You don’t have to move to the middle of nowhere to become a 'homesteader'. You can start right where you are. Today.
Author: admin
My name is Cindy. I guess you could say my homesteading journey began in our second floor walk up apartment when we were newly married. It was fun to finally be “playing-house” for real, and I suppose I never really grew out of that stage. It just got realer and realer as time went on.
Now I am the mother of five grownup children who all have children of their own. One of my sons called me a “closet hutterite“. Made me laugh. But I couldn’t think of a suitable retort. Still working on that one.
These five great kids have given us nineteen wonderful grandchildren who are the joy of our lives. I am married to my best friend. His name is Dan, and he is not a closet hutterite. But he’s a patient sorta guy who doesn’t mind living with one. Most of the time.
Truth is, in the beginning of our life together we thought (and hoped and prayed) we’d one day live on a small farm. ….. Well, life doesn’t always work out exactly how we picture it in our younger years does it? It didn’t materialize quite the same way we dreamed it might, but that is totally okay. Sometimes Heavenly Father gently nudges us in a different direction, and so here is where we are. In a big Canadian city, surrounded by lots of good neighbours. They’re also patient sorta people. That helps.
Somewhere within my first year of marriage (within the first 6 months), I experienced an abrupt metamorphosis in my life. I stopped going out. Stopped leaving our apartment. Stopped even answering the door. It didn’t happen suddenly but sudden enough. It took months before it became evident that it was a ‘problem’ more than a choice. I wouldn’t go downstairs to use the washing machine. Dan bought me a little washing machine we hooked up to the kitchen sink. I wouldn’t use the dryer so we had clothes hanging all over the living room for hours to dry. I’d go to church and to my parents and Dan’s parents houses, but no where else – unless Dan was with me. I wouldn’t go for a walk. If Dan wasn’t home I wouldn’t answer the door. It went on for a couple of years. We had disagreements about it. Dan would say “You NEVER go anywhere!” “Yes I do. I go to Church. I go to your Mom’s.” “You never go anywhere without me.” “I go to Relief Society.” Those were places I felt safe.
Dan tried his best to encourage me to go out. We’d go for walks. We’d go over to Westmount Mall across the street. He tried to get me to apply for a part time job. One day he pushed me out the door, and told me not to come back for an hour. “I don’t care where you go” he said. “Anywhere! But do not walk back inside this door for at least an hour.” I sat on the back door step and cried for an hour, then came back and said I’d gone for a walk.
That might have been my first big clue as to how big this problem was becoming. I was pregnant with my first baby and I began to wonder what kind of a mother I could be. What would I do when it came time for him to go to school? I knew I couldn’t take him the way I was. I began to acknowledge that this was bigger than me, and all my excuses and justifications began to sound lame – even to me. I realized they were strategies to cover up the fact that I wouldn’t / couldn’t leave the house.
Five babies and I never went to a single doctor’s appointment alone.
After Jacob was born I began having Dan drop me off at the library on his way back to work after lunch. I would hide in the back behind books with the baby stroller until I was brave enough to walk by the librarian and out the door. Then I’d walk home. Eventually I got brave enough to get a library card and actually sign out a few books. It was pathetically slow progress, but it was empowering.
“Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” is the term Luke told me described what I was doing.
It took me YEARS to get through it. Years of being controlled by fear. Thousands of experiences. Lots of strategies that I would implement in trying to control my fear.
No one ever knew what we were dealing with, although my behaviour had to have been difficult for some people to understand and I’m sure there were rolled eyes – because sometimes my excuses sounded lame even to me. I remember once a friend at church telling me “They totally knew you were home Cindy” after I couldn’t open the door when the home teachers stopped by. Dan wasn’t home and I didn’t know they were coming. I couldn’t deal with surprises like that. I was SO embarrassed. We lived in a branch, so they had driven over 30 minutes to get to my house. I felt terrible. Still do.
One evening, – skipping several years and four kids ahead – Dan and I were watching W5 on TV, and they did an Expose’ on Agoraphobia. We were riveted to the screen. We had never heard anything like it. I remember saying to Dan “There’s a name for it. It’s a thing! There are people like me.” You never see them of course. Because they’re at home.
Skip ahead another few years – I thought I was better.
After I had Luke I said to Dan while we were doing dishes together one evening. “Its happening again. I can feel it. I’m in trouble.” He said “No Cindy. We’ll never let it happen again. We know what to look for now.” “Seriously? I haven’t been out of this house in six weeks. Did you even know that?” No. He didn’t. And that was what scared me. “You LIVE with me! That’s how good I am at this. Not even the people I live with know what I’m doing.” It took me three weeks before even I knew what I was doing – but at some point my reasons started sounding contrived, and I knew. I also knew that if I fell back into that hole – I’d probably never have what it took to get back out again. I knew there wasn’t a thing Dan could do if I didn’t buy in.
I began to develop strategies. It helped that I had told Dan.
Skip ahead another few years. We owned the bookstore by then. I started working a little from home. On the computer. I had the ability to manage the store computer from home. One day I said to Dan “It’s happening again. I can feel it.” “No Cindy. We’ll never let it happen again.” “Dan! I haven’t walked out that front door for over TWO WEEKS! Did you even know that?” No. He didn’t. “I manage a bookstore! Dan if I can figure out how to stay home, you’ll never get me outta here again!”
I began to think of it as my demon.
So all that was to give you some context for the Life Hack that changed my life.
My first year working in the bookstore – I didn’t know anything. Christmas. Wow. In a retail business I discovered, your 4th quarter is everything. A good 4th quarter will pay your rent till June – which you need, because not every quarter is a good one. That first January I had a big crash.
The next couple of years as I learned the business, that 4th quarter became even more stressful. Christmas started in April – and I started seeing old familiar feelings surface. But now I was trapped. Old strategies weren’t transferable.
I remember kneeling beside my bed – begging for help. And I hit upon a plan. I would schedule a CRASH for January. That way I could be in control of it. I looked at my calendar – and with all my January commitments in mind – found THREE days that I could afford to have a nervous breakdown. I blocked them off and let everyone know that I was out of commission those days. They became sacred days to me. And I knew that they had to trump everything. I had too much at stake to lose control again. I knew that if I didn’t control my demons, they’d control me. I’d been there. I had done that. I never wanted to go back again.
I remember standing at the til chatting with customers and occasionally one of those days might get mentioned. “Oops” I’d say “I can’t be there. I’m having my nervous breakdown that week.”
It became something to chuckle at and joke about – but I was dead serious. I knew that those three days I would be home. Doing – – – who knew? Maybe read. Maybe stare out the window. Maybe I’d have a few hot baths or stay in my pajamas all day. I didn’t plan to answer the door, or even answer the phone.
It was therapeutic even thinking about it. Freeing. It was my light at the end of the tunnel. Every long day as I drove home overwhelmed – I’d think “This is okay. I’m having a nervous breakdown on January 22. I can do anything.” By PLANNING it, and scheduling it I controlled the when and where. By limiting it to three days I stayed in control. I might stay in bed and cry for three days, but at the end of that third day – I knew in the morning, I’d get up, shower and dress and life would go on.
I cannot tell you how much that helped.
I’ve since discovered there’s a name for that too. MAP. My Action Plan.
Who Knew?
My MAP evolved – it changed the way it looked over time, but I kept those days – and I kept control. It was the light at the end of my tunnel.
I learned many things through this process –
I learned what Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is. Who Knew that going to the library and hiding out behind the books before could have such a cool name?
I learned that we can help ourselves and that if we don’t – nobody else can.
I learned that we never know what someone else is going through.
I learned that we need to give people grace. No matter what.
I learned the meaning of this scripture “IF men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for IF they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me THEN will I make weak things become strong unto them.” Ether 12:27 That’s an IF – THEN promise. My favourite kind.
I learned that my weaknesses were MINE. They are actually a gift – specially designed for me. Given to me from God. They’re not going anywhere. They can however, be changed into strengths if I allow that to happen. “I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” DC 82:10 Of all that I could have bound to me, I can think of nothing I’d prefer than Him.
I learned that weaknesses don’t just go away. Though it may seem that they have – they are in fact, still there. You learn to manage them, but they’re always yours. Remember, they have a purpose.
I learned to “search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, IF ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted …” DC 90:24
ALL things – that’s pretty inclusive. It doesn’t say ‘some’ things. It doesn’t say ‘most’ things. It doesn’t say all things except mental illness or cancer. It literally says “ALL things.” That means even our weaknesses, IF we walk uprightly and remember our covenants. Another IF – THEN promise.
I learned that with God, my weaknesses can become strengths. But that doesn’t happen by pretending they’re not there.
All this is very self absorbing. And its easy to get lost in one’s SELF. But to do that is contrary to God’s way. Somewhere along the line, I learned another hack that helped immensely. In a private conversation in our family room – Michael McLean shared a hack of his own. He has never made a secret of the fact that he suffers from clinical depression. That’s his demon. And yet, he’s a performer, in the public eye a lot. What seems to be his greatest strength is actually his weakness turned inside out. I asked him “What about when you’re not feeling it? What about if you just don’t feel that you can pull it off?” His answer: “Sometimes, its not about YOU.”
He shared his testimony about the antidote to “YOU”. He said that if it was always about him, he’d hardly ever do anything. He said that sometimes it had to be about something more. Look up, and look outward. As a people, we greatly desire to become Christlike. We try to be Christlike. We pray to be more Christlike. So IF that’s truly what we want, when was it about Him? In all scripture – when was it about Him? It was always about someone else. The person he was healing, preaching the doctrine of his father, even on the cross it wasn’t about him. Twice in scripture the Savior posed the question – “What manner of men [and women] ought ye to be?” The second time his answer was “Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27) So it becomes a point of doctrine to try to be like Him.
Michael said to me, that before entering any door – we should briefly pause and ask ourselves – “Who is the most important person in this room?” Then look around. Occasionally the answer may be ‘me’. Today I am the most important person in this room. And if we are, then we are entitled to all sorts of self centered thoughts, opinions and feelings. “I’m uncomfortable. I’m busy. I have a lot on my mind. I don’t even really want to be here. I never know where to sit anyway.” And all those self directed thoughts are justifiable – when you’re the most important person in the room.
But what if – just IF, you’re not. What if you decide that . . . SHE is the most important person in the room. Immediately, your thoughts shift. You think – “Wow, she’s having a good hair day. Looks like a new dress. I really like that colour on her. There’s an empty chair beside her. I should tell her how much I enjoyed her son’s talk in sacrament meeting. I should tell her what a kick I got out of her daughter when I subbed in primary last week.” See how things in your head change? Less thinking about you – and more about someone else – creates a headspace that is more healthy. More selfLESS. More willing to serve. More considerate of another’s feelings. More willing to take care of someone else. It is true what they say, about focusing outward. God can work with you better when you’re willing to look outward.
Talk about your Action Plan. Best action plan ever!.
By doing that – you take care of yourself in the best way possible, and you invite the spirit to hang out with you more often. Your best friend.
These are two of my Life Hacks. 1. TAKE CONTROL of your weaknesses BEFORE they control you. Give them some space. A safe place. And fair time. Then put them away. 2. Remember, it’s not always about YOU. In fact, it seldom is.
You’ve got this. With God, “All things” can work together for your good. Believe it.
Our first grandchild was born twenty two years ago yesterday. A grandson. His name is Samuel Raymond Daniel Burgess.
He didn’t stay here very long, only a few days. His destiny was different than many of ours. His was to gain a body and belong to a family. He accomplished both of those and then went back to heaven. I like to think he interacted with our other grandchildren before they left their heavenly home, and that he currently enjoys the company of his several great grandparents and a favourite uncle who live there now too.
We think of him often and wonder what life is like where he lives, but we never wonder IF he lives. We appreciate this week especially. It was a difficult time for his young mom and dad, but at the same time it was a privilege. Some babies are just like that. Spirits too special to stay here.
I have a stone from his grave displayed on a shelf in my living room. Its been there these 22 years. I have his name written on it and his birth date and death date. I called it Samuel’s rock. When his younger sister was little I would ask her from time to time (wanting to remind her about heaven and angels and such) “Olivia, where is Samuel?” She would go and get the rock.
I would say “No, this is a rock. Samuel lives in heaven.”
Then a few days later I would ask her again “Where is Samuel Olivia?” She would go and get the rock, and I would repeat “No, this is a rock. Samuel lives in heaven.”
And so it would go, eventually I hoped to solicit a response like “Samuel lives in heaven.”
One day I asked “Olivia, where is Samuel?”
She responded dismissively “Oh, he’s a rock.” I decided to wait a few months before we revisited the concept.
She and her younger siblings have it down pat by now. They get it. They know exactly where he is, and even all the cousins know about their older cousin who none of them met (at least not here). How grateful I am that families are eternal and that we know Samuel is not lost to us, and we’re not lost to him.
We are family. And that means, that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live together again as families.
In the meantime, Happy 22th Birthday Sammy. If you were here, I have no doubt you’d laugh a lot with your younger siblings. They’re a hoot. But perhaps you chuckle with them even now, from your current vantage point. And probably roll your eyes a little at their shannanaggins. Like me.
Warmly,
Gramma Suelzle January 2024
PS I so appreciate the beautiful heartfelt words of someone who has gone through something deeply personal and moving. And I appreciate their willingness to share those sentiments so that others can feel the spirit of them – speaking right to, and right ‘from’ their own hearts. With that in mind, included here are the beautiful lyrics to a song written and recorded by Larry Pearson and Marie Pearson. Chosen by Samuel’s parents, and sung at his funeral by friend Leanne Smetaniuk, accompanied by friend Linda Purnell. Thank you Larry and Marie (brother and sister bytheway).
To Let Your Son Go Ever since I held him close and saw that tiny face I believed I understood why I’m in this place. Birth is but a letting go from the arms of God, But every tear of mine I’ve shed – When I had to give him back again.
Maybe someday I will understand, But if he’s not in my arms, then at least I’m sure He’s home within yours.
And within his newborn eyes, I’m sure I saw a light An angel as a living soul, too perfect for this life. I never knew what miracles I’d know because of him; If I knew how it would end – I still would go through everything again. He left Your home, then he left my own. I guess You know what it is really like – To let Your son go.
Please here my prayer, heal me now in my deepest need. Cause it’s enough to help me through To know the one who understands – is You.
He left Your home, Then he let my own. I guess You know what it is really like – To let Your son go.
the CD “One by One” by the Pearsons, produced cc 1998. I am sharing this image in the hopes that perhaps you might be able to find it one day either in the original CD, or Spotify or YouTube or wherever. It was independently done and I’ve looked in vain on line for any version that I could share with you here. Well worth the effort if you can find it.
Many years ago, I met a man (Stephen E. Burrows) who told me about a trip he took to Vancouver Island with some friends. They spent several hours at the beautiful Botanic Gardens near Victoria, enjoying the most gorgeous flowers he said he’d ever seen. Near the end of his trip he and his wife were looking at one particular flower together when she remarked on it’s remarkable deep RED. That startled him because he saw the flower as orange. “RED?” he asked as he took off his sunglasses. He was shocked to see deep and vibrant colours all around him, that he had completely missed that entire day because of the filter of the sunglasses.(1) He had believed all along that he was having the same experience his group was having, but in actual fact they were seeing things so much differently than he was! And when he saw how much more beautiful the garden that they saw was, compared to the one he saw, he was saddened and he wished he could go back and look at it again the ‘right way’ – without the filter that had diminished its beauty. But it was too late, their day was spent and the garden was closing.
When he told me about this experience he said, he saw it as an analogy of how much truth we sometimes miss though we’re looking right at it – simply because our perspective is altered. What if we had our cheap sunglasses permanently removed? What if we saw not only ‘hints’ of what the Holy Ghost could do, but continuous evidence of it?
The Holy Ghost visits people without baptism – it is the convincing power of the Holy Ghost that testifies to our hearts that we are learning good things. Otherwise, how would we ever be drawn to truth or recognize it? Before baptism good people feel the power of the Spirit directing them to one course of action or another. One of my all-time favourite examples of this is Christopher Columbus. Columbus sailed 33 continuous days into the unknown with a crew that was scared for their lives and on the verge of mutiny. Every decision he made was crucial to both the success of his expedition and the survival of his small fleet of three – across an ocean that most educated people believed was flat. Geographers today say that he “did not make a single false move in the entire voyage”. How? How is that possible – especially since it had never been done before?
Columbus was an experienced seaman, and most of his crew members were too. In order to man the expedition, the Spanish crown offered amnesty to convicts who signed up for the voyage but only four men took the offer. It surprised me to learn that so few had taken the chance, but one cannot estimate the power of fear, and to many – the expedition was a fool’s errand. And yet, we all know what the result was. Though Columbus didn’t anticipate a continent between him and his destination, he touched ground and brought the Americas to the attention of Europe, fulfilling prophecy by early New World prophets.(2)
He said in his journal “With a hand that could be felt, the Lord opened my mind to the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. . . . This was a fire that burned within me. Who can doubt that this fire was not merely mine, but also of the Holy Spirit? —Christopher Columbus(3)
There is no question that the light of Christ has been on the earth for thousands of years – and that the Holy Spirit had an important role to play in many peoples’ lives long before the Restoration of the gospel. But what if you could have that with you ALL THE TIME? A gift. As a constant companion. What would that be like? I believe it would be like having a veil lifted from your eyes, a permanent removal of cheap sunglasses which would restrict your clear and beautiful view of things as they are?
After Baptism by water, we receive the HOLY GHOST through the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to give it. You cannot give a gift if its not yours to give – so proper authority is very important. Joseph Smith – who I love with all my heart, said this: “The gospel requires baptism by immersion for the remission of sins” . . . then he added in true Joseph style “You might as well baptize a bag of sand, … if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half – that is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Saviour said ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:5)” Joseph Smith continued to say “Baptism is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost; it is the CHANNEL AND KEY BY WHICH THE HOLY GHOST WILL BE ADMINISTERED.” (4)
When I was 8 years old I was baptized and I received the gift of the Holy Ghost. I remember very little from that day. I grew up in a less active home and was not taught the gospel. I don’t know why my parents thought it was important to get us baptized, but they did – and all four of us siblings were baptized at 8 years old. I am forever grateful for whatever prompting they had that made them feel that was important, and for their willingness to follow it. It’s a saving ordinance – and though we didn’t suddenly become active members of the church – over the years I learned a very important thing. *If you’re ever going to come back, you have to have some place to come back to.
Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost not only gave me membership in this church, but it gave me the companionship of the Spirit to guide me on my way back. He is my dearest and most treasured companion. He has never let me down, and he has never left me. There were times in my life that I didn’t deserve his companionship and so you could say I walked away from him – but when I came back I found he was still there, waiting just where I left him – my ready companion, anxious to help me.
The SIMPLICITY of the ordinance of receiving the Holy Ghost may cause some to over look its importance. But don’t be fooled. The four words RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST are not passive. They constitute an important and binding contract between you and God. There is nothing magic about it – its not a sudden pronouncement that makes the Holy Ghost instantly operative in our lives simply because hands have been placed on our head and those four words were spoken – even if by the proper authority. Nothing is quite that simple. It is our responsibility TO ACT AND NOT SIMPLY TO BE ACTED UPON (2 Nephi 2:26).
If I handed you a gift and you didn’t lift your hand to receive it, then you didn’t really ‘receive’ it did you? I may have done my part but you haven’t done your part. In the Doctrine and Covenants we read “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” (D&C 88:33). It’s as if there was no gift – so when you hear the words “RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST” you should think to yourself “Yes, I WANT to RECEIVE it. I WILL Receive it – I’ll do my best to learn what it means and to be deserving of it. I’ll try to listen to the Holy Ghost and try to follow his guidance. I’ll spend the rest of my life doing all I can to keep him close.”
As we receive this gift, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to DESIRE, to SEEK, to WORK, and to SO LIVE that we DO indeed RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST. (5)
When I received the Holy Ghost as an 8 year old, I had no idea who he was, how I would come to identify him, and that he would become my most trusted friend. It didn’t happen that I came to know all that over night, or even by time I was 12, or 18 or 28. As I look back however, I recognize that I followed his promptings a lot, though I didn’t always recognize they were HIS promptings. The truth is – I have almost no recollection of a life without the Holy Ghost and I didn’t realize that until one day when I was talking to a friend. Like me, she had been baptized as an 8 year old and had received the gift of the Holy Ghost. She had taken a different path than I had and deserted his constant companionship. When she came back to the church, she underwent a period of time that the Holy Ghost was not with her. She described this time to me as being dreadfully lonely. As I listened to her experience I thought to myself – ‘I have been through a lot. And I’ve made many mistakes. And I know there were times I didn’t listen and didn’t care to listen – but I never have felt the same dreadful loneliness of having the spirit taken away from me that she described.’ As I reflected on her words, for the first time in my life I realized that I have never known life without the Holy Ghost – even when I didn’t recognize it at the time. And I promised myself that day – that I never would.
That doesn’t mean I never make mistakes or that I always choose the right though it makes me sad to admit it. He’s not that kind of friend. He truly loves us and is a loyal devoted friend who would never desert us. But we do have responsibility. We need to listen, pay attention and follow promptings – or our ability to hear will fade.
We couldn’t possibly learn all there is to know in a month or two, or even a year or two – about the Holy Ghost and how important he’ll become in our life. We get little mini lessons as we read something inspiring, or listen to a talk or a beautiful piece of music, or as we sit in a church meeting, or as we serve someone we hardly know, or in the many, many ways that he’ll manifest himself to us. Whenever we feel those tender feelings that sometimes make tears come to our eyes – we learn something new about how the Holy Ghost works.
One of the things we can do is to make him feel Welcome. He’s the 3rd member of the Godhead: Father, the Son and Holy Ghost. That means he’s a god. Where would a god like to be? Not sitting with us watching a violent or vulgar movie that’s for sure. Not in a place where language is fowl and people are unkind. Not where the music is vulgar and full of bad language or any other place that drags us down to think or act inappropriately. These are times and places where we may cause the spirit to withdraw from us for a time.
We can also become distracted by the cares of the world and the routine of daily living and we take for granted or even neglect this most valuable gift. David A. Bednar said “We more readily receive and recognize the Spirit of the Lord as we appropriately INVITE Him into our lives. We cannot compel, coerce or command the Holy Ghost. Rather we should INVITE Him into our lives with the same gentleness and tenderness by which He entreats us.” (GC Nov Ensign 2010) (6)
Brigham Young said “Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their souls, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord they will go right.”(7)
The Holy Ghost is a Revelator, a Comforter, a Friend, and a Teacher. While we are learning all the ways He can bless us, – our life will just get better and better and better because he’s in it. What a fantastic way to start a new year!
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle
footnotes
Life Without Cheap Sunglasses by Stephen E. Burrows
At first glance it seems like it’s “NEW stuff”, but over four decades ago I had my first introduction to the ‘newness’ of freeze dried food. It was way ahead of its time for the crowd I was in, and we had a hard time wrapping our minds around the concept. And the price? – it was really expensive. But it remained in the back of my mind, and the next time I was introduced to it some years later, I was a little more receptive and bought some. I still didn’t really get it though. Flash forward another decade or two, and I came across it again – this time more open minded.
The big attraction for me was the long shelf life – 20 years they claimed back in the day. And there’s a reason they call it “space food”, because it is to the Space industry that we owe the modern development of this food science. The space industry needed a food that was: 1. highly nutritious 2. had an exceptionally long shelf life 3. could be consumed without water 4. was easy to prepare 5. was appealing to the taste, with good variety potential Good job people! You did it.
But still, its a long journey from a space station to the average kitchen, and though it was inevitable it would make that journey, people tend to take a long time to transition from ‘normal-to-new’. Good thing we had over half a century because that’s about as long as its taken us to get to this point.
But freeze dried food is not as ‘new’ as most people think. The popular breakfast cereal “Special K” used freeze dried berries as far back as 1955! And we didn’t even know it, or think about it. We just liked it.
And food storage isn’t new either of course; for generations, its been a way of life in North America. But traditionally that food storage consisted of grains, legumes and canned fruit, vegetables and meats – with an increasingly understood limited shelf life, and greatly diminished food value. As the year 2000 (and the accompanying Y2K scare) approached, and the technological world was preparing for a massive upset, people started being a lot more interested in things like food storage. At the time, we owned a niche bookstore – Generations Bookstore – in Edmonton, and one of our major sidelines focused on helping people get their food storage together, but we had a heckuva time finding good sources of good shelf stable food. We could find tools, and equipment like wheat grinders, but actual food? Not so easy. We kept looking and we tried whatever we could find, and some were ‘pretty’ good, although none of them really stood out. Until 2008! That was the year one of our Canadian vendors (In Case Of), phoned me up and told me they had just discovered the BEST Freeze Dried Food on the market. They were very excited about it, and since we had a good working relationship built on trust – I took them at their word. In January 2009, we began carrying THRIVE LIFE freeze dried fruits and vegetables in our retail store. We started small – with ten cases to begin with, one case each of their top ten best sellers. Every month we added one or two more items till soon we carried whatever we could get across the border. No meat. No dairy. No pantry cans, only family sized cans.
In the meantime, at home – we were going through a bit of a purge where it came to our own food storage. Items that had gotten out dated – due to poor rotation. As our youngest prepared to leave on his mission for two years, I prepared to STOP buying groceries until we “ate our food storage down“. Luke left on July 7, 2009. The first Sunday after, when the married kids came for dinner they were surprised to see not the usual fare, but instead – comfort foods they grew up on. When they asked about it, I told them “Welcome back to your childhood. We’re gonna eat food storage until we get control again and I could use your help.” We had a garden, so its not like we didn’t have fresh produce, but with little exception – I avoided grocery stores. I’m not going to go into details about how long it took us, but gradually shelves started to clear, and we used up what we had on hand.
It was provident that I was starting to discover “good” freeze dried foods right about that time. My mind was open and I was looking for better options. By the end of 2011, THRIVE LIFE launched a different platform in Canada. They no longer retailed in stores, but went the route of direct sales – making it easier for people to try the foods in their own homes, learning about it in a hands-on way. It was kind of an exciting time as a whole new industry broke ground in Canada. Yes, there were other freeze dried food companies – through the store we had experimented with several of them, but nothing like this! Nothing that could touch the quality of Thrive Life.
But still the mystery remained for many people – What exactly is it? HOW to USE it? and HOW to incorporate it into their daily lives? And why should they want to? How to understand and appreciate the value of it? I learned about a lot of people’s reluctance to use freeze dried food with my experience in the store. Because of the 25 year shelf life, they were tempted to make a lump purchase and then forget about it. 25 years sounded like a lifetime away. Customers would brag that they had a lot of freeze dried food already in their food storage. I knew the food they referred to. It was the same type I had purchased many years ago too, in its earliest days. Many strides have been made since those early days. I would then ask my customers “How do you like it?” And the answer was always the same – as if we followed a script. “I don’t know. We never use it.” “Why not?” “It’s food storage! And besides that – I don’t know what to do with it anyway.” “How long have you had it?” “We got it the year after we were married.” “How long have you been married?” “37 years.” “Wow. You know its 12 years past the expiration date right? When were you planning on figuring out how to use it?”
THAT is something I have a hard time making sense out of. If you don’t USE your food storage, eventually it gets outdated and you have to throw it away – that’s a lot of wasted money. Throwing food in the garbage is the same as throwing cash money in the garbage. There’s gotta be a better way.
I am all about Food Storage
From the beginning I’ve been all in! In every way. I’ve seen our family benefit and be free from want and worry many times because of our food storage. It used to look like grains, beans, honey, oil, canned food, frozen food and dehydrated food. It looked like wheat grinders, pasta makers, juicers, canners and dehydrators. It looks like a garden, fruit trees and grocery stores. Everything has its place. In my situation, freeze dried food came a little late to the party, but it introduced variety, quality, nutrition and a long shelf life that wasn’t possible without it. Food Storage requires an open mind to embrace new ways of doing things. It requires commitment and looking at the bigger picture. It requires effort and continuous learning. It requires STORING what we eat, and EATING what we store.
That one principle – essential to a successful food storage is one that cannot be ignored. But still, freeze dried food is new to most of us, and it requires some effort to get familiar with it. How to help people overcome their reticence to embrace something so new – no matter how good it is? Thrive Life quickly understood that consumers needed experience! Tutelage to develop confidence. So they came up with an excellent strategy, an ‘experiment’ to introduce a variety of freeze dried foods, help the cook learn about them and USE them in every day cooking. The goal? To experience using the new food in combination with fresh ingredients common in the average kitchen – to make good tasting, appealing MEALS. Brilliant! They called it a CHEF PACK.
The first one to kick off the experiment was SOUTHWEST CHICKEN. It contained 9 pantry sized cans of different foods including a meat, some vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients as well as several recipe cards to use the contents of the box to make family sized entrees and side dishes. By USING this pack, following the recipes – the cook would learn how easy it is to merge freeze dried ingredients with more common household ingredients to prepare great dishes the family would surely love. And it worked! That Experience went over beautifully, and customers asked for more. It was originally intended as a stand alone package, but some of life’s greatest discoveries come to us in unintended ways – life’s happy accidents. And demand was for more like it.
There are now THREE Chef Packs, each coming with 5-7 recipes cards and enough freeze dried ingredients to make several entrees and side dishes.
The Ground Beef Chef Pack contains enough freeze-dried ingredients to make: Hearty Calzone Italian Baked Penne Loaded Refried Beans Shepherd’s Pie Weeknight Tacos Vegetable Medley
The Pulled Pork Chef Pack will allow you to make: Sweet and Sour Pulled Pork with Rice Open-Faced Pulled Pork Sandwich Pulled Pork Shepherd’s Pie Pork Chile Verde Spanish Rice Steamed Green Beans with Red Peppers Loaded Mashed Potatoes
And the Southwest Chicken Chef Pack contains the ingredients to make: Chicken Fajitas Zesty Black Beans Green Chili & Sweet Corn Brown Rice Tortilla Soup Corn & Cheddar Biscuits Chicken Pasta Skillet Effortless Queso Dip
So if it’s so good, why don’t I freeze dry myself?
I’ve been asked that a LOT over the last few years – and its a reasonable question given my propensity toward self reliance and home-made options whenever possible. Yes, I garden. Yes I preserve the excess of what we grow. That means freezing, dehydrating and canning. And I seriously believe that what I “put up” is as good as, or superior in quality to what I could be purchasing.
Here’s my reason. Frankly, its this symbol. I do not believe I could match the quality (or even come close to the quality) of the freeze dried foods I buy from Thrive Life. This NUTRILOCK symbol is found on every can of Thrive food. What does it represent? There are over 40 quality-control steps that are strictly adhered to in order to qualify for this symbol. They begin at the farm and go right through to the minute the food is sealed in a BPA free can. Adherence to that compliance is called THE NUTRILOCK PROMISE.
The fact is, I live in central Alberta. The bulk of what I might normally freeze dry, I’d have to purchase from a grocery store or market or orchard – many hours away. Most fruits are picked green – before they’re fully developed and before all their natural nutrition is intact. Then they are shipped to my city (still green), and often times I would still buy them green and wait for them to ripen in my kitchen. It is commonly understood that produce begins to deteriorate within the hour after harvest: nutritionally and in every other way. But the fruit that I would purchase would already be several days past harvest time – diminishing it’s nutritional value.
With all that considered, I’m already I’m behind the 8 ball. Time is of the essence for nutritional superiority, and already I’ve lost valuable time. If I grew all these items in my own backyard, it might be a completely different story, but I don’t grow enough strawberries for freeze drying, and I don’t grow peaches, apricots, pears, suitable apples, pineapples, mangoes, assorted berries or many other fruits that I would like to have in my food storage. I don’t feel I grow enough fruits or vegetables to justify the cost of the freeze dryer, and even if I did I doubt I can match the high percentage of original food value that Thrive Life ensures.
Thrive produce is harvested at the perfect ripeness, the peak of nutritional perfection. It is flash frozen within 2-4 hours from harvest, the first step in the two step ‘freeze drying’ process. It is then shipped in a frozen state to the nearest Thrive facility where it goes through the second step – that of drying. It goes straight from frozen to freeze dried without thawing or forming crystals – through the miracle of food science at its best.
Frankly, I just don’t believe I could match that quality. If I have to purchase the food anyway I reason, I might as well purchase it FINISHED. That’s just me. If you live in southern BC or southern Ontario and grow a lot of your own of produce then freeze drying at home is probably more suitable for your situation. We all have to make that decision.
My assessment after many years of including Thrive Life Freeze Dried foods in our family’s day to day eating and food storage – I like it. I really like it. It has earned an honoured place in our home, and it’s here to stay. Yes, it can be pricey. But food IS pricey these days. Ways that I beat that: I always shop the sales, always get free shipping, and always use it – cutting down on food waste in my kitchen.
I hope my personal experience gives you the encouragement to experiment yourself, and learn the value of freeze dried food in a well planned out Food Storage. If you’re new to this whole way of eating, take the CHEF PACK Challenge. Try all three, one a month. That’s approximately 20 fun new recipes designed to help you learn to love the food. Prepare to be amazed. I’d love to hear about your experience. Please comment below.
note from Cindy: Let me introduce my friend Sandi. I’ve known her for about 20 years and in the last few years, as I’ve learned more about WHO she really is, we’ve become quite close. I have tremendous respect for her, to the point that I think she’s a real live super hero (not all superheroes wear capes you know). Sandi came to Edmonton from southern BC, as an 18 year old for a job with ETS (Edmonton Transit System) in their book-keeping department. It was an exciting time despite the homesickness that naturally came being so far away from all that was familiar, and though she didn’t know a soul before arriving, she made a life for herself.
Flash forward these many years later, through lots of ups and downs, including a failed marriage that blessed her with two children, now grown up and much loved grandchildren. She raised her kids on her own, a single mother with no local support system, in the days before daycare subsidies. There were often tough, tough choices to make. Sometimes daycare expenses were as high as rent, and some of those choices were between groceries and childcare, but childcare enabled to her go to work, which paid the rent . . . . so food insecurity became a constant companion.
25 years ago, she started a side business helping other ETS employees with their tax returns, to be able to afford necessities that her current income didn’t allow, and to have some needed financial flexibility. To build herself a ‘community’, she volunteered wherever she saw the opportunity – often bringing her kids.
She wears many hats these days: an administrator (City of Edmonton), a personal tax specialist, a Bookkeeper, a chief trustee (Civic Service Union 52), a board member (ABCU Credit Union), a Thrive Life Consultant, an active church member, an active member of her community league, and a VOLUNTEER many times over. She grows a garden at home, and is actively involved in her local community garden. She helps her neighbours. Okay but that’s not what I want to tell you. That’s just all the preface to this: Sandi is out of debt. Now that in itself may not amaze you, but there was a time when she in her own words, ‘had more credit card debt than she earned in two years’. Yikes. I fear there are many who can relate to that kind of bondage. She went from there to being completely debt free other than her mortgage – which is under control and nearing its last days. For this reason, I think most of us can learn a lot from her.
It should be of no surprise to learn that one of her volunteer positions is the Food Bank facilitator in her local Community Garden. In the growing and harvest seasons of gardening, Sandi is regularly delivering produce to homes she’s come to identify in her community with food insecurity.
In our society more of us are IN unmanageable debt, than are out of debt. Did you know that Canada has one of the highest rates of consumer debt in.the.world!?! Not something to be particularly proud of. In this environment, and with every excuse under the sun to BE in debt, she dug her way out of it. Not only that, but she has a respectable start on her family’s food storage. So I asked her to speak at a local event on FOOD STORAGE that I was hosting. I asked her to address the question “How Can I Afford To Build a Storage?”. I asked her to do that because I hear “I can’t afford it” all the time, and I always think of Sandi. – Cindy
So Sandi, How DO you afford to build a food storage? And what suggestions would you have for those who would like to.
