End of March, how is your food storage coming?

Well, it's the end of March, well, almost.  How are you doing on the food storage challenge?  I have to put up a spot here for Honeyville Farms.  I don't work for them so I don't get anything out of this except getting you some good prices.  Now through the 12th of April, they are having their semi-annual 20% off sale.  They are giving 20% off on a number of their items, one of which is my favorite, Peanut Butter Powder.  I LOVE that stuff.  Check out their website for all that is included and while there, sign up for to receive their sales emails.  They don't ever give out or sell your email address to anyone else.

I know this is flour, pasta, baking soda and baking powder month but I have to share this with you.  I tried it this morning and it was lip smacking good.  I know, I didn't use food storage items to make it but very easily could have with a little more time to prepare.  I call it, Egg and Tator Tot Waffle.  We had some left over round disk style tator tots that I wanted to use up so here it how I did it.  You could use the round barrel style tator tots also.

Take your tator tots out of the freezer and let them thaw out.  After they have thawed out, turn on the waffle iron and let it heat up.  Mix up one egg well with a fork in a cup like you were going to scramble it.  When the waffle iron gets hot, open it up and spray the top and bottom surfaces with a spray oil or brush on some of your favorite oil.  Arrange the tator tots onto the bottom of the waffle iron in rows and close the lid tightly.  When the green light comes on indicating they are done, open the waffle iron and add the mixed up egg evenly on top of the now squished down tator tots, respray the top heating surface and close it back down.  After about a minute, the egg should be cooked and ready for you to take it out.  I didn't wait for the green light to come back on.

I used two eggs, that is why there is a mess under the iron so just use one.  It is SOOOOOOOOO good.  A variation that I am going to try next time is to fry up some bacon before hand, crumble it up and sprinkle it over the egg before closing the lid down the second time to cook the egg. 

This could very easily be made using dehydrated potato shreds or dices and Ova Easy Egg Crystals from your food storage.  To give it the ultimate flavor after taking it out, pour some pancake syrup over it.  I'm in Heaven now. 

Have fun with your food storage.
Bob and LouAnn Singer

Popped Wheat

Our Ward had it's second annual food storage potluck dinner yesterday March 8th.  We invited everyone to make a dish from things that they store in their food storage and bring it to the potluck.  We had a couple of judges from the High Priest Quorum and our Stake President, President Lewis then sample all the food that was brought to determine who would receive prizes.  Some of the delicious dishes brought were scalloped potatoes and spam, a corn casserole, a pea salad, a noodle casserole, fry bread and beef and beans and rice were a few of the main dishes.  A few of the deserts were cinnamon rolls, 9 grain chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin dump cake and popped spelt berries with brown rice syrup and carob and popped wheat berries with honey and chocolate.  Everything was so good that the judges agreed that all should get prizes.  The prizes were decorated meals in a jar.  We had a wonderful night and are looking forward to next years food storage potluck.  Click on the link below to see how we made the popped wheat.  It is a healthy and great snack.

Popped Wheat

Have fun with your food storage.
Bob and LouAnn Singer

Stake Food Storage Goal items for March

It's March.  It came in with rain and the beautiful dedication of the new Gilbert Temple.  What an amazing experience it was to attend the 1st dedicatory session.  Whether it is preparing to go to the Temple or preparing for unexpected events, it's time to start preparing.  Here is what we are working on for the month of March.


March food storage items:
Unbleached flour: 25 lb. per person/one year.. Flour stores in a cool, dry place about 5 years. It is healthy to use flour that is not bleached, because white flour is bleached with a dry chemical that leaves a residue of the chemical in the white flour.....and if using white flour, you are eating that.   I'm not promoting Gold Medal flour, just using the picture.  If you are going to store flour, get a quality brand.  I personally do not store flour because all the nutrients are gone and I love to grind my whole hard white winter wheat fresh.  Always use a good storage method with flour.  Store it in #10 cans or food grade buckets in a mylar bag and use one 300cc oxypack per gallon.  Using the mylar bag in the bucket will keep the smell of the bucked from leaching into your flour.

Pasta: 20 to 50 lb. per person/one year...keeps for ten years or more. If buying at the LDS cannery, macaroni will store longer than spaghetti; plan accordingly. A serving of cooked pasta is 1 to 2 cups, depending upon your size and appetite.  Store it in #10 cans or mylar bags in a food grade bucket.  Be sure to include one 300cc oxypack per gallon of your storage container or use nitrogen.

Baking soda: 1 lb. per person/one year.  I am storing this in one gallon good grade plastic buckets in mylar bags.  Storing it in a #10 can might cause a reaction that you don't want to have happen.  No oxypack needed.

Rumford's baking powder: 1 lb. per person/one year. I highly recommend Rumford's because it does not contain any alum (aluminum, not good for you).  Most health food and big chain stores have it.  Be sure to store this in either the package it comes in or in a food grade plastic bucket in a mylar bag.  This will react with the metal can, expand and could cause the can to explode.  Can you say white baking powder EVERYWHERE?  I have purchased Aluminum Free baking powder from Honeyville Farms in a 50 pound bag.  It wasn't Rumford but it had no alum.  No oxypack needed.

NOTE: Think sparingly for flour and pastas; and eat with foods that contain fiber, such as dry beans or vegetables. Eating a minimum of refined food is wise, as it enters the blood stream quickly, causing the pancreas to release extra insulin to do it's work.

OK, now it's time to get going. 

Have fun with your food storage.
Bob and LouAnn Singer