Our current situation might have encouraged us to buy more processed foods and frozen meals these days out of convenience, but what if I tell you that there’s a healthier option to actually make your favorite store-bought items and create them from scratch at home?
Junk Free Ingredient Challenge Goal
You cannot believe how easy (and fun!) it is to create your own wholesome recipes at home. So, the idea is to swap out one packaged or prepared food that contains additives, preservatives, or processed vegetable oils with real delicious and healthier foods!
There are a lot of ingredients that fall on this list but we’ll just focus on what I consider as the top 5 ingredients to avoid.
Top 5 INGREDIENTS TO AVOID
- Industrial seed oils – such as Soybean Oil, Safflower Oil, Corn Oil, cottonseed oil, and more.
- Preservatives: Sodium Benzoate, BHA And BHT, and Sodium Nitrite.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- MSG
- Artificial food coloring
INGREDIENTS TO FOCUS ON
Real foods using any of the following ingredients:
- Pure Olive Oil or Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Grass-fed/clarified butter or Ghee
- Avocado oil
- Coconut oil
- Natural Sweeteners (Unrefined sweeteners)
- Vegetables for food coloring
- Nitrate-free
❌ Instead of store-bought Chips, You can make:
Salt & Vinegar Air Fryer Kale Chips
Air fryer kale chips are made in minutes for a crispy, crunchy, and completely addicting kid-friendly, better-for-you snack you’ll love! Gluten-free, vegan, and high in fiber!
BBQ Baked Rutabaga Chips
A healthy and flavorful gluten-free side dish, appetizer, or snack! Rutabaga is a root vegetable that’s easy to bake and cook with, so making the baked chips recipe is easy, too! Super tasty, budget-friendly, kid-friendly, and naturally paleo and vegan.
Stone Baked Tortilla Chips
These homemade tortilla chips are the best you will ever taste. They’re perfectly crispy, golden brown, with just a hint of salt and lime. And because they’re gluten-free, I can munch away, and so can you!
Multiseed Homemade Healthy Crackers (Vegan)
These Multiseed Homemade Healthy Crackers are a tasty homemade snack, and with 4 types of seeds, they’re full of nutritional benefits, too! No flour or nuts means this recipe is grain-free, paleo, and vegan.
❌ Instead of store-bought Sauces & Dressing, try:
Nightshade-Free Barbecue Sauce
Skip the store-bought stuff, and make this homemade nightshade free barbecue sauce in 10 minutes for lower-sugar condiment perfect for those who can’t handle tomatoes!
Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
It’s not only vegan, it’s also Paleo-friendly, low carb, made with simple healthy ingredients, and pretty much good on EVERYTHING, and is so easy to
Low-Carb Homemade Sriracha
This Homemade Sriracha Sauce is made with simple and fresh ingredients for a nourishing alternative to everyone’s favorite hot sauce.
Spicy Vegan Ranch
A tasty dressing that can be slathered on salad, served as a veggie dip, or dunked in your favorite spicy foods. Vegan, and paleo friendly, this creamy dairy-free ranch dressing is made from blended cashews, nut milk, herbs, and oil. Super quick, super tasty!
❌ Instead of REFINED SUGAR, try:
Date Paste Natural Sweetener
Date paste is a delicious, all-natural sweetener made from nature’s candy – DATES. It’s whole30 approved, vegan and a paleo-friendly sugar substitute. This recipe is SO easy to make, too!
❌ Instead of store-bought BREAD, make these:
Grain-Free Paleo Bread
Make this paleo bread recipe for a soft, gluten-free, grain-free bread full of nutty, herbaceous flavor perfect for sandwiches and toast!
Cinnamon Almond Flour Bread
Simple and delicious paleo bread your whole family will love! Made with few ingredients: almond flour, flax seed, cinnamon, and eggs to name a few. A wholesome bread for breakfast or snacking.
Vegan Gluten-Free Bread
This yeast bread recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, too. Similar to a rustic Italian or French bread loaf in taste and appearance but you can make a simple sandwich bread loaf as well. Very versatile!
❌ Instead of store-bought Nut Butter, Try my:
Homemade Cashew Butter
This is a homemade nut butter recipe you’ll want to make over and over again! I also like to make a variety of different flavors; like cinnamon sugar or spicy savory cashew butter. All are vegan friendly, refined sugar free, and gluten free!
❌ Instead of store-bought INSTANT NOODLES or INSTANT SOUP, try:
Healthy Instant Soup Jars
These 3 recipes for are made with protein-packed bone broth collagen and other real food ingredients. Make your own nourishing protein rich lunch ready to eat in minutes!
a wonderful and truly appreciated resource, thank you, because when I run out of ideas or inspiration for a swap for something not so good, well it’s not so good, I default to the bad stuff, so thank you!
I’m so glad it is helpful Sabrina! Keep me posted on what you try!