You Don't Have to Buy that!

OK, so my posts about spa recipes and my post about homemade household cleaners seemed to be pretty popular. I guess that it's actually saving money that's pretty popular! So I thought I would make it a trilogy! Today I'm going to give you guys some recipes for things you never realized you were spending so much money on! If you don't know already, homemade is always better. Even the jars above are homemade- DIY all the way! The link to them is at the bottom of this post!


Homemade Nesquik Recipe
2/3 C Sugar
1/3 C Cocoa
Pinch of salt

Combine the three ingredients and store in a sealed container.

Homemade Bisquick Recipe
3 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

mix and store in a sealed container

Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
3/4 cup powdered milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
Blend until smooth.

This recipe equals one can of store bought condensed milk.

Homemade Brownie Mix

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups white sugar

mix and store in an airtight container. When you're ready to use this, add 1 cup melted butter or margarine 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit till done.

Homemade Muffin Mix
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

mix in air tight container.When you're ready to use this add any special additions (like blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts etc.) first then add 1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk and 1/4 cup oil.

Seasoned Salt
8 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
3 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. paprika

Homemade Taco Seasoning same link
6 tsp. chili powder
3 tsp. onion powder
4 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
5 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. One teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning equals 2 teaspoons of the store-bought seasoning.

Italian Seasoning same link
1/4 cup dried basil
2 Tbsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. dried marjoram
2 Tbsp. dried rosemary
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried coriander
1 tsp. sugar
Combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 3 months.

Homemade Cajun Seasoning
1/2 cup paprika
1/3 cup Himalayan Salt or sea salt
1/4 cup Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper (optional- won’t be spicy without this)
2 Tablespoons Oregano leaf
1 Tablespoon Thyme leaf
To Make: Mix all ingredients in jar or food processor and store in an airtight container. Good on stir frys, eggs, casseroles, and poultry. Can add more or less Cayenne to get to your taste.

Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Zest of 3 lemons, about 1 -2 tbsp
Crushed black pepper, 2-3 tbsp
Sea Salt, 1 tbsp
Preheat toaster oven to lowest setting.
In a large bowl, combine lemon zest and black pepper.  Cover metal pan fitted for toaster oven with foil and spread mixture evenly in pan.  Allow to bake low and slow until zest is completely dried.  Mine took about 26-30 minutes.
Transfer lemon-pepper mixture to a bowl.  Using the back of a spoon (or spice grinder if you have one), crush mixture until desired texture is achieved.  Mix in salt, 1 tsp at a time.  Continue to add salt until you have the right balance to fit your taste.

Homemade Fajita Seasoning

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. sugar

2-1/2 tsp. crushed chicken bouillon cube

1-1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. cumin

mix and store this is about the quantity of 3 commercial packets.

Homemade Chili Seasoning

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp minced onion

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground cumin

this recipe is enough for 1 pound of ground beef

Homemade Ranch Seasoning

2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper

mix and store. When you're ready to use this whisk together 1 TBS of Mix , 1/3 Cup of Mayonnaise ( or 1/3 cup non fat Greek yogurt)  and 1/4 Cup of Milk. Add salt to taste.

PS: You can make your own spice jars for the above spices. If you like the ones in the picture you can find out how to make them yourselves at Well it's Okay, another awesome blog!

That's it for now, I hope you guys enjoy these! Always remember to label clearly and don't forget to label how much you need to scoop if you make more than a single batch and what to add to that! Label label label!