Whether you’re feeding the family, hosting a backyard dinner party or whipping up something quick for a weekday meal, pulled pork is always a guaranteed pleaser. You can serve it with your favourite BBQ sauce and sides, in sandwiches and tacos, or over nachos, but have you ever served it over top a perfectly crispy waffle? Don’t knock it till you try it. My first introduction to chicken on waffles was a complete surprise. This just takes that favourite dish to a whole new level. How bout adding the flavour of maple syrup? Better yet, add a splash of sriracha sauce at the end for some extra zing.
What if I told you it could BE ON THE TABLE in less than half an hour? I know right! True story. Read on.
*full disclosure: this is not my recipe. I just wanted it written down somewhere so that I could share it. It originated with Chef Todd Leonard 1 (see below).
I am not a vegetarian but I do not eat much meat and could easily imagine a life without it. However, I live with people who DO like to eat meat, and I’m okay with that, though I do NOT like to handle raw meat. Having freeze dried meat checks off a few boxes for me.
Box 1: Food storage is important to me – not just for those BIG emergencies where the sky comes falling down, but for the more frequent emergencies like job interruption, like unexpected expenses, like illness that keeps one from shopping or meal preparation, like – I dunno, maybe something WAAAY out there, like a pandemic that keeps us out of the stores . . . . so many other of the day to day realities of normal life. There is something to be said for the peace of mind that comes with preparing for those times. Properly sealed freeze dried food has a shelf life of 25 years. Once opened, it generally will last up to a year if protected from the moisture in the air.
Box 2: Saving money is important to me, by NOT cooking more meat than we need at any given time (meaning we either ate too much, or we ate leftovers for too long, or we wasted food by throwing it away, or worse – all three). Now I just prepare exactly what I want.
Box 3: Convenience of putting a NICE meal on the table in less than half an hour. Thrive Life freeze dried meats are all precooked and in some cases, lightly seasoned. You can even eat them straight out of the can!
Box 4: Never having to touch, smell or deal with raw meat. BIG box for me.
I’ll admit – waffles and meat never used to fit together in my mind UNTIL I tried it a few times. Now this is one of our favourites. So put away your slow cooker and get over yourself. You don’t need to thaw, precook or shred the meat. It’s already done.
*Someone recently told me they spooned the pork mixture onto the waffle maker, and poured the waffle mix over top! Wowzers! Definitely trying THAT next time I make this recipe.
I am using mostly freeze dried ingredients here (FD), but not to worry – you can substitute with equal amounts of garden fresh in every case. And if you have a pork roast in your freezer, but not the freeze dried pulled pork – not to worry. Just slow cook it like you would for any other ‘pulled pork’ recipe (without all the seasoning). What you’re going to end up with is cooked pulled pork – just the long way around. Freeze dried pulled pork is delicious and accessible – the short cut way. Amounts intended to serve 4 or 5 people
Ingredients normal stuff in your kitchen: 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup water 1/4 cup butter
* optional: add more FD vegetables as desired. Green Peppers, Asparagus, Green Beans, Peas, Kale, Spinach . . . . etc Put away your cutting board. These vegetables are already washed and sliced.
Waffles: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 T baking powder 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 large eggs 1 ½ cups warm milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Sift all dry ingredients together, set aside. Beat eggs and oil into milk. Pour liquids into dry ingredients and stir to moisten all.
OR use 2 cups of your favourite Pancake mix or try my mix (recipe in this blog site) + 2 eggs (beaten) to whatever liquid your mix calls for *tip: 2 T Thrive Life Scrambled Egg Mix +3 T water = 1 egg
Directions: 1. refresh PULLED PORK by putting it in a jar or container with a lid. Add 3 cups warm water, fasten lid and roll the jar ensuring all meat is moistened. Set aside to allow to soften 10-15 minutes. A little longer isn’t going to hurt. It is helpful to gently tumble the jar every few minutes.
2. make Waffles: Preheat seasoned waffle iron and pour batter onto oiled, HOT griddle. Approximately 1/4 cup in each quadrant. Close waffle iron and watch the time. I leave mine for 4 minutes until they’re toasty brown, but every waffle iron is probably a bit different. Cook waffles and set aside.
