Preparedness Month – Long Term Food Storage!
September is National Preparedness Month. I love to talk/think/do things about preparedness. Like I said before, I am not one of those nutty people who is preparing for the end of the world or the zombie apocalypse. I am someone who knows that being prepared is important so I really like National Preparedness Month. There is so much to talk about because there are so many ways to be prepared. Yesterday we talked a little bit about long term food storage.
Lots of times when people hear about having long term food storage, they get turned off easily. Long term food storage is generally viewed as being for one year. This can be a scary amount of food storage to think about. It sounds hard to do, time consuming and expensive. It really isn’t hard, time consuming or expensive. There are some pretty simple guidelines one can follow when you are trying to build up your long term food storage.
The long term food storage items and quantities your family will need for one year is listed below. These amounts are per each person who is seven years old or older. For those younger than seven, storage about half of these amounts.
Grains
Wheat 150 lbs
Flour 25 lbs
Corn Meal 25 lbs
Oats 25 lbs
Rice 50 lbs
Pasta 25 lbs
Total Grains 300 lbs
Fats and Oils
Shortening 4 lbs
Vegetable Oil 2 gal
Mayonnaise 2 qts
Salad Dressing 1 qts
Peanut Butter 4 lbs
Total Fats 13 lbs
Legumes
Beans, dry 30 lbs
Lima Beans 5 lbs
Soy Beans 10 lbs
Split Peas 5 lbs
Lentils 5 lbs
Dry Soup Mix 5 lbs
Total Legumes 60 lbs
Sugars
Honey 3 lbs
Sugar 40 lbs
Brown Sugar 3 lbs
Molasses 1 lbs
Corn Syrup 3 lbs
Jams 3 lbs
Fruit drink powdered 6 lbs
Flavored Gelatin 1 lbs
Total Sugars 60 lbs
Milk
Dry Milk 60 lbs
Evaporated Milk 12 can
Other 13 lbs
Total Dairy lbs
Cooking Essentials
Baking Powder 1 lbs
Baking Soda 1 lbs
Yeast .5 lbs
Salt 5 lbs
Vinegar .5 gal
Water
Water 14 gal
Bleach 1 gal
Come back tomorrow when we will talk more about preparedness month and food storage. Have ideas to share, let us know. We love to hear from you.
National Preparedness Month – Useable Food Storage!
Last week we talked about how much I love September! There are so many fun things about September rank among my favorites. One is the fact that September is National Preparedness Month. I love to talk/think/do things about preparedness. You can listen to lectures and read articles and find dozens of ways to be prepared during National Preparedness Month. All month we are going to break National Preparedness Month up into smaller topics. Remember we tend to be able to process it better and make more progress with preparedness when we think about smaller topics. Last week we even made these small sections in the preparedness binder we made. One of our sections was on food storage. Today I want to talk about making a subsection in that section called useable food storage.
One of my favorite preparedness things is having well organized useable food storage or a home store. No matter what you call it, it is pretty much the same thing. You buy multiples of something you use when it is on sale. This is why everyone’s useable food storage is going to look a bit different. You are storing what your family uses all of the time. When items I use are at rock bottom prices I try to buy as much as my family will realistically use before the items go bad. Then when you need the items you shop from your home store or food storage. Buy new as needed and remember to rotate your useable food storage.
Well organized useable food storage is a great way to help ensure your family will have enough to eat if it becomes temporarily hard to purchase groceries. This could be because of finances or some sort of environmental emergency. It could also be from illness or simply being really busy. It’s great to have useable food storage on hand. Having well-organized, useable food storage is a great way to be prepared.
Why is having well organized useable food storage important? Why won’t a bunch of things tossed on a shelf work just as well? If you can’t find it, see it, use it – it can’t help you when you need it. This well organized useable food storage is pretty easy to maintain if you follow a few basic tips. If you don’t follow them, you will have food storage chaos. (Trust me, I know from experience.) There are a few basic tips I like to follow to help me keep on top of things.
