inspirational Thought

"One of the better ways to simplify our lives is to follow the counsel we have so often received to live within our income, stay out of debt, and save for a rainy day. We should practice and increase our habits of thrift, industry, economy, and frugality. Members of a well-managed family do not pay interest; they earn it."


L. Tom Perry, "Let Him Do It In Simplicity" (LDS General Conference, October 2008)

Food Storage Update - Hannah

Well, we are finally just about settled into our new apartment in Virginia!  It was a good move - everything went smoothly and we got here safely.  My husband has started his new job as an intern at the local hospital, and we are adjusting well to apartment life.


So, let's talk about food storage (isn't that what we do here?).  I was initially concerned that since we were losing about 350 square feet of living space, we would have no space for any of our food.  We brought with us about 60 #10 cans of food (a variety of beans, rice, powdered milk, sugar, white flour, oats, wheat, and hot chocolate).  Our 3-month supply was pretty minimal since I stopped buying food storage several months ago but I still worried that there would be no space to store anything once I started buying it again.


So, in the weeks leading up to our move, we sold or donated a lot of stuff.  We participated in a yard sale, sold several bigger items on Craigslist, and took bags and bags of things to Goodwill.  It wasn't solely for our food storage's sake - of course, that was a priority and we wanted to have room in our new place for it, but it was also to keep our sanity as we knew that we didn't want to be living in an apartment with wall-to-wall furniture and clutter.  We lost a bedroom and didn't want a bunch of stuff in our front room.


It was surprisingly easy to purge our house of most things because we didn't have anything nice.  In fact we determined that only one piece of furniture in our home was actually bought new by us - the rest is a hodgepodge of hand-me-downs and yard sale finds (ah, student life).  Nothing matched, and most things were not our style - they just did the job and that was ok for us.  This made it really easy to get rid of it, and we'll just do without those items until we can find something that's more in our taste and we can afford it (whether it's new or used).


So, where's the food storage?  As we started moving into our apartment, we were pleasantly surprised with the HUGE closets!  I remembered them being quite large from when we toured the place initially; however we assumed that much of it would be filled with our junk.  So, since we got rid of most of that junk, the food storage actually fits well into our new place and I couldn't be more excited!


All of our #10 cans of food are under my daughter's twin bed (which was previously taken up by.... junk I guess.  I can't even remember).  The three month supply has started filling up the linen closet (our linens are in our large master closet.  I decided I wanted the food closer to the kitchen rather than in a bedroom closet.).

So now I'm working on making a three-month food storage menu.  We have a lot of new food storage recipes on our website, so I'm working on deciding which ones I want to include in my food storage plan.  Then I'll make a master shopping list and get started!  Initially I'd love to make a big trip to Costco to make a big dent in the list, and then work slowly from there, but we'll see.  I do have a nice bit of cash saved up for it since my grocery budget over the last few months was smaller than normal (since we were eating through our three-month supply).


So that's where I am now.  How is your food storage coming along?  Where do you stand as far as how much you have, and what are you working on right now?  Is anyone DONE with collecting their food storage, and just in the maintenance stage?

Food Storage Tuesday

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your 3-month supply, and your longer-term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed! Once the 72-hour kit is complete, we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!

This week for your 72-hour kits, add one set of scriptures and/or another book.  I like to have a cheap blue Book of Mormon in my kit.


How is your three-month supply coming along?  It's so much easier if you have a food storage plan.  You can also check out our food storage e-book for more information.  We have a completed 3-month shopping list and meal plans, to save you time if you don't want to do it yourself.


We are still gathering beans this month for our longer-term storage.  Not sure how to store beans?  Check out our article by clicking on the link!  I like to buy my beans on sale from the grocery store, but you can also buy them already canned up in #10 cans here at LDS Catalog.  Price includes shipping.  You can also buy different beans at Emergency Essentials.  AND, EE sells them in buckets too, so if that's your preferred storage method you should definitely check them out!


We got some great comments on last week's post about beans and how people cook and eat them.  Be sure to check it out and get some ideas.  I have already cooked up a couple pounds of beans and put them into my freezer in baggies.  Perfect for soups, sides, etc!  Thanks for all the ideas, everyone... and please share more!

Motivational Monday

We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden as neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities.

I hope that we understand that, while having a garden … is often useful in reducing food costs and making available delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, it does much more than this. Who can gauge the value of that special chat between daughter and Dad as they weed or water the garden? How do we evaluate the good that comes from the obvious lessons of planting, cultivating, and the eternal law of the harvest? And how do we measure the family togetherness and cooperating that must accompany successful canning? Yes, we are laying up resources in store, but perhaps the greater good is contained in the lessons of life we learn as we live providently.