3. Pork mixture: Using a large skillet, heat oil and lightly toast onions and garlic till aromatic and slightly browned.
4. Add the moistened pork with remaining water. Stirring gently (so as not to break up the delicate meat), add all the vegetables and Chef’s Choice Seasoning, adding extra water (1/4 cup at a time) as needed to keep the mixture wet. Last time I made this in addition to the onions, I used red peppers, green peppers, chili peppers, green beans and spinach.
5. Add brown sugar, soy sauce and maple syrup. Reduce heat and simmer gently another couple of minutes stirring, till all vegetables are moistened. If mixture is too dry, simply add a little more water. Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste if desired (I never add either as I find the Chef’s Choice is perfect for me).
6. Remove from heat and add butter, allowing it to melt and emulsify. Give it one final stir.
As mentioned above: *Someone recently told me they spooned the pork mixture onto the waffle maker, and poured the waffle mix over top! I’m loving that idea! Definitely trying it next time I make this recipe.
Unlike many freeze dried meats, PULLED PORK is a ‘high fat’ meant, which affects its open shelf life. Once the can is open, use it within a few weeks. Personally, I always write the date I open a can on the lid so I can stay on top of it. In the case of PULLED PORK, I put it in the fridge to buy me an extra week or two. If I know for sure I’m not going to use it right away, I’ll put it in the freezer part of my fridge to buy another week or two. Don’t forget about it – USE it! For this reason, I generally buy the smaller cans so that I can use them more efficiently, and I ALWAYS buy them when they are on sale.↩︎
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.
Sometimes its simply a matter of looking OUTSIDE the proverbial box. This quick quiche loaded with protein and vegetables is eaten like a pizza. I call it QUICHE PIZZA, and it is a delicious, nutritious dinner that you hope to have leftovers of so you can eat it for lunch again tomorrow! It’s just as good cold.
This recipe serves four people with two eggs each. I use a family sized pie plate and two tortillas. If you want to make less in a smaller pie plate, just adjust accordingly. Shoot for two eggs per person, and the rest is up to you.
The vegetables: Use what you have on hand. I like to use chopped onions, red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and of course spinach. I add spinach to almost everything it seems. These are vegetables I always have on hand because I mostly use freeze dried vegetables – but if you have fresh out of your garden, AWESOME! Use those.
ingredients: 8 eggs 1 cup cottage cheese, beaten into the egg mixture 2 large tortillas seasoning salt of your choice assorted vegetables, suggested: diced red peppers, chopped onion, sliced mushrooms, broccoli flowerets, spinach shredded cheddar or blend of cheddar and pepper jack
directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs till frothy Add cottage cheese and beat it into eggs till well blended Arrange tortillas in a large pie plate. Cut the 2nd one into half or even quarters to arrange in pie plate making sure all of the plate is covered. Pour egg mixture in. Assuming you’re using the same vegetables I use, begin by arranging about 1/2 – 3/4 cup mushroom slices in the bottom of the egg mixture. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup chopped onions on top of them. Sprinkle about 3/4 cup red pepper slices over top of the onions. Arrange small broccoli flowerets in some empty places between the red peppers. Sprinkle a layer of spinach on top of everything else. I put quite a bit on (about a cup of freeze dried spinach) If using freeze dried vegetables, use a fork to gently submerge all vegetables into the egg mixture so that they’re moistened by it. Season with salt and pepper. Add a layer of shredded cheese. Be generous. 1-2 cups.
Place into heated oven in the middle rack, and set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes test the middle to see that it is no longer liquid – ‘jiggly’. If it needs a few more minutes, lower the heat to 325 and lay a sheet of aluminum over top to prevent the tortilla crust from over cooking.
Watch it carefully at this point so that you don’t over cook it. When the center is firm, remove from oven and let the ‘pizza’ rest on a rack for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from pan and cut into wedges as for a pizza. Serve. Enjoy. You can eat it with your hands, and it’s pizza so DO.
Here’s my Secret: When I make this quiche pizza (or anything similar to it), unless I have fresh garden vegetables, I use freeze dried vegetables. But not just any freeze dried vegetables. After trying many different brands over the years, I now use Thrive Life freeze dried vegetables. There’s a good reason for that, and its a very important one to me (actually a few good reasons, but I’ll tell you five of them).
