Italian Style Vegetable Soup - Meal in a Jar

I am giving these as Christmas Gifts to some of my friends and customers... This is my favorite soup mix!

1/2 c THRIVE FD Tomato Dices
1/2 c THRIVE FD Cauliflower
1/2 c THRIVE FD Zucchini
1/2 c THRIVE FD Kidney Beans
1/4 c THRIVE Potato Chunks
2 T THRIVE FD Celery Dices
2 T THRIVE FD Red and Green Bell Peppers
2 T THRIVE FD Spinach
2 T THRIVE FD Chopped Onion
1 T THRIVE Tomato Powder
1 t Italian Seasonings
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t THRIVE Chicken Bouillon

Top with an oxygen obsorber and a new canning lid, hand tighten lid and store in a cool dark place for 5-7 years.

Attach instructions to jar:
Pour ingredients from jar into a pot with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, up to 60 minutes for more flavor.

Helpful Food Storage Tips

•Be Practical. Store the food you eat and eat the food you store. It doesn't make sense to buy food storage that your family isn't accustomed to eating. Many items, such as wheat, flour, oats, and dried milk are needed to sustain life and are already included in many of the foods that we enjoy each day. Become familiar with recipes that include ingredients contained within your food storage. This will not only enable you to become familiar with the preparation of foods within your food storage, it will also allow you to rotate your food in a timely manner.

• Store Foods Properly. Quality is best maintained by minimum exposure to light, heat, moisture, and air. Items stored in a basement will last much longer than in a pantry or garage. Store food on shelves or on a raised platform rather than directly in contact with concrete floors or walls. Avoid storing items next to certain products such as soaps or fuels; this will prevent the spread of odor and other possible contaminants.

• Temperature. Where possible, always store your food indoors. Temperature has the largest affect on food storage. Canned goods will store 2 to 3 times longer at 70°F than they will at 90°F. Most dry goods store indefinitely below 70°F. Temperature affects nutrition, texture, and taste.

• Moisture. Dry goods should contain less than 10% moisture. The more a container is opened, the more moisture is introduced. The humidity in the air the day food is dry packed or home canned can also affect storage life. Weevil cannot grow in grain with less than 10% moisture. For a maximum shelf life,non-fat dry milk should have no more than 2.8% moisture.

• Light. Store foods in opaque containers or dark cupboards. Light fades colors, destroys vitamins, and speeds the rancidity of fats.

• Air. Containers should have airtight seams and lids. If in doubt, use duct tape as an additional seal. Plastic buckets with rubber gaskets are airtight if the gasket has not been damaged.

• Use Variety. Use a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein sources, and  dairy products to obtain balanced nutrition. This will provide greater flexibility in cooking.

• Use Labels. Label your containers with the date of purchase.

• Rotate Your Storage. Rotate as many items as you can by using food storage at least twice a week. This will allow for a complete rotation of a year’s food supply every three years. It will also help your family become accustomed to the items you have stored.

• Store Water. Be sure to store a large amount of water (at least 14 gallons per person for a two week supply). Soda and juice bottles will work for water storage as will larger food-grade plastic containers. For larger quantities, 5, 15, 30, and 55 gallon storage drums can be used. Water will need to be treated before storage. FEMA recommends treatment with 4 drops of bleach per quart of water. Water supplies should be replenished yearly.

• Store Non-Food Items. Food storage is only part of emergency preparedness. Don’t forget to store non-food items such as medicines, toiletries, soap, cleaning supplies, paper products, laundry detergent, and clothing.

• Grow a Garden. For easy access to fresh produce, grow a garden. Also, store and rotate seeds. If you don’t have garden space, try using pots to grow vegetables. 

Information from Shelf Reliance University

Stroganoff Skillet Meal - Meal in a Jar

Layer the following items in a quart jar
(using a wide mouth funnel makes it easier):

2 c egg noodles  
1/3 c Cream of "Something" mix
1/2 c THRIVE Freeze Dried Mushrooms  (optional)
1 1/2 c THRIVE Freeze Dried Ground Beef

Top with an oxygen obsorber and a new canning lid, hand tighten ring and store in cool dark place 5-7 years.


