The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance

Many thoughts have gone through my mind as I hear and see more images and information from Japan.  The thought that has stuck with me is the need to become self-reliant.  Self-reliance is a prerequisite to service.  "Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve.  How can we give if there is nothing there?  Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves.  Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse.  Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved."  President Marion G. Romney Ensign March 2009

There are so many in Japan that are in need of assistance, but there are also many others that weren't affected and are hopefully in a position to be of service. 

Many people see preparing as hoarding or unnecessary, but I see it as a way to be of service to others.  When I was first called as the Emergency Preparedness contact I felt as if I were doing what I was suppose to do, and there was no way I would take food from my own family to help others who weren't prepared.  I have changed my feelings on this!  I know if an opportunity to serve came my way I would help those around me in time of need.  And being self-reliant would mean more than just having food storage. There are several areas we are taught to become self-reliant in:

"We are all self-reliant in some areas and dependent in others.  Therefore, each of us should strive to help others in areas that we have strengths."  Marion G. Romney
(To read the entire talk by President Romney click HERE)


MARCH GOALS:

3-Month Supply Goal:  Make 1 meal per week that uses only food from your pantry and food storage.

Water Goal: This month you need to fill all your used juice and detergent bottles with water.  Label them and store them for cleaning water.


Financial Goal:  Last month we wrote down everything we spent for a week.  Now that you know where you could be saving money, you need to put that money away to use towards your food storage.  Next month is case lot sale month and you could save your money for that sale!!


Long-Term Storage Goal:  This month is frozen food month and we are going to focus on MEATS & FROZEN FOOD!  Your freezer is your friend when it comes to a 3-month supply.  Most meats and vegetables can be frozen to extend the life of the food.  Use your freezer as an extension of your pantry


 

Wavelength Emergency Radio/Cell phone charger/flashlight

Emergency Preparedness Goal:  This month you need to add a radio and a crank cell phone charger to your storage.  Both are inexpensive (radios can be as expensive as you want) and can be found online and in many stores.  Make sure the cell phone charger you purchase has a plug that fits your phone.  Emergency Essentials sells a radio/charger/flashlight combo for $12.95!!  Click HERE to see that product.


Enjoy the Journey!
Enjoy the Blessings!
Feel the Peace!! 

Plan AND Prepare!!

Unreal!!  I have, like most of you, been watching the videos and pictures coming out of Japan.  It is unreal and so heartbreaking.  It goes without saying that being prepared with food, shelter and water is more important than ever!  I know some have said that what is the use of preparing if a flood just sweeps it all away, but what if your home was further away and not affected.  You could be the one to bless others in time of distress!!  You would also be blessed because you followed the counsel to prepare!  

FEMA has a great website with very important information on planning and preparing.  Click HERE to see the FEMA page on planning and preparing.

Food-Water-Shelter:  The three most important things to have for an emergency!  Take the time now to prepare for what may come!

MARCH GOALS:

3-Month Supply Goal:  Make 1 meal per week that uses only food from your pantry and food storage.

Water Goal: This month you need to fill all your used juice and detergent bottles with water.  Label them and store them for cleaning water.


Financial Goal:  Last month we wrote down everything we spent for a week.  Now that you know where you could be saving money, you need to put that money away to use towards your food storage.  Next month is case lot sale month and you could save your money for that sale!!


Long-Term Storage Goal:  This month is frozen food month and we are going to focus on MEATS & FROZEN FOOD!  Your freezer is your friend when it comes to a 3-month supply.  Most meats and vegetables can be frozen to extend the life of the food.  Use your freezer as an extension of your pantry!  

Wavelength Emergency Radio/Cell phone charger/flashlight

Emergency Preparedness Goal:  This month you need to add a radio and a crank cell phone charger to your storage.  Both are inexpensive (radios can be as expensive as you want) and can be found online and in many stores.  Make sure the cell phone charger you purchase has a plug that fits your phone.  Emergency Essentials sells a radio/charger/flashlight combo for $12.95!!  Click HERE to see that product.



Enjoy the Journey!
Enjoy the Blessings!
Feel the Peace!! 

March Goals!!

It's March!! We are starting new goals this month.  It is National Frozen Foods month and usually there are great deals on frozen food this month.  We will focus on purchasing food for our freezers!  Meats and vegetables are great items to always have in the freezer.  Take inventory and maybe clean out your freezer and use this month to stockpile frozen food!!

 MARCH GOALS:

3-Month Supply Goal:  Make 1 meal per week that uses only food from your pantry and food storage.

Water Goal: This month you need to fill all your used juice and detergent bottles with water.  Label them and store them for cleaning water.


Financial Goal:  Last month we wrote down everything we spent for a week.  Now that you know where you could be saving money, you need to put that money away to use towards your food storage.  Next month is case lot sale month and you could save your money for that sale!!