1. Thrive Life guarantees that their produce is picked ripe (at the peak of what nature intended that fruit or vegetable to be), AND guarantees that in less than six hours from harvest (usually two to four hours), that produce is washed peeled, chopped and flash frozen! Locking in the colour, texture, taste and ALL the natural goodness. In that frozen state (-40 degrees Celsius), it is transferred to a facility where it has all the remaining moisture removed without it thawing. That’s the second step in the two-step process of freeze drying.
2. Thrive Life fruits and vegetables are as organic as you can get without them being ‘certified’ organic. They monitor the process of planting, growing, harvesting, freeze drying and packaging from beginning to end. It’s part of what they call their NUTRILOCK Guarantee and its something they take very seriously.
3. Because of this attention to detail, Thrive Life foods are the BEST in the world and that is no empty claim. They have always been the best, but as of the beginning of 2024, they are also the biggest freeze dried company in the world. They literally are “Fresher-than-Fresh”, or what we frequently refer to as ‘fresh’ – the produce in our grocery stores, which are picked green if possible and are subjected to long travel times to get to us – anything but ‘fresh’.
4. Thrive Life freeze dried food has a 25 year shelf life, making it the most dependable, shelf stable, nutritious food on the market – the perfect choice for anyone interested in emergency preparedness, and long term food storage. So that means I always have fruits and vegetables in the pantry, ready any time I might decide I’d like to have spinach in my homemade quiche, or cheese on a homemade quiche, or mangoes in our yogurt, or blueberries on top of cereal or . . . . . well, the list is endless. And its always there because once you open that can, you can count on it being perfectly good for about a year afterward.
5. The other important reason I use Thrive Life freeze dried food is the convenience. Those vegetables are already washed and chopped. I just sprinkle the onions from the can, distribute the sliced mushrooms or red peppers from the can, add a layer of spinach from the can. It’s quick and easy. And guess what else? They even have freeze dried eggs! I literally had this recipe ready to go into the oven in less that ten minutes. With zero mess!
There now you have it. My secret. How I do things. And make no mistake – I’m all about down home goodness, and doing things from scratch. These are not ‘processed foods’. These are CLEAN, WHOLE FOODS and nothing but. Making dinner from scratch still counts even when you’re using freeze dried food. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
I hope you’ll try this easy recipe for a great dinner, lunch or brunch. Whether you use garden fresh, freeze dried or a mixture of both as I do much of the time.
A few years ago I discovered “meals in a jar”, and at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, it kinda changed my life. In a good way. What exactly IS a meal in a jar (MIJ)? Its a good, healthy meal, ready in a matter of minutes, prepared ahead for such a time as this. The variety of options is endless, limited only by your imagination. If you’re short on imagination at the moment, scroll down. I’m giving you a few of my favourite recipes below, with some suggestions for adjusting as seems appropriate.
6 different MIJ – Meals in a Jar
Food storage has been a way of life for me, all my adult years. Why? Because it’s the SMART thing to do, that’s why. I saw the example in varying degrees throughout my childhood, but Dan and I took it to a whole new level as we practiced and learned, and increasingly saw the value of having a food storage. Not everybody’s food storage looks the same. With encouragement, suggestions, and the kinship one feels with other likeminded people, I developed my own plan that fit into our lifestyle. The best piece of advice I absorbed came from Spencer W. Kimball, who counselled “Store what you eat, and EAT what you store.”
When freeze dried food became more readily (and increasingly) available, storing high quality food became easier, and more nutritious. It also opened up a whole new world of possibilities for convenience. Yes, convenience and healthy, and long term shelf stable, can all exist on the same table at the same time. True, we generally focus on food storage as an emergency resource, but consider the innumerable minor emergencies that happen in the regular course of our week. Those days when you’ve been crazy busy, but the family still needs to eat supper. Those days when you just don’t have any good ideas or energy, but the family still needs to eat supper. Those days when you’re sick, and need to leave dinner up to someone else. Those times when money is short, and the fridge is bare, but the family still needs to eat. . . . You get the picture.
