The 8 Best Homemade Seasoning Mix Recipes to Make When You Can’t Get to the Store + Weekly Menu Plan
When you’re in a pinch, these Homemade Seasoning Mix Recipes are the best When You Can’t Get to the Store
Ever start a recipe and realize you’re out of a spice or trying to eat clean and try homemade seasoning mix recipes instead of buying a preservative filled seasoning packet? Here are my 8 favorite homemade seasoning mixes, some I’ve tried and some I’m going to in order to complete recipes since I can’t get to the store before I have to make it.
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Benefits of Homemade Seasoning Mixes
Right now, these homemade seasoning mix recipes will come in handy because we can’t get to the store as often as we would like, if at all. But I have a feeling once you try these recipes, you’ll never go back to premade seasoning packets. I know I haven’t for at least 4 of these! But, there are several benefits for making homemade seasoning mixes. Here are just a few: it’s cheaper to make your own seasoning mix (especially when you buy spices in bulk)
it’s better for the environment to reduce paper and plastic packaging
it’s healthier since there are no artificial preservatives to prevent caking and way less salt/sodium when you make your own
they are super easy and quick to make
you probably already have most of these items in your pantry already
you can make just what you need to reduce waste or throwing out spice containers when you don’t use it much
there’s actually something zen-like of mixing spices in a bowl (think of those desk accessories pulling a rake across sand)
or even a stress relief when you can put all the spices in a small jar and shake it good to mix it up!
Ready? Here are some of my favorite homemade seasoning mixes recipes.
The 8 Best Homemade Seasoning Mix Recipes
Taco Homemade Seasoning Mix
This recipe came from Allrecipes and I've been using it for years! I don't add any crushed red pepper flakes to make it kid-friendly and hubby and I like to add fresh jalapeno to our tacos anyway to spice it up.
Chili Homemade Seasoning Mix
This is not the exact recipe I use for chili seasoning but it has the same base. You can eliminate the cayenne if you want it to be less spicy and more kid-friendly.
Montreal Steak Homemade Seasoning Mix
I love using Montreal Steak Seasoning on burgers too! This Montreal Steak Seasoning recipe looks amazing for ground beef and steaks!
Ranch Homemade Seasoning Mix
This is what I was looking for when I got the idea to share my favorite homemade seasoning mixes to help other cooks in a pinch or pickle.I tried this in a recipe last night and it was so good and thankfully came out waaay less salty than the first time I made it with packets. Lesson learned!
Cajun Homemade Seasoning Mix
Cajun seasoning mix can add a nice flavor and flair to almost anything! I add cajun seasoning mix to fried chicken fillets to make my copycat version of Bojangles cajun fillets, to tater tots or fries, to fish fillets to put either in sandwiches or tacos, or fresh shrimp. I can never use a whole spice container of it so this is one I'd adjust the recipe to just make what I need since these are all items from my pantry anyway.
Taki Fuego Homemade Seasoning Mix
My boys loooove Takis but it was getting really expensive buying a bag a week! Then we cringed when we read the ingredients. So I was on the hunt for a taki fuego seasoning recipe to make at home. This one is pretty good! Just as tasty as the originals, and a little goes quite a long way.
I put it in an empty spice shaker and we sprinkle on tortilla chips (i bet it would taste great on the tortilla chips with lime), potato chips, popcorn, pretzels...and yes, even goldfish crackers. Give it a try if you love Takis as much as we do!
Simple Curry Powder Homemade Seasoning Mix
I love a good curry powder, but I don't need much of it at a time. I cook Indian food sometimes but not often. This is a good one to make just as you need it. You can use in Indian curry recipes, but I also use curry powder in our favorite Chicken Shwarma recipe.
