Food Storage Recipe - Crockpot Brown Beans

Pinto beans are the most common bean in the USA and are often eaten whole or refried which makes them a great filling for burritos. Eating beans is a good source of fiber and protein and doesn't contain fat, sodium, or cholesterol. A half of a cup of beans is about 120 calories. They are filling and a great alternative to eating meat.

Dry beans will keep indefinitely as long as you store them in a cool dry place. The longer you keep them their nutritive value and flavor will decrease over time. It takes a long time to cook beans, and you should soak the beans first to shorten the cooking time.

NEED:

1 lb bag of pinto beans

6 cups chicken broth (water)

1 ham hock

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

Beans out of a bag need sorting through for rocks or other debris that could come up. Basically, you look through the beans and pick out anything that doesn't look like a bean. Then you wash them well.

 If you want them to cook fast, pre-soak them first. I cook my beans in a Crockpot, so I never use the pre-soak method.

 Once sorted and cleaned I put in 6 cups of water or chicken broth in the Crockpot. 

Put in the beans then cut up the onion and mince the garlic and add to the Crockpot. 

Add in the ham hock or whatever meat you season the beans with. I sometimes use smoked turkey as a healthier alternative. 

Season the beans with salt and pepper. 

I let the beans cook several hours on low inside the Crockpot; about 4 to 6 hours since I like the meat to fall apart. 

While the beans are cooking, you can make some hot buttered cornbread to serve alongside the beans.

 The great thing about Crockpot's is you don't have to constantly watch your food. You add the ingredients and go watch TV, read or write a book. When the beans are ready grab a bowl full and enjoy the warm cornbread.

Food Storage Recipe _ Cheesy Bean Quesadillas

This is something quick to make and could be great for snacking while watching a movie on Netflix. Look for instant refried beans the next time that you are needing them. They are easy to store and last for a long time. They reconstitute easy by adding water. You can also make your own - http://preparedforsurvival.blogspot.com/2013/03/instant-refried-beans-diy.html

For this recipe you will NEED:

4 flour tortillas

1 can refried beans

1 cup of shredded monterey jack cheese

salsa for topping.

Place 1 tortilla in a skillet and cover it with 1/4 of the refried beans and 1/4 of the cheese. Heat it over a medium heat until the cheese has melted. Fold the tortilla over.

Repeat this with the other 3 tortillas.

Serve hot with the salsa.

Signs In The Sky

If you are caught out in bad weather it could be fatal to your survival. There are times to move on and times to make shelter. There are certain things that you can watch for in the sky to predict short-term weather conditions.

" Red sky at night , shepherd's delight, red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning. " is a very old weather saying. A red sky at night indicates that the atmosphere holds very little moisture. Meaning that there will be no rain or snow with in a couple of hours. A red sky in the morning is a warning that storms are approaching.

A grey morning is usually a sign that the day ahead will be dry. A grey sky in the evening indicates rain.

A clear sky at night is usually an indication that the night weather will be good. Towards the end of summer it can be an indication of frost.

If you have a very clear sky one night followed by a night with very few stars visible , it could mean that the weather is going to be changing.

An enlarging corona around the sun or moon can be a sign of good weather and a shrinking corona around them can be a sign of rain.

Learn the signs in the sky and you can increase your chances of survival. You will know when to hunker down in a shelter and when you can move on.

Food Storage Recipe ~ Homemade Jam

Making homemade jam is really not too hard. Here is my favorite recipe for making it.

YUMMY and everyone in the family loves it. It does not last very long in our house.

NEED :

3 pounds of fruit - I use 1 pound each of berries to make a mixed berry jam. Raspberries, Blackberries, and Strawberries.

3 1/3 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt

2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Stir the ingredients together in a large heavy bottomed pot.

 Bring to a boil. Stir it until the sugar is dissolved and mash the fruit with a potato masher.

Add the lemon juice and continue to boil.

Stir it frequently until the bubbles slow, chunks of fruit show at the top , and the mixture clings to a spoon , but falls off in clumps. About 10 to 12 minutes.

Skim any foam from the top.

Ladle the jam into clean, glass jars . Leave a 3/4 inch of headroom from the top of the jam to the top of the jar.

Let them cool completely.

Cover with tight lid, label, and refrigerate for up to a month. You can also freeze for up to a year.

Food Storage Recipe ~ Chicken Fajitas

Got out the old crock pot !

Chicken Fajitas

NEED:

Boneless chicken strips - I was lucky enough the other day to get about 5 pounds on meat markdown and for this I used about 1 pound. Just enough for sons.

About half a bag of 3 pepper stir fry mix - get in frozen section of Savalot

1 package of fajita seasoning mix.

1/4 cup of water.

Pour everything in the crock pot and turn on. I put mine on high for about 30 minutes to get it started and then turned it to low. It is slow cook all afternoon and be done just in time for supper. Serving with tortillas, spanish rice, and refried beans.

Refreshing Freedom: Showering Off the Grid

 

 

Refreshing Freedom: Showering Off the Grid - Off-Grid Rebel

 

Being able to keep clean in an off-grid situation would be the best!! To be able to shower will make you feel so much better. Find ways to keep yourself, your clothing, and your home clean in off-grid ways to be able to just continue on as you do now.