Meals in a jar (MIJ), properly sealed can last an easy five years, but personally I’m not interested in them lasting five years. With freeze dried food, I already have an excellent food storage that will last 25 years. What I’m looking for with MIJ – is convenience. I want a few meals our family will enjoy IN the pantry, close and handy for the day I need it. I want a few meals I know I can count on, that I can pass on to a friend or neighbour who could use a helping hand from time to time. But its gotta be healthy. That’s my one big criteria, my non-negotiable. No artificial additives. I still run with the motto “If you can’t say it, don’t eat it“, so homemade with ingredients I can trust is essential.
How long can you expect a MIJ to last with a good snug lid on it? Six months to a year is how long I keep mine, and I’ve never had a problem. MIJ are great options to keep on the shelf for THOSE emergencies! If you’re of a mind, and if you have a vacuum sealer, go ahead and seal them for longer shelf stability. But in the meantime, consider them part of your routine: your emergency dinner-to-the-rescue, to pull out when you need to get dinner on the table quick!
Sausage Corn Chowder on the table with broccoli cheese biscuit
Ingredients:
Most MIJ recipes require freeze-dried foods of course, with perhaps some dehydrated ingredients. These are ever more readily available in stores and to order directly. Truth is, not all freeze dried food is the same quality, so do your homework when picking a reliable source. Personally, I prefer the quality of THRIVE LIFE foods – just Simple, Clean Food. The quality of your MIJ and the confidence you have in it’s shelf stability, can only be equal to the quality of the ingredients you use, and the care and attention you give to cleanliness when packing it.
Equipment:
Containers: I use wide mouth quart jars for family sized meals, and pint jars for smaller meals. I like glass because you can SEE – easy to know what is in there, and that they are airtight with a good lid. Make sure they’re clean and DRY. And store in a cupboard away from light so the vibrant colours are not faded by the sun. Jar funnel: Not necessary, but sure comes in handy to get everything INto the jar. Measuring cups and spoons: Measurements are pretty important when you’re trying to fit it all into a jar. Label: just something to write basic information like the name of the dish and how much water to add of course, but I learned a good lesson about including directions. One day when I had some visiting grandchildren, I was not well. Dan was working during the day, but when he got home, he pulled out a MIJ to whip up a quick and easy dinner. Occasionally, if I am intending to give the meal away, I’ll also include a list of ingredients on the label.
How to create your own recipe:
Fill up these jars with different Meals to keep on hand. I usually make at least two of each recipe, and try to have 6-8 MIJ in the pantry at any given time
Once you have prepared a few MIJ’s, and have stored them and used them, you’ll become more familiar and comfortable with things you like about them. It will become easy to create your own recipes from existing favourite recipes. For instance: in a magazine while waiting to get my hair cut a few years ago, I came across some soup recipes that looked appealing. The one that caught my eye was for a “Bacon Corn Chowder”, using potatoes, corn, onions, celery, and bacon. As I reviewed it, I realized that I had all the necessary ingredients in my pantry (except the bacon). I could make this meal today, and better than that, if we liked it, I could create a MIJ for future meals. One of my favourite MIJ recipes came from adapting that one. I used Freeze Dried Sausage Crumbles instead of bacon. Perfect! When I try out a brand new recipe I’m developing for a MIJ, I make two. One meal goes straight into the pot for dinner today, and the other, straight into the jar. This accomplishes two important things: 1) I want to TRY the recipe to ensure we like it before I invest too heavily 2) I want to see how it all fits together in the jar, so that I can make notes as needed. Ideally, I can fill many future jars from that recipe, so I want to ensure I’m happy with it. Don’t forget a pen and paper to work out amounts and make corrections during the process.
* You can layer your ingredients in the jar in any order you want. If you put the bigger pieces in first, and end with the powders, you can shake the powder down through the other ingredients at the end and get more ingredients into the jar. Very practical but not very visually appealing. I’m all about ‘pretty’, so I prefer to begin my layering with the powders and then transition into bigger pieces as I get to the top. It looks much nicer. But, you be you; do what you want.
