What foods do you make? (practically processed food free)

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funnygirl0940
funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
in Food and Nutrition
One thing has led to the other as I found the Mediterranean Diet lifestyle to be the healthiest in all of the world. I want that! I love food and I enjoy preparing it now. It's been a process over the past 19 months now but we really do eat rich!

Here's how it began:

Garlic Sauce & Mayo:
One recipe called for garlic sauce, which you must make mayonnaise and then add garlic. So I learned how to make both ;o) Haven't bought a jar in 19 months.

Bread & Pasta:
Nor do we buy bread or pasta because I make them from scratch. We purchase wheat berry and I grind our own whole wheat flour.

Beans & Hummus:
Dried beans, I learned how to boil beans...with chick peas or black beans I can make hummus from scratch.

Tahini Sauce:
Toast my sesame seeds and make fresh tahini sauce to go into the hummus.

Almond or peanut butter:
Toast almonds or peanuts for either fresh almond butter or peanut butter by pureeing toasted nuts. It's not difficult at all! sounds impressive though, I think :D and to think we used to buy it!

Almond Milk & Almond Flour:
I learned how to make almond milk in place of coffee-mate. Soak almonds over night in filtered water, add a couple of cups of purified
water & puree in the blender. Strain meat and add a tsp of Mexican vanilla! Then I dehydrate the meat in the oven & puree in the coffee grinder for fresh almond flour...makes tasty pancakes topped with local raw honey!

Yogurt, Cream Cheese & Sour Cream:
I learned how to make natural yogurt. Do you know how easy it is to make cream cheese & sour cream from yogurt????? Place yogurt in a cheese cloth & hang on the cupboard door overnight or until the whey drips out. This process done on the counter results in cream cheese, if you separate the yogurt from the whey in the refrigerator, you make sour cream!

Cereal:
Rather than buying oatmeal or steel cut oats, I buy oat groats, the original product before any processing. It makes great porridge hot or cold! We don't waste $$$ on boxes of cereal anymore!

These are things I'm constantly making in our home. And they are so good for us! It has greatly improved my physical and mental health. I'm a pre peri menopausal woman who doesn't get pms anymore. I know it's from not eating processed food.

Share with me some of the food you are making at home. If it falls within the guidelines of vegetarian(whole food) or Mediterranean, I'd love to know about it! This is so much fun for me! I love being practically processed food free! And if anyone uses local raw honey! Chime in too! Wish I had some bees to make honey ;o)
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Replies

  • jessudd
    jessudd Posts: 133 Member
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    I'll have to try some of those! I don't do as much during the school year, but this summer, I started making my own pita bread, spaghetti sauce and granola bars. I wanted to try making yogurt and some different cracker recipes next. Not sure how Mediterranean all that is, but it's ridiculous how many things I used to buy without even considering that I could make it at home!

    I started getting local raw honey recently. I have bad allergies and my grandmother told me taking a little local honey each day helps your body build and immunity to local allergens. Not sure how true that is, but my allergies seemed to have improved...

    Thanks for sharing!
  • alyssa83202
    alyssa83202 Posts: 334
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    That's impressive! I honestly would have never even thought that I could make any of those foods, so it's really cool that you do! Do you find that you save any money making your own foods or do you do it solely for the health benefits?
  • esorcel
    esorcel Posts: 459 Member
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    I like these suggestions. My sister is a naturalists, and with her multiple food intolerances, she tries to mostly consume unprocessed foods. It's the best way to eat. I will let her know about these. I try to tell people that, especially if they have reoccurring cancers, but it's difficult to get anyone to change their diet. They have to come to that realization themselves.
  • mobymarsh
    mobymarsh Posts: 67 Member
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    this all sounds fantastic how long can the mayo keep for? i do all of my own preserves i have an allotment so grow all of my own fruit and veg. i have made marrow chutney, green tomatoe chutney, piccalli, plum jam, compost jam. and many others i don't like to waste anything.
  • Robin66
    Robin66 Posts: 103
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    Wow, that's awesome! The only Thing I truly make from scratch is stew. Is it time consuming to do all this? I work 50 to 60 hours a week, sometimes more, so I don't know if I would have the time to do this. I would love to have your recipes though.
  • 60HzShuffle
    60HzShuffle Posts: 51
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    The goats and hummus grabbed my attention. Got any links or more tips to share?

