Healthy Eating with Food Storage

Want to work on making healthy meals from your food storage?  Below are some reasons to start cooking from your food storage and to think healthy!

• Reasons to cook from food storage-You can control what is in your food!  You have the ability to control quantities of salts and sugar or honey in homemade foods. You have the ability to use food that has not been processed (or at least choose what processed food to use). You can make the switch to eating healthier...yes...even living on food storage!

      --- At Natural Family Recipes.com, http://www.naturalfamilyrecipes.com/,  you can find reasons to switch to healthier eating, how to make the switch, and lots of simple recipes.
      ---The Mayo Clinic has hundreds of healthy recipes to browse and try http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RecipeIndex
      ---Try typing "healthy recipes" into an internet search engine (like Google) and see what you find =)

• Whole Grains- Among other things, whole grains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and the risk of many types of cancer. Check out the following site for a list of the benefits of whole grain foods and how to determine the amount of whole grain in packaged products http://www.healthcastle.com/whole-grains.shtml  (Did you know that many products that claim to be “Whole Grain” really aren’t, or are merely sprinkled with a little bit of whole grain?)
• Beans- are inexpensive, easy to store and prepare and are a great source of protein.  You would be surprised at the many different varieties and uses of beans.  Check out this link for lots of information http://www.recipenet.org/health/articles/beans.htm  (Did you know you can use white beans in place of shortening in most recipes?  See post under the "Beans" category)
• Sprouting- Sprouts are a great idea anytime, but are a must for times when fresh produce may not be available.  Check out this link for a primer on what you need to know http://www.primalseeds.org/sprouting.htm
• Gardening-  A 2008 survey of gardeners found that the #1 reason to garden was to have safe and healthy food and the #2 reason was for exercise (1 hour of moderate gardening burns 300 calories).  Following is a list of just 3 of the many informative sites on gardening:    

           http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net      http://backyardgardener.com   
           http://www.gardenguiedes.com 

• Packaged Food- Packaged foods are convenient and easy to store.  The following link allows you to compare popular packaged food items and read a review by a registered dietitian so that you can make informed and healthier choices   http://www.healthcastle.com/product-review.shtml#

Check out the links below for more ideas:

• Food Pyramid-  designed by the USDA, MyPyramid.gov can help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for you. For a quick estimate of what and how much you need to eat, enter your age, sex, and activity level.   http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx 

• Check out this information on home canning and preserving:   http://www.freshpreserving.com/,
 http://youcancan.blogspot.com/

• Shelf-life Chart-  This link is to the North Dakota State University's chart which lists foods and tells how long you can store items on the shelf, in the refrigerator and in the freezer.  http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn579-1.htm

• "A World Of Wisdom" cookbook by Amy Cox Jones http://wowcookbook.homestead.com/  is a cookbook full of recipes organized seasonally! She goes through each season, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring (and has a year round section) and gives you recipes for meals that use foods that are in season. Not only is this cost effective, but it also is good for you – did you know that a lot of foods provide you with certain nutrients that are needed for that time of year. She also gives you tips on how to start eating healthier. What I liked most about this cook book is that I actually know what the ingredients are! Often times healthy cookbooks have all these ingredients that intimidate me. She also uses wheat berries in some of the recipes – which is great for people without grinders. Oh and there is a section on basics with milks, sauces, and dressings that are healthy and easy to make!  Reviewed by Julie of Fun With Food Storage

Weevils

  Here are a few tips from the "myfoodstoragedeals" blog:
http://myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com/search/label/Getting%20rid%20of%20weevils


*To kill weevil, freeze your flour, sugar, wheat, cornmeal, etc. for 72 hours or longer. You can then sift the weevil out or just pick out the few dead weevils you see remaining. They are perfectly fine to eat (sounds gross, but you really wouldn’t taste them), and once you kill them through freezing, they should be pretty much dissolved or gone. If you do not have freezer space you can just try to sift them out with a fine cloth or colander. They are so small, this can be tricky, but may be worth a try.

*To prevent weevil from appearing in your food later as you store it, you can freeze all of your items BEFORE you put it in your long term storage for the same 72 hours. This should prevent weevil from hatching or spreading as you store the items long term.