Recipes
sausage corn chowder
Cindy’s Sausage Corn Chowder This is the one that originated from that magazine recipe. Layer into a wide mouth quart jar: 1/4 cup Thrive Life Instant milk powder 1/4 cup Thrive Life Sour Cream powder 2 T Thrive Life Chicken Bouillon 1/3 cup Thrive Life Bechemel Sauce (or homemade cream soup base) 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, crumbled by hand 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried chopped onions 2 T Thrive Life freeze dried celery, crumbled by hand 2 T Thrive Life dehydrated carrots (*I’ve tried a few varieties, but Thrive Life is by far the best) 1 cup Thrive Life dehydrated potato chunks* 1/2 cup Thrive Life Sausage Crumbles Fill the remaining room with Thrive Life Sweet Corn Secure lid, label and store in cool dark place.
* do NOT use freeze dried potatoes as they’ll just fall apart in the length of time you’ll want to simmer this chowder
to prepare: Dump jar ingredients into a pot with 2 cups of water. Turn medium heat on and bring to a slow boil while stirring to prevent clumping or scorching. When everything is beautifully combined and is beginning to thicken, pour remaining 3 cups of water (total of 5 cups). Bring back up to a slow-low boil and then reduce heat to simmer till potatoes are tender – 15-20 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent lumping or scorching as it thickens. When potatoes are tender, remove from heat and let sit for five minutes before serving.
Cindy’s Taco Soup in a Jar in a wide mouth quart jar, layer the following: 1/2 cup Thrive Life Tomato Powder 1 T taco seasoning 1 T Thrive Life’s Chef Choice Seasoning (or your fave all purpose seasoning) 1 teaspoon cumin powder (I always put in more, but you’re the boss, you do you) 1 teaspoon salt 1 + 1/2 cup instant red beans 1 cup Thrive Life ground beef 1/3 cup dehydrated or freeze dried chopped onions 1/3 cup dehydrated peppers 3/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried Sweet Corn Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place.
to prepare: Dump contents into 8 cups of water. Bring to boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching bottom. Reduce heat, add up to 2 more cups water and bring to a and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes till beans are tender. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes to thicken. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar if desired and replace lid. Serve with corn bread or taco chips. Enjoy!
Zuppa Toscana in a Jar in a wide mouth quart jar, layer the following: 1/2 cup Thrive Life Sour Cream powder 2 T Thrive Life Veloute Sauce (chicken gravy) 1 T Thrive Life Chicken Bouillon 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 teaspoon freeze dried garlic 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional) 1/2 cup Thrive Life freeze dried Spinach 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried chopped onions 1 cup instant refried beans 1/2 cup Thrive Life Sausage crumbles 1 cup Thrive Life dehydrated potato chunks Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place.
to prepare: Dump contents into 8 cups of water. Bring to boil, stirring frequently to prevent lumps or scorching bottom. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes till potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes to thicken. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and fresh bread on the side.
Chicken Pot Pie Soup in a wide mouth quart jar layer the following: 1 cup Thrive Life Bechemal Sauce (white cream sauce) 1 T Thrive Life Chicken Bouillon 1/4 cup Thrive Life Sour cream powder 1 T dried sage crumbled 1/4 t pepper 1 T parsley 2 T Thrive Life dehydrated carrots 1/3 cup Thrive Life freeze dried chopped onions 1 cup Thrive Life dehydrated potato chunks 1 cup Thrive Life chopped chicken 1/2 cup Thrive Life freeze dried peas 1/2 cup Thrive Life freeze dried sweet corn Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place.
to prepare: Add contents to 6 cups of water. Bring to a slow boil, stirring frequently to prevent lumping or scorching. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes stirring once in awhile to keep from scalding on bottom. Remove from heat and let sit 5 or 10 minute to thicken before serving.
what about meals that are NOT soups? no problem!
Shepherd’s Pie in a wide mouth quart jar, layer the following: 1/4 cup Thrive Life Bechemal Sauce (creamy white sauce) 2 T Thrive Life Tomato Powder 2 T Thrive Life Beef Bouillon 1 teaspoon freeze dried garlic 1 teaspoon crumbled dry oregano leaves 2 T Thrive Life dehydrated carrots 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried chopped onions 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried celery (crumbled by hand) 1+1/2 cup freeze dried vegetables of your choice (here I did a combination of freeze dried peas, corn, green beans, and butternut squash, but you can also add broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, spinach, asparagus, kale . . . etc) Top off the jar with a few more vegetables if needed. Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place.
