Tortilla Trauma!

(My version of Costco's uncooked tortillas--I have a LONG ways to go!!)

Do you love the new trend of the uncooked tortillas? Where have these been all my life? They are FAR superior to a precooked, dried out tortilla. The fact you can make them right before you eat dinner and have warm tortillas off the griddle in seconds is the next best thing to sliced bread!! The ONLY downfall is how expensive they are! It is hard to get a package of regular tortillas on sale for .77, verses the $3-$4 a package for the uncooked tortillas. For now, this is something I will splurge on, but in the case of an emergency or time I have to live off of my food storage, I think I will need an alternative.

Tortillas really are a great item to have the capability of making from your food storage. They would work great for wraps for lunches, be used in enchiladas, soups, burritos, and can even be used in desserts (they are great buttered with cinnamon and sugar or with a cream cheese filling and fruit inside). The other great thing about learning to make your own tortillas is that they can be made without a leavening agent (like yeast) and you wouldn't need to bake them in the oven if your power was out. They can be cooked on the grill or in a pan over a camping stove.

Now to my dilemma! I have not mastered tortilla making yet and it is driving me crazy! I am posting the recipe I have been using (it seems to be a pretty basic recipe I see out in the blog world), but I can not get them to work. They are either too thick, too dry, too doughy, or too ugly. You name it and I have had a something go wrong. My tortillas are more like saltine crackers than they are a soft, warm tortilla.

I need your help! If you know the secret to making a soft, thin, and heavenly tortilla, will you please share your knowledge with me? ANY tips or tricks would be helpful for me--just leave a comment or email me at Shandra@dealstomeals.com. THANKS!! In the mean time, here is my sub-par tortilla recipe:

Homemade Flour Tortillas
2 c. all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
3 T. shortening

Mix together with enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll dough VERY thin and fry on hot skillet.

(My dough in a food processor)

(My dough balls that were uneven and dry)

(My million dollar tortilla smasher that I bought off of Ebay that doesn't work!!)

(My not-so-cute tortilla cooking on my grill)

Thank you in advance for your help with my tortilla dilemma :)

Read more...

Powdered Eggs at the BEST price!

I posted a few posts ago about the importance of having powdered eggs in your storage. I have a couple cans in my storage but wanted to beef up my supply by 2-3 more cans (I use a lot of eggs in my cooking!).

After some price comparisons, I have found the least expensive place in Utah to purchase powdered eggs. Macey's is having their case lot sale this week and are having their powdered eggs (2.25 lb. can) for $14.99. This is normally a great deal, but I have found it for even less!

Honeyville Grain (the store--not the online store) is having a powdered egg sale that is good through April 17th. They have their 2.25 lb. can of powdered eggs on sale for $12.04! This is equal to 78 eggs (or $1.85 dozen). This is a little more than regular priced eggs (prices have gone up throughout the years), but these are still an economical item to have in your storage.

Here is there address in case you live close enough to take advantage of this sale:

635 N. Billy Mitchell Road #A
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

For those of you out side of Utah, this will help you know what price would be a good deal for you to stock up on. Anything under $15 for a 2.25lb. can is a GREAT deal and worth stocking up your food storage.

Read more...

Food storage not so crazy after all?

I am sure many of you have already heard these stories, but I thought they would be worth mentioning here on our 'food storage' blog. The idea of storing basic food and water to drink and eat doesn't seem so crazy anymore, does it? Between the earthquake in Haiti and the winter storms back east, they can teach us all a great lesson or two about being prepared!

Thankfully, the people back east were lucky to have a warning that the storm was coming. Most natural disasters come without any warning--this is when we will really find out if we are prepared or not. Better to prepare before, and not have to do last minute shopping and fight the crowds.

Here are a couple of paragraphs from a few news articles I found interesting:

Supermarkets 'ransacked' as snow storm smacks Washington

WASHINGTON (AFP) – As the second big snowstorm of the winter began dropping flakes on the US capital Friday, panicked parents grabbed their kids early from school and headed home to brace for what locals are calling "Snowpocalypse."

Many stopped off at supermarkets to stock up on last-minute provisions, but found others had already beaten them to it, emptying shelves of everything from soup to Super Bowl snacks and sidewalk salt.

Holly Bailey, a writer who lives in Washington's upscale Georgetown neighbourhood, described scenes of chaos at a local Whole Foods shop as genteel Washingtonians lost their cool in their rush to beat the big snow.

"The parking lot is road-rage central and there are people running down the street with bags trying to get in the store," Bailey told AFP.

"Yesterday, at one point they shut the store because there were so many people inside and they were letting in customers one-by-one as others came out. It was chaos. People were yelling. It was like a scene from a disaster movie," she said.
"I got there at 7:00 am and there were really long queues, and the place looked like it had been ransacked, especially the meat and veg sections," she told AFP.
"People are panicking. The shelves are almost empty. People are hoarding things like bottled water and canned food."

Mid-Atlantic shuts down ahead of huge snow warning
WASHINGTON – Shoppers jammed aisles and emptied stores of milk, bread and shovels Friday as a massive snowstorm blew into the Mid-Atlantic. Forecasters predicted a record 30 inches or more for the nation's capital, and authorities already were blaming the storm for the deaths of father-son Samaritans in Virginia.
In Alexandria, Va., James Ivery, 60, and his wife had already bought supplies but were back at a Harris Teeter supermarket to get out of the house one last time before the storm. Many shelves and bins were emptied of milk, vegetables, eggs and cold cuts. "It just seems like people are panicking."

