“It is . . . necessary that each home and family do what they can to assume the responsibility for their own hour of need. If we do not have the resources to acquire a year’s supply then we can strive to begin with having one month’s supply.”
I found this great article about getting your food storage on $10.00 a week! I thought I would share this with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
1. Determine What You Eat
This sounds silly, but in your food stash, you don't really want things you don't eat. Just because one person wants 12 gallons of powdered orange drink doesn't mean you need to acquire it if it's not something your family uses.
Make a list of meals. Any meal. Obviously as new recipes come up you'll want to add those things to the continual list, but make a list of things you eat and the ingredients that go into them. From there you can determine what you'll actually be after the most when you hit the grocery stores.
2. Determine How Much You Need
Now that you know what you need to stock up on, how do you know how much your family will really consume. There are two options. One is specific and the other is a bit more general (it just depends on what kind of cook you are).
• Add It Up: Let's say your family would like to eat lasagna once a month, for 12 months. Simply add up the ingredients in the recipe and add it to the list. Do the same for all other recipes to give you a master list of ingredients and combine where needed. It will look huge, that's ok. Here's a simple pdf that might help you remember how to work things out.
• Average It Out: There are websites geared to help you determine how much of what type of ingredients and supplies you need to have on hand for a specific number of months for survival. You probably won't find ricotta cheese on the list (like the one above), but you will find the total number in pounds you need of beans, rice and meats. We like this one. Simply enter your family members up top and scroll down slightly to see the amounts you'll need to shoot for acquiring.
3. So How Do I Do This For $10 A Month?
Although the task of acquiring a years worth of food seems insurmountable, the key is to start small. Each week you'll pick up what you can (watching for sales never hurt anyone) and roll over any spare change (Even if it's literal pennies) to the next week's stash. One week you might pick up 3 cans of tuna, some rice, a few cans of olives and several bags of dry beans and although that doesn't in itself make a meal, it does make good use of the $10. Here's an example of what a first month could look like and although boring, the next month might bring variety and new things!
Watching for sales on dried pasta, beans and other basic pantry staples can be a huge help. Watch for these sales around the holidays (4th of July, Labor Day). If there isn't anything spectacular on sale one week, it's ok to save that week's money until the next week if you know you have something large to buy (say meat for the freezer).
4. Do You Can?
So you picked up 200lbs of brown rice on a sweet deal, but how do you keep it from going bad? Dry pack canning or storing grains in large food safe barrels is the easiest method. Either works depending on where you'll be storing your food. In smaller homes you might find dry milk packed under the bed or sofa while in a large home with a basement you'll find large barrels back in the corner. Check here for more information about dry pack canning and here in our archives for wet canning at home (hello fresh garden tomatoes!).
5. Freeze It!
For those that have the space, freezing meals in either individual portions like what's pictured here or in full pan size portions is a great way to have meals on hand using ingredients from your food storage. You'll probably order out for pizza when all you see is a sea of wheat, but if you see lasagna you probably know exactly what's in store for the nightly meal!
6. Don't Forget To Date
When you bring home or pack up items for your food storage, it's important to live by the philosophy of the first in is the first out. This will help you use up the oldest items in your food storage first. Just use a black permanent marker to make note of the date on top of the can. This will eliminate the question of "How long has this been in here?" and allow you to utilize all your food without waste.
7. Where Do You Keep It?
So you have a small apartment and don't even have room to store your winter coat let alone a few months worth of extra food. You have a compact refrigerator and have one lone cabinet — so where do you keep it all? Well usually it's time to get creative. In the past we've met people who keep things under furniture in additional closets throughout the home or potentially in a basement storage space in an apartment complex. Wherever you chose, just make sure the space is clean, dry and low in humidity if possible!
Strawberry Shortcake for Valentine's Day Gluten Free
Instead of the usual square cut pieces of cake, use some fun shaped mini cake molds. Then you can assemble stunning looking individual strawberry shortcakes.
Ingredients:
Yellow Cake Recipe or GF cake mix
Lemon Glaze, optional
Strawberries, sliced
Whipped cream
Directions:
Prepare cake according to directions. Let cool.
If desired, prepare lemon glaze and pour over cakes. Let sit at room temperature until glaze is set (about 30 minutes).
Slice strawberries and arrange over individual cakes, along with a dollop of whipped cream.
Plating Suggestion: drizzle some melted chocolate over the strawberries, or drizzle a design on the plate for added elegance.
Note: check out your local Dollar Store for mini metal or silicone cake molds (that's where I found mine!)
Steak Sauce gluten free
Similar in taste to bottled steak sauces like; HP or A-1. Raisins add flavor and thickness to this savory sauce.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp GF chilli sauce
2 Tbsp GF Dijon or regular mustard
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup GF soy sauce
1/4 cup GF ketchup
Directions:
Mix and boil all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir often as you let this simmer for about 15 minutes. If you want a thicker sauce, add a cornstarch mixture ( 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp cold water).
Let this cool off and then use a blender or food processor with the mix until it begins to become smooth.
Keep it in the refrigerator until needed.
45 Minute Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
Make this food storage treat in 45 minutes flat! Your family will love you!
Ingredients
- ⅓ C. sugar
- 3 T. yeast
- ½ C. oil
- 1¼ C. warm water (110 F)
- 2 eggs (2 T. dry egg powder and NO water)
- 1 t. salt
- 5½ C. wheat flour
- ¼ C. melted butter
- 1½ T. cinnamon
- ½ C. sugar
- ½ C. chopped nuts (optional, but really a fantastic addition to cinnamon rolls)
- ¾ C. raisins (I soak mine first)
Instructions
- Mix sugar, yeast, oil, and water and let stand 15 minutes.
- Add eggs, salt and flour and knead for 5 minutes.
- Roll to rectangle ¼” thick
- Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, nuts, and raisins over dough.
- Carefully roll up and cut 1″ thick slices with string or knife.
- Place in greased 9×13 pan and let rest 10-15 minutes.
- Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes or golden brown.
Glaze: 2 C. powdered sugar ¼ C. hot water 1 t. butter Mix and top warm cinnamon rolls
Peanut Butter Moo’d:-makes two 8-ounce cups
Ingredients:
- 1/2 C. Water
- 3/4 C. Dry Powdered Milk
- 1/3 C. Chocolate Powder (like Nesquick or equivalent)
- one banana cut into 1 inch slices
- 2 spoonfuls of peanut butter
- 2 C. Ice
Method:
Layer ingredients in your blender as listed and blend until smooth. Serve immediately! Spruce it up with half of a banana for fun!
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