Put items away
I try to put my items away shortly after I purchase them. Having everything where it belongs helps you see what you have and helps you keep track of your food storage. Sometimes life is crazy and I put the bags of groceries on the floor near the shelf. If I don’t get it put away soon after, more bags pile up. This leads to that dreaded chaos. You forget what you have and may buy unneeded items. Getting items put away quickly is an important part of having well organized food storage.
Store like items together
This step may be a little different for everyone, just do it how it works for you. I try to store things together that are related or seem to go together. I think if it like how a grocery store is organized. When you go to look for something in your food storage, it will be easier to find because it is on the shelf where it makes sense to you. This makes your organized food storage much easier to use.
Keep storage areas as close together as possible
I’ve lived in some places that had great food storage areas and some that had none. In many of those hard food storage places it took a lot of creativity to have well organized food storage. Even in the hardest of places, keeping the storage areas as close together as possible was a great help. Running all over the house to locate items can defeat the helpfulness and discourage the use of items. Again you may end up buying things you don’t need.
Set rules about use
Having a great, well organized useable food storage can lead kids (or adults) to feel like that can just grab a snack and use whatever they want. Be sure to set some basic rules with your family about who can take things from the food storage and when that can happen. It will help items last longer and keep people from using up that one favorite snack or other item too quickly.
Know what you have
Find some way to have a basic idea of the inventory in you well organized food storage. If it is organized and easy to find, this could be as simple as taking a visual look before you shop. Some people keep detailed lists and itemize everything. There are lots of ways to do it in between those two extremes. Find what works for you and make a habit of knowing what you have in your well organized food storage. This is the perfect time to use that useable food storage section in your binder. Keep a list of the most used useable food storage items in your binder. Keep track of inventory and keep lists of things you need to buy.
Preparedness Binder – National Preparedness Month!
Yesterday we talked about how much I love September! There are so many fun things that happen in September – I love football, changing leaves, so many things about September rank among my favorites. September is also National Preparedness Month. I love to talk/think/do things about preparedness. When talking about things like National Preparedness Month, I think it is really easy to become overwhelmed by preparedness. There are so many topics and so many things to do. You can listen to lectures and read articles and find dozens of ways you are not prepared. It is really easy to look at the big picture of being prepared and begin to feel panic set in, which is not good at all. Now is the time to stop being overwhelmed by preparedness and to get organized and make a plan. Like anything else, if we break National Preparedness Month up into smaller topics we tend to be able to process it better and make more progress with preparedness. We can break those topics up and create sections in the preparedness binder we talked about making yesterday.
Did you find or create your preparedness binder, label it and dedicate it to emergency preparedness? Did you find a place to keep it that is handy and easy to access when you have a note to write or a plan to make? Did you put the binder in that place? There you have it! Yesterday you took the first step to being prepared and avoiding being overwhelmed by preparedness. Now we can take that one step further and create sections in the preparedness binder to keep things organized, put them in whatever order works for you. Below you will see some of the sections I suggest and a short explanation of why I think they are important.
Food Storage
Making a section for this in your preparedness binder seems like a pretty obvious choice. We all know we need food to survive and we really need a couple different kinds of food storage to do this. We can subdivide this section later.
Household Storage
Do you have a storage of common household supplies? We’ll talk about this a few times so you’ll want a section for it in your preparedness binder.
72 Hr Kits
We’ve all heard of 72 hour kits and we know we need them in case we have to evacuate our homes. There is lots of info for this section.
Go Bag
This central “brain” of the 72 hour kit system can be grabbed alone if needed. It is going to contain all the super important information and items, make room for a section for this in your preparedness binder.
Go Bag Info
We’ll talk about the information you need to keep in your Go Bag later, but it is a great idea to have a section in your preparedness binder to keep a master record of the information .
Money reserves
We all know we need financial preparedness. Make a section in your preparedness binder to track all of your money reserves and emergency cash.
First Aid Kits
This one is another easy one. Keep a section in your preparedness binder dedicated to your first aid kits. Notes about supplies and dates for rotations are just a couple of the things you’d keep in there.
