Back to School Food Menu

*This years update- I am still a fan of pre-making as much as I can like on a Saturday, and freezing it. I love taking out mini homemade muffins, sandwich and cookies from the freezer and packing it right into the lunch box. It became habit to pre- make and really saved time and money by making as much as I can from scratch, and it's healthier :) I know, I know, blah blah, blah.

Thinking about school lunch makes me sick- I definitely opt for making them. I am a big believer that food effects a child's behavior, and I want to control that as much as I can, while I can! But that is going to mean time and planning. It's a little work in the beginning of the week-but pay off during and of course the health benefits!

Treating this the same way we would the dinner menu- Make a two week lunch menu. (or a month if you wish)

I actually started by making a master list of all the different things I would put in their lunch.

Here is what I came up with to start:

Lunch Ideas
My kids have all approved these ideas by the way! Ages 11-9-5


Sandwich/main meal

Sandwich roll (they love sandwiched on my homemade rolls)

PB&J

Turkey/Ham

Mini Wraps

Pizza Bagel

Egg Salad

Chicken Salad

Green Salad

Homemade lunchable

Rice cake with peanut butter jelly on top (seriously they love it)

Spaghetti O’s

Soups

Chicken noodle

Beef stew

Tomato



Fruit/Vegetable

Grapes

Strawberries

Dried apples

Carrot & Celery sticks w/ dip

Celery and peanut butter dip

Cheese Squares

String Cheese

Diced peaches and pears

Applesauce Cups

Hard Boiled Egg

Orange slices (I peel and separate for them)

Banana (I’ll just cut in half)

Grapes and square cheese on a toothpick

(Mellon's need to be kept cool for food safety reasons)



Snacks

Popcorn

Mini rice cakes

Gram crackers, plain or w/ peanut butter

Granola bars- homemade J

Mini Muffins

Blueberry

Poppy seed

Apple

Bran

Banana Bread

Zucchini Bread

Oatmeal Bars

Oatmeal-cran scones

Cereal snack mix

Trail mix

Mini bagels and cream cheese

Chips and salsa (I put salsa in a little round tubaware)

PB&J on Ritz crackers





Treat

Cookies

Chocolate

Oatmeal

Chocolate chip

Peanut butter

Chocolate Zucchini

Brownie bites (just cut brownies in circles)

Rice Krispie Treat

Mini Marshmallows

Oatmeal Bar

Crispix bars


That for me is half the battle, then you can simply plug in the food items on your menu.

I come up with different sandwich items, fruit items, snack items and treat. My kids take a water bottle to school and switch from water and lemonade. NO CAPRI SUNS. (they rot their teeth says my grandpa for a dentist!) Plus this saves big time on buying drinks. My friend suggested this, and does it with her kidos- they love it actually because they get more in there than they would out of a juice box!

Alright, so once you have your master list, plug in your menu!

Once we have our menu, we can shop from this- buying only what we NEED, and then back to Saturday baking days. (or whatever day your choose) I will take Saturday to make the different items for the week. For example if I have banana bread, mini muffins and cookies as part of the lunch menu- I will make these, baggie them up and freeze. They are ready to pull out and stick in the lunch box! I will do this with sandwiches too. PB&J freezes great, just put peanut butter on each slice of bread, then jelly in the middle. It wont get soggy this way. And with Turkey sandwiches, use Miracle whip not Mayonnaise. Mayo does not freeze!

But I will make these up as well and pull them out that morning, they are ready to eat by lunch time! My oldest says they are perfect, not soggy!

This really does take the ugg out of making lunches in the morning and I feel better about whats going in their little bodies. For me, again, half the battle is the planning. I promise it's worth it. And for my provident living plug- This really is the smart way to do most everything in our homes, planning, budgeting, and using our resources. It is a lifestyle that creates financial freedom and joy in homemaking. It sometimes does take courage to start! But it's worth it!

Fiber Diet- with food storage recipes!

Loose weight.. on food storage??

My husband and I decided about a year ago to read and implement the "Fiber Diet" from Brenda Watsons Fiber 35. We think its one of the best "secrets" to loosing weight. I had just had my first child and was anxiously looking for a way to get my weight back down, and I just wanted to feel better. We both had amazing success, and have found a new way to keep our weight where we want it, and most importantly to feel great. Others in my family also tryed it and they all had great success.

