Do You Have a 72 Hour Kit?

Our Goal for 2008 (for our Relief Society) has been to put together a 72 hour kit.

72 HOUR KIT "IN A NUTSHELL"
The kit should include items that would meet your needs for at least three days, whether you are asked to evacuate your home or stay there. Store your supplies in sturdy, waterproof, easy-to-carry containers, such as backpacks or duffle bags, so you are ready to "grab and go" if necessary. You might even consider keeping a smaller version of the kit in your car.

What should I put in a disaster supplies kit?
Inexpensive items to include in your disaster supplies kit:

* Water for at least three days (one gallon per person per day)
* Food that won’t spoil or need much cooking (replace this food every six months)
* A change of clothes, comfortable shoes, and blankets or sleeping bags
* Battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, extra batteries, lighter or matches, sanitation supplies, basic tools, and a few dishes and kitchen utensils
* An extra set of car and house keys
* A basic first-aid kit
* A manual can opener
* Personal hygiene items to last at least three days
* A reminder to grab your prescriptions (or include copies of prescriptions)

Note: Do not include candle — and do not light candles — after a disaster due to the fire risk.

There are many wonderful sites on the Internet about how to assemble 72 Hour Kits.

Got Onions?

If you do not have fresh ones, this is the next best thing! You can get these at Walmart for under a dollar. I reconstituted a few tablespoons in warm water today and then fried it with a little olive oil and some leftover rice. Delicious!

Don't Forget To Store Your Favorite Condiments

The other night, when we were having supper and my husband went and got the ketchup bottle for his fried rice...I noticed it was almost empty. Good thing WinCo has Delmonte Ketchup for 99 cents. I went and got a few more. We have 6 bottles of Tapatio, also. Without your favorite condiments, your rice can become pretty boring.

Price Watch

I told you in a previous blog that Franco American Gravy at Winco was 55 cents a can. I sure wish I would have bought more of their delicious turkey gravy during Thanksgiving week and the week that followed. Now, turkey gravy and chicken gravy at Winco are $1.17 a can..they more than doubled in price overnight! The beef gravy is still 55 cents. But for how long?

Also, I remember when Swanson Chicken Broth (both regular and reduced sodium) were usually a dollar a can. That was in the months before this past November. Then they went down in price at Thanksgiving time and stayed down. They are 50 cents a can! They still have huge displays of Swanson's chicken broth at Winco. The cans tower above your head. But, I say...for how long? I use broth to make my own soups and gravies, or to cook my rice in.

So...if you see a fabulous price on something, take advantage...the price may be different tomorrow.

Loving Lentils

There is one food that I could literally live on: Lentils!
I love lentil stew or soup and I love the taste of sprouted lentils (which taste so good and fresh and are very high in folates). I also love the price. Usually they are 98 cents for a 1 lb. bag, but I have seen it for 39 cents a bag at King Ranch during special sales. There are many kinds of lentils, too. Red ones, black ones, to name a few.

How to fix lentils? Just empty the bag onto a plate and check for little stones, just in case (usually I find that the bag is free of any foreign objects). Then put them in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Then put them in a pot, add water to cover. The water level can be 2 inches above the lentils. Turn the heat on and bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 45 minutes. You do not need to soak lentils. When they cook, they have a natural mild peppery
delicious smell. You can add tomato sauce and finely chopped onion, some diced carrot and potato...and it will look a little like this picture..and taste divine.

If you have never served lentil soup to your family, I encourage you to try it. When introducing a new soup to your family, it is important to have something really good with it, that the kids already love...or that is really appealing..like hot buttered toast, hot rolls or fresh cornmeal muffins from the oven. It takes a while for some kids to get used to a new food, so serve it several times a month.

Lentils, because they are so high in nutritional value, and so versatile, are a vital food to have in your storage.

Why I Always Have Lots of Tomato Sauce

#1. An 8 oz. can is usually 25 cents!
#2. It is red! A vibrant, energizing color...the color of life! I like to look at red on my plate.
#3. It has lycopene, a member of the carotene family of vitamins, and high in antioxidants. A cancer preventative.
#4. An 8 oz. can of tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup water can replace a 10 oz. can of tomato soup. Add some leftover rice and some black pepper and Mrs. Dash (and sometimes a tablespoon of finely chopped onion) and you have one of my favorite comfort foods: tomato rice soup.
#4. You can substitute an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce for 1 lb. fresh cooked tomato, or 1 cup of tomato puree.

