Archive for the ‘cooking’Category

Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Spicy Spaniard Enchilada Casserole

by Kellene Bishop

Spanish Enchilada Casserole PP 9 3 103 300x225 Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Spicy Spaniard Enchilada CasseroleI was able to obtain 10 packages of flour tortillas for free this past week, so guess what was on the menu? Anything and everything I could come up with that would make use of them.  Fortunately my first invention turned out quite well.  Just a note though, this recipe will make TWO casserole dishes full.  So serve one for dinner and put another in the freezer for that night you don’t feel like cooking.  I like how this recipe extends the chicken which I’m planning on being “precious” in a time of need. The heat level of this recipe will be determined by the spice level of your chosen enchilada sauce. I liked how this one turned out because it wasn’t the same ole, same ole enchilada casserole.  Enjoy!

Spicy Spaniard Enchilada Casserole

 

One package of Rice-A-Roni Spanish RiceSpanish Enchilada Casserole PP 9 3 10 300x225 Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Spicy Spaniard Enchilada Casserole

1 can of corn, drained

1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken

1 can of black beans, drained

2 T. Shirley J Onion Seasoning

1 can of tomato soup

2 regular sized cans of red enchilada sauce

1 can of cream of chicken soup

16 flour tortillas (the soft taco size, not the gigantic burrito size)

4 cups of preferred shredded cheese (I like cheddar or Mexican blend)

Spanish Enchilada Casserole Finished PP 9 3 10 300x225 Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Spicy Spaniard Enchilada CasseroleMake the Rice-A-Roni according to the package instructions. Once it’s finished, add the chicken, black beans, Onion Seasoning, and corn to the skillet and warm through.

In a separate bowl, mix together the enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, and tomato soup.

Spray two 9 x 13” casserole dishes with non-stick spray. Take one tortilla shell and place about 1 tablespoon down the middle of it. Top with 2 tablespoons of the rice/chicken mixture, then top with about 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat this until you fill each casserole dish with eight filled tortillas each.  Then top the enchiladas equally with the remaining sauce and then top equally with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until it’s bubbling and the cheese is well melted.

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If you would like to have The Preparedness Pro teach at an event for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky@preparednesspro.com

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

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Upcoming Preparedness Pro Training Events

It doesn’t matter where you live, Preparedness Pro Classes can now be viewed world wide!

Great news!  Due to an increased demand for Preparedness Pro classes that are more flexible with YOUR time schedule… Preparedness Pro is now releasing their pre-recorded courses in a downloadable format with a larger resource guide!  You can now save the course on your computer to view at your convenience, while enjoying a resource book to boot! To view a complete list of our available downloadable courses, click here!

For full details and to see a complete list of our pre-recorded courses, visit our Pre-Recorded Courses Page .

02

09 2010

Preparedness Pro is Proud to Announce a Pre-Recorded Library of Your Favorite Training Events!

Learning photo co vdhstatevaus 150x150 Preparedness Pro is Proud to Announce a Pre Recorded Library of Your Favorite Training Events!Remember all of those online webinar classes we offered that you wanted to take but simply didn’t have the time to do so?  Or worse, the class was being taught in a time zone half way around the world from you, making it that much more challenging?

Perhaps you recall enjoying some of the classes we’ve had in the past but wished for more complete written information as a follow-up, or more recipes, or more visual “show how.” 

I think the one we hear the most is from people who wish that we had it recorded so that they could review it again and again.

Well, we’re happy to say that you’ve finally got all of your wishes! Whew! And boy, are we tired! *grin*

learning online photo co servantpccom 150x150 Preparedness Pro is Proud to Announce a Pre Recorded Library of Your Favorite Training Events!As of October 1st, we will begin to release our best and most requested training events in a prerecorded and a complete written format. We’ve expanded the written content to be more book-like, so that the training therein can stand on its own, and we’ve expanded the visual portion of the class so its more comprehensive and inclusive of some of the aspects that have gotten left out in the past webinars because we’ve run out of time.  Now with this new format all you have to do is get comfortable in front of your computer either by yourself or with family and friends, any time you want to learn about your most compelling preparedness topics! Even better, since the training is now broken down in chapters, if there is a portion which you want to bypass because of your existing expertise, you can easily do so without wasting your time or diluting your enjoyment.