Sandi’s words below:
My answer – just do it!
Let me ask you this Question: what is your biggest fear or reason for not having a Food Storage? These are the worries I most often hear . . . . . * I don’t know where to start * I can’t afford it * I have no space to store * I don’t know how to use the stored items to create real meals * I don’t think my family will eat that food
I’ve been a single mom for most of my parenting years. I have two adult children and five grandchildren. They are my life. As a single mom with limited means, I struggled tremendously with providing healthy, nourishing meals for my children on the limited income I earned when they were little. I wanted better for my family and I searched out ways that I could afford better options. Over 25 years ago, I started my home based business of helping people with their taxes, to allow for the extras that I could not afford otherwise. Over time that transitioned into other earning streams and I utilize all my resources to ensure I have what I need for today, tomorrow and next year with the peace of mind that I have the basics covered.
I continue to learn each and every day and I have a wish list always on the go to ensure I keep that peace of mind and better the lives of myself, my children and my grandchildren. Accounting runs in my blood but unfortunately I do not have an accounting designation. Nevertheless most of what I do for work revolves around finances. So it is interesting to me that though finances used to be my biggest worry, my understanding of them became my biggest ally.
I wear many hats in addition to my main jobs of a mother and grandmother. A year ago, I was invited to teach a class in my community about getting out of debt because – other than my mortgage – I AM OUT OF DEBT. It was thought that because I had reached that important goal myself, I might have something to offer people like me – who at one time couldn’t see how getting out of debt was even possible. Some thought that my story might help people feel they could DO IT too. The truth is – it’s been a tough road but I knew I was the only chance my kids had to have a better life than my own. I was their sole provider, their support system, and their example – for good or bad. Remaining in debt wasn’t going to help me be a better mom, and it certainly wasn’t going to help me with any of those priorities.
Our community thought my story provided me with some credibility, and that along with my practical advice, I might be able to provide hope. I don’t know how much influence or credibility I might have in those areas – but I know one thing. I LIVED THE LIFE. I DID IT. I GOT MYSELF OUT OF DEBT. For all those same reasons, I am here to address the problem many people think they have when it comes to Food Storage. The “I CANNOT AFFORD IT” mindset. That is a DEFEATIST statement and I spent my share of time with that kind of defeatist attitude. It got me NOWHERE. Long ago, I decided that I had to be stronger than that. When one really thinks something is important – when it Really IS important, then it’s amazing what you can do to make it happen. You will do whatever you need to!
I admit, when I first became serious about it, Food Storage was not foreign to me, but when it became important to me, it became a PRIORITY. I knew that I would find a way and I found a way. I’ll share my secrets with you. Hopefully you may find some of them helpful.
FOOD STORAGE Rules I live by:
1. Never, EVER buy food storage with money you do not have!
2. Set a monthly budget and stay within it – if you don’t have one yet START now! Keep your grocery receipts for a one month period and write down an itemized list of what you bought. Were those items on your grocery list?
3. Shop the Sales but only purchase what you use – don’t add in exotic or one-of meal add-ons to start off with.
Consider making a multi-family purchasing group so that you can buy in bulk and each family gets a share of the discounted product. ie: I can’t use a case of store bought soup in my food storage but I would like to have 4-6 cans and can share the rest. This could also be preserving equipment that could be shared between a group (ie meat slicer, vacuum sealing unit, pressure canner, etc).
4. Make your money work for you – I purchase on a credit card that gets paid off each month but I earn air miles on my purchases or scene points that I can redeem for other items my family can use during the year: cash back, points, aeroplan miles, store apps for discounted/coupons, etc. WARNING: This only works if you are IN CONTROL of yourself and DON’T GIVE IN TO THE TEMPTATION to overspend.
5. ONLY STORE WHAT YOU EAT. When you do otherwise, it is wasted money that you could have used to buy something more useful. This also includes your grocery store fruits and vegetable purchases – only purchase if you are using it in your meal prep that week. Stats say 47% of food is wasted in Canada. That’s a shocking $47 out of every $100! As a single person I am in a risk category for high food waste, especially when it comes to produce. Because of that, I take precautions to avoid waste. I want to buy food that I never have to throw out. That counts big time in my books.
6. EAT WHAT YOU STORE. You need to be rotating your stock and have confidence that every item is usable to you and your family. Space is at a premium when you are building a 6 month to 1 year food storage – don’t waste that space on something you won’t be using. Make sure your food storage takes many different forms – a single form (ie freezer), may not be that convenient and long lasting if you lost power for a few days. Frozen, canned, freeze dried, cold storage, home preserved – these all have a place in your food storage as they all have varying lengths of storage life and costs.
Slow and Steady wins the race. 7. Be patient, and long sighted. This is a long term goal. You will never reach it if you give up. Dedicating a portion of your budget to Food Storage is moving forward constantly. Use it and rotate it so that it becomes ‘groceries’. When you have extra money – devote it to Food Storage. Those bulk purchases are a GOD-send.
Make it a lifestyle. It is my choice to have a food storage – with all that goes into that choice. With it, comes PEACE OF MIND in a troubling world where nothing is certain. It is worth it to me. In the end, my food storage isn’t quite where I’d like it to be, but I am content with my continued progress.
The average Albertan spends almost $300 per person on monthly groceries. I tend to fall right into that average. In the summer, I garden, which helps with fresh produce; in the winter I purchase more fruits and vegetables so my spending may go up an additional $50 per month. I also buy freeze dried food on a monthly basis, which I use regularly. This keeps my waste to a minimum (wasted food = wasted money).
When I have extra money, I set it aside for the bigger sales (which I’ve learned come every spring and fall). During those bigger sales (for which I budget extra money) I buy more expensive items that get higher discounts at these times. Make no mistake, I eat very well. Nutrition is a priority with me. I have made some big health changes in the last couple of years that I’m very happy about. And I am committed to moving forward with them.
When I started really getting serious about building my food storage, I knew that freeze dried food was where I wanted to focus my energies and resources. I do it gradually, adding to it every month, and so it made sense that I’d want the biggest bang for my buck. I decided if I was going to buy monthly anyway, I might as well get a kickback in the way of commission on my own purchases that I could turn around and reinvest if I wanted to. So I became a consultant. My original intention was not to work the business, just to benefit from available perks, but I found myself dabbling in the business and enjoying the process when I told others about it. You never know where something like this will lead you, and I’ve been around enough to know I enjoy new adventures.
I enjoy sharing my resources as well as my knowledge, but I don’t consider myself an expert at Food Storage. I’m just a mom who wants the best for my kids, doing what I think is the best.
First of all, let me state for the record that I am a die-hard, back-to-basics kind of a cook in my own kitchen. I prefer everything homemade, and I’m not opposed to spending a lot of time on the creation of certain meals. I am not a fan of prepared meals or processed food, and normally I avoid ‘mixes’, at least commercial mixes. But I am also not willing to spend inordinate amounts of time or inconvenience if there is a homemade alternative that promises to shorten my kitchen time without compromising nutrition. Enter in all sorts of mixes, dressings and sauces to make my life easier.
Let me share some of my favourites that I think you’ll enjoy. Each recipe closes with my suggestions on: how to use it in a dish, how to store it, and how to use it up (when you have leftovers that you’re trying to use up). I hate wasting things.
I’m all about using FRESH foods in season, but will use preserved foods as long as nutritional value isn’t compromised. For this reason, I often use FREEZE DRIED options when I can. This serves three purposes: a) I ALWAYS have it on hand as it is very shelf stable having a shelf life of 25 years. With proper rotation, I can always count on it. b) Freeze dried produce is highly nutritious and I have found a company who’s standards are so close to my own, it was a natural fit. Thrive Life has a 40+ step process of ensuring the highest quality, and only after completing those 40 steps, do they put their iconic NUTRILOCK symbol on that item. They call that the NUTRILOCK guarantee. You’ll do well to remember this term. c) Freeze Dried food is exceptionally easy to handle, easy to refresh and delicious. I often refer to it as FRESHER than FRESH because it is picked ripe and flash frozen within 2-4 hours of harvest.
DRY MIXES
PANCAKE MIX a basic pancake mix generally contains flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, egg and oil. The types of flour, sugar, milk, eggs and oil are up to you, but for the purpose of a shelf stable mix in my pantry I use certain ones. Flour – if making from scratch, I always prefer freshly ground whole wheat flour, but whole wheat flour has wheat germ oil in it and is best if used fresh. So for a pancake mix I use UNBLEACHED flour. Actually I only ever buy unbleached flour – as opposed to all purpose flour which is ‘bleached’. All purpose flour goes through a chemical process to make it white, and that alone is enough for me to not use it. Yes I know it’s cheaper, and more common, in fact sometimes I can’t find unbleached flour, but the few dollars more and the inconvenience of looking for it is worth it to me. Baking powder – is a leavening agent, and it’s the secret to fluffy pancakes. Sugar – just a tablespoon of sugar is all you’ll need for subtly sweet pancakes. Salt – a pinch will always enhance the flavour Milk – as opposed to water or juice, adds moisture and richness to pancakes. Eggs – add more moisture, richness and helps bind the batter together. Butter or Oil – adds richness, moisture and produces a lighter, more flavourful result
Mix: 15 cups unbleached flour 1/2 cup + 2 T baking powder 2 cups white sugar 1 1/2 T salt 1 1/2 cup Thrive Life Scrambled Egg Mix 3 cups Thrive Life Instant Milk powder
Store mix in a large container with a tight fitting lid. Should be shelf stable for up to a year.
to prepare pancakes: 2 cups mix 1 + 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup oil mix oil and water, pour into dry mix and stir only till moistened. Makes 10 – 4 inch pancakes
Annie and me in the kitchen in the morning
BISCUIT MIX
6 cups flour (you do you, but I always use unbleached flour for mixes) 1 cup shortening powder or butter powder 2 Tablespoons baking powder 1 T salt 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 cup sour cream powder Whisk all together till thoroughly combined.
Store mix in a large air tight container in a cool dry place for up to 4 months. This is because of the shortening powder. If you use the butter powder, you can extend that up to 6 months.
to prepare biscuits: 3 cups mix 1 cup milk Stir only till moistened. Roll lightly on floured board till 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter or knife. Bake 425 F oven 8-10 minutes
CORNBREAD MIX recipe makes 2 gallon sized cans (#10 cans) 6 cups cornmeal 3 cups Thrive Instant Milk (yes, it really IS better than any other milk powder you can buy) 8 cups flour (I always used unbleached) 1/2 cup baking powder 1 Tablespoon salt 3 cups sugar * 1 cup sour cream powder(not necessary, but adding it makes it nicer and more cake like) 1 cup Thrive Scrambled Egg Mix (freeze dried eggs, and yes, this brand is the BEST tasting eggs out there. I am inserting a video below of my brother and sister who could not tell the difference between it and FRESH eggs gathered the morning of) Whisk all these powders together completely and store in a marked jar in your pantry.
To use for a batch . . . . preheat oven to 350 degrees F 4 cups mix 1 + 2/3 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil Add oil to water and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir to moisten all. Set aside for 3-5 minutes to moisten cornmeal. If you need to add a little more water, do so to get the consistency you prefer. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for approximately 40 or until center bounces back when touched. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into it. * We really like cornbread waffles. Pour 1 cup batter into HOT and slightly oiled waffle iron. Cook for 4-5 minutes before removing. Perfect to serve alongside a bowl of chili or taco soup, or homemade tomato soup.
HOMEMADE INSTANT OATMEAL PACKS This almost seems blasphemous to me, because nothing is as wholesome as a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal, but there are times (like when you’re camping) that the kids would like instant oatmeal. I confess that I buy instant oats for lots of other things, and there IS a convenience that I appreciate. I just don’t like all the sugar in the commercially boughten packs, so when I make them up for the kids, (another confession), I add 1/4 cup regular quick oats to their bowl. They don’t seem to notice and it makes me happier. Instant oatmeal is also a great after school snack – nutritious and satisfying. So buy yourself a bunch of small 1/2 pint jars and make some up. in each jar layer: 1/2 cup quick oats 2-3 T Instant Milk powder (Thrive Life is the BEST) 1 T brown sugar or honey granules or your choice of whatever you use *optional: your favourite ‘additive’ – raisins, freeze dried peaches, apples, mangoes, apricots, or blueberries, crumbled cranberries raspberries, blackberries, or whatever you like. Or nothing at all.
Store them in little baggies, or jars. That’s it! To make your oatmeal, pour each package into a bowl, add 1 cup boiling water and stir. Give it a couple of minutes to thicken up and ENJOY. * Consider: mixing up a whole quart of instant oatmeal with quick oats, powdered milk and brown sugar. When you want to make a bowl, shake up the jar (as the milk and sweetener may have settled), and scoop out 3/4 cup. Add your own fruit if you want, then boiling water. How does it get any easier? STORE in your pantry for 6 months to a year – depending on whatever fruit you may have added.
BASIC WHITE SAUCE or CREAM SOUP BASE
2 cups Thrive Life Instant Milk powder (you’ll be disappointed if you use any other brand of powdered milk because not a one tastes as good as Thrive Life’s – just sayin’) 1 cup Thrive Life Sour Cream Powder 1 heaping Tablespoon of Thrive Life’s Chef Choice Seasoning or your favourite seasoning 2 cups Cornstarch 1/3 cup Thrive Chicken Bouillon (or your favourite powdered Chicken bouillon) 1/2 cup Thrive Life freeze dried Chopped Onions. You cannot substitute dehydrated onions, unless you powdered them first in a blender 1 teaspoon black pepper
Sift together all dry ingredients till completely mixed and store in a air tight container. I double the recipe and Store in 3 glass quart sealing jars for about a year.
To use for white sauce: Whisk 1/2 cup into 2 cups water. Bring to a boil whisking all the time to prevent lumping. Reduce heat and simmer gently 3-5 minutes till nicely thickened. To use for base of cream soup: I prepare the same way, and just slowly whisk into your soup.
I love to make cream soups by preparing the white sauce, adding milk or broth and then adding freeze dried vegetable crumbles or powder. Lightly simmer for a few minutes to soften the vegetables and till you’ve reached the desired consistency. Cream of Tomato Soup – whisk in a Thrive Life Tomato Powder (approx 1 T per cup of soup) Cream of Mushroom Soup – saute some fresh mushrooms in butter (mmm), then add to the prepared sauce. OR add some Thrive Life freeze dried Mushroom pieces and some mushroom powder from the bottom of the can. Cream of Celery Soup – add some finely diced fresh celery and simmer long enough for them to become tender to the fork and share their flavour. OR add some Thrive Life freeze dried chopped celery. I crush these pieces up in my hand because I like smaller pieces. If there is any powder at the bottom of the can, throw that in too – its loaded with flavour. Cream of Chicken Soup – add Thrive Life freeze dried Chopped Chicken and some powder from the bottom of the can. Cream of Asparagus Soup – add Thrive Life freeze dried Asparagus and some powdered asparagus from the bottom of the can. Cream of Broccoli Soup – add Thrive Life freeze dried Broccoli and some broccoli powder from the bottom of the can. Maybe add some shredded cheddar if you want. The list goes on – you can make whatever cream soup you want. recipe link
SEASONING MIXES
Homemade Taco Seasoning 4 T Chili Powder 3 T Cumin Powder 1 T Smoked Paprika 2 teaspoons EACH salt, garlic powder, onion powder 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – this combination will give you approx. 3/4 cup seasoning. I usually use 1 T at a time, in most recipes. Don’t be afraid to try new combinations of your own.
Curry Seasoning Combination(I try to have 2 small jars of this combination in my cupboard at any given time so I don’t have to dig every ingredient out to make it up for a recipe) 1 t garam masala 2 t chicken bouillon powder 1 t black pepper 1 t cumin 1 t ginger powder 1 t paprika 1 T curry powder 1 T turmeric * 1 t cayenne powder IF you like it a little spicy 3 T tomato powder (OR substitute in 1/4 cup tomato paste when making up the recipe) 1 T brown sugar layer seasoning in small (1 cup size) jar. Put the lid on tight, label with recipe name, and set aside to have ready.
CURRY COCONUT CHICKEN This recipe is very similar to traditional “Butter Chicken”, a chicken curry dish that is so popular outside of India, it is sometimes mistakenly believed to be a western invention. It was however, originally created by the chef at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi in 1947. Although it’s name Murgh Makhani translates to “chicken butter”, its name has less to do with butter and more to do with how much yogurt and butter are used in its original recipe. There are probably as many variations as there are Indian moms or restaurants, but this one uses coconut milk and is a favourite in our house. When you use freeze dried produce, it takes less than 10 minutes to put together.
Recipe for Curry Chicken (using freeze dried vegetables OR substitute fresh): 1 1/2 cup freeze dried chicken pieces OR equal amount cooked chopped chicken 2 cups water (OR if using regular chicken, only 1 cup water) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup freeze dried sliced onions 2 T freeze dried garlic OR 2 cloves garlic minced 1/2 cup freeze dried peas 1/4 cup freeze dried diced green chilis 1/2 cup freeze dried green peppers 1/2 cup freeze dried red peppers 1/2 cup freeze dried zucchini spice mixture above 2 cans coconut milk – cooked rice to serve it over –
Directions: Cover freeze dried chicken in 2 cups warm water and set aside to refresh for about 15 minutes. Cook rice, set aside. In the meantime, prepare everything else – having it ready to add one right after the other. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic till aromatic, stirring all the time to prevent scorching. Add chicken and remaining water, continuing to stir. Add vegetables one at a time, stirring all the while. Add seasoning mix and stir to completely blend in. Add coconut milk and stir to completely till all is blended perfectly. Let simmer till all is heated through. Serve over rice.
FRESH MAYO and Salad Dressings
FRESH MAYO Not only is fresh mayo a great alternative if you run out of the more ‘shelf stable’ mayonnaise from the store, but it can be a game changer in terms of flavour and texture. And its so easy to whip up (in 5 minutes) you may wonder why were so dependent on the store bought version all your life. You can expect it to last about two weeks in the fridge.
