Wheat Recipes

Here are some great wheat recipes you don't have to use a grinder for. I hope you enjoy them.

This first one comes from www.everydayfoodstorage.net. It's a great blender wheat recipe. I've also included a recipe for caramel syrup that is fabulous. You can also use the recipe for waffles.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 Cup Milk (translation for powdered milk is 3 T. Milk and 1 C. Water)
1 Cup Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. powdered eggs 1/4 C. Water)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs. Oil
2 Tbs. Honey or Sugar

Put milk and wheat kernels in blender.Blend on highest speed for 4 or 5 minutes or until batter is smooth. Add eggs, oil, baking powder, salt and honey or sugar to above batter. Blend on low. Pour out batter into pancakes from the actual blender jar (only one thing to wash!) onto a hot greased or Pam prepared griddle or large frying pan.Cook; flipping pancakes when bubbles pop and create holes.

Caramel Syrup

3/4 C. Butter

1-1/2 C. Sugar

2 T. Light Corn Syrup

3/4 C. Buttermilk

1 t. Baking Soda

2 t. Vanilla

Combine ingredients in sauce pan (it gets frothy so make sure and use a large enough pan so it doesn’t spill over). Stirring constantly, heat sauce until boiling and then boil for 5 minutes.

Cracked Wheat recipes from everydayfoodstorage.net

Did you know that you can use cracked wheat to extend your ground beef, to substitute for nuts or RICE? The nice thing about using it as rice is that it is MUCH FASTER to cook than brown rice. (15-20 minutes MAX!) You can crack wheat in your blender. Coffee grinders are the best for cracking wheat so if you find yourself needing to crack a lot of it I would pay the $10 bucks to buy a coffee grinder. Make sure when you’re cracking wheat in the blender that your blender is completely (and when I say completely I mean COMPLETELY) dry or it won’t crack the wheat. Also, make sure to use small amounts like no more than a little over 1/4 cup at a time.

Practice using cracked wheat as nuts I tried this Strawberry “Nut” Jell-O salad. This is my ULTIMATE FAVORITE Jell-O salad in the WHOLE WORLD. (Have I convinced it tastes awesome yet?) It is different from anything else you’ve seen at a potluck and the cracked wheat in the salad gives a really great texture. It almost tastes like little bits of strawberries in the salad. You’ve got to try this, you’re family will LOVE it and no one NOT NO ONE will guess there is wheat in it!!!

Strawberry Nut (Wheat) Molded Salad

1 small pkg. strawberry Jello (I cheated and used raspberry and it was still DELICIOUS)
1 C boiling water

Combine Jell-O and Water & refrigerate until syrupy, then add to the rest (word to the wise-you have to watch this like a hawk. It goes from syrupy to jelled very quickly. I would check it between 15-20 minutes after you put it in the fridge)

1 C cooked cracked wheat for mock nuts
1 C whipped cream or Cool Whip Whipped Topping
1/2 C sugar
2 C mashed fresh strawberries
Refrigerate until firm or over night. Serve on a bed of lettuce with a dollop of whipped cream/topping sprinkled with cooked cracked wheat as your mock nuts.These whole kernels need soaking or steam cooking to become tender. When cooked, they have a sweet, nut-like flavor and a slightly chewy texture. There are many ways to prepare dishes with wheat berries, - so experiment!

In using as meat extender, cook cracked wheat, drain, add to ground beef while cooking. It will take on the flavor of the beef and spices as it cooks.

Wheat Berries from positivelyprepared.blogspot.com

The versatility of wheat berries is demonstrated in recipes from cereals to breads, to casserole and to stuffing for chicken or turkey. These recipes call for cooked wheat berries. Wheat berries can be prepared ahead of time and the ready-to-use cooked wheat may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week. They can also be frozen.

Wheat berries are probably the easiest whole wheat food to prepare, and certainly ranks as one of the most versatile foods in use. None of the measurements are critical, and there’s no worry about with stirring, continual watching, etc.

Wheat berries can be made from whole wheat kernels or cracked wheat and can be used to replace rice in most dishes; they can also be substituted for mashed potatoes.

To make wheat berries: In a pot with a fairly tight lid, combine 3 cups of water, and 1 cup of wheat. Bring to a boil. Allow to simmer ½ hour. Turn off the heat and allow the wheat to stand 8-12 hours. Drain any remaining liquid. Use or store in refrigerator, tightly covered, for no more than one week.

Thermos cooked: Put wheat and 2½ cups boiling water in a quart-sized thermos. Screw the top lightly and leave until morning.