Repairs
It might be a good idea to keep a section in your preparedness binder dedicated to common household repairs. Problems can appear suddenly and if you have a central place to look for that needed repairman or service, you can save time during an emergency.
Go ahead and start making these sections in your preparedness binder. We talk more about all of these topics this month and maybe even add a few more.
Overwhelmed by Preparedness? National Preparedness Month!
Yesterday we talked about how much I love September! There are so many fun things that happen in September – I love football, changing leaves, so many things about September rank among my favorites. There is also something about September that strikes a chord with me; it is something I am really pretty passionate about. September is National Preparedness Month. I love to talk/think/do things about preparedness. I am not one of those nutty people who is preparing for the end of the world or the zombie apocalypse. I am someone who knows that being prepared is important so I really like National Preparedness Month. There is so much to talk about because there are so many ways to be prepared. Being prepared means different things to different people. I think some of these differences are what makes it fun to talk about. National Preparedness Month brings up topics like food storage, 72 hour kits, and having some emergency cash. It also brings up lots of other smaller topics too. Those smaller topics that surface during National Preparedness Month are what I like to talk about. Like anything else, if we break National Preparedness Month up into smaller topics we tend to be able to process it better and avoid being overwhelmed by preparedness.
When talking about things like National Preparedness Month, I think it is really easy to become overwhelmed by preparedness. There are so many topics and so many things to do. You can listen to lectures and read articles and find dozens of ways you are not prepared. It is really easy to look at the big picture of being prepared and begin to feel panic set in, which is not good at all. I think the very first step to being prepared is to avoid being overwhelmed by preparedness. I know some of you out there are nodding your heads in agreement. You are thinking that you are right there, right now. Maybe you have some supplies but not others. Maybe you have most of your emergency preparedness completed but it is very outdated. Maybe you haven’t got more than a flashlight and you feel completely unprepared. Now is the time to stop being overwhelmed by preparedness and to get organized and make a plan.
Making a plan will rid you of the feeling of being overwhelmed by preparedness and it is not hard to do at all. The very first thing you need to do is get a binder or a notebook with a pocket. Once you have this binder, label it and dedicate it to emergency preparedness. Find a place to keep it that is handy and easy to access when you have a note to write or a plan to make. Put the binder in that place. There you have it! You’ve taken the first step to being prepared and avoiding being overwhelmed by preparedness.
Tomorrow we will talk about the ways we can organize the binder to help you feel even less overwhelmed by preparedness. It’s going to be fun and easy. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog.
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Favorite Football Snacks – Salsa!
For the last couple of days we have talked about how it is the end of August which makes me so very happy. It is one of my favorite times of year. If you follow our blog you know I love football. My kids have started playing little league football, our friends on the high school team have started to play, college play starts next week and the NFL is on television. I am surrounded with football and I love it! I went to two high school games last night and another tonight and they were awesome. Football is here! Now we are getting ready to watch some football on TV this weekend. One of the things my family loves about watching football on TV is the snacks that we make. We make lots of different snacks and another one of our favorites is any sort of salsa and chips.
One of our very favorite football snacks is salsa and chips. Every single member of my family loves salsa and chips – it is one of those miracle snacks that makes everyone happy. There are a few store bought salsa options that are really good but there is nothing like homemade salsa to go with your chips. Pair yummy homemade salsa with some good chips and any game is instantly more fun. Do you make your own salsa? If not, you should try it! There are lots of different kinds of salsa you can make. It is a perfect football snack. Here are few of our family favorite unusual salsa recipes to get you started.
Mango Salsa
Ingredients:
1 mango – peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, mix mango, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and lemon juice.
- Cover, and allow to sit at least 30 minutes before serving.
Green Salsa
Ingredients:
8 tomatillos, husked
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded salt to taste.
Directions:
- In a food processor, place tomatillos, shallots, garlic, green chile peppers, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and salt.
