What Is A Food Grade Container?

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Fantsastic Information

This lady at prepared lds family has taken an extreme amount of time to put together easy access information on price comparisons for Dry and Dehydrated foods- you have to have adobe- you might be able to download it if not. So worth it.

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Lots of great organizational handouts at her site. I am giving them out at class.

Using Wheat

Ever wonder what the heck to do with our Red Hard Wheat besides grind it up and make bread? Here is an idea or two for ya- 

I take 2 cups of wheat and put it in my crock pot with 3 cups of water to start with. I add brown sugar, butter and a little salt. Let it cook, it will puff up into what's called a wheat berry. 

I serve it for breakfast. Then I will take a cup and use it for my minestrone soup, it also goes in my chicken salad recipe! 

But this is just one way you can make a easy, healthy, cheap meal and make it stretch. "I like that kind " (that was for you lynsi)

Wheat Recipes Here

Long Term FS Tracker Sheet!!!!

Here is the long term Food Storage Tracker sheet in Excel AND (miralyn) the same thing in PDF format :)

Remember to focus on your 3 Month first and then move to the year storage, but it's smart to have in the back of your mind what you will be needing for your yearly. This is a great thing to just print out, tape next to your Food Storage area and have ready!

The 3 Month tracker printable forms are HERE

TVP- making a comeback

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Seven Major Mistakes in Food Storage

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Yipeeeee

So I came across this food storage website and the ladies here have put together an excel spreadsheet to keep track of meal planning, food storage ingredients, and even prices to help watch for sales! It's all I have been doing with my own but on paper, ahhhhh. SO check it out. Watch the tutorial they give about the spread sheet and tell me if you are not so excited that you are going to stay up all night filling it out. Ok, well you might not but I am!

 

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/

How Long will Food Storage Last?

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Let Us Keep Our Lettuce

Tid Bit To Know:

Keep packaged salad mixes in a new zip lock bag with a couple of paper towels in it.
The paper towels absorb the excess moisture and will help keep the greens fresher longer. (Take them out of the bag they come in.)

Keep A Lemon Longer!

A Little Tid Bit To Know:

Lemons will stay fresh for months if you keep them in a covered
container filled with cold water in the refrigerator. Be sure the
container has a tight fitting lid! Change the water every week or so.

Love it!

3 Month Food Storage

I have been working on my 3 Month Food storage for the last year and finally have it down! 

I have always been so lost and frustrated about this topic. But I know it's so much easier than I made it out to be in my head. It just has to click. So don't give up until it does!

I know there are so many ways to get this done, lots of different systems to follow it can get overwhelming and confusing. The trick is to find what CLICKS for you and run with it, modify it to your home and wa-la you've done it!

 I wanted to share the system that worked for me and if it is your" CLICK", great!

I want to first say that I have learned through this process that this "food storage thing" has to become a lifestyle. It's not something to just check off a list. When we look back to what the prophets have always said and counseled it SHOULD be! So to make this work we have to change our mind set. 

OK, 

The goal here is to stock up on a three month storage that is always stocked- this means you are not using these items you buy while you are stocking up. This is when they refer to rotation(I will explain how I rotate in next post).

First Step: I organized  my recipes- I had so many I wasn't really using them! So I went through and actually typed them out so I have them on file and just got organized with it.

Second Step: Then I went through my newly organized recipes and picked out 30 meals that I know my family eats and likes. I included snacks and treats I make from scratch too. Cookies, rice crispy treats, bread, muffins, etc. Keeping in mind the ingredients need to be more storage items rather than fresh items. Don't forget Breakfast and lunch items too! I buy the big bag of pancake mix and oatmeal at Costco for example.

Third Step: Next I wrote down all the ingredients from every recipe right down to the salt and pepper. I mean anything I might use, I wrote down, sugar, flour, chocolate chips. 

Fourth Step: As I made out my weekly meal list (meals from the 3 month list) I wrote down all the ingredients from those weekly meals. Again, everything down to the salt. I put all the storage items from my shopping list on one side of the paper, I will then buy double of these items. Now I know you are thinking "I don't have money to buy double" You will be surprised that if you STICK TO THE LIST, use your coupons and store sales, you can actually spend LESS!! (I did this when we have not been at our most financially stable stage in life) But even if you only buy double on ONE MEAL, you are progressing. I would suggest if money is tight to look for meals you can do based around the sales in the grocery store that week. 

I know that even of it's the smallest bit added to your storage, you will be blessed for it and God know that you are doing your best and will not forsake you. 

Fifth Step: Now I have all my ingredients for the meals I was making that week + my storage week of meals! I then started to write out the more long term pantry items like flour, sugar,wheat,barley, six grain, powder milk, #10 cans of dehydrated onions, etc. I then used the extra money from my grocery budget (because I really am saving) and put it toward the bulk items that I can order from the cannery or on-line.

Sixth Step: Start making a list of toiletries, paper plate, cups,batteries, personal care items and using the same shopping method to build your supply.

Now I stay up on it because I am cooking meals I have "assigned" if you will, to my calendar of meals. I do however have meals I want to try out and experiment with which I just add to my grocery list. And If I want to Add a meal to my list I just follow the same steps to acquire a stock up of those ingredients. 

I hope it helps or at least gets you thinking about what you can do in your home. I DO have a testimony of this more now that ever because I see the all around blessing that come from making this my lifestyle. I stick to a budget better, I am more frugal, and I actually make dinner!

Check out the 3 month food storage classes we had to get even more detailed information!