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Friday, August 31, 2012

Wind Forecast! Great Tool For Boaters ETC!

This has got to be one of the greatest thing that I have ever seen. Anyone who spends time on a boat has got to get this wind forecast! They have online weather routing and alerts. You can also get Live wind observations from 15,000 live stations from around the world. With their outstanding accuracy you can be confident in your forecast. Your boating trip will be safer and you will have more fun knowing that your getting a reliable weather forecast. You can easily plan your boating or kayaking trip with this wind forecast. Plan out a safe and quick route. You can over to the website and get a free forecast really easy and see how detailed it is for yourself. You will be hooked. It is so easy to use and you can plan your trips now a day or so out and be safer knowing what the weather is going to be like. No more getting stuck out in inclement weather. It doesn't matter if you Yacht or just day fish, you can use this. Windsurfers and Kayaking even can use this tool with ease. Anyone who spends any time on the water has got to get this tool and use it. The pricing isn't too bad either, they have a basic package on up to a professional. You will find the right one for you. Get on over there and try out the free wind forecast.

Food Storage Recipe - Chicken & Broccoli Manicotti

Eating out of your food storage doesn't have to be boring and only beans! I try to show on this blog that you can be frugal and still eat great food out of your food stockpile. You just have to know how to put the stuff together and not just eat the same things all of the time. This is one of those recipes that uses what you already have in your stockpile.

Chicken & Broccoli Manicotti

You NEED:

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1-1/2 cups water

1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA® cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups frozen broccoli florets

12 manicotti shells, uncooked

16ozs of canned chicken , drained. I use my favorite - The Keystone All Natural Canned Chicken! I love this stuff - I use it and the beef in everything. Great in soups, recipes, and even just heat up with BBQ sauce and have sandwiches.

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

HEAT oven to 400ºF. Microwave soup, water and VELVEETA in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 3 min. or until VELVEETA is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 2 min.; pour 1/3 into 13x9-inch baking dish. Set aside. Add broccoli to remaining soup mixture.

STUFF manicotti with chicken; place in baking dish. Top with remaining soup mixture and Parmesan; cover with foil.

BAKE 45 to 50 min. or until manicotti is tender! This is a great meal. Serve it with garlic bread and a salad. Easy and frugal.

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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Dehydrating Tomatoes

Dehydrating Tomatoes

Woke up this morning dry, crisp tomatoes. So , put them into the Magic Bullet and ground them up into a nice, fine powder. Added it to my jar of tomato powder. Now, when I need something with tomatoes in it , like soups, etc I will have it. Great tasting! Fresh from the garden.

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DIY Food Dehydrating (guest post)

You can save money and space by learning DIY food dehydrating techniques.Not only will this knowledge save you money, but you will have the assurance of knowing exactly what your dehydrated meals contain.

Water in fruits and vegetables, and meat causes rapid ripening and eventual decay due to the enzymes and bacteria. When you remove the water through dehydration or circulating dry, hot air through the food item it shrinks it down in size and decay causing moisture is eliminated.

Food Dehydrating Benefits

Once canned food is open it will spoil fairly fast. Dehydrated food containers can be opened and reopened without causing the food within to spoil because there is no moisture present.

Garden-grown food can also be dehydrated. It's a great way to provide nutritious food for your family during a survival scenario.

Rather than purchasing small amounts of perishable food when it's on sale, you can take advantage of sales by purchasing large amounts and dehydrating it before it spoils.

You can save space in your pantry by dehydrating bulky fruits and vegetables like peppers and apples. One quart jar will hold 25 dried apples.

DIY food dehydrating techniques have very little effect on the vitamin and mineral content in foods when performed at home. Dehydrating foods is healthier than freezing or canning because most vitamins are retained in the dehydration process.

All dehydrated fruits and vegetables keep their carbohydrate and fiber content.

Dehydrated foods are lightweight and space saving; great for survival backpacks.

Pre-Treating Foods

You don't need to pre-treat foods before DIY food dehydrating, although doing things like marinating, dipping, and blanching will enhance flavor and color in some foods. You can inhibit mold or yeast growth by causing a chemical reaction that is a result of pre-treating foods.

Using a commercial product like Fruit Fresh is one way to pre-treat, but you can also just dip the items in a mixture of lemon juice and water.

The dehydration process can change the color of some foods which makes them look a bit less appetizing. Pre-treatment is usually used when DIY food dehydrating outdoors using the sun and wind.