We both lost 35 pounds in two months. We did this by eating 35 grams of fiber a day, and cutting back on refined sugars, and flour. I recommend getting the book for all the details and great info, but really its just alot of common sense like, eating healthy, and lowering your calories, and eating high fiber. We learned to encorperate beans in just about any meal. And what greater food storage product is there than beans?

We followed her meal plan for about 6 months. Since then, I have had another baby. I am trying to adjust to having two children, being on a tighter budget, and using my food storage regularly for meals. This is where the secret part comes it!! We both have still been able to control our weight, by getting our 35 grams of fiber in a day- EVEN while using our food storage for most meals!

We attribute our success to the habits we picked up and have continued to implement from FIBER 35. - So here's a collection of high fiber recipes specifically for showing that you can eat great healthy food, on a budget, and use your 3 month supply of food storage to do so. These are recipes that we encooperate into our weekly diet. Some of them are from Brenda Watsons book, others I have just learned, modified, and picked up from other sites.
Click Here for high fiber recipes

Canned Potatoes are great!

I was watching Sandra Lee on the food network make a potato salad with canned potatoes, I admit, I thought it was kind of weird at first! But I made it and loved it. Since then, I have always kept canned potatoes in my 3 month supply.

I have several recipes that they taste great in. They are quick and convienient. You can add them to soups and stews in a hurry. Or fry them up with butter and seasonings for an easy side dish. I stock up at walmart. They are anywhere from 44-60cents a can. You can buy diced or sliced.

Click Here for some recipes using canned potatoes.

Also click here for how to make your own canned potatoes

Food Storage Menu Idea

Creating food storage menus is a simple way to help you decide what to store. Consider the counsel to “Gradually build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet until it is sufficient for three months.” (Family Home Storage: A New Message, Ensign, March 2009.)

Below are 90 Food Storage Menu Ideas. Adjust to suit the needs of your family. The * indicates using a recipe which I am linking so you can print them. The x indicates how many times you serve the menu. These menus use a combination of small canned, packaged and long-term foods. Some bread may be stored in your freezer; however it may also be homemade. Menus have homemade spaghetti sauce, AND spaghetti sauce in a jar for times when you need simple preparation or emergency cooking. You decide. Snacks are included as many of us need to eat something between meals. Many of these meals are simple enough for teens or a spouse to prepare. Include a few freezer foods, but don’t depend on your freezer unless you have a generator. Menus that require freezer foods are italicized. Most menus use shelf-stable products.

90 BREAKFAST MENUS
3 x Oatmeal Chocolate Chip muffins*, water
3 x Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins*, water
6 x Apple Muffins*, water
12 x Wheat Waffles*, water
12 x Pancakes with pancake mix, butter/syrup milk
24 x Oatmeal w/raisins, water
30 x Cold cereal, powdered milk, water

90 LUNCH MENUS
12 x PB & J sandwich, fruit cup, boxed drink or Tang
12 x PB & J sandwich, pears or mandarin oranges, water
12 x Chicken salad sandwich, applesauce cup, water or Gatorade
12 x Tuna sandwich, baked beans or applesauce cup, apple juice or water
6 x Chili w/beans, saltine crackers, water
6 x Tomato soup, saltine crackers, water
6 x Ravioli's, banana chips, water
6 x Spaghettios, saltine crackers, Gatorade
6 x Canned Stew, Ritz crackers, applesauce, milk
6 x Cup o’noodle soup, V8 juice
6 x Macaroni & cheese, fruit cocktail, Gatorade

90 DINNER MENUS
6 x Clam Chowder 19 oz., bread/butter
6 x Chicken Noodle soup 19 oz., bread/butter
6 x Vegetable Soup 19 oz., bread/butter
6 x Chicken, Vegetable, Pasta Soup 19 oz., saltine crackers
6 x Spaghetti w/jar sauce, canned corn, milk
6 x Spaghetti w/homemade sauce, canned green beans, milk
6 x Quick Chili w/corn*, Biscuits
3 x Pineapple Chicken*, rice
3 x Italian Pasta Salad*, Biscuits
3 x Chicken & Rice Casserole*, Biscuits
3 x Chicken w/ Egg Noodles and DH peas*, canned corn, milk
3 x Chicken w/ Egg Noodles and DH broccoli*, canned corn, milk
3 x Chicken a la King*, rice, canned green beans
3 x Creamy Chicken*, mashed potatoes
3 x Chicken, Noodles and peas*, canned pears
3 x Teriyaki Pineapple Beef*, rice w/broth
3 x Bisquick Vegetable pot pie*, canned peaches, milk
3 x BBQ Beef Casserole*, canned peaches
3 x BBQ chicken on hamburger buns, canned peaches milk
3 x Sloppy Joe's with canned meat* on hamburger buns, applesauce
3 x Enchilada Casserole w/corn*, canned peaches
3 x Beef Nacho Casserole*, Spanish rice*
3 x Roast gravy w/mashed potatoes, canned green beans, milk

