Blog Archives

Meal Ideas for Menu Planning

3/28/2020

Easy everyday main dishes or meals—ideas for your 3 month supply menus

Here is a menu plan for my family

Taco Soup (Homemade Taco Seasoning here)
Spaghetti
"Leftovers" Soup
Baked Potato with Broccoli and Cheese
Hawaiian Haystacks
Pigs in a Blanket (hotdogs baked inside of bread dough or biscuit dough)
Chicken Nuggets (or fish sticks) and French Fries
Orange Chicken (or cauliflower) and rice
BBQ Chicken and rice pilaf or biscuits
Pot Pies- made with canned biscuit dough
Chicken Noodle Soup
Pizza Pockets (Homemade version here)
Taco Salad
Tacos- beef, fish, chicken, shredded pork, or shrimp
Tamale Pies (mini)
Mango-Berry Salad, with a sandwich if needed
Swiss Steak and Tomato Gravy over rice
Hamburgers
Tuna Burgers
Bean Burgers
Red Beans and Rice
Crockpot (or Instant Pot) Rosemary Pork Roast and Vegetables
Grilled Cheese sandwiches with Tomato Soup
Spanish Rice with chopped meat stirred in
Chef Salad with homemade croutons
Chicken Caesar Salad
Sweet Potato Curry with Turkey/Chicken
Ramen
Ramen-Chicken/Turkey Salad
Weeknight BBQ Beef
Individual pizzas- on tortillas or English muffins
Pizza on Zucchini Crust
Quesadillas- beans inside or to the side
French bread pizzas- split lengthwise, add toppings
Chicken Strips and rice or tator tots
Canned soup with bread and butter
Macaroni and cheese
Fend for Yourself Night
Beans, warm homemade bread, cottage cheese, and tomatoes or salsa (sounds weird, but it was my mom's staple on bread baking day)
Black Beans and Southwestern Zucchini Cakes
Breakfast for dinner:
French Toast
Pancakes or Waffles with fruit puree or jam
V8 and nuts and toast
Hardboiled or scrambled eggs with muffins
Eggs with fried potatoes or hashbrowns Muffins and yogurt, cut fruit
Omelet
Frittata
Sausage and Gravy (or sausage gravy!) over Biscuits
Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits
German Pancake (try this microwaved version)
Curry over rice
theprovidenthomemaker.com/my-blog/two-minute-egg-and-cheese-breakfast-sandwichBurritos
Enchiladas
Chicken and Ramen salad
Cheesy drop biscuits and soup
Navajo Tacos
Spanish Rice – add diced meat or cheese
Clean out the Fridge night
Ham or Spam Fried Rice
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
Vegetable Fried Rice
Potato Bar (clean out the fridge for toppings)
Goldenrod Eggs
Meatloaf and baked potatoes
Chicken Gravy over Rice
Egg Toast
Bread in Milk (basically Egg Toast without the eggs)
Beef stroganoff over noodles
Lentil Soup
13-Bean Soup
White Chicken Chili
Chili
Two-Minute Egg and Cheese Sandwich
Tuna sandwiches
Chicken salad sandwiches
Egg salad sandwiches
Potato salad with eggs, cheese, ham
Crab salad on bread or lettuce leaves
Teriyaki stir-fried vegetables over rice
Porcupine Meatballs (made from rice and hamburger, not porcupine!)

What else should I add?

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Preparing with Confidence- Turning from Panic into Power

3/27/2020

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Below I'll cover Why to prepare, and a quick outline of How to do it.

The overview of how to do it is found on the page 52 Weeks of Building Storage.

Why prepare?
To be more secure, self-reliant

When all the crazy started happening here a few weeks ago, I took a couple of my teens to a store around the corner to just observe. We took pictures (including the ones above), noticed what was gone, what was mostly gone, and what was left.
We were able to be calm and logical because my family is OK. I’ve stored food since I left for college as an older teen. Back then it was limited to a cardboard bushel box in my closet, filled with cans and packages. But it was something.

A friend and I were talking yesterday about storing food, and she asked, “Isn’t it a little too late now?”

