These rolls are way too good for how easy they are. Perfect for Thanksgiving! I don’t have a mixer, so I put the dough cycle on my bread machine to work and they turn out delicious every time.

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With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought I would share this pie crust recipe I’ve come to really enjoy. It’s especially good for those rushed, pragmatic cooks like me–I need a relatively good crust that is relatively healthy and doesn’t take very much time! Viola! This is it!

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I stumbled upon this video and thought it was great.

It’s true–we all need to be storing food that our families will actually eat. A lot of people default to canned and otherwise processed foods–this is not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely a more expensive route with some health risks. Processed foods tend to be high in sodium, which will almost immediately raise your blood pressure and otherwise hurt your body. Furthermore, pretty much all cans are made with BPA–read more about the latest health debate.

Regardless of how you decide to build and use your food storage, remember to store what you eat and eat what you store!

A big thank you to everyone who entered! We really appreciate your support and enthusiasm for this site.

And the winner is . . . . (drumroll please)

Angie!

With the holidays fast approaching and economic gloom and doom covering the news, one great way to make both the giver and the receiver’s dollars stretch is food storage for Christmas.

Receiving a one month supply of food storage for Christmas a couple of years ago was one of the best gifts I could have received. It felt good to have at least a little food stored and to begin experimenting with it. It can be pretty overwhelming to get started, when you have no idea what you’ll need or how to use it.

We received a variety of items–about a one month supply for one person in #10 cans. 1 can Dry beans (5.5 lbs), 2 cans white rice (11 lbs), 3 cans whole wheat kernels (18 lbs), 1 can macaroni (3.4 lbs), 1 can powdered milk (4.1), 1 can sugar (6.1 lbs) 1 small bottle oil (16 oz), and 4 salt shakers.

If you’re thinking you would like to receive food storage for Christmas, now is the time to let people know! There is a good chance your mother would be happy to buy you some food storage items for Christmas, but she may not be thinking of it.

As always, turn to www.reallifefoodstorage.com for recipes and tips on how to use these items, especially dry beans, whole wheat, and powdered milk.

If you’re like half the nation, you’ve probably thrown out at least a few plastic water bottles of some variety during the last year with the latest news that Bisphenal A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in many common household items, may be dangerous to our health. This can add even more stress to the already difficult task of storing enough water (14 gallons per person) for your family.

If you’re not already familiar with the BPA concern, essentially some limited research is suggesting that BPA may cause developmental problems, cancer, or other issues, particularly to individuals without strong immune systems, such as pregnant women, infants and children. BPA is best known for being in plastics such as water bottles and baby bottles, but it lines inside of most canned items as well which may actually be more of a concern.

But before you throw out all of your water storage, take a minute to put the concern in perspective. The BPA studies are limited and only performed on laboratory animals. The FDA has said there isn’t need for concern, while the National Toxicology Program has said we should be concerned. Pretty much everyone agrees that further research is needed. Only a small amount of BPA is leached into food and liquids and negative effects are most likely incurred over prolonged exposure.

In short, BPA concerns, although they may have some validity, should not prevent you from storing water. Drinking water that may have trace amounts of harmful chemicals in it for two weeks is not going to kill you. Not having any water stored in an emergency is a much greater risk. If you don’t have any water stored, this post’s for you.

Not much has been said about the risk of eating canned food. Again, having food that may be ever so slightly contaminated is a lot better than not having any food at all.

Perhaps the best thing we can do is focus on the things we know will prevent disease–healthful eating and regular exercise. Plenty of conclusive evidence exists to support the positive effects of a regular exercise along with diet full of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. In terms of relative importance, spend your time focusing on the things that will strengthen your body against the risks not yet totally understood.