Photo from ourbestbites.com

With all the zucchini from this year’s harvest, there’s plenty to enjoy both recipes!

And this is why I started this site.   Storing the basics shown above is a great place to start, but I don’t think many of us want to channel our pioneer ancestry to this extent. I believe in knowing how to use these staples to make healthy foods, but also in storing the ingredients that enhance them and make them enjoyable to eat.  Every edible thing in your house will be considered “food storage” in the event of an emergency!  Store a well-rounded supply of what YOUR family will eat!

You may have noticed…I’m a big fan of breakfast.  This recipe is one of my favorites because I can mix it up anytime and the batter will last up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator, yielding hot healthy muffins even on hectic school mornings. It’s a great use of the buttermilk powder in my food storage too.  I don’t buy cartons of buttermilk anymore.  Powdered buttermilk is the way to go!  No waste–just mix up what you need–and I love that I always have some handy when I have a craving for this muffin recipe!

SIX WEEK BRAN MUFFINS

5 cups raisin bran cereal

4 cups flour (you can use half whole wheat)

1 cup wheat germ

5 tsp. baking soda

3 cups sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup oil (or 1/2 cup applesauce + 1/2 cup oil)

4 beaten eggs

1 quart buttermilk (I use powdered buttermilk)

Mix dry ingredients. Add liquids. Stir very well. Cover and keep in refrigerator in large Tupperware container for up to 6 weeks.  Bake at 400 degrees in sprayed muffin tins for 20 minutes.

You can also add chopped apples, blueberries, or dried fruit to the batter right before baking.  I sprinkle the chopped apple on top and press into the batter.  You don’t want to mix fruit into the big container of batter because it will brown before you use the whole batch. Add just before baking.

Here is a tasty recipe from joyofbaking.com to put your cocoa powder to good use for adorable Valentine’s Day cookie hearts!

Chocolate Sugar Cookie Hearts

Better fitness is one of my goals for the new year, so I was excited to find this yummy recipe in Shape Magazine for low-cal, high protein, whole grain pancakes. I think it’s a great way to use oats from food storage!  No need to grind the oats into flour. Just use a blender or food processor to combine ingredients below.  (I used a Magic   Bullet) Then cook batter like  pancakes for 2 minutes per side.  These are great served with fresh fruit and a drizzle of agave nectar (I like Xagave brand)! They taste a little bit like French toast.

PROTEIN PANCAKES

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1/2 cup egg whites (you could easily use powdered egg whites in this recipe)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of cinnamon

This Christmas, my neighbors are getting homemade bread with jam or honey butter.  (The photo is actually one from a previous year when I used a similar idea in gift baskets.  This year, I’m just using gift sacks and I’m giving some homemade Strawberry Peach freezer jam and some Me ‘ N Stan’s Honey Butter with the loaves.) Many of my neighbors don’t have the time to bake for themselves, so they enjoy receiving fresh bread and it’s an economical gift I can give using food storage ingredients. I also made up simple tags with the following scripture to tie this gift into the true reason for the season.
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger.”
(John 6:35)

Here is the file for my “bread of life” tags: Bread gift tags

If it’s time to rotate your supply of powdered milk, homemade hot cocoa mixes will put it to good use.  And, you’ll ease your wallet with this economical Christmas gift from food storage!  We call this “Snowman Soup” and package it with mini marshmallows and peppermint sticks for stirring.  Here is the recipe for the hot cocoa mix:

“SNOWMAN SOUP” MIX

25 5/8 oz. nonfat dry milk powder

6 oz. powdered non-dairy creamer (flavored if desired)

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 (16 oz.) container instant chocolate drink mix (Nesquik)

2 boxes Cook & Serve Chocolate Pudding Mix

1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well, using a food processor if necessary to eliminate lumps. Pour into storage containers, topping them with mini marshmallows before attaching lid. Attach a mini candy cane (more if larger container). Decorate for gift-giving. Label and store in a cool, dry place. Best if used within 6 months. To make hot chocolate, add 1/3 c. mix to 1 c. hot water or milk and stir well.

This recipe and the printable tags you see in the photo above can be downloaded HERE. 

For a lower-fat Cinnamon Hot Cocoa Mix recipe, visit one of my previous Christmas posts by clicking HERE.

Merry Christmas!

Try making “Blessing Mix,” a thoughtful combination of sweet and salty treats that guests can snack on before the big meal.  Package in cello bags, little canning jars, or reusable mini storage containers (like the one I used above), and label with guests’ names to mark their places at the Thanksgiving table.

I’ve created the tags for you here: Harvest Blessing Mix.  Just open and print!

You can also put your dehydrated corn from food storage to good use by packaging it in a cute container and attaching the printable tag below.  The tag shares a tradition of gratitude based on the experiences of early pilgrims, telling the recipient to place a few pieces of corn on each dinner plate and invite guests to share something for which they are grateful for each piece of corn.

This is also a great way to show others that food storage foods are practical for every day use.  Let your recipient know that any leftover dehydrated corn will be great added to their next soup recipe!

Click here for the Pilgrim Corn tags.

The other container in the photo is a container decorated to look like a squatty turkey and filled with Turkey Noodle Soup Mix.  Turkey Noodle Soup Mix uses pasta, bouillon and spices from food storage, and is a tasty way to use leftover turkey.

If you want to make these for Christmas, there are printable Turkey Noodle Soup Christmas tags under the Food Storage Printables tab at the top of this web page. Just print them, glue onto cardstock, and fold over the top of cello bags filled with the soup mix.

All of my storage containers are from Alison’s Pantry. The containers shown in this post have shaker tops, and can be reused for bulk spices.

I think we’ve established my love for pumpkin. (Such a big part of why Fall is so fabulous.)  So, I feel the time has come to share my favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe, and probably my favorite way to cycle the canned pumpkin in my food storage. This recipe was selected after auditioning many pumpkin bread recipes and weeding out the too spicy, too dry, too gooey, etc..  I think it’s hands-down the best pumpkin bread recipe around, even with my healthier substitutions. The original recipe called for 3 cups of sugar and twice the oil, so this version is a bit more nutritious without sacrificing flavor or texture.  You could use agave, or whole wheat flour, or add flax meal if you wanted to tweak it further.  It’s also great jazzed up with mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries or raisins if you’re feeling crazy.

Anyway, enough ado!  Here is the recipe I’m excited to have you try:

FABULOUS FALL PUMPKIN BREAD

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (you can use part whole wheat flour, but I recommend wheat pastry flour and it will be slightly drier / heavier–but still delicious!)

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsps. pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. nutmeg)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/4  cups white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup applesauce

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Grease and flour three 7″ x 3″ pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Measure flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices into a large bowl. Stir to blend.  Add pumpkin, water, oil, applesauce, eggs, and nuts. (You can also add raisins, chopped dried cranberries, or mini chocolate chips if you’d like.)

3. Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake for approximately 1 hour.

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook.htm

http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/pumpkin-recipes/Detail.aspx

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/thanksgiving/recipes/pumpkin-recipes/

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blpumpkins.htm