Kudos to all those trying to prepared BEFORE we are compelled to!

Read more...

Money Saving Tip

I was making a recipe the other day that called for 3 cans of chicken broth. I couldn't remember if I have shared my chicken broth tip with you or not? There are several items in my kitchen that are 'must haves'--for example: lime juice (we go through this like water in our kitchen), Montreal Steak Seasoning, Costco's Garlic Spread, etc. The list could go on and on. One must have in my kitchen though is Chicken and Beef Base or Bouillon.

Many recipes call for chicken/beef broth or chicken bouillon in recipes and to buy it by the can is extremely expensive. I was just at Walmart the other day and their Great Value can of chicken broth was almost $1--ugh! If you add 3-4 cans in a recipe that is an expensive addition.

So, the tip: Keep your kitchen well stocked with Chicken and Beef Base (this is least at Costco or Sam's Club-McCormick or Tone's makes are good brands) and large #10 cans of Chicken and Beef Bouillon (you can get this online, Maceys, or most Walmarts).

I keep a glass mason jar in my spice cabinet filled with the chicken and beef bouillon so I can easily measure out a tablespoon or teaspoon, add with water and use in my favorite recipes. The chicken and beef base needs to be kept in the fridge once it is open, but will last at least a year once it is opened. The base is a little more expensive but has an awesome flavor, so I ration that on my 'high end meals' and use the powdered bouillon for large soups, stews, etc.

These are also great items to have in your food storage in the event we had to live out of our storage and eat all of our dried beans, rice, noodles, etc. we would want some flavor!

That is probably the longest post in history about bouillon, but it really is one of my FAVE items in my kitchen! Have fun cooking!

**One other benefit is they are MSG free!

Read more...

LDS Dry Pack Cannery Pricing Changes

For those of you who live near an LDS Dry Pack Cannery, their prices will be going up as of January 16th. Check with your local Dry Pack Cannery to see when they are open, so you can go and take advantage of the lower prices before they go up! Most canneries are closed until January 5th, but check your local store and see if their times/openings are different.

The items that will be increasing in price are the following:

*Dry Powdered Milk 25lb. $35.40 (up $10 from before--stock up NOW before the 16th to get the AMAZINGLY low price of $24.80!!)

*Hard Red Wheat 25lb. $6.35 (up .45--not too bad, but why not save a few pennies)

Other items that will be higher from .45-$2.35 higher: pinto peans, sugar, oats, hot cocoa, fruit drink mix, and pancake mix. Stock up while prices are low!

Some good news..a few items will be going DOWN in price, they are the following:
black and white dried beans, rice (by $1.90--this is a GREAT deal!), macaroni, potato flakes (by $8--WOW, GREAT price!!!), and flour (flour still less expensive at Sam's Club and Costco).

Hope this update helps you get motivated to go and stock up before prices rise. OR..for those items that are less, wait and stock up when prices will be even lower--FUN!

**Just a reminder, most canneries do NOT mandate that you are LDS to purchase items at the cannery. Call your local dry pack cannery and find out what their policies are :)

Read more...

Storing the 'Extras"

People ask me what 'extras' (nonfood items) I find useful (or necessary) to store in my storage. I am not sure I have a complete YEAR supply of these items, but these are a few of the necessities I think are important to keep well stocked in your food storage:

*Toilet Paper (what would we do without this???)
*Laundry detergent (I store the liquid soap and a couple big tubs of the el-cheapo powder stuff you can buy 20lbs. for a few bucks--this would be my TRUE emergency soap)
*Hand soap (liquid, bar, sanitizer)
*Paper Towels
*Toothpaste and toothbrushes
*Shampoo & Conditioner
*Deoderant
*Women's sanitary products (is that what you would call those?)
*Bandaids and other basic emergency/first aid supplies
*Basic cleaning supplies (to sanitize your house in case of an emergency/pandemic, etc.) Bleach being one of the most important.
*Extra medication and vitamins (basic pain relievers, fever reducers, antacids, etc. are all good 'basic' medicines that would be good to have in case of an emergency--not to mention medication you need for more serious illnesses)
*Candles
*Batteries & Flashlights
*Warm Blankets (in the case the power went out in the winter for a long period of time)
*Gasoline (if you have a generator--you can legally store 30 gallons on your property)
*Propane (in ALL shapes and sizes--small canisters, extra BBQ propane)
*Butane (for my small butane stove)

I am sure I forgot several items, but these are some basics that I don't think I could do without in an emergency. If you can think of others...post them in the comments :)

Read more...

Running Low? The joys of shopping the sales!

Do you ever go down to your storage room and realize that you are running low on a few items? I went down to my storage room and found that I only have TWO jars of salsa left! How is this possible? I bought several cases only a short time ago--my husband and kids are salsa and chip lovers and I was shocked that it is nearly gone! (Everyone send out good karma into the universe so salsa can go on sale :)

The kids then needed paper towel for cleaning the bathrooms and AGAIN..NO paper towels. I think I have been slacking in my motherly duties lately! Sure enough, I looked through the ads and paper towel was on sale! This made my day :) The bathrooms can now be cleaned again to the children's dismay.

