Prepare Today Homemade- Spinach Orzo Salad

Spinach Orzo salad is my go-to salad.  It is simple to put together, tastes great, and feeds a crowd.  What really makes this salad taste so good is the balsamic vinegar.  Don't use a cheap balsamic, go for the good stuff.  I love the Lucero brand from California that I bought at Honeyville Grain, but there are many places you can find a good quality balsamic vinegar. 

 Spinach Orzo Salad
16oz Orzo pasta cooked and drained
10oz baby spinach finely chopped
1/2lb feta cheese crumbled
1/2 red onion finely chopped
3/4 C pine nuts (I left these out due to a nut allery)
1/2 t dried basil
1/4 t white pepper
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl add the orzo, spinach, feta, red onion, and pine nuts.  Stir to combine.  

In a small bowl whisk together the basil, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Pour over salad and mix to coat.

Chill in the fridge for 2+ hours.  Serve cold.  Serves 8-10.  It tastes really good the next day for lunch :)

Make it with Food Storage:

• The spinach would have to come from a garden in a situation where a grocery store wasn't available.
• Switch out the feta cheese for freeze-dried mozzarella.        

Are You Ready For The Stomach Flu?

The stomach flu hit our home this past week. Of course sickness seems to happen in the middle of the night.  A child wakes me up and says they don't feel well, or they come in to tell me they already were sick in their room.  In either scenario I can't help to think at the time, how would I deal with this if we had no indoor plumbing or electricity??  I don't want to think about washing sheets in the dark in a bucket, but really, how would this play out in an emergency situation?  Do you have the necessary supplies to deal with a sick family member? 

There are several items I feel are a necessity when someone has the stomach flu.  These items are needed whether it's an emergency or not, so stock up on them and have them in your home.  

We always keep a few unused buckets on hand for when our children are sick.  Towels come in handy for keeping the floor from getting soiled, and I would also include paper towels or toilet paper to clean up any messes.  Having a few plastic grocery bags, or garbage bags, on hand will also keep the germs from spreading when you throw out the mess. Disposable gloves and face masks will also help the germs from spreading, and should be changed when dealing with more than one person who is sick.

 Disinfectants and cleaning products will be necessary in a situation like this.  I try really hard to keep the virus from spreading to all 5 of my children. One problem with being a germaphobe is the compulsion to sanitize everything in sight when one of my children has the stomach flu.  I like to have my cleaning supplies stocked at all times. Clorox wipes are probably the easiest thing to clean with, but homemade cleaners work just as well.  Cleaning all areas where someone is sick will keep the germs from infecting other family members. Hand sanitizers are a great way to clean hands without a lot of water.  Whatever works for you is what you need to have on hand. 

Fluids and simple snacks will be necessary for anyone who is throwing up.  Notice that the drinks I chose are not darkly colored, who wants to clean up dark red off of the floor?  Water is also needed to clean out buckets and other messes.  Keep enough on hand for drinking and cleaning.  And remember the BRAT diet when someone is sick.  Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast....All are available in a long term form.  Bananas come dehydrated, and so does applesauce.  If you have the ingredients to make bread then toast could be made.  Rice is a long-term storage item and shouldn't be hard to keep on hand.  Chicken noodle soup is something my kids ask for when they are starting to feel better, and not the homemade kind.  They want the canned version :)

My children got over the flu pretty quickly this time, but I can forsee a situation where sanitation does not involve indoor plumbing, and keeping everyone healthy will be a top priority.  A few other suggestions for dealing with illness in an emergency situation are:

• Have a variety of pain relievers for adults and children to help with fevers and body aches.
• Have all the supplies to be able to wash sheets, blankets, towels, and clothing.  Click HERE to see how to make a manual washing machine.
• Have a portable toilet.  I would suggest having more than one of these on hand.  Click HERE to see more info on a luggable loo.    
• Any comfort items that your family may be used to when they are sick.
• If you can keep the sick person (or persons) in one area of the house, the illness will hopefully not spread to other family members. If there isn't a way to keep the ill in separate room, have sheets or blankets that can be hung to partition off the sick from the healthy.

Grocery Deals 12/12-12/18

These are the deals I feel are stock-up worthy.  The prices are good in the Salt Lake City area.