Whether you prefer to watch a demonstration or read instructions, these perfectly combined packages of education will provide you the same quality of instruction you’ve come to expect from The Preparedness Pro with just a little exception—convenience! You can now watch the training as much or as little as you want and you can also read a complete synopsis of the training event PLUS additional written resources in print. And since we’ve chosen to embrace the world of technology in delivering these courses to you, there are no shipping costs! Yeah! While I must say I’ve been exhausted trying to put all of this together and keep up with the blog, my health and the health of a very dear friend, I have to say I’ve been so EXCITED! Every time one of you has e-mailed me expressing disappointment that you were going to miss a date of an event, or that you wished there was more written content etcetera, I just knew this had to get done.  In fact, it’s actually better for us all this way. I can take a vacation if I want (ha! Like that will happen) and you can enjoy it at 3:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. I love that your family and busy schedules no longer need to be sacrificed just so that you can get complete Preparedness Training.

Smiley Face Lollipops photo co euniceyinblogspotcom1 300x199 Preparedness Pro is Proud to Announce a Pre Recorded Library of Your Favorite Training Events!Additionally, since I’m no longer restricted by time restrictions or seat capacities, I’ve opted to provide detailed and fully comprehensive visual and written education of the most requested training events that have been offered in the last 2 years PLUS the ones that you guys keep hollering for. By revamping previous courses and creating some long-overdue ones, I’m confident that this venue of training will over-deliver and exceed your expectations every time. I’ve added a lot more content into the video portion of the classes, and gone to the expense of editing both the visual and the written portions.  Neither you nor I are restricted any more by a “reasonable amount of time to expect someone to sit through a class” or those “bladder breaks” we’ve experienced during the training. *grin*  YOU get to decide when that takes place with the push of the pause button. 

There’s even better news too. Thanks to the pool of talent I’ve encountered during the first step of assembly for these products, I can now provide you with some of the classes that you’ve been asking for that don’t portray themselves very well in a Powerpoint and voice presentation. This means, yes, you will now have access to Pressure Cooking and Making Wheat Meat in a video format! Yeah!! And did I mention that there are also a lot of great recipes? Yup. I know there will be a few of you excited about that. Each recorded visual presentation will provide you with a quality learning experience, complete with a detailed resource guide for you to reference again and again. This new development means no more cutting corners on a vital topic just because of time restraints. No more getting up early on a Saturday morning just so you can make a class halfway around the world! And no more missing the classes you want but just can’t seem to find time for. Enjoy these highly educational topics at your own pace and in accordance to your own interest. Simply slip into your most comfortable set of clothes, curl up with some munchies, and enjoy this vital training anytime, anywhere, you desire.

I love that the folks in both coasts of the U.S., South Africa, Norway, and Scotland can ALL enjoy this now. I’ve been trying to get it done for what seems like forever, but now it’s really here! Excuse me while I whoop!

Just be aware that we’re not going to release them all at once. And even though we’re spending some bucks to try and make them as professional and thorough as possible, we’re going to price them modestly. It’s more important to me that you have the training but not at the cost of other vital preparedness items.

savings in your pocket photo co rivercitiesbankcom 300x199 Preparedness Pro is Proud to Announce a Pre Recorded Library of Your Favorite Training Events!So what I’ll be doing is as soon as I get a class ready for  the final editing stages, I’ll announce a pre-release of the course about 30 days prior to its official launch date. Any persons who purchase the class during that pre-release time frame will get a substantial discount. Even better, for this first pre-release, those of you who have already enjoyed the live webinar version of the two classes we’re prelaunching  will receive the new, more complete one, but with a $7 credit  towards your purchase! In othe words, if you paid  for The Wonderful World of Wheat in the last 12 months, you’ll be able to purchase at the pre-release price of $20, and then we will credit you $7.  My husband isnt’ too keen on that cause he knows how much info I provided in the first place. But he’ll get over it. hee hee.  (We wanted to do a full credit of your previous class, but the logistics of that were a nightmare since we had so many different prices over the last year. *sigh)  Anyway, I like offering a little something extra cause I’m so excited about the launch!  This way you get the best of both worlds without having to pay for it twice at full price!  Remember, the previous tuition credit will be credited to applicable purchasers after you’ve made the purchase and the offer is only good during the pre-release period which ends after the first 50 purchases. So don’t delay if you want that extra savings.