This becomes the base of your Shepherd’s Pie. You’ll want to cover with a layer of mashed potatoes, sprinkled with shredded cheese of your choice.
to prepare: Pour contents of jar into casserole dish, add 2+1/2 cup boiling water and stir to completely mix everything evenly, and to refresh it. Spread evenly in pan. Make up some instant mashed potatoes according to package directions (Thrive Life makes the best and purest instant potatoes I’ve ever tried). Layer the mashed potatoes over top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. (Thrive Life also has shredded cheese) Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese.
Beef Stroganoff in a wide mouth quart jar, layer the following: ½ c. THRIVE Life Instant Milk ½ c. THRIVE Life Sour Cream Powder 2 Tbsp Cornstarch 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 Tbsp THRIVE Life Beef Bouillon ¼ c. THRIVE Life Butter Powder 1/3 c. THRIVE Life Chopped Onions 1/3 c. THRIVE Life Celery – Freeze Dried 2/3 c. THRIVE Life Mushroom Pieces – Freeze Dried 2/3 c. THRIVE Life Diced Beef – Freeze Dried 2 c. Elbow Macaroni , rotini, egg noodles – your choice Top off the jar with a few more vegetables if needed. Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place.
to prepare: Throw and Go. Add all ingredients to 6 cups hot water and bring to a boil. Stir a few times to prevent sticking. When liquid comes to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, and simmer 12 minutes. Stir from time to time to prevent sticking. When pasta is cooked, turn heat off. Stir and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken. *Option 1: For variety – substitute Egg Noodles for the pasta. Use a little less water and adjust cooking times slightly as egg noodles don’t take as long to cook. They also take a lot more room in the jar, which is why I usually use macaroni. *Option 2: For the vegetable lover, add ½ c. THRIVE Life FD Red or Green Peppers in the last minute of cooking. You don’t really need to cook them, you just want to plump them up and heat through. *Option 3: For a gorgeous Florentine Stroganoff, stir in ½ c. THRIVE Life FD Spinach after you turn off the heat. *Option 4: Substitute THRIVE Life FD Ground Beef or THRIVE Life FD Shredded Beef for the meat. * DO NOT use freeze dried pulled pork, as the shelf life on pulled pork is considerably shorter (it being a high fat meat).
When you pour your stroganoff into your serving dish, generously sprinkle with Parsley and freshly ground pepper, or better yet, THRIVE’s Chef’s Choice All Purpose Seasoning Blend. Enjoy!
Mac n Cheeseburger in a wide mouth quart jar, layer the following: ½ cup Thrive Life Instant Milk (the very best) 2 T cornstarch 3/4 cup Thrive Life Cheese Sauce 1 T Beef Bouillon 1/3 cup Thrive Life Freeze Dried chopped onions ½ cup THRIVE Life FD Ground Beef 2 cups elbow macaroni Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place.
to prepare: Pour contents of jar into 6 cups hot water in a ‘big enough’ pot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. When liquid comes to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-12 minutes till pasta is tender, stirring once in a while to prevent sticking. When pasta is tender, turn heat off. Stir again, and let sit 5 minutes to thicken. *option: add 1/2 cup FD shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese for an even cheesier dish *option: add 1/2 cup FD peas about 5 minutes before pasta has finished cooking
Fresher than Fresh Berry Muesli This recipe has been adjusted to fit into a pint jar for a smaller, more portable serving. So quick and easy to prep, and portable to throw in your bag to take for lunch or eat on a road trip.
