We DO remember what it was like to find all these tools COMPLETELY overwhelming.

So from now on, we’ll post most of our weekly attempts at cooking a meal without power on our Summer Adventures page. You may want to bookmark that page, or subscribe to our new YouTube channel to get immediate access to the videos (more on our YouTube channel next week). We’ll still mention it on facebook and here and there on the blog, but we’ll be back to a variety of the posts next week.

Since Jodi tried her Sun Oven with rice last week, I worked up the courage to try something in mine. Bread is a staple around here, and I just have to know I could keep cooking it without power. I’m actually going to try bread in the Wonderoven, the Volcano, the Cardboard Box Oven and a Dutch Oven too this summer. I like the idea of having multiples ways of cooking it depending on fuel, and sunshine situations.

Check out this video to see how it went!

Little tidbits of information about the experience:

• The oven took 40 minutes to preheat, but Jodi said hers took 15… so we need to investigate this. Time of day? Positioning? What?
• I did have to reposition it to keep it going faster- however if I hadn’t I think it would have just taken longer and still been good
• There wasn’t a noticeable difference between the two types of pans I used
• I cooked the bread for about 50 minutes. They say to cook things about 20 minutes longer, and this worked just fine
• The bread turned out extra moist

I’m so excited to keep trying new things and to experiment with bread using the other methods.

Before we forget – remember the SunOven sale is ending June 21… here are more details.

Global Sun Oven SALE PRICE

We always sell the Global Sun Oven for the lowest prices available online (just $255 for the oven, with free shipping!) However, until June 21st we are also offering an amazing accessory package for only $35 more (retail price is normally $57)! So for $290 you get your Sun Oven plus all of the cooking tools below:

-2 Stackable Black Covered Round 3-qt Pots (Retail Price $12.00 each)
-1 Set of Two Loaf Pans (Retail Price $12.00
-1 Set of Two Cookie Sheet/Brownie Pans (Retail Price $13.50
-1 Water Pasteurization Indicator – WAPI (Retail Price $8.00)
-A computer CD with over 80 SUN OVEN recipes, cooking tips, FAQs, written & video operating instructions, a video on how the SUN OVEN works and emergency preparedness tips

The Electric WonderMill is great for quick, everyday usage grinding big batches of grains and legumes. It totally gets you into the habit of cooking with your food storage. However, the Wonder Junior Deluxe is also a wonderful preparedness tool since it can be used in a powerless emergency, and has the bonus value of being able to grind things that an electric mill CAN’T grind. On our Facebook page, we have been asked several times lately if we are selling the NEW Wonder Junior Deluxe models, and the answer is “YES”! We just didn’t have time to change our product info page yet. Here are some details about the great new features.

THE WONDER JUNIOR DELUXE JUST GOT EVEN BETTER!!!

FASTER Than the Country Living Grain Mill
You may often hear people recommend the Country Living Grain Mill as the hand grinder of all hand grinders. We always thought that the Wonder Junior was a good mid-range mill if you couldn’t afford one of the higher-end hand grinders. But now, with the NEW grain auger in the new Wonder Junior Deluxe models, this hand grinder grinds 65% faster than the Country Living Grain Mill at about half of the price! Check out the speed test video below.

Cleaner and more convenient than ever
Most hand grinders are a little bit notorious for getting flour all over the place just be the nature of how they work with the stones grinding together. Not only does the Wonder Junior Deluxe have a strong and secure table clamp that is one of the best on the market, but it now comes with a flour guide and cleaning brush to keep grinding mess to a minimum. This makes cleanup a breeze. The NEW flour guide effectively guides the flour to fall into you container, instead of all over your table. The cleaning brush is simple but perfect for the task of cleaning off the stones after you are done grinding. Both are now included at no extra cost when you buy the Wonder Junior Deluxe.

New Drill Bit Attachment COMING SOON!
This is a great way to get even more use out of your Wonder Junior if you don’t have an electric mill too. Using this new drill bit attachment and a household drill you can achieve amazing things with your hand grinder.

