Free Conference Treats!

It's conference time again.  Guess what that means?  Yes, yes, a fantastic, spiritual, uplifting week-end, but also....time to inventory your 72-hour kits! 

Get out every family member's kits and make sure everything is up to date and nothing has expired or will expire in the next 6 months. 

And there is the good part.  If it will expire in the next 6 months, you get free conference treats!  Check dates on juice boxes, trail mix, granola bars, etc.  Enjoy them for conference if they are about to expire and remember to re-stock your kits within a week or as soon as you can.

Enjoy Conference!

(For an idea of what should go in a 72-hour kit, click the link on the right side of the blog '72-Hour kit - 3 month plan')

What is the 5/5 Plan?

As outlined in the book : "Food Storage for the Clueless" (pg. 38) the 5/5 Plan is an easy way to make a small but steady contribution to your food and home storage.  Here is the formula:

$5/week + 5 minutes/week = a start on food storage!

I just got back from Walmart on double coupon Tuesday!  I can tell you there are a lot of items you can purchase in 5 minutes for $5 on double coupon Tuesday.  Here are some things I got today:

Snuggle fabric softener sheets = $0.87
Bounty paper towel single roll = $0.50
Old El Paso Taco Seasoning mix = $0.28
Starkist Tuna canned = $0.38
Swanson canned chicked breast = $1.38

Those are just a few examples.

The best thing about couponing for these deals is that I get 5 coupons in the paper per product.  I can easily stock up on 5 of one item for $1 each.  That makes the 5/5 rule easy!

Come to my coupon class tonight and learn how to use all kinds of coupons (not all coupons come in the paper) to stock up on food and home storage!  I will teach it personally so there is no pressure to buy a newspaper subscription from anyone.  There will be games, treats, and a lot of fun.  Hope to see you tonight!

Even if you can't come tonight and/or do not want to coupon, I challenge you to start the 5/5 plan this week!  If you don't already have a list of what do store, visit my past post 'Start with Food Storage' and get going.  Once you are organized and ready, it is easy to start with $5 and 5 minutes a week!

Stock Food Storage by Coupon Clipping!

*See bottom of this post for a coupon class date and time!*

A fantastic way to gradually stock up your food storage is by coupon clipping. 

You can get coupons from the newspaper, by printing them from your own computer, finding 'peelies' on items in the store, getting catalinas (coupons that print at the register), and by using downloadable coupons that you can add to your store card (like your Smith's Fresh Values card). 

Combine these coupons with sales and promotions (like by 10, get $5 off) and you can enjoy fantastic things! 

In the past I have 'purchased' the following items for free:

Toothpaste
Pasta
Men's Razors
Deodorant
Shampoo
Soaps/Body Washes

I have purchased the following for about $0.50:

Chips
General Mills Cereal
Kelloggs Cereal
Chip Dips
Chex Mix
Ragu Sauce
Swanson Chicken Broth
Campbells Soups
Toothbrushes
Feminine Products
Spaghettios
Pillsbury Grands
Go-gurts
Canned Vegetables
Canned Beans

The list can go on! 

By now you should have your list of what you want to store and even a way to inventory it.  Maybe you even have empty shelves labeled that you need to stock, well, now is the time.

I will teach a free coupon clipping class at my house on Tuesday, March 20th at 6:30. 

I am not associated with the newspaper or anyone who would officially teach this kind of class.  I just have a few years couponing experience and am willing to teach you what I know. 

If you are able to attend, please reply to the blog, give me a call, or send an e-mail.

Thanks!

Dinner in a Bag

Here are some dinner recipes that are great for food storage.  If you really want to get into it, you can actually package everything on the ingredient list into a box or bag and label it. 

When it comes time to make dinner, just head to the food storage and grab a bag!  Everything you need is right there.  This is a great way to 'see' how many meals you actually have in food storage.

If you have a vacuum sealer, you can even measure and store spices long term.  Canned meat will come in handy when packaging meals this way. 


Here are some recipes, but don't stop here, create your own as well.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Cooked Rice, Sauce (recipe below), grated cheese, and any veggies you have canned or fresh

 

Sauce:  1 ½ cups water

                1 ½ t chicken bouillon

                2 cans cream of chicken soup

                2 cups diced chicken breast

                1/8 t each of onion salt and garlic salt.

