I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had the “one-and-done” conversation with people who are rightly concerned about investing in long term food storage but don’t want to be inconvenienced by it.
Being compelled enough to invest money into food storage, buying a bunch of it all at one time, and then (having their conscience soothed), put it away and forget about it. Their thinking is that they have done their due diligence, with minimal inconvenience and now can get on with life giving no more thought to it.
The first time I heard this philosophy was a friend many years ago. They had learned of a new brand of food being sold locally, that had a very long shelf life. It was kinda pricey but the shelf life was attractive. They bought a year’s supply for their family of four, stacked it into a corner of their basement, and brushed off their hands so-to-speak. They were more than content with this marvelous plan; they had their food storage and didn’t have their life complicated with having to eat it. Simple. I admit, the idea was a little unsettling to me; it didn’t seem that life could really be that easy. Fast forward a couple decades. My friend had passed away of cancer. Their children had grown up. Her husband had remarried and moved to a different city. He called me one day. They’d had a house fire! All was lost including their long term food storage, which he had carried with him ten years before. Insurance had provided the money to replace it and he wanted to do exactly the same thing they’d done before.
1. USE IT
The reason he called me? Because he knew that at the time I sold Thrive Life foods, a relatively new brand of freeze dried food. “Just give me a reasonably varied assortment of food like I had before.” he said. He had no intention of ‘wasting’ it by eating it. It was intended as 100% food insurance, to be packed away again. We talked about the fact that most of the food he had depended on to ease his conscience for so long, was well over 20 years old, and not all of it was freeze dried, meaning it didn’t have the 25 year shelf life he thought it did. We talked about what he’d had previously – including milk and eggs (neither of which at the time he bought it, claimed to have the 25 year shelf life he believed everything had). As a friend, my counsel was to USE some of the food he was buying for two very important reasons: 1) to KNOW what one had, and 2) to know HOW to use it. Long term food storage is not the same as buying perishable food from the grocery store. It requires a little different ‘thinking’ to get used to it. He was adamant about “not bothering with all that”. What he had done two decades ago was conscience soothing and he wanted more of that.
We came up with a reasonable selection, and it was sent to him – which he stacked in a corner somewhere to never think about again.
His details involving the house fire may have been unique, but his philosophy was not. I have had that same conversation with many people over the years.
them: “Oh freeze dried food! I have a ton of that in my basement.” me: “Great. How do you like it?” them: “Oh, I have no idea; I’ve never used it.” me: “Why not?” them: “Because its FOOD STORAGE! And besides, I haven’t got a clue what to do with it.” me: “How long have you had it?” them: “We got it the year after we were married.” me: “How long have you been married?” them: “37 years.” me: “Wow. You know its 12 years past its expiry right? You don’t have milk and eggs in there do you? them: “Yes.” me: “Well, I know the food you’re talking about, and the shelf life of milk used to be 5 years, and eggs was 3 years. Those are over 30 years past their expiry date. You might wanna dispose of them. . . . . I wouldn’t even open them if I were you, just throw them out. . . . . So, . . . just curious, when were you planning to figure out how to use this food anyway?”
I have another friend who had pretty much the same idea. She had a lotta long-term-food-storage that she’d never had any intention of using, but a few years ago it became alarmingly evident to her that it was waaaay past its prime. She doesn’t want to waste it, (and waste all the money she spent on it), she wanted to learn how to use it. She had no recollection of how long she’d had the food (decades she admits), and there was no date on the cans. Apparently the labeling laws have changed since then.
My counsel? To USE it of course. I promised to come over and show her how to use them. We opened up her first can – broccoli. It was absolutely indistinguishable. Looking nothing like broccoli should, and smelling terrible. Nothing anyone would want to eat. “What can I do with it?” she asked. “Throw it in the compost.” was my suggestion. We opened a can of spinach with similar results.
On the left is dehydrated spinach that was deliberately left on the shelf waiting for some emergency that would justify opening it. No one could remember how old it was, and the owner mistakenly believed it was freeze dried when in actual fact it was dehydrated (with a much shorter shelf life). This is what happens when you don’t USE the food you store. The result was a lot of wasted food, and a total waste of the money spent to acquire it. The spinach on the right is a 7 year old can recently opened. It is what freeze dried spinach SHOULD look like today, tomorrow, next year and 17 years from now.
To be fair, the food we opened was much older than it was ever intended to be. It is not the manufacturer’s fault that the food was not used when it should have been. It is the result of faulty “save-and-protect” reasoning. But on the other hand, from the beginning she never knew what she had, what it looked like, or how to use it anyway. Ironically that scarcity mentality intended to not ‘waste’ food by using it, resulted in ultimate waste. Wasted food is wasted dollars. It’s simple math.
I well remember that same brand of freeze dried food when it was a new thing, trying to wrap my mind around the concept of it and trying to justify the cost. I bought some, used it, didn’t see the value at the time, nor the point. As the science of freeze drying got better over the ensuing years, the food got better, and the nutrition got better.
2. FIND THE BEST
In 2009, when I first started buying Thrive Life (the brand I finally settled on after trying several on the market), their guarantee was that the produce went from field to freezer in less than 24 hours. I was impressed with that. By the time I put that into print, the company corrected me – their guarantee was now less than 12 hours. “Can’t get better than that” I thought. Produce picked ripe, washed, peeled, chopped and into the freezer in less than 12 hours? Incredible. “Can’t get better than that” I told people. Wait! In another year, they raised the bar again. Produce picked at perfection when all nature’s goodness was at its height, and then washed, peeled, sliced and into the freezer in less than 6 hours! (usually 2 to 4 hours). Amazing. NOW with a pretty good degree of confidence I can be sure “it really canNOT get better than that!”