90 SNACK MENUS
18 x Food bar
3 x Pretzels
6 X Fruit snack
6 X Graham crackers
6 X M & M's or taffy
6 X Hot cocoa drink(has milk)
3 X Corn Chips w/homemade salsa
3 X Chips w/refried beans & homemade salsa
12 X Homemade popcorn
3 X Simple Scones*
3 X Caramel Popcorn*
3 X Cake w/frosting
3 X Brownies*
3 X Snicker doodles*
3 X Chocolate Chip Cookies*
3 X Chewy Oatmeal Cookies*
3 X Apple Crisp* w/shelf whip topping
3 X Easy Peach Cobbler*

PDF COPY from origional author

Tips for using your wheat

*Just getting our wheat up and out of the buckets from the basement is the first step!
*Find a container that fits in your pantry or cupboard to store some wheat. Commit to use this wheat in one months time.
*If you know that you will more likely use your wheat if it’s already ground up than DO IT! Just take a little time to grind it all up, put in a container and use it up!
*Use your wheat in recipes that your family is already eating.
*First try starting with desserts, they will most likely eat the cookies no matter what kind of flour is used!
*Stop feeling like you have to make everything 100% whole wheat every time you use your wheat. You don’t! Just add a cup here and there in your normal recipes.

A few things to know:

*Whole wheat flour has more substance that regular flour- this is why 100% WW breads are heavier/heartier. Try using a little more yeast or letting your bread rise a little longer to get a fluffier texture.

*Your other recipes where you will substitute WW flour, will need a little extra leavening.
This just means you will add an extra teaspoon of baking powder for every 3 cups of WW flour you use in a recipe.

*If you choose to grind up your wheat for the month, you can preserve the nutrients in your wheat by placing it in a plastic bag and storing it in the fridge or freezer.

Being Prepared for Pandemic and Natural Disasters

Here is an update for the recent pandemic- Click HERE

Self Reliance Reliance:

• “The art of taking care of one one’s self and family."

• Preparedness and self sufficiency is

the key to individual and family

protection.

FOr FAmILy INforMatiOn

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so plan how you will contact one another and review what you will do in different situations. After a major disaster, it's unlikely that emergency response services will be able to immediately respond to everyone’s needs, so it’s important to be prepared to take care of yourself and your family. Plan to be on your own for at least the first 72 hours and many experts recommend a 2 week supply for a pandemic.

It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members. Click here to download the Family Communications Plan.

Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact.
You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether, but be patient.
Make sure everyone knows where to find your Disaster Kit and Go Bag.
Be sure your gas tank is always at least half full.
Plan where to meet after a disaster if your home becomes unsafe. Choose two places, one just outside your home and one outside your neighborhood in case you are told to evacuate.
Determine the best escape routes from your home. Try to identify two escape routes.
Locate the gas main and other utilities and make sure family members know when and how to turn them off.
Practice your evacuation routes.
Teach each member of your family how to use a fire extinguisher.

I know that we have been taught to have a 72 hr kit ready however here are some ideas of what to have for a GO BAG

Put the following items together in a backpack or another easy to carry container in case you must evacuate quickly. Prepare one Go-bag for each family member and make sure each has an I.D. tag. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work, considering what you would need for your immediate safety.