THEY WILL BE BACK IN STOCK APRIL 10!!!
If you aren’t already convinced about how awesome the NEW Wonder Junior Deluxe is click here for even more details. With all these great new features the hand grinders quickly went out of stock. However, the good news is they should be shipping again as of APRIL 10. WonderMill will ship out starting on April 10th based on when you placed your order, so you may want to consider purchasing your new Wonder Junior Deluxe asap to get in the queue.

p.s. If you have one of the older models but would like the new flour shield and/or cleaning brush we are looking into some options to be able to make those available to you from our site so stay tuned!

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil
Nuts, dates, raisins (opt)

Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients. Then stir in the applesauce, oil, and nuts or fruits (opt). Bake in a 9×9 pan at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Top each piece with warm apple sauce when serving.

Special Notes:
When serving this cake do NOT leave off the dollop of warm applesauce on each piece. It balances out the sweetness of the cake and makes all the difference.

We’ve been so busy with the Seven Day Challenge, One Second After group book discussion, and the Thanksgiving holiday, that we haven’t done a segment in our Food Storage Makeover series for a few months. Today Jodi shows Grandma Lori how to convert her favorite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe into a fabulous food storage recipe that is easier, faster, healthier, and just as delicious!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe – food storage style

Soup
3 large chicken breasts
1/2 c. dehydrated celery
1/3 c. dehydrated onions
1/4 c. dehydrated carrots
9 cups of water
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Noodles
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 c. water

Directions
Add all ingredients into a pressure cooker. Cook according to your pressure cooker’s directions for chicken breasts. Using the Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker this was 15 minutes on high pressure (we used frozen chicken breasts). While the chicken cooks, prepare noodles. Knead for 5-10 minutes in a mixer with dough hooks. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a pizza cutter into 1/4 inch strips about 3 inches long. Separate the noodles and let dry out a little bit. When chicken is done cooking, remove and cut into bite-sized pieces. While cutting, set your pressure cooker to a browning setting and throw in the noodles to cook. Add the cut up chicken back in and cook until noodles are soft. ENJOY!

VARIATIONS
One of my favorite things to do is make a batch of this soup without the noodles. Then I make a big batch of brown rice in the pressure cooker. I separate the rice into lunch-size portions and put the soup in a large tupperware. Every day I mix a little bowl of soup with rice added in and it is a delicious, healthy, low-fat, quick, easy lunch for me!

Another favorite family recipe made easier and faster using food storage is Chicken Tortellini Soup. The basic soup is very similar to the above recipe. I’ll share my tricks on that one another day!

Benefits of Wheat

• Wheat provides you with a whole grain
• Wheat can be stored for over 30 years if kept in a cool, dry place
• Whole wheat retains all of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber
• There are no preservatives or additives in wheat you grind yourself
• You can sprout wheat and use it in smoothies, salads, soups, etc.
• You can use wheat to extend your meat

There are many different kinds of wheat you can read about in our Types of Wheat post. Our favorite all-purpose wheat is hard white wheat. If you don’t have a local source for wheat, you can buy it (along with tons of other food storage products) with only $4.49 shipping anywhere in the contiguous US at Honeyville Grains.

Wheat Grinder Options

To use wheat as flour, you need a wheat grinder. Here is a short video on a couple of options you have for grinders.

We have been huge fans of the Wondermill Electric since we both got ours 2 years ago, but have never really touched on the Wonder Jr Hand Grinder. We haven’t talked much about it because we use our Electrics several times a week and have never been faced with a powerless situation.

In our 7 Day Challenge, we had a mock emergency where there was no power for one of the days. Also, in our Group Discussion of the book One Second After, there was an extended amount of time where there was no power. The thought of living without power for more then just 2 or 3 hours has started to feel a little more possible, so we decided it was time to practice on the Wonder Junior. When Julie used it for the 7 Day Challenge to make her family pancakes she was amazed at how easy it was to use, and how finely it ground the flour.

When choosing a wheat grinder, you just have to ask yourself some questions. Am I getting this for everyday cooking, or for a powerless situation? If there were a powerless situation, would I know how to use my wheat and my grinder? Do I store wheat (and other grains) I know how to use in recipes for daily living, and for emergency situations?

Basic Wheat Recipes

Whole Grain Waffles
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Whole Wheat Pasta Noodles
Whole Wheat Bread

Black Friday Sales

Shhhh don’t tell anyone, but you’re getting in on the good news early. We’ll be sending out an email Wednesday with a bunch of Black Friday – Cyber Monday sales. The Wheat Grinders will be at the lowest price we’re allowed to sell them for, and FREE SHIPPING. We already have it in the system, so you can be an early bird shopper today.