I then needed to restock my pantry sugar bucket and found that my sugar bin was nearly half gone--aahh!! I don't know about you, but this started to give me anxiety! haha! You can imagine my relief when last week at Albertsons they had their C&H sugar on sale so I could restock my sugar supply. We can all breathe a sigh of relief...awww. All those people who think I live on the moon will think I FOR SURE DO after looking at my sugar tower the kids and I built after our shopping trip :) I just LOVE when items go on sale right at the right time, don't you?!

P.S.--Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post. Who knew that would have sparked such conversation! I had a great time reading through everyone's comments. Thanks for your thoughts, support, and input. I am glad to know I am not the only 'crazy' one :)

Read more...

Food for thought

I was sent an email from a friend that showed what a ONE year supply of the basic necessities looked like. They had put this together for an Enrichment night to show how little a one year supply really is. I thought it was worth sharing. As I go around and teach classes on food storage I have found, just as these sisters have found in their wards, that people can come up with ALL sorts of excuses to why they can't get their year supply. In this email they talked about the common reasons why people put off getting their food storage (I taught a class last night and these comments were EXACTLY what the women mentioned!).."I don't have anywhere to store the food. What would I do with ALL that food. I won't store a year supply, I just want to store a few extras and that will do. I don't have extra money to buy food storage. I will do it someday, but not now. I don't have time. I don't like wheat and I wouldn't know what to do with wheat. I will get my food storage when I have the right shelves. And so on, and so on!"

Yes, some of these concerns will need to be dealt with, but I am here to tell you that they can be overcome! Here is the picture that was sent with this email to show just how LITTLE and easy it is to orgaanize and obtain your year supply.


ONE YEAR SUPPLY OF THE BASICS FOR ONE PERSON


A year supply of food does sound like a lot of food. However, this picture shows how LITTLE you would be able to eat with your 'one year supply' of food. It sure wouldn't hurt to have a little extra :)

**They did figure you would store yeast to use for making bread. Homemade bread uses all of the basic food storage ingredients (oil, flour (wheat), sugar, salt, water). Yeast can be bought at Costco for very inexpensive and if you store it in the freezer it can last over a year. (SAF instant yeast is my favorite brand)

Read more...

Pantry Basics

Having a well stocked pantry helps make meal planning and cooking MUCH easier! One of the most frustrating parts of cooking is not having all of the ingredients you need at your fingertips. Having a well stocked pantry and food storage makes all of this EASY and fun!

I get several questions a week from people wondering how I organize my pantry. Lets just say it is not as organized as my food storage, but it works :)


Here are a few commonly asked questions:

#1--Where do I store the 25lb. bags of wheat, flour, sugar, etc. that I bring up to my pantry from my food storage room?

*I bring the bulk bags upstairs and keep them in the bottom of my pantry in a 5 gallon bucket, or on the bottom shelf. I fill the canisters I have on my counter of sugar, flour, oats, and salt for easy access, and then keep the rest of these items in the bucket in my pantry. Unless your home has a problem with rodents/bugs, this should be fine.

#2--What items do you keep stocked in your pantry?

*Basically I have one or two of everything I keep in my food storage room. The list would be quite lengthy if I were to list everything in my pantry, but here are a few of the basics that I can not do with out:
*Basic grains; wheat, flour, oats, pasta, rice, flax seed (I like to put it in a lot of breads & pancakes), cereal.
*Oils; olive oil, vegetable/canola oil, shortening, and peanut butter.
*Legumes; dried beans, canned beans (kidney, black, great northern, refried beans, etc.)
*Vegetables & Fruit; corn, green beans, mandarin oranges, pineapple, pears, peaches, etc.
*Cooking Basics; white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar ( I use vinegars in TONS of recipes and buy them in the large gallon size), soy sauce (couldn't live without that!), sesame seed oil (I LOVE Thai food!), balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, jam, coconut milk, taco shells, etc.
*Baking goods; coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, chocolate & almond bark,
*Misc.; croutons, tortilla chips (great to have on hand for soups, dips, salads, hot cocoa, etc. **TIP: If you have leftover USED #10 cans from the Cannery, use them to help organize your pantry. You can also buy them at the cannery for around .15 each**
*Keep a well stocked spice rack/cabinet so you have all of your favorite spices on hand for a variety of meals. Some basic spices to have on hand are: chili powder, taco seasoning, cumin, Montreal Steak Seasoning (my personal favorite!!), garlic powder/salt, parsley, oregano, basil, Italian Seasoning, cajun seasoning, dry mustard, sage, ginger powder, dill weed, rosemary, poppyseeds, vanilla, baking powder & soda, cocoa, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, etc. I try to keep a year supply of these spices on hand at all times. Many of them you can buy at Costco in bulk for great prices. **TIP: If you have extra mason jars lying around, use them to store spices, dried goods, or baking goods. They are easy to see what's inside, and help your pantry stay clean**
*My wheat grinder for EASY access..making it so I can pull it out, grind wheat into flour, and have homemade bread in about an hour!

