Over the last few years, I’ve discovered that making things from scratch can save me money, but I didn’t always have the time. After deciding to reduce the sodium intake in our home, I started making less talked about changes to my grocery shopping and I was surprised that some foods were actually easy to make from scratch.
These are some of favorite from-scratch recipes that make meal planning easy, save me money, and often can be made from food I already have on hand. I hope you love the recipes!
Groceries
Below is a printable grocery list so you can take it to the store! Feel free to add items you need and be sure to check your pantry and refrigerator for these items first, before purchasing them. Above you may notice frozen peas and broccoli that are not on the printable list. We didn’t end up serving them in the recipes below but they are great additions, if desired.
These are the optional items I used from my pantry, so feel free to add them to your list, if you would like to use them: Garlic Powder, Ground Ginger, Mini Chocolate Chips, Vanilla Extract, Salt, and Pepper.
Breakfast
Overnight Oats
If you’re hesitant about this recipe because you don’t normally like oatmeal, I urge you to give it a try. It’s so easy to modify and you can add all kinds of fun toppings from raspberries and chocolate chips, to Nutella and peanut butter, the options are endless! This can also be heated in the microwave or on the stovetop if you don’t like cold oats.
Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup Rolled Oats
- ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup Milk
- 1 Tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract optional
Instructions
- In a jar or glass container, add all ingredients and stir until combined.
- Store in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to eat, top with any optional ingredients like sliced strawberries, bananas, slivered almonds, chocolate chips, peanut butter, Nutella, etc. Enjoy!
Notes
Oat Flour Quick Bread
I decided to use some of my oats to make a quick bread instead of buying bread from the store. I’ll be using this bread mainly as a snack or breakfast this week. I topped it with peanut butter and honey for a delicious and quick meal.
Oat Flour Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats or 2 ¾ cups Oat Flour
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 cup Milk or Non-Dairy Milk
- 3 Eggs
- 2 Tbsp Honey
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, blend the oats until they become a fine powder. Add baking powder and salt and blend until combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, and honey until completely combined.
- Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until combined.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan and moving to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Homemade Peanut Butter
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 12 oz Roasted Peanuts Unsalted
Instructions
- 1. Add peanuts to a food processor and blend for 10 minutes or until peanut butter is smooth and creamy. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
If you’ve ever loved granola bars from the box as a kid, this recipe is going to knock your socks off! Using just a few ingredients from my pantry, I made a simply DELICIOUS granola bar. I hope you love it too!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Peanut Butter or Any Nut Butter
- ⅓ cup Honey
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ tsp Sea Salt
- 2 cups Rolled Oats
- ⅓ cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 container with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and salt until completely combined and smooth.
- Add rolled oats and mini chocolate chips and stir to completely combined.
- Pour into prepared 8×8 dish and use another piece of parchment to press the mixture evenly. You can use a measuring cup to smooth and press the mixture to get an even layer all the way to the edges.
- Cover and freeze for 1 hour. Remove to a cutting board and slice into 16-24 pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Snacks and Additional Breakfasts
The carrots doubled as carrot sticks for snacks and we ate the remaining oat bread with peanut butter and honey for snacks and breakfasts.
Some of the eggs were used for hard boiled eggs as a quick grab and go breakfast too.
Dinners
Honey Soy Baked Salmon with Cabbage Steaks
Honey Soy Baked Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Salmon Filets
- ⅓ cup Honey
- ⅓ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder until completely combined. Add the salmon filets to the bowl and toss until coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Place salmon filets on to the lined baking sheet, skin side down, and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the salmon is at least 145 degrees F.
- Remove and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Cabbage Steaks
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Avocado Oil or any neutral oil
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- ½ Head of Cabbage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix until combined.
- Slice cabbage into ¼ – ½ inch thick slices and place on a baking sheet. Brush oil mixture onto one side of the cabbage. Flip and brush on the other side of the cabbage.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes at 400° F or until cabbage is caramelized and well browned, turning the baking sheet halfway through (No need to flip the cabbage).
- Serve and enjoy!
Meatless Meatloaf
I’ve made this several different ways and this is the final recipe that is perfect for our family. If you have picky eaters that don’t like to see lentils or oats, feel free to use a blender for those ingredients, before mixing in the remaining ingredients.
