Food Storage Recipe ~Basic Smoothies

Easy, quick,and made from what should be in your food storage.

A Basic Smoothie

1/4 cup of tang

1/4 cup non~instant dry milk

2 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups ice

fresh or frozen fruit ~ use bananas, strawberries, pineapple, mango, or peaches

Put the water in the blender and start blending. 

While it is blending add everything else.

 Blend it together until it is smooth.

 Kids love this. Great for breakfast.

Rain Barrel Systems How To - Every Homeowner Should Be Using a Rain Barrel!

Rain barrel systems are a great way to save money on your water bill, and help save our Earth's natural resources.

Rain barrels catch rain water from your roof. These barrels can be used to water your gardens, shrubs, trees, and even your lawn.

The systems are a very cheap DIY project to build on your own. You can also purchase pre-made systems. Some of the pre-made systems are very decorative as well. If you live in an area where you have a home owners association, you may have to clear a rain barrel system first.

A simple 50 gallon food grade barrel with a spout on the bottom is all you need for a rain barrel collection system.

Place the rain barrel under a corner of your roof to catch the most rain water. You can hook a gutter system to your rain barrel to catch even more water.

A screen over the top of the barrel will keep out leaves and other debris. Homes with small children should have some kind of sturdy screen to keep small children from falling in. A screen can also keep out small animals.

The rain barrels work on a gravity system to water an area. A soaker hose can be attached near the bottom, and gravity will do the rest of the work. You can purchase pumps that will pump the water out of the barrel with enough pressure to run a sprinkler.

Rainwater irrigation is an excellent choice for watering vegetables. Rainwater is clean and fresh, and does not contain chemicals that may be found in city water.

You can store rainwater for long periods of time if it is stored in a dark colored barrel. The dark barrels do not allow in sunlight, which produces algae.

By utilizing rain barrels you will be doing your part for the environment by reducing the use of our natural resources. In some areas of drought, the perfect option for homeowners is to use rain barrel systems.

To get started we need to know how to get a rain barrel collection system set up quickly and inexpensively!
Setting up a Garden Rain Barrel is so easy anyone can do it with a little guidance.

Click here to discover tips, how to information and sources where you can get your own rain barrel or plastic drum to start saving water and money! RainWaterBarrel.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Garden Tips!

Getting your garden planned is work and fun. The number one tip that I can give is to not plant too early. Make sure the risk of frost is gone. Select easy veggies to grow that are your families favorites.

Some easy veggies to grow:
              Tomatoes
              Bush Beans
              Cucumbers
              Peppers
              Zucchini
              Squash
              Onions
              Lettuce
              Eggplant
              Peas
              Radishes
              Carrots

Check around online or ask a local nursery when the best time to plant for your area is. Plan out your garden with stakes that are labeled with each veggies name so that you know where you are going to plant them. Put in poles for the climbing plants. Keep the smaller plants grouped together and make sure you give the tomatoes plenty of room to sprawl. They will quickly take over a space, so let them have their room!

Water your garden in the early morning or evening. Let the water have time to soak in to get to the roots. Surface watering is not good. Your garden should get about 2 inches of water a week.

Thin out the seedlings as they start growing. Get rid of the weaker ones. This will allow the others to really grow and be healthier. Removing weeds often will also assure healthy veggies.You will have to be out in your garden often to weed it.

Invest in some rain barrels to catch rain water for watering your garden. This will save you money. Just a half inch of rain can fill a rain barrel. 

Get the whole family involved with the garden. Kids have a lot of fun in one. Let them have their own seeds and section to grow what they like. I let my Little Man have one every year and we found out that he has quite a green thumb. Pretty awesome and he really loves growing veggies.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack Giveaway!

We’re proud to announce The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey coming to Blu-ray &DVD March 19th 2013!

 
Take the quiz below , post your results in the comments, and one lucky winner will win a copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack!

                Contest ends on April 1st 2013 - I have to have the winner's name and address sent in by April 9th 2013. 
 

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an amazing quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.




Take the Are You 100% Hobbit Quiz! What has a tendency to be very brave, is around 4 ft. tall with sharp eyesight, little to no facial hair, and loves cake? If you thought we were talking about you, then you might be a Hobbit Indeed! Take the quiz to find out just how much of a Hobbit you are!
 Creatures of Middle-earth! Hobbits, Elves and Dwarves are just a few of the magical creatures that call Middle-earth home. Check out vital stats and unique features about each one!

•           The Hobbit Handbook! Our Hobbit Handbook includes everything you need to throw the best viewing party in Middle-earth right at home!

•           Get Social! Tweet with the #TheHobbit hashtag to get your audience excited about the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey coming to Blu-ray & DVD March 19th 2013!

  

After you take the quiz above go to the comments and post your results from the Are You 100% Hobbit Quiz! You will win a copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack!
The prize will be sent via FedEx or UPS. No P.O. Boxes please.