Think of your food storage as an extension of your pantry. When you keep a well stocked food storage, you will have nearly everything you need for meal planning at your finger tips. Cooking is FUN when you have all of the ingredients on hand. Keeping pantry basics on hand will make your life more simple and cooking a breeze!

Read more...

Three Easy Steps to Getting Your Food Storage

**Clarification: 14 gallons of water for a TWO WEEK supply..NOT 14 gallons per day :) It is recommended to have 28 gallons for two weeks of drinking, washing, & cleaning water per person.

Read more...

Dried Beans...a GREAT item to have in your food storage!

So...if you are like me and LOVE to cook, you know how many cans of black/white/navy/kidney beans you go through! I am always using my canned beans in TONS of delicious recipes, like Taco Soup, Creamy White Chicken Chili, BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, Cafe Rio Salad/Burritos, Chili's, Taco Salad, etc. The other day I had a panic attack that my year supply of canned beans was not enough (if you know me, that's funny because I store A LOT of beans :0). So, I have done a lot of research to find where you can buy your dried beans for less. I figure that my canned beans are great when I need them for quick meals or salads, but for when I am making a soup, chili or stew, I can sacifice a few hours and soak my beans and cook them from dry form. Why you ask? Because they are SOOO much less expensive! The cheapest place I have been able to find dried beans are at the LDS Cannery. They sell their black beans, pinto beans and white navy beans for MUCH less than you can find anywhere!! I LOVE the cannery! Buy the beans in BULK for only $12-$14 for a 25 lb. bag. If you don't feel like you will ever use 25lbs. in 30 years, buy your beans at Walmart for only .98 for a 1 lb. bag. This is more than the cannery, but is still a good price for dried beans! These will last for 30 years and are an important part of your food storage. Beans have a lot of protein and nutrients and are great for you! Another added benefit of using dried beans instead of canned beans is that you save yourself all of the sodium that comes from canned beans. All around, beans are a fabulous item to have in your storage!!

Here is one of my ALL TIME favorite soups! It is SO easy to make (with or without dried beans) and tastes delicious on a cold winter night. This recipe is also a great food storage recipe because everything can be found in your food storage (if the chicken in your freezer was gone you could use the TVP Chicken or canned chicken as a substitute)--of course you probably wouldn't be able to get avocados or sour cream, but it would still be great!!

White Bean Chicken Chili

6 cans of white navy beans, drained (or about 1 lb. dried white beans--soak them overnight or boil for 1 hour or until tender)

2 c. water or chicken broth (or more depending how thick you want it)

1 jar of salsa

1 can green chilies

2-4 chicken breasts

1/2 onion, diced (or you can use dried)

1 c. shredded colby or cheddar cheese

1-2 cloves garlic (or you can use powdered)

1 T. cumin (or more, I like a lot of cumin)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 T. McCormick Chicken Base (or you can use chicken bouillon)

Cayenne Pepper if you like more of a spicy soup

Garnish with fresh cilantro, sour cream, diced avocados, fresh lime squeezed & more shredded cheese.

Put all of the above ingredients into a large pot. Simmer until beans and chicken are tender and cooked through (I just throw my chicken breasts in raw and let them cook in the water. When they are cooked I take them out and chop them up. They give the broth more of a chicken flavor). Garnish with the above ingredients. Yum!!

Read more...

Money Saving Tip

With Thanksgiving come and gone, how many of you used SEVERAL cans of chicken stock? Well, I have a simple and inexpensive solution for you. Instead of buying Swanson Chicken Broth at .50 a can, but the McCormick Chicken or Beef Base from Costco. It is like Chicken bouillon but in an easy to use container that stays in your fridge. You just add a teaspoon of the chicken base with some water and you have chicken stock. This container of the beef/chicken base at Costco is around $3 and mine lasts for 6 months or more! I have SEVERAL of each flavor in my food storage. They don't have to be refrigerated until they are opened. For the same price as a few cans of stock you get ALL of the flavor without the expense. I also use the base in rice to add more flavor, soups, gravies, on my roasts, etc. It is nice and salty & one of my favorite 'special' ingredients...next to my beloved Montreal Steak Seasoning :)

Also shown in the picture is the Morning Moo Chicken Base. This will last longer in your storage and is another inexpensive option instead of stock or bouillon cubes when bought in bulk (wait until February for the next case lot sale for this to go on sale). Enjoy!

Read more...

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! ;)

Read more...

Vitamins-an important part of your food storage!

For those of you who are Costco members, in their last coupon book that was mailed out, they had a coupon for their Children's Daily Multi Vitamins. Costco has GREAT prices on their vitamins and this is an important part of your food storage. Many people don't think about vitamins being an important part of your year supply, but it is. In the event we were to need to live off of our food storage, we would need vitamins and minerals as a supplement. If fresh produce, meat and fish were unavailable we would need to get these vitamins and minerals from another source. Many of the white flour grains we are accustomed to eating (flour, pasta, rice, etc.) has been stripped of many of the nutrients our body needs. Wheat flour, pasta, other grains and brown rice are also important to have in your food storage to be able to give your body the added nutrients that white flour products will not give you. It is recommended to have a year supply of vitamins and minerals for your family in storage. This is a great week to take advantage of the coupon and get your vitamins at an even better deal! If you don't have a coupon, you can call Costco and see if they have one there you could use.

