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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

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!

108 comments:

Danielle said...

For me, it's definitely wheat. We told ourselves we could not add anything to food storage until we learned several ways of using it, and I've had a blast learning to use wheat. I can't imagine not having it now.

The WoodLand School said...

For my family it is oats. Definitely oats. But some Freeze Dried Neapolitan Ice Cream Slices would be a lovely and welcome addition :-)

Alyosha said...

Wheat! I love to sprout it and I love popped wheat. Not to mention wheat bread. Mmmmm.

Christensen's said...

Mine would be the boxes of cake mix.... think how good peach cobbler will taste after weeks of eating only beans and wheat!

Kathy said...

Just one? That is so hard to do, but because you asked nicely...my favorite thing is my powdered eggs. I don't think I could handle not being able to make cookies for my family in a tough situation.

Carter's Creations said...

We love our oats! Big oatmeal family. We use them in everything!

The Johnsons said...

I would have to say oats. We have some health issues and allergies and oats makes the cut in both categories. We use it for sweet and savory dishes. Don't know what I would do without oats! Would ove to try the freeze dried ice cream. Always wondered about it.

Heidi said...

Maggie Moos milk!!

Anonymous said...

Mine is probably a tie between dried milk and wheat. :) We just started using them about a year and a half ago and my eyes have truly been opened - they are staples now! I use powdered milk for all my cooking and our fave use of wheat (besides flour) is blender pancakes - delicious!

cshellz said...

freeze dried broccoli. I add it to many different things and love to sprinkle it over twice baked potatoes w/cheese. The convenience alone is wonderful.

The Oman Family said...

Probably the powdered milk. I don't think my family could survive without milk.

Laura said...

Oats! We use them all the time, I love having a few big buckets on hand!

Julie said...

Oats here too! I love to make oatmeal bars.

heather said...

My favorite Food storage item is my instant potatoes! Just add hot water and stir!

Courtney said...

For my family, we are big fans of oats. My husband loves oatmeal for breakfast and I love making yummy desserts with oats.

Kim H said...

I also love oats! So easy to add to cookies! And sooo yummy!

Nicki said...

My favorite food storage item is spaghettie sauce. I can use it in so many ways and never get bored with it. Thank you to my garden that produces amazing tomatoes for me to can every year.

viggie said...

I'm hooked on the taco flavored tvp...sooo good and such a quick dinner option.

Jana said...

I love oatmeal. I eat it every day and still look forward to it.

Joey said...

I guess I would have to go with the majority of responses and say Oats! They truly are so versatile. But, I love my wheat and dried milk, too.
Joise

Samantha R said...

I love my beans! My family loves beans and we have found several really good recipes that we frequently make for dinner that include beans!

Super Pi said...

I love my oats and my wheat. I can't pick between the two--wheat bread, and oats are versatile!

Rebecca said...

Another oat lover here! We eat them every day!

Heather said...

I really love dry eggs.

TMM said...

Wheat... grind for flour, sprout for greens, crack/boil for breakfast, what can't it do? :)

West Family said...

No favorites, I just love to see food on my shelf!

Anonymous said...

It's got to be the beans/peas, so many ways to use them. Cindy

Emily Hendrix said...

For my favorite, I am a little torn between brown sugar and oats. But in honor of my sweet tooth, I'll go with the brown sugar. Yumm!

StrivingSimply said...

Cake mix is probably my favorite food storage item. It makes life easy without emergencies, and it would be a much appreciated nicety if something would happen.

MMW said...

Hands down...wheat. so much to do with it!

Evelyn said...

My favorite is black beans. I can do so much with them, and they're so healthy!

Jodi Warenski said...

I'm going to have to agree with some of the other comments that my favorite is powdered eggs. I can make just about anything now that I have eggs. All of my goodies etc. I also love having marshmallows in my food storage.

nfmgirl said...

Lately my fav has been Stacy's Pita Chips! Unfortunately I keep dipping into them instead of storing them. Doh!

Crystal said...

Dried Fruit is my favorite food storage item.

Monica said...

I love our honey and peanut butter.:)

Bryce said...

My personal favorite - squash. canned dried, whatever. I love it.

My must be getting old. Vegetables are becoming my favorite foods...

Most useful?
Rice - my wife has a gluten allergy, so we use rice a a base for pretty much everything that "regular folk" use wheat for.

Lara said...

I LOVE having powdered milk, so that I can make pudding, yogurt, and cheese!! Plus using it for baking! It just gives you so many more options.