In summer months my household eats directly from my backyard garden. I am hard pressed to get produce from my garden to the table in four hours! Truly it cannot get better than two to four hours.
What does that mean to you and me? Why is that such a big deal?
Because all fruits and vegetables begin to deteriorate within the first hour after harvest. That’s why. They begin the process of deteriorating in colour, texture and nutritional value immediately. To pick a fruit before its fully developed is to start out with a handicap. Thrive Life has a commitment to excellence that forbids picking produce before its ripe. Then its a race against the clock. That produce is washed, peeled (if needed), sliced or chopped and flash frozen to -40C within four hours! In that frozen state the food is transferred to a facility where all the remaining moisture is removed in the second step of the two step process of “freeze-drying”.
When spinach or broccoli or mangoes or strawberries or whatever, goes into that BPA free can at the end, it is more nutritious than those same ‘fresh’ fruits we buy in the produce department of our local grocery stores – that in nearly all cases were picked before they were ripe, and have been shipped a thousand+ miles to ripen on the supermarket shelves sometime in the following week or two. Without any moisture, that food is sealed in an oxygen free can, giving it an exceptionally long shelf life. Zero moisture + zero oxygen = zero decomposition. So when I open a can of peaches that was packed 7 years ago, it is as nutritionally sound as it was the day it was sealed. If I open that can another 7 years from now, it is still the same. THAT is what we’re talking about. And that’s why timing is such a big deal.
“freeze drying food is not rocket science”
3. Benefits of using freeze dried food NOW
FAMILIARITY Becoming familiar with freeze dried food while our lives are comfortable and predicable is so important. Sometimes people fool themselves into believing they’ll use it when they have to, but a crises is not the time to start experimenting with foundational necessities like meals. There are bound to be some differences between what you’re using now and freeze dried food. Familiarity brings confidence, and confidence removes fear. When we are prepared, there is no fear.
KNOWLEDGE With familiarity comes knowledge and skill, opening a whole new world of possibilities. Learning how to use freeze dried food will make meal preparation a lot quicker and easier. Those fruits and vegetables are already washed and chopped, ready to eat straight out of the can, or to throw into your soup, casserole, omelette or stir fries. The cheese is already shredded, the meats are already cooked – ready to refresh and add to your meal. You’d be surprised at how streamlined your meals become. You can have dinner on the table in minutes.
ZERO WASTE Not only will you reduce the waste of produce in the fridge going bad before you can get to it, and the waste of trimming a good portion of your broccoli, cauliflower and peppers etc, but you will eliminate the waste of those cans of food timing out. Think of the waste that my friend experienced having to throw out most of her ‘shelf stable’ canned food. My other friend who replaced it all after the fire – he would have had to replace it all anyway, fire or no fire – because most of it was long expired before the fire.
When you regularly USE your food storage, it replaces perishable groceries that would other wise go into the trash. The North American average for household kitchen waste is up to 40%. That’s an incredible figure to wrap your mind around. If you’re the average North American consumer, up to 40% of the food you buy is going into the garbage! What if you could reduce that waste? How much money would YOU save in a month, in a year? Take a minute (knowing your monthly food budget), and use some simple math to roughly calculate what that might look like to you. Imagine what you could do with an extra $3000 or $4000 a year! You could probably have your food storage built up in a very short time for one thing.
CONVENIENCE One of the things we will depend on in any emergency is having food that will be convenient to prepare with fewer resources than we’re currently accustomed to. Knowing what that food is and what kind of variety is available ahead of time is helpful. Also knowing what your family prefers and doesn’t prefer ahead of time is pretty helpful too. You don’t want to learn that when its too late.
4. SCARCITY vs ABUNDANCE
A can of dehydrated cabbage, about twenty years past its expiration. This is the kind of thing that never should have happened.
A scarcity mindset is a way of thinking that focuses on the idea that there is a limited supply; one becomes obsessed with protecting it. Its a trap many of us fall into when it comes to food storage: “This is food storage. It must be protected.” But we’ve already seen where that thinking leads, and its a slippery slope. When the supply is not being replenished, protection mode kicks in. So what is the antidote?
Rotation. Rotation is a “1st in-1st out” mindset. It is continuously using and replacing. It is treating your food storage like groceries and your groceries like food storage. It is the philosophy you’ve heard me repeat many times if you’ve read anything I’ve ever written on the subject: Store what you EAT, and Eat what you STORE.
If you are constantly adding to your food supply every time you buy groceries, and constantly eating from it, then replacing it, you are ROTATING. This keeps everything fresh and updated, saving you money and providing peace of mind. Your food storage becomes an organic thing with a pulse, not an inorganic box of dead food that nobody wants that cost you too much money. Consider a different perspective.
5. CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT IT
When you change the way you look at it, everything about it changes. The missing link between the SCARCITY mindset and the ABUNDANCE mindset is ROTATION. Rotation of “using and replacing” helps us regain control, and allows us to see abundance instead of scarcity. Change the way you’re looking at things.
I truly believe that when we are prepared, there is no fear. It is a personal mission of mine to help people gain the freedom and peace of mind that BEING PREPARED offers. And that includes FOOD STORAGE. Part of that is to help people stop wasting the food they purchased and are currently purchasing, and to help people acquire their food storage in the best possible way, getting the best prices and benefits in the process.
