19 products you waste your money on in the store

Of course, sometimes it is easier to buy a can of a finished product in a supermarket than to spend even 10-15 minutes preparing it. However, look at it from the other side. Homemade products are fresher and healthier, with fewer harmful preservatives and flavors. And one more plus – by refusing from ready-made products, you reduce the use of plastic packaging and thereby take care of the environment.

Pesto

Homemade pesto is much more flavorful than canned pesto. And it also has a lot less preservatives. You can make the pesto yourself in 15 minutes. Just combine pine nuts or almonds, plus basil, olive oil, garlic and parmesan.

Or you can prepare a large batch at once, freeze it in ice trays and then, when thawed, add Parmesan.

For pesto sauce you will need:

• 100 g fresh basil leaves;

• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 tbsp. spoons of lightly toasted pine nuts;

• 175 ml of olive oil;

• 50 g grated parmesan;

• a pinch of salt.

How to cook:

Whisk basil, garlic, nuts and butter with a pinch of salt with a blender until smooth. Then transfer to a bowl and add the parmesan.

Tomato sauce and ketchup

Store-bought sauces and ketchups are high in sugar and salt to help regulate acidity. So they are clearly not suitable for dietary nutrition. Moreover, these extra calories are difficult to track down.

Why not make sauce and ketchup at home, especially since it’s very simple. The secret to the perfect sauce is to simmer for a long time so the herbs and other seasonings can infuse and soften the acidity of the tomatoes. If you want a sweeter sauce, you can add a pinch of sugar or a sugar substitute. Or experiment with flavors with your choice of chili, fried garlic, and even lime. Homemade ketchup can be frozen to keep it close at hand.

Housewife Secrets: How to Make Tomato Sauce

Mayonnaise

One of the main taboos for losing weight is mayonnaise salads. Indeed, on high-calorie mayonnaise from the store, extra pounds can be gained easily and imperceptibly. Homemade mayonnaise is another matter. And most importantly, cooking it is simple and quick. All it takes is a couple of egg yolks, mustard, and olive oil. You can also add garlic here. Continue to beat the ingredients with a mixer, gradually pouring in the oil until you get a creamy texture. Store the finished mayonnaise in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.

The most delicious homemade mayonnaise recipe

Guacamole

Favorite Mexican sauce, delicious to dip in nachos chips, bread or tortilla. Homemade guacamole will be much healthier and fresher. And besides, you yourself can adjust the amount of salt and spices. Mash the flesh of ripe avocados with a fork and toss with finely chopped chili, cilantro, tomatoes and red onion. Season with lime juice and salt, then serve.

Vegetable broth cubes

Too much salt and flavor enhancers are added to them. Instead, you can make a vegetable broth at home, then freeze it in ice cubes and use it to make sauces and risottos. Another option is to freeze the broth in containers for a quick, hearty homemade soup.

Zucchini and celery broth recipe

Chili oil

They like to add it to pizza, pasta, salads. That being said, you can make homemade chili oil to your liking.

For chili oil you will need:

• 10 dried chili peppers

• 4 sprigs of rosemary;

• 4 laurel leaves;

• 10 peas of black pepper;

• 500 ml peanut butter;

• heat resistant sterile oil bottle.

How to cook:

Heat the oil to 180 ° C, then turn off the stove and let the oil cool down. Add chili, black pepper, bay leaf and rosemary to warm oil. Let cool and bottle. The longer the oil is infused, the sharper it will be. The finished oil can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.

Muesli

The manufacturer positions muesli as a healthy breakfast option, while adding too much sugar to the product. It is much easier to prepare muesli at home – this way you will definitely not worry about the composition. Sauté the bran, oatmeal, nuts, sesame seeds, and coconut in coconut oil and drizzle honey or maple syrup into the muesli. You can add some cinnamon and dried fruit. Store prepared muesli in an airtight container at room temperature. Shelf life is one month.

Energy Bars

As with muesli, sugar is usually added to ready-made energy bars, and they are not so cheap. It is much more useful and more budgetary to cook bars at home. And you yourself can experiment with tastes by adding dried fruits, nuts and seeds to the bars. You can also drizzle over melted dark chocolate or yogurt and then send it to the freezer to freeze the icing.

Homemade Energy Bar: Simple Recipes

Rich in protein, peanut butter satisfies hunger quickly and lastingly. It can be spread on crispbreads, biscuits, and also very tasty peanut butter combined with apple pieces. But the purchased option is not always useful, and moreover, sugar is often added to the composition.

At home, peanut butter is prepared in a blender in a matter of minutes. For a can of butter, grind 400 grams of dry roasted peanuts until smooth, creamy. Add 2 teaspoons of liquid peanut butter, some salt and whisk again with a blender. You can sweeten it a little if you wish. The finished pasta will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Hummus

Making hummus at home is easier and cheaper than buying a ready-made one. All it takes is canned chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, sesame paste, water, and olive oil. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. When serving, you can sprinkle the hummus with paprika.

Salad croutons and croutons

Do not throw away stale bread, it is better to make homemade salad croutons, which are much tastier and healthier than store ones. You can adjust the amount of salt and seasoning yourself by seasoning the sliced ​​bread. And then just fry in a dry frying pan or in the oven.

Spicy croutons recipe

Another way to use up leftover bread is to put it in a freezer bag in the freezer. And when the bag is full, defrost and grind in a food processor. For flavor, you can add a little salt and dried herbs. It is best to store ready-made bread crumbs in the freezer.

Caramel sauce

Do not buy preservative caramel sauces at the supermarket, but rather make them at home. You don’t have to be a professional to make a delicious topping. The main thing is not to leave the saucepan unattended while sugar bubbles in it. It should acquire a perfect golden color, but not burn. Don’t worry if the sugar is quite runny, it will thicken as it cools.

How to make caramel sauce

Nut butter

The sweet pasta that kids love so much contains too much sugar. In addition, palm oil is added to many of them. Homemade pasta is much more useful. Everything you need: vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Combine the ingredients with lightly toasted hazelnuts and milk chocolate for a delicious nut butter.

Nut butter: useful and harmful properties, cooking recipes

Lemonade

There are no preservatives in homemade lemonade, and there is much less sugar. Just mix the juice of six lemons with six glasses of cold water and a glass of sugar. And your favorite drink is ready.

Whipped cream

Homemade whipped cream tastes much better than cans. The main thing is to choose cream with a fat content of at least 30%. When doing this, keep the cream, bowl and whisk cold. Prepare a larger bowl right away – whipping cream will double in volume. And don’t beat too hard. Stop as soon as the hard peaks appear, otherwise the cream will turn to butter.

Pancake mix

Yes, ready-made pancake mix is ​​very convenient. As they say, just add water. However, this mixture is just a combination of flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Make your own ready-made mixture by mixing the ingredients in advance. Then you need to add milk and beaten eggs – and the dough is ready. Only store the mixture in an airtight container.

Pickled vegetables

It is not necessary to roll up cans of pickles for the winter. Delicious pickled vegetables can be cooked in a matter of minutes and then eaten right away without clogging pantries with cans. And of course, they will be much fresher and healthier than purchased ones.

Take your choice of carrots, radishes, red onions, cut them into thin slices and add to a bowl of vinegar, sugar and salt. The vegetables are ready in about 15 minutes.

Spice mix

Instead of spending money on a lot of ready-made mixtures, it is better to have a complete set of spices. You can mix and match them yourself depending on what you are cooking.