Read more...

What about expirations??

QUESTION: I have been a member now since the beginning and am loving your service. However, a lot of times your expiration date is different than what
shows on the product. For instance, I have a bunch of ranch dressing that has expired.
It would be great if you could address expiration dates. Currently, I have chicken broth, canned tomatoes, peanut butter and ranch dressing. . . . all that has expired. (I guess I'm not eating
it as fast as I am a buying it.)
Are these products okay to eat after the date?? I don't want to make my family sick, but I hate throwing out food.

ANSWER: Good question! Expirations are put on food to make people do exactly what you were thinking of doing--tossing out your food so you have to go and buy more. From most of my research (and from personal experience) food will last MUCH longer than the expirations say it will! The expirations I use on the weekly deal sheets come from information I have found online, the LDS church's expiration chart (not in print any more) and from what I have found from my own storage experiences. If I say '2 years' in the column for shelf life, you can assume that item will last up to 2 years from the day you buy the item. I know some people are uncomfortable with eating items after the expiration date has passed..and that is okay. Just buy less of those items you know you will not cycle through before the expiration day comes ;) For those who aren't as particular (like me) here are a few guidelines that I have found:

I have found/read that anything in an aluminum can will last 2 or more years, food in glass jars will last 3 years, anything bottled from home will last 1-2 years, boxed or packaged foods will last 2+ years, sugar and honey last indefinitely, yeast will last up to 3+ years in the freezer, anything put in your freezer will last at least 1 year, dry legumes will last 10+ years and your grains (pasta, rice, wheat, flour) will last at least 10 years if not up to 30 years--depending on how you package it and the temperature and conditions it is stored in. According to a study done by the LDS church, it showed that most of the nutritional values of grains were still there after 30 years, which was MUCH longer than originally thought (go to http://www.providentliving.org/ to see more results of the study) So...the bottom line is that unless the food you are about to eat tastes bad, smells bad or if the container it is in looks like it has been damaged, is bulging or leaking, your food should be fine. The only two foods that I am a little more watchful of expiration dates are peanut butter and oil. The good thing about these foods is that if they are 'bad' or expired (6 mo. or more over expiration date) you will be able to tell because they will smell and taste rancid. Even then, I don't automatically throw them all out until I have opened a jar and smelled it or tasted it to make sure it is in deed rancid.

Continue to stock up! Nearly every food item will last at least 2 years. That is why when items go on sale I always buy a little more than I think I will use in a year because even if it takes me 2 years to cycle through it, I will of saved money by buying it when it was on sale--and I know eventually we will eat it.

Another tip to cycle through your food storage quicker is to cook as much from scratch as possible. Many of us are busy, but with a little planning (become a meal planner member and we will do all the work for you) you can make homemade meals, snacks, desserts and side dishes that are made from the items in your food storage, freezer and fresh produce from the store. I got an email from a lady who had the same 5 lb. bag of flour that she was given for her wedding over 10 years ago. Well...I can see why to her the idea of getting 75 lbs. of flour per person in her family for their year supply of flour would seem outrageous. However, if you cook most of your meals from scratch you will soon find 75 lbs. is not enough :)

When you keep an accurate inventory of what you have in your food storage, this will also cut down on wasteful spending and buying. You will not buy too much of the items you have found you do not cycle through quickly enough. You can adjust the totals I give you each week to an amount that would be more realistic for your families year supply. Each family eats different foods and should store more of the items they are accustom to eating. If you need an inventory sheet, you can visit our website http://www.myfoodstoragedeals.com/ and under the FREE DOWNLOAD tab there is a PDF file labled FOOD STORAGE INVENTORY SHEET that can help you get organized and know what foods you need to buy when they are on sale.

Read more...

Food Co-Ops??

QUESTION: Have you heard of the foodco-op.org? It was on news at noon and it sounds a lot like the vegetable groups that some people are involved in, but I don't know if it is the same thing? Would you look at the website and see what you think about it and let me know if you think it is a good idea?

ANSWER: They had an article on this organization in the paper, so I have been looking into their services--many people have asked me to look into this option. Here is what I have found..let's just say it is better than Winder Dairy pricing, but nothing too fabulous. It seems to be more of a hassle than it would be worth for me (the pick up from downtown Salt Lake, the groups, the money exchange, the distribution of items, the mandatory volunteer hours, etc.). You can still save more money by just stocking up on the 'red' deals of the week. Reams has their produce generally for great prices, and if you match them all at Walmart then you are buying ALL of your groceries at the lowest prices and can do quick one-stop shopping.

I also don't like having someone tell me exactly which items I have to buy each week. The recipes and food they have on their lists are not necissarily the ones I would generally need for my family. This company, although there is good to it, does not focus on food storage either. It is important to be buying produce and meat, but also long term food storage items that you can add to your food storage. Food storage needs to be bought, rotated and added to each week, or atleast monthly. They claim you will save 30-50% on your groceries. If you are buying the 'red/great' deals of the week from all the stores (going to each store or matching prices at Walmart) then you should save WELL OVER 50% on your groceries. If you are using the Meal Planner and creating your meals around those items that are on sale, then you will dramatically reduce the amount of money you will be spending on your monthly groceries. Doing this will also give you more flexibility to which items you would like to add to your food storage and freezer. Many of the meats that they offer are not ones I keep on hand in the freezer (chicken thighs, drumsticks, sausage links, salmon, etc.). I would rather stock up on items when they go on sale (check the 'tips of the week' for EXACTLY which items to add each week to your freezer and food storage.