That depends.

It’s too late to do anything in advance of this part of this crisis, but there’s time to be smart in the middle of it. And there’s time to prepare for whatever else may happen in our personal lives. I think these recent events have put us on the level of much of the rest of the world, seeing limited resources at the stores. My church has emphasized food storage and financial preparation for decades. They even teach this to people in Argentina who can’t afford to buy an extra pound of sugar—but they can save a tablespoon at a time. You can always do something, whether it’s growing, gleaning, creating, purchasing, or wasting less.

When I was 10, my family moved to a farm and ranch in a tiny valley in eastern Utah. We were very low-income- less than we'd make simply going on welfare. But my mom was powerful. Smart. Hard working. Determined and good at creating and conserving.

A scripture has stuck in my head the last couple weeks; “She is not afraid of the snow for her household.”
Here is part of the chapter that is from:

“Who can find a virtuous [Chayil: ‘a force’; strong or powerful] woman? for her price is far above rubies….She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. [this suggests warmth and comfort, and faith in Jesus]…Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. [this is better translated as ‘smiles at the coming day’, not fearing it.] She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness [what she has not worked to earn]. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously [been powerful or strong], but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands [what she has made and created]; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” (Proverbs 31, verses 10,21,25,27-31)

We have this kind of power, this opportunity, in our homes! That’s what being a wife and mother is about. Confidence and true power comes from learning and living correct principles. God will help you on this journey to building a family storehouse.

Painting: Gathering Almond Blossoms, John William Waterhouse.
That farm we lived on was two hours from stores. We shopped once a month, for our family of 9. We drank 6 gallons of milk a week, and there was no way to fit 24 gallons of milk in the fridge after shopping. So Mom bought 6 gallons each month. She always kept a storeroom full of basic foods, including powdered milk. As we needed milk, each jug was mixed with 3 gallons of powdered milk, to make 4 gallons. That way the 6 gallons became 2 dozen.
We raised beef cattle, so we had our own beef. A neighbor across the river raised hogs, and we’d trade him beef for pork. We had a huge garden- we grew almost all of our vegetables, and Mom was insistent on that 5 or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables. The only vegetables I remember buying were frozen peas and tomato sauce. Elderberries, chokecherries, and currants grew wild on the farm, so we picked and made jelly from them. We grew strawberries and had a huge raspberry patch. We stored our garden carrots through the winter in an insulated pit in the garden. We canned and bottled a lot, froze corn, zucchini, asparagus, spinach. If we didn’t have something for a recipe we wanted, we came up with a substitute, or went without.

It was a different mindset, a different way of living. What we’re seeing now reminds us of how fragile our modern way of life is, and helps us better appreciate traditional ways, including making and filling a family storehouse. Now I live in a valley with one million other people, and I can’t do all the things we did on the farm. But I can grow food and preserve it, store and waste less.

What about Hoarding?

People who store are sometimes accused of hoarding. And sometimes they ARE hoarding. So what is the difference between preparing and hoarding?

‘Hoarding’ involves selfishness or coveting on one or both sides of the equation. On one side, it could merely mean somebody is upset at what you have-- coveting-- and on the other side, you might be acting like a dragon clutching its pile of gold and belching fire at anyone who comes near. There’s God’s way of preparing for the future, and there are a whole bunch of other ways. God’s way includes loving your neighbor as yourself. Use that as your guideline for building and using food storage. Don’t build in a way that takes from others who need it. Building a godly family storehouse is “is founded on the doctrines of love, service, work, self-reliance, and stewardship”.

What is the ideal to work towards in building a family storehouse?

A two-week basic water supply, a financial reserve, a three-month supply of everyday food and recipes to use it, a good supply of basic foods that store a very long time, and the skills to use them. That will give you stability and security, and helps you be calm through new adjustments. That supply of basic foods that have a 10-30+ year shelf life will help you and your neighbors weather some of the worst life-storms.
Real peace comes through loving and serving God and your fellow men. Sometimes ‘feeding his sheep’ is literal, especially with those in your house.