Mix all ingredients together and warm in a saucepan on the stove ( or microwave)

Salad topping ideas:  Peas, corn, chopped tomatoes, diced celery, sliced olives, diced sweet peppers, chow mein noodles, pineapple tidbits, cashew nuts, coconut, raisins, sliced green onion, slivered almonds

Spaghetti

1 Bag Noodles                           1 pint Meat

1 can spaghetti sauce

Cook noodles according to directions. Warm sauce in large saucepan. Add meat and noodles.

Taco Soup

1 can corn                                 1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans                      1 can diced tomatoes

1 sm. Can tomato sauce              1 pint meat

Taco Seasoning

Place all ingredients in large saucepan. Cook until beans are tender.

Chili

2 cans chili beans                      1 can diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans                     1 can black beans

1 pint meat                               Chili Powder

Place all ingredients in large saucepan. Cook until beans are tender.

Shepherds’ Pie

1/2 cup chopped onion                                   1 pound ground beef

2-3 cups diced carrots, beans and corn         1 can tomato soup

1 t Worcestershire sauce                                      ¼ t dried thyme

¼ t pepper                                                   Mashed potatoes

 

Cook meat and onion till meat is brown.  Stir in veggies and ¼ cup water.  Cook, covered, 5-10 minutes till veggies are tender.  Stir in soup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and pepper.  Transfer to a 9x13 dish.  Top with mashed potatoes and grated cheese.  Microwave for 3-5 minutes or until heated through, or bake in 375 oven for 30 minutes or till heated through.

Beef Macaroni

1 pound ground beef                  2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) stewed tomatoes

1/4 cup dried minced onion        1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder             1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon sugar                    1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add tomatoes and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in macaroni; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer until macaroni is tender and sauce is thickened. Yield: 4 servings.

Beef Soup

1 pint meat                               Diced potatoes

Diced carrots                           Dried onions

2 (16 oz) cans tomato soup

Rehydrate potatoes and carrots in 2 parts water for 20 minutes. Drain. Pour all ingredients into large sauce pan. Heat through

Cheesey Mac

1 pint meat                               1 can tomato soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup         2 c pasta

Mix together all ingredients. Pour into casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

1 pint chicken                                     1 box stuffing mix

1 can cream chicken soup                     ½ c. Parmesan Cheese

1 T. butter, melted

Mix together soup and chicken. Spoon into casserole dish. Sprinkle stuffing on top. Then sprinkle cheese. Top with butter and bake at 350 degrees til browned.

Ritz Chicken

1 pint chicken                                     Ritz Crackers

2 can cream chicken                            1 T. butter, melted

2 T. poppy seeds                                2. cups rice.

Mix chicken with soup. Spoon in casserole dish. Crumble crackers. Mix together poppy seeds, melted butter, and crushed crackers and arrange on top. Bake at 350 degrees until browned. (About 30 min. ) Cook rice.

Country Chicken Soup

1 pint chicken                                     1 c. diced carrots

1 c. diced potatoes                              2 oz dry onion soup mix

2 T. sugar                                             4  c. water

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes        ½ c. small pasta

1 T. Italian Seasoning                         1 T. oil

 

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat; sir in carrots, potatoes, onion soup mix, sugar, water, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, hot pepper sauce, and pepper. Stir frequently. Bring to a boil , add pasta and reduce heat. Simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add chicken. Heat through

Chicken Salsa

1 pint chicken                                     1 jar black bean salsa

Rice

Cook rice. Add jar of salsa and chicken to rice.

Chicken Alfredo

Pasta Noodles                                     1 jar Alfredo Sauce

1 pint chicken

Cook pasta according to directions. Heat sauce in medium saucepan. Add cooked noodles and chicken. Heat through.

Make your Food Storage Awesome with Canned Meat!

I went to an activity at my sister-in-law's house (thanks Bryn!) where I watched a demonstration on canning meat at home.  I was surprised at how simple it was! 

Basically cook your hamburger, put it in a can, and process it in a pressure cooker (must use electric or gas stove)!  Easy peasy.  For chicken, you don't even have to cook it ahead of time.  Just cut it into strips and stuff it in a can.  The meat will cook while it processes.

The only trick is to make sure you are exact on processing times so you meat seals safely.  But seriously, how great would it be to have Taco meat (yes, you can add flavoring before canning) in your Food Storage?