This is a course of action I have followed my entire adult life; it is very important to me. In the process, I discovered Thrive Life freeze dried food in 2008, and by the beginning of 2009, I brought it into our family bookstore – Generations Bookstore in Edmonton, Alberta. One of our major sidelines was food storage and emergency preparedness so it was a perfect fit. Since that time, we sold the store, but I kept Thrive Life with me as a personal consultant. I believe it is the best brand on the market today for high quality freeze dried food, and I am committed to helping people benefit in the same way I do from it.
In our house I’ve put it to the test. We’ve used it almost daily since those early years, and I know of which I speak.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on food storage and all things related. I welcome any questions you might have about Thrive Life specifically. Who knows? You might even want to become a consultant yourself.
Q: What is it? A: a disaster supplies pack that you and your family WILL need in the event of evacuation. Q: Why is it called a 72 hour kit? A: because it should contain a minimum of three days supplies.
Okay, I’ll start by confessing the truth –I’d rather not leave my house for anything. In most emergencies, people would prefer to ‘shelter-in-place’ at home, where they’re more in control. With or without power, sheltering in place is still where one would rather ride out just about anything. However, there are times when that simply isn’t possible. And while I’m ‘truthing‘, if I had to evacuate my house, I’d really rather NOT do it in the winter. But since emergencies rarely make appointments, and we likely wouldn’t get our choice, its something we have to strongly consider since (at least for me) winter takes up close to half my year. One last truth: MY evacuation plan may not be the same as yours.
I live in a city, so I won’t be heading out to the great outdoors if I have to evacuate my house, and I don’t have any little kids or pets in my house. There was a time we lived in the country, and a time we had little kids at home, and we did have pets, which made my 72 hour kit then, look a lot different than it does now. Though the basic essentials may be the same, everyone’s kit will be unique to them. Do you have dental appliances? Do you have dentures? Do you have allergies? Or special medications? Do you wear glasses? You get the picture. We’re all different, and so our kits and our plans are going to look different too, but there are some things that are pretty basic.
So what is magic about 72 HOURS anyway? Why choose that length of time?
Three days (72 hours) has long been a minimum guideline to be self sufficient, and its recognized as a standard worldwide. Whatever the disaster, no matter what help might be coming – it is unlikely to arrive inside of 72 hours. Three days is also a manageable time frame that is easy for people to wrap their minds around, and fairly reasonable to plan for. Experts recognize that the first 72 hours are often the most critical, so having an emergency kit ensures that individuals and families are adequately equipped to manage the initial chaos and uncertainty that lie in the aftermath of a disaster. Bottom line – YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN for at least three days.
A supply of food, water, medication and other essential items for three days may be intimidating, but it is entirely manageable in terms of storage space, portability and cost. It is just the beginning though; you should consider it a foundation upon which to build a more comprehensive preparedness plan, as the situation that causes the emergency is not likely to magically end in three days. You should add to your plan – evacuation routes and destinations, communication strategies and community resources as well as how you can lend a hand to your neighbours. These are proactive preparedness steps that when followed will mitigate your family’s risks, enhance your resilience and increase the level of your comfort and security.
For me, our first option after evacuation would be to go to our son’s house – four blocks away. In the likely event that it won’t be far enough away, we’d all head to our other son’s house about 20 minutes away. If that is not far enough, we have another destination 40 minutes away. And so it goes. Worst case scenario – we’d end up sitting on some gym floor somewhere with a hundred other people.
What are YOUR destination options? First choice, second choice, and so forth . . .
Terms to be familiar with: SHELTER IN PLACE – means to remain indoors, or if outside to go indoors immediately. You should follow all instructions and watch your news source for updates. These situations can last hours or days. It is suggested to have enough supplies on hand to last a minimum of 14 days without needing to go to a store.
EVACUATION – evacuating a place – leaving it. Could be temporary, or long term, and can sometimes get quite stressful.
Looking at our Rule of 3’s:
1. AIR – not likely to be a problem UNLESS our need to evacuate is related to air quality – which happened to us many years ago. In an oil town about three hours west of us – Lodgepole (close to Drayton Valley) was a tragedy that ultimately caused some significant future changes to sour gas safety regulations in Alberta. The well blew out of control for 68 days, spewing toxic hydrogen sulphide across west-central Alberta, making thousands of people ill. It caught fire and killed two workers who tried to cap it. Many people with breathing issues or other health concerns chose to leave the area.
2. SHELTER – This always gives me pause to consider the circumstances of the many people without houses right now. Every winter day it seems, I hear about another death or two in the ‘tent cities’ in Edmonton. People just trying to stay warm in the most difficult situations.
Generally, if we need to evacuate our homes there will be temporary shelters set up. Its up to us to provide our own comfort within that temporary shelter though – blankets, food, water, things to occupy our time, etc.
3. WATER – Bottled water should be on the top of your list of important items to include in your 72 hour kit. Whether you’re in a temporary shelter or driving to a distant destination you’ll want to have a supply of drinking water. In the winter time, melting snow may be an option if you have a way to clean it. But for most of THIS winter in my home city – good luck finding snow.