Here is an Enchilada Sauce recipe
from the book "The Can Opener Gourmet" by Laura Karr
(from p. 191)

2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
(or 1 15 oz. can)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Mix together. Heat and serve.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I say....
You can put this over or mix with ...rice, beans, canned
meat, ...even canned corn.

The Food in Your Fridge

This post has been inspired by the recent power outages in the Northeast.
With the power out, the food stored in your refrigerator will start to spoil.
If you have a power outage in the winter, at least you have a cold pace to put some of your food so it won't spoil: outside! But put it on some kind of tamper proof container so the local racoon, deer, dogs, cats won't get into it. Temperatures will vary because of the sun...so be cautious. Monitor the temperature of the container.

If you have a power outage in the summer, you won't be able to put some of your food outside to keep cold. There is a protocol for dealing with the food in your fridge, but first:

Do you know what temperature your refrigerator should be?


from http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_051905_01/index.asp we read:

The refrigerator temperature should be at 40 degrees F. or below.

Most people assume that the internal refrigerator temperature control dial is good enough. Only 30 percent of consumers have heard that they should use a separate tool -- a refrigerator thermometer -- to check the temperature and only 20 percent of consumers say they actually use one, according to a recent national study.

Relying on the "built-in" refrigerator temperature control dial is not effective. Instead, use a separate refrigerator thermometer to check the internal refrigerator temperature and help keep food safer. If the refrigerator thermometer shows a temperature that's too high - above 40 degrees F. then adjust the refrigerator's control dial. You can buy a refrigerator thermometer at many grocery, hardware or kitchen specialty stores.


from this site, I learned more...
http://blog.usa.gov/roller/govgab/entry/keep_food_safe_during_a

It’s pretty easy to take care of your food for a short power outage, and there are steps you can take to save your food for a longer outage too. Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold enough for a couple of hours at least. A freezer that is half full will hold for up to 24 hours and a full freezer for 48 hours. When the power comes back on, use a thermometer to check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer. If the refrigerator is 40° F or colder, and the freezer is still colder than 40° F, the food is safe.


That said, here is the protocol for when the power goes out. If it is a short power outage, just keep the refrigerator closed.
If it is a longer power outage, you want to preserve your refrigerated food as long as possible and use the food in it wisely:

1. First use anything that is highly perishable (leftovers, homecooked foods, open containers that say "refrigerate after opening", refrigerated tofu or soy milk, and any animal product (milk, eggs, meat,etc.)

2. Next use moderately perishable items such as leafy greens.

3. Then use items that last longer, such as hard, firm or uncut vegetables.

It's OK to keep some of the condiments in the fridge that don't spoil easily: soy sauce, ketchup, mustard.

Fireplace Cookery

I believe every home should have a fireplace! Many folks in the states affected by the big ice storm, have gone to shelters for warmth and hot meals. Nice, but not as cozy as your own home. I believe if you had a fireplace and a good pile of wood, you could stay quite warm if you stayed close to the fire. It would be even better if you had something rigged up to hold a pot of stew, like in pioneer times.

I did a little research and found out that there are some good books out there about fireplace cookery. I have one of them pictured here...and here is a little blurb about it...

The Magic of Fire

The open hearth is where American colonials baked their beans, English families took their tea, French country families prepared their pot au feu, and Italian mothers stirred their polenta. THE MAGIC OF FIRE explores both the techniques of hearth cooking and the poetry of hearth and flame through the ages. The recipe collection offers a fascinating glimpse into the past with authentic renditions of Brisket Baked under Ashes, Pot Roast, String-Roasted Turkey, Stockfish Stew, Chocolat Ancienne, and Tarte Tatin. With its evocative and erudite narrative and extraordinary paintings by master realist Ian Everard, THE MAGIC OF FIRE is the definitive work on open-hearth cooking.

• The first book to cover the complete range of open-hearth cooking techniques, including ash baking, ember roasting, hearthside grilling, string- and spit-roasting, and hearthside Dutch oven baking.

• Features 100 extraordinary illustrations of food and fire by master realist Ian Everard.

