saving money, homemade-style!

So....eating healthy is expensive.  Eating organically is even more expensive.  Eating healthy, organic, NON-ALLERGIC foods can prove to be a very big task to take on when you're trying to save money.  So, over the next few weeks, I've decided to try some homemade recipes for three different pre-packaged items we usually buy weekly at our food co-op: BREAD, GRANOLA CEREAL, and ALMOND MILK.   I figure I can save money by buying the ingredients in bulk and doing a lot of preparing on the weekends.  My goal is to see whether or not the amount of money saved is worth the amount of time spent in this endeavor.

1.  BREAD.   For dairy-free, soy-free bread (also chemical-free and non-GMO!!)  my husband and I really enojy Rudi's Organic Bakery bread.  However, this bread can be $5.00 or more for 1 loaf...ouch. Of course, there are coupons....but even with a dollar off, it's still more than twice as expensive as, say, Publix brand whole wheat bread (what I used to buy before I was aware of my allergies).

So, I'm going to try this whole wheat bread recipe from www.AlisaCooks.com.  The only ingredients I don't already have at home are the ground flax and the bread flour.

2.  GRANOLA CEREAL.   Over $5.00 for a box of granola?? No Thanks.  However, this is what I have to pay if I don't want ingredients like whey, whey protein concentrate, soy lecithin, and not to mention THREE different sweetener ingredients: sugar, molasses, AND honey (these are all ingredients present in Quaker's natural granola cereal).

I'm going to sample this kitchen raid granola from smallbites.andybellatti.com and this super-simple spiced "overnight" granola from www.godairyfree.org and see how they turn out!

3.  ALMOND MILK.  Thank goodness for almond milk.  We drink it by itself, use it in cereal, put it in our coffee, cook with it, make hot cocoa with it, you name it.  (I also use rice and coconut  milk to cook with...but I'm not so sure those would be as easy to make at home.)  Almond milk is delicious, but it is still considerably processed, and sometimes can be up to $4.00 for a half-gallon.

I'll trial this almond milk recipe from smallbites.andybellatti.com.


Here's to eating healthy, buying in bulk, and (HOPEFULLY) saving money!!