Taking My Own Advice

Last week Christie and I were having a few conversations on the subject of food storage. I freely gave out some advice (which is no surprise since I was asked) and then "put my money where my mouth was". I added to our storage 20 lbs. of rice, a couple packages of beans and split peas and 15 1 lb. packages of lentils (a legume). I really like lentil soup. During the Beavercreek days MTN had a girlfriend over to play one afternoon. We invited her to stay for dinner and she accepted. A little later she passed through the kitchen and saw dinner, a big pot of lentil soup and suddenly found a reason for not being able to stay for dinner. Do you kids remember we renamed dinner Ugly Soup? We have traditionally made it with bacon, diced:onion,carrot and potato. Unlike beans that have to soak and take a longer time to cook, lentil soup can be cooked in 1/2 - 1 hour. I like it cooked longer and you know it's even better the next day reheated. This site gives some very basic info on the importance of food storage and how to begin - even baby steps. I hope you'll take a peek and see what's there. And this site enables you to order a Family Home Storage Starter Kit for just $25.95 and you get:

2 #10 cans of hard red winter wheat

2 #10 cans white rice

1 #10 can rolled oats

1 #10 can pinto beans

You don't have to be a member of the church to order and there are no shipping charges or handling fees either. I think that's pretty good and helpful.

Last week I was also at the Mesa Cannery for a shift where we canned "dry" pinto beans. I came home with a total of 12 #10 cans of wheat, powdered milk and sugar. Now my problem is trying to organize and find space to store the growing supply. What a blessing, not a problem is my attitude. I hope we are all adding to our food storage and learning how to use it. Here are a few more recipes you might want to check out. Let's all follow the Boy Scout motto and BE PREPARED. Loves.

Hope this is a helpful chart:

Complete Proteins: How to Combine Foods to Create Complete Proteins
Proteins are an important element in the daily diet but many times, individuals find difficulty in fitting proteins into their meals, particularly vegetarians. The following combinations may be of help in achieving complete proteins.
How to Combine Foods to Create Complete Proteins
Legumes, rice and wheat, all vegetable proteins can be combined with other foods to create a complete protein.
Legumes, a Vegetable Protein Legumes include peanuts, dried beans, peas, soybeans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, navy beans, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans and chick peas - commonly called garbanzo beans. To create a complete protein, combine a serving of legumes with a serving of the following foods:
Legumes + Barley
Legumes + Corn
Legumes + Oats
Legumes + Rice
Legumes + Pumpkin Seeds
Legumes + Sesame Seeds
Legumes + Sunflower Seeds
Legumes + Wheat
Rice, a Vegetable Protein To create a complete protein, combine a serving of rice (brown or white in any size grain) with a serving of the following foods:
Rice + Legumes
Rice + Sesame Seeds
Rice + Soybeans
Wheat, a Vegetable Protein To create a complete protein, combine a serving of wheat with a serving of the following foods:
Wheat + Legumes
Wheat + Sesame Seeds
Wheat + Sunflower Seeds
Wheat + Pumpkin Seeds
Wheat + Soybeans