• Many of the recipes require no special equipment. Simply open the book, light a fire, and cook.
"Definitive book on cooking." —Paula Wolfert, author of Mediterranean Grains and Greens, The Cooking of Southwest France

"THE MAGIC OF FIRE is the most thoughtful and thorough study of hearth cooking I know of. His book is full of practical information (the section All about the Fireplace is a masterpiece), unconventional recipes, and fascinating historical references that link his modern perspective to this primitive art. It will inspire professionals as well as serious home cooks to recover the taste that only hearth cooking can deliver. " —Paul Bertolli, chef and owner, Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant, author of Chez Panisse Cooking

"There is something fundamental about cooking over an open fire. I love the flames, I love the smells, and of course, I love the taste. William Rubel's THE MAGIC OF FIRE, is an indispensable guide to this lost art." —Alice Waters, chef and owner, Chez Panisse

"THE MAGIC OF FIRE is a fabulous book! It’s about flames and ashes; tripods and spider pots; campfires, hearths, and fireplaces. It’s about ember-roasted vegetables, flat breads, stews, steamed puddings, salt cod—deeply fundamental foods that will make you see the possibilities of your fireplace in a new light. Passion, experience, and good writing have met in a book that’s good reading, with instructions that are clear as a bell."
—Deborah Madison

"It’s a fun read, particularly for those who have always been fascinated by early American history." —The Baltimore Sun

"The bible of hearth cooking." —House & Garden
http://www.spitjack.com/page/SJ/PROD/BOOKS/MOF

Brrrrrr....

Still without power....

Here is a complete article published today on the Internet regarding the state of emergency in several NE states. Note the last sentence...they are cautioned to not use candle because of fire hazard.

I would love to know statistically how many folks have prepared for this, remembering past ice storms in the area. How many had battery operated lanterns, and some source of heat? How many have a camping stove?

This article uses the term "cold snap", a term I heard all the time in the winter growing up in Wisconsin.

Ice storm in US leaves one million without power
13 Dec. 2008 8:00 am
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usweatherstorm/print

NEW YORK (AFP) – The northeastern United States was recovering Saturday from a major ice storm that left as many as one million people without power, officials said.
A state of emergency was declared in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and parts of Maine after the cold snap, which authorities described as the worst in a decade.
With temperatures clinging below freezing, officials warned that it could take days to restore electricity as utility companies struggled to repair power lines downed by ice-coated tree branches across the region.

"Customers currently without power should plan on the possibility of being without power for several more days," the Public Service of New Hampshire said on its website.

In New Hampshire, 313,000 customers remained without power at 1300 GMT, it said.
"The damage is extensive and assessment is a challenge due to many impassable roads," the utility company said.

"The magnitude of the damage is similar to that experienced in the January, 1998 ice storm, but covers a much more widespread area -- the entire southern tier of the state has been impacted."

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch declared a state of emergency on Friday, committing all resources to fighting storm damage.

In the far northeastern state of Maine, nearly 172,000 people were without power Saturday at 1500 GMT, a spokesman told AFP, as utility trucks worked to restore power.

"It's going to be a few days, that's their best guess," a Central Maine Power Company spokesman said.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick also declared a state of emergency to mobilize the National Guard "and conduct other emergency business to assist local communities is their response to and recovery from ... this winter storm," his office said.
As many as 350,000 households were left without power in Massachusetts late Friday after the storm, which combined rain and freezing spells.

"The whole northeast of the United States is suffering," said Jeff Tilghman at Northeast Utilities, a power company serving the region.

"The rain and the ice caused the problem. Ice is problematic because it stays on the branches and they come down breaking the power lines."

More rain or snow was forecast for isolated areas of central New York state and northeast Maine Saturday while the rest of the region was expected to remain dry but bitter cold, the National Weather Service said.

New York state, which extends far north and west of the city of New York, also saw 300,000 households and businesses left without power, the state emergency management office said.

"Mother Nature dealt New York State a crippling blow yesterday and overnight," said Governor David Paterson.
In Connecticut, 16,700 customers were left without power but that was reduced to 4,400 early Saturday, Connecticut Light and Power reported on its website.
Emergency officials warned residents to keep away from potentially lethal fallen power lines and advised against using candles at home because of the added fire hazard.

Do You Have a Camp Stove?

This is a picture from the Walmart site online. This stove is $46.88 but out of stock online. I saw a few at the store on Bear Valley Road this week.

If you have never operated one and you do have one, I recommend you get it out, put it on your kitchen counter and try it out. Warm up a can of soup, cook some oatmeal in it...it will give you confidence, knowing you can prepare some hot meals during a time of power outages.

If you do not have one, you may want to consider buying one as a family Christmas gift to your family.