Flashlight
Radio – battery operated
Batteries
Whistle
Dust mask
Pocket knife
Extra set of car and house keys
Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls
Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat
Local map
Some water and food
Permanent marker, paper and tape
Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
List of emergency point-of -contact phone numbers
List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food
Copy of health insurance and identification cards
Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
Prescription medications and first aid supplies
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Don’t forget to make a Go-bag for your pets.
Copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, photo IDs, proof of address, etc.)
Credit and ATM cards and cash, especially in small denominations. We recommend you keep at least $50-$100 on hand.
Bottled water and non-perishable food such as energy or granola bars
Flashlight, battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries. You can also buy wind-up radios that do not require batteries at retail stores.
Medication and other essential personal items. Be sure to refill medications before they expire. Keep a list of the medications each member of your household takes, why they take them, and their dosages.
First aid kit
Sturdy, comfortable shoes, lightweight raingear, and a mylar blanket
Contact and meeting place information for your household, and a small regional map
Child care supplies or other special care items

In regard to Pandemics- Here are some basic ways to prevent:

Transmission control through proper hand washing
Respiratory illnesses, such as the flu, are spread by coughing, sneezing and unclean hands. Because of this, one of the most important things you can do to stop flu transmission is to wash your hands frequently with soap and warm, clean water for 10-20 seconds. If running water is not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if your hands are not visibly soiled. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. As more information becomes available about the nature of the bird flu virus, alternative hand washing agents may be recommended. For now, however, follow these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

How Influenza Spreads

• Transmitted through respiratory droplets.
• Can spread 24 hours before the onset of 
symptoms.
• Healthy adults may be able to infect others 
one full day before symptoms begin and up to  five days after becoming ill.*

When to wash hands:

Before, during and after preparing food
Before eating
After using the toilet
After touching door knobs, computer keyboards, telephone keypads, etc.
After touching animals or animal waste
After touching the nose or mouth
After changing diapers
Whenever your hands are dirty

(No government document states that one should wash their hands after shaking hands, hugging, etc. but experts in the medical field think that this is worth mentioning.)

Although washing hands with soap and clean water is more effective and both The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend it as the first line of defense, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can significantly reduce the number of germs on skin and is fast acting.

There are concerns that the harsh anti-bacterial agents in the sanitizers may destroy helpful and necessary bacteria present on and in humans. However, any potential skin damage from sanitizers would be a minor concern in a pandemic situation.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a concentration of 60-95 percent ethanol or isopropanol as the concentration range of greatest germicidal efficacy.  

Like Purell(click for coupon)

To use, make sure you rub the product over all surfaces of hands and fingers until hands they are dry. However, if hands are visibly soiled, the visible dirt must be removed first with soap and water.

Cover your cough:
The simple actions described below can prevent the spread of the viruses and bacteria that are passed from person to person in the tiny droplets of moisture from the nose or mouth of an infected person when they cough, sneeze, or talk.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Put your used tissue in the wastebasket.
Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing by washing with soap and water or cleaning with an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
Be prepared to become completely self-reliant by storing enough food and supplies to last several weeks or longer:

Stock up on non-perishable foods (a 3 week supply is recommended).
Store adequate bottled water for drinking.
Have water on hand for household purposes, such as cleaning and bathing.
Be sure to have non-food items used on a daily basis such as:

Flashlights/batteries
Non-electric power radio
Generators
Toilet paper
Laundry detergent
Baby diapers
First-aid supplies
Over-the-counter medications
Extra months of prescription drugs
Clorox bleach
Disposable rubber gloves
Pet food
Consult with your personal physician and be familiar with your local hospital’s emergency response plan.

Dealing With a Pandemic

Practice social distancing.

Maintain a distance of 3 feet in social settings (elevators, public gatherings).
Use a facemask to help filter germs. >Read more
Be prepared for the possible closing of public venues (public transportation, schools, churches, shopping centers).
Prepare foods carefully.
Wash your hands before and after handling food.
Keep raw poultry and its juices away from other foods.
Keep hands, utensils, and surfaces such as cutting boards clean at all times.
Use a food thermometer to ensure poultry has been fully cooked.
For additional information on how to properly cook poultry, go to www.usda.gov/birdflu.

Regularly disinfect the surfaces in your home.

Clean visible dirt from surfaces with a detergent solution.
Use a Clorox bleach solution (8 ounces Clorox bleach to 1 gallon of water), to disinfect all surfaces where bird flu viruses are suspected or confirmed. For non-bleachable surfaces, use peroxide.
Using disposable gloves, wash tub, shower, tile, faucets, and toilet bowl. Use separate rags or paper towels for the toilet.
Discard disposable gloves after cleaning each room, and wash hands before proceeding to the next area. Use protective equipment and adequate ventilation.
Soiled rags should be laundered or disposed of. Never use sponges for sanitizing or disinfecting, as they are porous. Paper towels should be immediately discarded.
Stay home if you are sick.


