Thanksgiving Deals!

I often talk about stocking up once a year...well, this is one of the weeks I mean that literally! Certain items this week will NOT go less expensive until NEXT Thanksgiving. If you stock up on these items and buy as close to a year supply (as you can afford) you will not have to buy these items again until next year. Why is that smart? Because you will not have to pay full price for these items again! Some of the items you should stock up on this week (and buy your year supply of) are the following: canned cranberries, canned pumpkin, stuffing, olives, whipping cream, cool whip, frozen vegetables, fresh cranberries (freeze for later), cream cheese, chicken broth, turkey, ham, etc. To find out where and at what prices to buy these items, become a member of My Food Storage Deals today!
30 Whipping Creams
(Great to freeze for cream soups, sauces, alfredo, desserts (doesn't whip well, but can be used IN recipes, etc.)
5 Stalks Celery (I am dehydrating some for my food storage)
7 Cans Cranberry
2 bags Cranberries
4 Apple Pie Filling
12 cans Pumpkin
9 Stove Top Stuffing
4 Boxes Wheat Thins
15 8oz. Cream Cheeses (This does freeze! I have tried it and as long as you completely thaw out the cream cheese and whip it well, it becomes smooth again. Fabulous!!)
5 Sour Creams
5 Dozen Eggs
10 lbs. Broccoli
15 cartons Cool Whip
20 lb. frozen Corn
15 lb. frozen Peas

Spent $111.07
Saved $98.76
(Saved nearly $100's from Walmarts ALL READY low prices!)

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Great Christmas gift ideas that can help you be more prepared

Here are a few GREAT gift ideas for the holidays. There is something for everyone, on any budget:

*A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO MY FOOD STORAGE DEALS!! (Information coming soon)
*First aid kits
*Flashlights for the whole family
*Jumper cables
*Fuel for your camp stoves or grills
*Camping stove
*Shovel
*Water storage containers
*Water purifier (such as the Katadyne)
*Heavy duty work gloves
*Warm winter clothing
*Spices and herbsseeds for the garden
*Nice heavy duty blankets or sleeping bags
*Car kits/back packs
*Bottles/jars for canning
*Dutch oven
*Solar-powered radio (or solar radio/flashlight combo)
*Wheat grinder (hand held or electric)
*Ready-made 72-hour kits
*Pressure cooker (small)
*Dehydrator
*55-gallon drum for water storage
*Rotating shelf systems (small)
*Large solar oven
*Generators (for information on these, read a Popular Mechanics article here)
*Extra gas canisters filled with gas for your generator (fill up now that gas prices are low :)
*A chest or stand up freezer
*Space heaters
*Extra extension cords
*Snow shovel
*Propane Lanterns
*Rope
*Tent
*Other camping supplies
*Giving basic food storage items for Christmas is also a great idea! Bags of wheat, beans, sugar, flour, powdered milk, honey, etc. are all GREAT items that can be bought for under $10 that would be a great gift.

Happy holidays!

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A QUESTION WORTH DISCUSSING:

"I can understand stocking up on food when you get a good deal. I even understand having enough food in case of an emergency. But, to keep a year’s worth of canned and boxed food seems extreme.I’ve become increasingly aware of eating well and living a healthy lifestyle. I eat much more fresh foods than canned and boxed. The FDA agrees that the food we eat today doesn’t have all the nutrition we need. A lot of that is processed out, especially in things like white flour and sugar.Wouldn’t it be healthier to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, cut back on the processed foods and chemicals, and take a better vitamins?"~Marilyn

MY REPLY:

You have some great points! A year supply is an individual/families decision and should be thoughtfully discussed and prayed about—it may not feel right or even be an option for some people to store a year suply. However, a year supply is NOT an excessive amount of food. It seems like it would be, but it really isn't when you have it. It really is just an economical way to live and eat. By storing the items your family eats on a regular basis, and buying them when they are on sale, you are saving SO much money, as well as preparing for an emergency or hard time that may come to your family. Whether you are obtaining a year supply of food for spiritual reasons, or just to save money, you will find it is the smart way to live. Items generally only go on sale one to two times a year. If you stock up when they do, and buy enough to get you through until they go on sale again, you are saving money & time.

So what do we store? I agree with you on the processed foods. I buy VERY little preprocessed foods. Food storage does not need to be only items in a can or box, this is a common myth! The items I have in my storage are the basics..wheat, grains, barley, oats, dry beans, flour, honey, sugar, powdered milk, pastas, baking items, fruit (low sugar), vegetables, olive oil, salt, canola oil, dried fruit, I bottle my own fruit and meat as well to cut back on chemicals and processed items. These are basic, healthy food storage items, and that is what we have been asked to store (along with any other items your family eats on a regular basis). It is also important, like you said, to also eat what is in season. Definitely eating lots of fruits and vegetables is an important part of your diet. When you eat what is in season (which is usually on sale, and those foods you can grow in your own backyard) you do get added vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. Not all families can eat this way, but for me I have found that making nearly everything from scratch (from items in my food storage and freezer) and supplementing with fresh fruits and vegetables, it not only saves money, but helps my family eat and live more healthy.