Food Dehydrators

One way to dehydrate foods is by using a chamber that forces air through food which dries and preserves it. You don't have to buy a dehydrator; homemade techniques work quite well.

An electric dehydrator should have a temperature control, trays with lots of ventilation, and a fan to circulate the air. Some units have an on and off switch while others need to be unplugged. Prices run from about $50 for an American Harvest brand to several hundred dollars for the best of the best, the Excalibur.

With a little luck you might pick up one at a garage sale for $10.

Solar Food Dehydration

A DIY food dehydration system uses the sun's heat and consists of a wooden box fitted with a glass top that traps heat inside. This type of unit can have a heat-absorbing plate inside that produces an air convection current that goes through a vent at the bottom of the box. Your food is dried out as the hot air takes the moisture out of the box.

Drying food outdoors in the sun has a number of benefits:

Depending on the outside humidity, it may dehydrate faster than when using an electric dehydrating unit

Easy to set up, use and clean - can be portable

Keeps food dry when it rains

Air-tight construction prevents insects from getting in

Does not contribute to energy costs

Dehydrating can start in the spring as soon as early season crops such as strawberries, peas and other berries are ripe

DIY Food Dehydrating in the Oven

Using your oven is a good way of DIY food dehydrating and works well with foods like banana chips and jerky.

Oven drying takes longer than the sun or an electric dehydrator and cannot be used if your oven cannot heat at temps below 140° Fahrenheit. If your oven won't go below 140° it may cook the food instead of dehydrating it.

When you're drying food, put trays on oven racks that are two-inches apart to allow proper air circulation.

DIY Food Dehydrating in Your Car

Other than solar food dehydration, the above methods need access to power. During an apocalyptic event you may not have access to power. In the summer you can turn any vehicle, which may not be drivable due to lack of gas, into a huge dehydrator. Window screens make great trays and you can load them up with thin slices of things like meat, vegetables, and fruit. Put them in your car or truck and crack the windows to allow the air to circulate.

Depending on where you are living and the amount of humidity in the air, most things will be completely dehydrated by the end of the day. Things that are not dry can be left in overnight as long as you roll up the windows to prevent moisture.

C.L. Hendricks has been a Jill-of-all-trades and become an expert in some, including active participation in the preparedness movement. It is with personal knowledge and experience that she writes for such websites as Apocalypse Survival and Real Survival Skills.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

7 DIY Pop Can Solar Heaters

7 DIY Pop Can Solar Heaters

so so cool - want to try them all. 

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Cut The Cable TV Cord!!

The best thing that we ever did was cut the cable off and buy one of these Roku HD Streaming Player! We have had ours for a couple of years now and it was a lot more back then. Now the Roku box is cheap. It was an up front cost and then nothing else, but the $7.99 a month for our Netflix. All of the other stuff that we have on our Roku HD Streaming Player is free! I added Justin.tv to our box and I can watch all of the channels that I watched on cable, but for FREE and no huge cable bill. Our cable bill for our household , with 2 tvs, was running us about 87.00 a month. So that is a huge savings. I love this Roku HD Streaming Player! I do not know what we would do without it for very long. We have an antenna on our tv so that we can get the free local channels , but I hardly eve watch it. I can watch all that I need on the Roku HD Streaming Player!! They even have a new app on the Roku HD Streaming Player now called Plexx and you can watch Youtube videos. I also can have my twitter and facebook on the tv! You have got to seriously think of getting one of these for your home. Save a ton of money. You do have to have highspeed internet, but we always had that anyway so that is no big deal.

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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

eBooks - Urban Survival Site

eBooks - Urban Survival Site
Awesome list of pdf survival books and information for free downloads. Great list. Everything can be found on it.

Homeschool Tip - Know Your Weaknesses!

I had wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about homeschooling my little man and wondering if a Homeschool Academy here in town was too expensive. Well, I talked to the lady over it and she said that he could come in last Monday and sit in on some of the classes for his age and see how he likes it and if it would be a fit. He loved it , I think he really likes the other kids more, but , he loved the Literacy Circle class. And - Even though it is expensive , I signed him up for the class. $170.00 for the whole year. I really can admit where I am weak in teaching him and one of the weak spots has been in getting him to sit and try and read and do letters. He is more into numbers. He can fly through adding and subtracting flash cards like there is no tomorrow. But I know that I needed help with him learning his phonics and putting letters together into words. So far with just 2 classes we have seen a huge improvement with him on this front. I have been reading to him at night like I always have and now he can actually put some of the words together and he even read the whole Dr. Suess book Go, Dog, Go to me with only a bit of help on words like night etc. Another plus is that even though I paid for one class, I can take him much earlier and he can do stuff with other kids. Like, yesterday we went an hour early and he did arts and crafts with 5 other little boys. It was fun. So I am glad that I took the time to check the "school" out and I am so glad that I can admit that I needed help with this and he is learning what he needs to know. That way he can be a happy and smart big man!! LOL

