Store It Foods

When the flu season arrives, are you going to be ready to handle the flu?

There are some simple precautions that can be taken to at least lessen the chances of your contracting the flu.

1. Wash you hands frequently and well.  A five second wash does not do the job.  Take time to make sure you have done it right, and. believe it or not, doing it right does not include using an anti-bacterial soap. Contracting the flu means you have contracted a viral infection, not a bacterial infection.  Regular soap and warm to hot water is a better bet.
2. Carry an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Use it when necessary and appropriate.
3. Shaking hands is a great way to share the flu virus, but it will not give you the disease.  Once again, washing and sanitizing are great preventatives.
4. When using public washrooms, use a paper towel to turn taps on and off.  That is also a good procedure to use when opening the washroom door to exit.
5. If you need to cough, cough into your sleeve rather than your hand. And remember that not all people are going to wise enough to do that.
6. Try to eliminate the practice of touching your nose or mouth with hands that might be carrying unwanted viruses.  Rubbing your eyes should also be avoided.
7. That hard to clean computer keyboard, especially if it is accessed by numerous users, is a great place for germs to accumulate.  Please keep that in mind.  Light switches, door handles, and other such objects are also likely to receive the touch of many hands, some of which might be carrying the flu virus.
8. A cold is not the flu.  The flu generally strikes suddenly, not with a gradual build-up of symptoms.  If you do get sick, please go home.  Don’t spread your illness to others.
9. Prepare ahead.  If your day care provider takes ill, or you have a youngster coming home because the school is closing, will you have anything in place to provide alternate care?
10. Make sure your food storage contains some easy to cook nutritious foods.  If you take sick, you are unlikely to want to prepare elaborate meals, or visit the store to do a bit of grocery shopping.  In fact, you may not be able to do so.  Yet, you will still need to eat.
11. Wash those raw fruits and vegetables.  This is a good practice at any time, but is especially appropriate when flu season strikes.
12. Pay attention to advice being provided by your doctor and other health care professionals.  Guidance will be there if you need it.

Most people will not get drastically sick with even the H1N1 virus, but why take chances.  It is no fun being sick even when the infection is relatively mild.

Soy milk is growing in popularity as a beverage.  In some homes it is even replacing dairy milk both as a beverage and as an ingredient in cooking.  This may be due to allergies, a desire to avoid all animal products in the diet, or for some other reason.  It should be noted, however, that soy is not the only possible substitute for that carton of pasteurized cow’s milk. Rice, oats, various nuts, and even potatoes are all qualified candidates.

These milks may look like the skim, 2% or homogenized milk so commonly found in the dairy section of your local grocery store, but they are not, of course, the nutritional equivalent of that milk, nor do they taste exactly the same.  There is nothing wrong with that.  They are simply different.  Whether they are better or worse depends upon what you expect from these various choices.

Some of the Options

Fresh, Pasteurized Cow’s Milk: Nutritionally rich, this milk is a prime source of Vitamin D, and well as calcium and a number of other minerals.  It is also high in protein and often fortified with Vitamin A, and some Vitamin C.  Carbohydrates are present in all forms of cow milk, although fat content will vary depending upon the type of milk chosen.  Skim milk, of course, contains the least with a calorie content of approximately 90 calories per cup compared to 130 for 2%.  Dairy milk is the basis for most yogurts and drinks such as egg nog.  With a shelf life of one and a half to two weeks and requiring refrigeration, in its liquid form it is not suitable for long term food storage.

Powdered Milk: Powdered milk is made from fresh milk which has been pasteurized, evaporated and then spray dried. Generally, skim milk is used, as fat content tends to lower shelf life.  Skim milk powder has a storage life of about 18 months (or longer if properly packaged).  There is little nutritional loss from the fresh product, but taste may be affected. Refrigeration of the unreconstituted milk is not required, but high relative humidity and high ambient temperatures while in storage can degrade nutritional values

Instant Milk: Although similar in appearance to powdered milk, and costing a little more, instant milk is produced using a freeze drying or crystallization process.  Nutrients are preserved, and many consider the taste to be superior.  It also is easier to mix than the powdered variety.

Soy Milk: This is the most common substitute for dairy milk.  Easily produced at home, espcially with use of a soy milk maker, soy milk is, indeed, a healthy alternative.  It has almost as much protein as its dairy counterpart, less fat, and no cholesterol.  Soy milk does have a lower mineral content than cow’s milk, but, on the other hand, it provides additional heart protection with phytochemicals, which are found in abundance in soy milk, whereas dairy milk lacks these helpful chemicals.

