I had my Thrive food storage party last night and it was really fun and educational. Never before would I have considered rotating my food storage. First of all, I wasn't in the habit of eating fried foods, and secondly, if I ate it, then it wouldn't be in my food storage, and nothing would get built up, right? Wrong!
Okay, so you do have to have some stored for a time of need, granted, but it also makes more sense to rotate it than it does to just stock it, and here's why. This is what I learned at the party and I almost feel stupid for not thinking of it myself, but in my defense, I'd never tasted freeze dried foods before and would never have guessed they were so good.
Let me first expose the ugly truth about that day, because it was a day that has repeated itself for weeks for most of my life. Only hours before the party I cleaned out my refrigerator, and like I seemed to do every week, I started pulling spoiled produce from my drawers and dumping it into the trash. Now don't lie, you've done this too, right? I'm not kidding, I do it every week! Why? Because the foods sounded good when I was at the store, but when it came time to cook it up I wasn't in the mood, or it didn't sound good anymore. For whatever reason, I keep spending money on food that I keep throwing away. Last night I threw away oranges that had gone bad, apples that were too old, zucchini that I hadn't used in time, onions that had wilted, buttermilk that I'd never even opened, and half a basket of strawberries that people were just too lazy to wash so they could eat. All because I bought them fresh. Fresh has a short shelf life.
Now I'm not advocating that you move away from fresh completely, just that there is an alternative to foods you frequently throw away. I still want fresh foods. But if I had the freeze dried berries and oranges I would never have to throw them away or worry that they wouldn't get eaten. And the money I would have spent on fresh can now be spent on freeze dried. Do you see what I'm getting at? The money you spend on freeze dried foods ISN'T extra, its part of your grocery money. Simply reallocate a portion of your grocery money to freeze dried foods that you would use on a regular basis and stop throwing away short term foods.
It makes sense, even if I didn't explain it very well. At least try it with the fruits and vegetables, then when you see how easy it is you can move on to the cheeses and meats. Freeze dried mozzarella will melt just like the real thing and you don't have to worry about using it before it molds. You'll also have it on hand when you need it. I can't tell you how many times my family requested lasagna and I couldn't make it because I didn't have any mozzarella cheese. If I had the freeze dried cans of cheese on hand, I would never have to say no to lasagna again.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
ITS A WICKED WORLD WE LIVE IN.
We have been the victims of an incredibly elaborate scam, two actually. The first one came when we tried to purchase an ipad on Craigslist for $250. We should have known if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The seller directed us to a "safe caller" website where phone numbers are screened before they are passed on to the receiver. Although I didn't understand the need for such an illogical step, we wanted the ipad, so we entered our phone number. We were supposed to get a security confirmation code within 15 minutes which we were to enter into the computer so that our number would be labeled "safe"to the seller. When we didn't get our confirmation code, we found a trouble shooting tip telling us to try another phone number, which we did. And then another. All three of our phone numbers had been entered before we discovered that the "safe caller" website is a scam to get a hold of peoples phone numbers for dishonest use. We are monitoring our numbers now but there's really nothing we can do. At least it didn't cost us anything (yet), but we sure feel violated, and I can't stop shaking my head, wondering how evil you have to be to be a part of a set up like that? And yet, the next one was worse. Way worse.
Scam #2 came less than a week later when we found yet another ipad for half the cost of retail. It was the top of the line model which we did not need, but only cost $450, which is less than the bottom of the line model, so logic told us it was a good deal. This time we were more careful. The seller was using a third party shipping company who handles the cash (western union) transactions and the transportation of the device. They even have technicians who inspect the device and provides the seller with a report on the contents of the package. The website looked official so we spent $43 on a western union money transfer and sent it off. But several days later, we still received no verification of our purchase. It turns out that a scam artist went to elaborate measures to build a counterfeit website identical to the real transportation website so people would think it was a legitimate deal. And it worked. It wasn't until James made some calls that we learned that our money had been picked up and the company was bogus.
I am upset about the loss of the money, but I am more upset that people have degenerated so completely. I suppose this shouldn't astound me, but living in the LDS bubble that we create for ourselves, we just don't think people like this really exist, or that they will touch our lives. All I can tell myself now is, lesson learned. I'm embarrassed, but it happened and we're just going to have make sure it doesn't happen again.
The seller directed us to a "safe caller" website where phone numbers are screened before they are passed on to the receiver. Although I didn't understand the need for such an illogical step, we wanted the ipad, so we entered our phone number. We were supposed to get a security confirmation code within 15 minutes which we were to enter into the computer so that our number would be labeled "safe"to the seller. When we didn't get our confirmation code, we found a trouble shooting tip telling us to try another phone number, which we did. And then another. All three of our phone numbers had been entered before we discovered that the "safe caller" website is a scam to get a hold of peoples phone numbers for dishonest use. We are monitoring our numbers now but there's really nothing we can do. At least it didn't cost us anything (yet), but we sure feel violated, and I can't stop shaking my head, wondering how evil you have to be to be a part of a set up like that? And yet, the next one was worse. Way worse.