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Monday, August 27, 2012

Top 10 Emergency Preparedness For an Earthquake (guest post)

An earthquake can strike any time and better preparedness for an earthquake can ensure your safety and your family's safety. During an earthquake, one can feel vibration of the ground, noise which progressively grows louder, swaying sensation etc. Most injuries and deaths from earthquake are due to falling objects and debris, especially near the entry and exit points. Knowing how an earthquake can affect you and planning to deal with it beforehand can greatly reduce the chances of injury and death.

Emergency preparedness for an earthquake involves discussing with your family about steps to take when an earthquake occurs. When people are filled with panic and fear during an earthquake, they tend to act in an improper way. Planning to deal with an earthquake before it occurs can enable your family to act in the best possible way when the earthquake strikes.

Top 10 Emergency Preparedness For an Earthquake:

Here are the top 10 emergency preparedness tips for an earthquake:

Know the safe spots in your home: Safe spots are those places where there is a minimal chance of an object and debris falling from above. Some examples of safe spots are hallways, archways, room corners, spots under heavy tables, desks etc.

Practice Safety Drills With Your Family: Safety drills are the actions one has to take during an earthquake. Some of the safety drills you can practice with your family are - getting under heavy table or desk; covering one's face with arms; staying clear of places where objects can fall; standing or crouching in safe spots, corners, and strongly supported doorways.

Evacuation Plans: An evacuation plan enables your family to escape during the first signs of emergency. You can discuss and come up with a sketch of an evacuation plan for your house. You can also include a second evacuation plan.

Repair: Leaky gas connections, improper electrical wiring and defective utility services can be hazardous during emergency. So, make sure you repair such problems in your home by seeking professional help.

Anchor the appliances, fixtures: Anchor the appliances such as refrigerator, gas equipment, furnace, water heater etc. firmly to the wall. Overhead lightning fixtures should also be anchored. This will minimize the falling of objects during an earthquake.

Put Heavy Objects in Lower shelves: Heavy objects, breakables such as china, glass etc. should be placed in lower shelves. This will prevent them from falling and causing injuries during an earthquake.

Make a list of important information: Write down important such as important telephone numbers, vehicle numbers, medications list, bank account numbers etc. and put them in a secure place.

Make a priority List: Make a priority list which details the actions to be done when an earthquake strikes. Your list can include important things to carry such as food, utilities etc., turning off utilities, locking doors, using fire extinguisher etc.

Store Important Documents: Store important documents such as insurance policies, education certificates, birth certificates, wills etc. in a fire-proof safe.

Ensure your home has stable foundation: Make sure your home has a strong foundation. Also take up any repairs if necessary.

Emergency preparedness for an earthquake minimizes injury, damage to your home and increases your safety. So, make sure you prepare yourself beforehand to escape the disastrous affects of an earthquake.

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Swarm of quakes rattle California, Arizona: USGS - Yahoo! News

Swarm of quakes rattle California, Arizona: USGS - Yahoo! News

Be safe and Prepared!! 

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California-Nevada Fault Maps

California-Nevada Fault Maps

Huge earthquake swarm going on! Be safe and prepared!

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Latest Earthquakes in the USA - Last 7 days

Latest Earthquakes in the USA - Last 7 days

Be safe and prepared!!!!!

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On My Wish List!

I have a free Kindle app on my desktop, but have a short wishlist! (Hey, hubby, Christmas is coming up soon!) I want one of these - Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display - includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers and ReVIVE Series Solar ReStore 2X Dual-Infusion External Backup Battery Pack and Solar Panel for Portable Smartphones / E-readers / MP3 Players and More USB Powered Devices so that in an off grid situation I will have all of my info and be able to keep it charged up!! That would work awesome. With all of the e-books that I already have on the desktop that have to do with survival (non-fiction and fiction) I really think that this would be the best thing for me. Other wise I am going to have to find some way to print all of this stuff off somehow. And that does not seem like anything that could happen soon. LOL

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