In its basic form, mayonnaise is an “emulsification” oil into other ingredients, but it helps to understand the process. Emulsification happens when two substances that don’t want to mix are forced to mix. In the case of mayo, oil is emulsified into a mixture of lemon juice or vinegar, mustard, egg, and salt by whisking it in drop-by-drop at the very beginning—and vigorously. The droplets of oil become tiny enough, and evenly suspended in the liquid creating a creamy, almost fluffy texture.
There is much opportunity for slight flavour variations in mayonnaise. 1) ACID – You choose the type of acid you want: lemon/lime juice or whatever vinegar you prefer (white, apple cider, herb infused vinegars . . . ). You will get different flavoured mayo in the end. It doesn’t take much acid, so you can be brave and experiment with different kinds to find different flavours. Perhaps in the beginning while you’re still getting the ‘hang of it’, stick to a plain white vinegar or lemon juice, and then go from there.
2) OIL is what make mayonnaise – MAYONNAISE, but you get to choose what kind. For a neutral flavoured mayo use neutral flavoured oils like canola or vegetable. For a richer, more flavoured mayo, use olive oil. Or use another oil if you have a favourite, or use a combination.
3) SEASONING is not necessary but nice. Use it or not. I like pepper, but if you want a pure white mayo then use white pepper. You can also use dried chiles, ginger, paprika, garlic, chives, a dash of sesame oil, . . . no end to the possibilities. For a standard all purpose mayonnaise, I just use pepper, but a little more than you might. If you use a lot of mashed garlic, your mayo becomes something wonderful called AIOLI.
recipe: 1 large egg 1 T lemon juice or vinegar (your choice – remember) 1/2 t dry mustard 1/4 t salt 1/8 t pepper 1 cups oil Combine the first five ingredients in a blender, turn on high and begin adding oil SLOWLY in a steady steam, turning off blender to scrape down sides once or twice if necessary during the process. Stop blending as soon as mixture is fully emulsified and thick. Makes just over 1 cup mayonnaise. Store in refrigerator. Personally, if I’m going to go to the trouble, of washing my blender, I’m going to double this recipe and end up with about 2 1/2 cups mayo, especially if I know I see dishes like potato salad, tuna sandwiches, or toasted pesto mayo tomato sandwiches in my immediate future. Store – You can expect it to last about 2 weeks in the fridge so plan accordingly. link to recipe
HOMEMADE SALAD DRESSINGS
Yes there’s something to be said about the convenience of store bought salad dressings, but really – try buying a few different vinegars instead and make your own. It is SO easy to make your own salad dressings at home – you’ll wonder why you ever thought you needed to buy them. The benefits are taste, and control over all the ingredients – simple, whole food. That’s what its about. Nothing you can’t pronounce. Make them as you go and then they’re always fresh. 🙂
ASIAN SALAD DRESSING 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 T sesame oil 2 T honey 3 T rice vinegar 2 t freshly grated ginger root 2 cloves garlic minced 1-2 T lime juice sprinkle sesame seeds over top the salad can Store in fridge for a week
SESAME GINGER SALAD DRESSING 3 cloves garlic minced 1 3inch piece of fresh ginger root (peeled and grated) 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup rice vinegar 1/4 cup sesame oil salt and pepper Toss dressing into salad. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. can Store in fridge for a week Salad: 1/2 small cabbage finely sliced or chopped about half as much fresh kale finely chopped 4-6 small Persian cucumbers coarsely chopped or 1 large English cucumber 1 or 2 peppers (your choice of colour) coarsely chopped
TACO SALAD DRESSING 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup mayo 1 cup tomato salsa 1/2 t chili powder Stir with a spoon and chill till ready to serve on top of Taco Salad. can Store in fridge for a week Salad: romaine lettuce – large chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers – black beans – taco flavoured ground beef – shredded cheddar – tortilla chips
variation to use in a fajita rice bowl: I use the sour cream and mayo to make a nice light white dressing that cools the hot chili spice. I add the salsa on top of it for extra flavour, colour and zip. In this picture, I have drizzled a little candied jalapenos (Cowboy Candy) over top.
RED RASPBERRY POPPYSEED DRESSING 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar 2 T sugar 1 t salt 1 t dry mustard 1/4 cup water 1/2 onion finely chopped (I use 1/4 cup Thrive freeze dried chopped onions) 2 T honey Blend all ingredients EXCEPT RASPBERRIES AND POPPY SEEDS in blender. Pour into serving container. Add 1 cup fresh raspberries (I used 1 cup Thrive freeze dried raspberries) 1 t poppy seeds. Gently stir to blend berries and seeds throughout and serve. can Store in fridge for a week.
Homemade BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE (I love the powerful taste of dark balsamic vinegar – it stands alone) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar juice of one lemon (2-3 Tablespoons) 2 cloves of garlic minced 1 T honey salt and pepper Put all ingredients except salt and pepper into a pint mason jar with a lid. Shake well till honey dissolves. Taste, then decide if you want to put in about 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Shake again. Taste again. This makes about a cup, but will Store in the fridge for a week or two so make a bigger batch if you want. Just shake it up when you want to use it again.
Substitute the olive oil for TAHINI to make it creamy and rich. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of water if it’s too thick.
Tahini is ground toasted sesame seeds similar in texture to peanut butter, in fact, it is sometimes used as a substitute for peanut butter. Rich is protein and trace minerals it is a healthy addition to add to your salad dressings.
CURRY TAHINI DRESSING 1/2 cup tahini 1/4 cup olive oil Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup) 1/4 cup water 1 T honey 2 cloves garlic minced 1-2 teaspoons curry powder (start with lesser amount then taste test before adding more) 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ginger (start with lesser amount then taste test before adding more)
Whisk in pint bottle till honey is dissolved.
RHUBARB SALAD DRESSING 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup honey 1 cup vegetable oil – your favourite 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh garlic chives – or regular fresh chives if you don’t have them 1 cup finely chopped rhubarb Whisk the vinegar, honey and oil together to totally dissolve the honey. Add chives and garlic and mix well. Set aside for at least an hour to combine flavours. Stir as you serve to keep garlic and chives incorporated throughout. can Store in fridge for a week
BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING 1 cup buttermilk* 2/3 cup mayo 2/3 cup sour cream 1 clove garlic minced 1 T minced onion or Thrive freeze dried chopped onion 1 T chopped fresh chives 1 T fresh or frozen dill greens 1 T chopped fresh parsley or half that dried parsley crumbled 1/2 t each: salt and pepper Mix all ingredients and let sit 30 minutes before serving. Reduce buttermilk to 2/3 cup to make ranch dip. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
*making buttermilk from Thrive Instant milk powder is easy. 1/4 cup Thrive Instant milk powder 3 Tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice 1 cup water Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes. Use in a recipe as you would buttermilk.
AVOCADO LIME DRESSING 1 avocado 1/2 cup sour cream (I use Thrive sour cream powder) 2 T mayo 2 T lime juice or 1 T limeade powder 1/2 t salt 1/2 cup water Add everything to the blender Dressing perfect for salad or for Chili Lime Chicken Tacos can Store in fridge for a week
CILANTRO LIME DRESSING 1 cup cilantro 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 clove garlic minced 1 T apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 1/3 cup mayo 1/4 t salt 1 T Thrive freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 teaspoon onion powder juice of 1 lime Puree in blender. Chill till ready to serve. can Store in fridge for a week
LIME VINAIGRETTE 1/2 cup cilantro 3 T olive oil 2 T apple cider vinegar juice of 1 large lime 1/2 t each: salt, cumin, chili powder, black pepper 1 lg clove garlic 1 T tomato powder Puree in blender till smooth. Chill till ready to serve. can Store in fridge for a week
Savoury Sauces, Salsas, Dips and Spreads
TERIYAKI SAUCE 1 cup water 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 T honey 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger 1 garlic clove minced OR 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 T cornstarch mixed into a slurry with 1/4 cup cold water and set aside
Combine everything except cornstarch slurry into a small sauce pan. Bring to medium heat and whisk ingredients till thoroughly combined. Slowly add cornstarch slurry whisking constantly till its thickened to desired consistency. Use as you would any other teriyaki sauce. Make ahead and Store in a glass jar in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.
HOISIN SAUCE Hoisin sauce is a thick, dark, fragrant sauce commonly used in Chinese cooking, in a stir fry, or as dipping sauce for Asian dumplings. Lots of different recipes – give this one a try. 1/2 cup soy sauce 2 T dark molasses 2 T honey 1 T toasted sesame oil (darker and more flavourful than regular sesame oil) 2 T rice vinegar 1/4 cup peanut butter 3 cloves garlic finely minced 2 T sriracha sauce or your favourite hot chili sauce 1/2 t black pepper 1 T miso paste 1/4 cup water with 1 T cornstarch made into a slurry
Directions: In a small saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together everything except cornstarch slurry. When sauce is bubbling, whisk in cornstarch slurry continuing to stir and simmer till it begins to thicken. When it is the desired consistency, remove from heat. Makes almost 2 cups. Pour into a pint jar and allow to cool. STORE in fridge for 4-6 weeks. Use it to glaze salmon, ribs, chicken, shrimp – a little goes a long way as it is highly concentrated.
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE Sweet and sour sauce is a exactly what its name suggests: sweet AND sour. Many people use a splash of red food colouring to give it it’s signature red colour. Don’t do that! Use my secret ingredient to get a full bodied flavour, and an all natural, gorgeous red colour.
I grew up on sweet and sour meatballs or short ribs – complete with food colouring. It was the way of things in those day. You could go out and buy a bottle if you crave that food colouring, but it’s SO easy to whip up your own. It tastes better. is free of all those nasty “unpronounce-ables”, and it’s cheap. Great to use as a Dipping sauce for ribs, egg rolls, and dumplings. Great to serve your meatballs in, or to even add to your pulled pork dish. Great to use in your stir fried vegetables and chicken over rice. Great to use as a glaze when grilling chicken pieces, hamburgers or porkchops. Great to even use as a pizza sauce for an Asian twist. Be creative.
In small saucepan, dissolve 1/2 cup brown sugar in 1 cup pineapple juice Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Create a cornstarch slurry with 1 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water. Pour into the pineapple juice and stir while it simmers and begins to thicken. Add 3 Tablespoons of *TOMATO POWDER* and continue stirring to completely dissolve. Add 2 Tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 cup rice vinegar, continuing to stir. When its the perfect consistency, turn the heat off and serve!
Pour into a pint jar and allow to cool. Makes almost 2 cups. STORE in fridge for 2-4 weeks.
TZATZIKI Tzatziki is a creamy cucumber yogurt dip made from simple ingredients including thick yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and fresh herbs. It is primarily used as a dip or a topping. Traditionally of course, fresh cucumbers are used, but I most often use freeze dried cucumber dices. Makes it so much easier! If you’re using fresh cucumber it needs to be grated and strained so get to that right away. * 1 medium cucumber finely shredded, tossed in 1/2 t salt. Set in colander to drain about 30 minutes. Squeeze excess moisture out as much as you can. Set aside. I skip this step entirely because I use Thrive Life freeze dried diced Cucumbers. Start with 1/2 cup and add more as desired one T at a time so you don’t add too much.
1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or another nice thick plain yogurt) 1 T lemon juice or 1/2 t Thrive lemonade powder 2-4 T fresh dill chopped (I freeze fresh chopped dill in the summer and use all winter long) 1-2 cloves garlic minced 1/4 teaspoon black pepper * if you’re not using the fresh salted, strained cucumbers, add 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 T olive oil Mix everything except cucumbers. Add at the end and gently toss cucumbers in. Set in the fridge for an hour or so to blend flavours. Can Store in the fridge for several days; if you’re using freeze dried cucumbers, it will keep up to a week.
HOMEMADE KETCHUP It’s ironic that in most cases, condiments were homemade at first, and then commercially reproduced to taste as close to homemade as possible. Not really possible – but we become so accustomed to it that we now try to make the homemade version taste like commercial. How backwards is that? The homemade version is all about natural flavours and ingredients. Super easy, and tastes so much better than commercial if FRESH tasting is important to you.
1 c. *Tomato Powder 3 1/2 c. water 1/3 c. honey or sugar – your choice 1/2 c. Cider Vinegar 2 tbsp. THRIVE freeze dried Chopped Onions 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. garlic Powder 1/2 tsp. black Pepper 1/2 tsp. dry Mustard 1/8 tsp. ground Allspice
directions: In a medium sized pot combine all the ingredients. Stir to mix and bring to a boil, continuing to stir frequently. Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently till ketchup reaches the perfect consistency for you. Expect that to be about 45 minutes – depending on thickness desired. Pour into glass jar and refrigerate. , continuing to stir frequently. Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently till ketchup reaches the perfect consistency for you. Expect that to be about 45 minutes – depending on thickness desired. Pour into glass jar and refrigerate. Mine yielded 2 pint jars. Best to let it sit for a day to allow flavours to fully blend. STORE 2 – 3 weeks in the fridge. Use as you would normally use regular ketchup.
PLUM SAUCE 1 1/2 pounds fresh plums, pitted and chopped 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 T soy sauce 2 cloves garlic minced 1-2 T grated fresh ginger or 1-2 teaspoons ginger powder 1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional) Put all together in medium sauce pan, bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes till sauce is thickened slightly. Puree if desired (I don’t. I prefer the chunky texture but I know some like it smooth) Store: without canning, it will be good in your fridge for about a week. I highly recommend multiplying the amount if you have a good source of plums, and canning in pint jars. Process 15 minutes in a hot water bath for pints. Once canned, label and date the jars; Store for about a year.
CHEESY BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP I could never figure out what made hot chicken wings “buffalo chicken wings”. Didn’t make any sense. I kept thinking there’s gotta be a good reason, but in the end, it’s stupidly simple. The hot sauce gets its name from it’s origin: the Anchor Bar in, you guessed it – Buffalo, New York. So why don’t they call it Anchor Sauce? Who knows? 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use Freeze Dried chopped chicken refreshed) 3/4 cup of your favourite hot sauce 2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese, cubed 1 cup ranch dressing (I use 1 cup Thrive Life Sour Cream powder with 1/2 cup water) 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (I use the same amount of Freeze Dried Cheddar refreshed)
Skillet method: In large skillet over medium heat, pour hot sauce and add chicken. Stir to coat evenly and heat through. Add cream cheese cubes and ranch dressing. Cook to melt cheese, stirring occasionally. Lower heat and cook till hot and bubbly. Slow cooker method: Add all the ingredients into slow cooker set on medium. Stir occasionally to keep from scorching until all is blended, cheese is melted and sauce is hot and bubbly – aprox 45 minutes. Serve with a loaf of crusty sour dough bread or fresh vegetable wedges. Can Store in fridge for a week.
SPINACH DIP Personally, I choose NOT to add any seasoning to this dip because I don’t want it to over power the subtle taste of spinach (which I love). But you do you. If you have a favourite seasoning, then go ahead and use it. 2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese 1 cup sour cream (I use 1 cup Thrive Life sour cream powder + 1/3 cup water) 1 cup mayonnaise optional – 1/2 cup freeze dried chopped onions (you won’t see the onions but you’ll get their wonderful taste) OR 2-4 chopped green onions lots of Spinach slight steamed and wilted, then chopped and strained (make sure you get all the liquid out of it). I used Freeze Dried Spinach straight from the can. A LOT easier and more nutritious than store bought spinach.
Blend the cream cheese with hand mixer till smooth and creamy. Add sour cream continuing to blend till completely mixed. Add mayonnaise, mixing the whole time till completely combined and smooth. I add spinach a cup at a time, mixing with a spoon. The steamed chopped spinach will be wet of course, the freeze dried spinach (my preference by far) will be dry. I add as much spinach as I can, judging by texture, colour and personal preference. I don’t want it to get too dry, but if I’ve added too much FD spinach, I simply add a little water to moisten. Can Store in fridge for a week.
PEANUT SAUCE (for Spring Rolls) 2/3 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup T rice vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup liquid honey 2 T sesame oil 4 cloves garlic minced 1/4 – 1/3 cup water (start with 1/4 cup and add a little more if needed Whisk together to make creamy but dip-able sauce. Can Store in fridge for a week.
*I use this sauce to pour over or as a dip for Spring Rolls, but the truth is – I could eat it by the spoon its so good. I may have done that from time to time. Spring rolls can seem intimidating, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly and be a pro in no time. It’s kinda like folding a burrito but tighter. The first few won’t be perfect, but don’t stress out – you’re just gonna eat ’em anyway. *BONUS – Spring Roll recipe filling: thin rice noodles, finely shredded: lettuce, cabbage, carrot; long thin cucumber wedges; chopped green onions, fresh cilantro and fresh mint. Small amount of sesame oil and little bit of salt. Cook noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Test. DON’T over-cook. Drain and rinse immediately in cold water. Drain again. OR soak them in warm water (not cold, not hot) for 10-15 minutes till softened. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. Toss 2 T sesame oil over top and 1 t. salt to keep from sticking together. Set aside. *hint: have everything ready to go so that you can focus on the rice paper and folding. wrapper: Rice Paper Sheets building the rolls 1- lay a round rice paper sheet one at a time in a pie plate of cool water – 10-20 seconds till pliable. Lay on a clean tea towel and place a few pieces of lettuce about one-third from the bottom of the wrapper. You want to leave a couple inches open on the two sides for wrapping. 2 – Add remaining ingredients in whatever order you prefer, but I like to do – lettuce, cabbage, carrots, green onions, topped with a couple wedges of cucumber and then sprinkled with the chopped herbs . Leave the top third of the wrapper open for wrapping. 3 – Gently pull the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling. Try to keep the filling as tight as you can as you roll upwards, until the filling is enveloped. Pull the sides over to enclose the filling completely. Continue rolling till fully wrapped. The more you do, the tighter they’ll get. You may have to eat the first one to get rid of the evidence of it.