    One thing has led to the other as I found the Mediterranean Diet lifestyle to be the healthiest in all of the world. I want that! I love food and I enjoy preparing it now. It's been a process over the past 19 months now but we really do eat rich!

    Here's how it began:

    Garlic Sauce & Mayo:
    One recipe called for garlic sauce, which you must make mayonnaise and then add garlic. So I learned how to make both ;o) Haven't bought a jar in 19 months.

    Bread & Pasta:
    Nor do we buy bread or pasta because I make them from scratch. We purchase wheat berry and I grind our own whole wheat flour.

    Beans & Hummus:
    Dried beans, I learned how to boil beans...with chick peas or black beans I can make hummus from scratch.

    Tahini Sauce:
    Toast my sesame seeds and make fresh tahini sauce to go into the hummus.

    Almond or peanut butter:
    Toast almonds or peanuts for either fresh almond butter or peanut butter by pureeing toasted nuts. It's not difficult at all! sounds impressive though, I think :D and to think we used to buy it!

    Almond Milk & Almond Flour:
    I learned how to make almond milk in place of coffee-mate. Soak almonds over night in filtered water, add a couple of cups of purified
    water & puree in the blender. Strain meat and add a tsp of Mexican vanilla! Then I dehydrate the meat in the oven & puree in the coffee grinder for fresh almond flour...makes tasty pancakes topped with local raw honey!

    Yogurt, Cream Cheese & Sour Cream:
    I learned how to make natural yogurt. Do you know how easy it is to make cream cheese & sour cream from yogurt????? Place yogurt in a cheese cloth & hang on the cupboard door overnight or until the whey drips out. This process done on the counter results in cream cheese, if you separate the yogurt from the whey in the refrigerator, you make sour cream!

    Cereal:
    Rather than buying oatmeal or steel cut oats, I buy oat groats, the original product before any processing. It makes great porridge hot or cold! We don't waste $$$ on boxes of cereal anymore!

    These are things I'm constantly making in our home. And they are so good for us! It has greatly improved my physical and mental health. I'm a pre peri menopausal woman who doesn't get pms anymore. I know it's from not eating processed food.

    Share with me some of the food you are making at home. If it falls within the guidelines of vegetarian(whole food) or Mediterranean, I'd love to know about it! This is so much fun for me! I love being practically processed food free! And if anyone uses local raw honey! Chime in too! Wish I had some bees to make honey ;o)
  • 60HzShuffle
    60HzShuffle Posts: 51
    Options
    Especially the groats. I saw some links for buckwheat groats and saw some comments where you have to sprout them if raw, so do you get them already roasted? I know nothing about this kind of stuff as you can probably tell! :bigsmile:
  • susioryan
    susioryan Posts: 180
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    Great topic: I make our bread, pancakes, waffles etc from scratch usually with whole white wheat for my little one. Just made some creme fraiche. All our meals are from scratch. Haven't made yogurt yet but have been interested in it. Make our own peanut butter as well. I am impressed about the tahini, never had considered that but I do make hummus and do use dried beans. I make use of a pressure cooker to make various broths and bean dishes in crazy fast time. Make my own dried tomatoes. Make veggie soups from scratch and freeze. Put up jam in the summer and make own marinara sauce. Use all veggies from my own garden or CSA. I have even made butter on occasion (fun activity for kids). I like to know where my food comes from and what's in it.
  • NanBar
    NanBar Posts: 283 Member
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    bump
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
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    I'll have to try some of those! I don't do as much during the school year, but this summer, I started making my own pita bread, spaghetti sauce and granola bars. I wanted to try making yogurt and some different cracker recipes next. Not sure how Mediterranean all that is, but it's ridiculous how many things I used to buy without even considering that I could make it at home!

    I started getting local raw honey recently. I have bad allergies and my grandmother told me taking a little local honey each day helps your body build and immunity to local allergens. Not sure how true that is, but my allergies seemed to have improved...

    Thanks for sharing!

    You're doing great! My food moto is, "If we eat it, I'll make it." Makes sense since processed food is suppose to mock what we make to eat. But we got so lazy that we quit making our food and for "times" sake we buy processed food. But it's making us sick! All those additives. :(

    Your grandmother is absolutely correct! Try to include 1 tbs a day in your food log. It boosts your immune system & acts like allergy immunization because the bees are collecting pollen from all the flowers that give us allergy and making a yummy treat for us! I still need to convert more holiday recipes so we aren't eating so much honey in Dec. It's the only time of year I buy processed sugar. The rest of the year it's local raw honey ;o) It may take a month for you to notice a difference.