Could It Happen Here?

When I heard about what is going on in the Northeast today and this weekend..I wondered..were the people prepared? Are families warm and able to have some hot meals, hot soup or hot cocoa? Do they have enough extra blankets at night, and enough batteries to have some light? How many learned from previous years' ice storms to have a generator on hand?



Ice storm leaves thousands without power
Published: Dec. 12, 2008 at 6:44 PM

BOSTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The worst ice storm in several years left more than 1 million people without power Friday throughout New England from Connecticut to Maine.
A combination of rain, sleet and snow that began falling Thursday, and a sharp drop in temperature, left much of the region covered with an inch of ice, The Boston Globe reported.
Central Massachusetts, around the city of Worcester, was hit hard, with power still out late Friday for thousands of homes and businesses. In New Hampshire, about 400,000 people lost electricity.
Governors in both states declared states of emergency.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was an ice storm in this same region last January and I found some comments about it on the Internet...Here's one of them...

We were not ready for the Ice Storm. Our electricity was out for 7 days. We finally bought a generator on the 5th day. We had to eat out all the time because we had no way to cook. We lost all of our food in our fridge and freezer. We spend most days helping others with their broken limbs. The town looked like it was hit by a tornado when we are accustomed to in the spring time. It is something that I definitely don't want to ever experience this again.
01-21-2008
http://community.scholastic.com/scholastic/board/message?board.id=topstory&message.id=2698

Check Out A Newly Discovered Blog

Hello everyone...I have discovered another really great blog on food storage by some LDS women...

safelygatheredin.blogspot.com

It is very well done and fun to read (has an ongoing slideshow - as you page down that shows meals made from "shelf items"), whereas my little blog here is pretty basic and plain.

I like how she is doing the 72 Hour Kit project. I encourage you to explore the whole blog. This blog is definitely "praiseworthy and of good report." Thanks to daughter Amy Jo for telling me about it.

Who Doesn't Like Mashed Potatoes?

There is a new (to me, anyway) product at our local Costco.
For $7.99 you get a box as shown in my photo called All Natural Creamy Mash made with 100% Real Potatoes. While some instant potato products have a long list of additives (for example, Potato Pearls has trans fats and other unhealthful ingredients.) The only ingredients listed on the side of this box here are potatoes, and butter.

The box has 14 8 oz. pouches. Each pouch has 8 2/3cups servings of mashed potatoes when prepared.

Stove top directions:

1. Boil 2 2/3 cups of water, 1 teasp. salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon) and 4 Tablespoons butter (I used 1 Tablespoon butter)

2. Remove from heat and add 1 cup cold molk. (I opened a can of evaporated 2% milk, measure out 1/2 cup and added it to 1/2 cup water..voila..i cup of milk!)

3. Stir liquid while adding one pouch ofpotatoes. Wet all potatoes.

4. Let stand 10 seconds. (I put a lid on.)

5. Stir and serve. (I added Mrs. Dash and black pepper and a bit more milk to get it ot the consistency I like.)


Then I opened a can of Beef Franco American Gravy(which I paid 55 cents for at WinCo today.) I put the contents of the can into a saucepan on my stove top and it was quite thick so I added 1/2 cup or so of water.

My picture shows one serving. I prepared enough for 8 servings. I figured this one serving (2/3 cup mashed potatoes and 1/4 cup gravy) , factoring in also the price of the milk and the butter I used,was 10.4 cents !

It was delicious, and my husband thought so, too.

The date on the box says: Best before by 12/23/09.
This is definitely a keeper.

I highly recommend this for your food storage.

Note: You may be wondering about how are we going to have butter? If the stores are empty and you do not have a cow, how will you have butter? Well, I met a lady on the plane to Salt LakeCity this month who bottles butter.
She preserves butter in 1 pint jars. Basically, she said she heats up the jars and lids in the oven to sterilize them. Then she pours melted butter into them and puts the lid and rings on. As they cool, they seal...like when you bottle jam.

I have her phone number and I am going to call her to get the details. I will then try it and share the results with you. Being born and raised in the dairy state (Wisconsin), I consider butter a culinary necessity!

