Weekly Assignment, Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Ideas (Week of September 23rd)

Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,

National Emergency Preparedness Month

Quotes:

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to 'prepare every needful thing' (Doctrine and Covenants 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others."  (The First Presidency)

"Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have been counseled for many years to be prepared for adversity. Preparation, both spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. With the guidance of Church leaders, individual members and families should prepare to be self-reliant in times of personal or widespread emergency." ("books and things, Especially for Families")

All of us need to have at least a 3-month supply of food that is a part of our normal daily diet, drinking water in case the water supply may be polluted or disrupted, emergency supplies (like medical, shelter, sanitation, cooking and lighting equipment) and financial reserves (cash in small bills and change kept in a safe place in your home, and some in your car, in case the electricity is down and you cannot get cash from your bank).

I hope of each of you are using this Emergency Preparedness Blog to help you accomplish your goals. We all know the scripture saying, "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear".

FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing Question: What has Heavenly Father lovingly commanded us to do? Please email me the answer to theark.carsonward@gmail.com to have your name entered into this Sunday's, September 23rd, drawing. Please include your name if not in your email address.

September Goals: Emergency Supplies and Adding Breakfast Items to your Food Storage

This is the last week for our September goals. I hope you have been working on our September Goals by adding emergency supplies and breakfast items to your food storage. See the last three blog postings for information and ideas on the September goals. Of course, you can continue beyond this month and come back it to it when need to add more items.

Weekly Assignment...Emergency Supplies:

Please see the September 2nd posting for a list of the emergency supplies you should have on hand. Also, see September 9th and 16rh for more ideas and goals.

1) This week add at least one of the emergency supplies from the list.

Weekly Assignment...Adding Breakfast Items to your Food Storage:

Please see the September 2nd posting for a list of breakfast items to add to your food storage. Also, see September 9th and 16th for more ideas and goals.

1) This week add more breakfast items to your food storage from the list.

Food Storage Ideas:

"Dinner Is In The Jar" recipe...these recipes use dehydrated/freeze-dried vegetables. Follow the instructions in the September 9, 2012 blog posting.

Taco Soup

In the Jar...

1/2 cup dried sweet corn

2 tablespoon chopped bell peppers

2 tablespoons dried minced onions

1/3 cup ranch dressing mix

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoons oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a baggie in the Jar...

1/2 cup pinto beans (remove rocks!)

1/2 cup great northern beans

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Add-Ons...

1 pint cooked beef

2 cans diced tomatoes

16 cups water divided

Shredded cheese

Sour Cream

Crushed tortilla chips

Directions: Remove oxygen absorber if ingredients stored in a Mylar bag/pouch. Soak beans and soda in 4 cups water overnight. Drain and rinse. Simmer beans in 6 cups of water covered for 2 hours on low heat. (This can be done in advance) Drain. Return beans to pot, add 6 cups of water, tomatoes (undrained) and beef. Bring to a boil. Turn heat off. Put remainder of jar contents into pot. Cover and let sit 5 minutes. Return to a simmer. Cover and simmer about 10 to 15 minutes. Top individual bowls with shredded cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. Usually serves 8-10 cups.

Emergency Preparedness Ideas:

If there is an emergency where you need to evacuate immediately, it is critical that important legal documents and records are at hand and ready to go with you. We have all learned the lessons from the Katrina hurricane---having documents that prove you are who you say you are and you own what you say you own can mean the difference between getting the government aid that you desire and being on your own.

Keep a copy of each document, or the originals, in a water proof container, all sealed in a large zip lock plastic bag. Keep them near your 72 Hour Emergency Kits.

We will discuss this more in detail next week in the October goals, Emergency Disasters.