Salsas and PESTOS
MANGO CUCUMBER SALSA with LIME 2 cups Thrive Life freeze dried mangoes OR fresh mango diced 2 cups Thrive Life freeze dried cucumbers OR fresh cucumber diced 1 cup Thrive Life freeze dried red bell peppers OR fresh pepper diced 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 medium red onion diced finely 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup water if using freeze dried OR 1/4 cup water if using fresh 1 T Thrive Life Limeade powder OR juice of one lime (don’t be afraid to add more LIME) 1 1/2 T Thrive Life honey crystals OR 2 T honey 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
Combine all produce. Prepare dressing on the side and drizzle over top. Let sit for a few minute before serving. When you’re using freeze dried ingredients you can prepare this ahead in a jar, all except for the liquids. When you’re ready, just pour into a bowl, add water and oil, stir to combine and presto! You’re done. You’ll have to forego the fresh cilantro, or add it later. This is wonderful for me because I can have ‘fresher-than-fresh’ mango salsa any time it appeals to me. recipe link Mix can Store in a sealed jar for 6 months to a year. Prepared, it can Store in fridge for a week
FRESH RHUBARB SUMMER SALSA click link for recipe I call this ‘summer salsa’ because of the many other ingredients that are plentiful in a summer garden, but not so plentiful in the spring as early as rhubarb is ready. This combination is terrific, delicious all by itself. Who said rhubarb has to be sweet? When you use it as a vegetable, you’re a little more willing to use less sugar. Only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with over 8 cups vegetables.
FRESH RHUBARB CHUTNEY click link for recipe I love the sweet spicy smell that fills the house with this gorgeous spiced rhubarb chutney. So delicious, you can eat it straight. Personally I wouldn’t can it, simply because I’d prefer not to cook it that long, but you can always freeze the fresh rhubarb so that you can make this a few times in the off season. So quick and easy, and the bonus is that your house will smell GREAT! Lovely served over pork roast, beef or chicken– or wherever you use chutney.
PESTO I am a huge fan of PESTO – in fact, many PESTOS. I grow a lotta Basil for the sake of Pesto, but don’t limit yourself to just basil. You can use many different green herbs, or a combination of some of them. A whole new world of pesto awaits. I have a few different Pesto recipes elsewhere on this site, so instead of pasting them all here – I’m including the links. basil pesto oregano pesto nasturtium pesto radish green pesto I hope you’ll go check them out, and even make up a batch or two in the summer when all is fresh and green.
SOMETHING SWEET
CONDENSED MILK or EVAPORATED MILK This is the milk my mother’s generation prepared baby formula out of. My mom and all my aunts diluted it with boiled water and put it into baby bottles. It was the opinion of the time that enlightened western women did not need to breast feed anymore, as it was “quite inconvenient” and cows milk was just as good, in fact some considered it better. Evaporated milk was the first food of every child I knew – certainly myself, my siblings, and my cousins. That generation of western women was fully indoctrinated that bottle feeding and cow’s milk was better, and it took a lot of convincing to turn the tide back around. Not an easy sell. I was one of the few young moms of my peers who chose breastfeeding against the better judgement and advice of most older women I knew – including nurses on the maternity floor. My in-laws considered it quite a radical move, but they were becoming accustomed to my ‘radical’ ways and just rolled their eyes.
Nevertheless, there is a place for condensed/evaporated milk, and from a food storage perspective it can be a good resource – ie: a substitution for half and half cream in recipes. Yes, you can use ‘fresh’ milk and reduce it over heat – but you don’t need me for that. You can find a recipe for that online. However, making it from your shelf stable INSTANT Milk powder is super convenient since you already have everything on hand. 1 cup Thrive Instant Milk 1 1/4 cup water. Blend thoroughly in blender or with whisk. Makes 12 ounces Evaporated milk. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (not to be confused with ‘Condensed’ milk or ‘Evaporated milk’) An alternative to spending $4.99 – $5.99 for a 10 oz (300 ml) can of sweetened condensed milk, this takes less than 5 minutes and costs pennies. You can even make *Dulce de Leche from it, the same way you would regular canned Sweetened Condensed Milk.
2 Tablespoons butter 1/2 cup HOT water 1 cup Thrive Instant Milk powder 1 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Put your butter in the blender and add your HOT water. Blend on low, gradually adding 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Continuing beating till completely incorporated, scraping down sides as necessary. Makes 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk. Pour into a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate till needed. Mixture will thicken a little as it cools. May be Stored for up to two weeks in the fridge.
Personally, I don’t use sweetened condensed milk a whole lot. Maybe once a year if that. But when I do, I don’t want to have to run out to buy some, and I don’t use it enough to justify having it in my food storage. But since I have the milk and sugar on hand all the time, this is my best option.
*what is Dulce de Leche? Also called: caramelized milk or milk candy, it is a popular confection in Latin America, France, Poland and the Philippines – prepared by slow boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours. The resulting substance is a sweet, gooey caramel coloured, spreadable, thick sauce (hence the name caramelized milk). Use as a spread in layered cake or buttery sandwich cookies, a filling for dessert crepes (topped with whipped cream to add to the calories lol), in homemade cheese cake filling, or as a topping for classic cheese cake, to sweetened home made eggnog, or in any number of sweet and delicious ways.
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE DIP for fruit, graham crackers, sugar cookies, bagel wedges or apple wedges
8 oz package cream cheese softened 2 T honey 2 T milk 2 cups freeze dried strawberries In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, honey and milk until smooth. Add strawberries and continue to beat another minute or two – until strawberries are broken up and dip is a beautiful strawberry colour and taste. If it appears dip is getting a little dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk (one at a time to test texture). Let sit for ten minutes to completely refresh the strawberries. Can Store in the fridge for up to a week.
WHY MAKE YOUR OWN?
The biggest advantage of making your own mixes is that you know exactly what’s in them. It allows you to control salt, eliminate MSG and every other artificial or harmful ingredient. Consequently the storage time will be shorter, but in most cases, they’re so quick to make up – using ingredients that are common in most kitchens, that you can whip them up in minutes.
The other advantage is that I don’t have to run to the grocery store for common things we’ve become accustomed to using. Once we get over the fact that we’re also “accustomed” to store bought taste, we can replace that – and get used to – the natural homemade goodness of FRESH.
The video I promised to include about Thrive Scrambled Egg Mix (freeze dried eggs). And yes, they really are better than other ‘powdered eggs’. Much better!
Really? No, I mean REALLY? How is this possible? You can take my word for it. They taste THAT good.
*What is Tomato Powder? Made from dehydrated tomatoes, ground into powder, tomato is exactly what it purports to be. It adds the gentle acid of tomatoes to the full bodied, concentrated flavour of a tomatoes in all your favourite dishes. You can make your own – you go girl! – or buy it from a good natural source. My favourite is from THRIVE LIFE.
Our Challenge (for Day 6) took us away from the safety of our own homes. The Mock Emergency Alert – Day 6: Natural Disaster: Wild fires – EVACUATE!
Our scenario was: An out-of-control wildfire, fueled by fierce winds, unexpectedly changes direction and races toward your town. You have mere minutes to evacuate, leaving behind your home. Today, you’ll rely on your 72-hour kit for sustenance. It’s a stark reminder of the critical role preparedness plays in our lives and how quickly circumstances can change.
Our tasks were to: 1. Evacuate your house within 15 minutes of reading today’s challenge. You do not know if your house will be destroyed while you are gone so plan accordingly. Stay away until after lunchtime. 2. Eat/drink ONLY out of your 72 hour kits until you return home
While you were out, you were asked to make a list of potential reasons you could be forced to evacuate. For each scenario, you should have written down where you would go, what type of ‘stuff’ you would need in your kits, how long you’d be gone, etc. This list could be valuable when reviewing your current 72 hour kits. Don’t have a 72 hour kit? We hope this challenge convinced you how important it is to have one.
Since it was possible you might not return to find your house still standing, as so many in western Canada this year found themselves, you’d be grateful to have made a list of all of your valuables for the purpose of submitting to your insurance company. In the spring of 2023 we lost our cabin to a wild fire. We had been renovating it for three years, and since it wasn’t entirely finished, we didn’t have a list of the things in it, just in our memories and a few snap shots. Big regrets with that. Do you have a fireproof-waterproof safe? Computer backups? Safety deposit box for valuables?
How did you do? Have you been in a situation in the last several years when you had to evacuate your house? Or did you know someone who had? If so, did that experience help you prepare for this scenario?
* An Evacuation Order means You are at risk and must leave the area immediately. This is a mandatory evacuation enforced by local authorities. The evacuation order may be issued without a preceding alert, if there isn’t enough warning.
Because of the nature of an emergency evacuation, you don’t have time to prepare, and no second chances. All your preparations had to have been done well in advance, and ready for you to grab’n’go. Ideally, you should have an additional grab’n’go bag in your vehicle – compact enough to transfer to whatever vehicle you’re driving, or additional bags for additional vehicles.
* Each person who is old enough, should have a backpack they can carry with some basics in it.
In no particular order of importance (except for water which is #1), I’ve listed some areas to focus on, and improve on. Every other point is going to fluctuate in its level of importance to different people. No judging. You decide which deserves your attention first, but remember the RULE OF THREE.
Let’s talk about WATER
Ideally you’ll be going to a friend or relative’s house, but not everyone has that option. And there is a reason it’s called a 72 hour kit. Assuming that you must be self sufficient for 3 days, what do you have for water in your kit? Water is heavy, so you’re not going to have enough for everyone. But plan to have two large bottles per person, in the bottom of each person’s bag. Adjust as necessary for little people.
Water filter. You will run out of good water, and if you’re in a typical situation you’ll probably be given bottled water, but you cannot count on that. Having a good quality water filter will give you back some control.
Let’s talk about FOOD
Granola bars and fruit snacks are going to get real old after one day. You need to be prepared to feed your family a few meals. Choose foods your family will EAT. Be reasonable now; don’t expect everyone to be reasonable then. Manual can opener even if you don’t have cans in your bag. You never know what you’ll be given. Mess kits and or disposable cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils.
Consider getting some Instant Meals that just require water to refresh. These ones from Thrive Life are light weight, hearty, easy to prepare, nutritious and delicious. And they have a 20 year shelf life, so you don’t have to switch out-dated food in your kits every year.
Let’s talk about CLOTHING
Have one complete change of clothes suitable to the season, or at least a couple changes of socks and underwear. How long could you be happy without a change of underwear?
Let’s talk about LIGHT
A good strong flashlight and perhaps a hands free head-lamp flashlight. Especially in the winter, its dark more than its light, plan for how to get through those dark hours.
Let’s talk about COMMUNICATION
Recharger for your phone. And a backup fully charged charger. Battery operated or hand crank radio, extra batteries. Local maps. Pen and paper to leave messages.
Let’s talk about EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container. Family pictures for, in the very likely event you get separated.
Let’s talk about PLAN
If you get separated, where are you going to meet? How will you contact each other if you lose your phone?
Let’s talk about the possible condition around us
Dust mask to help filter contaminated air. Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place. Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each individual.
Let’s talk about SANITATION
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties. Soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces
Let’s talk about MEDICAL NEEDS or MEDICATIONS
Did you know that almost half of North Americans take a prescription medicine every day? If you’re one of them, an emergency can make it difficult to refill prescriptions or to find an open pharmacy. Organize and protect your prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and vitamins to prepare for an emergency. Non prescription medication like pain relievers. Spare pair of prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution.
Let’s talk about SPECIFIC NEEDS
Like: Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream. Pet food and extra water for your pet. Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items. Cash. You’ll need some cash to buy what you can, when you can. A good book. You’ll probably have a LOT of down time. Plan for a way to fill it with something engaging.
Let’s talk about LOCATION at the time of evacuation
Since you don’t know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and vehicles. Home: Keep this kit in a designated place, easy to reach and close to an exit in case you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all family members know where it is. Work: Be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours. Your work kit should include food, water and other necessities like medicines, as well as comfortable walking shoes, stored in a “grab and go” case. Car: In case you are stranded, keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car.
BEGINNER level – starting from scratch!
Start by getting yourself a container: a backpack or a rolling pack. Something that is suitable to YOU, and your ability to carry or pull. There’s no sense in gathering contents till you have something to put it all in.
Make sure everyone in your household who can carry or pull their own bag, has one. As much as possible if children and elderly could lighten the load by carrying some essentials themselves, it will make it easier for all concerned.
INTERMEDIATE level – incorporate the basics and begin filling in the blanks
Start with your water and if you don’t already have one, start doing some research about a highly recommended water filter. If you are dependent on prescriptions, come up with a plan for how to take care of that. The PLAN. What is the plan? What if you start out from different places? What if your destinations end up different? How will you get back together?
ADVANCED level
Fill in all the blanks. Upgrade the quality of your food and your ability to prepare it. It might be that if you’re prepared in this area, that you can reach out and help to educate people around you on how they too can be better prepared.
~
As has been said before, preparedness is a Journey, and the journey is always more pleasant when you have a good support system. I highly recommend you find a friend to share this journey with. Help each other, Encourage each other, Share resources and great finds with each other. Find classes that are offered in your community, designed to assist you in your preparedness – take them together if possible. Teach each other.
Find groups on social media that are dedicated to preparedness and helping one another. JOIN THEM. Especially if they’re local.
I’d love to hear where you are in getting your 72 Hour Kit up to where you’re happy with it. I want to hear your tips. We learn so much better when we’re sharing. Mark your calendar for the 2nd week in January. Join the Challenge. Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/676439330803075/ If you’re not on facebook, but would like to join the next challenge, let me know. I’ll send you the daily test alert in an email.
This article is for scaredy cats. Those people who are afraid to try new things.
And I’m taking my courage from CAULIFLOWER!
Have you ever tried Cauliflower pizza? There was a time I couldn’t imagine pizza crust made out of cauliflower, and I’m pretty sure Cauliflower once couldn’t imagine that either. Try to visualize how intimidating it must have been to go nose to nose with traditional Italian pizza crust – when you’re a lowly head of cauliflower.
But I kinda like it. And I think Cauliflower likes it too. At least its very good at it.
We learn many things by watching other people.
Think about how a baby learns to walk. Why would a baby even WANT to walk? I expect that seeing everybody else in their world walk might have something to do with it. It would soon become evident to them that running gets us places faster, but one must learn to walk before we can run. From there we can see that riding a bike gets us places even faster. And driving a car – even faster.
Everything we learn gives us EXPERIENCE AND CONFIDENCE to learn something NEW. It builds on itself. Without the ability to walk, riding a bike is never gonna happen. It’s a process. So CHOOSING not to learn something because its hard, prevents us from learning something else down the road.
How many of us just LOVE starting something completely NEW that we haven’t got a clue in a haystack how to do? And that we may very well suck at? If you’re the type of person who does like trying new things, then chances are you’ve had some prior experiences that provided you confidence that you had a pretty good chance of succeeding. Usually we need some inner assurance that we have the tools to figure things out before we start.
I want you to give this statement the minute that it deserves. Embracing its message will change your life for good. I totally believe it. The Most Important Skill you can ever have is the Skill to Learn New Skills. And it IS a skill. A learned skill.
I have five children. Everyone of them very unique with different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. When I registered my oldest up for any sort of activity he was in major distress. I remember walking him to his first “Beavers” meeting (a pre-cub part of the scouting program back in the day). I held his hand as we walked, me trying to encourage him while he protested the whole way “Why do I have to meet new people? Why do I have to do new things? Why do I have to learn new stuff?” I wept when I walked home without him. I am not certain he ever got to the point where he enjoyed it. And it was the same thing for years, when I took him to Cubs, to swimming lessons, to other activities, even encouraging him to go to dances as a young teenager. Sometime later I was walking to another first Beaver meeting with our third child – deja vu – me holding his hand, giving him the pep talk all the way there. I worried (because of #1’s bad experience), as we were a little bit behind our time, and I knew the kids would all be sitting in a circle by the time we arrived, but when we walked in, he took one look at those other little boys and joyfully exclaimed “Look at all those new FRIENDS!” I wept again when I walked home without him, but this time for a different reason. Those differing life philosophies ushered in very different life experiences for each of them, and though they have grown to be good men, husbands and fathers, confidently social in their own lives – their journeys were unique and tailored to their own needs.
I’m gonna tell you a story that exemplifies this principle.
Many years ago, our family bought a bookstore. It had been failing for quite some time, but we were sure we could make it much better. We had five kids at home at the time, our oldest two being 17 and 18 years old.
I had romanticized the whole vision of a ‘family business’, believing my family would enthusiastically get involved, as we’d agreed when ‘as a family’ we discussed buying it. In reality, it became evident that no one wanted to change the way they were living life already – including me if truth be told. But I had the disadvantage – because the buck stopped with me, and there is NOTHING convenient or easy about owning your own business (at least not in the first few years).
For one thing, Saturdays ceased to have the same meaning they used to. I hadn’t really envisioned that. I hadn’t envisioned the 12-16 hour days I sometimes spent at the store either, and then coming home to the same things that I used to do before store days. (That’s how I started reckoning time – Before Store, After Store.) I hadn’t envisioned a monthly family home evening activity spent together at the store, vacuuming, dusting and cleaning bathrooms etc. I hadn’t envisioned Christmas starting in April – and intensifying from August onward. I hadn’t envisioned being away for 10 days every August on a business trip. I hadn’t envisioned not having time to do Christmas the way I used to, because I was so busy trying to make Christmas work at the store.
I hadn’t envisioned the work, the hours, the stress, the sacrifices, nor the BLESSINGS that would come to our family as we (mostly I) learned to deal with those things and work them into our new life with the store. All those details must be written in the ‘fine print’ of life that I didn’t take the time to read through. And I’m really glad I didn’t because if I had, I almost certainly would have been scared off and would never have purchased the store. And if we hadn’t purchased it, yes I would have missed all those hard things, but I would have missed out on the hundreds of good things that came with it, like the connections I made through my time there. I would have missed the chances to get to know some marvelous human beings who became very important to me, some becoming dear, dear friends. I would have missed the growth that I experienced through those times.