If there is a benefit to this group, I would only sign up for the produce package. The produce are pretty good deals (equal to 'red' deals), but I'm not sure of the quality--I have never tried it. Personally, I like to pick out my own fruit and vegetables and choose the ones that are in the best condition. Even if they are good quality, I'm not sure with the pick up if it would be worth it for the $14 produce package.

I don't want to discourage anyone from joining this company. Check it out! If you think it will work for your family and the foods they order are the ones you will use, then definetly try it. The $4.95 you would spend on a monthly memberhsip to My Food Storage Deals should help you save MUCH more than you would if you use their service--the important thing though, is that you are saving money on groceries! With gas prices, food prices and the state of the economy, if you find something that works for you, then you should do it ;)

Hope that answers your questions. :0)

Read more...

Freeze Dried Mania!

It seems there is a new craze of Freeze Dried Food Storage going around. I have multiple people email me whether or not this type of food storage is a good idea. I even had a man come to my door the other day wanting to show me his food and pamphlet (he didn't know who he was messing with!) I have had people also email me price sheets for companies that do this (Mountain House, Daily Bread, etc.) and the prices are OUTRAGEOUS! I had one lady email me all excited that she bought her and her husbands year supply for only $3000! A price sheet I just looked at today had a year supply for $2499 per person! Ugh! (and that was a 'promotional price')

So...why don't I think this is a good idea? The reason is food storage needs to be food your family is eating currently, foods they will continue to eat and foods that you are rotating through and using on a regular basis. I do have to say freeze dried food has it's place in my food storage and that is in the following areas:

*72 hour kits. I have several MRE's in my 72 hour kits and car kits because they last a long time and are easy to make when just adding water. (Although a can of tuna fish, peanut butter, stew from a can, chili from a can is the same idea and a lot less expensive!) So.. I have some of both in my kits.

*I do have a few canisters of freeze dried fruit and vegetables in my food storage. Home grown produce is best, store bought is next best, frozen is third place, canned is next and freeze dried is my last option. People may give the arguement that freeze dried is better for you than canned vegetables and fruits--however, the price difference is TOO much and so I will sacrifice the difference in quality for price. The LDS cannery sells all sorts of dried fruit and vegetables. Get a price sheet and buy it in bulk. You can can it in #10 cans if you want or just keep in tupperwares in a cool dry place (this is assuming you are going to eat it in the next 3-5 years)--which if you are buying the appropriate quantity of each item you will easily go through it in that time frame.

*I also have #10 cans of powdered eggs, butter and margarine. These are great options when cooking solely out of your food storage and can easily be incorporated into your daily cooking when the expirations are up.

*Freeze dried meats are also a good idea to have in small quantities. I buy a few #10 cans of these as well because they are good to have in case the meat in your freezer and food storage were eaten up and you needed another option. I buy all of these products at Maceys when they have their annual emergency preparedness/case lot sales. I have price matched them and generally they are MUCH less than the ones you can buy online or at Emergency Essentials.

So...these items do have their place--however, they need to be used sparingly and bought in SMALL quantities. It is a good idea to have food in all forms. If you think of your food storage as a 'store' it will make it easier for you to figure out what items you want in your storage. When you go to the grocery store do you hang out in the freeze dried isle because that is where you buy the majority of your food? No! You buy produce, meat, grains, pastas, vegetables, fruit, baking goods, beans, rice, etc. Stock up on those items in the store that your family uses the most often.

To give you an idea of how inexpensive a year supply of food is, here is how much it would cost ONE person to get their YEAR SUPPLY OF BASIC ITEMS: (these prices are assuming you are stocking up on items when they are on sale for 'red/great' prices. If you don't know what prices these are, then become a member and I will tell you exactly when and how much of each item to buy ;)

**I've been told that prices at the Cannery are going to go up soon (possibly as soon as tomorrow) so don't wait to stock up on those items!

Grains:
300 lbs. per person:
*100 lbs. of wheat: $6.75 x 4 (25lb. bags)= $27.00 (LDS CANNERY)
*75 lbs. of flour: $9.50 X 3 (25 lb. bags)= $28.50 (LDS CANNERY)
* 10 boxes of cereal: 10x $1 (Watch the Ads)=$10
*10 lbs. of cornmeal: $1.98 x 2 (5 lb. bags) = $3.96 (WALMART)
*20 lbs. of oats: 2x $10.40 (25 lbs. bags)= $20.80 (LDS CANNERY)
*40 lbs. rice: 2 x $10 (25 lb. bags) = $20.00 (COSTCO OR CANNERY)
*40 lbs. pasta: 40 x $1 (40 1lb. boxes) = $40 (WATCH THE ADS/COSTCO)
*10 lbs. mixes: 10x$1 = $10 (WATCH THE ADS)

Legumes:
*60 lbs. of variety of beans (black, kidney, pinto, refried, lentils, pork n' beans, etc.)
60 x .40-.50 a can (WATCH THE ADS) = $30
Milk:
*16 lbs. of powdered milk: 25 lbs. powdered milk $44.45 (CANNERY--this price just was lowered by almost $25--stock up!!!!)