*Put dried bay leaves (a few leaves) in the bottom and top of the container you are storing your grains in. This seems to be the most popular method. Many people put bay leaves in their pantry, food storage room, and closets. Costco sells Bay Leaves in a large container for fairly inexpensive.

*Dry Ice Method: Put a pound of dry ice (per 50lbs. of wheat) in the bottom of a plastic bucket. Leave the lid on loosly until the dry ice vaperizes. Then seal the bucket. Be careful not to seal the bucket lid too soon or it could crack or explode :)

*Microwave your wheat (dried) for 5 minutes to kill the weevil and their eggs.

*Place your wheat in a glass of water. Those wheat berries that float to the top are most likely infested with weevil eggs or bugs. You can remove them and use the other berries as normal.

*What do you do if you have seen weevil in your storage room? Take all foodstuffs out of your cabinets or off of your shelves. Wash the cabinets down thoroughly in case there are eggs remaining on the surface. Then wash/wipe down all items you are putting back into the cabinet with a warm/hot rag. You will be after any visible living organism; but, you are really after eggs which may be on the outside of these food bags as a result of infestations in stores and warehouses. Once you have sufficiently cleaned the surface and the food bags (if necessary) you can return the food to your shelves.

*Find the infected food source to try and locate the problem. Many times weevil or insects are coming from one main food source and spreading. This is common in a long term food storage room. If one item is infected, most likely others will be as well. When you find and get rid of the main problem/source, it should help your weevil troubles subside.

*Empty out your food items into clean buckets or keep them in plastic containers to help keep bugs out of your food. Sealed buckets are best, but any container will help protect agains these critters.

*TIP: Buy your wheat, rice, and sugar from Costco because if you ever find weevil in their food, they will return the product for a refund or exchange. It is like a food insurance policy :)

Food Expiration Guidelines

Here are some tips from the Gourmet Sleuth website:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Nutrition-Health-Food-Labeling-646/food-expiration-dates-faqs.aspx

Below is one example of the information you will find.  Below the example is a listing of topics covered on the website.  Just click on a topic and it will take you to the site.

Can you use baking powder or baking soda after the expiration date?

Dry leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda) will probably be marked with a "best used" date and if stored tightly sealed they most likely usable beyond that date. Typically they last 6 months to a year but you can test the potency of baking powder or baking soda; here is how:

Test baking soda: mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons of vinegar and the mixture should bubble immediately; if not, replace it.

Test baking powder: mix 1 teaspoon baking powder with 1/2 cup hot water and the mixture should bubble immediately; if not, replace it

FAQ's

• Does fish expire when refrigerated?
• How long does cheese expire after opening?
• What are dairy products sell by dates law united states?
• What Are Food expiration dates?
• How long after sell by date can you use poultry?
• When do you throw away canned goods from grocery store?
• How long after the expiration date can you eat something?
• What is the expiration of date powder sugar?
• Can you use baking powder or baking soda after the expiration date?
• Can food coloring expire?
• What does is the sell by date I see on food packages?
• How long can you keep butter after sell by date?
• Does flour have an expiration date?
• How Long Is Milk Good After The Sell By Date
• Does Canned Soda Expire?

Homemade Hand Sanitizer

This was forwarded to me to post. I have not tried these recipes personally, but they seem to be in line with others I have found on the internet. It was also mentioned that you may want to check out www.iherb.com, for good deals on the ingredients.

If you want a safe hand sanitizer without potentially harmful chemicals, try either of these all-natural recipes. They are perfect for all skin types, and the ingredients really work to kill germs.

RECIPE A
1/4 cup witch hazel extract
1/4 cup aloe vera gel
1 tsp. vegetable glycerin
1 tbsp. lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar
10 drops tea tree oil
1. Place ingredients in a lidded glass jar and shake to combine.
2. Place a dab on your hands and massage into your skin.
3. Rinse with warm water


RECIPE B
1 cup 100% aloe vera gel
1 teaspoon rubbing alcohol
2 teaspoons glycerine
*6-8 drops eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil

Blend well and store in a clean jar, bottle, re-cycled lotion or liquid soap pump dispenser, or travel size squeeze-type dispenser. You can use an empty syringe to transfer the sanitizer into any dispensers that have small openings. Use as you would any store-bought sanitizer.