What's your favorite way to cook? Do you need a recipe to follow? Do you like those order ahead meal kits where it all gets shipped to your door? Maybe you like to buy those fancy ready to bake meals from stores like Sprouts or HEB (don't worry my Texas friends, I have not forgotten the world's greatest grocery store!). Do you like boxed, frozen, anything easy?
I have said yes to all of these things over the years, actually I have said yes to all of these things during the last 9 months I've been pregnant! There's nothing as handy as a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or popping some French fries and chicken nuggets in the air fryer when you're nauseous or eating frozen meals because your husband is out of town. However, over the last 5 years, what began as a search for health - more on that later - turned into a genuine love of using raw ingredients and making good food from scratch.
Does the sourdough loaf that takes hours to make require more planning than buying a store bought loaf? You bet! It also tastes way better! For me, there is something so rewarding in knowing I've made food from scratch. I like to see the progress, the process. I like seeing the look on my family and friends' faces when they bite into a delicious chocolate chip cookie I've made. There's so much to learn from cooking from scratch too: patience, following directions, planning ahead - all things we can take into our careers or daily lives.
I like the slowness of cooking from scratch. Cutting up vegetables, seasoning them, waiting for soups to simmer slowly on the stove. Now, this doesn't mean I cook everything from scratch always, but I do strive to do more and more. My chicken pot pie the other night had fresh carrots and celery and canned peas and corn. Just with anything in life, cooking requires compromise and flexibility and creativity.
A friend recently made a comment about not having purchased cake mix in a long, long time, even though that's what she grew up on. It got me thinking and ultimately lead to this post. Once we get in the habit of cooking from scratch, even though it is intimidating at first, it becomes second nature. Home cooking might not always be the prettiest, but it darn sure is the tastiest!!
In 2018, after years of battling Hoshimoto's Thyroiditis, I learned about a food elimination/experiment diet called Whole30. The program is actually a 40 day program but focuses on eliminating processed foods and foods that cause a lot of inflammation for 30 days. It's a reset for your body. I wanted to do it, but doubted myself because, though I enjoyed cooking, I liked comfort food, and I loved eating out - I still do! I wasn't sure I could cook the way that I needed to. I had never heard of coconut aminos or ghee, and veggies sure weren't my favorite. Not to mention, I couldn't have ranch dressing for 30 days! The horror!
But I did it, and I saw my health change in ways I hadn't experienced before. I gained energy, I was less congested, I didn't have headaches, my muscles aches and chronic fatigue were gone, my body was actually digesting and using the nutrients I filled it with rather than being sluggish. My thyroid numbers were improved and I felt SO much better! Along the way, I also began to gain confidence in the kitchen. Sure I made a few things that tasted awful, but I also learned to cook with seasonal food, I learned to try new things, I learned that I am capable of taking the time to cook from scratch.
Since then, I've had seasons of cooking a lot and seasons of eating conveniently. I still love to eat out and French fries are still my favorite food - well potatoes in any form really! Or maybe sugar... It's probably a tie LOL! I mean is there anything better than homemade ice cream on a hot summer day?!
If you've stuck with me this long, you might be wondering what the point of this blog is. And honestly, I'm not sure, but I wanted to share with you some recent thoughts. Maybe encourage you to jump on the sourdough bandwagon or bake some cookies from scratch. Make a homemade pie crust or try a new recipe. Whip up some drop biscuits to go with your breakfast next weekend. Enjoy allowing yourself to be creative and feel accomplished with feeding yourself and your family some yummy, whole food.
Did you know salad dressings are surprisingly easy to make and taste way better than store bought ones?! I didn't either until this past summer, now I love my homemade dressings.
I really believe God created food for us to enjoy and for me, learning to have a healthy enjoyment of food, rather than overindulging or being gluttonous all the time, came when I started toiling for the food I was eating. When work went into the meal, I wanted to savor it and really enjoy it, which generally meant I actually acknowledged when I was full, rather than snarfing down a burger and fries at mock-10 speed because I was in a hurry and it tasted good!
What is your favorite thing to cook from scratch? Mine is any kind of baked good! I've especially been enjoying simple things like bread, old fashioned vanilla pound cake, chocolate chip cookies, pie crust, anything like that!
Can't wait to hear from you! xo,
Sara
P.S. Did you know, if you like cooking from scratch, but not baking from scratch you can order all your baked good needs from us?! That's right! Currently we only offer local pickup or delivery, but we make sweet and savory breads, sourdough items, cookies, cakes, bars, and more! Find The Wandering Homesteader on Facebook and Instagram to see more goodies ;)
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