Prepare Today Homemade- No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies

Why is it so easy to whip up a dessert?  And why do I like making dessert so much more than dinner?  (maybe because I am a sugar addict, but that's another post)  This is  a recipe that I make sometimes for my children to eat after school.  It's kind of healthy with the oats in it, right?  They are yummy and simple to make so they get made a lot at my house.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies 
In a saucepan bring to a rapid boil:
1/2 C butter
1/4 C cocoa powder
2 C white sugar
1/2 C milk
Boil for 1 minute, stirring the entire time.

Remove pan from heat and add in:
1/8 t salt
3 C quick oats
1/2 C peanut butter
1 t vanilla

Drop by rounded teaspoon (or cookie scoop) onto waxed paper.  Let dry.  Store in covered container (if there are any left to store)

These aren't the healthiest snack but they are quick and taste so good.  





 

Prepare Today Homemade- Baked Chicken in the Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker

Making preparedness a way of life involves a great deal of cooking for me.  For every meal that I prepare I think of how it could be made without electricity.  The Global Sun Oven and my Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker are my go-to powerless emergency cookers.  I used my Sun Oven about 3 days a week last summer and I became accustomed to making our meals and bread in it, but even though I live in Utah, and we are supposedly a desert, we don't have sun every day.  I need an alternative cooking source for those sunless days.  I found a chicken recipe that my family absolutely loved in the Sun Oven and I decided to replicate it in my thermal cooker.  

Thermal cooking works best when your pans are filled with food or water, like soups, stews, and sauces, and for this recipe I didn't want a chicken soup, I wanted baked chicken.  I solved this problem of needing to fill the whole pan with food with a......

 .....cereal bag!!  That's right a plain old plastic insert from a cereal box.  They make wonderful cooking bags for thermal cooking.  They work great for the Wonderbox as well.  No need to spend money on pricey steam bags.  Just use something that would be thrown away and save some $$.  (the plastic bags also make great fruit leather roll ups)

I started off with my free chicken (you heard me...free chicken...there was a rebate at the grocery store for $10 when you bought $10 or more of poultry)  and cut each breast into fourths.  The meat will cook faster in smaller pieces.  

 I added my spices and oil to the bag and dumped in the chicken.  Give it a good massage and they're ready to go.

The chicken is ready to be placed into the boiling water.

 Place the bag into the water with the edge of the bag hanging over the edge.  (this would work in a pot over an open flame but watch the plastic, Volcano Stove, butane stove, etc. just boil until the chicken is done. The thermal cooker will save your fuel!)  Bring the water to a boil with the lid on.

Boil for 4 minutes (for raw meat) and place into the Saratoga Jacks thermal base.

 The cereal bag will fold nicely over the top of the pan lid.  Close the cooker and wait about 1 hour at the earliest to open and eat.  I made this at 1:38 PM and we ate it for dinner at 5:45 PM.  

 This picture was when I opened the cooker at 5:45.  It was STEAMING hot and I needed a hot pad to raise the pan out of the base.  

 I drained the broth off (I know I know, I should have made mashed potatoes in the smaller Saratoga Jacks pan and made a gravy out of the juices) and served it for dinner.  My kids loved it!  It was moist, juicy, and fall apart tender.  

Chicken Wings (or breasts, thighs, etc)
10 chicken wings (I used 3 chicken breasts)
3 T oil
3 garlic cloves
2 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Add the chicken, oil, and spices into a bag.  Shake to combine.  Place in baking dish and bake at 375 for 1 hour or until juices run clear.  

Sun Oven Instructions
Place all ingredients into a dark enamelware pot with a lid and stir.  Bake for 2 or more hours at 250 degrees or higher in the sun oven. 

Saratoga Jacks or Wonderbox Directions
Place all ingredients into a cereal insert bag or an oven bag and rub until combined.  Place in a pan of hot water, boil for 4 minutes, (boil longer for wonderbox @ 10 min) place in thermal cooker or wonderbox and, "cook" for 2-8 hours.  When using a wonderbox you will need to check the temperature of your food beyond 6 hours to make sure it hasn't fallen below 145 degrees.  If it has you need to reheat it or put it in the fridge.  It is safe to eat if above 145 degrees.  The Sartatoga Jacks thermal cooker will maintain a steady temperature, because of its insulation, for up to 8 hours.


