Our General Store…Think Dairy
As I write this the stock market is down 327 points…yikes! How is your financial fast coming? I work at home all day and really don’t go into town more than a few times a weeks so I thought this would be really easy for me. I have discovered a few things. Last Thursday I discovered that a hairdresser I love was in town and could cut my hair. She is only here every five weeks. But…I was supposed to be on a financial fast. I did what I have asked you to do and asked her if she would be willing to trade for emergency preparedness items. She said she would love to. A win win for both of us. She is more prepared and I have a cute new hair cut. As I left the salon it was after 6:00pm and I really didn’t want to think about dinner Once again I was ready to run and get the 3 for a dollar tacos at a local fast food. I figured two bucks for a meal was a great deal but again I decided I needed to do what I had asked you to do. I went home instead and made omelets. They were so.. good. Saturday we spent most of the day working at a service project with our church. We painted and weeded and washed windows and cleaned play areas at a local school. We were ready to head home and Chinese take out really sounded good but we went home and I got out a bag of frozen ravioli and called it good. My savings from those three indulgences…$37.00! I hope you are sticking to our fast and really evaluating exactly what you are spending and thus saving. The time may come, in the not too distant future, when you are forced to make these choices. Preparing now will make that change in your spending habits so much easier.
I used items from my General Store last week for fast easy meals when I didn’t want to cook. I was very grateful I had some great options. This week we will be adding dairy to our Store.
I realize you may not be crazy about processed cheese or powdered milk but dairy is very important to a well balanced diet. A few tips: 1. always drink powdered milk cold, it makes a huge difference 2.store chocolate or strawberry syrup to add to your milk 3. Add a few drops of vanilla 4. Add a can of evaporated milk to a quart of powdered milk, we will be adding evaporated milk to our store in a few weeks 5. Substitute powdered milk for milk in your recipes 6. Add a 1/4 cup of powdered milk powder to a smoothie. How do you use your powdered milk?
This week add two pounds of cheese and/or powdered milk per family member to your store
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First, How did I miss the financial fast post? Things have obviously been way to busy. Love the concept, perhaps I’ll try April since I didn’t read the post until today. Great idea, by the way. I, too, get irritated by the “go a whole day without spending money” noise. Brother. It’s obvious that these people are way out of touch with the financial reality of most regular folks.
Second, although we don’t drink powdered milk, I do use it all the time when making pancakes, biscuits, muffins, etc. It really helps to stretch out our fresh milk supply. I also buy cases of ultrapasteurized milk from a local processor. (My parents are dairy farmers and send their milk to this plant.) This shelf stable milk is packaged in quarts and will sit on the shelf of my pantry for an entire year. It does need to be refrigerated after opening, but it is so great to have around. We use it most between shopping trips if we have happened to drink more milk than usual. This company also packages flavored milk in single serving sizes that I use for lunches for the kids. I have seen similar products at the grocery store, but I buy it from the outlet store at the plant. (Gossners Milk in Logan, Utah) It does take up more space than powdered milk and has to be rotated more frequently, but it doesn’t require me to store extra water, and it tastes great.
I hate to be negative, but powdered milk is processed in such a way that the cholesterol is oxidized and it is actually harmful to the body. I believe Weston Price has info on this.
I enjoy your blog, and sorry to come out of lurkdome on a negative note.
Candace, Here is what I know about oxidized powdered milk.
Carol Schlitt: Illinois Department of Public Health
Yes, powdered milk and eggs do contain oxidized cholesterol. It is theorized that oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
And that’s just it….it is a theory –not a proven fact.
Laboratory animal studies have shown there could be a link between oxidized cholesterol and plaque buildup in the arteries, but no one knows what effects they have in people. The body produces oxidized cholesterol, and there is even some research that shows some beneficial properties of oxidized cholesterol. So you see, the jury is still out on this subject.
FYI — powdered milk actually has very low levels of oxidized cholesterol.
Research will continue on this controversial topic. Meanwhile, there is no reason to avoid powdered milk if you like it. It is a good source of protein and calcium and hardly any fat or cholesterol — oxidized or unoxidized.
Thanks for your concerns. I try very hard to provide current research information and appreciate it when readers share their concerns.
What kind of cheese is the best to store in our General Store?
When I buy milk at the store, I mix half of the gallon with powdered milk. This allows my kids to get used to the taste without going full blown powdered milk, and it stretches the milk out further.
Not all powdered milk is equal. Morning Moo or Country Cream brands are actually pretty good. They do cost a bit more, but not exorbitantly so, and for my family the cost is worth it. We lived on food storage for 10 months several years ago during a layoff, and I didn’t buy milk the whole time. We drank the Country Cream in our food storage.