About Mixes

When you are stocking up, you may want to buy some mixes such as PastaRoni or others similar to it. Most of these mixes are way too high in sodium, so if I do get a mix, I always add an extra cup of noodles to it (I try to match the shape of the noodle) or an extra cup of rice to it (like in Rice-a-roni)and then 2 extra cups of water and cook as directed. You get more servings and a more palatable meal. Hamburger Helper is also very high in sodium so if you have some, do the same as above...
you can also cut the salt by adding some complementary cooked vegetable to the dish.

Macaroni and Cheese mixes are a good comfort food, especially for kids.
I do not add any extra salt and I reduce the amount of butter it calls for. In emergency situation, you can use the boxed soy milk, or canned milk. I like to put
a small can of diced green chilis into our macaroni and cheese. Or you can add a half cup of salsa from a jar...yummy.

Imagine

Imagine that you go to your regular grocery store and most of the shelves are empty.
This could happen. It has happened. Will you, when it happens to you, be able to just smile and turn around and go back home, knowing that you have plenty of food in your home storage system to last you at least a few months? I hope so!

We have been advised by church leaders and government leaders to "be prepared" ! The advice concerning food is this: Have at least a 3 months' supply of foods you like and normally eat. After that, have at least a one year (or more) supply of foods to sustain life.

I say...let's work on one month's worth of food and accompanying menus. Then you would just triple it for 3 months worth. How to pay for it?
Cut expenses in other areas. What can keep you motivated to follow through? Imagining empty grocery store shelves. That is what motivates me.

Keep working on your 30 evening meals for your family..because when you are done with that, we will work on 30 breakfasts, and then 30 lunches...and, of course, 30 snacks.

30 Evening Meals Project

In an earlier post, I challenged you to make a list of 30 evening meals you could fix with your food storage items (foods that you have not stored in your fridge). If the electricity goes out in an emergency, and you have an electric stove, you better have a camp stove to back you up or somebody is going to get grumpy from not having access to warm comfort foods, expecially in winter. They say food can be cooked on your gas stove if the electricity is out, you just have to light it with a match because the electric ticking thing that ignites the stove by itself will not work.

So...how is your project coming? Let me tell you, it will take a while. It is not something I could just sit down and write out. At first, I had 4 meals and thought that was it...but as each day passes, I get more ideas...or I see a recipe somewhere that uses all canned/packaged foods and herbs and spices...and that inspires me. I now have 30 different meals! The next step is to make a little cook book -just print it off on the computer- to put in with my stored food (I am keeping this new project's items in a separate containers so they do not get lost in my cupboards and so I can point to these containers and say: There are 30 meals in there!

My list of meals, when I publish it on this blog, is NOT labor intensive. You do not have to make tortillas from scratch or grind wheat to make your own bread. Yet, these meals will be satisfying and nutritious and will keep everyone in my household happy and healthy during an emergency situation. Your list of meals will be quite different form mine, because your people will probably prefer different foods than us. Stay tuned...I am tweaking my list and my recipes and will publish it soon.

Deal on Apples! (and popcorn)

Calling all apple lovers!

The labels on these apples say that they are Braeburn apples, grown in the USA. Also printed on it is the producer's website www.superfreshgrowers.com

Even Winco can't beat this price now! The store? KING RANCH on 7th Street. 25 cents a pound, people! This is historic!!!


I ate one of those apples this morning. What a delicious and healthful 10 cent treat.
An interesting aside for you all: Long long ago, I read an intriguing book I found at the Brigham Young University library. The title was: "How Not To Kill Your Husband". It said that if you make sure your husband eats 2 apples a day, he will NEVER have clogged arteries! It is the pectin in the skin that works its magic thus.

I like to put chopped apples in plain or vanilla yogurt, with raisins, nuts and celery. Sometimes I put chopped apples in our tossed salad. Yum!

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Now for the popcorn deal. We have popcorn a lot at our house. Sometimes I pop some for dessert (because we may still feel like munching on something after supper..and we do not usually eat sweets...only at Christmas parties.) This is at Grocery Outlet. They are on shelves against the far opposite wall when you walk in. This big bag (it measures almost 16 inches long..you can't tell that by looking at the picture.) is $3.49. And it is Orville Redenbacher popcorn! I heartily recommend learing how to pop corn on top of your stove, instead of the microwave. That way you can control the amount of salt, if any. Hot air poppers are good, but then that is another appliance to find space for in your kitchen. I do our popcorn in an iron skillet with a lid.

So if you are a popcorn lover, stop by at grocery outlet soon!

WINCO

Winco is great!

I have been comparison shopping and most grocery items are cheaper at Winco.