Sugar:
*Brown Sugar 3 x $1 (2 lb. bags)= $3 (WATCH THE ADS)
*Powdered Sugar 3 x $1 (2 lb. bags)= $3 (WATCH THE ADS)
*Honey 3 lbs. x 1 (6 lbs. $8.79)= $8.79 (COSTCO)
*Jam 2 jars x $2= $4 (WATCH THE ADS)
*Jello 1 lb= $2 (WATCH THE ADS)
*Maple Syrup 3 lbs. x $1 = $3 (WATCH THE ADS)
*Granulated white sugar 2 (25lb. bags)x $10.50 = $21 (CANNERY)

Oils:
*Vegetable oil: 2 (48 oz.)x $2 = $4 (watch the ads)
*Peanut Butter: 4 jars x$1= $4 (Watch the ads)
*Salad Dressing: 2 jars x $1 = $2 (watch the ads)
*Shortening: 1 tub $2.50 (watch the ads)
*Mayo 2 jars x $2= $4 (watch the ads)
*Butter 4 lbs. x $1.50= $6 (watch the ads--or Costco)

Salt:
*25 lbs. $3 (COSTCO)

Meats, fruit, vegetables, cooking essentials, auxillary foods and condiments are all EXTRAS and should be bought when they go on sale for red/great deals and the totals you need for each of those can be found on the FOOD STORAGE INVENTORY SHEET that you can download off of our website under the FREE DOWNLOAD tabs.

TOTAL FOR BASIC FOOD STORAGE FOR ONE PERSON: $305.00 (+ tax)

Compare that to the $2499 and you can see why I don't recommend buying your food storage that way. Even when you factor in the vegetables, fruit, meat, baking goods for one person, you will come out ahead by nearly $2000!!! You can buy a YEAR SUPPLY for nearly EIGHT people for the same price as ONE person with the freeze dried food!

Remember.. the church only recommends you have a year supply of BASIC life sustaining food. The extras like cake mixes, ketchup, fruits, etc. are GREAT to have a year supply of, but don't get overwhelmed. Focus on the basics until you have your year supply of those items. Gradually add items to your food storage each week. If you don't have a year supply of the 'basic' items listed above and I have put what store you can buy those items at, I would recommend buying them as soon as you can! With the prices of wheat, rice, flour, pasta, corn, etc. skyrocketing you need to take advantage of the low prices and get those items now. The Cannery and Costco are the best place to go for most of your grains. If they still have some in stock, don't delay :)

Hopefully this helps make food storage reasonable. I don't know about you, but we recieved the LOVELY check from Pres. Bush a few months ago and the amount we recieved would EASILY buy my families (plus a few other families) year supply of the basics. Many of us get tax returns--that is a great time to stock up on items you are low on! Christmas is around the corner. Make your families Christmas present this year your year supply. I promise it will bring you MUCH more peace of mind than toys under the tree :)

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

**Maceys case lot is coming up in August so SAVE your pennies ;)

Read more...

QUESTION: I have decided to store bottled water and use 55 gallon drums for cleaning, bathing, etc. I have not filled my drums yet, because I do not understand the best way to do this. Because I am not going to be drinking it do I need to treat it at all? Have you heard ofthe pumps they sell that go into the drums that supposedly filter and pump out thewater? Do you like them/dislike them? Any info. would be great.

ANSWER: You no longer need to treat water with Bleach because our water is now treated in a way that makes this no longer necissary. The only precaution you will want to take is to NOT have your water (or drums) be touching cement (on the sides or bottom of drum). The water in drums (that you will be storing for cleaning, bathing, etc.) will still be fine for drinking—even without a filter. You could always boil the water, get purification tablets or use bleach if you were nervous about the quality. Even still, I think it is a good idea to have some sort of filtration system in case you needed to purify other water sources. We have a Katadyn water filter (Costco used to sell them, but now I have only seen them at stores like Cabela’s). It was only around $60 and can filter muddy river water into clean drinking water. It is awesome! It comes with a little tube that you put into your water drums and siphon out the filtered water. This is a great thing to have camping and is small enough to be stored in your families 72 hour kit. Water bottles are convenient for drinking, but if you needed, it would be great to have the large 55 gallon drums as well. I don’t think you can ever have too much water ;)

http://www.cabelas.com/

Read more...

Oat Flour--my new favorite food storage item!

