Mostly: Part 1

When I first started this blog, I wanted to give it the title "My Homemade Life," but that title was taken. So I settled on My (Mostly) Homemade Life. After thinking it through, I decided that the second choice title was actually the better one. Why? Because I just can't do it all. Nor do I want to do it all. At different times, I have made different attempts at making things homemade. Some I've decided I like and will continue with, some are just too much work for too little reward. So here is part one of my list of what I make homemade and why it works for me, and what I don't make homemade and why not.

Bread: I like to make my own bread. Why? Well, first of all, my husband bought me a breadmaker for Christmas and that makes it much, much easier. Second, homemade bread feels so wholesome. And third, with all the talk about chemicals found in rubber being used in common bread products, I feel good about knowing all the ingredients in our bread.

Shredded Cheese: No! So here's the thing with storebought shredded cheese. It contains cellulose, a product derived from wood and found in paper. It's used as an anti-caking and anti-mold agent. I don't particularly like the thought of eating paper (my baby, on the other hand, loves it), but I've been shredding my own cheese for the past few weeks, and I hate it. I wish I didn't hate it, but I just do. It's tedious, lame, and it makes my hand cramp up. So storebought shredded cheese, here I come.

Yogurt: Yes! Homemade yogurt tastes better than storebought and it's super easy. It's my favorite kind of homemade: Set it and forget it! Or be like me and hover over the slow cooker constantly taking the milk's tempature like it's a sick kid or something. But here's the thing...I never liked plain yogurt, until I tried fresh plain yogurt. When plain yogurt is fresh, it's rich and creamy with just a hint of tang, not like the sour stuff you buy at the grocery store. And of course, by consuming plain yogurt, you avoid all the extra sugar (or at least I would if I didn't add honey to mine).

Chicken Nuggets: No, but I don't feel good about it being a no. I've only made them once; they weren't hard to do, but I think if I could streamline the process it would help tremendously. The flavor wasn't quite like the frozen, storebought nuggets, though. They tasted more like chunks of chicken parm, and I felt like I should serve them with marinara sauce rather than ketchup. So for now, they go on the "buy in bulk at BJs" list, but I will try them again when I have more time and patience.

There is of course more that I make homemade (stock, granola, ect) and more that I buy storebought (any condiment) and various reasons for each. For example, once I made pasta by hand...my arms ached the next day. Now I know why Italian mothers are to be feared...they must have biceps like Rocky.