I have several recipes that call for bread crumbs–homemade chicken nuggets, baked onion rings, manicotti, and meatloaf to name a few.  When I make my own, I save money, but I also know the breadcrumbs are whole grain. 

It’s a double treat, because my family doesn’t enjoy bread heels (unless they are straight from the oven, yum!)  Sometimes I buy our bread from the day old bread store.  It’s not as good as homemade but it holds together great for sandwiches :).  I can snag a loaf of 100% whole grain bread there for less than $1 if I work it right.  I immediately pull out the heels and place them on a plate overnight.

The next morning, I put them in my vita-mix dry container.  A food processor works just as well.  Once they are blended,  I slip them in a baggie and label it.  It takes less than 5 minutes!

You can do this with homemade bread too.  It tends to dry out more quickly than store bought and once it’s no longer tasty, use a few slices for breadcrumbs and make French toast or croutons with the rest :).  You can Italian seasoning to the mix for flavored bread crumbs too. 

P.S.  Don’t forget to take part in the All You special offer.  It ends on Friday.