Meatless Meatloaf / Veggie Slice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Green Lentils rinsed and picked over
- 2 cups Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Oats
- ¾ cup Cheese shredded (cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey, etc)
- 1 small Onion diced
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Parsley
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Seasoned Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ cup Ketchup, Tomato Sauce, or Pasta Sauce
- Topping:
- ½ cup Ketchup
- 1 tsp Mustard or 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a loaf pan with butter.
- In a small pot, add lentils, water, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Add cooked lentils to a medium mixing bowl and add oats, cheese, and onions and mix until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until completely incorporated.
- Pour mixture into greased loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the topping in a small bowl by combining the ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar. Pour on top of the “meatloaf” and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Let rest for 10 minutes and then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Meatless “Meatloaf” Melts / Veggie Melts
Ingredients
- 1 portion Meatless “Meatloaf” / Veggie Slice
- 2 slices Bread
- ¼ cup Cheese shredded
- 2 Tbsp Butter
Instructions
- Reheat a single serving of meatless “meatloaf” in the microwave or oven until heated through.
- In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add slices of bread to the pan. Place reheated loaf on one slice of bread, top with cheese, and then top with the other slice of bread, butter side facing up. Cook until brown and crispy, then flip and continue cooking until crispy. Serve and enjoy!
Salmon Buddha Bowls
I originally made these with grape tomatoes but I personally preferred the dish without them, so I’ve adjusted the recipe below to reflect that. I love these bowls because they’re so easy to make and almost any veggie will do. I’ve made these with roasted broccoli, rice, tofu, chicken, and many other ingredients. Adjust this to your taste and I’m positive you’ll fall in love!
Salmon Buddha Bowls
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Honey
- ⅓ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 cup Rice
- 2 Salmon Filets cooked
- 1 cup Cabbage cooked or raw
- 2 cups Edamame cooked and chilled
- 1 Avocado
- 4 Carrots shredded
- ½ Cucumber sliced
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder until completely combined. Set aside.
- In a pot, cook rice according to directions. Set aside.
- Reheat Salmon and cooked cabbage in the microwave or oven, if desired.
- Even distribute rice into bowls and top with cooked salmon, cabbage, edamame, avocado, carrots, cucumber, and honey soy sauce mixture. Serve and enjoy!
Tofu Taco Bowls
Taco Bowls
Ingredients
- Oil
- 14 oz Extra Firm Tofu
- 2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
- ½ cup Water
- 4 cups Cabbage shredded or chopped
- 1 cup Corn frozen or canned
- 4 oz Cheddar or Colby Jack shredded
- 2 cups Cooked Black Beans, rinsed and drained or 1 can Black Beans
- 1 cup Grape Tomatoes quartered
- Hot Sauce optional
Instructions
- Drain tofu and press with a clean towel to reduce some of the moisture. Cut into ½ inch thick slices.
- In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Carefully add tofu to the pan and allow to brown, without touching it, for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crispy. Break tofu apart and season with taco seasoning. Continue to cook until tofu is crispy, about 5 minutes more.
- Add ½ cup water to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Meanwhile, cook corn according to the package and heat black beans. Set aside.
- Place equal amounts of cabbage in bowls and top with taco seasoned tofu, corn, cheese, black beans, grape tomatoes, and hot sauce, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
One Pot Southwest Lentil and Rice
Ingredients
- Oil
- ½ Yellow Onion diced
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 cups Tomatoes chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
- 2 cups Black Beans rinsed and drained (or 1 can Black Beans)
- ½ cup Green Lentils rinsed
- 1 cup Frozen Corn
- 2 cups Chicken Broth Vegetable Broth, or Water
- ¾ cup Rice
- ½ cup Cheddar or Colby Jack shredded
- Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
- 1 Avocado diced or smashed
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and oregano and sauté until spices are fragrant and golden, about 1-2 minutes more.
- Add tomatoes, black beans, lentils, corn, and broth, and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not add the rice at this step. This allows the lentils to begin cooking first.
- Add rice, stir, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and tender.
- Fluff the rice, spoon into bowls, and top with cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, and avocado. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy the recipes and at least get a few ideas for meals to make in your home! Please let me know if you try anything and what you thought!
Happy Cooking!
Disclaimer: This post is the opinion of the author. Always speak to your doctor before beginning any exercise plan or changes to your lifestyle or diet. The information provided in this post is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to provide medical, legal, or other professional advice. Read and/or use any of the information from this post at your own risk. Some or all of the links displayed on this site may be affiliate links.
