So, one of my biggest loves in life is food. I'll admit it is NOT a healthy relationship but it has always been a big part of my life. You see, I come form an italian family. Okay, I will admit mom has another nationality but she firmly embraced the italian life when marrying my dad. If you are italian, you truly know what this means. If you are not, visit one. Don't worry, they will treat you like one of the familyand likely invite you to "mangia".
I was raised to believe if you had a full pantry you were rich. So it wasn't hard to embrace the concept of food storage as a principle of self reliance. I dutifully went about the task of collecting food that would store a long time in hopes that I would never have to use it. As time has gone by, I now realize that without learning how to use what I have, it is not making me self reliant, just a hoarder. So I have committed myself to trying at least one new recipe per month using food storage items. I have found a lot of great online resources and I highly recommend Crystal Godfrey's book, "I can't believe it's food storage" and her website www.everydayfoodstorage.net if you are looking for a way to get started. I recently learned that you can substitute cooked beans for oil or butter in baked goods. Doesn't sound very appealing but I gave it a try. I made whole wheat carrot cake muffins with brown sugar, cooked white beans, powdered eggs, crushed pineapple, diced carrots rehydrated from dry, whole wheat flour, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and baking soda.
They were really pretty good. No fat, moist, protein packed and full of fiber. Who could ask for anything more??