4. FOOD – We have more flexibility with food than anything else. Instant freeze dried meals in a pouch provide tasty and nutritious hearty meals with nothing more than added water. Excellent option to have in your 72 kits. If you have the ability to heat the water, then all the better (a nice HOT meal), and with a 20 year shelf life you don’t have to be constantly switching it out. Other meals that require little preparation are of benefit too. *pro tip: TRY THEM OUT AT HOME FIRST. Don’t ever pack a food that you have not first sampled. While you’re sitting on some gymnasium floor is NOT the time you want to find out you don’t like it. And don’t give me that “we won’t care what it tastes like, we’ll eat it anyway”, because that totally depends on how bad it really is! And even if you could choke it down – you’re not gonna be happy about it. Trust me, you’ll have enough things to worry about without hating your food.
The RULE OF 3 is a good measure when coming up with a game plan for any emergency. Remember, you may be left to your own devises for several days before help can get to you. Being prepared means having enough food, water and other necessities to last for as long as you need them. Three days is the MINIMUM to plan for.
Below is a sample supply list. You’ll want to customize it to your own circumstances – but it’s a good place to start. Compile your own list and take it shopping with you to make sure you pick up things you want. Keep it handy as sometimes its a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Consider the unique needs of your family – children, disabled persons, elderly, pets etc.
ESSENTIALS
*pro tip: when assembling your kit, store items in airtight plastic bags inside an easy-to-carry (or pull) container. Container suggestions: back packs, rolling bags for elderly, duffel bag, plastic bins (in the car).
* FULL GAS TANK. I’m just putting this at the top of my list right off the bat. Nobody’s going very far without gas in the tank. *battery-powered or hand crank radio *flashlight for each adult and older child *lighters or matches in sealed zip lock bags; I prefer lighters *small candles with something for them to sit in while burning *pocket knife *nylon cord to use as a clothes line, and clothes pins *First aid kit *hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces *extra batteries *whistle (to signal for help) *paper and pencil or pen to leave messages for people *note paper and pen for your own personal writing *dust mask (to help filter contaminated air) *plastic sheeting and duct tape (to prepare some kind of shelter) *moist wipes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation) *small ax – may come in handy for more than just chopping wood *bungee cords of various sizes *duct tape
**Local maps (and don’t say ‘google maps‘) **List of your emergency contacts (don’t say they’re on your phone) **Cell phone with chargers and a battery power bank for back up **Cash. Yes $$$.
BASIC PERSONAL SUPPLIES
* Water – 2 liters per person per day for drinking. Another liter for cooking, another liter for basic sanitation. I know, it’s heavy. Plan accordingly.
* Food – non perishable. Instant meals, preferably freeze dried for long term storage and ease of preparation. Plan for no less than three days. Consider the high probability that you will be near someone else who doesn’t have food. Are you really gonna eat in front of them without offering to share? *Favourite snacks: dried fruit, individual packages of nuts. *cooking pot and spoon, dishes and utensils for each person *ideally – a small portable stove to heat water *manual can opener (even if you aren’t bringing canned food – trust me) *dish soap and cloth
* Personal hygiene supplies: toothbrush and tooth paste, mouthwash, deodorant, comb or brush, shampoo & conditioner, chapstick, nail clippers, emery board, razor if you need it, hand soap, face cloth and hand towel, toilet paper flattened and in a plastic bag, baby wipes, and feminine supplies. Pack these items together in a ziplock plastic bag or other sealed bag.
*Laundry soap. I am not suggesting that we’ll be doing laundry, but lets face it, we may be wearing the same clothes for a few days. It’s nice to be able to spot clean as needed. I recommend Tru Earth Laundry strips. They are easy to store and transport, and fit into a sandwich bag. There is zero waste, no measuring, no mess and they dissolve in hot or cold water. And they are biodegradable. I have used these terrific laundry strips in my every day laundry for over three years, and have a year’s supply of laundry soap in a box the size of tissue box. I am NEVER going back to the way I used to do laundry. Click here to find out more https://bit.ly/backyardcityhomestead
* 2 pairs of socks and 2 pairs of underwear for each person *optional: a change of clothes can take a lot of room, and it doesn’t do any good if it doesn’t fit – so particular care must be given here. For these reasons I say “optional”. You simply may not have the ability to pack additional clothing – but at least you have underwear and extra socks – right? If you have children, clothes are more important, but they’ll have to be switched out every year – perhaps more often at different stages. For my husband, its a piece of cake – throw in a pair of jeans and a t shirt. For me – not so easy; I’m a little more complicated lol. Regardless of who its for, you’ll need to pick something that isn’t bulky; fold or roll it tightly and put in a plastic bag. * A light jacket. Something that can be rolled up tightly and crammed into a corner hopefully. If you have to evacuate in the winter, you’ll likely be grabbing your winter coat, footwear, hat, scarf and mitts on your way out – especially if you’re also grabbing your 72 hour kit. But in other seasons it best to have a jacket or hoodie packed into your backpack. * A light fleece blanket. Don’t underestimate the value of something warm and soft. It does more than take the chill off, its comforting. Fleece blankets can be rolled tightly, packed into a plastic bag and if necessary strapped onto the outside of your backpack.
Additional Emergency Supplies – consider adding based on your individual needs: *Prescription and non prescription (pain relievers, anti-diarrhea, antacids) medications. An emergency can make it difficult to refill prescription or to find an open pharmacy. *Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution *way to boil water and a small pot *Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream *Pet food and extra water for your pet – see below *RED FILE: Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification, bank info saved electronically or in a waterproof container *warm blanket for each person *change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes *Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items *books, games, puzzles to spend the time + activities for children (even if you don’t have children – there WILL be children) *small pocket calendar (don’t say you’ve got one on your phone)
PETS
Knowing how to keep your pets safe and comfortable during and after an emergency is part of being a responsible pet owner. My cousin has two golden labs who are important members of her family. She surprised me one day by telling me she had 72 hour bags for each of them – which I thought was brilliant!
