Faber - The DIY pantry : 30 minutes to healthy, homemade food

Avon, Massachusetts

For my children,
Annika, Evan, and Jonathan

May The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

May your bodies ever be nourished with good food and your lives ever be nourished by joy.

With so many grocery stores stocking items that are chock-full of additives, artificial colors, and GMOs (genetically modified organisms), its becoming nearly impossible to find foods that are healthy and affordable. Thus, The DIY Pantry is meant to be your indispensable, number-one tool in the kitchen to help you fill your home with wholesome, nutrient-rich snacks, mixes, fixings, and meals that will nourish your body. Inspired by traditional methods of cooking, each of the recipes in this book uses simple ingredients, so you can make them in about as much time as it takes to craft a meal from their store-bought counterparts. Youll enjoy all of your favorite foods, from granola bars and biscuits, to baked beans and macaroni and cheese, to caramel sauce and ice cream.

Finding whole foods in grocery stores has become more and more difficult with packages often including ingredients that are not only harmful to our bodies but also unidentifiable by the average person. Every single recipe in this book was created with your favorite products in mind as well as your health. To make these as close as possible to the store-brand versions, each recipe was designed and tested with whole food ingredients until it captured as much of those unmistakable flavors as possible. And with 454 recipe testers from around the world, you can be assured that each and every recipe has been tested numerous times over to ensure its as easy and delicious as it promises to be. Since you see exactly what goes into each recipe, youll know that each meal is 100 percent realno high fructose corn syrup, additives, preservatives, GMOs, or fifty-letter chemicals.

Since each recipe uses such simple, straight-forward ingredients, its easy to adjust them to suit your preferences. Whether you have a food allergy or dont eat meat, there are plenty of substitutions in this book to help you craft the perfect, all-natural meal or snack. In each recipe, youll find nutrition facts and easy-to-read icons listing to which diets the recipe adheres. These icons represent the following dietary needs:

Many of the recipes also include information to help you adjust the ingredients to fit your flavor profiles as well, so youll always know how to make something spicier or milder depending on your tastes. With such a wide range of options for substitutions, youll always be able to create meals that are immensely satisfying.

Commercial pantry staples add up, even if youre an avid coupon user. Stocking up on basic ingredients, however, can ease that budget considerably, especially if you have a checklist of ingredients you purchase regularly and stock up when they go on sale. Each recipe in this book includes a cost rating system that will help you figure out if something is in your budget. This is what each rating represents:

$ = less than 25 cents per serving
$ $ = between 25 cents and 50 cents per serving
$ $ $ = between 50 cents and one dollar per serving
$ $ $ $ = more than one dollar per serving

Remember that while overall it is much cheaper to make your own foods for your pantry, you cant do it all at once without putting a serious dent in your wallet. Be sure to pick and choose recipes as you begin to build your pantry, so that you get the most bang for your buck. Each recipe in this book also breaks down the prep and cook times for the meal as well as its difficulty level. The rating system for the difficulty ranges from one star (very easy to make and the ingredients are easy to find) to four stars (may involve a tricky technique or includes difficult-to-find ingredients). However, keep in mind that the four star recipes are still doable by a novice cook and that the stars merely denote a bit more care and attentionrolling a cracker dough thin without sticking to the table, for example, rather than merely whisking ingredients in a pan.

So what are you waiting for? Its time to get healthy and live free (additive-free!) with The DIY Pantry!

Youd like to stock your pantry with nutritious foods, but youre not sure where to start. This chapter will help you understand what kinds of foods youll want to keep on hand so that youll always have healthy ingredients ready to prepare any meal, as well as what you need to consider when choosing which recipes are best for you, your diet, your schedule, and your budget. Also, note that while it is so incredibly satisfying to make your own pantry staples and to discover new versions of your favorite foods, it can also be overwhelming to stay on top of keeping your pantry stocked. Thus, while there are enough recipes here to restock your entire pantry, start with only two or three favorites to make on a regular basis and rely on the rest to fill in the gaps when youre feeling creative.

With the following nutrient-rich ingredients on hand, youll be able to make nearly every recipe in this book and bring any meal together in a jiffy. If you are unable to find any of these ingredients locally at a price youre comfortable with, source them online, as many of these ingredients are easy to find. Check out the Appendix at the back of this book if you dont know where to start.

While includes many recipes for creating your own dairy products, you can certainly purchase them if you prefer. When buying, look for products that come from organic or pastured animals in order to avoid additives and growth hormones.

Milk