- Using the pulse setting, coarsely chop.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.
Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 (2.25 ounce) cans sliced ripe olives, drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 avocados – peeled, pitted and diced
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mix corn, olives, red bell pepper and onion.
- In a small bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Pour into the corn mixture and toss to coat.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
- Stir avocados into the mixture before serving.
Fall football snacks – Chex Mix!
The end of August has arrived and it makes me so very happy. It is one of my favorite times of year. (No it is not back to school because the kids are gone.) If you follow our blog you know I love football and football season is here! My kids have started playing little league football, our friends on the high school team have started to play, college play starts next week and the NFL is on television. I am surrounded with football and I love it! There are so many different things that my family and I love about football. One of the things my kids love, and it is probably the favorite of at least one of them, is the football snacks that we make on Sunday when we watch football.
They love making fun football snacks and they have quite a few favorites. One of their very favorite football snacks is chex mix. They love chex mix from the store but they love the home made kinds so much more. Do you make your own chex mix? If not, you should try it! It is a perfect football snack. Here are a couple of our family favorite recipes to get you started.
Microwave Original Chex Mix
Ingredients:
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
1 cup garlic-flavor bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Directions:
- In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside.
- In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted.
- Stir in seasonings. Pour over the cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
- Microwave uncovered on High for 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes.
- Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.
Parmesan Ranch Chex Mix
Ingredients:
9 cups Corn Chex, Rice Chex or Wheat Chex cereal (or combination)
2 cups bite-size pretzel twists
2 cups bite-size cheese crackers 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing and seasoning mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- In large microwaveable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until melted.
- Stir in cereal, pretzels and crackers until evenly coated.
- Stir in dressing mix and cheese until evenly coated.
- Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring each minute.
- Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.
Chex Muddy Buddies
Ingredients:
9 cups Rice Chex, Corn Chex, or Chocolate Chex cereal (or combinbation)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
- Place cereal into a large bowl, set aside.
- Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
- Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
- Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated.
- Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Today is National Waffle Day! Yum!
Did you know today is National Waffle Day? Finding out today was National Waffle Day got me thinking about waffles. Does your family like waffles? My family LOVES waffles for breakfast and while we don’t have them on school days, the weekend provides a great time to have waffles for breakfast occasionally. (I don’t count the frozen, boxed waffles we might eat on weekdays as real waffles.) We like to change up the recipes we use and change up the toppings too. We love topping with fruit and yogurt, peanut butter and syrup, chocolate chips and other yummy things. Sound good?
Want to celebrate National Waffle Day by making waffles? There are two things you need to make great waffles. You need a good waffle maker and a good waffle recipe. If you don’t have a good waffle maker, you can get one almost anywhere. It doesn’t take an expensive waffle maker to get good waffles. The waffle maker just needs to cook evenly and release the waffle easily. Take a look at the waffle makers on Amazon if you are in the market for a new waffle maker. If your current waffle maker sticks to the waffles a bit, use some cooking spray to help them release. Make sure you don’t overfill the waffle maker, doing that can prevent the waffle maker from cooking evenly.
If you need a good recipe to make on National Waffle Day check out the recipes below. They are a few of my family’s favorites. If you use one, let us know what you think. We love to hear from you!
Classic Crispy Waffles
Recipe makes 10 to 12 waffles
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and beat until blended.
- Scoop the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.
Whole Grain Waffles
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in the whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Beat until the batter is smooth.
- Preheat a waffle iron. Remember to coat with cooking spray. Scoop batter onto waffle iron and cook until crisp and golden brown.
Cinnamon Waffles
Recipe makes 3 large waffles
Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 pinch ground cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat your waffle iron.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and butter until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cinnamon; stir into the buttermilk mixture. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Fold into the batter.
- Scoop batter onto the hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown.
Lunch Box Ideas – Fruit Leather and Granola Bars!