Does a mask really help? click HERE

One of the instructions you may be given in an emergency is to shelter-in-place. This means you should stay indoors until authorities tell you it is safe or you are told to evacuate.



Select a small, interior room, with no or few windows.
Close and lock all windows and exterior doors.
Turn off all fans, heating and air conditioning systems. Close the fireplace damper.
Bring your family disaster supply kit and make sure the radio is working.
Bring your pets.
It is ideal to have a hard-wired telephone in the room you select (cellular telephone equipment may be overwhelmed or damaged during an emergency)
Use duct tape and plastic sheeting (heavier than food wrap) to seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room.
Listen to your radio or television for further instructions or updates.
If you are in your car, close windows and turn off vents and air conditioning.

Storing Wheat Long Term

Wheat is one of the longest storing food items around. Whole wheat kernels will store longer and better than when ground up into flour. When storing your wheat at home, make sure it is in containers specifically identified on the label as food storage containers. Round containers are best when storing wheat since wheat gives off heat and square containers stacked closely together may not allow this heat to escape.
Storing wheat in a cool, dry place is the easiest way to keep moisture content low. 
A storage temperature of 40-60° F results in fresher wheat. However, 60° F and above is still acceptable. Food storage containers should not be stored directly on a cement floor to prevent rusting and pest contamination. Wheat should also be stored away from apples, onions, potatoes, etc., since the odor or flavor may transfer to the wheat.

The biggest enemy of wheat are weevils - A weevil infestation will completely devour and ruin a stock of wheat. However, weevils may be killed by freezing so you could put your sealed container of Grain into a chest freezer for a couple of days, which should eradicate them. Another option is to remove the oxygen form the container (Weevils cannot survive without Oxygen).

Store wheat berries in a cool, dry environment that is safe from insects. Insects love to eat wheat or whole wheat flour, but are not too thrilled with refined white flour. Many people have accomplished long storage life by keeping their wheat berries in dry sealed containers.

Using carbon dioxide (CO2) from dry ice to replace the oxygen before closing it protects the wheat berries even more. CO2 is heavier than oxygen and goes to the bottom of the container, pushing the oxygen out the top and killing any insects in the process.

With or without the CO2, store wheat berries in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place. If you live in a warm climate, store them in the refrigerator or freezer where they can be safely kept for years. Do not wash wheat prior to storage, as it increases the moisture content and the keeping quality.

I think the easiest way is to get Mylar bags and place them in your food grade buckets. Then add 2-4 oxygen absorbers for a 5 gallon bucket, seal the Mylar bag, seal the lid to the bucket and there ya go!

Yes you can add all your wheat in one big storage unit like garbage can, however you can not move it easily and if one part of the wheat goes bad- it ALL goes bad. :(

Storing Wheat:

*Do not pack wheat tightly into a storage place
*Do not store wheat directly on dirt or cement floors. It will draw moisture from the surface
*Do not store wheat in container which holds more than 100lbs. Infestation or infiltration will contaminate the entire contents. Thats a lot of wheat to loose.
*Do not store near water pipes, heating ducts, steam pipes, washing machine, clothes dryer (vented or not)
*Do not store wheat in unheated garage or non0insulated space or a basement or underground space that is not completely dry
*Do not put salt in the wheat when storing it
*Do not use aluminum cans for wheat storage since an airtight seal is generally impossible to achieve. Even food grade plastic liner garbage cans are not designed to store wheat

Wheat Class

We had a great time last night at our Wheat class. I think that we are motivated and realize just how easy it is to use our wheat.

I suggested that an easy way to make sure we are using our wheat is to fill up a plastic container that will fit in your pantry.
Now weather you want to just put the whole wheat berry in there or grind it up, either way get it up out of your food storage and put it where you will see it. 

I have a container of wheat in mine and I grind it every Saturday as this is my baking day anyway. 

Be sure to note that if you do grind it, I suggest keeping it in the fridge to keep all the nutrients fresh.

So, when we think of using our wheat I fell like we think everything we make then has to be 100% whole wheat. NOT SO. just adding a cup here and there in our regular everyday recipes will not only add nutrients but we are rotating and using our wheat. 