Bonus Material!!!!

What to do with your pot full of  hot, steaming water?  You could use the water to wash dishes, wash your face, clean, make soup, or how about Hot Chocolate!  I thought I was being brilliant and added some of the Morning Moo's chocolate milk powder to my hot water.

We whisked it up and my children were so excited to have some delicious chocolatey milk for dessert.  That was until...they took the first swallow.  I am writing this because I want to be totally honest and....the hot chocolate tasted like our chicken dinner...go ahead and laugh because we all were too!!  I even added more chocolate powder and it still tasted like chicken.

 But guess what???  They ALL drank it and asked for more.  I was laughing that they would still drink it, but because it was chocolate they gulped it down. My son drank 4 glasses full.  So lesson learned, next time I will make a chicken noodle soup out of the boiled chicken dinner water :) (or maybe the lesson learned was my kids will eat or drink anything with chocolate in it)

Water Storage

 I was watching the news today to see what the forecast for next week was and something the weatherman said caught my attention.  He said that May is generally the wettest month out of the year in Utah and we haven't had any rain showers yet.  No rain in May and that equals a summer of limited water usage.  It was a reminder to make sure my water storage is up to the level it needs to be.  

 I store my water in many different types of containers and also in different locations throughout my home and yard.  I have water bottles in my car kits, 72-hour kits, under the stairs, and in the storage room.  My 55 gallon drums are clearly staying outside while my juice and detergent (yes, laundry detergent bottles are great water storage containers.  Don't rinse them, just fill up and use for cleaning water.  Make sure to label them as water.) bottles are stored in the kitchen and storage room.  I don't want to lose all of my water supply in case of an earthquake by storing all of my water in one location.  

Rinse your juice/soda bottles with a little bleach and fill with tap water. Another myth out there about water storage is that you need to empty your water containers and refill them every six months.  Guess what...you don't need to do that!  The only situation that I would recommend changing the water is, if you have containers that sit in the sun and they go from extreme hot to cold.  But other than that you can leave your water in a container for much longer than previously thought. (yes I know there are expiration dates on water bottles, but come on, water doesn't expire)  If the water needs to be consumed and it tastes stale just pour it between 2 containers to add some air back to it and it will taste better. 

If you have no storage whatsoever, get water today!!!!!  It is simple and in most cases free.  We don't drink soda or juice so I ask at family parties for the empty soda and juice bottles.  It is also a great way to be green and re-purpose an item.

Click HERE  for other posts on water.

Prepare Today Homemade- Italian Herbed Chicken

Today I had one child at soccer practice, one at cheer practice, one child at scouts then football practice, and the finale was a football game.  Here's the kicker....my husband is out of town and I have been up since 4:45 AM.  I will be driving from 3:55 PM until 8:00 PM tonight and I knew I would be exhausted.  Everything just seemed to fall on Tuesday and I needed a plan for dinner.  I had heard of Amy & Jack from Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cookers taking their thermal cooker on the road and today was my chance to have "fast food" for dinner with mine.  I made an Italian Chicken with Rice in my Saratoga Jacks thermal cooker (Wonderbox and Slow Cooker instructions below) and it will feed my children whenever they end up in the car tonight.  Having 2 pans in the thermal cooker allows me to cook a complete meal ready-to-go when I am on-the-go.

A great shelf stable recipe too!

Italian-Herbed Chicken
 2-2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, thighs,and/or legs, skinned (or home canned chicken)  (if using the Saratoga Jacks thermal cooker cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces so they will cook faster)
2 C sliced fresh mushrooms (I used 2 cans of mushrooms)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts, cut into bite sized pieces *see tip*
1/2 C sliced olives

Clear Gel for thickening.

3 T quick cooking tapioca (I used 3 T or more of Clear Gel to thicken the dish)
1 can chicken broth
1 T dried Italian seasoning

Rice or Pasta for serving. 

 *Tip* Don't drain your canned veggies and use that water instead of the broth.  That will conserve your canned broth in an emergency.  

Saratoga Jacks directions for cooking rice:  

• 4 C water brought to boil with salt

• Add 2 1/2 C rice and boil 2 minutes and place in cooker.

