaroni and cheese for $2 but by the time you purchase all the ingredients for homemade macaroni and cheese you’re looking at $5.
This goes back to health benefits. What matters most to you? Knowing that your family is eating a meal that is free from things that would harm their bodies or that $2 box of dyes and preservatives?
Another thing to consider is that the money you are saving on from scratch foods like breads, sauces, and meats is so much more than that $3 you “lost” on the mac and cheese. It all has a way of evening out.
3. Cooking from scratch is enjoyable.
Simply put, cooking your own food from scratch is just fun!
Maybe this is not true for all at the beginning but I have never heard of someone who stuck with it and had regrets! Feeding your family real food brings such a sense of satisfaction. Knowing how to make your own food gives a feeling of empowerment. You’ll never know unless you try!
Where to Begin on your From-Scratch Journey
Have I convinced you yet?!
I hope so! It is so worth it.
Choosing to start making, eating, and enjoying real food can be exciting- and overwhelming! I remember thinking, “Where should I even start?” I wanted to do it all! Go off the deep end, buy a cow to make my own cheese, grow a massive vegetable garden.
The truth is we can’t “do it all”. Not without becoming extremely overwhelmed in the process. Some of us do not live on big acreage. We can not afford a cow. We do not have the skillsets quite yet to just go diving in to all the things. And that is okay!
You can only do your best, not someone else’s.
So where can you begin?
Start with one thing at a time. Pick one thing or food group that you want to master then go from there. For me this was all bread/baked products. I had a basic knowledge in bread making so I started with something I had a bit of a handle on. By the next few months I had completely eliminated store-bought tortillas, sandwich bread, and dinner rolls. A few more months and I had sourdough (click here to learn how to make your own sourdough starter- the easy way) figured out!
It is such a snowball effect. Just start with one thing, then do the next thing!
A few ideas on where to start:
- Bread/baked goods
- Eliminate frozen meals (TV dinners) and make your own dinner from scratch.
- Eliminate canned veggies and only buy fresh.
- Eliminate everything with dyes in your pantry/diet.
What a From Scratch Kitchen Looks Like
Everyone’s journey is different. What works for my little family may not be as productive for yours. Basically, a from scratch journey just means that you, as the homemaker, are choosing to do your best to feed your family well. This is a skill that you develop and grow the more you learn!
For me personally, my from scratch journey began with eliminating as much toxic, fake foods from our diet that I could. This involves the following:
- Eating out much less.
- Removing things with preservatives when able.
- Making our own food, not frozen junk.
- Baking all of our bread and baked goods.
- Growing our own veggies in the summer and fall.
- Never feeding my baby canned babyhood from the store.
- Making pasta from scratch or buying it from a reliable brand free of junk!
- Preserving as much of my own food as possible.
And I’m still on the journey!
This does not mean that we never eat out, or buy that frozen pizza when I just need a little break. However, it is no longer a way of life. It is rare little moments here and there.
You will never relieve the entire toxic burden on your family. (After all- you can’t remove pollution from the air!) As a Christian I do not believe God ever wants us to live in fear of these things either.
We can start somewhere. We can fix the things that are within our control. Mama, you can choose to feed your babies real food!
I would love to help you start your own from-scratch kitchen! Comment below how you plan to begin (or how you have already started!). Be looking for next week’s post on everything you need to start your own from-scratch kitchen.
If this post was helpful, would you please click that little star? And don’t forget to share on your social media. It helps us reach more viewers!