How to do it

You’ll want to make a plan and implement it carefully, wisely, and lovingly. Don’t go into debt for it, purchase more when prices and demand are low. Purchase less when prices and demand are high. Learning to waste less will go a long way toward helping you build your family storehouse.
Details of how to do this are on the page called “52 Weeks of Building Storage”. Read through the links beginning on Week 1. There are more helps on that page, including- charts for how to build a 3-month supply in 6 months or less, and a buying schedule for building a year supply in 6 months or less.

How do I begin building my family storehouse? Find info from Week 1

First, be determined that this is going to happen, starting today. "All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place"! Pray to see how to do this.

The next step in getting your family storehouse is to take inventory of what you have. (All stores have to take inventory! At least yearly.) Get a notebook or a clipboard, and write down all the food you have in the house. Group them in categories that make sense to you.

Go through your budget and see where you can free up some money; you can build a 3 month supply in 6 months , under normal circumstances, with about an extra $15-20/person/week.

My experience has been that because of the way you ideally shop for this short-term storage, it costs considerably less than your regular-meals budget. Can you afford it? The way I see it, I can’t afford NOT to have a family storehouse. Most of my shelf-stable grocery items are purchased when each is on sale, usually at 30-70% off the regular price.

Where Do I Get the Money?

-Waste Less
-Cut money somewhere else. Vacations. Gifts. Extras.
-Grow and Glean
-Buy Smart!
.

Waste less—the average family of 4 throws away more than $2000 of food every year. That alone could fund your food storage!
Budget it in. This is much easier when you’re shopping sales and reducing what you waste.
- Replace more meat with a cheaper protein source like beans or eggs.
- Cut your entertainment or eating-out budget.
- Sell a ‘luxury item’
- Skip a vacation; buy food and supplies instead
Grow and Glean
Shop Smart – SOS method
- Buy when others don’t want it
- Shop sales—for what’s on your list. Stick to the foods on your plan
- Know your prices. Then you recognize when something is a stock-up price.

Now where in the world are you going to fit the necessary food into your house? If you have a cool, dark room available, that's perfect.
find a place you can store shelf-stable food, Get a shelf, and Set it up.
That's it!

There are posts on my website with FAQs, including what you need to know about expiration dates on cans and packages. Skim through that 52 Weeks page to find them.

What is the point of being more self reliant?

The most obvious is family security. But if we stop there, we’ve missed the point. We’re all family. Self reliance allows us to help and strengthen others. Our families are the basic foundation of society. How goes the family, goes the nation.

You can be a chayil woman, a powerful force for good in your home and in your neighborhood.

Do you have any questions? Leave a comment, or email me at [email protected]

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Week 49- Using Wheat: Making Bread (and rescuing it)

3/21/2020

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If you’re storing up all the wheat, flour, and other grains recommended, you’ll need to have the ability to use it. (You know-- "store what you eat, and eat what you store!") The most common way to do this is to grind the wheat into flour to make bread and other baked goods.

My mom taught all of us kids how to make bread when we were young. I still use her recipe today; it has good flavor, is immensely adaptable, and works well with quite a bit less yeast per loaf needed than many other recipes call for. That recipe is found on my website under “Making Bread”. There are two amounts of ingredients- one for a two-loaf batch, and another for a six-loaf batch (the size that fills my oven-- because it's the same amount of dishes and time to make 6 as it is to make 1).

Wait until the bread is cool before slicing and bagging it. The exception is the loaf you eat while it's still hot! But be patient for 10-20 minutes after it's out of the oven; it continues to cook during that time. It will mash if you slice before then. Bread freezes exceptionally well, so I always put in the pantry only the bread we'll eat in the next three days, when fresh bread is at its best. The rest goes into the freezer; it will taste fresh-baked when you thaw it later. (The best way to thaw is in its bag at room temperature for a few hours. The next best way-- which we do more often-- is to put it in the microwave for 60 seconds. Be sure to remove any metal twist tie on the bag!)