    I make our granola too. Lots of times I google : how to make _____? and usually a recipe worth trying will pop up. http://www.ehow.com/how_13708_make-granola.html I just add the things that I like.

    Foodnetwork has a chef named Giada, and she has some great italian/Mediterranean type recipes for marinara sauce. Marinara is very personal to your own taste buds ;o) But I honestly learned how to make it by watch Rachel Ray. Not sure I use the same ingredients now that she does but I've got it down.
    http://www.foodnetwork.com/giada-de-laurentiis/index.html

    I live in Mexico and we can't buy graham crackers here, so I learned how to make them. Everyone one loves them! I have a toddler and it makes me feel great knowing she isn't eating preservatives.
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
    Options
    That's impressive! I honestly would have never even thought that I could make any of those foods, so it's really cool that you do! Do you find that you save any money making your own foods or do you do it solely for the health benefits?

    We save loads of money. I must confess that we live in Mexico and produce is extremely affordable in the weekly outdoor traveling market. We spent about $300 a month at Costco here, which about killed us. I knew if we were going to eat healthier, we'd have to be inconvenienced a little bit. Now, I buy all the fresh produce my hearts desires for $50 or less a week. That's 1/2 the price. We used to spend what, $9-$10 a for a box of cereal at Costco or Sams? Here's an example of what I can get dried beans & oat groats for:

    $2.27 for 6.6 lbs oat groats(34 cents a lb.) &
    $2.64 for 15.4 lbs of wheat berry/(17 cents a lb.)

    2.2 lbs each of lentils($1.13),
    chick peas($1.21) &
    fava beans ($2.42)
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
    Options
    this all sounds fantastic how long can the mayo keep for? i do all of my own preserves i have an allotment so grow all of my own fruit and veg. i have made marrow chutney, green tomatoe chutney, piccalli, plum jam, compost jam. and many others i don't like to waste anything.

    I want to make freezer jam. We can buy berries here year round. They're grown here locally and shipped to the US. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, Briscol Farms I think it is.

    The mayo lasts up to 2 weeks. I just make a cup at a time. Actually, we don't need a lot of mayo anymore. I need garlic sauce with shawarama pita sandwiches. Had some for dinner tonight actually and since my sons don't care for the garlic sauce I reserved some mayo back for them. I use a lot of avocado on my sandwiches in place of mayo.
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
    Options
    Wow, that's awesome! The only Thing I truly make from scratch is stew. Is it time consuming to do all this? I work 50 to 60 hours a week, sometimes more, so I don't know if I would have the time to do this. I would love to have your recipes though.

    haha, well, it does take some time. I would recommend a prep day for the rest of the week. Or try making one thing. The more you do it the faster it gets. I'm always in the kitchen making a mess :o) Thank God my parents bought me a dishwasher!!! It really needs to be something you enjoy because if it's just another chore, you'll hate it and won't do it. I got most of my recipes online by googling. I'll see what I can do as far as getting them on a blog so people can just see what I'm making. For me, the simpler, the better!
  • coronalime
    coronalime Posts: 583 Member
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    I am following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. along with Breaking the Vicious Cycle so I am still learning but I have made this the pass 2 mornings:
    1 banana mashed, mix in 1 egg. "fry" it up on a skillett. Makes 2 banana pancakes. So yummy!
    Tomorrow I am making a pork roast in the crock pot with a homemade BBQ sauce: mashing up tomatoes, onion, carrot, garlic, vinegar, dry mustard, all spice. pour in some homemade chicken broth and cook in crockpot.. Cant wait to try it!

    I just bought a bag of almonds to make my own flour. I am going to grind them in a coffee grinder..what are my odds?
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
    Options
    Especially the groats. I saw some links for buckwheat groats and saw some comments where you have to sprout them if raw, so do you get them already roasted? I know nothing about this kind of stuff as you can probably tell! :bigsmile:

    :D I don't know anything about buckwheat groats, first time I've ever heard of it and would have to google it. I'm learning all of this too! Food is such an adventure!