Having a plan for your pets can reduce the stress for both them and you during an emergency. Where will you go? How will you transport them? Is your destination pet friendly? Are your pets friendly with other people and/or other pets? What kinds of things will you bring for them? What stressors trigger your pet? and what calms him down? Having a go-bag ready for your pet ready to grab on the way out will save you a lot of potential agony.
SANDIE ZOBELL’s Dog Pack: in small backpack individual small bags of dog food (about a cup of food in each) jug of water spare collars (put additional ID tags on them) spare leashes poop bags bowl (collapsible bowls take up less room and are water proof) treats towel, brush/comb – depending on the type of pet handy wipes or hand sanitizer toy or ball
Sandie has a 5 gallon pail with a gamma lid (screw top) so that it won’t pop off. It is always by back door and always has food in it. If the top portion is empty then you can stash the go-bags in it if you’re going to be in a vehicle. Original papers for her dogs are in her ‘red book’. Copies are in the go-bags. Dogs are micro chipped in case they get separated.
These are the things that are very specific to your comfort. The things that you know you’ll be unhappy without. Maybe its your face cream, or a type of soap, or a little bit of make up, or something you use in your hair, or something else that another might not find particular value in, but YOU do.
Don’t underestimate the psychological value of ‘comfort’, especially when your life has been turned upside down. If you feel that you need that little bit of make up to help you feel good about things – then you don’t owe anyone an apology or an explanation. Plan it in. In the same way, allow your family members the same favour. Scriptures, a favourite paperback book, a favourite toy, a favourite game, a favourite . . . (fill in the blank). Obviously it has to fit into your backpack, so that’s your firm criteria. But don’t deny something you may at first convince yourself is frivolous, it may make all the difference to your (or their) state of mind. If you ever get to a situation that you actually have to grab your bag and leave your house, you’ve got enough to worry about, and enough to be scared of, and not feel comfortable with – you don’t need to have created some of that yourself by neglecting things you consider important. Cut yourself a break and give yourself a little bit of grace.
That’s just my way of looking at it, you can do whatever you want with it. No one has a right to judge what you decide is important.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this list. What would you add? What would you not bother with?
Years ago, I bought this Emergency Food bucket at Costco in Utah. It says it has 200 adult servings – pretty impressive. I think I paid almost $200 (cdn) for it. I tried one of the meals as soon as we got it, and I recall thinking it was ‘okay’ and in a real emergency if it was all we had, we’d probably be glad to have it. I liked the claim of a 20 year shelf life (still like that part).
To be fair, at the time there really weren’t too many alternatives on the market so its not like I had a whole lotta options and I considered myself lucky to make this find.
The label says 100% vegetarian and vitamin fortified. Each package contains 5 servings. All this appealed to me. I offered it to my son-in-law to use for backpacking trips he was taking in the mountains at the time. He took some meals once and reported that they were ‘alright’, but I noticed that he never asked to use them again. . . . huh.
So flash forward to now, I thought I’d start using some of them – as time is flying by and I did spend $200 on it after all. The first morning I tried one of the breakfast packages, oatmeal. The ingredients: oats, sugar and flavourings (natural and artificial). Instructions: add to 5 cups of boiling water and cook for one minute, stirring. This is much more water than I add to quick oats normally, so I was a little suspicious of the claim to five servings per package.
It wasn’t terrible, but it really wasn’t good either. No milk + no salt = kinda blah. I added some Thrive Instant Milk powder and a little salt and it was ‘better’, but not much. I would have preferred to have had the milk and salt already in the pkg. Gramma Great said it “wasn’t terrible”. but I’ll be glad when they’re all gone. I tried to serve it to my grandkids when the came for a sleep over a few days later, but though they are huge oatmeal fans, they disliked this profusely. Let they lose confidence in “Gramma’s oatmeal” (which they love and request every time they’re here), I promised to never make THIS kind for them again.
I tried a few different meals this week. They were all pretty yucky. I’m committed to try more meals so that I know better what I’ve got, and how to prepare it for my family. Then I’ll decide what I’ll do with what’s left. Dan says we could use it for chicken food.
From the perspective of TODAY (15 years after I bought it), I have 10 suggestions when buying long term, shelf stable emergency food:
1. CONFIDENCE
when you buy something you expect to last long term, you should really know what it’s like. You should be able to have confidence in it. That means you should sample some of those meals fairly soon after buying, so that you know what you’re dealing with. If its good, its good and its gonna stay good. If it’s yucky to start out with, its certainly not gonna get any better in 15 years.
2. STORE WHAT YOU EAT. AND EAT WHAT YOU STORE.
Use the food from time to time so that you’re aware of how it’s ’aging’. Yes, it’s got a long shelf life, but time has a way of passing before you know it. And I know it’s tempting to go with a “One and Done” mentality for food storage, and then forget about it. But I have seen the result of that way of thinking. . . food that you thought you could count on – only to find out too late that it was poor quality.
What if you really had needed it? It let you down. Simply because you didn’t really know what you had. You trusted something too much, something that had not earned your trust.