Now I realize that there are some of you out there who are a little technically challenged. To be truthful, I’m probably one of the worst. But I assure you that viewing these classes this way will be super easy. All you need is your computer and an internet connection and you can enter a world of professional, detailed, and accurate preparedness knowledge!  Remember, this isn’t just audio. This is a visual class presentation PLUS the written resource as well. You can even save the materials to your own computer to view at your leisure.  No matter what you choose to do in your preparedness preparation, I believe I’ve still managed to create some fun, professional, and upbeat classes that will really help you be prepared in many different areas. The fun, professional and upbeat style of The Preparedness Pro will expertly steer you in each of your preferred topics.

So are you ready for the first batch of pre-released classes? Here they are!

Due October 1st, 2010—“Enough and to Spare” Coupon Training Boot Camp

Coupon class picture 150x150 Preparedness Pro is Proud to Announce a Pre Recorded Library of Your Favorite Training Events!This 4+ hour training will expound on every possible coupon saving strategy so that you can get the most out of this important financial strategy. Not only will you save literally hundreds of dollars a month using this training, but you’ll also be quickly putting together your preparedness supplies for free or cheap!  Unlike previous education opportunities, this class now comes with the exclusive book “Enough and to Spare” written by Kellene Bishop. You will find out where to get all of your coupons, how best to manage them, when to use them, where to use them, and how to stay on top of them without feeling overwhelmed!   There are literally hundreds of people who have taken this class and have loved it—even those who were already couponing! This particular class impacts 7 out of 10 of your Principles of Preparedness, so it’s definitely not one to miss!

Regular Retail price Oct. 1st is a steal at only $45 but the Pre-Sale Special Price is only $30!

Next:

Due October 1st, 2010—“The Wonderful World of Wheat”

Wheat class info picture 150x150 Preparedness Pro is Proud to Announce a Pre Recorded Library of Your Favorite Training Events!I’ve been teaching this class for over 10 years now and it’s continued to develop and expand. Now I’ve got all of the aspects of wheat combined in one class—complete with valuable written information that you can reference at any time. For a more detailed description of this class, just go to this link.

Regular Retail Price Oct. 1st is only $30, but the Pre-Sale Special Price is only $20!

More Classes Coming Soon! I’ll be sure to let you know when they are coming out and give everyone the pre-release price opportunity as well. Look forward to these classes coming your way soon!

 

Pressure Cooking Galore!

 Solar Oven Success

 Neanderthals in the Kitchen

 Integrating Essential Oils

 UNDERWhelmed in Food Storage

 Food Pantry Makeover

 Financial Velocity

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky@preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

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Grains: How Much and How to Cook

By Kellene Bishop

Whole Wheat Pasta photo co trustarhealth com Grains: How Much and How to CookLast weekend I wanted to create a recipe in which I could successfully use wheat pasta. My husband tends to be just as picky as any of the kids I know when it comes to eating “healthy foods” so when he declared the culinary creation one of his favorite top 10, I was thrilled and relieved.  Relieved because it meant that I wasn’t going to have to eat the leftovers single handedly, and thrilled because it was an easy one for me to make.  I’ll be sure to share the recipe with you down below. Before I do that though, I wanted to clear up some of the confusion that folks have about how much wheat they should store and what they should be able to do with it. So here goes.

For starters, understand that a year of preparation supplies is my minimal benchmark. The most basic way to say why I use such reasoning is because a cursory look at all potential “disasters” would require at least a year in order for society to get back on its feet. A major earthquake, financial collapse, pandemic, flooding, and even unemployment in today’s market, is highly likely to require a year to cycle through the healing steps. As such, I recommend that everyone supply themselves with a year’s supply of necessities such as food, water, medical needs, clothing, etc.

Today, I want to take a look at just one component of this preparation, and that is your grain supply. Each person needs at least 300 pounds of grain supply for a year. I always say to have that much on hand regardless of the age of the persons in the household. The reason being is that you never know when you’ll be using those supplies, and you never know what you may elect to use in order to aid others as well. So instead of trying to analyze what your 3 year old may need now, just play it smart and have enough in the event your 3 year old turns into a 16 year old before you have time to change the amount of your supplies.

Amaranth Grain photo co purcellmountainfarmscom 300x231 Grains: How Much and How to CookUnderstand that grain preparedness can take on all different kinds of forms.  Wheat is what folks think of first usually, but remember that alternative wheat items such as quinoa, millet, and amaranth, are viable substitutes. Also keep in mind that if you are ever required to use your supplies exclusively, VARIETY is one thing for which you’ll be grateful. So mix things up a bit now. Grains include oats, pasta, cornmeal, rye, flaxseed, any type of flour, rice, barley, and corn. You could even supplement your grain supply with things like baking, pancake, bread, and muffin mixes as a part of your 600 pounds.  Out of all of these recommended grains though, wheat has the longest shelf-life, the most stable nutrition, and the most adaptability.  As such, I suggest that you make yourself as familiar with using it as possible.