    Actually, the oat groats we buy are called avena para pajaro...oats for birds!!! Bird seed!! lol We haven't been able to find it in Mexico any other way. I must be a very extreme person that others aren't doing this. I have to clean it some so I'm sure it's not been roasted because there's always a few with the hull still on it. Oat groats are the oatmeal before it's be steamed and pressed to be the oatmeal you buy in the store. When it's been steamed, it's considered processed and it loses some nutritional value. Steel cut oats are great, they're whole oats that have been cut with steel typically 2 times. But oat groats are whole oats that have not been processed. Some people eat them like rice. We eat them in place of cereal. It's wonderful hot or cold. I typically mix some natural yogurt, honey and ground flax seed. My husband adds yogurt and fresh fruit. My kids eat it plain.
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
    Options
    Great topic: I make our bread, pancakes, waffles etc from scratch usually with whole white wheat for my little one. Just made some creme fraiche. All our meals are from scratch. Haven't made yogurt yet but have been interested in it. Make our own peanut butter as well. I am impressed about the tahini, never had considered that but I do make hummus and do use dried beans. I make use of a pressure cooker to make various broths and bean dishes in crazy fast time. Make my own dried tomatoes. Make veggie soups from scratch and freeze. Put up jam in the summer and make own marinara sauce. Use all veggies from my own garden or CSA. I have even made butter on occasion (fun activity for kids). I like to know where my food comes from and what's in it.

    I make my sun dried tomatoes too! in fact, i'm growing 16 tomato vines. This is my first square foot garden. I can tell we need more space already!! Figured it'd take a few years to get it down and have hopes to be self sustaining but we'll see.

    the tahini sauce is a cinch. Just add a 1/2 tsp of peanut oil to the pureed sesame seeds. Sesame oil makes it bitter.

    I'd be very interested in how you make your butter!!!

    We have a soup kitchen...can you recommend some economical veggie soups????
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
    Options
    I am following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. along with Breaking the Vicious Cycle so I am still learning but I have made this the pass 2 mornings:
    1 banana mashed, mix in 1 egg. "fry" it up on a skillett. Makes 2 banana pancakes. So yummy!
    Tomorrow I am making a pork roast in the crock pot with a homemade BBQ sauce: mashing up tomatoes, onion, carrot, garlic, vinegar, dry mustard, all spice. pour in some homemade chicken broth and cook in crockpot.. Cant wait to try it!

    I just bought a bag of almonds to make my own flour. I am going to grind them in a coffee grinder..what are my odds?

    Just search on youtube...how to make almond flour and you'll do great!

    I made some raw ketchup and bbq sauce but I think they were a bomb. In fact, it was because of the ketchup that I learned how to make whey, which led to learning how to make cream cheese and sour cream..hehe I didn't know they came from yogurt originally :D How are you making your bbq sauce? Mine called for liquid smoke which I don't have and don't know if it's good for us. But i think it's the missing ingredient.
  • 4KidFather
    4KidFather Posts: 134
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    Fantastic post. Started to think I was the only food nutcase around for a while Ha Ha!!!
    Being a Scot I had a decent start with porridge and broth ingredients. Wheat intolerance in our family forced home more.
    Food is a BLAST
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
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    "The goats and hummus grabbed my attention. Got any links or more tips to share?"

    dede is pretty good, I don't put yogurt in my hummus. http://www.dedemed.com/index.php/Vegetarian-Recipes/Hummus.html#axzz1Ab2cnAKI

    this site is good too, I usually use 1 cup dried chickpea/garbanzo beans and I'd add the rest of what their recipe calls for ;o)
    http://www.mediterranean-food-recipes.com/hummus-recipe.html

    The oat groats:

    1 cup oat groats
    2 cups whole milk
    2 cups water

    You can make it w/all water or milk, this is the mix I prefer. bring to a boil and simmer until it's the consistency that you like. It may take 40 min. We're high altitude so it takes longer here. I just use the same recipe on the can of steel cut oats I had before buy oat groats :)
  • funnygirl0940
    funnygirl0940 Posts: 260
    Options
    Fantastic post. Started to think I was the only food nutcase around for a while Ha Ha!!!
    Being a Scot I had a decent start with porridge and broth ingredients. Wheat intolerance in our family forced home more.
    Food is a BLAST

    YEAH for another foodnut! It really kills me sometimes when I read about all the processed food people eat! I used to be one of them! But I've been converted! :D I feel so much better! I'm a much nicer person now!!!

    Ok you may be able to answer something I was pondering. Wheat intolerance...can you eat it if it's made at home? I'm wondering if food intolerences are caused from all the processing & preservatives?

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