Attach instructions to jar:
Place mix in a skillet, add 4 c water and mix well.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top with sour cream if desired.

Meal in a Jar -- Cream of "Something" Soup

Cream of "Something" mix:
2 c THRIVE Non-fat Powdered Milk (non-instant)
1 c cornstarch
1/2 c THRIVE Powdered Sour Cream
1/2 c THRIVE Chicken bouillon (or any dry granules)
4 T THRIVE Freeze Dried Onions
1 T granulated garlic
1 T dry parsley  
1 t dry thyme
1 t pepper

Combine ingredients, mix thoroughly. Store in airtight jar or container or use in mixes below.

Using the mix you can create any cream of soup you can think up.  Add 2/3 cup mix to a pint jar then fill with any Freeze Dried vegetable (except peas).  Each pint jar will make 4 cups of soup.

Here are some examples:

2/3 cup dry mix with THRIVE Freeze Dried Broccoli -- cream of broccoli
2/3 cup dry mix with THRIVE Freeze Dried Mushrooms -- cream of mushroom
2/3 cup dry mix with THRIVE Freeze Dried Celery -- cream of celery
2/3 cup dry mix with THRIVE Freeze Dried Potato Dices -- cream of potato
2/3 cup dry mix with THRIVE Freeze Dried Diced Chicken -- cream of chicken
2/3 cup dry mix with 1/3 cup THRIVE Tomato Powder (in 1/2 pint jar) -- cream of tomato

Add oxygen absorber to each jar and seal, store in pantry 5-7 years. Mylar good for 3-5 years.

To prepare soup: Add contents of jar with 4 cups water, cook on low to desired consistency.

**or use 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water for the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup.

Product of the Week Freeze Dried Cheddar Cheese

THRIVE Shredded Cheddar Cheese will give your recipes a bold kick of flavor. 

Enjoy THRIVE Cheese in your nachos, quesadillas, lasagna, pastas, salads, sandwiches, and many more wonderful cheesy and delicious recipes!  Its mild cheddar flavor will add the perfect flavor to make your dish a success.

You can rehydrate it or use it right out of the can for a crunchy texture...

Imagine cheddar cheese that will stay good on your pantry shelf for 20 years unopened* and 1 year opened*  *Shelf life based on optimal storage conditions.


Rehydration Instructions:

Ingredients
2 cups THRIVE Shredded Colby Cheese (FD)
1/2 cup cold water

Directions
1. Place the THRIVE cheese in a glass bowl.
2. With a spoon, lightly stir cheese while drizzling cold water over the cheese. Stir continuously until all the water is incorporated into the cheese.
3. Water should just barely start to collect on the bottom of the glass bowl. This is a sign that the cheese has absorbed enough water.
4. Place cheese in a zip lock bag and store in refrigerator overnight or for several hours before use.

Note: Cheese will last up to 8 days in refrigerator. Continue to reconstitute cheese, as you need it, following these simple steps. Adjust quantity for individual needs.

Source: Chef Todd Leonard

Try all the different types of cheese!

Shredded Colby Cheese - Freeze Dried
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese - Freeze Dried
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - Freeze Dried
Cheese Blend

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Easy Peasy Pizza

1 cup whole wheat pancake mix (I use Hungry Jack)
2 T THRIVE Whole Egg Powder
2 T THRIVE Instant Milk
1 tsp granulated garlic
3/4 cup water

Choose your own or choose from our favorite pizza toppings:
THRIVE Sausage Crumbles, rehydrated
THRIVE Ground Beef, rehydrated
Turkey Pepperoni
Crumbled Bacon

1 cup pizza sauce
1 cup THRIVE Mozzarella Cheese, rehydrated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease 13x9 inch cake pan (or 9x9 for thicker crust). Mix first 4 ingredients with water, mix well. Pour batter into greased pan.  Arrange desired toppings on top of batter.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Spread Pizza sauce on baked crust and toppings, sprinkle with cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!