Yes, I would have missed out on some grief, but I wouldn’t have had it to provide balance and learning for times ahead. Everything about those 20 years involved new experiences with huge learning curves.
things like ORDERING
When I first started working at our bookstore, I didn’t have a clue how to order product – let alone what to order. I had established accounts with what would become our main vendors, but everything else was a mystery. This was pre-computer days and most of my ordering at the beginning was done over the phone, going through an order form with the person on the other end.
You could say I WAS LEARNING TO WALK.
things like the COMPUTER! argh
Computers were not a thing in stores when we started, in fact, computers were not much of a thing for me at all! A few years in, Dan had the bright idea to get us on to the computer, and he purchased a program called BOOK MANAGER, (which bytheway, is an amazing program that I highly recommend). Previous to that time, I had spent approximately ZERO time on the computer – other than using Word as a typewriter, and to say I was intimidated is putting it mildly.
Dan was working full time elsewhere and he used a computer at work so he was quite a bit more comfortable than I was, and because of his experience – to exemplify my earlier point – he had experience that provided him with assurance that this was a good move. He would come in at night when the store was closed, to try to familiarize himself with the program, and then coach me on it over the phone when I would hit a road block during the day.
We had tech support available with Book Manager, but I wouldn’t phone them. I would phone Dan and say “DAN! This Stupid, STUPID, STUPID COMPUTER!”
Have you ever been so intimidated by something new?
He would gently say “Calm down Cindy, tell me what’s happening?” Sometimes he’d have to phone Book Manager to ask them for help, then he’d phone me back and try to explain it. It didn’t take too long before my questions got bigger than he could handle, and he started encouraging me to phone BM myself. I would say “I am NOT phoning Book Manager! YOU phone them.”
Finally, one day he just had to say “I can’t help you anymore Cindy. You’re gonna have to phone BM.”
I worried because only Dan spoke my language. Only Dan understood how clueless and scared I really was and had the patience to explain things simply enough for me. Inevitably though, it became necessary for me to phone BM myself. I had no choice, and I clearly recall my first time talking to their tech support person (who I would become very familiar with in time), saying “Let’s both of us pretend I’m 7 years old. You talk to me as if I was, and we should understand each other perfectly.”
Well, who knew?! Tech support people are quite accustomed to talking to 7 year olds, and a whole new world opened up for me. One that wasn’t nearly as scary as I expected it to be.
You could say I WAS LEARNING TO RUN.
And just in time too, because soon enough EVERYTHING we did at the store was on the computer. It became the way of doing business and those small businesses who didn’t embrace it got left in the dust. We could never have moved ahead without the advantages of the computer.
When you are stuck and feeling overwhelmed, ASK others for Help. Don’t make it their responsibility for you to learn. Put in the work. LEARN from others by first ASKING for help.
I don’t consider myself a whiz on the computer, but I’ve used it enough to have confidence in being able to figure it out. Confidence I never would have gained if I hadn’t just jumped in and done what needed to be done (even if I was kicking and screaming the whole way). Of course I still often have to ask for help, but I know it can be done so its not quite so intimidating. ‘Asking’ is one of those skills we Learn. I shudder to think now of how long it would have taken me to gain confidence on the computer if I hadn’t been CORNERED into it by our circumstances in those early days. The point is, I didn’t HAVE to do that. I could have flatly refused to go into that scary arena, and thereby denied myself many experiences that I’ve been able to build on since then.
PERSONAL GROWTH transitions into every part of our lives. LINE UPON LINE. PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. Everything you learn benefits you, some times in unexpected ways.
things like EMAILS
The day we took over our store, I began gathering a mailing list so we could send out catalogues. Soon after, I began gathering email addresses. I had no idea then HOW I was going to use them, but it seemed important to start gathering as a way of staying in touch.
One day I was alone in the store, familiarizing myself with product and I picked up a book with a lousy cover. I began reading it, and was surprised to discover it was an excellent read, but because of its cover, I knew it would remain a ‘hidden gem’ without my help. I thought “How am gonna attract attention to this book? And how am I going to get people to come in to learn about it anyway?”
After reading it I knew I’d recommend it, and I knew what I would say about it – so I typed my message, and I sent it to my email list – such as it was. No pictures. No ability to insert pictures in those days. Just text. A couple hours later, someone came into the store asking for the book they had read my email about. That opened my eyes, and I started looking at email as an important tool.
Some time later, I was talking about that example with a fellow bookstore manager. She asked me to add her to my email list so she could get some ideas. I did, and she began sending out emails using my ideas, except that she tweaked them and made them better. And of course she had some ideas of her own. I was on her email list so while she was learning from me, I was also learning from her. We made quite a team, and we both got better at what we were doing. Her store was on the U.S. east coast, mine was on the Canadian prairies, so it was highly unlikely our customers would ever overlap.
One day we were talking about our experiences when another bookstore owner from Florida joined in and asked us to add him to our email lists. We did, and he added us. Soon the three of us – who all sold the same things, were learning from each other. Best thing we ever did. For ourselves and for each other.
You could say I WAS LEARNING TO RIDE A BIKE
You don’t have to be ALONE – even when what you’re doing seems like a solitary endeavour.
Help others. Be patient with them. You know what its like to be where they are.
things like FACEBOOK
One year, this same bookstore friend and I attended a Convention of the ABA – American Booksellers Association. We sat in on a workshop about videoing and sharing videos. This was NEW stuff back in the day, before YouTube. People were using FLIPCAMS. I know I’m dating myself, it seems that smart phones have always been here, but . . . . nope, they’re pretty new.
We attended another workshop. On FACEBOOK, (also relatively NEW). Both of those workshops blew my mind. I remember walking out of that class like a deer in the headlights, saying to Kay “We gotta get on facebook.”
Try to think back to the early days when you too, were starting facebook.
She phoned me the next week and told me “I did it. I got on facebook!” I said “Great. What did you do on it?” “Nothing. But I’m on. Are you?”
She had a point and I followed her example, taking the plunge. But neither of us knew what to do with it. It seems so ridiculous now, but when some thing is that new – its kind’a hard to figure out, and more than a little bit scary.
I recall racking my brain trying to figure out what to say, let alone trying to imagine how on earth it could possibly help our businesses. Since then, FACEBOOK has become a way of life for me – its how I stay in touch with friends, family, even my own community and neighbourhood. I love being connected with extended family members who, because of distance, its unlikely we’ll ever see again in this life. It’s how I do a lot of my business. It’s hard to imagine those early days.
The point is – to use what’s available. It probably doesn’t even matter which platform you decide on. Everybody’s got their favourite. Be Brave – pick one. If you’re choosing NOT to use Social media, you’re choosing TO NOT reach people you don’t see everyday.
things like FACEBOOK LIVES etc
Several years ago, I was with some friends when we learned about Facebook LIVE videos. As we drove home, we talked about it and agreed to try doing them. We decided we’d all try it together, supporting each other in our own individual endeavours – and learning from each other. We did. Truth is, it was painful at first – for all of us, not just me. But we got kinda comfortable after a while and we learned it was an excellent tool to help us in our businesses.
You could say I WAS LEARNING TO DRIVE a CAR
Watch others. Learn from what you see. Watching others will give you ideas.
things like YOUTUBE
There was a day (in the not-too-distant past) that I could not even imagine myself taking the step into Youtube. I’m not that far into the experience at this point, but my daughter in law thought I could and that I should, and she encouraged me to take the step, helping me along the way. I learned a lot from taking advantage of some training Bill Keller provided, and by asking him questions, and by watching lots of videos similar to what I wanted to do, and by just doing it.
Bill kept saying – “JUST JUMP IN”, but it took me a long time to ‘jump in’, and it was scary as heck.
Have you ever tried something that you were scared of?
The hardest part of Youtube and Facebook lives for me – was getting in front of the camera. I’d really rather video someone else.
But mine is a personal business. My face IS my business. And likely, so is yours. Getting people to know me – recognize me – listen to me – trust me, is critical to my business. And an excellent way for me to do that is to talk to them as if I were right with them – through the camera. Social media (including YouTube) makes the world a much smaller place.
I watched others. There’s no shortage of videos to watch. I learned from what I watched. Sometimes my intimidation is greatly reduced when I watch other ‘normal’ people in front of the camera. It gives me courage, and I think “I can do that.”
Sometimes, the company I work for comes up with Challenges designed to help us gain skills. I look forward to these challenges because they’re such a good way for me to stretch myself and learn new things. I do things I never thought of before. Sometimes they’re very hard for me, and I feel like they must be easier for everyone else. Maybe that’s true, and maybe that’s not. Sometimes they’re so hard they take me HOURS to figure out. And sometimes they frustrate me to tears. But I try very hard to complete them – because they stretch me in a relatively ‘safe’ way, and they’re helpful. I would encourage you to accept sincere growth challenges that come your way. Some of the things I do easily now, I learned by accepting challenges to learn how to do them.
Accept Challenges. Even the hard ones. Figure them out.
If you feel like you don’t know how to do things that others seem to be doing – If you don’t know where to start. If you feel a little intimidated, maybe overwhelmed, even a little bit scared when you think about doing something new, you’re in GOOD COMPANY. My friend Lisa Warnick said:
If what you’re doing isn’t working anymore, you can just say “but I’ve always done it that way!” It doesn’t matter. In case you haven’t noticed, the world is continuing to go round, and is constantly changing. If you’ve built your whole identity doing things one way and all of a sudden it’s no longer working, you CANnot be afraid to TRY NEW THINGS.
You don’t have to be perfect and do everything. But YOU DO HAVE TO BE BRAVE.
My friend Melanie said:
Trying new things is hard. But look at it as personal development. Things you’re gonna learn along the way will help you in every single area of your life. They will strengthen you and give you confidence. In and out of business.
If you walk away with anything from anything I said, I hope you walk away with these 5 summary points.
Try something NEW. Be open. Be teachable. Be willing.
Ask for help
Find a friend to have the experience with. Be a team player.
Watch others do it. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Inspiration comes from all different places. Offer help and share where you can.
Jump In! You don’t need to know it all before you start. You’ll learn more from DOING, than in any other way. Start where you are. Right now.
So let’s talk about CAULIFLOWER PIZZA again –
It’s a miracle really. A freak of nature. BUT . . . . if cauliflower can somehow become pizza, think of what YOU can do!
I’d love to hear your about things you were scared of but that you overcame.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle
*additional note of interest:
Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome. He said “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality“. In my life I can attest that this is absolutely true. I cannot count the times I let fear over rule common sense when I as a child avoided needles, dentists and other things intended to help me. As an adult I let fear and anxiety (which is its own form of fear) keep me from leaving my own little comfy corner of the world for years. My five year old grandson illustrates the principle perfectly.
Jack recently received an immunization with his older brother Charlie. He knew he was going to this appointment and his brother tried to prepare him by assuring him it was easy and wouldn’t hurt – ‘only a little prick’. He went in hesitantly but quietly, remaining quite stoic till the moment he’d been dreading arrived, and his anticipatory fear got the best of him. He screamed so loudly that his brother had to leave the room, and I’m sure there were others who would like to have left the room too. When it was over, he settled down immediately, acknowledging that it really didn’t hurt as much as he feared it might. “Only a little prick” he conceded.
Senaca talked about general ‘anxiety’ that results from our ‘premeditation’ of events being negative. Sometimes its helpful to visualize the worst possible case scenario and then work out strategies about how to deal with it. “What if I did [this] . . . . ?” For years, I have found this ‘worst case scenario’ exercise helpful in putting my fears into proper perspective. In Jack’s case – the two people he most loved and trusted in the world, and who he was absolutely certain loved him, took him to get his immunization. They were with him bodily, supporting him. Would they deliberately hurt him? Could he trust them? What is the worst that could happen to him while sitting on his mom’s lap? If he was older, these are all questions he might have asked himself. We can do the same.
1. Define the worst case scenario of the fear in question: What is the absolute WORST that could happen? And what does that look like? How likely is that to happen? Would you be able to live with it? If you can find a way to live through the WORST thing possible, then how much easier will it be to live through the more likely outcomes? 2. Come up with a preventative strategy: What could I do to prevent that worst case scenario? How could I mitigate those possible outcomes? 3. Come up with a repair strategy: If it did actually turn out as bad as you feared, what would be the long lasting results? How would you handle it? What would you say? What would you do? Who could you turn to? How could you fix it?
The truth is – fear is not always a bad thing. It’s a natural protection and let’s face it, some things should be feared; it’s what keeps us alive and safe. But here’s something that maybe we should fear – letting fear keep us stuck, Tim Ferriss calls it “the cost of inaction“. “Humans are very good at considering what might go wrong if we try something new.” he says. “What we don’t often consider is the atrocious cost of the status quo — not changing anything.” This is powerful to me, and it gives me reason to pause. The status quo might not always be bad – but it should be weighed out so that we truly are making a decision based on much more than simply ‘fear of action’. Tim Ferriss suggests we ask ourselves “if I avoid this action or decision, . . . what might my life look like in . . six months, twelve months, three years?”
By doing so, we may come to realize that our INaction is no longer an option. You might enjoy this short video about defining and dealing with your fears.
“Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.” – Jerzy Gregorek
Today’s challenge (which was Day 5) started with an unexpected twist: A drunk driver struck a power line near our house, and the entire neighborhood is without power for the entire day.
We were tasked with cooking a nice meal for our family and keeping them entertained without the convenience of electricity. It was a reminder that emergencies can happen at any time, and preparedness is about adaptability and resourcefulness. The Goal was to: Practice powerless cooking techniques, using appropriate lighting, and to find meaningful ways to spend our time without the use of power.
Our tasks were to:
Cook all three meals without electricity
Make a NICE dinner from scratch. No opening a can of soup, eating cereal or a peanut butter sandwich. Yes, I know those are viable meals now and again, but for today, that’s a cheat. Remember, you might have water, but you don’t have hot water – that requires power for your hot water tank.
How do you entertain your kids all day without their usual pattern?
How do you tell time? Get up in the morning? Get your kids off to school?
How do you keep your phone charged?
What is your source of light all morning, afternoon and evening?
Do something fun with the people who live in yourself that does not involve power. Tell me about it.
Do up an inventory of your fuel storage. What kind of fuel do you have? How many days of meals could you expect to cook with the fuel you have stored?
A power outage will disrupt communications – your ability to reach out as well as your ability to be aware of what is happening around you. It will close retail businesses including grocery stores, gas stations, banks and other services. It will cause food spoilage dependent on fridges and freezers, and prevent the use of many medical devices.
How did you do? Have you been in a situation in the last several years when power really was cut off for a period of time? If so, how did you do then? And did that help you prepare for this scenario?
What kind of items do you have in your house to assist you to prepare a meal without electricity have light without electricity in the winter – have heat without electricity What would you do about the food you currently have in your fridge? or freezer?
what to do?
1. Check whether the power outage is limited to your home. If your neighbours’ power is still on, check your own circuit breaker panel or fuse box. If the problem is not a breaker or a fuse, notify your electric supply authority. Do you have the phone number along with other emergency numbers handy?
2. If your neighbours’ power is also out, find out how far reached the outage is. Make a couple of calls to other neighbours or nearby friends. Can you access a local radio station on your phone? From your car?
3. Turn off or better yet, disconnect all tools, appliances and electronic equipment, and turn the thermostat down to a minimum to prevent damage from a power surge when power is restored. Also, power can be restored more easily when there is not a heavy load on the electrical system.
4. Turn off all lights, except one inside and one outside, so that both you and hydro crews outside know that power has been restored.
5. Don’t open your freezer or fridge unless it is absolutely necessary. A full freezer will keep food frozen for 24 to 36 hours if the door remains closed.
6. NEVER use charcoal or gas barbecues, camping heating equipment, or home generators indoors. They give off carbon monoxide. Just because you can’t smell or see it doesn’t mean its not there. Carbon monoxide can cause health problems and is life-threatening.
7. Never leave lit candles unattended and keep out of reach of children. Always extinguish candles before going to bed. Always have proper candle holders.
8. Assuming you planned ahead, and have a battery-powered or crank radio, listen for information on the outage and advice from authorities.
9. Make sure your home has a working carbon monoxide detector. If it is hard-wired to the house’s electrical supply, ensure it has a battery-powered back-up.
10. Protect sensitive electrical appliances such as TVs, computer, and DVD players with a surge-protecting power bar.
Thinking ahead: BEFORE a power outage, make sure you have these basic items on hand
– a flashlight or two – batteries – candles and/or kerosene lamps with extra kerosene – battery powered or windup radio – fully charged phone with fully charged power banks – water and non-perishable food – an analog clock (battery powered or wind up) – a means of cooking if power is out for very long – consider your dependence on the fridge and freezer. Do you have easy to eat food in your pantry, not just the fridge? In my world, if the power goes out in the winter, there must be another source of heat, or you need to get outta there. Have a plan. In different climates, I assume you’ve gotta come up with a way to get out of the heat
let’s talk about light
In my world in the summer, its light till very late, so a light source isn’t as important, but in the winter it will be dark from 5 PM to 6 or 7 AM. That means that a light source is critical.
In our case, we have flashlights that we use in the trailer, but rarely in the home. We prefer kerosene lamps as they light up a room for hours. We have small inexpensive flashlights in the house that come in handy when the kids want to sleep in the tree house in the summer, or if we need to check on something outside, or if (heaven forbid) the power goes out and we need to see the lamps to light them. They’re always on a shelf by the back door, where the matches and the barbeque lighter are.
For the most part, its gonna be lamps for us. The first house we bought in our early years of marriage was an old one. Very old. Older than my dad (which at the time seemed exceptionally old). It had only one electrical outlet in the kitchen (other than for the fridge), so electrical kitchen appliances weren’t an option for me. And for some reason, nothing to do with our house – but a lot to do with our small little town, our power went out frequently. Having a gas stove was super handy – we just had to light it with a match. And we came to rely on kerosene lamps, which we had in every room. Those were good lessons for us, and it created a bonding relationship with lamps.
The thing I like most of all about having kerosene lamps is that they are hidden in plain sight so we never have to go looking for them. These two are in our living room, and there is a third one in the same room but out of this picture. It’s an easy thing to light them and set them when needed, and there is spare oil on hand.