Long-Term Storage Goal:  This month is frozen food month and we are going to focus on MEATS & FROZEN FOOD!  Your freezer is your friend when it comes to a 3-month supply.  Most meats and vegetables can be frozen to extend the life of the food.  Use your freezer as an extension of your pantry!  

Wavelength Emergency Radio/Cell phone charger/flashlight

Emergency Preparedness Goal:  This month you need to add a radio and a crank cell phone charger to your storage.  Both are inexpensive (radios can be as expensive as you want) and can be found online and in many stores.  Make sure the cell phone charger you purchase has a plug that fits your phone.  Emergency Essentials sells a radio/charger/flashlight combo for $12.95!!  Click HERE to see that product.

Enjoy the Journey!
Enjoy the Blessings!
Feel the Peace!! 

Storing Non-Food Essentials

How is everyone doing with their food storage? We are almost complete with our 3rd month and I hope you are able to see the benefits of having a full pantry. I was thinking this week about our goal of paper towel, napkins, and toilet paper and it made me think of all the non-food items that we need to store. I found a great list and thought I would share. I am not sure of the origin of this paper so I apologize to the author.

Non-Food Essentials Checklist

• PAPER PRODUCTS (TOILET PAPER, PAPER TOWELS, FACIAL TISSUE,ETC)
• PLASTIC BAGS RANGING FROM FOOD STORAGE SIZE TO TRASH SIZE
• SOAPS AND DETERGENTS (HAND SOAP, DISHWASHER DETERGENT, DISINFECTANT, LAUNDRY POWDER,ETC.)
• TOOTHPASTE AND TOOTHBRUSHES
• FEMININE HYGIENE SUPPLIES
• SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, LOTION
• BABY DIAPERS AND WIPES
• FLASHLIGHTS AND EXTRA BATTERIES
• MATCHES
• CANDLES
• PAPER, PENS, PENCILS
• DUCT TAPE, STRING, CORD, ROPE
• ARMY KNIFE
• SCISSORS
• SUNSCREEN, ALOE VERA
• SIX MONTH SUPPLY OF PRESCRIPTION MEDS AND OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION
• TOWELS, WASHCLOTHS, CLEANING RAGS
• BLANKETS AND OTHER BEDDING
• BANDAGES OF VARIOUS SIZES AND ANTIBACTERIAL OINTMENT
• FIRST AID SUPPLIES
• CLOTHING (Most of us could go a year without clothing, but make sure each family member has adequate cold weather clothing and sufficient socks and underwear)
• HAND CRANK WHEAT GRINDER

As we plan home storage for the security of our families the following areas need to be addressed:
Water for 2 weeks
Basic foods that would keep your family alive if there was nothing else to eat.
A financial reserve.
Additional food items that we are accustomed to eating.
Items for meeting specific and unusual emergency situations.
MARCH GOALS:

STORAGE GOALS: MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS. We are in luck this month because there is a lot of meat on sale and also some frozen veggies on sale. Look at your 3 month menu plan and purchase the amount of meat that you will use. Keep in mind freezer space and your budget. Meat will stay good in the freezer for up to 1 year if it is frozen properly. Using a Food Saver machine will help in keeping your meat fresh while in the freezer. It sucks all the air out to lessen the chance of freezer burn. Look over the grocery list as there a few frozen deals.

NON-FOOD GOAL: TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL. These are 2 items that I personally do not want to be out of. If you don't know how much your family uses try this. For 1 week put all toilet paper tubes in a container and add it up, multiply by 4 to get a rough monthly estimate and then you'll know about how much your family uses. I also want to include napkins in this months goal. I buy our napkins at Big Lots for $1.00 a package.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
ENJOY THE BLESSINGS!
FEEL THE PEACE!

Freezer Meals

Wouldn't it be nice to come home from work or from running kids around and have a warm dinner waiting for you? Freezing dinners gives you the convenience of being gone up to dinner time and still get a warm meal on the table. Most days I am so exhausted and don't have the energy to cook and pulling a thawed meal from the fridge and just cooking it makes my day.



Deanna Buxton is the author of "Dinner Is Ready" ( and she put together the World Wide Ward Cookbook) and she shares how to cook 30 meals in one day. That may sound really difficult but it can be done. All it takes is a little organization and preparation and freezer space. I am not asking any of you to do this, I just wanted to throw the idea out there and let you know of Deanna's book. I have done the 30 meals in a day a couple times and it is wonderful.

What is freezer worthy? Deanna lists several foods that do not freeze well or need special preparation. Potatoes, unless they are hash browns, should not be frozen. Vegetables do soften during freezing and if you are using fresh vegetables they need to be blanched first. If you are adding buttered crumbs or french fried onions add them at baking time or they will get soggy. Pasta can be frozen, but you need to undercook it by 2 minutes. Pasta continues to absorb moisture during freezing and thawing. Anything with gelatin should not be frozen.