 

 

10 Must Have Items For Your Bug Out Bag

Depending on your location and the time of year will determine what exactly you will have in your bug out bag. Despite this there is some items  that are essential and should be in everyone's kit.

Here are 10 items every bug out bag should include.

1. First aid kit ~ Adventure Medical Kits Adventure First Aid 2.0

2. Flashlight ~ Secur Waterproof Hand crank or built in Solar powered 3 LED Flashlight, High power 3 functions LED, Dynamo powered no batteries needed, waterproof up to 45 feet

3. Radio ~ Safe-T-Proof Solar, Hand-Crank Emergency Radio, Flashlight, Beacon, Cell Phone Charger

4. Multi-tool knife ~ Gerber 22-41545 Black Diesel Multi-Plier with Sheath

5. Firestarter ~ Gerber 31-000699 Bear Grylls Survival Series Fire Starter

6. Water Purification ~ LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

7. Rope ~ Koch 5170625 Diamond Braid Polypropylene Rope, 3/16 by 100 Feet, Assorted Colors

8. Shelter ~ Ultimate Survival Technologies Base All Weather Tent Tarp

9. Compass ~ Military Prismatic Sighting Compass w/ Pouch

10. Food ~ S.O.S. Rations Emergency 3600 Calorie Food Bar - 3 Day / 72 Hour Package with 5 Year Shelf Life

DIY Solar Oven

A solar oven is a great to cook off the grid and are easy to make on your own. Not difficult to make and your family will enjoy the fresh and hot meal. It takes about 30 minutes for a solar oven to preheat.

TO MAKE YOU NEED:

 · two cardboard boxes (one large and one smaller)

· black construction paper

· scissors

· aluminum foil

· glue and tape

· staplers

· old newspapers

· a pencil (or a marker)

·  plastic wrap.



- First, line the bottom of the large box with well crumbled newspaper. Then, insert the smaller box into the larger one, and fill in the empty side spaces between the boxes with newspaper crumbles.

- Make sure to cover the inside walls of the small box with aluminum foil. You can use invisible tape to glue the edges of the aluminum foil to the edges of the cardboard box.

- Glue the black construction paper onto the bottom of the small box. This will help absorb the heat much better, and your homemade solar oven will be more efficient.

- Next, on top of the large box, you need to lay a large piece of cardboard. Now trace the shape of the box on the board nicely, using a marker. Allow around 2-3 inches on each side around the trace line, and cut the cardboard.

- Now use aluminum foil in order to cover the cardboard. The aluminum foil that is placed over the cardboard must be extremely smooth and without any wrinkles so that it will reflect the light properly. Use invisible tape or glue in order to secure the aluminum foil onto the cardboard. The reflector that you obtained this way should be stapled or glued to the back of the large box.

Now your homemade solar oven is ready, and you need to make sure to place it so that the reflective part is facing the sun directly, for maximum efficiency. You can place just about any type of pot with a glass top that fits into your oven, and start making food using solar energy. You need to be patient however, because it might take even up to 3 or 4 hours until your meal is ready, so make sure to start cooking earlier than usual. If you want to make your cooker even more efficient, place a plastic wrap on top of your oven. Keeps the heat in a lot better with the plastic wrap over it.

Ways To Cook With Your Fireplace

The open fire of your fireplace is a very versatile way to cook. There are many ways to cook with your fireplace and can be a great way to have a heated home and a hot meal when power is out. That one fire can not only give you heat, but you can bake, boil, roast, simmer a stew, and more. Pretty much like a campfire, but this is in your home.

One way to cook is by using a Cast-Iron Trivet. Remove some of the coals from the fire and place over to one side in your fireplace, place the trivet on top of that, and place your pot on top of that. Let it cook! You can boil water and make soups and stews this way. It is also a easy way to use your Cast-Iron Dutch Oven .


An easy way to roast some meat over the fire is by using a spit. Just impale the meat with the spit and place the meat over the fire to seal in the juices. Then move it further away from the fire and let it slow cook . Make sure that you have a big roasting pan under the meat to catch the dripping juices. Makes it safer and plus you can baste the meat with its juices while it is cooking.

A Reflector Oven is an awesome way to be able to bake and cook with a fireplace. Pretty simple way to cook. Place in front of fire and the heat reflects to the food. Kind of like the solar oven.

Some other tools to have for fireplace cooking are a hanging griddle, Pie Iron Sandwich Cooker, and a Heavy Duty Grill.

With all or any of these tools for cooking, you will be able to make great family meals for your family. No worries if a winter storm comes through and wipes out your power. 

15 Low-Tech Drafty Window and Door Fixes for a Cozy Home

 

 

15 Low-Tech Drafty Window and Door Fixes for a Cozy Home

 

If you are living in a drafty house, the good news is that there are lots of low-tech and low-cost options. There are some great DIY ways to keep in the heat and keep the cold out. Keep some wool blankets thrown over the sofa to use for keeping warm.