There are 4 culinary aspects that I encourage everyone to learn to do with their wheat supply. One is to learn how to make pasta from scratch. This means that you’ll need to invest in a hand operated pasta maker so that you can quickly and easily make pasta such as ravioli, linguine, and spaghetti with it.  Wheat pasta tastes a bit different that regular pastas, so for starters you may want to expose your family to some wheat pasta dishes. There are several commercial wheat pastas that I have been easily able to use in my regular pasta dishes (including the one I made last weekend).

Hand crank pasta maker photo co cooking com 300x224 Grains: How Much and How to CookNext, I would make sure you can master making at least one type of bread with your wheat or other grains—be it rolls or bread loaves, or even just scones.  Sandwiches, and slices of bread can easily turn a “barely there” meal into a wonderfully memorable and satisfying one.  Keep in mind that the more fiber you have in your recipes, the more satisfying for a longer period of time they will be. In other words, having high quality meals full of fiber could actually reduce your need for a lot of other supplementary foods and could even reduce the number of meals per day you need. This kind of food also brings with it more energy and significantly better health.

Which reminds me of another aspect of using wheat.  You must introduce it into your diet now. Don’t wait until a scenario in which you have to live off of it. If you do, you could very easily cause dehydration, painful constipation, and even death if your body is not already used to high fiber in the diet. If you’re just now venturing into the use of wheat and high fiber into your meals, start with one serving each day of high fiber, then increase it to two, and then to three. You should be fine after that. Be sure that you drink PLENTY of water with this kind of a diet too. The fiber can only do its job if it’s accompanied by plenty of water, at least two quarts of drinking water every day per person.

Tortilla press photo co applepiepatispatecom 300x199 Grains: How Much and How to CookThe next culinary skill I would recommend is making homemade tortillas.  Tortillas are a great carrier for a variety of foods including salads. They are fairly simple to make, but the right tools and a little bit of practice will create a stress-free occasion for you later down the road. It’s easier to make them if you have a tortilla press; otherwise you’ll have to use a whole lot of physical energy getting them thin enough with a rolling pin. Besides, a tortilla press doesn’t require as much work space as a rolling pin would. I recommend that you do a search on The Food Network’s site and get Alton Brown’s recipe for tortillas. They turn out perfectly every time.

Lastly, I suggest you learn how to make your own pita bread.  Pita bread is very easy to make and it can be used as an alternative to bread in so many different ways. A piece of pita bread can accompany a meal or it can be the main part of the entree. You can easily make pita chips or large pita breads to stuff with a combination of sprouts, dressing, and seasoning. Yum!  Pita is also a good substitute for a pizza crust with only a fraction of the time to make it. Pita dough doesn’t require as much kneading, rising, and cooking time either. Remember, the easier something is to make, the less stress and the more energy you’ll have; out of all of the things that you need to prepare to conserve, your physical energy is at the top of the list.

Enjoy this recipe! My husband is already asking me when he can have it again.

(As you can see, all of the items in this recipe are easily found in a long-term pantry. This recipe can also successfully be cooked in a Solar Oven)

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole By Kellene Bishop

8 ounces of wheat spaghetti—cooked according to manufacturer instructions or 4 cups of cooked pasta

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (about 26 ounces)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of Shirley J Onion Seasoning

1-1½ pound of ground beef (I use that which I’ve already canned or browned and frozen)

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon of grated cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar is the best, but I also like Colby Jack, and Medium Cheddar)

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese

½ cup of sliced black olives

½ cup of sliced pepperoni, cut in halves or quarters

1 ½ cup of prepared Shirley J Universal Sauce or 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

½ cup of beef broth (I like to make this with the Shirley J Beef Broth combined with ½ cup of the water I used to cook my pasta in.)

Cook the pasta according to directions (the thin spaghetti works best for this recipe). Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, either brown or warm up your ground beef with the minced garlic and the onion seasoning. If it’s too fatty, be sure to drain off some of the fat before adding the seasoning.

In a large bowl combine the cooked ground beef, pasta sauce, Universal Sauce, beef broth, 1 cup of the grated cheese, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Mix gently to incorporate all flavors throughout.