Soy milk can easily substitute for cow’s milk as a beverage, in recipes of all sorts, and in many other ways.  It can even be used to produce a nice, creamy home made yogurt.  Althugh not normally quite as thick as dairy yougurt, it can be thickened through the use of agar powder, corn starch or arrowroot.  If using corn starch, which is readily available, mix 2 tsp. of starch in 30 ml. of cold water and add the mixture to the soymilk just before boiling.

As has been said, the flavor is different, so a little experimenting might be in order.  Some, for instance, suggest adding a touch of vanilla flavoring to soymilk when using it on cereal. Soy beans have an 18 month shelf life, so home made soy milk is a good candidate for your long term, food storage program.

Rice Milk: Although it can be found in some stores, it is less common than soy milk.  Fortunately, it too can be produced at home.

Compared with cow’s milk, rice milk contains more carbohydrates, but no cholesterol or lactose. Neither does it contain significant amounts of calcium or protein. You will have to assure that you are getting enough of these two important nutrients in other ways. Rice milk is not as thick as dairy milk or soy milk, and seems to have a bit of a transluscent qualtiy.  It is naturally sweet, making it great for dessert recipes, but less useful where that sweetness is not needed or wanted.  Consequently, some people like it on cereal while others don’t - simply a matter of personal preference.  Rice milk can be used in the production of home made yogurt, but the end result is very runny, making it more of a yogurt drink than a food you would spoon from a bowl or cup.

Oat Milk: Oat milk like rice milk is a grain milk, and has similar nutritional qualities.  It lacks the pronounced sweetness, however, and some suggest the addition of honey as a sweetener in order to increase its palatability, although not everyone would agree that this is needed.  The lack of extra sweetness does, however, make it a better candidate for use in soups and sauces and other recipes where a sugary taste is not wanted. Described as light in texture with a very mild flavor, many agree that it substitutes very well for low-fat or fat-free milk.

Oat milk is lactose free, a great benefit to those who are lactose intolerant, but it does contain gluten, a fact that needs to be noted by those who have a gluten sensitivity. Oat milk is a good source of dietary fibre.

Potato Milk: Said to duplicate the texture of dairy milk, and to come amazingly close to it in taste, potato milk is increasingly being recommended for those placed on a wheat-free, dairy free diet.  Potatoes, being one of the most tolerated foods  (meaning very few people have allergies or intolerances to it), makes potato milk an ideal candidate for such uses. Many have tried it in smoothies, on cereal, and for baking with generally positive results. Potato milk does have a high carbohydrate content, but it also has a high potassium content as well as containing plenty of other vitamins and minerals.

You can make your own, but, unfortunately, potatoes do not have the shelf life of soy beans, nuts, and rice or other grains, so when it comes to long term food storage programs, potato milk has some deficencies in that regard.

Nut Milks: There is no lactose in nut milk, but it may contain other allergens, so care needs to be taken by those who might be affected.  Many, though, find it very digestible and appreciate its high protein content.

Nut milk has a creamy consistencey which is very comparable to soy milk.  The nutty taste makes it a very interesting, and some would say “delectable” addition to fruit smoothies and other creamy desserts and drinks. It may not be as useful in non-savory dishes, although, once again, personal preference will come into play.  Many report using it in general cooking quite successfully.  It can also be used in the making of yogurt, although, here again the end result is more of a yogurt drink than a creamy yogurt that needs to be spooned from its container

Believe it or not, food storage tools, do not need to be limited to food storage.  Case in point: the food grinder.

Take that food grinder, and grind together oatmeal and almonds.  To this add grated orange peel and some fresh yogurt (which could also be made at home).  The end result is not a new dessert or some sort of breakfast cereal.  What you have is a beauty product.  The oatmeal and almonds are exfoliants for removing dry, dead skin.  The yogurt / orange part of the mixture is very effective in softening and nourishing.

It is rather messy, so it is suggested that this skin treatment take place in the shower, but the end results justify that little inconvenience.  It works well, and can be much less expensive than using commercial preparations.

Some researchers are surprised to find that Recessionary times do not necessarily lead to unhealthier lifestyles.  The common assumption is that as fitness club memberships drop off due to financial restraints, and as dining out switches to fast food outlets from fine dining establishments for similar reasons, that health suffers. 