It’s been awhile since we have shared with you what’s going on with the Extreme Food Storage Makeover for Grandma Lori. Since Grandma Lori bought her Wondermill, Jasmine has been wanting in on the experimenting (Jasmine is Grandma Lori’s daughter and she’s the one who showed us how to make multi-grain waffles with their Wondermill). With the 7 Day Challenge coming up, you better believe one of the tasks throughout the week will be to make a loaf of bread, so pay close attention!

There are a lot of great bread recipes we could choose from to get Jasmine going on her bread making. The one we had Jasmine try first comes from Deals to Meals. You do this thing called “sponging” to the dough, and it makes an incredible dough that makes bread awesome! For the full recipe go here. Check out the recipe, and while you’re there, read Friday’s post. They are letting everyone try their service FREE this week only! After you try and like it, make sure you tell them we sent you.

Another great bread recipe is from Crystal at Everyday Food Storage. This is the recipe Julie used to get her first successful loaf of bread when she first started making bread. Crystal also shares some great bread making tips in case you need some extra help or practice on her Bread Q and A post.

Next up we’re going to show Grandma Lori and Jasmine how to make something else fabulous USING their food storage. We still haven’t decided what it is yet. Maybe we’ll let THEM choose.

While this “diet” is very healthy, it can also be a bit of a pain to prepare the foods. But I’m going to show you a few tricks I’ve learned to make it easier to follow, and super easy to stick with even on busy days when you aren’t at home to cook the food. And the bonus part is, it uses lots of food storage, yay!

Whole Grains

I have started keeping a bucket of wheat, rice, and oatmeal upstairs because I’m going through them so quickly. I make two loaves of whole wheat bread (click here for my favorite recipe) every few days and my family has started snarfing it up. I should be grateful that they love the healthy food but then I have to keep making it more often. At least it’s really cheap since I grind my own wheat! I’ve also started cooking up big batches of brown rice in my pressure cooker and storing it in 1 cup baggies in the fridge. This has been an awesome way to always have a healthy side dish on hand.

Fruits and Veggies

I have been using my favorite service Deals to Meals to find the best deals on produce and stock up. If the foods look like they may go bad soon I just stick them in the freezer. Usually I can make the freezer foods last until stuff goes on sale again. Sweet! (To see how easy it is to use deals to meals for product, check out this post)

Chicken

I am choosing to avoid red meat and cheesy/pasta dishes for now, but I still make some of our normal family favorites for dinner. So I have started cooking up large batches of chicken in the pressure cooker and keeping it in 4 ounce baggies in the fridge. It’s so easy for me to pull out a baggie and stick it on a salad for a healthy dinner, while my family can still enjoy a good spaghetti dinner. I like to consider frozen meat as part of my three month supply so preparing this in bulk is great for that.

Pressure Cooking

Here is my confession, until a few weeks ago I was AFRAID to use my pressure cooker. Seriously! But I could never make my brown rice turn out very yummy so I decided to give it a whirl. Well I am officially in love. The rice turns out perfect and chewy and delicious every time. And the chicken … oh the chicken. Tender, moist, and cooks in such a short time. After eating plain chicken on a george foreman for a few weeks the pressure cooker chicken in marinades are divine.

How to Use a Pressure Cooker for Rice and Chicken

The Finished Product

I accidentally had to eat some of the chicken after working so hard to prepare it all

Garlic Lemon Chicken Recipe

2 lbs thawed chicken
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup lemon juice
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp. thyme

Mix all the marinade ingredients up and pour in a gallon ziplock bag along with the chicken. Marinate for 15-20 minutes and then cook in the pressure cooker according to your cooker’s directions.