In the end, you’ll waste a lot of money if you don’t STORE WHAT YOU EAT, AND EAT WHAT YOU STORE.
Keeping it rotated (by using it) keeps it good, and eliminates the potential of waste if it expires.
3. USE IT
‘Protecting’ your food till the end of the world or when the zombies come, may seem like a good idea at first, but eventually it will expire. Even 20 years comes to an end one day – and then what?
If you have something similar to what I describe in this post in YOUR food storage – that you bought a loooong time ago – USE it. Now would be a good time to know whether you like it or not. Finding that out later when you need it is a terrible ‘failure to plan’.
Don’t let it go to waste. The money you spent then, was real money, and if the food expires, you’ve wasted those dollars $$$!
4. CHECK REVIEWS
Seek out ‘real’ reviews from ‘real’ people and better yet, recommendations from like-minded friends. If you find a good line of shelf stable food that you’ve tried and like – tell others. If an emergency supply of quick easy to prepare meals is important to you, and you find a line that you really like, tell others. Learning from each other saves a lotta time and effort for everyone. Personal recommendations from a friend COUNTS.
5. SALT?
The sodium in that package of oatmeal was ‘0’ (zero). Impressive until you tasted it. There’s a reason we use salt. Just sayin’ . . .
6. GOOD FOR YOU?
I really don’t like artificial ingredients. Of any kind: flavours, colours, anti-caking agents, preservatives, etc . . . That’s important to me, even in something I expect to last a long time; maybe ESPECIALLY in something I expect to last a long time.
It’s gotta be “good-for-you”, or what’s the point? In this regard, the food in that bucket is profoundly disappointing.
7. TASTE?
After trying the few meals I tried, I have to say I really dislike the artificial after-taste. Its gotta taste good, or again – what’s the point? Who want’s to eat it if it tastes bad? I seriously couldn’t bring myself to eat a bowl of the bowl of the soup I made last night.
8. TRIAL AND ERROR
When I first bought that bucket, I’ve since found a brand I like MUCH better – for taste and quality, but I did the best I knew at the time, so I don’t regret my choice to purchase the original one. You can’t win them all. I just would never do it again – with what I now know. And I’d be a little more careful to read the label better. I trusted the place I bought it, and sadly, I put too much trust in the labeling – it said things I like to read. But I didn’t take the time to look at the ingredients.
I made mistakes, and learned from them.
9. AVOID PANIC BUYING
To be fair – like I said at the start, there were very few options for emergency food at the time I invested in this one. I may have “panic purchased” for that reason, scarcity.
That’s no longer the case. There are options now. I recommend taking your time. Check out reviews. Ask for opinions. I still think emergency meals are important to have – but ask around first. Read reviews.
10. PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS
Take the details seriously if you don’t want to waste money. Preparedness is not a vacation; it’s a journey and an investment – so its worth investigating, reading and asking around. If all you’re concerned about is shelf life, then no worries – there are lots of things that will last a long time. But if you want it to be nutritious, read the labels. If you want it to be delicious, read the reviews. And don’t just put it away “in case of”.
My conclusion – Don’t be afraid to try things – how else will we learn. Though I didn’t like anything about the package I bought 15+ years ago, I don’t regret buying it. It was important to me to invest in emergency planning and I did the best I could have at the time. I learned – and that made the purchase worth it (although I hate wasting money). However, if I can reduce my mistakes by learning from other people’s mistakes – all the better. Which is why I am writing this – so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes.
I am happy to see better options available now, and the BEST in my opinion – came on the market just a few years ago. Thrive Life Premium Meals – 12 individual meals available singly or in 5 assorted packages. What makes them different?
Well, for starters – I have CONFIDENCE in the company as I’ve tried everything else they produce. They are INSTANT meals, meaning just add water, and ready in 10 minutes – much more suited to emergencies, and also suited to meal prep on those crazy busy days when you still have to feed the family. They are completely freeze dried (prepared as meals from nutritious ingredients, then freeze dried to preserve goodness and taste). I was fortunate enough to be able to taste a few before I invested in them, so I knew they tasted good, and now I can read reviews about them. Yes, I STORE them for long term, but I still USE them at home when we need a quick meal, for camping trips, in the trailer, at the cabin, I even take them when I travel sometimes – because they’re so easy to prepare. In this way I keep them rotated and replenished.
*I like that they have a 20 year shelf life. *I like that they taste good. *I like that the ingredients are wholesome and nutritious. *I like the variety. *I like that there are many reviews – and more added constantly. *I like that they don’t require cooking, and that they can be refreshed in a bowl or their original package. *I like that each package has THREE servings, honest-to-goodness-hearty-real servings. *I like that they are available in an Emergency bucket very similar to the one I bought all those years ago – suitable to grab and go, or easy to send home with a College student or to take camping or whatever. *I like that I can order them to arrive right at my door. *I like that I can get FREE shipping (yes, even into Canada). Hey, I just plain LIKE them! And I highly recommend them.
When considering any emergency, I find it helpful to consider the RULE OF THREE to prioritize my means and my energies. *We can live up to 3 minutes without air. *In extreme weather, we’ll be in trouble within 3 hours without shelter. *We can go up to 3 days without water. *Our bodies will start shutting down long before 3 weeks without food. Variables include age, weight, health, activity level, environmental conditions and type of food of course.