Slow cooker method: Simmer ingredients on high for approximately 2-3 hours. Turn off the slow cooker and let it sit overnight untouched.

This brings back memories of growing up. Quite often my mom would have cooked wheat in the crockpot ready for breakfast. Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar, and top with milk. It makes a delicious hot breakfast.

How do I use this wheat?

Many have said that they don't get any wheat because they don't have a grinder or that they don't make bread. Let me give you some information that may help you realize that wheat is a good thing to have and that you don't need to have a grinder to use it and benefit from it's goodness.

I'm sure you've heard that wheat is the staff of life. This is because wheat has many nutrients to sustain life. The leaders of the Church have been telling us for years to store wheat. Wheat is the basis for many food items such as breads, pasta, cookies (mmm), pie crust, cake just to name a few. Yes, you could store white flour, but white flour only has a short storage life, where wheat will last, if properly stored, for almost ever. Wheat flour has better nutritional value than white flour as well. There is more protein and less carbohydrates in wheat flour than in white flour. Not to mention the vitamin and minerals that is lost when wheat flour is processed and made shelf stable. I'm not saying not to store any white flour, I'm just saying that wheat is a great way to not only sustain life, but to live a healthier life.

Okay, so now that we have the nutritional and storage life out of the way let's talk about how to use the wheat. Of course you can make bread. Now let me say about bread making that I think every one should at least try to make bread. I mean really try, not just try it once, have it not quite work like you think it should and give up. Give it a few tries. Be sure you have a good recipe and good ingredients to begin with. Don't think you are going to make great bread with old, out dated ingredients. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Okay, with that said, I also believe we all have talents. Some of us are good at some things and some of us are good at other things. If you've really put your heart into trying to make bread and it just doesn't turn out as an edible product, I firmly believe in the barter system. Store your own wheat and other bread making necessities, find a friend who does make good bread and make a deal with her (or him, not to discriminate) that you will do something in exchange for their bread making abilities. Does this idea make anyone feel any better? Good.

What else can you use wheat for, especially if you don't have a grinder? You can make the most delicious blender pancakes and waffles. All you need is a blender. You can also make popped wheat, which is kind of like making popcorn. You can turn it into bulgar wheat, which is really a pretty easy process, and use it as a meat extender.

If you don't have a grinder and really want to start using wheat as part of your diet, I'm sure you know someone who does have a grinder who would be happy to let you go to their house, and grind up a bunch of wheat for you to store for use. Keeping fresh ground wheat flour in the fridge or freezer will help maintain its nutritional value as well as keep it from going rancid since the wheat germ has a lot of fat, the flour will go rancid if not kept cool.

Once you get some wheat ground, you can begin to introduce it into your families diet a little at a time. Whole grains and beans are items you want to begin feeding your family a little at a time. The reason is because in a colon that isn't used to a lot of bulky fiber, those foods can cause gas. If there is a lot of gas, there is a lot of pain. You don't want to do this to your family. Even small amounts once or twice a week is a good start.

Be sure to store spices and leavening ingredients, too. You can't do much without leavening, unless you don't mind flat breads, cakes, cookies, etc.

In the next post I'll post some great recipes you can use with and without ground wheat.
Be brave. Try some new things. If you have a good attitude about your basic storage items, the more likely your children and hopefully spouse, will too.
Keep up the great work,
Michelle

Lower prices at the cannery

I found out recently that there are lower prices at the cannery as of late. If you want to know what the prices are at the cannery just go to providentliving.org, click on "Home storage order form download" on the right of the screen. Call me if you have issues.
Michelle

Flax Meal as Egg Substitute

I just found this table for using flax meal as an egg substitute I thought some might be interested in. I got it from www.livingprovidently.blogspot.com. There is a slight difference in our name and theirs. You should check out the blog, it has some pretty good info and recipes. Here's the table

Milled Flax

Milled Flax can be used in many recipes by substituting eggs, butter and oil.