“Chapter 11: Provident Living: Applying Principles of Self-Reliance and Preparedness,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, (2006),114–23

Food Storage Friday: Pasta and Lentils

Lately I've been on a protein kick. And if you're ever in an emergency, protein is crucial for satiety and muscle maintenance, among other things. Enter the humble lentil--which has 10 grams of protein and only 80 calories in a half-cup. Sweet. Or salty, depending on your recipe.

I found this recipe here and thought I'd try it out.

Ingredients: chicken bouillon, lentils, thyme, water, pasta, white wine vinegar, parsley, olive oil, honey, garlic, salt and pepper.

First, cook 1 c. rinsed lentils in some chicken broth (I used a cube), along with 1/2 t. dried thyme for 20-30 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Next, boil the pasta--I think any shape works.

While the pasta is boiling, combine 1/3 c. white wine vinegar, 2 t. dried parsley, 1 T. olive oil, 1 t. honey, and 1 clove minced garlic in a bowl.


Drain pasta and lentils and combine. Pour dressing on top and combine well.

If you're rotating, add some feta cheese on top.

I thought this was surprisingly good. The colors are rather nondescript, but the taste is nice and uber-healthy. It's an easy way to get those lentils into your diet.

Lentils and Pasta adapted from Carrots'n'Cake

2 c. chicken broth (made with bouillon cube)
1 c. dry lentils, rinsed
1/2 t. dried thyme
8 oz. dry pasta
1/3 c. white wine vinegar
2 t. dried parsley
1-2 T. olive oil
1 t. honey
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 c. feta if rotating

1. Bring broth to a boil and add lentils and thyme. Simmer until lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside.
2. In separate saucepot, bring water to a boil and add pasta, cooking until tender. Drain.
3. Combine lentils and pasta in large serving bowl.
4. In small bowl, combine vinegar, parsley, oil, honey, garlic, and salt and pepper.
5. Pour over pasta and lentils and stir carefully to combine. Sprinkle feta cheese over top as desired.

Brittany

Food Storage Tuesday

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your 3-month supply, and your longer-term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed! Once the 72-hour kit is complete, we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!


This week for your 72-hour kits, add a change of clothes (or two) for each person.  Now, you may decide that you want each person's kit to hold only their own things (each person carries their own clothes, food, toiletries, etc), or you may decided to divvy it up a bit differently (one person carries all the food, one person the water, etc).  For some ideas on how Abbie did hers, check out her article about 72-hour kit distribution: who carries what?

How is your three-month supply coming along?  Don't forget to store 2 weeks of water!  Water is more important than food.  To learn more about water storage, click on the link.  We've written a lot of articles about different aspects of water storage.

We are gathering beans this month for our longer-term storage.  I LOVE beans!  And I'm always looking for new ways to use them.

What are your favorite kinds of beans (and recipes), and how do you cook them?

inspirational Thought

"We encourage you wherever you may live in the world to prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. . . . If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts."
—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances, Feb. 2007, 1

Food Storage Friday: Falafel

According to wikipedia, a falafel is a fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas or fava beans. We're going to bake our falafels which we've made from this recipe here.

Chickpeas are so versatile. Between hummus and falafel I think I have a new favorite bean.

Brittany made something like this before: chickpea patties, but this is just a little different. And we can never have too many bean recipes.

Ingredients: pancake mix, lemon juice, olive oil, baking powder, chickpeas, cumin, coriander, garlic powder (missing items: salt, pepper, flaxseed)

and....parsley! You can use dried parsley if you don't have a plant. Parsley is one of the easiest herbs to grown. It's like basil...you just can't kill it.

Flaxseed is a great staple to have in your kitchen. You can even use it as a egg substitute.

Coriander are the seeds of the cilantro plant.

The LDS Cannery makes this pancake mix. It's delicious, but uses an egg.

I'm of the opinion that if you are using an egg, you might as well make the entire pancake from scratch. If I'm buying pancake mix all I want to do is add water. Is anyone with me?

Add all the ingredients to your food processor

And mix it around until it's a dough.

It will be easy to form. I made patties, but I think falafels are supposed to be balls...oops.

Layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes--a quick meal!

You can flip to ensure even browning, but I didn't bother. They are cooked all the way through even if it's not pretty.

Serve with flat bread or pita bread. Try topping with this delicious cucumber sauce. It would probably make a decent veggie burger too.

Enjoy feeding your family another beany meal!

Falafel

adapted from fANNetastic Food

1/3 cup pancake mix

1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground flaxseed

1/2 tsp dried coriander

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Add all ingredients to the food processor and mix until a dough is formed. Shape into flattened balls and bake at 400 degree F for 15 minutes.

Calling all winners......

We have two winners from last week's giveaways that still haven't contacted us!  Please email us within the next 24 hours or we will have to find some new winners!


Our dehydrated ice cream winner, Shane and Brandi, who said,


It was so hard for me to narrow it down to one. Basics it would be rice. We have had to live on our food storage before, and you can make rice so many different ways. It saved us.