There are exceptions, though. You have to know your prices. Del Monte canned pineapple is $1.29 there right now, so if you buy it at Longs, you save 50 cents a can. Since I bought 12 cans at Longs, I saved $6.00! Yet, most things at Winco are cheaper.
My husband loves V8 Juice. The large bottle is $2.00 less than at Stater Brothers. Right now their Green Giant label of green beans and corn go for 48 cents a can! Did I stock up? You bet. Mostly on the corn. Their yams are 48 cents a pound. Swansons low sodium chicken broth, which has been a dollar (or more) a can all year everywhere before Thanksgiving season is 50 cents a can . They still have tons of it left. I did a taste test recently of all available chicken broths including my own homemade, and the kind you make from boullion cubes. Swanson was the closest to mine! I could site many more examples, but you can go yourself and check on your favorite items. When you go, take note of how nice, clean, buffed and shiny their floors are!

Winco also gives you 6 cents credit for each cloth bag you use at check out. Their magazines are all 10% off. I love the bins...found bulgar there, and polenta(Italian corn meal)and bought some.

Mark my words, though..the very best time to go is early in the morning before 8. I like to go around 6:15. You practically have the store to yourself. Some folks say it is just too big. I say if you go often enough, you will become very familiar with where everything is and you can get a good work out as you walk quickly up and down the aisles finding the items you want! Check it out!

Buy Canned Pineapple Now at Long's Drug

The price for the Del Monte 20 oz. Pineapple Slices in its own juices,
20 oz. Crushed Pineapple in itsown juices
20 oz. Pineapple Chunks in its own juice

is 79 cents each.
This is at Long's Drugs. I was there today at 2:00pm and they have stacks of boxes of canned pineapple!!!


I use pineapple in my chicken curry dish or just for eating from a bowl for dessert. You can mix it with other canned fruits.
You can mix crushed pineapple into jello. You can blend pineapple into your shakes
(If you have electricity to run your blender.)

The "Best by" date for these cans is 02 23 11

(I have found out that you can safely eat canned food that is past the "Best by" dates. BYU is doing a lot of research in this area. One lady doing the research ate food from a can that had expired 13 years earlier and it was fine: totally edible although the taste and nutrtious value had faded a little. Just make sure the can is not bulging.)

This pineapple is a great buy. You will never see this product cheaper. I love Del Monte, having worked at a Del Monte string bean processing plant several summers (this was in the late 60's). It was a wonderful place to work at!

These pineapples were grown and processed in the Phillipines. I heartily recommend getting some for your storage. I plan to go back there and get some more. I am going to buy 12 cans of sliced pineapple shrink wrapped onto a cardboard tray (That is how they are stacked in the aisle.) and put a bright red Christmas ribbon around it to give to our son Tommy's family for Christmas. Giving food storage items as gifts is a great idea if I do say so myself. Maybe I will see you at Long's this weekend! Happy shopping! Long's is at the Von's Center on the corner of Hesperia Rd. and Bear Valley Rd.

While you are there, they have some other great deals;

Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth 44 cents/can (Walnut Grove brand)

Libby's canned corn, string beans, peas 50 cents/can

Planter's peanuts $3.00/ 16 oz. can (they have unsalted ones too!)
("Best by" date is 31 Oct 09)
Peanuts are a great source of protein and fat (hence...calories). A handful of peanuts with a big drink of water will satisfy hunger. (This is a popular trick among dieters.)

Their dark chocolate bars are all on sale also. Duncan Hines Cake Mix 79 cents/box
If you use cake mix, this is the best!

Stater Brother's Best Deal This Week

For those of us living here in Victorville, or anywhere in California near a Stater Brothers Grocery store, the best deal this week is the Ragu Spaghetti Sauce. I always keep an eye out for Ragu because I love it and because it is bottled in glass which is healthier.(Recent research shows some canned goods may have certain resins in the liner that leach out into the food.)To get a jar of Ragu for a dollar is the best deal you can ever get. This week at Stater Brothers Ragu is $1.00 a jar but you need to get a flyer and rip or cut out the coupon for it...and you have to buy 10 items of either Ragu or some boxed mixes or mix and match. I bought 10 glass jars full of beautiful red Ragu
sauce.
One of my favorite things to do with Ragu beside using it in spaghetti, is to make Tomato Rice Soup. MMMmmm.

Store Vitamins !