This recipe works whether you’re making it in a big bowl with a strong wooden spoon, or if you have a stand mixer. (Mom made me learn initially with the bowl and spoon, because, she said, “You won’t always have a mixer.” That turned out to be true. I made my bread all through college with nothing but a bowl and wooden spoon.) If you’re new to making bread, make your first few batches with all white flour. It’s easier to make good white bread with than it is to make good whole wheat bread.

A new electric grain mill generally costs somewhere around $200. There are hand mills sold for much less money – around $80—but it’s a whole lot of work and time to get enough flour for a batch of bread with one of those. I like having one as emergency backup, but not for normal use. The electric mill can give you finer flour anyway.

If you want to start using your wheat for bread and don’t have a mill, try this recipe: Really Good Whole Wheat Bread Without a Grain Mill. It's the bread version of Blender Pancakes; this kind of pancake recipe can also be found in the Wooden Spoon: Wheat section, and in the Bee Prepared Pantry Cookbook.

What if you don’t have yeast? Use a sourdough start or “everlasting yeast” to leaven it. (Maybe that should be the topic for next week’s post—What do you think?)

What if I ruin the batch of bread?

First of all, everyone makes a ‘bad’ batch every now and then. See if you can figure what went wrong, and learn from it. Meanwhile, here are some common problems and how to use the bread anyway. Ruined doesn’t need to mean wasted.

BURNT BREAD- Scrape off the darkest parts, or cut it away in the thinnest slices you can manage.

BREAD WON’T RISE- Make fried scones. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, they’re a kind of yeast-raised Indian fry bread or sopapillas. Here in Utah, we just call them ‘scones’. Heat a 1-2” deep layer of cooking oil to 350 degrees, pinch off golfball-sized pieces of dough and stretch or roll them about ¼” thick. Fry 3 or 4 at a time, turning them over after about a minute. Drain on paper towels and serve as the base for Navajo Tacos, or with butter and honey or jam.

BREAD IS UNDERCOOKED- if the bread is still hot, put it back in the oven for another five minutes. Check again. Cook longer if needed. If the bread was no longer hot when you discovered the problem, slice it a little thinner than you normally would, and toast it. Now it’s cooked.

BREAD IS CRUMBLY. (Or stale)- This is a problem you see only after it has cooled; warm bread is almost always amazing and not crumbly. The solution next time is to get the gluten to develop better. (Unless the problem is the bread is several days old and dried out. These solutions still apply.)

• Make it into French toast, egg toast, or bread pudding. (Try Caramel Pumpkin Bread Pudding or Pineapple Coconut Bread Pudding!)

• Use it for sandwiches with a creamy filling, like egg salad or chicken salad.

• Use it up sooner than usual and freeze everything that you won’t use within a day, rather than the regular 3-day window I usually keep it out for.

• Cut it into ½” cubes, toss with a little oil and whatever seasonings you like, and toast them in a skillet or in the oven to make croutons.

• Make bread soup. This is an Italian specialty, and you can find lots of recipes.

• Make cream of tomato soup using bread in a surprising way to make it thick and creamy.

• Make a batch of bread crumbs- either toast them to dry them out, or if you want the fresh, soft bread crumbs, store any extras in an airtight container in the freezer.
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What other bread problems would you like a solution for? Comment below, and I’ll do my best to answer. If there's a way to mess up a batch, I've likely done it. :) Experience is a good teacher.

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Week 48- Guidance from Heaven

3/14/2020

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly led by living prophets. About a year ago, when I said something online about President Russell M. Nelson and the twelve Apostles, a lady asked—sincerely—what they had prophesied. I compiled a simple list for her.

Events of this week have made it even more apparent that they lead the Church through revelation. Below is a long list of examples. While what we’re facing now is big, the inspiration of God’s spokesmen is a regular occurrence. If you’d like to see examples from during World War II, read this talk by Elder Harold B. Lee: “Hearing the Voice.”

We were told twice in one year by President Nelson that we’ve reached ‘a hinge point.'