Italian Homemade Seasoning Mix
I use Italian seasoning a LOT! On top of garlic bread, or to dip crusty bread in olive oil and Italian seasoning as a side with pasta like they do in Carraba's. This Italian homemade seasoning mix recipe will get used a lot!
free printable of spices you Need for Homemade seasoning Mixes
Ready to shop your pantry, your store or Amazon? I’ve made a simple Spices to Keep in Your Pantry free printable that you can download. It’s got everything you need to make all 8 of these seasoning mixes and a few other free menu planning printables to help you along when you subscribe to my Simple Cooking with Tanya Newsletter!
This Week’s Menu Plan
I thought of doing this post because with the current situation, I didn’t want to run to the store to get seasoning packets for one of the recipes I was making. So I started hunting for recipes.
I wanted to share this week’s menu plan with you in case it helps you with new recipes to try! And since we are all stuck at home, these are the meals we plan to eat. I do use leftovers a lot and especially now, I cook more than I need for a meal so we have leftovers for lunch most days.
Menu planning has been tough since I bought the meat over a week ago based on what my store had available, and the meat sections were pretty bare. I think I bought the last of the ground beef. I froze what I didn’t need the first week so we would have the meat to thaw and use this week. So I didn’t have time to meal plan after the fact and use what I already had in the house. It’s definitely more challenging to meal plan right now. But it’s a good exercise in using up what I have.
Because of my autoimmune disease, I set out a plan, but it really depends on how I feel whether I’m able to stick to it. I reserve the right to switch meals around but this is my goal of what we eat each day. I also don’t cook breakfast every day for that reason. Morning pain is the worst for my RA so if it’s a weekday I will cook eggs but on weekends I do bigger brunches when my body has had a chance to warm up or cook breakfast for dinner that we reheat during the week.
Monday
- Breakfast: Eggs, toast, sausage, hash browns
- Lunch: Fried Chicken Sandwiches with tater tots, leftover mac and cheese, choice of fruit or veggie
- Dinner: Mississipi Pot Roast (had to use the Ranch dressing mix above for this recipe), yukon gold mashed potatoes and salad
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Blueberry bagels with cream cheese and fruit
- Lunch: Leftover pot roast, potatoes and salad
- Dinner: Paella with crusty bread and salad
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Blueberry bagels with cream cheese and fruit
- Lunch: Leftover paella
- Dinner: Frozen pizza (my midweek break from cooking)
Thursday
- Breakfast: Oatmeal or frozen waffles
- Lunch: Leftovers or grilled sandwiches with chips and fruit or veggie
- Dinner: Taco/Nacho/Taco Salad bar using taco seasoning above for the ground beef with black beans (i simmer with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt), queso and toppings
Friday
- Breakfast: Cereal
- Lunch: Papas con huevos (potato and egg) tacos like these. I use frozen tater tots or hash browns more often because this is one of my go to meals. We always have frozen potatoes, tortillas and eggs in the house
- Dinner: Fish stick sandwich for hubby who does not like pasta and Tuna Mornay for my boys and I with salad and Garlic Cheddar Biscuits that taste like Red Lobster’s!
Saturday
- Brunch: Copycat Cracker Barrel Pancakes with bacon or sausage and fruit. These pancakes are amazing! The recipe says not to use anything over 1% fat buttermilk but we live in the South, all I can find is whole buttermilk and they still come out fantastic!
- Late lunch: leftovers
- Dinner: Oven Baked Chicken Breast with Garlic Butter Rice with Kale and salad
Sunday
- Breakfast/Brunch: feed yourself! mom wants to “sleep in”.
- Lunch: leftovers
- Dinner: Biscuits and Gravy (breakfast for dinner)
Well that’s it for this week’s cooking tip and menu plan. I hope you try out some of the homemade seasoning mix recipes I shared. They really are a cinch to make, save money and are healthier for your family. Be sure to subscribe to my Simple Cooking with Tanya newsletter and get your free Spices to Keep in Your Pantry Shopping List to make sure you have all the spices on hand and get my weekly menu plans and cooking tips sent straight to your inbox! Don’t miss it!
What’s on your menu plan this week?
Thanks for sharing with us at the To Grandma’s house we go link party – I’ll be featuring you this week when the next party starts!