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!

WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I like hard white wheat flour)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. nonfat dry powdered milk (non-instant)

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp. sugar

Enough water to make the right consistency

Stir dry ingredients together, then stir wet ingredients together and combine. Add water last until the batter is the right consistency for waffles.  Cook on hot waffle iron.

1. Use whole grains. Use wheat flour, oats, or other grains in your cooking.   They add much more flavor and nutrition to your recipes.  If this is new for your family, start slow.  Begin by swapping out part of the white flour in recipes for whole wheat flour and work up to using more.  Flour made from hard white wheat works great this way and the change is rarely noticed. Oats add nutrition and work just as well as bread crumbs in meatloaf. Cooked wheat can be added to ground beef to stretch a recipe for tacos.  The wheat takes on the taco flavoring, and generally goes without detection, while making the meal healthier.

2. Use powdered milk.  The pricey smoothie shops do it all the time!  Powdered milk has fewer calories and less cholesterol than whole milk products and adds protein.  Try it in soups, casseroles, bread recipes…and smoothies. I also love to have powdered buttermilk on hand.

3. Convert eggs.  I love having powdered eggs on hand.  They are convenient and easy to use.  They are even great for camping…no more cracked eggs in the cooler. Just add the egg powder with your dry ingredients and the required water with your liquid ingredients.  Click here for my post on using powdered eggs. It includes a handy conversion chart.

4. Use dry beans instead of canned. The savings is significant.  To make them more convenient to use in your cooking, soak and cook a big batch of beans and freeze them in can-size portions. Place 1 2/3 cup portions of cooked beans in zippered sandwich bags and freeze. Then when your recipe calls for a 15.5 oz. can of beans, you just have to pull a bag from the freezer.

5. Throw in dehydrated vegetables or fruits.  Dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables retain much more nutrients than do canned vegetables. Once you start using them, the convenience will win you over.  No washing, peeling, or chopping.  Dehydrated potatoes, onions, carrots, corn, bell peppers and celery are ready to go in soups and casseroles. Dehydrated apples are fantastic in oatmeal, or reconstituted and chopped for baked goods.  They’re also wonderful straight from the can as a snack.

There are several benefits from incorporating your long-term food storage ingredients into your everyday cooking.

• You’ll rotate your products and retain freshness.
• No waste. With dehydrated foods, you just reconstitiute what you need. 
• You learn how to use these food staples in a way that your family will enjoy them before there is a crisis. 
• You have a healthier family.  Whole grains, fruits and vegetables make for satisfying meals that boost nutrition.

The milk mustache says it all. It's that good!

I had mentioned in a previous post about the necessity of stocking powdered milk at my house, and having a supply of milk in the event of a two-week swine flu quarantine.  We are serious milk drinkers, so I know I have to store variations of powdered milk to have a long-term supply as well.  We don’t like the flavor of typical nonfat dry milk powder so I use that for baking and smoothies.  I store Morning Moo’s brand powdered milk products to supplement our storage and add variety for drinking.  Most children will drink chocolate milk, and Morning Moo’s can be served hot or cold to appeal to differing tastes. The #10 can provides instructions for mixing single servings or up to a gallon, and offers a few recipe variations adding cinnamon or almond flavoring.  To mix, hot water is added first to dissolve the powder and then cold water is added to complete the drink.  Then it is chilled before serving for best flavor.  Morning Moo’s come in a variety of flavors including plain, strawberry, orange and chocolate.  The #10 can will store for 10-15 years on your shelf.  If you are storing powdered milk for drinking, I strongly encourage stocking this brand because the flavor is far superior basic nonfat dry milk (i.e., much easier to get your family to drink).  My littlest taste-tester has been requesting it!

The School District has resigned itself to the fact that an outbreak of swine flu will be inevitable once kids return to school.  Since swine flu (H1N1) so far hasn’t proven to be any more lethal than typical influenza, the concern is the speed at which it spreads.  If there is an outbreak, two-week quarantines will be necessary to control the spread of the virus. So, families are strongly encouraged to review the supplies in their homes and secure a well-rounded two-week supply to use in the event they are isolated in their homes with swine flu.  In these last weeks before school starts again, it is a good time to replace things you may have used from your storage.  Here are some things I realized I needed to buy or replace to feel prepared for a comfortable (that’s a relative term) quarantine:

Laundry soap

Dishwasher soap (this is important so that you can easily sterilize dishes)

Toilet Paper

Diapers & Wipes

Powdered Milk and Eggs (see my next post for more on these)

Stored Vegetables (more frozen, dehydrated or canned so that I can have variety to use with easy meals)

These are just a few ideas, and needs will vary from family to family, but the practice of assessing everything you use regularly and seeing what may be missing from your storage is a good idea. The more prepared individual families are, the less strain it will put on them and those around them if they become infected because their basic needs will be met.  The government is working on developing a vaccine that will prevent swine flu.  Hopefully, it will be ready by Fall and will prevent a lot of the inconvenience and discomfort of this illness.  In the meantime, we can do our part.

Indian Fry Bread

4 C. flour

3 heaping tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 C. warm water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. powdered milk

Mix all ingredients.  Roll or form into flat rounds with your hands and fry in small amount of oil.  Serve with chili and cheese, or with butter and honey.