• APPLES .99LB
• NEW YORK STRIP STEAKS $3.99LB
• JOHN MORRELL SPIRAL SLICED HAM $1.49
• KROGER 10-20LB TURKEYS BUY 1 GET 1 FREE
• PHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE $1.00
• KROGER 24PCK WATER $2.50
• BLACK PEARL OLIVES $1.00
• KROGER CANNED VEGETABLES .50
• SPANGLER CANDY CANES $1.00

• NAVEL ORANGES 3LBS FOR $1.00
• BLACKBERRIES .88EA
• APPLES .99LB
• GROUND MEAT SALE 40% OFF

72-HOUR SALE FRIDAY-SUNDAY 14TH-16TH

•  BULK BIN AREA EVERYTHING 25% OFF
• CUTIES CLEMENTINES 5LB BOX $3
• 
  

Prepare Today Homemade- Butterscotch Quick Bread

Butterscotch Bread is a slightly sweet quick bread.  I was experimenting with the Mix-A-Meal powdered flavors and I was trying to find a way to use the Butterscotch flavor.  This bread was simple to throw together and made a very cute little loaf of bread.  

 These are some of the powdered flavors made by the Mix-A-Meal company.  They are great to use in bulk mixes but they also work in everyday cooking.  The Honeyville retail locations carry these, and they can also be ordered from Mix-A-Meal HERE.

Butterscotch Quick Bread
1 C white flour
1 C wheat flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T powdered eggs + 4 T water (or 2 eggs)
1 1/2 T butterscotch powdered flavor OR 1 C butterscotch chips (or both!)
1 t vanilla flavor (or 1 t vanilla extract)
1 C buttermilk (1 C milk (1 C water + 3 T powdered milk) + 1 T vinegar- let sit 5 minutes)
2 T butter melted (2 T powdered butter + 1 t water) no need to mix before adding to recipe)

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a bowl mix the flour through the vanilla flavoring.  (If using the butterscotch chips, add after the butter and buttermilk) Add the buttermilk and butter all at once.  Stir just until moistened.  Pour into loaf pan and bake 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool and remove from pan.  

This also makes delicious toast! And it bakes up beautifully in a Sun Oven! 

Grocery Deals 12/5-1211

These are the deals I feel are stock-up worthy this week.  All deals are good in the Salt Lake City area.

• APPLES .99LB
• KROGER CREAM CHEESE $1.00
• KROGER 24PCK WATER $2.50
• DUNCAN HINES CAKE MIX $1.00
• SMITHS BREAD $1.00
• BLACK PEARL OLIVES $1.00
• BLACKBERRIES $1.67

Prepare Today Homemade- Stuffed Pasta Shells

This is a recipe that I have had for quite some time and it has gone through several changes over the years.  We seem to eat it more often after Thanksgiving when we have boxes of stuffing in our storage, but it is just as good during those long winter months too.  

You can see the changes I have made to this recipe over time. The original recipe called for mayonnaise to be mixed with the stuffing, which is really good, but also really unhealthy.  Now I use the light cream of chicken soup instead.  Still just as tasty, but a little healthier. 

Stuffed Pasta Shells
1 box stuffing mix
2 C diced, cooked chicken or turkey (freeze dried or bottled works great!)
18 jumbo pasta shells cooked, drained
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
2/3 C chicken broth (water or milk works too!)
Paprika and Parsley for garnish on top

Cook stuffing mix according to the directions on the box.  Mix stuffing, 1 can cream of chicken soup, and meat.  Stir well.  Stuff each shell with 1-2 T of stuffing mixture and place in a 13x9 pan.  Stir together remaining can of cream of chicken soup and chicken broth.  Mix well and pour over shells.  They don't need to be completely covered.  Sprinkle with Paprika and Parsley for garnish.  Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  It could also be baked in a Sun Oven or Volcano stove.

We love to eat this dish with cranberry sauce to make it kind of a mock Thanksgiving dinner.  I love how my kids like boxed stuffing mix and jellied cranberry sauce over the homemade stuff.  :)  I also served Easiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever and dinner was on the table in under an hour!  

We Become Self-Reliant......Julie Beck

Beautifully said....

 We become self-reliant, through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being." -Julie Beck

 

Read more HERE..