So with these priorities in mind – whether considering emergency scenarios – especially without POWER or fresh running WATER (both of which could go on several days), do you have plan in place? . . . . I live in Edmonton, Alberta and in the winter we can experience some pretty severe cold weather from time to time. To be without power during those times can be deadly, and yet it is precisely those times that we may have problems with our furnaces. Furnaces are not going to quit in the summer when they’re not being used, they’re going to quit in the winter when they’re being used daily, especially when it’s bitter cold outside. (sigh . . . . I know right?)
And if you don’t have heat in the winter, you will soon have a water problem as well. Regardless of the time of year, our water supply is precious yet volatile, always susceptible to restriction or contamination. It is worth protecting and having a clean supply on hand.
Rule of 3
AIR – not likely to be a problem UNLESS we need to provide an alternate source of heat, at which time improper ventilation becomes a concern. Carbon Monoxide is produced any time you burn fuel: in vehicles, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges and furnaces. It is a very real, very scary thing – which can kill. *NEVER bring in an outdoor heat source or cooking stove. NEVER EVER. Those are not meant for indoors. link to my post THE NIGHT WE NEARLY WENT TO SLEEP FOREVER https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2018/12/13/the-night-we-nearly-went-to-sleep-forever/
SHELTER – This should give us pause to consider the circumstances of the many people without houses right now. Every day I hear about another death or two in the ‘tent cities’ in Edmonton. People just trying to stay warm in the most difficult situation. But if we’re sheltering in place during an extended power outage, there are things we need to take care of. With no heat, it will take only hours for the inside of your house to be the same temperature as the outside. If we don’t have an alternate source (fireplace or wood stove), we’ll need to leave the house in a short amount of time. Hopefully we’ve got a place in mind that we can go. We do – Right? And of course dressing for the weather is imperative.
Assuming we have a wood stove, lighting it when its really cold is not so easy. The low temperature in our chimney will force the cold air down creating a blockage – that prevents the smoke from escaping. Time to figure out how to light the fire and have it draw properly. Assuming that we’ve mastered that, we may find it a good idea to have everyone sleep in the room with the heat source. We have a Carbon Monoxide detector right? One that is battery run and fully charged. Right? Dressing for the weather is important IN the house too – sweaters, slippers, blankets . . .
WATER
– If we have to leave our home because of no heat, we must ensure the water is turned off and the lines are drained. Water will freeze in only hours and burst water pipes will cause terrible destruction. (don’t ask me how I know this) But even if we’re sheltering in place, there may be parts of our home that are at risk of freezing. It may be advisable to shut the water off anyway. We have another source of water in the house – Right?
If we only have one area that is warm, bring containers of water into that area to prevent them from freezing.
FOOD
We have more flexibility with this than anything else. For the short term, open up a can of pork and beans or make yourself a sandwich. (You have a hand operated can opener – Right?) Eat up some leftovers in the fridge – it could be lost within a day or two.
If the power outage goes on for more than a few days – your frozen food is in jeopardy. When its bitter cold, setting it all outside is an option – but that’s a terrible job! If the weather isn’t cold enough, we better be able to cook – or we’ll lose a lot! But that sounds like an arduous job too, and not very practical. I strongly advise AGAINST having your freezer contain the bulk of your food storage. Not a good idea at all, and this is exactly why. Having said that – I too have a freezer, and I use it. But depending on it alone for your food storage is a terrible idea.
Having some Meals in a Jar (MIJ) on hand will be a life saver if we have the ability to cook a one pot meal. They are nutritious, delicious, easy to prepare, and provide variety to meals that we’ll be glad to have. All we need is a pot, some water and a heat source. 15-20 minutes for most meals.
Instant freeze dried meals-in-a-pouch provide tasty and nutritious hearty meals with nothing more than added water. Excellent resource to have in your pantry or food storage. If you have the ability to heat the water, then all the better.
Always consider the RULE OF THREE and use it to measure every emergency when coming up with a game plan.
I’d heard about heating water over top of a candle for a long time, and I’d been casually curious about it, but my recent involvement with our WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER Emergency Prep group seemed like a good time to try it myself.
Not coincidentally, the scenario we were focusing on the second week of January was LOSS OF POWER. As fortune would dictated, it happened to be our coldest week of the years with temperatures dipping to -40 Celcius, and we were feeling it. Church last week even got cancelled to prevent unnecessary exposure, it was a good week to stay home.
And with us trying to keep the house reasonably warm without straining the system with our electrical needs, it seemed like a perfect time. We lit a fire in the woodstove downstairs and enjoyed the coziness of that warmth for several days, burning up quite a lotta wood. And we had a brief concern that our hot water heater might be having issues, but it had a happy ending.
So the claim I saw was exactly this (see below). I recreated it as closely as I could, but think I had more water than the original test cases used. My smallest kitchen pot is 4 cups, so 4 cups of water was my test.
You can see the start of bubbles in the bottom and steam coming from the water. That’s pretty impressive for 4 cups of water over tea lights.
It took a lot longer than I expected, a couple of hours till it reached 197 degrees. But to be fair, 197 degrees is pretty hot, hot enough to heat some soup, and maybe to even cook some eggs. If you aren’t in a hurry that is.
I’ll be using this hack again in the future – even if just to show off to the grandkids. And its nice to know if we ever run out of power, that we can have hot water with little effort.
After I took the above video, I meant to blow the candles out but forgot. When I came back in about half an hour, I was surprised to see that it had reached a slow boil. I guess what they say about a watched pot not boiling is right. They’re so shy.