If we stop thinking of all this as "food storage" and rather a life style, it will make it a lot easier to utilize. 

At class we tried Whole Wheat Banana Bread, Whole Wheat Quick Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies. We made Whole Wheat Bread and Rolls . 

I know that making your own bread can seem to take up too much time, however if you just use one dough recipe to make two or three different things for the week, it makes the effort worth it. 

With the bread recipe I have posted , you can make a loaf of bread, some rolls for Sunday dinner, and pizza crust. Or use it to make a loaf of bread and the rest rolls, freeze them and you have rolls to pull out for any nights dinner. Sandwich rolls are a nice change to the kids lunch too. And remember its so much healthier. You are also learning skills that we have been asked to learn. 

When you are ordering your wheat, remember that there is more than just red wheat, there is white wheat also. Both are great sources of nutrients and can be added into our diets very easy. 

Start trying out your recipes by adding a few cups here or there, let me know your results!

Dehydrating

If you don't have a dehydrator, see if you can borrow one, it's great to have on hand. I have been using it to dehydrate apples. Kroger was having a sale on braeburn apples last week. I wanted to take advantage of the sale so I bought a bunch and dehydrated them for the kids lunches. It's a great way to get them to eat their apples!
Slice up your fruit. If you are doing apples, fill a bowl with cold water and add about 3t. lemon juice to every cup of water. As you chop put the apples in the water solution to get a whiter dried apple. Then pat them off before placing on the rack.

You can sprinkle Cinnamon sugar on them to make for a treat.

I also did yogurt drops. A thick yogurt like Dannon works best.
The longer you leave them in the dehydrator, you will get a crispier apple, like a apple chip. These are what my kids like, rather than to have them more chewier.
I think this is a great way to take advantage of sales!

Fruit by the foot was a hit here as well.

I took a cup of applesauce and about 1/4 cup of my homemade jam. I am sure store bought will work as well. I mixed them together, and spread over the tray, then rolled it up, cut and there you go- fruit roll up! 

I personally do not like doing bananas, but pineapple, pears, oranges, and other fruits are so yummy. 

I tried carrots this week and they did great! I actually liked having them to munch on when I just felt like grazing.

Dehydrating your fruits and veggies are actually a great way to KEEP your nutrients in your foods. Nutrients are lost by your food just sitting on the table, in fact once its harvested it starts to loose its nutritional value. So dehydration is a GREAT way to keep in those nutrients. 

Just some thoughts

So I have had the thought to write this post for a while now, but hesitated for simply prideful reasoning. But, I’m over that and just hope that it can benefit anyone going through the same situation, or help prepare those who might.

Food Storage, as I have said before, is a spiritual thing in it’s own right. I have learned so much about myself, about the ways of the Lord and much more through this journey. However, I did start my food storage preparations not ever thinking that I would be using it this soon!

Since before Christmas Aaron told me that because his industry is changing things are going to be tight financially for a while. I knew tight, we had done tight before. So I was feeling prepared, I had begun my three-month food storage and it was coming along nicely. The more the months passed, the tighter it became. We did all right things in my mind, getting rid of wants like cable and some extra curricular activities, no eating out, etc. All the basic things I knew to do to keep ahead. I started to rely more and more on my food storage. I began using it, still trying to build here and there, but more using than storing!

I’ve drastically cut the grocery budget last couple months to getting only fresh things like eggs, cheese, veggies and fruit. Utilizing what I had in storage. This worked out just fine. I had already been cooking in a way that things didn’t change drastically in the way we ate. I did find myself baking more- like bread and treats so as to not have to buy those things. But overall, I realized again the importance of why food storage is a lifestyle and not just something we check off our list of things to do.