Then add the drained, cooked pasta. Mix gently and then pour ingredients into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Top with the pepperoni and sliced black olives. Then top with another cup of the cheddar cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and then top with the remaining cheeses. Serve and devour!

Serves 6. This recipe is easily doubled and tripled. You can also make it successfully without the pepperoni or black olives.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

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FoodSaver Saves the Day

By Kellene Bishop

I know that I’ve shared with you all the merits of a FoodSaver previously, but my enthusiasm for it has recently been refreshed.

almonds in foodsaver photo co preparednesspro 300x225 FoodSaver Saves the DayLast week I wanted to use up some brown bananas and make some banana bread. I usually put walnuts in my banana bread, but for some reason I was having a challenge finding my walnuts. After searching for about 20 minutes, I finally found a large half-gallon Mason jar of them which I had sealed via the FoodSaver Mason Jar attachment. Inside the jar, I had the walnuts still in their original packaging which read “Best if used by October 10, 2007.” Nearly three years old on a food that is notorious for going rancid quickly. So…the moment of truth… I opened the jar and smelled the contents. Hmmmm. There wasn’t any rancid smell. Ok. Now for the taste test. Even though I’ve done this for a long time I still was amazed that the walnuts tasted perfect. There wasn’t the slightest hint of any deterioration in the flavor or texture. I was so tickled! I decided to get into some other items that had long been stored in a Mason jar using my FoodSaver.

Peanut M&Ms. The oldest I could find were 4 years old. The taste test yielded another perfect, fresh taste…and a half-empty jar by the end of the day. *sigh.

Brown Rice…after being sealed for 2 years there was no hint of age. I was stoked and had brown rice that night to celebrate.

I could go on and on, but I was so pleasantly surprised with everything I tried. I’ve had several things that I’ve tried previously, but since I rotate my foods fairly well, it’s not like a lot of my jarred items have aged for very long. But I am that much more at peace knowing that even if I miss some food items, I still won’t be wasting my time and my money on foods that I entrust to this preservation method. So hopefully, now you’ll have a little bit more peace in your preparedness efforts as well.

marshmallows in food saver jar photo co preparedness pro 300x225 FoodSaver Saves the DayFor those of you who need a little reminder, FoodSaver jar attachments come in 2 different sizes—wide mouth and regular size. All you have to do is put your food item in the jar. Be sure that you do not put finely sifted items in the jar as they may clog up the sealing tube. When I want to preserve cake mixes and such, I simply poke a couple of holes in the bag that holds the mix with a needle, and then place the entire bag in the jar. Once your food item is in the jar, place the flat portion of the lid on the jar, place the FoodSaver jar attachment on top and then connect the suction hose to the attachment and the FoodSaver. Press the automatic sealing button on the FoodSaver and wait for the sealing process to end. (The motor will whir loudly until it’s finished the suction process. You’ll also see the light turn from green to red on the FoodSaver.) Then remove the suction hose from the jar attachment and then remove the attachment. This makes it easier for you to remove the jar attachment, otherwise there’s too much suction. You can store the jars sealed just like that or you can screw on the rest of the lid. The nice thing that I love about using this preservation method is that I can easily get into the jar and then simply reseal it. So long as you don’t bend the lid while you’re getting into it, it’s just fine to reuse again and again. Also, you do not need the have new lids for this process. So you finally have a use for your old lids that you used to store other food items. I use this FoodSaver method for cereals, marshmallows, nuts, crackers, pasta, brown sugar, cake mixes, cookies and so much more.

You can get a FoodSaver in the kitchen gadget section of any department store, Costco, Target, and Wal-Mart. I how you enjoy this process as well as I do. By the way, I’ve also included the Banana Bread Recipe below. I am especially proud of it because I was able to use coconut oil instead of margarine or shortening.

Pantry Banana Bread

Mix the following in order:

banana bread photo co homebakedmemories 300x259 FoodSaver Saves the Day
½ cup of coconut oil (the oil should be firm, not liquid)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 mashed ripe bananas
2 cups of wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch of salt
½ cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Makes 1 loaf and can easily be doubled and tripled.

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky at preparednesspro.com 

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit! 

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

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Pressure Cooker Delivers Ham and Beans in Minutes!