Here are the notes my sister-in-law sent me on canning meat (Let me know if anyone is interested and we could possibly arrange a class out here!):

1. Clean jars (wash jars, boil lids and rings. Use tongs to handle the lids to avoid contamination)

2. Prepare meat (chicken can be sliced and used raw, strips of meat can also be raw, but ground meat needs to be cooked prior to canning)

3. Put 1/2 t. of salt in each jar, fill with meat leaving about 1/2 inch of space from the top. Add water to jars only containing ground meat. Place lids on top and screw on ring.

4. Fill Pressure Canner (it has to be a pressure canner) with 3 quarts of water, place jars inside (if stacking jars, place 2nd row staggered (not directly on top of the 1st row), and place & lock lid on

5. Turn on heat and wait for a steady stream of steam to be released from steamer (should take about 15 min)

6. Let vent for 10 minutes

7. Place the valve on canner

8. Let pressure get to 14 lbs (takes about 7 min)

9. Set timer for 75 minutes; making sure pressure stays at 14 lbs the entire time. You will do this by adjusting the heat. If the pressure drops below 13 lbs, you will need to start the timer over

Stay tuned next week for some great food storage recipes that use canned meat!

Start with Food Storage

For the first few months of the year we will be focusing on food storage.  It seems the biggest to tackle and it will be nice to get it in order quickly.

The Pyles plan for one year's worth of food storage is to have 6 months of rotating (I like to call it pantry) storage and 6 months of long term storage. You may mix and match rotating and long term to suit the needs of your family.

For your pantry storage the first step is to calculate what you need.  I made a list of 17 meals that our family eats regularly.  More would probably be good.  I thought of as many meals that I could that where all or most of the ingredients are non-perishable (remember you can use canned chicken and hamburger in a lot of meals!  I will have details about canning meat coming soon). I typed down all the ingredients for each meal.  Then I multiplied the list to see approximately what we needed for 6 months.  I noticed some items came out to be a little more than we needed since they are only partially used in one meal.  Adjust the list to fit what you will eat in 6 months.

The next step is labeling your storage space.  I am going to make labels that say something like this: "Black Beans - 24"  and tape them right onto my shelf.  This, obviously, is where the black beans will go.  With the number needed for 6 month's of storage written right on the shelf where I store them, it will be very easy to do a quick inventory each time I grab some black beans and replace them.

Once I have my shelves labeled, I will make a huge shopping list.  Now remember, this project will take me one year.  That means I will build this gradually as I can.  If there is a case lot I will quickly 'inventory' my shelves and see what is needed to add to the storage.  I will grab a few extra and little by little build up the amount of each item in storage to match the label.

Don't forget to label each item with an expiration date when you put it in your storage if it doesn't already have one.  Put new items in back and old ones up front for use.
The last step is rotation.  As you begin to build the food storage, make a note each time you take something out.  These items can be replaced as part of your normal shopping trip. Since you won't be using them in bulk you don't need to replace in bulk.

Last thing.  If possible set aside a food storage budget.  Try to use a predetermined amount each month to build your food storage.  Buy a few extra items at the store or hit the case lots with this money.  Then, as stated above, rotate your food as you use it by replacing a few items at a time as part of your regular shopping trip.

So...go!  Make that list.  See you next week to learn about canning meats. :)

PS You can find a pre-made excel spreadsheet to use for this activity here: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/babysteps/step-3-three-months-of-normal-food/
Click on "List of Foods"
You can also use this spreadsheet for inventory purposes if you like.

2012 The Year of.....

2012 is the official year of....Preparedness.  Not on a national level, state level, or even community level,  but at the Family level.  2012 is the Year of Preparedness for the Pyles family and we invite everyone to make 2012 a year of preparedness for their families as well.

The Preparedness Fair in September opened our eyes to all the unpreparedness in our home. There is a lot to do.  Kevin and I have already explored areas we need to improve in and have began to set goals.  We hope to complete all these goals by the end of this year. 

One year is a fair amount of time and so I invite all of you to follow along with my blog this year and I will take you step by step through the Pyles Year of Preparedness.  We will exlpore food storage, home storage, emergency kits, basic safety, and communication.  Use what we are doing for inspiration for your own families.  Get ideas from us and modify them to work for your family and circumstances. 

The hope of the Pyles Family is to go to bed on December 31st 2012 and rest well, knowing that all is safely gathered in.  For "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear." D&C 38:30

Stay posted, there is more to come...