And our 72-hour kit winner, Rachel, who said,


This Summer we are having baby #7!!! So I will be busy with him and everyone else!


Email us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com.  Thanks!

Food Storage Tuesday

Every Tuesday, we post specific items you should gather in order to supplement your 72-hour kit, your 3-month supply, and your longer-term storage. If you are new to our blog, don't worry! You won't be left behind. Just start up where we are and follow along. You will eventually have everything completed! Once the 72-hour kit is complete, we'll be putting together emergency car kits again (week by week). Once those are done, we'll gather the 72-hour kits again. So don't worry, just jump on in and join us where we are today!


We just finished the car kits, so we're on to our 72-hour kits!  If you followed along with us over the last couple of months and put together a car kit, give yourself a pat on the back - doesn't it feel great to be prepared?  It always brings blessings, whether you will use the kit for yourself or not.


And now we're on to our 72-hour kits.  First we are gathering something to hold your kit in.  You'll need a sturdy backpack for each person, or some people choose to use big rolling suitcases (one or more per family, depending on how many people you have).  Use what you prefer.  I actually have backpacks for each of us, but I'm considering switching over to rolling suitcases because my children couldn't really carry their own packs yet (they are 1 and 3 years old) and that could be difficult if we had to make a trek anywhere on foot.


What do you keep your 72-hour kits in?  Any suggestions that I haven't thought of?  I prefer to have something that is easily carried in the event that we had to walk some distance (big tupperware bins are out), but maybe there is something I'm overlooking?


To read more about 72-hour kits, click on the link.  We have written several articles about them.


How is your three month supply coming along?  I'm still working on my new food storage plan, and as soon as I have it put together I'll share it with you.  Since we have so many new food storage recipes, there will be some different meals from what we have in our food storage e-book.


This month for our longer-term storage, we are gathering beans!  I love beans, and I know many of you do too, from our giveaway last week when you commented about what you like best.  What are your favorite kinds of beans, and how do you like to cook them?

Inspirational Thought

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

"We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, 1

Dehydrator winner!

Thanks to everyone for your participation in our dehydrator giveaway from CSN Stores.  We used Random.org to find a winner, and it is.......


... #47, Stacy!  She said,


Fruit leathers are my favs! I would love to win this! My dehydrator died last summer.


Congratulations, Stacy!  Please email us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com to claim your prize.


We had a lot of fun during our giveaway week - I wish everyone could have won something!  Anyway, we'll be back next week to our regularly scheduled posts, so we'll see you then.  Have a great weekend!

Day 4 Giveaway.... CSN Stores (again!)

On Tuesday, we gave away a grain mill, courtesy of CSN Stores.  Well, today they are giving away another great item!  CSN Stores is a great website that offers everything from track lighting to...... you guessed it, food storage items!  They also have the website Cookware.com, which is a fun place to shop around online for all your kitchen needs.


Anyway, today CSN Stores is offering a Nesco/American Harvest Dehydrator!  It's the perfect item for preserving your fruits and veggies that will grow in your huge gardens this summer... right? :)  I wish we could have a garden but since we're moving I don't see that happening... I'll have to find some great farmer's markets and stock up there this year.


Anyway, to enter this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post telling us:


What is your favorite thing to dehydrate?  I know many of you have done it before.  Is it apples?  Onions?  Beef jerky?  Or do you specialize in fruit roll-ups?  Or, if you haven't dehydrated anything before, what's your favorite dehydrated snack?


I had some incredible beef jerky last week that made me want to bust out my own dehydrator (passed down to me from my mom) and make a big batch. I love jerky!


One comment per person, please.  This giveaway is open until Saturday at 9 a.m. EDT.  We will announce the winner on Saturday sometime.


Thanks again to CSN Stores for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!

First Aid Kit winner!

Thanks everyone who participated in our first aid kit giveaway!  It sounds like everyone has great summer plans - having babies, traveling with family, going to reunions, staying local and doing fun things there... sounds great!


We had 77 comments, and used Random.org to find a winner.  And the winner is......


.... #36, Rachel, who said:


This Summer we are having baby #7!!! So I will be busy with him and everyone else!


WOW, Rachel!  It sounds as if maybe you will need this first aid kit with all those kiddos running around. :) Fun stuff.... Congratulations!  Please email us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com to claim your prize.


And to everyone else.... if you are still interested in this first aid kit, you can find it on Amazon here.  You can also find it at Walmart.


Come back in a little bit to see our final giveaway of the week... it's a great one!

Day 3 Giveaway.... from us!

**This giveaway is now closed**


Today, Abbie and I are giving away a Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose First Aid Kit!