In a wide mouth pint jar, layer the following: 1/2 cup Quick Oats 1/4 cup Thrive Life dehydrated Applesauce 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried Blueberries 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried Raspberries 1/4 cup Thrive Life Strawberry Slices Jar will not be completely full, which is what you want to be able to stir the apple juice in later. Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place. to prepare: Add 1+ 1/2 cup apple juice, and stir in to completely moisten everything. Let it sit aside for up to five minutes to assure everything is completely absorbed. Enjoy! – link to full recipe –
Smoothie in a Jar now smoothies can be totally portable! For a long time (before RUVI became available) , I would blend small amounts of freeze dried fruits and vegetables in the blender and make a “smoothie-in-a-jar”. Convenient and nutritious to take when I was on the run and didn’t have time for a meal. Those are the times you’re tempted to pick up fast food right? But that’s exactly what I don’t want to do. Did you know? 1 Tablespoon of powdered vegetable = 1 serving. ? I just add a little cold water, shake up the jar and drink it. 4 servings of fruits and vegetables with all the nutritional goodness they have to offer. What a gift. You can use any combination you want but my favourite was the following. 1 Tablespoon pineapple powder (made from Thrive Life FD pineapple) 1 Tablespoon peach powder (made from Thrive Life FD peaches) 1 Tablespoon spinach powder (made from Thrive Life FD spinach) 1 Tablespoon kale powder (made from Thrive Life FD kale) layer it or shake it up to mix. This is POWER in a Jar. The natural enzymes of pineapple, the vitamin C of the peaches (and pineapple). The vitamin A, minerals and antioxidants of spinach and kale.
* Did you know?Thrive Life peaches have 21 times MORE Vitamin C than so called ‘fresh’ peaches from the grocery store in the middle of summer. Not even kidding. You read right – 21X more. Wanna know why? Because unlike the peaches we buy in the grocery store, which are picked green, Thrive Life fruits are picked when they are completely RIPE and at the height of nature’s perfection, being nutritionally complete. Everyone knows that produce begins to deteriorate within the first hour after harvest, so eating it ‘fresh’ is ideal. Thrive Life ensures that not only are those peaches picked ripe, but they are picked, peeled, sliced and flash frozen within 6 hours of harvest. That is why they retain 95% (or more) of their original natural goodness. * Did you know? Spinach loses 100% of its vitamin C within 4 days of harvest! Yup, sad but true. When you buy so called ‘fresh’ spinach from the grocery store, there is ‘0’ (ZERO) vitamin C left in it. Thrive Life Spinach is picked, washed, chopped and flash frozen within 6 hours of harvest, retaining pretty much ALL its vitamin C plus a whole lotta other goodness. Up to 95%!
* hint: the natural sweetness of the fruits will eventually cause the fruit powder to compress. The vegetables will not, they’ll stay loose. So mixing up everything might not be as pretty, but it is more likely to stay loose. Your choice. You be you.
so what about desserts? Can you put those into a jar too? Absolutely!
Lemon Pound Cake from your pantry this cake is good for so many reasons, and for so many things: from a simple elegant lemon pound cake, to a gorgeous berry lemon trifle, and everything in between. And its the perfect choice for a MIJ (except its not a ‘meal’). Just add water.
measure the following ingredients into a clean dry quart jar 1+1/2 cups flour 2 t baking powder 1/2 cup Thrive Life Butter powder 3/4 cup white sugar 1 T Thrive Life classic lemonade – or up to 2 T for those exceptional lemon fans 1/4 cup Thrive Life scrambled egg mix 1/2 t salt 3 T Thrive Life Instant milk Secure lid, label and store in cool, dark place.
Blueberry Lemon Cake (made w the crumbled blueberries left in the bottom of a can of Freeze Dried Blueberries)
to prepare: preheat oven to 350 F. Dump contents into a mixing bowl and with wire whisk, gently mix all ingredients till thoroughly combined. Form a well in the center and pour in 1+1/2 cup water. Stir just until everything is moistened. Pour into greased 9×9 pan and placed in center of oven. Bake about 40 minute, until center is done. Test by gently tapping center, then by inserting clean toothpick. When it comes out clean, remove from oven and set aside to cool. Cut and serve. Enjoy.
* option: drizzle with lemon glaze while still warm. Mix 1 T classic lemonade powder with 3 T water and slowly cream in sifted icing sugar to desired consistency. Drizzle over top. Or use 3 T of fresh lemon juice. * option: add 2 T poppy seeds into dry ingredients * option: add 1/2 cup freeze dried blueberries and a little extra water
Do you make Meals in a Jar already? If so, I’d love to hear about your favourite recipes. It’s always good to share. If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll give it a try. If you don’t have enough freeze dried foods to get started, here’s what THRIVE LIFE has available. They are the biggest freeze drying company in North America, and their quality is second to NONE.
If you’d like suggestions of best ways to purchase, or if you have any questions on particular products, ask away – I use them ALL, and I can suggest best ones for MIJ.