It has been advised that you should have vitamins in your storage also. Do check the expiration dates on them and rotate. As you use up one bottle in your everyday life, take a bottle od multi-vitamins from storage and buy a replacement. A good multi-vitamin is the foundation of good health and nutrition. Speaking of nutrition, do you know your body's daily needs? Your children's?

How is your list of the 30 evening meals coming along? I am still working on mine~! It is tougher than I thought it would be. Feel free to comment on anything I post ( or beyond )!

Store Foods You Usually Eat

Hi everyone...This post is not an originally written piece by me...it is from...
http://www.ehow.com/how_4522326_food-storage-foods-already-eat.html

It is a great "how to" on starting to accumulate food storage. In our food storage, we have a lot of canned beans and our favorite spaghetti sauces. My husband makes sure we always have Beano on hand also.

I could not have said this better...

How to Build a Food Storage with Foods You Already Eat
By SimplySmart

Having a food storage is an important part of any emergency plan. However, storing food for a long period of time can be daunting. The best thing to do is make small goals and build up your food storage one small step at a time. The first thing to do is to make a 72 hour kit. The second thing to do is build up a two to three month supply of food that your family is already eating. The third thing to do is continue building up your food storage using basic foods that last for a very long time such as grains and legumes. This article will give you ideas on how you can accomplish the second step and build a supply of everyday foods that you already eat.

1 Building up a storage of food that your family already eats is a smart idea. In an emergency, you will have many different things to worry about, and you don't need the added stress of becoming accustomed to new foods. Having familiar food to eat will help your family feel more comfortable, and they will be better able to cope with difficult situations. This type of food storage will see you through short term emergencies such as power outages or gas and food shortages. It will also be available in times of unemployment or other financial stress. These foods can be used to spice up and ease the transition to the longer term, basic food storage items.

2 Before you start buying extra food, you need to make a plan. Stocking up on food before you have thought about what you need will certainly fill up your pantry, but the results will be unbalanced and much less usefully. Having 15 boxes of spaghetti noodles but only 2 cans of spaghetti sauce means you will have a lot of plain noodles to eat!

3 Start by making a list of 30 dinners that your family likes to eat. These meals should be simple, easy to prepare and the ingredients should be able to last at least three months in the pantry, fridge or freezer. Remember that SIMPLE is the key, you're not trying to serve gourmet five course meals, you're just trying to survive. Some ideas are: grilled tuna sandwiches, tuna noodle casserole, spaghetti, green bean casserole, hamburgers, hotdogs, bean burrito, baked potatoes, various soups, chili, risotto, spanish rice, and parmesan chicken.

4 Next, make a list of 30 breakfasts and lunches. These meals should fit the same requirements as the dinners. If you can't come up with 30 different meals, then repeat some of them. The point is to come up with enough meals to fill 30 days. Some ideas are: pancakes, a bowl of cereal, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, frozen or canned fruit and oatmeal.

5 Make sure you include several dishes that can be prepared without electricity and contain ingredients that don't require refrigeration. This way you will have food to eat if your power goes out. If you have a gas stove, grill or fire place, you will have more options. Make sure that your gas stove will still work when the electricity is out and that you also store fuel for your grill or fire place.

6 Write down all of the ingredients and quantities needed to make each of your meals. If you repeated any meals, make sure you list the ingredients needed each time you repeated it. Use this list of ingredients to make your shopping list. For Example, if you listed pancakes for breakfast 3 times and you use 1 cup of pancake mix and 1/2 cup of syrup each time you prepare pancakes, you would add 3 cups of pancake mix and 1 1/2 cups of syrup to your shopping list.

7 As funds allow, start picking up items from this shopping list when you do your regular shopping. Once you have purchased everything on your list, you will have a one month supply of food. Use the same shopping list again to build up a two month supply and then a three month supply.

8 Now that you have built up a food storage, you need to rotate and maintain it. You can use this food when you prepare your regular meals, just make sure you replace what you use. Whenever you open a can or package of food, add that item to your weekly shopping list so that you can replace it as soon as possible. Place fresh food in the back so that older food gets used first.


OK....Tomorrow I will make my list of 30 dinners. There will definitley be some re-peats. The point is, it is a menu for 30 days of evening meals. The ingredients for these meals should not need refrigeration. I assume you and I will have a source of heat for cooking, even if the electricity is out. If you have matches, and a gas stove, I believe you can light it. You can use a camping stove, or even your fireplace. More on that later.