By Kellene Bishop

Gotta Love That Pressure Cooker!

ham and beans photo co homemadewithlove wordpress com Pressure Cooker Delivers Ham and Beans in Minutes!Two weeks ago I had to make a meal, pronto, for my husband and I.  Since I had been writing most of the day, I hadn’t exactly planned anything. So at 4:30 p.m., I finally decided to rummage in my freezer to see what was available. I saw a freezer-burned ham bone. While that may not sound very appetizing to most of you, I assure you that freezer-burned meat is no problem when you have a pressure cooker.  So I placed the ham bone in some water and a couple tablespoons of Shirley J’s Slow Cooker Pork Seasoning in my pressure cooker. I stabilized the pressure at high heat for about 30 minutes while embarking on a kitchen cleaning frenzy. As I was doing so I spied about 3 cups of pinto beans that I had purchased in the bulk foods section of Winco which I had forgotten to seal in a Mason jar. So I decided that ham and beans sounded like a good option for dinner before I dried my beans out too much.

freezer burned ham 300x225 Pressure Cooker Delivers Ham and Beans in Minutes!All I did was rinse the beans off and then added them to the pressure cooker with the ham bone. Thanks to a pressure cooker, by 5:30 p.m. my husband and I were enjoying a very tasty ham and beans meal with only these three ingredients. Pretty impressive when you consider that most dishes of this nature call for soaking the beans overnight and slow cooking the entire meal most of the day.  Instead, we enjoyed a convenient, comfortable meal with all of the nutrients intact. I like having a meal in a jiffy without nuking it or compromising the texture and taste. And thanks to this invaluable technology, I got every drop of bone marrow from my ham bone. Yum-Mee!

Duromatic+6L+22cm+Inox+Pressure+Cooker 150x150 Pressure Cooker Delivers Ham and Beans in Minutes!Now some of you may be surprised that I didn’t have to soak the beans or simmer the ham and beans for hours. But that’s simply one of the great things about having a pressure cooker. I easily use my pressure cookers every week to make meals that would usually take an exorbitant amount of time.  Whole grain white or brown rice only takes 10 minutes on high pressure—and turns out perfectly every time.  Irish cut oats, wheat berries, any type of grain or legumes turn out wonderful with a minimal amount of effort. Even better, when I use a pressure cooker, I don’t have to heat up my house by cooking all day AND I am able to continue cooking on high heat even though I have my stove top turned all the way down to the lowest setting. From a preparedness standpoint, this is especially handy in the event that you have to live off of a limited supply of precious fuel such as propane, butane, or kerosene.

So, for this weeks article to aid you in using your long-term pantry items, I hope that I’ve sufficiently encouraged you to check out this marvelous tool of everyday preparedness. If you already have a pressure cooker, I hope you won’t hesitate to constantly try new things and see just how much of a great impact it can have on your busy schedule and sophisticated palate.

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Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Summer Pasta Salad

By Kellene Bishop

Summer Pasta Salad

I love to be able to make a quick pasta salad with what I’ve got on hand in my pantry.  This recipe isn’t just a “preparedness pantry” recipe, it’s one that I actually crave on a hot summer day. I hope you enjoy it too.

  • spiral pasta salad 6 26 10 Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Summer Pasta Salad12 oz. of spiral pasta, cooked and drained according to package directions.
  • ¼ cup of coconut oil
  • ¼ cup of red wine vinegar
  • 3 T. of Shirley J Pizza Pasta Seasoning
  • ½ cup of reconstituted dehydrated red and green bell peppers
  • 1/3 cup of reconstituted dehydrated sliced celery
  • ½ cup of reconstituted dehydrated sliced carrots (I like The Wheat Lady brand for this)
  • 15 slices of pepperoni and/or salami
  • 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese

Combine all of the ingredients except the pasta and the cheese in a large salad bowl. Gently toss in the cooked/drained pasta. Let sit about 15-20 minutes to absorb the flavors. Top with the Parmesan cheese.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

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SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!

By Kellene Bishop

Here’s your emergency drill. Can you handle it?

emergency drill photo co cob SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!As you know emergencies can never come at an opportune time.  They are always sudden. No music lingering in the background to tell you that they are just about to pounce on you, right? So here you are, having an ordinary day, when some lady on the internet tells you “Ok. It’s time for you to put on your big girl/boy pants and see just how serious you are about preparedness.”  So, are you ready?  Can you commit? Can you lengthen your stride and see just what kind of a mental, physical, and tangible state of preparedness you are in? Don’t worry though. This particular challenge will only affect that food area of your preparedness efforts. Ready?