I think I’ll pick up another pack of tea lights when I see them. A good thing to have sitting in the linen closet for just such a time as this.
Using mostly freeze dried ingredients, this is an easy dish to prepare for the pantry, ready when you need to pull a great meal together in less than half an hour. Meal in a Jar! Imagine that. LOL *when my kids were little, one of our favourite story books to read was STONE SOUP. A hungry traveler convinced uncharitable villagers that he could make Soup from a Stone. Curious villagers contributed assorted ingredients, shaking their heads and musing “Soup from a Stone! Imagine that.” Well it wasn’t that long ago that the idea of a shelf stable Meal in a Jar was just as novel and just as curious to me. Now its a way of life, and I always have several on hand in the pantry – for times that a quick hearty meal will make the day go better, or when I want to send a meal out to someone who could use a lift.
Servings: 6 Time: 15 mins Layer ingredients into quart sealer in this order:
1 quart of home canned tomatoes or 1 796 ml can of tomatoes (your choice of type) 4 cups water
Directions:
if preparing a Meal in a Jar (MIJ), layer all ingredients in the jar. I like to arrange very neatly so that it looks nice. End with the corn – and put as much corn as you can to fill the jar.
Put the lid on and label with name, date and brief instructions.
Store in pantry for up to a year. It’s okay if you pass a year, but shoot to use it within a year. This is no longer long term ‘food storage’, it is intended for the convenience of a kitchen pantry. For up to 5 year storage, insert an oxygen absorber and vacuum seal.
Dump contents of jar into a pot and refill the quart jar with water to add. Stir to combine thoroughly and dissolve spices. Add quart of tomatoes.
Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to gently simmer approximately 20-25 minutes until beans are tender. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes.
if you prefer to have chili soup, just add another 2 cups of water.
If preparing meal straight in the pot (without a jar), just put all dry ingredients in the pot, add water and canned tomatoes and follow directions above.
Serve with dollop of sour cream on top and corn chips. Or cornbread (see recipe for cornbread mix).
When I try a new recipe, I make the recipe once into the pot, and again into the jar. That way I can check the measurements that fit into the jar, and sample the soup to know how much I’d like to store. After we finish dinner, I know if I’d like to make a few more. I’ll make up to four jars to store of a recipe that we enjoy, to keep on hand in my pantry or to share.
using mostly dried ingredients, this is an easy dish to prepare straight from the pantry
Servings: 6 Time: 20 mins Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cups freeze dried chopped or diced Chicken hydrated in water to cover (I use the bouillon here) 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil 1-2 cloves minced or 1 Tbsp freeze dried garlic 1/4 cup freeze dried Sliced Onions 1/4 cup freeze dried Diced Green Chilies 1/2 cup freeze dried Green Peas 1/2 cup freeze dried Green Bell Peppers 1/2 cup freeze dried Red Bell Peppers 1 tsp Garam Masala 1Tbsp Yellow Curry Powder 1 Tbsp Chicken Bouillon 1 tsp Black Pepper 1 Tbsp Turmeric 1 Tbsp Cumin 1 Tbsp Paprika pinch of Cayenne 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar 3 Tbsp Tomato Powder 2 cans Coconut Milk 1/2 – 1 cup freeze dried Zucchini, Green Beans, or your choice of other vegetable
Directions
Pre-cook your favourite type of rice.
While your rice is cooking, place freeze dried chicken in a bowl covered with water and 1 Tbsp bouillon. Set aside to refresh 10-20 minutes.
Heat a large skillet with sides, to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil heat. Saute garlic, onions and chili peppers in the oil. Add the chicken (with water used to refresh), and saute until the chicken is tender and warm.
Add all of the seasonings and stir to mix well, continuing to simmer.
Add the coconut milk, tomato powder and brown sugar and stir well to completely dissolve tomato powder and brown sugar.
Add the peas and zucchini and any other freeze vegetable you want to use. Don’t be afraid to add a little more water if needed.
Simmer till warmed through, then remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes Serve over hot rice.
for Meal in a Jar: 1. layer in dry seasoning – one at a time; I like to put the smaller amounts against the glass so that they show better. Top seasoning with the tomato powder, unless you’re using tomato paste later. 2. 1/4 cup each of freeze dried Sliced Onions, and freeze dried Diced Green Chilies, 1/2 cup each of freeze dried Green Peas, freeze dried Green Bell Peppers, freeze dried Red Bell Peppers 3. 1+1/2 cup freeze dried chopped or diced chicken 4. Top the jar up with 1/2 cup of your choice of Zucchini or Green Beans, or your choice of another vegetable. Add as much as you can till jar is full. 5. Put the lid on, label and date, put it away in your pantry to use within a year. Store away from light. For best results, don’t push the shelf life passed a year. 6. To prepare – cook your rice ahead; pour jar ingredients into a fairly large skillet and add 2 cups water. Stir to combine well, while bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add coconut milk, stir well to combine. Lightly simmer till chicken is tender, then remove from heat. Let sit covered for 5 minutes and serve over top rice.
Pro Tips: – if you don’t have tomato powder, use tomato paste (not in the jar – at the time of cooking) – if you don’t have all those spices (other than curry), not to worry; just use what you’ve got. CURRY however is important. If you don’t have curry – don’t make the dish. – to simplify the preparation I spoon the spices into a small (1/4 pint) jar, arranged beautifully. I save this seasoning mixture in my spice cupboard to add all together when preparing similar dishes later.
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.
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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.
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.
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. 
