Making food from scratch. (hamburger, organic, health, yellow cake)
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Since realizing an allergy I have and suffered from for 20 years is actually Yellow #5 I have become alot more aware of all the crap that is put into pre-prepared foods.
I have moved away from just about everything I posibly can although its been a gradual process. I am finding of course that the home made foods taste SO much better.
I started with my daughters favorite dish, I make Mac and Cheese from scratch and each time I try a different variation. I want to try a recipe that has bacon in it since she also loves that.
What I don't feel like I can make from scratch I buy the organic version of although things like pasta sauce, I need to just break down and make some. I am thinking of using my crock pot because I have always heard it is better if its simmered for a long time.
The cake I made tonight was so light and so fine textured and moist, I was impressed with myself and it was just a simple recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook that my Mom gave me as a teenager.
Is anyone else out there trying to avoid pre-prepared foods and making things from scratch?
here you and I go again with the things we have in common...........Yellow dye#5 causes my migraines. It's so hard to avoid the dye. Please teach me what you know in an effort to do that. Thanks!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindsey_Mcfarren
Since realizing an allergy I have and suffered from for 20 years is actually Yellow #5 I have become alot more aware of all the crap that is put into pre-prepared foods.
I have moved away from just about everything I posibly can although its been a gradual process. I am finding of course that the home made foods taste SO much better.
I started with my daughters favorite dish, I make Mac and Cheese from scratch and each time I try a different variation. I want to try a recipe that has bacon in it since she also loves that.
What I don't feel like I can make from scratch I buy the organic version of although things like pasta sauce, I need to just break down and make some. I am thinking of using my crock pot because I have always heard it is better if its simmered for a long time.
The cake I made tonight was so light and so fine textured and moist, I was impressed with myself and it was just a simple recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook that my Mom gave me as a teenager.
Is anyone else out there trying to avoid pre-prepared foods and making things from scratch?
I had a problem for like 20 years, I would get these fits of itching where I wanted to tear the skin off my body. I only recently realized it was Yellow #5. ALL of these dyes that are so prevalent in our foods are byproducts of the petroleum industry, yes thats disgusting. However Yellow #5 is specifically from Coal Tar.
Its used liberally in soaps and cleaning products, food with cheese in it often uses yellow #5 to color it since cheese isn't actually yellow on its own. I always check the label. Its used in the coating on medications, its used in juice drinks, I even found it in Cinnabons, the kind you make at home. I used to LOVE yellow cake with chocolate icing until I saw how LOADED it is with yellow #5.
There are some things I have to purchase either the ALL NATURAL version of or the Organic version of. I LOVE Cheetos but salty snacks are notorious for being loaded with MSG and dyes. NOW they all natural Cheetos made with white cheddar and they are SO good.
Sometines you will find things that are yellow use Annato which is an all natural coloring rather then the JUNK that is derived from the petroluem byproducts. Some studies link the use of these dyes to learning delays in children, its more talked about in the UK then here.
I was shocked to find that even Welshes white grape juice had dye in it. Now we only drink juice that has no added sugar or dye or flavoring.
One place you will run into dyes alot are in cleaning products like dish washing liquid AND laundry detergent. I only use laundry detergent for people with sensetive skin, its clear with no dye and no perfume. The same with dish washing liquid. I can't even use Fabreze because it has the dye in it.
I love MandMs and I eat them sometimes but only after picking out the ones with NO yellow in it. I'm just glad I found out what was causing my itching fits.
I started making food instead of buying it about 3 years ago. I started with soups, and now my 20 year old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook is my best friend. You are right, food just tastes better when you make it yourself.
I don't have a specific recipe for you for macaroni and cheese but what I use to do is to use three different kinds of cheese whan making it. Extra sharp would be the major one and you could experiment with the other two. It makes things more interesting and tasty.
I do the same with apple pies. Three different kinds of apples for varying textures and tastes with no specific ones just a soft apple, a hard one, and usually a Mac for a base.
I use to make virtually everything from scratch but when my kids were little they liked the boxed macaroni and cheese better. Funny, huh?
I make almost everything from scratch because that was the way I was taught. In addition to being better for you and tastier, you will also find that it is cheaper to cook from scratch. You pay extra for the convenience of buying prepared or semi-prepared foods. I am old-school and I don't buy the excuse that people don't have time to cook. It is a wonderful bonding experience of quality time with family and friends.
I make almost everything from scratch because that was the way I was taught. In addition to being better for you and tastier, you will also find that it is cheaper to cook from scratch. You pay extra for the convenience of buying prepared or semi-prepared foods. I am old-school and I don't buy the excuse that people don't have time to cook. It is a wonderful bonding experience of quality time with family and friends.
I agree with you there, cooking from scratch is cheaper and it tastes so much better.
My daughter does say she likes the box mac and cheese better but I don't always listen.
It does take a little more time but frankly its worth it too me because of the taste and I know what has been put into what I am eating. I have had many misreable nights because of my allergy so whenever I am feeling grumpy about the time involved, I just remember the hours it takes for the stuff to get out of my system and I feel alot better about it.
My daughter does say she likes the box mac and cheese better but I don't always listen.
That's funny. My brother is a chef, but he still likes the boxed mac and cheese. He knows it's total crap, but I guess it's a memory of childhood or something.
Yeh..I do both. What I really noticed is when you eat well/home-cooked the easy stuff just tastes like a strait up chemical party. I have thrown "easy dinners" out after doing the strait organic homemade thing for a long time. And that is a big deal to me as I never waste food. I am the wierdo that will eat the strange combo dinner just so I wont waste things. LOL
Get a crock-pot. Its GREAT for sauces and soups. Plus soups are a great sub for being a lazy cook. Just kinda chop it all up and throw it together.
I dont really measure. No one in my family ever has with cooking. Its always a hand of this or that. I am glad I can do that because home made is worlds apart from that other "food"
Now get growing your own tomatos to get a decent sauce. Store tomatos are CRAP.
The vine ripened ones are o.k. but so $$$$$$$$$
I cook from scratch too. There's a learning curve and I didn't give up things like Hamburger Helper over night. We realized we eat less because it takes time for our bodies to process real food. I found a new blog that I like. The writer spends time explaining why certain things aren't good for us. She suggests changes. I like her simple, clear writing style too. Health Food Made Easy.
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