Thirty days. No restaurants. No deli food. No pre-made stuff to purchase. Oh, and stay out of Costco’s sample section. You’ve got to cook it all your own based on what you’ve got right now? Ok. Ok. I’ll give you ONE day to prepare—but that’s it!

woman yelling photo co quickandsimple SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!Are you scared? Are you yelling and swearing at the computer screen right now telling me there is NO way you’re going to do this?  If not now, then WHEN?  You have all of the rest of your comforts in life still.  You still get your car, electricity, Facebook, etc.  All you’re doing is living off of what you’ve got ready for yourself right now.

Here’s how you will benefit from this challenge.

1)      You will use what you’ve got and help cycle through it.

2)      You will force yourself to be creative and use what you’ve got on hand to make great meals.

3)      You will better learn the art of “waste not” living.

4)      You will learn what physical strength you need to monitor so that you have the strength to plan and cook each day.  Keep in mind that during this challenge you’ll still have access to a microwave, etc. So let’s not start whining yet, please.  But you will realize just how much physical energy it takes to have every morsel of food received come about only because of work.

5)      You will learn whether or not you’ve been storing items in which your family can actually live and thrive.

powdered what photo charchechaukeke1 SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!6)      You’ll learn the reality of the need for comfort foods and a variety of foods. I can’t stress this lesson enough. So many folks tell me that they have a years supply and then they tick off staples that you nor I would ever eat for a week, let alone  year—at least not if there was a Baskin-Robbins open.

7)      You’ll be more wise in the future in what you stock up on and you’ll learn that you can’t afford NOT to stock up when a good deal/sale comes your way.  This experience will definitely put things in their proper perspective.

8)      You’ll learn how to better organize your foods so that they are accessible and require the least amount of physical effort as possible or realistic. I find it strange that one of the first things people think about when they think about survival is oft times the most inaccessible supply to reach.

9)      Your family (particularly the little ones) will learn the value of “work to have” instead of just asking for it and “Voila! It’s there.”

10)  Lastly, you’ll learn “I can do it!” and that’s a lesson that no one else but yourself can teach you.

So why am I kicking up a new challenge for myself for the next 30 days? I know it won’t be easy, but I’m positive that it’s necessary. Here’s why I’m doing this for my own good.

sickness photo co zaazu SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!My blasted health challenges have been annoying lately—to say the least. Additionally I’m married to a man that loathes to cook—even if it’s a box of macaroni and cheese. As a result of the two scenarios combined, I feel like we’ve been spending way too much money going out to eat. Even last night, when he got a steak burrito and I got a yummy mahi-mahi burrito, chips, beans, and a soda all for only $1.70 (thank you, coupons) I still felt guilty. I know that eating out isn’t healthy—no matter how great the food may be. Each time a person eats out they increase their chances of getting the “flu du jour” by over 50%. While that may seem like a safe bet to some, I don’t like the odds.

The other aspect that’s bothering me is that it’s likely that regardless of what survival scenario may ever come my way, I doubt I’ll be feeling any better than normal. So then what’s a girl to do? How will I eat when I’m married to “Lucille Ball in the kitchen”? I decided I didn’t like that vulnerability. It’s VERY likely that the primary caregiver in a family will get ill or injured at some point in a troubling time. For goodness sake, I burned my hand doing something that I do all the time and that about sent me over the edge. Yet burns, accidents, injuries and illnesses are much more pervasive in a “disaster” type of scenario. As such, I decided I had to engage in some Mental Preparedness and draw a line in the sand.

So, design this challenge to fit your needs, but don’t be wimpy about it. Worst case scenario make yourself refrain from non-do-it-yourself- foods all but once a week. Whatever you do PLEASE make it a REAL challenge. It shouldn’t be that hard knowing that you can go back to normal at the end of 30 days. You could just do a trial run and see just how long you could manage with what you’ve got on hands. If you are willing to give the trial a go, but run into an obstacle, go ahead, fix the problem and then proceed. Keep a list of what you run out of and when. Then you have a new hot spot to focus on in your preparedness efforts.

home cooking photo co efollia SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!Here are my personal rules for this challenge. I will be independent in my food preparation and supplies. I will cook for myself over the next 30 days strictly from what I have on hand. And my Prince Charming is actually on board with me on this too (because he loves saving money more than he hates cooking—hee hee) and he has agreed to take care of some of the load as well. I will  have to live off of what I’ve got right now.  Yup. Right at this very minute I will create meals based on what I’ve got on hand and nothing else. So yes, that means when I’ve got company coming next month, I’ve got to get creative and confident so that I can feed them, too, the old fashioned way, for the entire time they are here. But isn’t that what I’ve been planning to do in my Food Preparedness efforts anyway?  So why not start now?  One caveat I will be giving myself however. Since I believe in working while the sun shines, I will still be making purchases via coupons—however, I am not allowed to use my purchases to accomplish this challenge AND I can only purchase items that are 75% or better off for this entire 30 days.