This week we have been talking about how it is that time of year again – Back to School time. We talked about packing lunches and how it seems that some parents just popped right out of Pinterest and have more lunch box ideas than the rest of us. Then we talked about how there is the rest of us. We shop and pack and do our best. We try hard to make lunches our kids will love. A couple of the things my kids love to take in their lunches are granola bars and fruit snacks. These always seem like a waste of money and they don’t seem very healthy. I love it when I find healthier alternatives to these things. There are so many different things you can do instead so recipes are a must. How about recipes for fruit leather and granola bars? Here you go!
Healthy fruit leather and granola bars are great items for lunches! They are filling and can be made with healthy ingredients. Fruit leather and granola bars can contain fruits, vegetables and more. Pair one or both of them with a couple other items and get a super yummy and healthy lunch. Having good and varied recipes can help make this an easy lunch box choice. Here are a few of our favorite recipes. If you try one, let us know how you liked it.
Apple Pear Fruit Leather
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple
4 cups peeled, cored and chopped pears
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with a layer of plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- In the container of a blender, combine the sugar, lemon juice, apple and pear. Cover and puree until smooth.
- Spread evenly on the prepared pan. Place the pan on the top rack of the oven.
- Bake for 5 to 6 hours, leaving the door to the oven partway open. Fruit is dry when the surface is no longer tacky and you can tear it like leather. Roll up on the plastic wrap and store in an airtight jar.
Peanut Butter Snack Bars
Ingredients:
Parchment paper
Cooking spray
3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1 cup cornflake crumbs
3/4 cup chopped smoke-flavored almonds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Spread chocolate evenly over prepared baking dish.
- Toast oats, wheat germ, and flax seed in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until oats are lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer oat mixture to a large bowl and stir in crispy rice cereal, cornflake crumbs, almonds, and salt.
- Heat honey, peanut butter, brown sugar, agave nectar, canola oil, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture begins to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture; gently stir until well mixed.
- Spread peanut butter-cereal mixture into the baking dish. Place another sheet of parchment over the mixture and firmly press into the dish until even. Allow to completely cool before removing from baking dish and slicing.
Lunch box ideas – Muffins!
This week we have been talking about how it is that time of year again – Back to School time. We talked about packing lunches and how it seems that some parents just popped right out of Pinterest and have more lunch box ideas than the rest of us. Then we talked about how there is the rest of us. We shop and pack and do our best. The lunches are nothing to Instagram but our kids have something good to eat. But then we talked about how there are a few easy lunch box ideas that I love. These lunch box ideas aren’t really fancy recipes but they are good, yummy lunch ideas. I mentioned that I would sharing more lunch box ideas and recipes all week. Today is one of those days. One of the things my kids love to take in their lunches is muffins. There are so many different things you can do with muffins, so muffin recipes are a must. Here you go!
Muffins are great items for lunches! They are filling and can be filled with healthy ingredients. They can contain fruits, vegetables and more. Muffins can be made ahead of time and frozen. If you combine a muffin with some yogurt and nuts or peanut butter you get a super yummy and healthy lunch. Having good and varied recipes for muffins can help make this an easy lunch box choice. Here are a few of our favorite recipes. If you try one, let us know how you liked it.
Peach Muffins
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups white sugar
2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches
Peaches Yellow Flesh
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 16 muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the oil, eggs, and sugar. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture just until moist.
- Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Morning Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple – peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup raisins
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.
- In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
- In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.
Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup nonfat milk
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup grated zucchini
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins lightly with oil or spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon, mix thoroughly.
- Mix the milk, slightly beaten egg whites, oil, honey and shredded zucchini together.
- Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just barely moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
More lunch box ideas! Wraps and sandwiches!
Yesterday we talked about how it is that time of year again – Back to School time. We talked about packing lunches and how it seems that some parents just popped right out of Pinterest and have more lunch box ideas than the rest of us. Then we talked about how there is the rest of us. We shop and pack and do our best. The lunches are nothing to Instagram but our kids have something good to eat. But then we talked about how there are a few easy lunch box ideas that I love. These lunch box ideas aren’t really fancy recipes but they are good, yummy lunch ideas. I mentioned that I would sharing more lunch box ideas and recipes all week. Here you go!