About a year ago Oats went on sale at Albertsons for less then .50 for an 18 oz. container of oats. It was such a GREAT deal that I pretty much bought Albertsons out of their oats (three carts full!--you only need around 20 lbs. per person for a year supply). I have loved using my oats in cooking, for cereal in the morning, cookies, etc. but I just couldn't get through my oats fast enough. I was told that I could turn my oats into 'oat flour' and have LOVED this idea!! I broke my last wheat grinder by trying to grind flaxseed (don't ask me why I thought that would work?), so I was hesitant to grind anything but wheat. But..it worked and my wheat grinder is still intact :) I have now used oat flour in ALL of my baking since I started grinding it. I now take a recipe and do 1 part white flour, 1 part wheat flour and 1 part oat flour. You can't tell a difference and it feels great to be using up my oats. I have put it in cookies, pancakes, cornbread, pizza dough, and just tried it in my homemade bread recipe (recipe below). It turned out yummy and seems to make the dough a lighter color and gives it a little more texture. To help me rotate through my food storage I grind wheat, oats, pinto beans (into pinto bean flour--

another favorite!) once each month (or whenever I run out) and keep the flour in a large Tupperware in my pantry. I have them all labeled for which flour it is and this makes it easy to help me use up my wheat and other food storage items. Because the grinding is noisy and makes a small mess it is nice to grind a lot and keep it stored in your pantry for later, so you're not having to grind it everytime you need more flour. Make homemade bread with honey butter as your reward after your items are ground into flour and you will look forward to monthly 'grinding' day ;)

**The least expensive place to buy oats is at the LDS Canneries--$10 for a 25lb. bag.

Read more...

SPICE IT UP!

An important element to your food storage is to make sure you have enough spices to last you for a year supply. We don't know if we will ever need to live soley off of what is in our storage, but I do know if we ever needed to, I would need A LOT of spices to make my hundreds of pounds of wheat, pinto beans, rice, oats, pasta, etc. taste good! I LOVE to cook and LOVE buying new spices! The more spices and flavor, the better for me! So...what spices do we need in our food storage to make sure we have enough flavoring to make our food taste good? Besides being able to make our food storage food taste good, having a stocked pantry and food storage filled with a large variety of spices will make cooking and meal planning fun! If you have a good supply of spices in your pantry, you will be able to make nearly ALL recipes.

So...this is what I do. The spices I KNOW I go through quickly I buy at Costco in the BIG jars. This way, I know I will use the spice quickly and don't need to worry about the spices losing their flavor over time. Any of the spices I buy at Costco I always make sure I have a backup jar (for when I run out and to make sure I have my year supply). I buy my spices in three quantaties--MOST (the spices I use ALL the time and I make sure I have 2 or 3 extras of each thing), SOMETIMES (the spices I use a lot, but don't rotate through as quickly) and RARELY (spices I use only every now and then and I usually don't have a backup). Here are a list of the spices and flavorings I keep in my storage:

MOST (spices I use ALL of the time and keep in LARGE quantaties!):

*Montreal Seasoning (or Kirkland Steak Seasoning)--absolute favorite!!!

*Chili Powder (Costco)

*Granulated Garlic (Costco)

*Taco Seasoning (Costco)

*Pepper (Costco)

*Salt (I buy salt at Costco in the 25lb. bag for around $2.49--can't beat that!!!) (8 lbs. per person for a year supply)

*Garlic Spread (from Costco--I LOVE it in everything with an Italian flavor)

*Parsley (Costco)

*Basil (Costco)

*Lemon Pepper (Costco)

*Seasoning Salt (Costco)

*Lemon Juice (Costco)

*Lime Juice

*Vanilla

*Cinnamon (Costco)

*Soy Sauce (Costco)

*White Vinegar (Costco)

*Apple Cider Vinegar (Maceys)

*Baking Powder (Maceys Baking Case Lots)

*Baking Soda (Maceys Baking Case Lots)

*Beef and Chicken Base (from Costco--McCormick--I LOVE it, it's WAY cheaper than boulion cubes and tastes better!)

*Lipton Onion Soup Mix

*Yoshidas Sauce (from Costco and is great to have in case you need flavoring for your rice)

*Dehydrated Onions (cannery least expensive)

*Cornstarch (Case Lots)

*Cumin (my new favorite spice!!)

*Cocoa (Case Lots)

SOMETIMES (spices I use often but only buy in smaller quantaties):

*Allspice

*Nutmeg

*Dry Mustard

*Rosemary

*Salad Supreme

*Cayenne

*Red Pepper Flakes

*Curry Powder

*Ginger Powder

*Real Maple Syrup (kind of expensive, but worth it!)

*Cajun Seasoning

*Poppy Seeds

*Sesame Seeds

*Dill

*Sage

*Sesame Oil

RARELY (spices I use rarely and don't keep an extra of):

*Cream of Tartar

*Celery Salt

*Mollasas

*Coconut, orange, mint, peppermint, lemon, butter, almond extracts

*Paprika

The other day I went to Costco and spent around $50 and got TONS of the above spices to make sure I have enough spices in my food storage. Per oz. spices are the least expensive at Costco. If you don't want large quantaties like they sell, you can go to Harmons, Walmart or some Dollar Stores and buy the smaller sizes for only $1. This makes stocking up on spices reasonable and that way if you don't go through it before the spices lose their flavor, you won't feel sad about throwing it out. The really good seasonings like Montreal and Johnny's Seasoning Salt won't be found for $1 :(

Remember to think in 'meals' when you are buying items for your food storage. If one of your food storage meals is 'oatmeal' then you will need ALL of the ingredients (oats, raisins, CINNAMON, brown sugar, powdered milk, SALT, etc.) Spices are an important part of your food storage--so...have fun and spice it up!!

Read more...