-March 15, 2019: At the dedication of the Rome Italy Temple, he said it is “a hinge point in the history of the Church. Things are going to move forward at an accelerated pace…. The Church is going to have an unprecedented future, unparalleled. We’re just building up to what’s ahead now.”

-January 1, 2020: “The time to act is now. This is a hinge point in the history of the Church, and your part is vital.”

Lest you think this is simply a phrase he likes to use, I checked the church website. He’s only on record there using that phrase at one other time. That was when he referred to the date of a person’s temple sealing as “the hinge point in their history.” That gives you an idea of what a big deal a hinge point is.

The last time anyone else used that phrase for a church-related time marker was in 2004, in Elder Dallin H. Oaks’s talk about preparing for the Second Coming.

(There was one other time the words were used, by Elder Ballard, but that was in reference to Christ being the hinge point of the plan of salvation. It wasn’t being used as a time marker.)

"...a hinge point in the history of the Church. Things are going to move forward at an accelerated pace…. The Church is going to have an unprecedented future, unparalleled. We’re just building up to what’s ahead now.”

So with that in mind, some friends and I compiled a list of ways our living prophets have prepared us for all the rapid changes we've seen this week.
___________________________________________________________
-Home centered church supported learning- this covers home church, and to some extent, the now-necessary home school.

-Temple sealing policy changes-- allows flexibility for engaged couples facing temporary temple closures. All they need is a bishop, they can get married the day they intended, then go be sealed as soon as the temples reopen, rather than waiting the previously required year.

-The request to increase -- double -- our temple attendance. This lessens the loss of proxy work progress we'll see temporarily.

-The emphasis on recognizing and receiving personal revelation- for any time - but especially as extra oil in our vessels when others may run out. President Nelson’s first talk in general conference as prophet was “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives.” There he testified of “how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will.” Not just to him, but to each of us as children of God. "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”

-The counsel to men on the necessity of paying the price for priesthood power. "In a coming day, only those men who have taken their priesthood seriously, by diligently seeking to be taught by the Lord Himself, will be able to bless, guide, protect, strengthen, and heal others. Only a man who has paid the price for priesthood power will be able to bring miracles to those he loves and keep his marriage and family safe, now and throughout eternity."

-His counsel to the women to study sections 25, 84, 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants-- which have a heavy emphasis on priesthood power and the last days trials. Check out, for instance, 84:96-97. President Nelson added the promise that as we study this and more in preparation for April General Conference, it will be ‘not only memorable, but unforgettable.’

-His comment last General Conference (Oct 2019) that ‘time is running out’: “Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.”

-The creation and running of BYU Pathway Worldwide, which has given the church experience at the forefront of online and remote learning. This helps with the new MTC (missionary training center) video-only training, too.

-Weekly video calls between missionaries and parents-- this will be extra reassuring now!

-About a year ago, the First Presidency's request that all wards teach a '5th Sunday' lesson on managing our finances, reducing risk, and getting out of debt.

-The focus on having a more holy Sabbath
.
-President Nelson's comment to "eat your vitamins...and get your rest. It's going to be exciting!"

-Counsel for each home having food storage, particularly the short term everyday foods (2007)

-The self-reliance initiative- helping people begin and run businesses, get out of debt, live within their means, communicate better, and get a more eternal view of money and resources. The self reliance category was recently combined, appropriately, with church welfare programs . All of this is protection against job loss or reduction from the pandemic—or any other reason.

-A shift in the purpose and focus of the Ward Council to helping ward members become more self reliant in spiritual and temporal welfare matters, and then able to help provide for others.- Their ministering became more focused, encouraging charity and service to our neighbors. This helps restore The Lord's Way and bring Zion.

-The new Children and Youth program-- which also shifted goal setting to individual and family based. Meanwhile, all church activities are canceled for now.

-Ministering! And ministering interviews that get members thinking about those they are assigned to.

-The extra responsibilities for the Elders and RS presidents. It took some of the weight off bishops who will now have a lot of work to do....the likes of which they have never done before!

-Family history centers are online now, giving us the ability to do indexing and such from home – this allows one to still contribute toward temple work until we can get back to the temples.