I like to use the disposable foil baking pans and gallon size freezer zip lock bags to freeze my dinners. You will also need to use heavy freezer foil to cover the foil pans. And don't forget to label each meal before it goes into the freezer. I like to add the temperature and how long to cook the food. Thaw all food in the fridge. It may take up to 2 days to fully thaw some dinners, so plan ahead if you can. Don't mess with any pasta dish until it is fully thawed or you may get pasta mush.

Onto the recipes. These are a few of my favorites from Deanna's book "Dinner Is Ready".

Cream Cheese Chicken
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 stick of butter (or use 1/2 chicken broth)
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz cream cheese

Turn your crock pot on high and melt butter. Add salad dressing mix and stir. Cut chicken into 1" strips and place in crock pot and stir to coat. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Remove the chicken to cool and add soup and cream cheese to crock pot. Stir to melt and mix until creamy. Remove sauce from crock pot and allow to cool. Place everything a freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw and heat until piping hot and bubbly. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or butter noodles.


Taco Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1 4oz can sliced olives
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
1 C refried beans
1 10 1/2oz package corn chips, crushed
1 C sour cream

Brown groudn beef with onion. Add taco seasoning, olives and tomato sauce. Flatten crescent roll dough and press onto bottom of foil baking pan. Heat refried beans and mix with 2 T of water to make spreadable. Spread over crust. Top with 1 C of cheese. Cover crust with half of the crushed corn chips. Spoon meat mixture over corn chips. Cover with sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining 1 C cheese. To with remaining corn chips. Cover with heavy foil. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw and bake uncovered 45 minutes at 375.

This week I challenge you to double one of your dinners and put the extra dinner in the freezer for another meal down the road. Don't forget to add some meat and frozen food to your 3-month supply.
MARCH GOALS:

STORAGE GOALS: MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS. We are in luck this month because there is a lot of meat on sale and also some frozen veggies on sale. Look at your 3 month menu plan and purchase the amount of meat that you will use. Keep in mind freezer space and your budget. Meat will stay good in the freezer for up to 1 year if it is frozen properly. Using a Food Saver machine will help in keeping your meat fresh while in the freezer. It sucks all the air out to lessen the chance of freezer burn. Look over the grocery list as there a few frozen deals.

NON-FOOD GOAL: TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL. These are 2 items that I personally do not want to be out of. If you don't know how much your family uses try this. For 1 week put all toilet paper tubes in a container and add it up, multiply by 4 to get a rough monthly estimate and then you'll know about how much your family uses. I also want to include napkins in this months goal. I buy our napkins at Big Lots for $1.00 a package.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
ENJOY THE BLESSINGS!
FEEL THE PEACE!

March-Frozen Food Month

Welcome to March! I can't believe how fast this year is going already. It's a new month and time for a new food storage goal. Did you know that March is National Frozen Food Month? So guess what we are going to stock up on this month? Look over your 3 month menu plan (click HERE to learn more) and see what foods you use that could be frozen.

If you looked in my freezer right now, which needs organized, you would find lot's of chicken, butter, yeast, vegetables, pureed beans (oil substitute for brownies), cheese, rolls, bread, tomato paste (I don't use the whole can at once), diced green chilies, pizza dough, a few freezer meals, sandwich meat, yogurt (to use as a starter for making yogurt), and many other foods. There are many items that you can store but remember to have an alternate storing method in case the electricity goes out. I also bottle my chicken and it stays shelf stable for years and having a can or two of dehydrated fruits and vegetables will be great if there was no power.

One way to keep the price down on frozen foods is to purchase produce when they are on sale and freeze them yourself. Chopped onions are a time saver and fruit for smoothies are so much cheaper than buying them fresh when you need them. I bought a Food Saver last year and have loved being able to preserve my food and know it won't get freezer burn.
Check Amazon.com and ebay.com for great deals on Food Savers.

MARCH GOALS:

STORAGE GOALS: MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS.  Look at your 3 month menu plan and purchase the amount of meat that you will use. Keep in mind freezer space and your budget. Meat will stay good in the freezer for up to 1 year if it is frozen properly. Using a Food Saver machine will help in keeping your meat fresh while in the freezer. It sucks all the air out to lessen the chance of freezer burn.

NON-FOOD GOAL: TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL. These are 2 items that I personally do not want to be out of. If you don't know how much your family uses try this. For 1 week put all toilet paper tubes in a container and add it up, multiply by 4 to get a rough monthly estimate and then you'll know about how much your family uses.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
ENJOY THE BLESSINGS!
FEEL THE PEACE!!