These are four more lunch box ideas and recipes that are so yummy! I’m starting with these recipes for the “sandwich” part of the lunches. Sandwiches are a standard but they don’t have to be boring. A couple more lunch box ideas on this list would be great for older kids too. It seems many teens are taking their own lunch now as they are face with smaller servings and restrictions that limit their school lunch. These “sandwiches” are perfect for that older tween or teen! Have more lunch box ideas to share? Send them to me and I’ll feature some of the best ones as the week goes on.
Homemade Lunchables
Ingredients:
6 wheat crackers (like Wheat Thins)
3 slices reduced-sodium turkey
2 slices reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, quartered
1 romaine lettuce leaf, torn into large pieces
1 roma tomato, sliced
Directions:
1. Place crackers in a small, resealable plastic bag.
2. Place the turkey and Cheddar cheese squares into a separate resealable plastic bag.
3. Place the lettuce and tomato into a third resealable plastic bag.
4. Serve by stacking turkey, Cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato on wheat crackers.
Cucumber Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 thick slices whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
6 slices cucumber
2 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tomato, sliced
1 leaf lettuce
1 ounce pepperoncini, sliced
1/2 avocado, mashed
Directions
1. Spread each slice of bread with 1 tablespoon cream cheese.
2. On one slice of bread, arrange cucumber slices in a single layer.
3. Cover with sprouts, then sprinkle with oil and vinegar.
4. Layer tomato slices, lettuce, and pepperoncini.
5. Spread other slice of bread with mashed avocado. Close sandwich.
BLT Wraps
Ingredients:
1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, diced
Directions:
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
2. Place 1 tortilla on a microwave-safe plate. Sprinkle tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese.
3. Cook in microwave 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
4. Immediately top with 1/4 of the bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Fold sides of tortilla over, then roll up.
5. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each wrap in half before serving.
Spinach Roll Ups
Ingredients:
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix 1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bacon bits
3 tablespoons chopped onions
10 (12 inch) flour tortillas
Directions:
1. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine spinach, ranch mix, mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon bits and onion.
2. Spread the mixture onto each tortilla and roll it up.
3. Refrigerate the rolled tortillas until ready to serve.
4. Slice each roll-up into 1 inch servings.
Lunch box ideas – Back to school!
Last week we talked about how it is that time of year again – Back to School time. We talked about packing lunches and how it seems that some parents just popped right out of Pinterest and have thousands of great lunch box ideas. Their home lunches are not only nutritional they are cute, fun and Instagram worthy. They foods are always pretty and so very fun to look at not to mention eat. Their kids show off their lunchtime creations with pride as they enjoy the oohs and aahs of their classmates. Then there is the rest of us. Our lunches are usually nutritious; we try really hard for that point. We shop and pack and do our best. The lunches are nothing to Instagram but our kids have something good to eat. But wait! There are some fun lunch box ideas that aren’t that hard!
There are a few lunch box ideas that I love. These lunch box ideas aren’t really fancy recipes but they are good, yummy lunch ideas. Here are three recipes that I love. I’ll be sharing these lunch box ideas and recipes all week. Have one you’d like me to share? Send us an email and it might be featured in one of this week’s blogs.
Easy Turkey Wraps
Ingredients:
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 head lettuce
1 (6 ounce) package sliced deli-style turkey
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups minced tomato
Directions:
1. Spread cream cheese evenly over the tortillas.
2. Top the cream cheese with lettuce leaves.
3. Arrange the turkey slices in even layers on top of the lettuce.
4. Sprinkle the carrots and tomato over the turkey slices.
5. Roll the tortillas into wraps.
6. Cut the wraps diagonally into bite-sized pieces.
7. Secure with toothpicks.
Lunch Box Pita Pockets
Ingredients:
1/2 cup deli ham, chopped
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
1 pita bread round, cut in half
Directions:
1. Place ham, lettuce, and carrot in a resealable plastic bag.
2. Pour ranch dressing into a small resealable container.
3. Wrap the pita bread in plastic wrap.
4. Pack the ham mixture, ranch dressing, and pita bread along with a spoon in a lunch box or bag until lunch time.
5. Assemble pita pocket by spooning the ham mixture into each pita half and drizzling the Ranch dressing on top.
Easy Granola Bars
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
2. Spread the oats and coconut evenly across a baking sheet.
3. Toast oats and coconut in preheated oven until browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix honey, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until smooth.