Some time ago we did a 14 day challenge similar to this.  But I think it needs to go longer—to be more of a push and a strengthening challenge.  After all, if I believe in preparing for a year, wouldn’t it be a good barometer reading to make sure that I can handle 30 days?

Gas station donuts photo co examiner SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!Keep in mind that this means no morning coffee or soda from the gas station. No bakery or deli items purchased at the store. And no free hot dog for the promotion at the car dealership either. *grin*  Use what you know is safe, is cooked properly, and is the best bang for your buck.

So, who’s going to give this a shot?  Think of this as taking control rather than giving up things that you think you love or need right now. Think of this as another step in reaching your goal of independence.  Oh, and did I mention that there’s a prize for one of you?

present abedtimestory SURPRISE! Your Emergency Drill Begins NOW!On July 25th we will be taking all of the persons who made comments regarding THIS CHALLENGE on our blog or on Facebook and entering them to win one SUPER prize! What is it?  Its unlimited access to any of the live webinars I teach for the next 3 months!  –However many you want on whichever topic you want.  So feel free to let the rest of us know how the challenge is going for you because the more you comment, the more chances you have at winning. But know that the best prize is that which you will personally gain by going through this experience!

Onward, ever onward in our efforts of preparedness!

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

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Head’s Up: Group Buy Special on COCONUT OIL!

Hello Folks, I just wanted to take a second and let you all know about the group buy at Five Star, especially in light of the Coconut Oil article I’ve written. They’ve got a gallon of extra virgin, cold pressed on sale for less than you can get it from the manufacturer and that is even in consideration of the shipping!

They also have some steep  markdowns on a couple of Shirley J products that are two of my favorites as well as the high quality Redmond RealSalt. So I thought it would definitely be worthwhile to share it with you. Here’s the low down:

coconut oil hopes harvest 259x300 Heads Up: Group Buy Special on COCONUT OIL!Redmond RealSalt (full of its natural mineral content) 10 pound bucket, only $32.97 (regular retail $39.97)

Shirley J Universal Sauce, 48 oz. bag, only $18.95 (regular retail $24.95)

Shirley J Cheddar Cheese Sauce 48 oz. bag, only $29.95, (regular retail $39.95)

Hope’s Harvest Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Cold-Pressed, 1 gallon bucket, only $57.99 (regular retail $69.99)

To participate, simply go to www.fivestarpreparedness.com/GroupBuy and enter your email. You’ll receive an email with a PDF file containing all of the information about the group buy along with the Special Promo code needed to obtain the Group Buy pricing. Then you can order as you see fit. I hope you are enjoying filling your preparedness pantry as much as I am!

Kellene

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19

06 2010

Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Chicken Little Soup

Chicken Little Soup

By Kellene Bishop

Whether it’s a summer day or a hibernating winter one, I still enjoy this quick soup because it tastes so yummy and satisfies. It’s even more memorable when I am trying to ward off an oncoming cold. I call this Chicken Little Soup because I don’t use the traditional big noodles for this one, rather I use either Acini de Pepe or Orzo instead. Either way, it’s easy and tasty. In a pressure cooker all of the cooking is over in about 5 minutes once you bring it to a boil and set the pressure lid on it. Plus you can use all your yummy freeze-dried ingredients from your preparedness pantry!

1/3 cup of freeze dried onions (or dehydrated)chicken noodle soup photo co hitchwriter 300x225 Preparedness Pro in Your Kitchen—Chicken Little Soup

1/3 cup of freeze dried celery  (or dehydrated)

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

¼ cup of butter or 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

½ cup of freeze-dried carrots (or dehydrated)

¼ cup of freeze-dried peas (or dehydrated)

2-3 cups of canned/bottled shredded or chunk chicken

2 teaspoons of Shirley J Chicken Bouillon

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of parsley

12 cups of water

1 cup of Acini de Pepe pasta

In a large pot, sauté the onions, celery, and garlic in the butter until toasty brown.

Add all other ingredients except the pasta and stir well. Bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook at a simmer for 7 to 11 minutes, until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

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