1 egg = 1 Tablespoon Flax + 3 Tablespoons Water
1 Tbsp margarine, butter, or oil = 3 Tbsp Flax

let me know if you try it and how it works out for you. or if you already use it, let us know how you like it. Have fun cooking!
Michelle

Great Chicken Deals

Some people have mentioned about good prices on meat. I get the Macey's ad in the mail (you can too by signing up at the store, they'll send one right to your mail box every week. Just remember that even though it comes early, that their sale goes Wed. - Wed. now) and they have some great chicken deals if you're looking to stock up. I'll list the prices, but of course you can go to their site, which is listed to your left. I actually like to do both. By the way, did you know that you can make a print out of your shopping list for Maceys, Smiths and Albertson's? It's great.
Okay, here are the prices.
10# box-breaded chicken breast $9.99 That's a dollar a pound, in case you don't do math. ( I like to use these sliced to make a chicken potato bowl like at KFC, but way cheaper)
20# box-frozen boneless, skinless chicken-breasts or tenders $29.99 this is only $1.25 per lb. Cheap!(I'll take these boxes home and divide into meal size freezer bags, you could also cook and then freeze for ease. Of course you could can it, too.)
Super Saver Pack-fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts $1.49lb. If you don't, or can't buy a 20 lb. box, this is the next best thing. Stock up on as much as you can.
Happy shopping!
Michelle

What am I preparing for?

I was at an extended family dinner on Sunday, and was talking to my cousin and her son about what my "new obsession" (preparedness) is. My cousin proceeded to tell me that she is confused about what she's preparing for. Is she preparing for a "get out of the house fast" emergency, or is she preparing for a "stay at home" emergency. My response was, of course, "yes". In other words, we need to be preparing for any kind of emergency that may be coming our way. In D&C 88:119 it says to "Organize yourselves and prepare every needful thing". I take that as a call to not do either or, but to do all you can do. We don't need to work out of fear, but out of obedience and foresight.
In this day and age, there are many things out there we might consider preparing for, from weather related to biological. However, to clarify a bit, and make things not sound quite so overwhelming, keep in mind that if you're prepared for a pandemic, you're probably prepared for a biological emergency. You'll probably have masks, gloves, plastic to cover windows and doorways, etc. If you're prepared for a fire, you're probably prepared for an earthquake. You'll probably have what you would need for each of your family members to be away from home for at least 3 days. If you're prepared for a financial collapse, you're prepared for a long term job loss.
I hope this maybe clarifies things for someone. I also hope I didn't make things harder on others. For me, and I think for many others, if I know what to do, somehow I can make it happen, of course with the Lords help. Sometimes it can get hard or overwhelming to think of what we need to do, but if we pray to be inspired and directed, we will be. I've seen it happen over and over. Maybe you'll become like me and have it be an obsession. Of course I have to admit I have a bit of an obsessive personally, so maybe you won't get as bad as me. Good luck, and have FUN for heavens sake!!!
Michelle

Food For Thought...a quarter cup

I was looking at one of my favorite sites www.utahpreppers.com, and found a new post that I thought was really interesting. It's about how a 1/4 measuring cup can make a difference. It is also linked to another site that looks promising, with the original thought posted. I hope you check them both out. I thought they were very eye opening. Have a great day.
Michelle

More pasta deals, in Lehi

I know some of you get as crazy excited as I do when I find a great deal somewhere, I won't mention names 'cuz I'll forget someone and don't like to offend.
Anyway, I'm sure most, if not all, of you have seen the sign on Main St. in Lehi about the pasta sale, and thought "oh, I wonder". Well me too, so I went ahead and stopped in. WoW, what a deal they have going there. The people who are selling the pasta (and some spices) will be there until about the middle of Feb. selling all kinds of pasta for .75 lb. If you buy 10 boxes, no matter the poundage, they will sell it to you for .65 lb. You can also just buy it by the pound for a bit higher price. It's fun pasta, not just spaghetti and macaroni. Don't ask me how much I got.
They get the pasta from a well known pasta company, don't ask which one I forget things like that. It is pasta that for one reason or another has been denied from the different food making companies (reasons like it didn't get cut the right size, etc) and the pasta has to do something with it, so sometimes, like in cases like this, they sell it for a good price and someone sells it for a good price. Okay, so you get the idea. If you want to know what kinds they have without actually going in to the store (which is open 1-7 week days, and I can't remember Saturday, sorry, I know I'm lame, but give me a break, please) you can to on to KSL under the classifides under food storage and there is information there, not just about what kind of pasta, but their hours, too. Have fun
Michelle