5. Pour the honey mixture over the oats and coconut; stir to coat. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
6. Bake in preheated oven until beginning to dry, about 15 minutes for crunchy granola bars, less if you like them chewy. Cool completely before cutting.
Home lunch tips and tricks!
Yesterday we talked about how it is that time of year again – Back to School time. We talked about packing lunches and how it seems that some parents just popped right out of Pinterest and have thousands of great ideas about packing home lunch. Their home lunches are not only nutritional they are cute, fun and Instagram worthy. They foods are always pretty and so very fun to look at not to mention eat. Their kids show off their lunchtime creations with pride as they enjoy the oohs and aahs of their classmates. Then there is the rest of us. Our lunches are usually nutritious; we try really hard for that point. We shop and pack and do our best. The lunches are nothing to Instagram but our kids have something good to eat. We are the crowd that burns out. We are the ones that ask, “How do they do that?” There is an answer to that question, actually many answers! And I’ve found a lot of them – there are quite a few good home lunch tips and tricks to make packing home lunch easier and maybe a bit fun. I promise there is no culinary arts degree or Pinterest fan club needed!
One of the hardest parts of making home lunches can be the amount of time it takes. There are some great home lunch tips and tricks that will help you save time when making home lunches.
Make a plan
Just like with everything else, one of the very first home lunch tips and tricks is to make a plan. Make a list of things your kids like in their lunches. Make a list of things you want to make. Sometimes a list of ideas is all it will take to get you out of a lunch making rut.
Get supplies ready ahead of time
This sounds like common sense but it isn’t always easy to remember. Scrambling around and packing a lunch at the last minute isn’t going to help you feel good about packing that lunch. Have all of the packing supplies like baggies and containers ready and in an easy to find place. Keep the lunch boxes ready to go and in the same place. Keep the ice pack in the same place in the freezer.
Prep ahead of time
Put pantry lunch items like crackers or pretzels into single serving baggies ahead of time. Do the same with carrots, grapes or other fridge items. It will make putting lunches together quicker and easier. Do any of the prep that you can when you purchase the items. You’ll thank yourself later.
Create lunch stations
Keep all of the lunch items together in the fridge or the pantry. If the items are easy to find and stored together, grabbing what you need will be easy. I think this is one of the best home lunch tips and tricks. Non refrigerated lunch items can be kept together in the pantry. Refrigerated items can be kept together in the fridge. This makes it easy to grab what you need without wasting time. You can even pair items up and rubber-band or baggie them together.
Have more home lunch tips and tricks to help save time? Let us know! We love to hear from you!
Back to school – Packing home lunch!
It is that time of year again! If your kids haven’t gone back to school already, they will be going back soon. We are right in the home stretch at our house. School starts next week and there is still so much to do! Every year there are clothes and shoes to buy – who told these kids to grow so fast! There are notebooks, pencils, paper, glue, crayons, and so many other things on the shopping list. There is one thing about back to school that always seems to spark debate among friends and family. Lunch time – it seems to bring endless discussion about school lunch and home lunch. Which is better and which should you do? The debates get heated and talking can quickly turn to ranting. I’m not going to have any of that here today – whew! I’ve seen enough online already! I want to talk about a few good ideas assuming some of you have already made the lunch time decision. Let’s talk about packing home lunch.