Scam #2 came less than a week later when we found yet another ipad for half the cost of retail. It was the top of the line model which we did not need, but only cost $450, which is less than the bottom of the line model, so logic told us it was a good deal. This time we were more careful. The seller was using a third party shipping company who handles the cash (western union) transactions and the transportation of the device. They even have technicians who inspect the device and provides the seller with a report on the contents of the package. The website looked official so we spent $43 on a western union money transfer and sent it off. But several days later, we still received no verification of our purchase. It turns out that a scam artist went to elaborate measures to build a counterfeit website identical to the real transportation website so people would think it was a legitimate deal. And it worked. It wasn't until James made some calls that we learned that our money had been picked up and the company was bogus.
I am upset about the loss of the money, but I am more upset that people have degenerated so completely. I suppose this shouldn't astound me, but living in the LDS bubble that we create for ourselves, we just don't think people like this really exist, or that they will touch our lives. All I can tell myself now is, lesson learned. I'm embarrassed, but it happened and we're just going to have make sure it doesn't happen again.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
WONDERFUL DISCOVERY!
Last week I attended a ladies night out party at our local LDS bookstore. Among the attractions was a display table featuring THRIVE food storage products. The sample table held cups of assorted freeze dried vegetables, another cup of assorted freeze dried fruits, and a plate of wheat thins topped with chicken salad made with THRIVE freeze dried chicken, onions, and celery.
I first tried the assorted vegetable cup as I've always wondered how good freeze dried vegetables could possibly taste, and was pleasantly surprised. I could totally snack on them every day and never get tired of them. Wouldn't that be great for my diet? They were delicious.
Then I tried the cup of assorted fruits--Pineapple, strawberries, and blackberries. I was surprised by the blackberries, I don't usually go for things like that, but they were my favorite of the three. The pineapple was out of this world, but what pineapple isn't? And the strawberries were flavorful, unlike a competitors brand I've tasted before.
A few weeks ago I opened a competitors can of freeze dried orange segments that have been in my storage for a while, because I was told you could eat them right out of the can. They tasted like they'd been made from under ripe, frost bitten oranges, and nobody will eat them now. But the freeze dried mandarin oranges from THRIVE are full of sun ripened flavor.
I was hesitant to even taste the chicken salad, because as you all know, I don't like chicken. But I was so taken in with the taste of this salad that I ate three crackers full before I forcibly tore myself away from the table. I knew I had to make THRIVE a part of my every day food rotation, as well as my long term storage. I plan to tell everyone I know about it. Many of the products are on sale right now, and further discounts can be obtained through either guesting or hosting a party of your own. The rotation shelves are a great idea too. They allow you to store more product in less space and will rotate according to the date acquired.
So there you have it. My new wonderful discovery. Do with it what you will. But couldn't you just see yourself losing all kinds of weight when you suddenly start snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of breads, cheeses, sugar products, and fattening foods? I believe I'll conduct an experiment on the matter.
I first tried the assorted vegetable cup as I've always wondered how good freeze dried vegetables could possibly taste, and was pleasantly surprised. I could totally snack on them every day and never get tired of them. Wouldn't that be great for my diet? They were delicious.
Then I tried the cup of assorted fruits--Pineapple, strawberries, and blackberries. I was surprised by the blackberries, I don't usually go for things like that, but they were my favorite of the three. The pineapple was out of this world, but what pineapple isn't? And the strawberries were flavorful, unlike a competitors brand I've tasted before.
A few weeks ago I opened a competitors can of freeze dried orange segments that have been in my storage for a while, because I was told you could eat them right out of the can. They tasted like they'd been made from under ripe, frost bitten oranges, and nobody will eat them now. But the freeze dried mandarin oranges from THRIVE are full of sun ripened flavor.
I was hesitant to even taste the chicken salad, because as you all know, I don't like chicken. But I was so taken in with the taste of this salad that I ate three crackers full before I forcibly tore myself away from the table. I knew I had to make THRIVE a part of my every day food rotation, as well as my long term storage. I plan to tell everyone I know about it. Many of the products are on sale right now, and further discounts can be obtained through either guesting or hosting a party of your own. The rotation shelves are a great idea too. They allow you to store more product in less space and will rotate according to the date acquired.
So there you have it. My new wonderful discovery. Do with it what you will. But couldn't you just see yourself losing all kinds of weight when you suddenly start snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of breads, cheeses, sugar products, and fattening foods? I believe I'll conduct an experiment on the matter.
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