In a world where life can be so busy and overwhelming, it is easy to see though why families have navigated to eating more of the quick and easy meals, along with the processed foods. It does take time and patience to find what will work for your individual family. With a little preperation and perhaps a few good recipes, you too can begin to live a more simplified and healthy life. I know I could use more of that, and am grateful we are not asked to be perfect, but are just asked to do our best! ;)

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A few voices of warning...

Here are a few thought provoking quotes I ran across tonight on a great blog (http://www.preparetodaynewsletter.blogspot.com/) I thought I would share. I don't post these to scare anyone, or to cause fear, just to help us realize we have been admonished to be prepared and it is our chance to listen and follow the prophets--and be blessed ;)

"Should the Lord decide at this time to cleanse the Church--and the need for that cleansing seems to be increasing--a famine in this land of one year's duration could wipe out a large percentage of slothful members, including some ward and stake officers. Yet we cannot say we have not been warned." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.265)

"Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthquake cannot happen here. Those who believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord, or they do not believe them. Those who smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they somehow will be set aside because of the righteousness of the Saints, are deceived and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.265)

Roger K. Young said, "The Lord has warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation and given us counsel, through His servants, on how we can be prepared for these difficult times. Have we heeded His counsel? It is hard for me to understand why or how so many good and wonderful people can discount what the prophets have said, again, and again, and concerning what will suddenly happen to the world in the future. President Benson said: "The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah." (CR October 1980, Ensign 10 [November 1980]: 33.) Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.266)

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Peaches, peaches, peaches

This post is a little late in coming, now that peach season is over, I just wanted to encourage anyone that has room in their yard, to grow a peach tree. We planted two peach trees three years ago and this year we were able to enjoy the 'fruits' of our labor. We had peaches coming out our ears! We made peach cobbler, peach pie, peach cheesecake, peach jell-o, peach jam, gave peaches away to neighbors, bottled peaches, froze peaches, and ate them nearly every morning for breakfast...and we still have some left! Isn't that cool that you can produce your own food in your own yard? I love it!! So..this is just an encouragement for anyone out there that would like to plant fruit trees. We bought our tree at the end of the season at IFA for around $25, check your local stores and see if they still have them and if they would still be okay to plant. You may have to be patient for a few years, but then you will get your reward. Our pear tree and apple tree also produced well this year. I guess three years is the lucky number. Give it a try ;)

Here is my Grandma Lucy's Peach Jam Recipe that I love. It is lower in sugar, so a little better for you:

6 c. peaches, mashed (skins removed)

1 pkg. pectin

1/4 c. lemon juice

Stir above ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes. Bring to a rolling boil and add 5 c. sugar. Mix well and continue to boil for 5 more minutes (at FULL boil). Check jam after 5 minutes with a metal spoon. If the spoon is coated with jam and if the jam is no longer runny, then jam is done. If it is not thick enough, you can continue to boil for 5-10 more minutes or until thick. When done, put in canning jars and wet bathe them for 30 minutes, or freeze them.

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Make your own Chocolate Frosties!

Here is a recipe I was given for homemade Chocolate Frosties. It's a great way to use up your powdered milk! Give it a try, you will love it! (Cocoa is on sale this week at Maceys for a GREAT deal--$1.50 Western Family 8 oz., stock up!)

Homemade Chocolate Frosties
1 1/2 - 2 cups ICE water- really, really cold.
1 1/2 cups non-fat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2-3 cups ice cubes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (yes, really- it’s an emulsifier)

Place ALL the ingredients in the blender, including the oil. Use less water for a thicker milkshake or more for a shake that’s easier on your blender motor. With lid on, process for two minutes. Makes about 4 shakes.

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Green tomatoes, what do you do with them?

If you are like me, you have several green tomatoes from your garden. Did you know that if you pick your green tomatoes (before the first freeze) and put them in your garage, over time they will gradually turn to red? I used to always throw my green tomatoes in the garbage until my wise mother taught me this trick :) I have noticed that not all the tomatoes will turn red, but a good majority will. So what do you do with your green tomatoes? You can dredge slices of green tomatoes in egg & cornmeal and then fry them in oil, you can chop up green tomatoes and add to your mincemeat pie, or you can make raspberry jam with them. Here is a great recipe someone told me about that looked fun to try for the Raspberry jam--they claim it is delicious! Hey, if it is, you can't get jam cheaper than this!

Green Tomato Raspberry Jam

2 cups sugar

3 cups finely chopped green tomato

1 3 oz. pkg raspberry jello

Use food processor to chop tomatoes fine (once washed & cored). Boil combined ingredients for 15 minutes. Let cool 20 Minutes. Store in fridge or freezer.

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