Food Storage Recipe - Chunky Pizza Soup

Another quick and easy recipe! Perfect for a quick meal or lunch.

Chunky Pizza Soup

1 19 ounce can of Basil Rotini Tomato Soup

1 can Italian style diced tomatoes, throw the whole can into this - do not drain.

3 slices of Canadian bacon , chopped up into small pieces

1/2 cup of croutons

Shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium sized saucepan mix together the soup, tomatoes, and the Canadian bacon. Mix it well and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Divide the croutons up between 2 bowls. Pour the soup over the croutons and top with the shredded cheese.  

A Treasure Hunt!

 Did you find all the treasures? Share our Treasure Hunt with your friends so they can win too! Head on over to the Treasure Hunt to look for all of the treasure code price tags. Enter the codes that you find in the "price tags" and get a coupon for up to 10% off of your next purchase of Office Supplies. Share this video with all of your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Let them know how it is just a quick video that has great rewards. Watch for the red price tags that have special treasure codes on them. They can use those codes to get some savings on their office supply needs.Watch the video to find out What is eProcurement. Find solutions and savings!
It is really easy to set up an account for your Small Business or for any of your other office needs.Any office no matter the size can benefit from these Business Solutions and find out about the various tools that you can utilize there. The eProcurement tools let you Schedule and save, use quick checkout, and more. This is a great tool for any business. Small or large. The tools will help you get everything done quickly and with savings. As you will see in the video , you're business can take more control over their ordering and spending. Saving money by streamlining your ordering process and getting free shipping on most orders over $45.00.  Who doesn't want to save money? So , get over there and set up your account. Watch the video and find the treasure codes to save more.

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Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway

I am currently hosting a Amazon Kindle Paperwhite giveaway! I think that a Kindle is a great survival tool to have. Fill it up with prepping, resource, cooking, and more. Get a solar powered charger for it and you're all set.

There will be one winner of this Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. A value of  $119.00.  

Ending date of the giveaway: 03/17/2013.  

Where it can be won: U.S. & Canada.

The prize is from - http://trooprr.com/ - for the launch of our new website.

To enter this giveaway, you can: Like/Follow/tweet

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Trailersteading: Voluntary Simplicity In A Mobile Home (Modern Simplicity)

Trailersteading: Voluntary Simplicity In A Mobile Home (Modern Simplicity) was free when I wrote this blogpost.

All the advantages of a tiny house at a fraction of the cost!

Imagine what you could do with your time if you didn't have to spend $16,000 a year on rent or a mortgage. Old single-wide mobile homes can often be found for free (and installed for a couple of thousand dollars) in rural areas, so trailersteading is akin to dumpster-diving. A trailer allows you to live without debt, to keep your ecological footprint to a minimum with energy bills at or below the national average, and even to blend right in with traditional-house dwellers after a few years.

Trailersteading profiles nine mobile-home dwellers who have used trailers as a stepping stone toward achieving their dreams. Some have spent the cash they saved by renovating their trailer on extra insulation, pitched roofs, classy interiors, and even basements, while the found money has allowed others to go off the grid. Many also took advantage of a low-cost housing option to pursue their passions, becoming full-time homemakers or homesteaders.

In addition to the case studies, the book presents easy methods of minimizing the negative sides of trailer life and accentuating the positive. For example, did you know a single-wide is easy to retrofit for passive solar heating? That a simple plant-covered trellis can break up the blockiness of the trailer's external appearance? Learn which parts of installing and upgrading your trailer are easy for a DIYer and which parts should be left to the experts, along with how to cheaply heat and cool a mobile home.

124 photos and diagrams.

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Plan Your Garden Now!

It is finally getting to be that time of year again. Time to be able to start our gardens! My favorite thing to do when it gets warm. I have been thinking about it all winter. I have my seeds laid out and already have it planned on what is going where.

You should start small if this is your first garden. It is easy to get overwhelmed. Gardens do take a bit of work. I started out with just a small patch of tomatoes in my front yard. Now I am going to have a few different patches in my yard. Plant what your family and friends will eat. You don't want to waste your time and money planting a bunch of stuff that no one will even use and then it goes to waste.

Choose your location! Pick a nice and sunny patch in your yard that is away from trees and shrubs. They can steal any nutrients out of the soil that you want your veggies to be getting. If your patch gets at least 6 hours of sunlight a day than your garden should do great.

Food Storage Recipe - Fried Mashed Potato Balls

Fried Mashed Potato Balls

• 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup real bacon bits
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• Oil for frying

• Place mashed potatoes in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the egg, cheese, onions and bacon bits. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in bread crumbs. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• In an electric skillet, heat 1 in. of oil to 375°. Fry potato balls, a few at a time, for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Serve warm. 
•  
• My kids love these. Munch on them as a snack sometimes and I always have potatoes in the house. I have used instant mashed potatoes with this recipe also and it turned out great. I used a packet of the Idaho instant ones that are flavored like fully loaded baked potatoes. Yummy. can't get enough of them.