Food Storage

Building up my food storage has been and will be a on going project.

Four times I have moved and each time I have used up or given away my stash.

I’m back to the start once more. I maybe have 3-4 months worth of food storage on hand for myself, alone.

Cans of wheat, oats, rice, meats, honey, water, dried and canned fruits and vegetables, toiletries, and sometimes to my detriment crafts and sewing supplies to keep me busy during those down times.

My small shelf of canned goods is full. Time for me to enlarge the shelfing area.

Needs some organizing too!

Next on my list is putting together a new 72 hour kit, rotating my old one out.

I was listening to a you-tube video from Glen Beck and it brought to mind the motto, “Be Prepared.” And I’m not, yet.

The other wish of mine is to be self sufficient. I’ve got a long way to go to be there, but I’m working on it.

I purchased some great books on herbal remedies and first aid.

Invested in some movable solar power and still haven’t finished my wish list.

Again! I’m working on it.

Anyone want to teach me how to replace a serpentine belt on my car?

Well, I’m going to share a few lists I found that I hope will help others.

It’s not that I’m paranoid, it’s just that I have been down on my luck too many times and that food storage has come in mighty handy.

Thanks to pinterest for the lists. They have a lot of great ideas on there.

Sweet Cravings

Ice cream, ice cream, we all scream for ice cream.

Sweet cravings are one of the side effects of cutting out the sugar in your life.

And cutting out sugar and carbs leaves behind a void almost impossible to fill.

I gotta have me some…

Sweets!

Pulling the container of Cream Cheese Ice Cream out of the freezer really helps.

It’s the waiting that is hard. I gotta have it now. Patience is not a virtue I inherited.

Two things for me will snap the patience button quicker that anything else. Sweet cravings and lies.

I find myself liying to myself a lot when I diet, so to avoid the lies I have tried to make a life style change.

Liying about the sweets I inhaled and how it won’t hurt to sneak just one, I now realize that I need to include a sweet every once in a while. But, I need to choose the kind of sweet that will not cause head aches, high blood pressure or extra weight gain. I’m still working on that last one, weight gain. Loving food is another vice of mine.( confession is good for the soul, at least that’s what I have heard.)

Cream cheese ice cream is one of those sweets that tames the cravings for me. Just a couple of spoonfuls at a time works wonders with my good moods.

Cream cheese ice cream

1 block of cream cheese melted and whipped

1/2 cup heavy cream whipped (zero sugar whipped topping makes great substitute)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

A handful of mashed fresh strawberries

(Substitutes, other berries, pineapple, another favorite substitute of mine is 1/2 cup sugar free chocolate pudding )

Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

If you still need sweetening, add a little ( notice I said a little) bit of your favorite sweetener substitute.

Stir together until mixed well. Freeze.

More and more I find that my sweet cravings are worse at night when I’m trying to shut down my intense focus from work. I will take out the ice cream and have about 3 teaspoons full off the corner of the container and that’s all I need.

Then again. My taste buds will fight with me for more of that creamy flavor.

I gotta have more and I gotta have it now!

Easter fun

An old vase (or new from the dollar store) or an empty bottle, an old glass plate( or new one from the dollar store), a cleaned out jar of oui yogurt ( or small glass container) some sharpie pens and super glue.

Decorate the glass with the sharpie pens. Then glue them together. Add candy, or flowers, and a tea light candle.

Makes a great table center piece or candy dish.

Make your own designs with old china, or plastic pieces.

HAVE A WONDERFUL EASTER!

The atonement of Jesus Christ changed the world and my life.

Taco lasagna

Visiting my daughter, we had a wonderful creation she put together.

Taco lasagna

I don’t have the complete directions but below is listed the ingredients.

Softened lasagna noodles

Hamburger with taco flavoring and salsa mixed in.

Sour cream and cream cheese mixed together.

Ricotta cheese

Shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend 9

Parmasan cheese

Layer the lasagna with the taco meat, then next layer ricotta, then taco meat, then sour cream and cream cheese, then taco meat and top layer mixed shredded  cheese with parmasan sprinkled on top of lasagna.

Bake until heated clear through and cheese is golden brown on top.

As you can see, only one piece left.  Come and get it.

All gone!

Zucchini bread

More vegetables for eating!

Check another one off my list.

Trying to keep up my goal of eating more vegetables, I can add zucchini to the list.

I dont really think that is supposed to be the way to do it, but… hey. I ate more (kinds instead of quantity) veggies. Lol

Still a work in progress.

Zucchini bread w/cream cheese frosting and nuts.

Zucchini bread

4 Tbsp melted butter

1/4 Cup almond flour

1/4 Cup coconut flour

1/4 Cup grated zucchini ( ooops, forgot to list this. Updated)

2 eggs

2 T greek yogurt

1 T cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 Cup walnits

Mix well. Place in microwavable bowl. Zap for 3 minutes. Then 1 min intervals until center is done.

Cool down and frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting

Ok. Veggies, here I come. Watch out!

Hamburger wrap

It’s a drizzly day outside.

Rain mists the air infecting under the carport as well as outside. There is no sound of drops on the tin ceiling, yet everything is wet inside and out.

Oh how I miss outside grills at a campsite in Big Cottonwood canyon on a day like this.

Those were the days we were confined to the tent playing cards or making paper dresses out of old newspaper. Mom and dad yelling at us to settle down when the boys tried to throw nerf balls at each other.

Then there were the times we slipped out side to see if the rain had stopped only to get drenched on the back of the neck from the accumulated moisture above the tent door.

My favorite was snuggled inside the sleeping bag, flashlight in hand as we whispered pans for the coming day and we could hike on the trails or whisper late into the night knowing dad would wake us up before dawn to drown some worms trying to catch fish.

I can still smell the campfire smoke and taste the melted chocolate and burnt marshmallows from the smores skewered over the fire after a grilled hamburger or hot dog.

And all I have now is a microwave.

Inside the wrap

Wrapped hamburger

Take a hamburger patty and place it in a microwaveable bowl. Cover it with a piece of paper towel. Zap it for approx 3 minutes.

If you want it cooked all the way through. Zap it for one more minute. Or until no red shows.

Immediately remove the hamburger from the bowl onto another piece of paper towel.

2 pieces of romaine lettuce placed criss cross on a plate.

Sprinkle the center with grated cheese and place hamburger on top of cheese in the center of the lettuce.

Cover with bar b que sauce and sweet mustard.

Add slices of pickles, onions green peppers, and tomatoes.

Fold the sides of the lettuce over the top of the hamburger, pin in place with a tooth pic.

Enjoy!

Wrapped hamburger

Dont’s forget the smore.

1 square Graham cracker with half a herseys chocolate bar and 1 marshmallow on top.

Set the other half of Graham cracker to the side to add later.

Place loaded half of graham cracker on a napkin and place it in the microwave.

Zap it until marshmallow doubles in size. Stop microwave and immediately slap the other half of the graham cracker on top.

Go ahead! Make a mess. Dont worry if mom and dad yell. Just make them one. It will shut them up real quick.

Almost better than camping. At least your not wet and cold.