Anonymous said...

mine is rice - it is a great filler and easy to make
janel_marie at yahoo dot com

Nora said...

Oats are definitely my big storage unit.

Anonymous said...

Since I have spent time learning how to use it, I love that we have a great supply of wheat. So many things to do with it!!

Deborah said...

Powdered milk is so handy I don't even buy fresh milk anymore. Great storage item!

Shane and Brandi 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.

Unknown said...

Wheat - I love fresh baked bread, pizza, rolls, etc.

Lorraine said...

Definitely don't have a favorite here - would hate to have to live on one thing. Always need to have all of the ingredients to make homemade bread - wheat, powdered milk, powdered eggs, gluten, oil, salt...

Kristine said...

We have fallen in love with white wheat. It's wonderful. We've used it in breads, cookies, pastries, everything.

Emily said...

Our family loves oats. The kids love to eat them raw with honey and milk too and think it's a great day if we had oatmeal for more than one meal!

April said...

Quinoa...not rice, not wheat and so versatile.

The Millers said...

Bow-tie pasta. Just the shape makes it a little more exciting!

The leader said...

does breakfast cereal count? we stock up when they're on sale and use them in all sorts of cookies and treats...

Jen said...

My favorite is all of my freeze-dried berries!

Joy said...

My favorite food storage items are dried fruit - especially the cherries and apricots my mom dries from our fruit trees. Apricot fruit leather is one of my favorites.

roxanne said...

I love package mixes (muffins, cakes, etc.) that only call for water. It is one thing that I know I can make and enjoy in a pinch. Oh, and my 4yo loves the mac n cheese with the real cheese packets, so we keep lots of that on hand too. Just need water to boil!

Earleen said...

Wheat would be my favorite storage item because you can use it in so many ways with or without a grain mill.

Mrs. Pear said...

My favorite is definitely the fruit I prepared in season either canned, dried, or in jam. When our girls had their medical things this past winter that was the most helpful because it saved me having run to the store for fresh stuff. Plus, my kids think it is candy...shhhh, don't tell them!

However, my baking supplies are always well stocked and I almost take the dried goods stored for granted!

Shenille said...

My favorite is wheat, it is so versatile and yummy!

Dan and Melissa said...

The chocolate pudding so far. So yummy!

Kathy said...

Just starting food storage, so I guess my favorite is wheat right now.

Jenny said...

Oats - I just ran out and need to stock up!!

jani said...

I {heart} cannery chocolate pudding- I love that you make it with water instead of milk. So easy and fast... and chocolatey.

Mama's Boys said...

Hard white wheat makes fabulous whole-wheat bread, so that's probably my current favorite.

utahraptors at zookee dot org

Tay said...

I really like the freeze-dried strawberries we have. But the one I use the most is the whole wheat.

Anonymous said...

We are just getting started but have some wheat and beans. We are looking for freeze dried foods for our long term storage.

Courtney said...

I love my canned peaches and pears because I know my family will appreciate a little sweet if we were living off of our wheat and beans.

Mrs. Ordinary said...

Powdered eggs--I don't have to worry about my kids getting salmonella from their cookie dough. Because let's face it, they're going to eat cookie dough.

Penny said...

Oats and peanut butter are two of our favorite storage items. You can use the two of them to make a variety of items...oatmeal for breakfast, cookies, granola bars, etc.

Amber Monson said...

Flour, oats, and pasta. I love Peanut butter though...dont know if that really is food storage item, but yummy.

Anonymous said...

I am grateful to have some meat stored, because it prevents "excess of hunger" for me, but I am most grateful to have a variety of items stored.

My children like liquid chocolate stevia -- it makes any milk taste great, and four drops is all you need per glass.

Anonymous said...

amy v. young
I love honey, without I don't know what my kids would do!

We Are A Happy Family said...

Beans is a favorite in our family. We love refried beans.

Sarah said...

Ours would definetly be rice. We eat that regularly so it is a quick and easy thing to stock up on that I know we will eat.

JenHunsaker said...

I live and breathe home-made bread, so I couldn't live without my stored wheat.

Julie said...

For me it is a toss up between brownie mixes and rice. I love chocolate and I love just boiling rice in water and presto! a side dish or the beginning of a meal.

JBSquared said...

Call me crazy, but I love powdered milk. I know it's not the tastiest for drinking, but for cooking it rocks - I add it to anything that calls for a cup of milk here or a dash of milk there. SO much cheaper! :)

Brittany said...

Probably wheat and rice.

Miller Family said...

