How to Make Pop Tarts, Fruit Rolls and More Tasty Treats at Home

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Living on the Cheap.

No one can argue that convenience foods are a huge time-saver. But some prepackaged foods can be expensive (frozen pizzas), available seasonally (Girl Scout cookies) or filled with artificial ingredients (fruit rolls and Pop-Tarts).

If you take a little time to make these items in advance, you can enjoy the convenience of ready-to-eat foods with a cheaper price tag and, sometimes, a healthier result. Check out these recipes for homemade pop tarts and other DIY convenience foods. You can enjoy quick snacks and dinner prep without emptying your wallet and with ingredients you choose.

While it’s true that you can buy all of these things already made at the store, where is the fun in that? I love making my own food and meals so that I know what’s inside of them.

I can’t even tell you how much more flavor and taste I think that food has when it’s made homemade. And there’s just nothing like sharing that love of cooking and creating with all your family and friends.

Let’s dive in a bit and talk about some fun foods and recipes that you can easily start making at home. They’re not only easy to do, but you’ll likely save money making your own foods, too!

Homemade pop tarts

Recently, I wanted to make a fun breakfast for a sleepover my daughter was hosting. I’d been wanting to try homemade pop tarts, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. They were a big hit!

The internet is full of recipes for DIY pop tarts, with instructions for cutting, filling and baking the homemade toaster pastries. Feel free to use them as a springboard for your own ideas.

For example, you could use store-bought pie dough (which, at least in my neck of the woods, is still cheaper than pop tarts) rather than preparing your own. You could also use your favorite pie dough recipe and cut into different shapes.

But it’s the fillings where you can really have fun. We filled some with Nutella and others with homemade strawberry jam. The possibilities are endless. I can imagine pumpkin pie filling in the fall and lemon pie filling in the spring. Yum!

DIY Girl Scout cookies

In our house, we’re lucky to have a resident Girl Scout, but if you don’t, or if you prefer to have access to those cookies year round, consider making your own.

If you like those little minty discs of chocolate, give these faux Thin Mints a try. Peanut butter fans can whip up their own TagAlongs. I love the Samoas (aka Caramel Delights). If you do too, check out this recipe for the cookies or this shortcut version in a bar form.

Just as with regular Girl Scout cookies, these options should freeze well. So make a double batch and freeze half, so you have a convenient and delicious snack whenever you get a cookie craving.

Homemade granola bars

Granola bars can be great on-the-go snacks, but where I live, they run about at least $4 for a box of 8. That’s why I’d rather make my own.

In addition, you can get creative with your flavors. Sure, you can use the standard chocolate chips, but you can also add coconut and dried pineapple or papaya bits for a tropical flavor or dried cranberries and walnuts in the fall.

Even better, make a s’mores version for a summer trip by swapping out about one third or so of the flour with crushed graham crackers and adding some marshmallow bits and milk chocolate chips.

This no-bake granola bar recipe has the added advantage of keeping the kitchen cool if you make them in summer.

Microwave popcorn

DIY microwave popcorn is almost too easy. It’s probably also the biggest cost saver and has the greatest nutritional difference of the “make from home” alternatives. This recipe offers several flavoring options, too.

I like to throw in about a teaspoonful of sugar and a dash of salt in the bag to create a kettle-corn like experience.

Fruit rolls

Fruit rolls or leathers should be a convenient way to get kids to eat fruit. Unfortunately, no. Most store-bought roll-ups are convenient ways to get your kids to consume a bunch of fruit-flavored sugar and artificial ingredients.

If you want a healthier fruit leather, go the DIY route. Fruit roll-ups are easy to make yourself. Try blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, peach or your kids’ favorite fruits.

These yummy apple cinnamon fruit leathers are a perfect fall treat. For summer, give these easy strawberry fruit rolls a try. To make these snacks as inexpensively as possible, choose in-season fruit or use unsweetened frozen fruit (thawed first).

Frozen pizza

Frozen pizza is the ultimate convenience food. Remove from the freezer, pop in the oven and dinner is ready a few minutes later. But oh, the cost, and meh, the taste. Imagine being able to take a pizza from the freezer and bake it into a delicious homemade pizza.

You can use your own favorite homemade pizza dough and sauce, store-bought dough and sauce or a combination to make your own frozen pizza.

Here’s my favorite pizza dough recipe. Simply shape the pizza dough as you normally would, partially bake the crust, then add toppings as usual and freeze.

Here’s the DIY frozen pizza technique I used, and it worked great for a pizza party.

Homemade instant oatmeal packets

It doesn’t take that long to make to microwave a bowl of oatmeal, but if you’re a fan of flavored instant oatmeal, you can easily make your own quick breakfast mixes.

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well and divide evenly among eight snack-sized baggies — about 1/3 cup per baggie.

In the morning, dump the packet in a bowl, add 2/3 cup milk and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, then continue cooking and stirring in 1 minute increments until the oatmeal reaches your desired consistency.

Tailor packets to your taste by adding your favorite spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg before mixing; you can also add a dash of vanilla or maple syrup, dried fruit such as raisins or fresh diced fruit like apples or bananas before cooking.

Flavored rice

Do you enjoy flavored rice mixes from the store, but can’t be bothered to add seasoning when you’re making rice with dinner? Registered dietitian Wendy Jo Peterson shared this yummy tip for making delicious flavored rice.

Freeze the zest of citrus fruit in ice cubes with fresh herbs. Plop 4-6 cubes into your rice maker or pot with the proper amounts of rice and water for instant flavored rice. Some of my favorite combos include:

• Lemon zest and lemon thyme, rosemary or parsley
• Orange zest and tarragon or sage
• Lime zest with cilantro, cumin and coriander

Homemade ranch dressing

In many households, ranch dressing is a staple ingredient — and often the only way to convince kids to eat their veggies. But at $2 or more a bottle, it can add up. You can easily make your own ranch dressing that costs just a fraction of that.

Make a bulk batch of the dry seasoning mix, and then when you’re ready, combine the correct amount of mix with mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream and lemon juice. Use reduced-fat mayo and sour cream to cut the fat and calories but not the flavor.

Store your DIY ranch dressing in the fridge in an air-tight bottle, so you can grab it whenever you need it.

You can also save money with these other popular salad dressing recipes.

Taco seasoning

When it’s Taco Tuesday, I never want to spend money on the premade seasoning mix when I have a collection of spices at the ready. Skip the little individual packets in favor of making up a batch of taco seasoning yourself.

You’ll certainly save some cash and eliminate a high sodium source from your family’s diet at the same time.

Taco seasoning makes your Mexican food yummy, but the flavor-packed seasoning can jazz up meatloaf and burgers, as well as coat chicken breasts, pork chops and more.