Meeting 1: Gathering a 3 Month Supply and a Year's Supply of Food

1st - Go to FoodStorageMadeEasy.net and sign up for their e-mails. This is an awesome site with so much great information. They send an e-mail every 2 weeks with FREE checklists to help you build, grow, and use your food storage. Their e-mails also include things like:

               - Beginners Guide and Pep Talk (The Pep Talk is what we talked about for the 1st Class.)

               - Self Stable Recipes Cookbook 

               - Family Emergency Plan Worksheets

               - Monthly Tips, News, and Sales E-mail

Their "Building a Food Storage Using 10 BabySteps" is super helpful. Here are the main steps they cover: 

     - Getting Started

     - Step 1: Shelves and Storage

     - Step 2: Water

     - Step 3: 3 Month Supply

     - Step 4: Long Term Storage Education

     - Step 5: Grains

     - Step 6: Legumes

     - Step 7: Baking Ingredients

     - Step 8: Fruits and Vegetables

     - Step 9: Comfort Foods

     - Step 10: Non-Food Items

     - Beyond the Baby Steps

"Follow along with us as we learn, experiment, and make food storage easy and fun!" - Jodi and Julie from FoodStorageMadeEasy.net. 

So, sign-up for their e-mails and do what they say and you'll be on your way to having food storage that you'll want to (and be able to eat)!!

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola 
Cindy Savoldi 

2-1/2 cups regular oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or Craisins
1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds (optional)
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup butter or margarine (or use powdered butter)
1/3 cup honey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat butter and honey together until butter melts. (Microwave works well for this.) Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl first, and then fold in the honey and butter mixture. Spread on a greased cookie sheet/baking pan that's at least 9 x 13". Cook for 13-15 minutes [some ovens make take as much as 20, but I set mine for 13 and watch it as it gets to the end]. If you want softer granola, take it out when the time is done, before it is light brown. If you prefer hard granola, wait until it is just barely light brown. As it is cooling on the pan, it will set and stick together more than it looks like it will. Break apart when cool. Enjoy! It is so good plain, as cereal (with milk), or with yogurt! 
Store in Ziploc or airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also make extra and freeze in a freezer bag. 

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Whole Grain Pancake Mix:
This recipe is from King Arthur Flour.

Pancake Mix:
4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats
3 TBS Granulated Sugar
3 TBS Baking Powder
1 TBS Salt
1TBS Baking Soda
1 Cup Vegetable Oil

Pancake Batter:
1 Cup Mix
1 Egg (or reconstituted powdered egg, 2 TBS powder +1/4 Cup water)
 1 Cup Buttermilk (can substitute 1 Cup of powdered buttermilk, 1 Cup of milk + 1 TBS vinegar, you can also use your whey from homemade yogurt, or plain yogurt and milk mixed together)


To make mix: grind the oats in a food processor until they are fine, but not a powder. Put flours, oats and other dry ingredients into a mixer and mix with a paddle. Slowly drizzle the oil while the mixer runs and it will turn into a slightly clumpy dry mix. Store in an airtight container up to two weeks at room temperature, or store in fridge or freeze indefinitely.

To make batter: Mix together 1 Cup mix, 1 Egg and 1 cup buttermilk and let stand for 20 min.  This will make 5-8 pancakes so adjust accordingly.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (food storage modified)

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:
This recipe is originally from The Girl Who Ate Everything blog (one of Katy's favorite food blogs) but has been modified using food storage items.

1 Cup All-purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup butter powder, reconstituted
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
 2 TBS Egg Powder + 1/4 Cup Water, mixed
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix butter, peanut butter, egg, sugars, and vanilla extract.  Add oats and then dry ingredients.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Place on lined baking sheet and bake for 9-10 min.

Links We Recommend Checking Out

Our Favorite Go-To Blogs: 

FoodStorageMadeEasy.net 

There are SO many great resources on this awesome site. Start by going here and signing up to receive their free e-mail checklists. They will tell you step-by-step how to be more prepared. Their website also has recipes, tutorials, and so much more!

 

EverydayFoodStorage.net

Foodstoragemoms.com

Amazing 100% Whole Wheat Bread

 

Amazing 100% Whole Wheat Bread:

 2 1/2 Cups Warm water (it should be a little warmer than lukewarm)
 2 TBS Yeast
 2 TBS White vinegar
 2/3 Cups Light  Brown Sugar, packed
 5 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
 1/2 Cup Wheat Gluten (You can add as little as 1/3 cup and it will work just fine)
2 tsp Salt
 4 TBS Powdered Milk
2 TBS Oil or Butter
1/2 Cup Potato Flakes (Not potato pearls)

Place ingredients in order listed into a mixer.  Use the paddle to mix dough for 1-2 min.  Exchange paddle for dough hook and knead for 10-12 min.  Cover with towel and let rise until doubled.  Punch dough down and form into loaves.  Place formed loaves into bread pans and allow to rise in pans until doubled in size.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 22-23 min, cover with foil and bake another 8-10 min. Remove from oven and let cool 10 min before removing from pans.