There are so many reasons that parents choose packing home lunch instead of school lunch. Some people like it because it is cheaper. Some like it because they think it is more nutritious. Some like it because meals can be adapted to fit picky eaters or food allergies. Some people like it because they just like packing home lunch. Whatever the reason, lots of people are starting this school year packing home lunch.
Sometimes packing home lunch gets really discouraging. It might seem easy now, but as the days go on it seems it gets harder to think of good lunch ideas. It seems like many people start the year saying they will be packing home lunch for their children but end up purchasing school lunch for ease or out of frustration. Many times that switch to school lunch leaves parents feeling guilty or frustrated. It has happened to me many times. So that made me wonder, what is it about packing home lunch that is so easy for some parents and so frustrating for others?
It seems that some parents just popped right out of Pinterest and have thousands of great ideas about packing home lunch. Their home lunches are not only nutritional they are cute, fun and Instagram worthy. They foods are always pretty and so very fun to look at not to mention eat. Their kids show off their lunchtime creations with pride as they enjoy the oohs and aahs of their classmates. Then there is the rest of us. Our lunches are usually nutritious; we try really hard for that point. We shop and pack and do our best. The lunches are nothing to Instagram but our kids have something good to eat. We are the crowd that burns out. We are the ones that ask, “How do they do that?” There is an answer to that question, actually many answers! And I’ve found a lot of them and see that there are quite a few good tips and tricks to make packing home lunch easier and maybe a bit fun. I promise there is no culinary arts degree or Pinterest fan club needed! If you come back tomorrow I’ll share the tips and tricks with you too. Let’s take the guilt and frustration out of packing home lunch.
What is a gift stash or gift closet?
What is a gift stash or gift closet? I’ve had a couple of questions about this because I mention it quite frequently when I post online deals here on Pinching Your Pennies! It’s simple! I find great deals on awesome items now that I will use later as great gifts. It is what allows me to give crazy good gifts at discount store prices. It is easy to do and can help you save lots of money. I am going to bring back a few tips that can make this an easy thing to do.
Decide where you are keeping your gift stash or gift closet and prepare a place.
This is a huge and very important tip. It is what will make your gift stash or gift closet work well for you or drive you crazy. Whenever you purchase an item for the gift stash or gift closet put it right where it goes. Hiding things all over the house leads to lost gifts and gifts being seen by the kids and spouses ahead of time. I have some large plastic totes on a shelf in my garage. The gift items go in the totes the same day I buy them.
Keep an inventory.
I’ll admit I don’t always do this. I will also tell you that it is so much easier when I actually do keep a quick list of the items in my gift stash or gift closet. You avoid overbuying and know what you can give before you even start looking through the items in your gift stash or gift closet.
Know your gift recipient base.
Think about who you give gifts to and the situations in which you’ll be giving them. Think about relatives’ ages and likes. Think about the ages of friends and potential birthday parties. Knowing who you will be giving future gifts to will help you grab those bargains to use as great gifts later.
Know where and how to shop.
Have a favorite item to gift? Do you know when it goes on sale? Do you know where the sale and clearance departments are at your favorite stores? When you are out shopping, take a look at the clearance and sale items. Swing by the toy department and watch for clearance bargains. Don’t forget to shop online for your gifts. There are always great deals on Pinching Your Pennies that would perfect gift stash or gift closet items. When you have a really good grasp on building up your gift stash or gift closet you’ll be great at spotting items for gifting events that are months away. This is why it is important to know your recipient base like I mentioned above. It is easy once you start.
Know your budget.
Don’t spend too much trying to build a gift stash or gift closet quickly. Stick to all of the above tips and build your gift stash or gift closet slowly. Overspending and breaking your budget will defeat the purpose of building up a gift stash or gift closet.
Include giftwrap and cards.
Pretty simple tip but it can save you big. Pick up some extra wrapping paper, gift bags and cards when you see them on great deals or sales. Keep it all together with the gift stash or gift closet or in another easy to find place.
Have fun and enjoy giving the gifts.
That’s the whole point of creating a gift stash or gift closet. Enjoy giving your gifts and have fun buying them.