Saratoga Jacks Directions:
Combine all ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil for 4 minutes with the lid on.  Boil water for rice in smaller pan, stir in rice, boil 2 minutes, after boiling large pot for 4 minutes place smaller rice pan on top and close in the cooker.  Cook for 4-8 hours in the base without opening the lid.  (If you use canned chicken you can serve dinner whenever you are ready but with raw chicken you'll want to cook at least 2 hours before serving. Use a meat thermometer test if done)  If you want a thicker sauce add the clear gel until you reach desired consistency. Serve with rice or pasta.

It was good with rice, but it was really good with fettuccine.

WonderBox Directions:
In a pan that fits the amount of food you have, boil all ingredients for 10 minutes.  Place in wonderbox.  Cook rice or pasta to serve with it.

Slow Cooker Directions:
Combine mushrooms, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and olives in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Sprinkle with tapioca or clear gel.  Place chicken on top the veggies.  Combine the broth and Italian seasoning and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3 1/2-4 hours.  Serve over pasta or rice.  

(Please ignore the crazy hair and outfits, it was a run around sports day.)

Can you tell which child doesn't like my food :)

Now I can serve a fast and healthy dinner even if we are on the road.  As Amy of Saratoga Jacks says "It's not what's for dinner, it's where is dinner tonight".  Having a Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker gives me freedom as a mom to have home cooked meals for my children anywhere we happen to be. 

Hand Crank Bosch Handle

Preparedness hasn't always been a priority in my life, imagine that, but it has always had a small part.  When I started making food storage a bigger part of my family's life I started making whole wheat bread, and it was my first obstacle.  I call it an obstacle because I didn't have a grinder, or a Bosch to knead the bread, and I was doing it all by hand.  I literally tried and tried different recipes for 2 years before I was consistently making edible bread.  In that two years I received a Bosch mixer as a Christmas present and it changed my life!!  I was able to make my bread quicker and easier than kneading by hand.  Having preparedness in the back of my mind I kept thinking, I love my new Bosch mixer, but if the electricity ever went out I would be back to hand kneading my bread.  I went on Google and searched for a manual mixer to use in an emergency situation, and I eventually found a company that sold an attachment for a Bosch mixer that would allow you to knead or mix without power.  I was beyond excited!  (again doesn't take much)

The store that I purchased my handle from no longer sells them but you can see the handle HERE. They run about $20 but I think that is a very reasonable price to turn an electric appliance into a manual one.  

From the instructions that came with the handle:  
"The hand crank is for use with the plastic bowl or new stainless steel bowl of the Universal or Universal Plus and allows you to easily finish kneading your dough in the event of a power failure.  With the bowl on the motor base, the transmission and motor would normally be engaged.  To avoid the drag of trying to turn the motor while kneading, a spacer is provided to lift the dough hook up above the cross-pin on the drive shaft, allowing the shaft to spin freely.  The Bosch dough hook still kneads very effectively, even when raised up this much (about 1/2")"

This would make a great gift for anyone with a Bosch..Mother's day is coming up..hint..hint. But seriously I love little gadgets like this and it's fun to find them and find that they work!  (this is the bread recipe that I make)

Prepare Today Homemade- Lemon Sugar Cookies (with beans)

I love dessert and so do my kids.  My husband wishes I wouldn't make it so often, so I try to make our desserts a little healthier.  I am sure you have all heard of using beans in place of the fat in recipes and it really works.  It will change the texture of the finished product by becoming a little more cake like and not soft and chewy (like a gooey brownie would be).  I use beans frequently in my baking and I have been very pleased with how my food turns out.  Beans add fiber and eliminate the saturated fats that butter or shortening would add.  In my Lemon Cookies I used 1/2 C of beans to replace half of the 1 C of butter the original recipe called for.  I use canned beans but home cooked beans will definitely work too.  I always rinse canned beans before pureeing.

I always rinse my canned beans to lessen the digestions problems that beans can cause.

I puree my beans and get about 1 C per can.

The beans are ready for baking when they are all smashed and smooth.

Beat the butter, beans and sugar until creamy.

Powdered flavorings add great flavor when you don't have the liquid version.