Lowering food budgets

Recently I was talking with some sisters in the ward who were telling me that they're having a hard time lowering their food budget and were looking for some suggestions. These are my thoughts. First, make a menu. I've said this before, but I know it really can help. Even if you start out with just a 2 week menu, then you know all the foods you need for the two weeks and can shop the sales for those items, then you don't ever pay full price for anything. SHOP THE SALES. Honestly, I didn't realize what deals I was missing out on for a long time by not even looking at the Smiths and Albertson's ads on a weekly basis. If something is on sale, buy as much extra as you can so you don't run out until it's on sale again. It takes time, but if you stick with it, it works. Again, shop the sales. Let me give you a meal idea I did last year and spent about 5 dollars for a dinner. Macey's had Jenny O 1 lb. ground turkey chubs on sale for 1.25. Then Smiths had canned sloppy joe mix on sale for .50. That's just 1.75 for the meat and the mix. Then even if you bought your buns for 1.50, you could serve a salad and carrot sticks and a glass of milk to cover all the food groups. Or to make it even less expensive, you could just serve either the salad or the carrots and maybe make your own buns with your favorite bread recipe (it's a bit more work than making bread, but not much).
Don't assume that Costco, Sams or Walmart, or any one store, have the cheapest prices. To go along with the last thought, you could go to Walmart and price match, or go to the different stores who have the things on sale you need if you have time and energy. Many times it is really worth going a bit further to shop.
We're having a class on February 3rd about coupon shopping, which should be very helpful also.
Okay, so these are my ideas. What are yours? I know people are looking at this site, because you tell me you are, so leave your comments. You may not know who's life you may change with your small, or big, idea.
Next, I plan to try on a weekly basis to go through the ads and posting some ideas for dinner you can purchase specifically from the ads. If I don't do it every week, sorry, sometimes life gets away from me, but I'll try really hard. Again, you're welcome to give your own thoughts.
Good luck everyone. Don't forget to get Heavenly Fathers help. Yes, he'll help even with grocery shopping. He cares about everything in your life.
Michelle

READY, SET,GO!!!

Each week you will be given suggestions to help you (us) get better prepared. I will try to put suggestions for beginners, but also for those who aren't such beginners, to help keep everyone going. If I don't have suggestions for the non-beginners sometimes, sorry, but go ahead and do something that will help you that week. You're also welcome to give suggestions, I cant' think of everything. Try to think of your storage space as a grocery store in your home. Be sure, as you're making up your menu list, to include easy meals for those crazy days, when there just isn't as much time, or energy, as you need to make a meal. You will save so much money and feed your family more healthfully over going by a fast food place with just a little bit of planning.
Okay, so here goes

January:
Week 1-beginner: clear a space for your storage items, get it clean of dirt and make sure it's dry, bug and rodent free. Start a list of meals your family eats on a daily basis. Purchase some bottled water.
-non-beginner: Add to your water storage. Make sure what you have is still good. Rotate any foods needing rotating, or get rid of items not used frequently enough or out of date.

Week 2-beginner: get some shelving, either by buying or building some. Figure out how to have extra mandatory medications in your home for long term emergencies. Continue your meals list. Get more water.
-non-beginner: Figure out how to have extra mandatory medications in your home for long term emergencies. Try a new menu meal you think your family will love.

Week 3-beginner: make a "grocery list" of foods to go in your storage based on your meals list. If you don't have at least 14 days of meals listed, look for some recipes and try them on your family. This list is to help you get a 3 month supply of food. Use items rarely used out of your pantry to clear space for items more frequently used.
-non-beginner: replace items recently purged with up dated items. Add to your grocery list, any new items needed for your new meal.

Week 4-beginner: begin purchasing items from your "grocery list". Purchase in bulk where possible. Purchase a wide of a variety each week as possible with your budget for food. Make dinner at least 6 nights this week.
-non-beginner: start filling in where your may be a bit lacking. Make dinner at least 6 nights this week.

GET IT DONE IN 2009

For quite a while now, I have had people tell me they would like to have more specific suggested items to purchase for storage and emergency prep. items, like what to buy each week. And for quite a while I've been fighting it. Since the Church put out the new suggested guidelines for storage, suggesting more along the lines of store what you eat, and eat what you store, than concentrating on poundage of grains, etc., I've really had a hard time with specific weekly suggestions.
However, I've come to realize and understand, that suggestions can be made which are specific, but not too specific, and if your family doesn't eat what is suggested, you can get something else, or save the money for later. So, if you feel as many others do, that this is the year for your family to get as prepared as possible, and to learn to live a more low cost, more simple life style, then you'll want to keep an eye on this blog. You will be getting not only suggestions on purchases for food storage, be it long or short term, but also emergency preparedness items for your home, car and work. You will also be getting, and hopefully contributing to, recipe ideas to help you use some of the longer term items in everyday eating that your family will love. As well as many other things to help keep us all motivated to get as prepared as we can be, for what ever may come up.
Good luck, don't get discouraged, and remember that your input, large or small, is worth something!
Michelle