-The focus and instruction on how to function in councils—particularly within our families.

At the end of the last General Conference, President Nelson said, "Now in closing, I leave with you my love and my blessing that each of you may become happier and holier with each passing day. Meanwhile, please be assured that revelation continues in the Church and will continue under the Lord’s direction until “the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” I so bless you, reaffirming my love for you, with my testimony that God lives! Jesus is the Christ! This is His Church and we are His people."

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Week 47- Planning for Possible Quarantine - even (or especially) with children

3/7/2020

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We all want security, but mortal life is naturally full of unknowns and risks.
President Marion G. Romney said that the Church welfare plan was originally called the Church security plan. “What was then meant by that title needs to be understood today; namely, that security, true security, comes only by living the principles of the gospel. Security is the fruit of righteous living. (emphasis in original)

“…Time and time again we read of families, tribes, and whole nations keeping the Lord’s commandments and making covenants with him and being blessed by his Spirit. Because of righteousness, they prospered both spiritually and temporally. When they did not keep his commandments, they deteriorated both temporally and spiritually.

“The Book of Mormon contains principles which, if we would follow them, could bring us true security in a world wracked by wickedness, fear, and a host of economic problems. I believe our people want to achieve true security, but many of us are not following the course which leads to it.”

He said the whole plan rests on one basic premise—self-reliance. It’s properly supported by independence, work, family, and then the Church, to meet any gaps.

Every day it sounds like there’s a higher chance we’ll face a quarantine; how can we prepare to be self-reliant in that event? And what can we DO if we’re at home for two weeks straight? Self-reliance specialist Carolyn Nicolaysen recently published a good article answering these questions.

She suggests--

Read to yourself. Read a classic to the kids. Cook. Bake.* Try a new recipe. Do regular chores. Use Monopoly money for those chores, and set up a ‘store’ for the kids. Make a schedule. Write in your journal, or write letters. Catch up on projects around the house. Visit online with family and friends. Play games. Watch a movie, complete with popcorn and soda.

Add to that list these things-- spend time outside in your yard if you have one, or anywhere else outdoors if your 6+ feet away from others. Make crafts. Plant a garden. Build a fairy garden out of whatever you find outdoors. Write a list of things you love about these people you're stuck with. (It may help you appreciate them...) Memorize poems. Put on a play in the living room. Watch the ants outside. Do some nature journaling, complete with sketches. Spend an hour on your back looking for shapes in the clouds. These are wonderful learning experiences for children-- no school building needed!

So, prepare. If we don’t need it for the virus that had Italy announcing today they’ll quarantine 16 million of their citizens—then that’s wonderful. You’ll be that much more prepared for whatever else life throws at you, and be able to help your family and neighbors.

*Butter and eggs store for a long time, months past the 'best by' date. Just FYI. And chocolate stores even longer. Maybe a quarantine is a great time to perfect your chocolate chip cookies!

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Meal Ideas for Menu Planning

Preparing with Confidence- Turning from Panic into Power

Week 49- Using Wheat: Making Bread (and rescuing it)

Week 48- Guidance from Heaven

Week 47- Planning for Possible Quarantine - even (or especially) with children

Need a Search bar?
One day I may upgrade my website-- but until then, use your web browser search bar. Type in my web address and what you're looking for, like this--
www.theprovidenthomemaker.com pumpkin -- and you should get results.

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Archives

Categories

Meal Ideas for Menu Planning

Preparing with Confidence- Turning from Panic into Power

Week 49- Using Wheat: Making Bread (and rescuing it)

Week 48- Guidance from Heaven

Week 47- Planning for Possible Quarantine - even (or especially) with children

Need a Search bar?One day I may upgrade my website-- but until then, use your web browser search bar. Type in my web address and what you're looking for, like this-- www.theprovidenthomemaker.com pumpkin -- and you should get results.Author

Archives

Categories

Need a Search bar?
One day I may upgrade my website-- but until then, use your web browser search bar. Type in my web address and what you're looking for, like this--
www.theprovidenthomemaker.com pumpkin -- and you should get results.

Author