We have other lamps in the kitchen/dining area, in the family room, in the hallway and in the master bedroom. Each have their resting place on a shelf or table and are part of the decor so never really stand out. We also have assorted candles with holders, and a few 24 hour lamps.
let’s talk about entertainment
One can see why our pioneer ancestors retired early for the night, keeping the house lit and warm for long hours at night is not practical. So we can assume that with no electricity, we’ll be going to bed much sooner. Our prior sources of entertainment will now become emergency only resources. But still – what do you do from 5:00 till bedtime?
Actually, as inconvenient as it sounds, it also sound like heaven to me. No distractions. Time to bond with those you share a living space with. Back in the day, when we were without power from time to time, our kids were toddlers. I recall sitting together under a blanket in the living room and reading aloud by the light of a lamp. I recall having Dan’s mom and brother and sister over on a Christmas Eve, playing cards at the table by the light of a lamp. These are pleasant memories.
Young children? Have some quiet table games on hand to play with a single light source, or read a book together. Older children? Same things, just different games and different book. Adults? Same things. Life just got simpler.
How are you going to tell time? We’re so dependent on our phones, computers and other devices for telling time that many kids cannot even read an analog clock. Not a good idea. You should have a battery or wind up analog clock that you can depend on for accurate time.
Follow the examples of people of yesteryears when it came to heat and light. Sleeping when its dark saves on fuel. Plain and simple. Learn how to conserve.
lets talk about heat
This is very important in the world I live in. And ensuring your heat source is properly vented is a matter of life and death. Carbon Monoxide is still a killer; a silent, odourless, invisible killer. It has no conscience and no preference – it will kill indiscriminately. We had a very close call with Carbon Monoxide when we lived in that old house. Click HERE to read about it. Suffice it to say that our respect for this silent killer is high. So what are you going to do? What is your plan for heat?
For us, we settled on a wood stove. The advantages are maximum heating potential with minimum heat loss compared to a fireplace. We chose one that had a flat surface suitable for cooking, should we need that in the winter time. We had it professionally installed to eliminate or reduce our chance of inadequate exhausting (back to that carbon monoxide problem). A few Novembers ago, we came home one late Saturday night to a very cold house. We weren’t alerted because it was late and we went straight to bed, but by morning it became evident we had a problem. Our furnace was not working and we guessed it had quit some time the previous day. The first thing we did Sunday morning was light the woodstove downstairs. Our plan had previously been to close off the upstairs if needed and live primarily downstairs with the heat source, but we were surprised at how sufficiently that wood stove heated the whole house. It’s possible had we been in January or February, pulling off some of the brutal temperatures that can happen in our area, that we may very well have had to close off the upstairs as planned. As it happened, we needed a part for our furnace that had to be ordered, and we were without it till Tuesday early evening. That was a tremendous test-case scenario. One never really knows how effective your heat source is going to be, so best to come up with a few options about implementing it.
Evacuation is more likely going to happen during winter months, when plummeting temperatures can make a house uninhabitable. Although a house may be damaged by freezing temperatures, the major threat is to the plumbing system. If a standby heating system is used, check to ensure that pipes are warmed sufficiently.
If the house must be evacuated in cold temperatures, you can protect it by taking the following precautions:
1. Turn off the main breaker or switch of the circuit-breaker panel or power-supply box. 2. Turn off the water main where it enters the house. 3. Drain the water from your pipes. Starting at the top of the house, open all taps, and flush toilets several times. Go to the basement and open the drain valve. Drain your hot water tank by attaching a hose to the tank drain valve and running it to the basement floor drain. *Note: If you drain a gas-fired water tank, the pilot light should be turned out – call the local gas supplier to re-light it. 4. Unhook washing machine hoses and drain. 5. Do not worry about small amounts of water trapped in horizontal pipes. Add a small amount of alcohol or antifreeze to water left in the toilet bowl, and the sink and bathtub traps. 6. If your house is protected from groundwater by a sump pump, clear valuables from the basement floor in case of flooding.
lets talk about cooking
#1 – keep your fridge and freezers closed as much as possible. Every time you open them, you lose time that they will be able to stay cold. If we’re only talking about a few hours or a day or two, it’s relatively easy to deal with, but if it goes on for days, you’re going to have a big problem keeping your freezer frozen. Yes, there are some with a generator, and if you’ve got one, then awesome. We don’t.
You’ll want to use up your perishable food in the fridge right outta the gate. At least you know what you’ll be eating that first day. Does it need cooking? If so, what’s your plan?
In our case, if its in the summer time – its the barbeque outside. In the dead of winter, while the woodstove is burning all day, we’ll use the stove top. In the in between times, it will be a little more challenging because we won’t want the heat of the woodstove in the house. It may be that the best we can do with the barbeque OUTSIDE is to heat water. In that case, you’d be glad to have some freeze dried meals on hand. All they require is water to ‘refresh’, not even hot – although hot is soothing and a lot more pleasant. I highly recommend getting some to have on hand for just such an emergency. With a 20 year shelf life, you don’t have to worry about them timing out on you anytime soon.
Having said that however, it is a very good idea to be familiar with the meals ahead of time by sampling them. Also, they are great resources to have when you need a quick meal on a busy night. Hot water + 10 minutes is all they take. They’re also perfect for camping, hiking or in your 72 hour kits.
BEGINNER level – starting from scratch!
7 tips for Beginners
Buy a good flashlight or alternative light sources. Make sure you have spare batteries or extra oil. Matches and/or lighters are a must.
Buy some nourishing good quality meals that just need water. Hot water makes hot meals, but we can live without HOT for a few days if necessary.
Be prepared to not rely on your fridge for everything. Consider using “instant milk” from time to time so you can make it up in small amounts when needed, rather than having a large container of milk in your fridge.
Think about how will you spend your evening hours without electricity. You need more than light. You need something to DO. What will you do for a couple hours every evening?
Do you have a power bank to recharge your phone? Is it fully charged? Do you know where it is?
Do you have a non-electric clock? If not, get one.
Have a PLAN for “in-case-of”. What will you do if the power is expected to be out for more than two days? Depending on what your living circumstances are: apartment? townhouse? single family house? your plan will be unique to you. Will you have to leave your home? Where will you go?
INTERMEDIATE level – incorporate the basics and begin filling in the blanks
5 Tips for Intermediates
Plan to have some Instant Meals in your pantry for quick nourishing ‘just-add-water’ breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
Plan ahead to prepare a good variety of Meals in a Jar (MIJ) to have on hand in your pantry for nourishing meals that take minimum time to cook.
What is your planned light source? Flashlight: Buy a good one or two or three. Coal oil lamps: Buy a good one or two or three.
Create a plan to acquire a non electric source of heat.
Learn how to turn your water off so that you can do it if needed.
Do you have a battery or wind-up radio? Get one.
ADVANCED level
Tips for those who are more Advanced
If you have a generator, be SMART and implement these basic safety rules. They very well could save your lives. – Yes they are helpful when the power goes out, but generators go hand in hand with carbon monoxide. They should always be used OUTDOORS and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages. Don’t cut corners here. – Install working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home. – Keep the generator dry and protected from rain or flooding. Touching a wet generator or devices connected to one can cause electrical shock. – Always connect the generator to appliances with heavy-duty extension cords. – Let the generator cool before refueling. Fuel spilled on hot engine parts can ignite. – Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
Preparedness is a Journey, and the journey is always more pleasant when you have a good support system. As always, I highly recommend you find a friend to share this journey with. Help each other, Encourage each other, Share resources and great finds with each other. Find classes that are offered in your community, designed to assist you in your preparedness – take them together if possible. Teach each other.
Find groups on social media that are dedicated to preparedness and helping one another. JOIN THEM. Especially if they’re local.
I’d love to hear where you are on your Water Storage Journey and I want to hear your tips. We learn so much better when we’re sharing. Mark your calendar for the 2nd week in January. Join the Challenge. Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/676439330803075/ If you’re not on facebook, but would like to join the next challenge, let me know. I’ll send you the daily test alert in an email.
over 100 questions to review with your sweetheart before you go any further
When my parents got married, they hardly knew each other. My dad had been serving in the Navy during the Korean Conflict, and my mom was a young teenager on the Canadian prairies. Her dad had recently died and she’d quit school to earn some cash to help out at home. In 1953 my dad was stationed on Vancouver Island. He took a leave and traveled by bus to southern Alberta to marry my mom. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly three years; she was not quite 18 years old. The night before the wedding they had a terrible fight – raising their voices. SHE hurled out “I don’t want to marry you!” HE surprised her by adding “I don’t want to marry you either.” That sobered them both up and they asked “What are we gonna do?” SHE said “I don’t know. But if we don’t get married, Mom will kill me. She’s been cooking all day.” . . . . . now this is a good moment to pause and reflect. Gramma was a widow with 8 children, struggling to make ends meet. My parents – being kids, decided that under the circumstances, their best option was to get married. Within 48 hours, they had all her worldly possessions packed into two suitcases, and were on a bus headed for the coast. Predictably, their life was not an easy one, they had little common ground. But they struggled their way through it.
Many years later, when I wasn’t much older than my mother had been, Dan and I lived in different cities during our courtship. Consequently we spent many hours on the highway driving from one place to the other. I lived in Cold Lake on the Military base finishing high school, Dan lived in Edmonton – a four hour drive. During those long drives (mostly in the winter and mostly in the dark), radio had poor reception the further north we drove, so we filled the time by talking. We shared opinions, philosophies and perspectives, as well as histories, traditions and dreams. We got to know each other. Touching just about every subject we could think of, we learned things about ourselves and each other, found common ground, made compromises, established boundaries, and agreed to agree on many things. I shared my fledgling testimony of the gospel.
Flashing forward a handful of years, we discovered that the things we understood better because of those long uninterrupted conversations set the groundwork for many little successes in our relationship. We had shared feelings about things that were important to us at the time, and made commitments of mutual respect to honour those feelings. We had sorted out some differences that likely would have been divisive later on.
We made a series of very important commitments to each other that sustained us for the decades that followed. We could not have guessed at how important or long lasting and strengthening those discussions would become. One thing we agreed on in those early years – long before any children came our way, was to never argue in front of our children. We agreed to never raise our voices at each other, never swear at each other, belittle or speak poorly of each other, never undermine the other – and above all, to maintain a “united front” of solidarity and mutual respect in front of our children. We understood that we wouldn’t always see eye to eye, but we agreed to take care of those issues privately until we did.
We had discussed family traditions, those we grew up with, those we observed outside our families, and those we wanted to establish in our future home. There were many things we couldn’t have anticipated, but in retrospect I am surprised at how many we did anticipate or accidentally hit on. I’ve always been glad we had that time – undisturbed by default, devoted to learning about each other as individuals, and US as a future family. It helped. It truly helped. Marriage is difficult enough – the merging of personalities, priorities, different backgrounds, expectations, feelings of right and wrong, and unique understanding of the world we live in. Difficult enough without adding powerful differences like our personal relationships with, and how we felt about God. We talked about that too; my feelings were much stronger. I had seen opposing examples of family life with God and without God, and my decision to establish a house with God had been cemented. Dan didn’t share that conviction but he respected it. It was almost enough.
As our kids grew up and began courting themselves, it became clear to me that they didn’t take the time to discuss the things I felt strongly that they needed to. They didn’t have those undisturbed hours on the highway without music or talk radio. I began to worry that they wouldn’t enjoy the unplanned but much appreciated benefit of those discussions that had served Dan and I so well. I decided to write down some of the questions that came to mind – the ones that stayed with me and that I was most grateful we had gone through. There will always be things one discovers later, things you wish you had talked about, ‘surprises’, but hopefully – with learned communication skills and a greater appreciation of the inner workings – they can be handled better.
The list of questions in this article is intended to be the beginning of ongoing dialogue between couples who are seriously dating and moving toward marriage. Ultimately, its purpose is to increase understanding and mutual respect between both and to prevent bringing unnecessary baggage to the marriage alter. Please go through them together, and in order as they are designed to progress – one section upon the other, from Temporal issues to Spiritual issues. Take your time, don’t rush through them. I suggest dedicating a whole week to each question. I also suggest you add your own questions as they come to mind.
You may discover one or two questions are repeated – this is not an accident. It is intended that the question be considered from a different perspective. Perhaps in your discussions, you might realize you have new insight. Perhaps in your discussions, you may find that your differences are irreconcilable. That will be very sad, but much better before the wedding than after. It happened twice in our family. It was sad to watch our kids’ broken hearts – but far better than marrying with those differences.
Temporal
FINANCES Money, and the use/misuse of it, is unavoidably part of our everyday lives and is one of the biggest causes for contention, arguments, and divorce.
? What is my/your/our – commitment toward TITHING? What is my / your testimony regarding this important commandment? What do I pay tithing based on – the gross or the net? How do I determine that? How strict am I in my obedience? We know that tithing is a principle with a promise. What promise? What blessings do I expect in return for my obedience? Is it wrong to expect a blessing when I am obedient to the principle upon which it is founded?
– Who will handle the day-to-day finances? – What are our long term financial goals? – What sacrifices are we prepared to make to reach those goals? – What are our financial goals for the next year? For the next five years? – What kind of a budget will we set up? What kind of commitment will we have to it? – How will we pay for dentist bills? Eye glasses? Prescriptions? Car repairs? Emergency purchases like a new furnace? New fridge? – How will we make large purchases? – The strong counsel of the church has always been to stay out of unnecessary debt. What would constitute unnecessary debt? What is debt justified for? – How do I personally / you personally / we – feel about debt? What commitment do we have to adhering to the counsel of prophets on this important subject? – What purchases would we consider going into debt for? – Credit cards are a valuable tool in our world. They are also the vehicle for a terrible form of bondage. In what ways is this true? What is my commitment toward the use of credit cards? What am I willing to do without in order to keep that commitment? – How will we fit gifts into our budget? For each other? For others? How will we plan to pay for Christmas? – What is normal in my family / your family – regarding gift giving? What is tradition? What do I / you want to continue? What adjustments are we willing to make in order to be unified in this area? – Regarding gifts, does equal mean ‘the same’ / identical? Do we need to provide the ‘same’ way in order to provide equally? Do we need to spend the ‘same’ in all things in order to be equal? Do our individual needs, need to be ‘the same’ in order to be of equal importance? – Keeping in mind that we come from two entirely different backgrounds, what is important to one family, may not be important (or even meaningful) to the other. If one family has never done something before, and has no expectation of it, how necessary is it to begin doing it, simply to keep things ‘equal’ between our two families? – What examples can we think of that this might apply to? What can we do to avoid this being a contentious issue? What changes or compromises do I/you/we feel are important to make so that we bring the best of both our upbringings to this area, and so that we are both comfortable? – What things, or in what areas do I/you personally consider important enough to spend money that may not be an area others would consider important? What do I/you consider unimportant? What do I/you consider a waste of money? What would I/you really have a problem justifying spending money on? – What do I consider fair in the way of financial accountability to each other, and what do I consider over the top and being too controlling or too controlled? – There is a big difference between the financial struggle that accompanies shared goals, effort, sacrifice and growth, and when that ‘struggle’ morphs into feelings of helplessness and even despair. Although uncomfortable, struggle and growth are healthy and good. But there is no peace in debt. Living beyond our means soon enough causes distress. Financial distress causes despair. – In what ways is despair different than struggle? How will we be able to tell the difference? – What will we do if somehow, we have allowed ourselves to get into a financial situation that causes despair? What measures will we take to rescue ourselves? How will we stay united in this effort? – What commitment do we make to stand on our own two feet as a new family? – At what point do we go to our families and ask for help? How do we avoid or prevent ourselves from asking for help too frequently and expecting someone else to repeatedly rescue us from poor choices we’ve made? – Who will we feel comfortable asking for help? When do we ask for help? And what arrangements do we make to repay that help? – How important is it to share our good fortune with others? What obligation should we feel toward being charitable? What does charity mean to me/you? Is giving without sacrifice really charity? What sacrifices are we willing to make to help another in need?
2. CAREER You don’t have to choose career over marriage or marriage over career. You really should have both – and you can have both. TALK. And figure those details out together as you mutually move toward your goals.
– What are his or her long range career goals? – Where does he or she realistically expect to be in one year? Five years? Ten years? – What effort will be required to achieve these goals? – What sacrifices are we prepared to make to accomplish these goals? – What skill will we have acquired sufficiently and have enough experience in, to fall back on if or when an additional wage is needed? – What are we willing to do to ensure that she or he has an additional marketable skill? – Will she work after children come into the family? – What are our feelings in this area? What are our family backgrounds in this area? What are our personal priorities? How has my/your attitude and commitment been influenced by the experiences and priorities we grew up with? – How important is it to me that our children have a mom home fulltime? How important is it to you? – The Proclamation on the Family states: “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” – How important is it to us that we are in line with this or any other prophetic counsel? – What adjustments in our attitudes and perspectives do we need to make to be reconciled with this prophetic counsel? – What are we willing to sacrifice to achieve this?
3. HOUSEHOLD CHORES
* No matter how much we’d like to avoid them, they’re part of our life. While it is important to have spousal roles established, it is equally important to be flexible.
For instance: in our marriage, the house has always been Mom’s responsibility although Dad was quick to help whenever it was needed. Providing financially has always been Dad’s responsibility, but Mom has always done whatever possible to help ease the burden, and for awhile became the major breadwinner. Cars and yard work have always been Dad’s domain, while gardening has always been Mom’s, although both have chipped in when needed. Dad does the heavy work, Mom does the ‘fiddley’ work. Dad enjoys barbequing, Mom enjoys indoors cooking. Dad wants meat so he, for the most part cooks it, otherwise we would be eating much less of it. Those were our established ‘roles’, that we ourselves chose and were comfortable with. At times however, necessity demanded that we adjust – sometimes dramatically for a time. It was an ‘adjustment’, sometimes even a painful adjustment, but not a reversal of roles. When the need abated, former rolls fell back into place. – Cindy Suelzle
– What are your priorities in the area of roles and expectations? – The Proclamation on the Family states: “In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” – How will the chores be divided up? How will they differ or adjust when ‘she’ quits work to nurture children? Or continues working? – Who will take responsibility for what area? – What are our role definitions? – What are our role expectations? – What skills do I need to acquire or improve upon to be a better wife/mother/nurturer? – What skills do I need to acquire or improve upon to be a better husband/father/provider? – What am I willing to do to learn better skills, and what am I prepared to do to help YOU learn and grow in your responsibilities?
