Seven Day Challenge

For 7 days 9/9- 9/15 Julie Weiss and Jodi Moore, young Mormon authors of the food-storage blog foodstoragemadeeasy.net, issued a challenge to any and all takers over the Internet to participant in mock emergencies. They e-mail the challenge for the day with video’s, the tasks for the day, and the limitations for the day. Each day’s challenge is listed to the left to give you an idea how their mock emergency was like. It was very informative and very helpful. Each day we were not to go to the store, restaurants, and no spending money. The task for the first day was to leave the house in one hour, grab our disaster kit, 72-hour kit, with the thought that our house was destroyed by flood. Wow what an eye opener. But it was comforting to start organizing my grab kit. All the info. you can find on their web site. As I explained to the family what our limitations were no power, no light, TV, appliances etc. There was some nice positive brainstorming. THIS IS GOOD. Other challenges gave me a test on how prepared I was for everyday emergencies that was fun and helpful to me. Hope you will take a look and see what this was all about and give your preparedness efforts a little test.

Back to School Week

Follow Crystal-Everyday Food Storage

Back to School Week-August 31-September 4

Your kids aren’t the only ones going back to school! Don’t quite understand the difference between instant and non-instant milk? Not convinced on using powdered eggs in your recipes? Still pondering which tastes better, red or white wheat? Can’t think of any other way to use beans than in chili? Well then this week is for YOU…and anyone you know that has these same questions. Each day I’ll be highlighting a different food storage category and explaining everything you need to know about it. There will be a lot of videos and a lot of FUN! You won’t want to miss it!

Great Information

Check out the Article at spokane.latterdaysentinel.com
Savvy savings - Discount shopping pays off for Spokane family
By McKay Allen, Guest August 10, 2009 —

News clip: MORMON TIMES

Where do you start on Food Storage?
By Leslie Probert July 11, 2009
The strength of the church welfare program lies in every family following the inspired direction of the church leaders to be self-sustaining through adequate preparation. God intends for his Saints to so prepare themselves "that the church (as the Lord has said) may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world" (Doctrine and Covenants 77: 14)...Eara Taft Benson "Prepare Ye," Ensign, January 1974
It's easy to get hung up on planning our food storage. New guidelines from church leaders recommend starting with a three-month supply of the usual foods you eat.
You can keep this simple by making a month plan on blank calendar Your ultimate goal is to get a month of recipes. Spend a family home evening multiplying ingredient by three, and you've got a three-month plan of food storage.
With a plan you can watch for sales and begin gathering your food. Any extra money that comes your way can go to acquiring food...because you know what you want to buy.
Consider planning meals made with only storage foods as grocery stores may not always be accessible in some emergencies.
A week's worth of breakfasts including a mix of cooked and boxed cereals, fast muffins and pancakes, can be repeated over four weeks. A week's worth of lunches, including canned and boxed pasta meals, soups and crackers or sandwiches using canned meat fillings, can also be repeated to fill up the month.
We enjoy such a wide range of foods in everyday living. Planning for variety in food storage dinners is important to keep them interesting and appealing. Set a goal to find two weeks of meals that or you family enjoy. Multiply these by two for a month's worth. Or, for more variety, build up to three, then four weeks of meals.
Dinners can be as simple as spaghetti sauce on pasta, plain or with a can meat or beans in place of hamburger; Hawaiian haystacks with canned chicken on rice; canned meat added to bouillon gravy and served on mashed potatoes; simple bean and /or meat soups of stews with fast biscuits; or pork and beans on toast.
Family favorite recipes can be converted to food storage by substituting canned and dried foods for fresh. A good food storage cookbook or two can also help with fast recipe ideas.
Include food from grains to stretch protein foods and make meals filling and delicious. Canned and dried vegetables and fruits as side dishes provide important nutrition.
Plan snacks for important morale boosters. Desserts can be optional.
It's a good idea to plan a few meals that don't need to be cooked for emergencies when there may not be time or electricity.
It's rewarding and fun to watch food stores grow, bringing a tangible feeling of accomplishment and peace. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO BEGIN.

Food Storage Cookbook

What is I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage?
It’s a simple step-by-step plan for using food storage to create delicious meals. It’s like having my blog all in one place (so your laptop can be safe OUT of the kitchen ;). I’ll teach you how to transition common food-storage items (such as powdered milk, whole wheat, and dried beans) into your own recipes. I also provide over 100 kitchen-tested recipes for you to try. In addition, you’ll learn how to put together a personalized three-month supply and how to involve your entire family in planning and preparing meals. And as for that vitally important one-year supply, you’ll learn what to store, how much to store, and how to store it. But here’s the real kicker…it’s not boring! You know me…I’m anything BUT boring!
What is included in I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage?
A step by step training program for using your food storage every day in your own recipes. Think of me as your food storage personal trainer.
Over 100 kitchen tested (and very delicious) recipes, including some not yet featured on my blog!
Family Home Evening lessons to help get your entire family involved in planning your 3-month supply and helping you in the kitchen.
Information on the what, where, and why’s of common food storage items.
Practical tips for getting dinner on the table, picky eaters, grocery shopping, and more!
How do I purchase I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage?
I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage is available for pre-order NOW and will be released on Wednesday. You can pre-order your copy from Amazon.com or through DeseretBook.com for $17.95. If you pre-order it through Amazon.com by Wednesday, your copy will be signed by me plus the book is eligible for FREE shipping (with an order of $25 or more)! Or you can purchase it from your local LDS bookstore in the next week or so. Be sure to keep asking for it!

