Make Your Own

I like convenience cooking, I admit it. It's not so much that I don't like chopping and whisking - quite the contrary - but sometimes I'm tired, hungry and out of time (actually, I'd say that's probably accurate most of the time). I do not, however, like to pay money for substandard ingredients, especially when I can make my own (insert food here) cheaper and better than the store's version.
So, for any other convenience-but-conscience-stricken cooks out there, here are a few suggestions for some good make-your-own box mixes:

• Better Than Bisquick Drop Biscuits 
• Pancakes
• Waffles
• Brownies
• Vanilla Pudding Mix (vital for Amish Friendship Bread)
• Cake in a Box

In each case, it's pretty much a matter of mixing up the dry ingredients, sticking them in a labelled Ziploc bag with the wet ingredients you'll need written on the front, and storing them in the freezer until you need them (freezer storage keeps longer and protects from critters).
I've even managed to have my girls make some goodies by handing them the bag and having them follow the instructions. I'm all about making it easy for my kids to cook!
Once you try these, I dare you to look around your kitchen and see what you can do some advance prep for - I wouldn't have even thought about the pudding mix except for the fact that I was in the middle of making the Amish Friendship Bread and didn't have the boxed stuff to hand.
"Necessity is the mother of Invention", right?