4. FOOD, NUTRITION and HEALTH
There’s a connection. Undeniably.
– What do we consider important here? – What foods are “comfort foods” to me? or my personal or traditional favorites? Do I have an opinion on the ‘type’ of foods we eat as a family? – Am I willing to have new food experiences? – What foods do I have a strong dislike to? How will we compromise here? – Review Section 89 of the D&C. – How do we interpret this section? What are our insights? To what extent are we willing to follow the noncompulsory parts of its direction? – What kind of responsibility do I feel toward proper nutrition? – What are my standards on the “quality” of the food we buy or grow?
– How will we deal with minor illnesses in our family? – What kinds of medication do I consider appropriate? – How will we deal with major illnesses?
“When we were newly married, we decided on some basic things which we thought were important to acquire for our independence and self reliance. ie: a few flashlights, coal oil lanterns with extra wicks and sufficient oil for many days use, wheat grinder, food dehydrator, canner, sufficient jars for home canning, juicer, battery operated radio etc. Money was always an issue. We used birthdays and Christmases and any other opportunity to acquire them for each other or to put on our wish lists if anyone else was interested. ” – Cindy
– What are our priorities in the area of Family Preparedness and Emergency Preparedness? – What is the difference? – What are our goals? What are we prepared to do to meet these goals? – Read David A. Bednar’s talk WE WILL PROVE THEM HEREWITH
There is strong counsel to STORE WHAT YOU EAT, AND EAT WHAT YOU STORE. To store food you don’t normally eat, doesn’t make any sense at all. But to not eat what you’ve got stored so that it is constantly be rotated, also doesn’t make sense, and leads to waste.
– What are our individual opinions on the counsel to store food? – How do we feel about that counsel and what is my/your/our commitment to it? – How does that counsel fit into what we see going on in the world around us? – How much of our family budget are we prepared to spend building up and then maintaining our year’s supply of food and other necessities? – How will we obey the prophet’s counsel to plant a garden in whatever living situation we find ourselves? Remember that we receive no commandment without the Lord providing a way for us to accomplish that thing. (1N3:7)
6. ENTERTAINMENT and GIFTS
“When there is a good movie in town, consider going to the theater as a family. Your very patronage will give encouragement to those who wish to produce this type of entertainment, and use that most remarkable of all tools of communication, television, to enrich their lives. There is so much that is good, but it requires selectivity. Let those who are responsible for any efforts to put suitable family entertainment on television know of your appreciation for that which is good and also of your displeasure with that which is bad. In large measure, we get what we ask for.” “…if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” (A/F 13) – Gordon B. Hinckley
– How will we honour ‘date night’? – Do we like to host? What is important to me/you in hosting? – What is my favorite type of entertainment? – What type of entertainment would I consider as a regular form of entertainment? – On a monthly basis? – On a once in awhile basis? – On a seasonal/yearly/anniversary celebration basis? – How much money would I consider fair and reasonable to budget/spend on these forms of entertainment?
– Some couples do not give gifts to each other. Some consider it very important. How do I feel about it? – How do YOU feel about it? If our opinions differ, what will we do here? – What do I expect in the way of a birthday gift? Christmas gift? Anniversary gift? – What would disappoint me and hurt my feelings concerning a gift from you? – What would I absolutely love to receive from you? – What type of gift would always be a hit with me?
7. PERSONAL STANDARDS
Personal standards are hugely important, and their variance affects every facet of our lives. We are ruled by our own personal standards. So what are mine? And am I consistent with them? Do they transition smoothly to all areas?
“The flood of pornographic filth, the inordinate emphasis on sex and violence are not peculiar to North America. The situation is as bad in Europe and in many other areas. The whole dismal picture indicates a weakening rot seeping into the very fiber of society. Legal restraints against deviant moral behavior are eroding under legislative enactments and court opinions. This is done in the name of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of choice in so-called personal matters. But the bitter fruit of these so-called freedoms has been enslavement to debauching habits and behavior that leads only to destruction. A prophet, speaking long ago, aptly described the process when he said, “And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Nephi 28:21). ……. I am satisfied that there is no need to stand still and let the filth and violence overwhelm us or to run in despair. The tide, high and menacing as it is, can be turned back if enough … will add their strength to the strength of the few who are now effectively working. I believe the challenge to oppose this evil is one from which members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as citizens, cannot shrink. …. Respect for self is the beginning of virtue in men. That man who knows that he is a child of God, created in the image of a divine Father and gifted with a potential for the exercise of great and godlike virtues, will discipline himself against the sordid, lascivious elements to which all are exposed.” – Gordon B. Hinkley
– How do I feel about protecting my home, my family and myself from the plague of Pornography? – What steps am I prepared to take against it? – What about Inappropriate music? And other forms of entertainment which chase away the spirit of God? – How do I feel about the prophet’s admonition to not watch R–rated movies, or anything like unto them? – How important is it to me to have the spirit of the Lord in my home at all times? What am I prepared to do to make sure it is always there? – Do I sup from the scriptures daily? And do I consider it important to study daily as a couple and family? – How will we do this? What commitment will we make to each other to continue? – If circumstances interfere from time to time, what will we do to get back-on-the-wagon? – How important is it to me to align myself with the counsel of the leaders of the church? Of what value is this in my life? – How important is it to me to have a clean house? What does this even look like to me? What am I prepared to do to accomplish this? – Do we have similar standards on personal hygiene/grooming? Are we compatible in this area? – How important is it to me to keep a close relationship with my immediate family? – What am I prepared to do to learn to appreciate and come to love YOUR family? – If one of my siblings needs help, what obligation will I feel toward them? Will I feel the same obligation to one of your siblings?
Etiquette is a societal thing; it changes from one society to another, but wherever you live, it is very important. It is a set of ‘norms’ of personal behaviour in polite society. They show respect to others. Eating at someone else’s table where you don’t understand proper etiquette can be offensive, disrespectful, intimidating and embarrassing. Learning regional and cultural variances is easy to adjust to when you have a good foundational knowledge of some basics. Understanding and being comfortable with good table manners will always put an individual in the advantage. – Cindy Suelzle
– How important are table manners and table etiquette including setting a proper table to me? How will they help us be comfortable in social situations and help our kids to be comfortable eating with others as they grow older? – What about good manners in general?
Speaking about personal respect for each other . . . .
– How will we show respect to and for each other? – How will we honor each other? – How should we treat each other in public? What things should we agree to NOT discuss with other people? – What guidelines could we agree on to ensure that we do not say things around other people that may hurt our sweetheart’s feelings? – How will we know when we have offended our sweetheart’s feelings? And what will we do about it? – What do I consider RUDE? What do I consider inconsiderate or thoughtless? – How do we fix things between us? – What do I need to feel ‘safe’ enough to discuss with you, things that are important to me? …things that are sensitive to me? …. things that are hurtful to me? – What can I do to help YOU feel ‘safe’ enough to discuss those things openly with me? – We have been admonished to study “out of the best books”. What do we consider Best Books? – How important is a “gospel library” to me? – How important is it to me to have a good “classic library”? – What kind of plan should we implement to accomplish our goal?
“You know that your children will read. They will read books, and they will read magazines and newspapers. Cultivate within them a taste for the best. While they are very young, read to them the great stories which have become immortal because of the virtues they teach. Expose them to good books. Let there be a corner somewhere in your house, be it ever so small, where they will see at least a few books of the kind upon which great minds have been nourished. … Let there be good magazines about the house, those which are produced by the Church and by others, which will stimulate their thoughts to ennobling concepts. Let them read a good family newspaper that they may know what is going on in the world without being exposed to the debasing advertising and writing so widely found.” – Gordon B. Hinckley
– How important is music to me? – What do I consider worthy/appropriate music? How do I feel about a music library?
“Let there be music in the home. If you have teenagers who have their own recordings, you may be prone to describe the sound as something other than music. Let them hear something better occasionally. Expose them to it. It will speak for itself. More appreciation will come than you may think. It may not be spoken, but it will be felt, and its influence will become increasingly manifest as the years pass.” – Gordon B. Hinckley
– How important is it to me to develop a musical talent of mine? What kind of support will I expect?
7. TRADITIONS
– How did my family celebrate Christmas? What was my favourite part? – What was our traditional meal? – When did we open gifts? What kinds of things did we get in our stockings? – How do I feel about continuing my family’s Christmas traditions into our own family? – How do I think we should keep Christ in our Christmas celebrations? – What are the best parts of the ways we each celebrated Christmas in the families we grew up with? – What could we do differently in our home that we will both be happy with? – What traditions will I bring with me? You with you? Do we agree on the value of these traditions? – How did my family celebrate Easter? What was my favourite part? What part do I want to continue in my own family? – How do I feel about Halloween? – Thanksgiving? – Summer vacation? – What is my favorite holiday? And why? How can I share my enthusiasm for this special day with you? – What style of furniture do I like? What can I be happy with? What compromises am I willing to make?
Spiritual
8. TEMPLE ATTENDANCE
With temples being so close to the bulk of the membership, many couples set a goal for regular attendance. – What is my feeling about the promise of eternal families that temples represent? – What goal will we set for ourselves relative to attending the temple? – And of continual temple worthiness?
9. PERSONAL or PRIVATE SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT
– What commitment will we make specifically about scripture study, individual/couple/family prayer, journal writing and family record keeping? – How will we choose to preserve family memories? (i.e. photos, slides, videos, albums, scrapbooks etc) – What Christ-like attribute most impressed me about you? drew me to you? and made me want you for my companion? – What is the thing I admire/respect most about you that I would like to emulate in my life? – How important to me are the laws, ordinances and principles of the gospel? – How important is it to me to be align myself to them? How important do I think it should be? Is there even any value in obedience? – What efforts am I willing to make in my personal desire to have a relationship with my Saviour? – What is my feeling about regular church attendance? – What is my feeling toward church service? – The counsel of the brethren is to dress as if we are wearing temple garments, even if we are not. – How do I feel about modesty in dress and speech? – What commitment do I feel to dress so that I reflect church standards at all times?
Testimonies are living breathing things in need of constant nourishment. They can become weak and even sickly if they’re not taken care of. What will I do if you lose your testimony? What will you do if I lose mine?
10. CHURCH RESPONSIBILITIES
– What is my commitment level to callings and responsibilities within the Church? – How willing am I to serve selflessly and faithfully in the Church? – What will I do to encourage my partner in his/her ministering stewardships? – What will I do to support and sustain my partner in his/her individual callings?
11. TITHES and OFFERINGS
– What do I regard as an honest and full tithing? – Do we agree on what we consider Increase? – How do I feel about fast and other offerings? – What do I consider a generous fast offering? – Do we agree on this? – What about other donations such as the Perpetual Education fund or the Missionary fund? Do I believe that blessings will come into our lives as a result of our obeying the law of tithing and of contributing to other funds organized by the Church for the benefit of the charity the Church provides? – Do I have an understanding of the principle of ‘offerings’?
12. SABBATH OBSERVANCE – What do I consider proper Sabbath observance? – What are some of the things we should DO on Sunday? – What are some of the things I feel that we should NOT do in order to keep the Sabbath day separate and holy? – What are our expectations of each other in this area? – What would disappoint me regarding our/your Sabbath observance?
13. FAMILY HOME EVENING
“A better tomorrow begins with the training of a better generation. This places upon parents the responsibility to do a more effective work in the rearing of children. The home is the cradle of virtue, the place where character is formed and habits are established. Family home evening is the opportunity to teach the ways of the Lord.” – Gordon B. Hinckley
– What will we do to ensure that we observe the counsel to keep Monday evenings for family when we are still just a couple? What will we do to use this opportunity to strengthen our family in the gospel? – How will we keep it a priority? – What commitments are we prepared to make now that would directly impact our future children regarding Family Home Evening (FHE)?
ROMANCE
14. FRIENDSHIP
What things are important to me in our continued relationship as FRIENDS? What are my expectations from a best friend? What am I prepared to do to BE your best friend? What do I consider healthy as far as other best friends in my/your life? What freedom will I be willing to give my spouse in their pursuit of relationships with other friends?
15. DATE NIGHT
– How committed are we to obeying the council to have regular date night? What value do we see in this practice? – What good examples can I think of concerning regular date night observance? – What are we prepared to do on a daily basis to keep the romance in our marriage alive? – How will we observe special days such as our Anniversary? Each other’s birthdays? Valentine’s Day? Etc. (i.e. some couples celebrate their anniversary date by attending the temple to do sealings. In this way it is a continual reminder of the covenants they made and the promises they could depend on.)
If I intend to be happily married to you in 40+ years, what am I prepared to give until then to ensure it? – How will we talk about each other in front of other people? (even if we are upset with the other) – How will we talk toeach other in front of other people? – What precautions will we take to ensure we never undermine, belittle, ridicule, embarrass or insult our sweetheart? (in private or in front of others) – What if we do offend the other not intending to? – What if they get their feelings hurt over something we considered innocent or even funny? – How will we refer to each other? What terms of endearment am I comfortable with? – What will we do when we fall out of love? (WE WILL bytheway) – How will we stay married, and healthy and committed to each other if one day we think that we’ve grown apart? How will we help each other through it? – How will we communicate to each other that we are in distress, and that something is very wrong in our relationship? – What are we prepared to do to overcome major difficulties in our relationship? – What do we expect from each other in the area of commitment and communication? to our marriage – to our children – to our own family – to Family Home Evening – to Date Night – to our extended families – to our ward – to the Church – to God – and to our community?
16. INTIMACY and PREGNANCY
– How do I/you feel about purity before marriage? – Can we be honest with our personal history concerning that? – Can we deal with it? How will we deal with it? – Do we see the need for using a form of birth control? If so, what form will we use? – What will we do to make sure we are educated and properly informed about current methods of birth control? – How important is a feeling of ‘trust’ and safety to me in regards to intimacy? -How important do I think it is that we both feel comfortable about being open and honest in our discussions about intimacy? – What will we do to be sure we are educated and properly informed about pregnancy and child birth? – What will we do to ensure optimum health for Mom and baby? How involved do we want Dad to be in the birthing? – What if the unthinkable happens? ….. miscarriage? What if . . . our baby dies? How will we help each other through this hard thing? – What if another unthinkable happens? . . . . . infidelity? What will we do? – Can we see ourselves able to forgive? – What are our ‘non-negotiables’ in this area?
17. PARENTING
– How many children do we want? – Will Mom stay home to raise them? – What is my idea of discipline? – What are some things that I consider very important in child rearing? – What should we as parents do to ensure that we teach by example such things as respect for womanhood? Manhood? Etiquette? Table manners? Good housekeeping? Personal cleanliness? Personal responsibility? The law? – What are things I consider essential to teach children? -Where will we turn to learn parenting skills? – How will we teach our children that the Church is true? That we love, respect and obey the prophet? And that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our life? – How will I show my children that the scriptures are important to me? And that they can come to know Jesus Christ through their own personal study of them? – What efforts will we make to encourage our children to stay active in the Church? And to adhere to the counsel it provides? – How will I show them the importance of education and help them to develop a love of reading? – What are some absolute taboos concerning children in my opinion? – What do I feel very strongly about – concerning behaviors we will encourage, those we allow and behaviors we will absolutely forbid? Do we agree? What should we do to ensure compliance with these behaviors? – What if we have an unhealthy child? Perhaps a down syndrome child, or one who has a serious illness or disability? How do we plan to be the best parents possible no matter what that looks like? – What did our parents do right in the parenting department, that we’d like to emulate? – What improvements can we make over our parents’ best attempts, to continue to become the best parents our children deserve?
18. OTHER THINGS of IMPORTANCE TO CONSIDER
– What are my priorities in the area of TIME? – What do I consider a big waste of time? – a moderate waste of time? – Where would I absolutely draw the line in my flexibility of my partner doing something I consider to be a waste of time, money and energy? Or something I abhor? – What are my priorities in the area of money? – It is likely that we may look at money differently. One might resent frugality. One might resent spending freely with no regard for budget. What do I consider a big waste of money? – a moderate waste of money? – Where would I absolutely draw the line in my tolerance of my partner spending money in what I consider to be a waste of money? – How would I like to spend the hours of an entire free day with you? – How would I like to spend the hours of an entire free day without you?. .
These questions have been edited continually since I first drafted them for Sarah – many years ago.
You need not ‘report’ on any discussion, but I think it would be helpful to be accountable to someone that you have indeed been through each one. For my kids, I tried to give them one sheet at a time, and when they told me they were ready for another, I gave it to them.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to communicate, now and throughout your marriage. Take them seriously. I once asked a friend who used these “Did you not go through those questions?” She affirmed that they did. “Well how did this one get missed then? It’s pretty straight forward.” “I didn’t think it was that important. I didn’t think he was that serious about it.”
That’s not fair. Not being straight up and owning your words, not doing what you committed to do – not fair. If there are serious ‘issues’ with any of these questions, have those issues today, BEFORE you are married. If they cannot be resolved, it is best to learn that before you go to the alter.
I decided to wait a few months before we revisited the concept. 
They get it. They know exactly where he is, and even all the cousins know about their older cousin who none of them met (at least not here). How grateful I am that families are eternal and that we know Samuel is not lost to us, and we’re not lost to him.
Our scenario was: An out-of-control wildfire, fueled by fierce winds, unexpectedly changes direction and races toward your town. You have mere minutes to evacuate, leaving behind your home. Today, you’ll rely on your 72-hour kit for sustenance. It’s a stark reminder of the critical role preparedness plays in our lives and how quickly circumstances can change. 
