Food Storage Recipe #1

Chicken Tortellini Soup

1 cup Thrive Freeze Dried Chicken - Rehydrated

1/4 cup Thrive Celery

2 Tablespoons Thrive Onions

2 1/2 cups Water

8 cups Thrive Chicken Broth

1/2 teaspoon Celery Seed

1/2 teaspoon Basil

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt

1 teaspoon Salt

15 oz. Dried Tortellini

Bring the water and chicken broth to a boil.  Add spiced.  Add chicken.  Add celery and onions.  Return to a boil and then add tortellini.

Boil 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al dente.  Serve and enjoy!

I would eat this every night and never know that is it completely made from food storage.  Let me know what you and your family thinks!

A 3 Month Challenge

Have you ever wondered what it would really take to live off your food storage?  

Well my family is going to put it to the test.  We are going to live April-June without going to the grocery store.  I will be recording our meals.  What we haven't stored enough of and what we really didn't need to store.  I hope that this helps take the mystery out of food storage.  

So here are the details:

April-June -- No Grocery Shopping
The Family -- 2 adults
                       4 kids - 13, 10, 8, and 4 months
The Pets --  11 Chickens
                    3 Cats
                    2 Bunnies
Exceptions --  

1. We will enjoy produce from our garden and from the farmers market because that will still be available even in an emergency situation
2. We will also barter for items needed from things we can produce (eggs, etc.)
3. We will also continue to have a budget for dining out for date nights.....those are really important!  :)

So here we go on this amazing adventure......I would love any comments or questions.

February Egg Count

Total Egg Count for February

92

New additions to our "CityFarm"

We have given a new home to two friends of the CityFarm......Romeo and Juliet.

These two Rex Rabbits had no home so we gladly adopted them.  Now they are enjoying their time here and getting to know their new friends :)

More pictures and details will be coming soon.

Home Grown Egg vs Store Bought Egg

Have you ever wondered about the difference between a store bought egg and a home grown egg?  Well now you can see the difference.

You can notice that the home grown egg has a orange yolk due to the variety of things a "free range" chicken eats.  This is only one of the many differences you will find between the two eggs.  I encourage all of you to do this experiment as well.....you will be shocked to see the results in person.

Special Deal for Valentines Day

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

Because it is the day of love I wanted to share with you a special way to share your love with family and save money while doing it!  Get some family pictures!!!!

I found an amazing photographer who is offering an amazing special for this month only!!!  When you call him to book your photo session you will receive 50% off your sitting fee and ALL prints!  

I just had him photograph my family and the results were beyond any expectation!  I now have beautiful photos to remember my special day and how my children looked for a lifetime.  I have already booked another session because I was so happy!!!!

Call Troy Garlick today at 801-209-3907 or info@garlickphoto.com.  You can also check out his website at www.garlickphoto.com.  Remember you only have until the end of February to book your session and take advantage of this special deal.  Also....don't forget to use coupon code: 02lusk2011

14 Food Facts about 2011 that will scare you!

#1 According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. corn reserves will dropto a 15 year lowby the end of 2011.

#2 The United Nations says that the global price of food hit another new all-time high in the month of January.

#3 The price of corn has doubled in the past six months.

#4 The price of wheat has roughly doubled since the middle of 2010.

#5 According to Forbes, the price of soybeans is up about 50% since last June.

#6 The United Nations is projecting that the global price of food will increase by another 30 percent by the end of 2011.

#7 Due to all of the unprecedented flooding, the winter wheat crop in Australiahas been absolutely devastated.

#8 This winter Brazil was hit by some of the worst flooding that nation has ever seen.  This has substantially hampered food production in that country.

#9 Russia, one of the largest wheat producers on the entire globe, is still feeling the effects of last summer’s scorching temperatures.  In fact, Russia is actually importing wheat this winter to sustain its cattle herds.

#10 China is busy preparing for a “severe, long-lasting drought” that is projected to have a huge impact on several provinces.  In fact, Chinese state media says that the eastern province of Shandong is dealing with the worst drought it has seen in 200 years.  The provinces being affected by this severe drought grow approximately two-thirds of the wheat in China.

#11 It appears that Chinese imports of corn will be about 9 times larger than the U.S. Department of Agriculture originally projected them to be for 2011.

#12 Approximately 1 billion people around the world go to bed hungry each night.

#13 Somewhere in the world someone starves to death every 3.6 seconds, and 75 percent of those are children under the age of five.

#14 As food has become increasingly scarce around the world, many companies have started using whatever kinds of “fillers” that they can think of in their “food” products.  For example, Raw Story is reporting that some companies in China have actually been mass producing “fake rice” that is made partly of plastic.  According to one Chinese Restaurant Association official, eating three bowls of this fake rice is the equivalent of consuming an entire plastic bag.

Let us pray that this is not the beginning of a major global food crisis, because hunger and starvation are horrible things.

Starving to death is a fate that nobody should ever have to go through.

So, let us hope for the best, but let us also prepare as if we will be facing the worst.

(reference from www.prisonplanet.com)