This little kit is great for your car kit or for your home.  In fact, I have a couple of these - one in each car and two in my home.  It has lots of assorted bandaids, first aid tape, Tylenol, Motrin, Imodium, an instant cold pack, finger splint, disposable gloves, tweezers, and a first aid guide. There are also some cleansing wipes, neosporin, and an instant burn cooling patch.


Wow, so I was typing that list and copying what the box said and I'll admit that I had no idea that my first aid kits had that much in them.  Guess I shouldn't have sent my husband to the store in the middle of the night a few months ago to pick up some Motrin - we had it in the first aid kits!  Oops. ;)


Anyway, to enter this giveaway, just comment on this post and answer the following question:


What are your summer plans?  Are you going on vacation?  Sticking around your home?  Working on projects?


I am moving in less than a week (!!), so that will keep me busy for a long time.  Hopefully most of you are doing something a bit more fun than that.


One comment per person, please.  This giveaway will close at 9 a.m. EDT on Friday.  Good luck!

Grain Mill Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered our Emergency Essentials giveaway!  We got 123 comments and used Random.org to find ourselves a winner.


And the winner is...... #36, Destiny, who said,


My favorite kitchen gadget is my salad master food processor. Next would be my crock pot.


Congratulations, Destiny!  Please email us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com to claim your prize.


And everyone, please come back later today - we'll be posting today's giveaway soon!

Day 2 Giveaway.... CSN Stores

**This giveaway is now closed**
Today's giveaway is brought to us by CSN Stores.  CSN Stores is a great website that offers everything from track lighting to...... you guessed it, food storage items!  They also have the website Cookware.com, which is a fun place to shop around online for all your kitchen needs.


One of the biggest difficulties I have with food storage is wheat.  How do you cook it?  How do you eat it?  And how long does wheat flour actually last?  Thankfully, writing on this blog for the last two years has helped me out a lot with these questions, but wheat is still a bit of a challenge for me. And speaking of wheat flour.... how am I supposed to grind my wheat if I'm out of power?


Well, today CSN Stores is giving away a Back to Basics Grain Mill!  Perfect for when you need wheat flour and don't have an electric grinder, or if you are without power.


To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post and answer the following question (I know, it has nothing to do with food storage but this could be fun):


What is your favorite kitchen gadget?


Right now, mine is probably my blender.  I use it for everything from milkshakes to hummus to baby food.  Anyway, I love kitchen gadgets and I'm always on the lookout for things that will make my life easier - so tell me what your favorites are!


One comment per person, please.  This giveaway is open until Thursday, June 3 at 9 a.m. EDT.  We'll announce the winner (via Random.org) here on the blog before Thursday's giveaway opens up.


Thanks again to CSN Stores for this awesome giveaway!

Freeze-dried ice cream winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Emergency Essentials giveaway!


We had 107 comments, and we used Random.org to find a winner.


And the winner is........ #43, Shane and Brandi, who said:


It was so hard for me to narrow it down to one. Basics it would be rice. We have had to live on our food storage before, and you can make rice so many different ways. It saved us.


Congratulations, Shane and Brandi!  Please email us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com to claim your prize.


Thanks everyone for the great food storage ideas that we got from your comments - I know I got a lot of great ideas for new foods to store and I'm excited to expand my food storage.


We'll be posting our next giveaway shortly, so come back later this morning to check it out!

Day 1 Giveaway.... Emergency Essentials

**This contest is now closed.  Thanks to everyone who participated!**
Abbie and I have been big fans of Emergency Essentials for a while now.  We even did a review of some of their buckets last year.  They are a great place to check out when you are in need of anything to do with food storage or emergency preparedness

And speaking of food storage, I have a bit of a confession... sometimes it gets boring.  It can be a challenge to come up with so many different delicious meals that use only food storage items.  I can already anticipate that if I ever had to live off my food storage alone (beans, wheat, oats, hello), my palate would probably get pretty bored after a while.

But, this doesn't have to be the case.  Did you know that there's a way to store freeze-dried neapolitan ice cream in your pantry?  There is!  When I contacted Emergency Essentials about sponsoring a giveaway this week, they offered up this little treat and we couldn't be more excited.  Has anyone tried this?  I haven't, but hopefully that won't be the case for long. ;)

Emergency Essentials wants to give one of our lucky readers a package of freeze-dried neapolitan ice cream - you can try it out for yourselves (and please let me know what you think!).

To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is comment on this blog post.  Let us know:

What is your favorite food storage item?  Is it oatmeal?  Wheat?  That big bucket of honey?  The 10 lb bag of chocolate chips from Sam's Club?  My favorite is probably beans....... so versatile, so filling. :) And cheap!

One comment per person, please.  This giveaway is open until Wednesday, June 2 at 9 a.m. EDT.  We'll announce the winner on Wednesday morning, too - right before Wednesday's giveaway opens up.

Thanks again to Emergency Essentials for sponsoring this giveaway!