Now for the things I have learned along this journey that I am so grateful to have the knowledge of. I realized that because using the food storage was food that we already ate, the kids didn’t know any different. And I too didn’t feel like I had to start eating Mac and cheese every night. This really affects the mind when going through a hardship. The last thing I wanted to feel was frustrated in the kitchen, wondering what in the world am I going to make and how the heck do I make bread, or what in the world do I do with this wheat. Things just kept rolling forward. I had to become a little more creative in certain areas, like I wanted to make these bagel pizzas but couldn’t get them, so I made them. And I wanted to have French dip for dinner and didn’t have the large rolls, so I made them. Now I saw this only to show that by taking to time to learn these skills, it helped me to not feel self-pity, or frustration as a homemaker. I found that I looked forward to Friday Pizza Night because it was the closest to “fast food” as we were getting with the Soda being allowed and all!
I realized that while living off food storage, I was glad to have had so much variety. Instead of sticking to my original 14 meals I was using to build off of, I had started adding more and more meals. This has made it so nice, again, to not FEEL the lacking, but to FEEL blessed that I had so much! If I had mostly Mac and Cheese, spaghetti and such stored up, and had three months of it- we wouldn’t starve- no. BUT my point is that if I had to open up the cupboard and pull out another box of noodles one more time I would go nuts!!!
So when planning your three-month supply, really think about what you and your family will eat, plan around that. And we need to be constantly learning how to cook, how to make different foods, how to make those convenient foods that we rely on a lot more than we think! I will do admit, I miss the freezer section on the store!!!!
I am grateful that I have been able to get to the store for those few things that do make meals nicer, I have however, not been able to a couple times and thought to myself, ok what do I substitute this with? Being creative with your meals is not as hard as we think.
Keeping positive and really embracing my roll as a homemaker can be challenging in times like this. I am glad that I have had this experience where it really could be so much worse that it is. I know now though, that doing all I can to keep positive for the children is huge! And having Aaron see that I am OK, that I’m not complaining about not being able to go to the store and get this and that. It helps him to be able to focus on his main role. Keeping the home happy is a hard thing outside these types of challenges let alone in the middle of it. So I commend all those who have done this and kept the peace! I have to work at it every day, and there are better days than others that’s for sure. I do know however, that I have a great role as a mother, and a homemaker. I k now that this is no easy job, and embracing it, learning all I can in it, and DOING IT the best I can, not letting my doubts about myself get in the way, is the best job ever!

I think on average, these last three months I have saved over $600 in grocery bills. WOW. I also will say I found Mexican foods are easier and faster to put together. I found that we went through more cereal than I had planned out for. I had 25 boxes in storage. Once I start building again my new goal will be 40. I also realized just how important it is to stick to the meal plan for that reason alone. My food storage has lasted a lot longer than three months, and I think part of that is sticking to what I had planned to make, which makes sense when you think about it! But I am finding that for my kids, pancakes are not wanted as much as I thought. And when we do eat them we don't use as much batter as I calculated for, so the three bags are lasting twice as long. I found that I like having the freezer as part of my food storage use- good thing I have a generator! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are made just as often as I planned and kids are not getting sick of them. I do not use pasta as much as I thought- more Mexican foods. 

I had exactly three months of can chicken when i started actually having to use it and I am almost out, so that was about half a month shy. I will up my numbers on that, I really do like using it over the fresh in most recipes. 

Let's see, I have not used my tomato soups that I stocked up on- those are a last resort meal. 

I will store more dry beans this next time because I  know now that I can grind them into flours and make cream of soups out of them. I love that! And I will store more 6 grain. I have not run out yet or anything but have been frugal with it as to not run out. I love making granola and it has been very filling. I'm using less wheat because I have been combining it with my bread flour. So both those have lasted longer because I do that. I will up my numbers on Crisco, and chocolate chips!

Snack food we flew through. I didnt think it would go that fast. But with kids in school and having to make lunches, yep- it goes fast. This is where home made things have been a must. Like making mini muffins and such. But I still will store more of that too next go around. 

Also I have been grateful for the stocking up on Toilet paper, paper towels and laundry soap. Things like that are so expensive when you are trying to tighten things up. I have felt so lucky to walk down and get TP when we are out, knowing that I couldn't really afford it right now. Soaps, shampoo, toothpaste- glad I have had all that. I will up the numbers with body soap. We were using it prior to the actual start of food storage use, but i will still stock up on that more. 

Oh, and cleaning products. I had not really got to a full three months on that yet and really wish I had! I think that about does it.

I will say that when I was teaching the three month class i said that even if we are buying one extra can of soup a week to build toward our supply we will be blessed. i do believe that and have done just that when I go tot he store. I have taken advantage of my coupons and have been able to get things for just cents. So it's possible even under stressful situations financially. 
I hope I have not just blabbed on and on, but I really wanted to share what it’s like from one perspective at least, to live off food storage. I learn so much every day and am glad I have a place to share it. Keeps me going on those harder days!