Make more food from scratch (Change 100)

DH and I had a bit of a health scare last month.  Driving him to the hospital when he had chest pains was not my idea of a fun time.  He has had high normal blood pressure for years, but neither of us really thought anything of it.  This time we took notice, and resolved to improve our eating and exercising habits.

One of the things we are trying to do is lower our salt and fat intake.  We don't eat a lot of prepared foods, but our cupboards and refrigerator are still crammed with crackers, canned beans, ketchup, hummus and various other items that are made by someone else, stuffed with added salt and fat that we don't need. 

I've never really given any true thought to the environmental impact of purchasing these products, but when you take the time to look at how your purchases contribute to the landfill, it can be an eye-opening experience.  It also is not good for our health - some of these products can contain up to 40% of our daily salt intake in one serving.  And who ever has just one serving?

For the new year, I am resolving to make more food from scratch.  Make my own hummus, salad dressings and salsa to start.  Then as I get more comfortable with the process, I am going to try my own ketchup, crackers and seasoning mixes.  

There is less packaging, because I will be buying items in bulk and not throwing out one-time use containers.  Our diets will be healthier because I will be able to control the amount of salt and fat we intake.  This sounds like a resolution I can stick with.