My family loves pasta! We use it multiple times a week and in so many different ways.

Tiffany -- the mommy said...

we love popcorn!

Donna said...

I love oats. They are so versatile. Cookies, oatmeal, grind for flour, etc...

Coordination Queen said...

I'm going with oats also... cookies, breakfast, granola...

Jana said...

Mmmmm. Brown Rice :)
Jana

Morgan said...

My favorite food storage items are oats and rice. We use them regularly now, so they get rotated often!

Lynn said...

Our favorite food storage item is rice. So versatile. And if we need milk........rice will take care of that too. ; D

Bethany said...

Beans! I love my red beans and rice, oh and chili and re fried beans and oh my poor family. :)

D said...

That is a good question. I like the four basics... Quick Oats, Rice, Red Wheat and Pinto Beans. I am not sure if I could pick between those because I use them all each week. Though I guess if it really comes down to it, probably SUGAR. Everything is so much better if you add a tsp of sugar to it! Thanks for the giveaway!

katharine said...

oats - we live off of homemade granola!

staceyk said...

Water is a definite must!

Chel said...

I Love ice cream:) Pick me! Richelle

Fatebekind said...

Probably rice. It's fairly cheap and easy to store, and you can do alot w/ it.

acorntooak said...

I like the idea of canned butter and have directions to make it. Although I haven't gotten around to it. I guess the next thing would be beans, rice and wheat, can I have three?!

Rachel said...

Oats and chocolate chips...can't live without my dessert!

Karen K. said...

After reading all those comments I simply cannot choose! I think anything sweet is good--chocolate chips, dried apples, brownie mix, etc. Living without sweets would be miserable. It would also probably be the best thing in the world for me, too! ;) Thanks for the giveaways!

Unknown said...

So far, our most-loved food storage item is big boxes of granola bars from C0stco. :) We're working on improving our food storage. That's why I love this blog so much!

Mary Lou in Central NY said...

Definitely the wheat-cooked for breakfast with peanut butter/honey emulsion, wheat berry chicken salad, wheat "sausage", bread...

Thanks for the chance at the giveaway!

Ms Do"mess"ticated said...

I would have to say ketchup - I have an 11 year old and no matter what I make - he'll eat it with ketchup....

I'm only half kidding about that...

2Sammi said...

I love emergency Essentials freeze dried veggies. I have a can of most all the time and use them everything, so handy when i don't fresh.
Ice cream....ummmm

Renee

Julie Marie Winans said...

Our favorite would be pasta my son just loves it and would eat it for breakfsat if he could.

Ashley said...

Dehydrated apple slices are a favorite storage item. The kids eat them plain and they can be used in lots of baked items.

Gretchen said...

Toss up between black beans and pasta!

Unknown said...

My favorite is rice. It's a comfort food and makes any meal more filling.

6L's said...

i actually just tried freeze dried neopolitan ice cream! my hubby got it from EI for a hike and it was really good! tasted just like it other than the cold, creamy part, lol! cool giveaway! my fav food storage is the freezedried fruits. :)

Beth said...

Rice is our favorite, our go-to, our easy-to-rotate because we use it so often.

And free ice cream? Count me in!! Thanks.

Becky S. said...

Potato Flakes - makes the best bread and buns! I know - Who'd a'Thunk it?

melissa's life said...

wheat...I don't think it's the favorite tasting item, but I have the most of it because it stores the longest and can be used so many different ways.

Anonymous said...

Brown Rice. Of course, it must be rotated much more frequently than white rice (which I keep for up to 30 years in #10 sealed cans.) Brown rice is so very versatile, from main dishes to desserts and snack items.
Brenda G.
Fayetteville, TN

Ashley said...

My favorite is probably wheat. Boring old wheat. But I love homemade wheat bread. It's the greatest.

Kimberly Elliott said...

Mine is probably WAY different than others...but our favorite item is our koolaid singles. I have stocked up alot while it's on sale.

When we had to live off our food storage, it was nice to have that little "treat" to add to our meal. It was quick and easy to add to a water bottle and the kids felt like they had a sweet little pick me up.

Diane said...

I love my beans....For rotation and and for ease, I soak and process 1 can of my dry beans into approx. 9 quarts of prepared beans that can easily be made into baked beans, put in soups and other recipes.

Jake and Alisa said...

I love making whole wheat bread with my wheat of course.

Nichole said...

Right now, I LOVE oat groats...that's right...the groat! You need to try it. I just taught a class on oats and it was so much fun!!!