Our Favorite Pressure Cooker

Cuisinart CPC-600 1000-Watt 6-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker, Brushed Stainless and Matte Black
Reduce time spent in the kitchen preparing meals with the help of this 6-quart electric pressure cooker–it cuts cooking times up to 70-percent when compared to traditional stovetop cooking methods. The unit traps steam inside, which builds up pressure to create hotter temperatures, and its tight seal locks in heat, moisture, and flavor, as well as vitamins and minerals for exceptionally healthy, great-tasting meals like soup, chili, and other one-dish entrees. For safety, the cooker must be fully locked for pressure to build, and it will remain locked until the pressure inside drops to zero. It is so easy to use and we LOVE it! [Learn More]

This week, we’re extending the Extreme Food Storage Makeover to Grandma Lori’s daughter Jasmine! She is Jodi’s little sister, and Julie’s sister-in-law. Jasmine has always been into cooking. She has made her own little recipe book and everything. When she kept hearing her big sisters talk about how whole grains are healthier, she wanted to learn about it… Since the Wondermills are on sale for the summer, Grandma Lori took advantage and bought one so now we get to share some fun recipes with the family.

If you’re new to this project, visit our Grandma Lori Makeover Page for the full scoop, and see the journey as it has progressed so far.

Watch the video as Julie shows Jasmine how to grind wheat, and other grains to make Jasmines regular waffle recipe, a delicious multi-grain version. Jasmine might even have a future on the Food Network – who knows? Oh and please excuse the guest appearance from SPIDERMAN himself. Yes it’s last years Halloween outfit he has worn daily since -luckily he didn’t shoot webs into our food.

Here is the Recipe Jasmine used. The ingredients in the brackets are halved, so she can make small batches for herself and her friends.

Waffles
1 ¾ c. flour (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. baking powder (1/2 tbsp.)
½ tsp. salt (1/4 tsp.)
2 c. milk (1 cup)
1/3 c. oil (2 ½ tbsp.) -replace with unsweetened applesauce for low-fat option
2 eggs ( 1 egg)
Mix all ingredients with electric mixer. Pour batter into waffle maker and cook until done.

Stay tuned as we keep showing our family some fun recipes using their food storage!

When we started the Extreme Food Storage Makeover for Grandma Lori early this year, we knew exactly what we were going to do…..NOT! Well, we knew how we were going to do her ePrep stuff, and we knew how to tackle the 3 month supply. We were secretly a little concerned about how we would go about her Long Term Food Storage.
If you’re new to this project, visit our Grandma Lori Makeover Page for the full scoop, and see the journey as it has progressed so far.

Anyways, we were worried Grandma Lori might not be into baking bread, and grinding wheat the way we have come to love. What we saw happen though, was so exciting. As we used our food storage more, she got curious. She was especially interested in how we have been putting all sorts of grains into breads, pancakes, pizza dough and more. Since the Wondermills are on sale for the summer, she took advantage and bought one.

Check out how easy it was to set up. She had a great idea to store it somewhere she knew she could use it easily, and not tuck it away in a cupboard. The bonus is she can keep her grains all together in one place. Where is she keeping her mill? Just watch and see.

Oh -and make sure you watch to the very end to see how Julie’s husband teases her… REALLY JEREMY? At least he teases Jodi just as much.

Next up, Julie is going to show her little sister-in-law Jasmine how to make her favorite waffle pancake recipe, using multiple grains in the new family Wondermill. Jasmine is Jodi’s sister. Julie is Jodi’s sister-in-law who married Jeremy. Jodi also has 2 other sisters whose name starts with J- We may have to make a family tree graphic to help ya’ll keep it straight…. but for now:

When we first made our Food Storage Calculator, we promised ourselves we wouldn’t store any of the recommended foods unless we knew how we were going to use them. Since I didn’t have a wheat grinder (or even knew what wheat looked like yet) I decided to tackle cornmeal as my first “grain”. I remembered I had some in my cupboard so it seemed like a good item to start with.

Problem – My cornmeal was 3 years past expiration so I had to go buy a new canister before I could even get started. That goes to show you just HOW little I actually used it.

Confession – The first two recipes I tried were really delicious. My kids absolutely LOVED them and I thought they were great and not too hard to cook. However, several months later when I finally bought my WonderMill I made a discovery. You can grind popcorn (yes regular popcorn) into fresh ground cornmeal and OH MY GOODNESS it made all of my cornmeal recipes sooooo much better!

Give these recipes a try either with store-bought cornmeal or fresh ground popcorn and I promise you you will decide to add one or the other into your food storage:

Corn Pancakes
Buttermilk Cornbread

   

Now that I have some good cornmeal recipes on hand I think it will be really helpful if I am living off of my food storage because I can mix it up and not just eat ONLY wheat meals and breads every single day.