Buy and Use Basic Food Storage

Basic food storage items, such as whole grains and cereals, are among the cheapest and most nutritious foods there are. If you're having trouble finding money for food storage, one effective solution is to buy some basic food storage and begin using it.The savings can be dramatic. For example, a 50-lb bag of oatmeal that costs $19.60 yields approximately 400 servings (1 serving = 1/2 C dry oatmeal, or approx 2 oz). That's about 4.9 cents a serving. In contrast, 400 servings of a dry cereal that costs .45 cents a serving would cost $180. If you eat the oatmeal instead of the dry cereal, you'll save $160. -- enough to buy 8 more bags of oatmeal!As another example, whole wheat bread made from scratch costs approximately 25 cents a loaf. Buying an equivalent loaf costs anywhere from $2 on up. If your family eats ten loaves of bread a week, baking bread instead of buying it would save at least $17.50. That's enough to buy about 75 pounds of wheat. 75 pounds of wheat will make many, many loaves of bread, freeing up even more money for food storage. Admittedly, using basic food storage foods takes some work. If all of this sounds too overwhelming, just pick one food that fits into your lifestyle and that you know your family will eat. Even if you start out small, you'll begin realizing savings immediately.

Have Grains Pre-made

We know that eating grains are part of a healthy diet and reduce our risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other diseases. On a episode of Living Essentials on byu channel, Chef Brad a leading authority on eating grains and legumes said " In order to get grains and legumes in our diet is to get them out of the food storage and on the counter. He talked about equipment that would make things easy and doable, like the pressure cookers, bread mixer, bread machine, and crock-pots. The exciting message in this program was Chef Brad message was "take a grain, have it cooked up at the beginning of the week, and put it in your refrigerator, that way you have it there, so then when you're preparing whatever it is you prepare for dinner you just bring the grain out and add it to whatever you're preparing. Sound simple it is.... last week it was beans, this week it's beans and rice. Cooking and preparation is a snap and I am not spending money on can goods or package rice mixes. I recommend viewing this program or reading the manuscript, e-mail me and I will send it to you. myfoodstorage@live.com.

News, News, and More News Coming!

Need information on How to make bread... visit Crystal's web-site www.everydayfoodstorage.net/ she has "how to videos and handouts." Today her post is "Dough Enhancer for making Homemade Bread", follow through the week for more helps. Coming the end of March her cook book "I can't Believe It's Food Storage".

Food Storage made fun! (Check It Out)

Here's some webb and blog sites created by four young members from Utah on Food Storage, that are really helpful. How they got started is posted below. You can sign up to receive their news letter and view their how-to videos by using the site button to the left. Their enthusiasm about food storage is exciting.

"We are a group of young moms who love food storage. When we began on our food storage journeys we were all shocked to learn it was nothing like we imagined it…it was actually EASY and BENEFICIAL to have food storage in our lives.
With all of the negative stigmas food storage unfortunately has, we decided to paint a different picture for you…one that shows you just how FUN, EASY, and BENEFICIAL food storage can be. Each of us shares a specific part of the Food Storage process in our blogs. We start with planning it, then buying it, then eating it. It’s a continuous cycle and we’re here to make it FUN and EASY for you!"

PLAN IT: Jodi and Julie are sisters who had been avoiding getting their year’s supply of food storage put together. The task seemed overwhelming, hard to manage and as they started the process they realized there was SO much to learn and didn’t know where to start. They decided to start their blog to keep track of their research, break it into small steps, and hopefully help others as well. During the process of it all they have managed to simplify the process, and break it down into 10 BabySteps. Follow along with them and please feel free to pipe in with any tips, questions, or comments.

BUY IT: Shauntell has a family of five and spends $50 a week on her groceries and household items! She teaches you the tricks of the trade when it comes to using coupons. Her system is simple and easy to follow. Visit her often to keep motivated and educated on how you can build your pantry using coupons while saving your bottom line.

EAT IT: Crystal loves food and it’s apparent when you visit her blog! She loves to cook and will teach you (with her own delicious recipes, how-to-videos, and handouts) how to use food storage items in YOUR OWN recipes! Food storage doesn’t have to be gross and she has all the tricks to easily implement food storage into your family’s favorite recipes while keeping them just how your family likes them…DELICIOUS! She believes that long-term food storage (items you would purchase at the cannery that have a long shelf life) should be combined with short-term items so you can eat BETTER, FASTER, and CHEAPER! If you’re worried that food storage is gross, worry no more!

Fantastic Information

Wednesday, 07 January 2009
Web site makes food storage fun


Cody Clark - Daily Herald
New Web site makes food storage fun
Think food storage is boring? The creators of a new Web site think you should lighten up and embrace the joys of buckets of wheat and canned fruit. The Fun with Food Storage Network, launched this week online -- visit www.funwithfoodstorage.net -- is the brainchild of four Utah moms. According to a press release, the foursome wanted to store food for their families, but felt "overwhelmed and under-informed." While attempting to sort things out and blogging about their experiences, the four found each other and decided to pool their newfound knowledge.
The Fun with Food Storage Network is now in the midst of a weeklong launch party that culminates in a grand prize giveaway on Friday. The site's founders are Jodi Moore of Taylorsville, South Jordan resident Julie Weiss, Shauntell Ottley of Logan and Lehi resident Crystal Godfrey.

Let's Get Started

I am ready to get started and appreciate all the information sent my way. I will have fliers passed around at our RS meetings with recipes, and helpful ideas. But I would like to include all information gather and post to My Food Storage Blog for those members and Family that are not in attendances. Hope you will find it helpful.