Mountain House WINNERS!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our Mountain House giveaway last week.  Many of you commented that you have tried (and loved!) Mountain House products before, which is great!


We used Random.org to find a winner, and we got the numbers.........


#141,  and #6!


#141, Jenny A., who said,


I would love to try some of these products.  My biggest challenge is financial and storage space.


Thanks so much for all of the great information that you share on this blog!


Well, you're welcome Jenny A.! :)


and the second winner, #6, is Rachelle, who said,


My biggest challenge at this moment is just finding the funds.  I'll just keep up my "a little at a time" routine!


Good plan, Rachelle.


Jenny A. and Rachelle, please email us at safelygatheredin (at) gmail.com with your mailing address so that Mountain House can ship you your prize.  Thanks again to everyone for participating, and thanks again to Mountain House for this opportunity. 


Oh, and stay tuned... later this week I'll be sharing some more pictures of the Mountain House  products we tried... I had planned to share them today, but my SD card has been misplaced.  I guess that's what happens when your 4-year-old thinks the camera is a toy!


Also, thanks again for your comments.  You have provided us with a lot of great suggestions for future blog posts, and we look forward to helping you out!

Inspirational Thought

"Those who structure their standard of living to allow a little surplus, control their circumstances. Those who spend a little more than they earn are controlled by their circumstances. They are in bondage”

President N. Eldon Tanner "Constancy Amid Change," Ensign, Nov. 1979, 81

Mountain House Review/Giveaway!!

Several weeks ago, Mountain House contacted us to see if we would be willing to review some of their products here on the blog.  Of course, we were more than happy oblige and they sent us a box of some of their best selling freeze-dried foods. (I'll share some pictures in our post announcing the giveaway winners.)


If you aren't familiar with Mountain House, here's a brief description straight from their website:


Mountain House, the #1 brand of freeze dried backpacking foods has been the choice of backpackers, hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts for over 30 years.  When it comes to long term food storage, emergency preparedness and recreational activities like camping, hiking, backpacking and hunting, Mountain House is the #1 choice.  That's because Mountain House has been recognized as the best tasting freeze dried meals.  Mountain House is convenient, easy to prepare and has a long shelf life.


Like I said above, Mountain House sent me some of their best sellers, including: Macaroni & cheese, Vegetable Lasagna, Chicken Teriyaki with rice, Scrambled Eggs with bacon, and Buffalo style chicken, and a few more.  They even sent a freeze dried ice cream sandwich, which I thought tasted great (unfortunately, my kids did too and I only got one bite!).


I have to say, I have been so pleasantly surprised by everything I have tried so far.  The textures were great, and every meal is so full of flavor.  All of the foods can be eaten alone, and a handful can also be used as fillings in tortillas, making it an even heartier meal.  


One of the best parts about these packs of food is that they can be prepared right in the bag.  You just rip open the top, add 1-2 cups of boiling water (depending on the directions), and seal the bag up again with the zipper.  Let stand for 8-9 minutes, and it's done!  You can even eat it right out of the bag.  Also, most (if not all) of the pouches had two servings in each pouch.


I definitely recommend Mountain House foods.  In the past, Abbie and I have both warned against completely filling your food storage with freeze-dried foods because, what if you don't have access to clean water?  However, if you are able to store lots of water or have access to clean water, you should consider investing in some of these meals.


But think beyond general food storage -- these babies are perfect for your 72-hour kits!  They are incredibly light weight, and you are already carrying water in your kids so you have that handy.  They are also filling and would provide you with the calories you need.  Check out the Mountain House website because they have entrees, breakfasts, desserts... they even have some vegetarian meals.  I am planning on placing my own order in the future so that we can re-stock our 72-hour kits.


And now, the moment I'm sure you are all waiting for... the giveaway!  Mountain House wants to give TWO of our readers a box of some of their best-selling products.


To enter the giveaway, simply comment on this post (click on the word "comments" at the end of this post.  If you receive our posts via email, you will need to visit our food storage website to make a comment.)


So let us know: what is your biggest food storage challenge?  I know we've asked this before, but I'm always interested to hear what other people are working on, and it gives us great ideas for future posts as well!


One comment per person, please.  The giveaway ends Saturday at midnight EST.  We'll announce the winners next Monday.


Good luck, and thanks to Mountain House for the great giveaway!




**Just a disclaimer - the picture at the top of the post is Mountain House's 7-day food unit.  This is not the giveaway item, it's just a picture of some of their products.  Mountain House is giving away a random assortment of some of their best selling entrees.**