Lemon Cookies 
2 3/4 C white flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
zest of 2 lemons (I used 1 t of the lemon flavor powder)
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C butter at room temp.  (replace with beans or applesauce)
1 large egg (1 T egg powder + 2 T water)
1/2 t vanilla (or vanilla powder)
2 T lemon juice (or lemon powder)
1/2 C white sugar for rolling the dough

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the dry ingredients and set aside.  Beat together the butter (beans) and sugar until creamy.  Add the lemon zest, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice.  Stir to combine.  Add in the dry ingredients and combine.   Using 1 tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball and roll in sugar.  Place 1 1/2" apart on a cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  Let cool for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.  Add lemon glaze when cooled.

Lemon Glaze
1 T softened cream cheese
2 T lemon juice
1 1/2 C powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients until smooth.  Glaze each cookie.

A little taste of spring!!

Shirley J Bouillon

Having backup plans was part of my last post and I feel it trickles down into most areas of preparedness.  When I am cooking I think of how I would make this particular meal if I didn't have water, or power, or fresh ingredients from a garden.  It really gets me thinking outside of the box in my very convenient everyday life.  I purchase a lot of canned goods and I use them regularly to rotate my food storage, but I also don't want to use them all the time because they would become a hot commodity if I had limited water.  Chicken broth is one example of a canned good I use all the time, but lately every time I open a can I think if I didn't have water I would be very stingy in using them.  Since I do have running water and electricity right now I have been trying to use bullion more than canned broth.  I was using chicken and beef bullion from Winco and the chicken flavor was good, the beef not so much. So I have been on the lookout for a great bouillon, and I found one, and it has great flavor and shelf life!!  Most chicken bouillon is supposed to be kept in the fridge to keep fresh, not with what I found.  

I want to introduce to you...Shirley J products.  I am sure a lot of  you have heard of Shirley J, but I have been a little slow in truly loving their products.  My friend Lisa, the store manager at Honeyville Grain, mentioned that her husband uses the chicken bouillon powder to make his Ramen noodles instead of using that little toxic packet that comes with it.  Well, my kids LOVE Ramen but I cringe at what they are really eating.  I decided to test it out by making the noodles and adding the Shirley J bouillon. It was a hit!!  I bought a big  container of both the chicken and beef bouillon at Honeyville and now I can make their favorite meal healthier. (it is sad, but they really do love Ramen noodles)  Now, if I could get them to add veggies to it I would be really happy!! Unopened the Shirley J products have a shelf life of 25-30 when stored in a cool, dry place, perfect for food storage!!

What I loved about the bouillon is that is dissolved almost instantly and I didn't have to stir out any lumps.  It is also very concentrated so you only need 1/2 t to 1 C of water.  The flavor is that of chicken broth not salt.  Shirley J products also don't have any MSG and their Universal Sauce, now called Whisk Bliss, is a white cream sauce mix but it doesn't have hydrogenated oils in it.  I make a white sauce mix but I use butter powder and the Shirley J mix would be so much healthier.  I have to take one step at at time though :) 


I made dinner at 7 PM last night and to say I had a hungry mob was an understatement.  I threw together a quick soup with potatoes, freeze dried broccoli, dehydrated celery, carrots, and onion, and Shirley J chicken bouillon.  I have no picture of it because it was devoured!  I started off with 3 C of water and 1 1/2 t of Shirley J chicken bouillon and cooked the potatoes and veggies for about 10 minutes.  I added 2 C of milk and thickened a little with some flour, added some parsley and about 2 C of cheddar cheese and stirred until the cheese was melted.  I am really not a throw together kind of cook, but this totally worked and I was so happy.  I also made an orzo side dish the other night by sauteing the orzo in butter and then cooking it in water/chicken bouillon like Rice-A-Roni.  My kids ate the whole pan!!

I keep finding that I really, really like Shirley J!!  The 76oz. container that I bought at Honeyville was $22 and some change and that size container will make 65 gallons of chicken broth.  That equals 520 16-oz cans of chicken broth.  I am thinking the Shirley J 76oz container would take up a little less room than 520 cans :)  Saving money and having food storage on a budget is where these products go hand in hand.  You don't have to commit to the 76oz container, they sell 16oz containers as well.  I don't think you'll be disappointed though. 

You can find Shirley J products at the Honeyville Grain store in SLC and Brigham City, the Shirley J store (in Orem), online or many other locations.  Click HERE to view other locations.