The picture is of an overweight population that is growing rapidly in numbers due to loss of active lifestyles, and a switch to diets increasingly devoted to fatty, greasy, salt laden foods.  With obesity, of course, come health concerns. 

However, obesity need not necessarily be the result of financially induced lifestyle changes.  Walking, jogging and playing sports with friends do not require a health club or a personal trainer.   Saving money by cutting back on expensive restauants does not mean you have to increase your patronage of “burger joints.”  You might instead eat more at home.  And if you choose to eat more at home you do not necessarily have to choose fatty, greasy, salt laden foods. 

The choice, of course, is yours.  If you can’t afford to go out as much as you once did, you could choose to “veg out” in front of the TV.  On the other hand, you might also choose to take longer walks with the dog, tackle some of that oft procrastianted yard work, take up gardening, or do more with the kids.  Instead of pasta for all major meals, you might want to experiment with more fruits and vegetables.  Dig out that old pressure cooker and try out that recipe for fish chowder.  Start canning your own garden produce.

There are lots of choices, and one of those choices is the choosing of a healthier lifestyle.  That is what is surprising those aforementioned researchers.  Many people are doing just that.   For those of us who are striving to cope with Recessionary times, that is a choice that we can make as well.  If you are sitting, watching another of those reruns on TV while digging into your 5th bag of potato chips, you might want to give that some very serious consideration.

If you want to make a lifestyle change in order to live “greener” and healthier, it might help to do a little prelimnary research.

For instance, is that bottled water you want to use to replace the chlorine laden tap water you’ve been drinking up to this point going to have more in it than bottled tap water? Unfortunately, it is a distinct possibility that you might not be getting what you think you are getting.  The picture on the label may depict a mountain glacier, but the water in the bottle itself may not have come from anyplace anywhere near a mountain glacier.

Or how about your pressure canner?  It may be great to do some home canning, and a pressure canner is one of the safest and quickest ways of doing so.  But wouldn’t it be wise to find out before the purchase that this particular pressure canner is too big for the burners on, and not recommended for use on your ceramic top range?

If you’ve decided to try gardening for the first time, have you purchased the right seeds, bought the right tools, or determined whether or not you really do have the time and dedication to do all of the weeding, watering and processing that might be needed?

In other words, as the old saying goes, “look before you leap,” whether it’s a big leap or just a small one.

Do you hate to see the kids running for another bag of salt laden, fat rich,  high calorie potato chips or similar “treat” every time they are looking for a snack of some sort?  Perhaps you hate to see yourself doing it as well. 

Yet, what are the options?  Cookies and cake?  Well, there are nutritional drawbacks there too.  A nice, healthy vegetable platter might provide an answer, but there are difficulties in keeping on hand a selection of fresh, crisp vegetables that are cut, cleaned and ready-to-eat.

You may, however, want to consider garden fresh peas.  They are simply prepared and both tasty and nutritious.  Anyone who has eaten green peas right from the pod can attest to how delicious they are.  Nutritionists have proven their value as far as the pea’s vitamin rich content is concerned.

Here, according to the USDA is the nutritional content of 100 g (3.5 oz) of raw, green peas, (with percentages referring to recommended daily totals):

Looks good doesn’t it?  It’s likely, though, that you have already thought of a drawback. Garden fresh peas are not always all that easy to come by, especially if you do not have a garden.

Fortunately, there is a solution.

Consider frozen peas.  Normally, they are flash frozen two or three hours after picking so little of their nutritional value is lost.  In fact, nutritional levels may be higher than those of fresh peas that may have taken two or three weeks to get from the farmer’s field to the supermarket shelf.  They will also have already been shelled, eliminating that time consuming task.

Some people actually snack on frozen peas themselves.  If that idea, however, does not appeal to you, you can simply take a handful or two of the frozen product, place it in a sieve or strainer of some kind, and run cold water over it for just a few seconds.  You’ll soon have thawed peas that taste amazingly similar to those peas that really do come straight from the garden.  Unlike some vegetables, thawing peas in this fashion does not leave you with a mushy mass of soggy veggies, so even the texture is similar to the fresh product.

Try it.  You may very well like it, and your kids may very well like it as well.

Using a vacuum sealer is a great way of freezing your own peas in season, or you could depend upon those packages of frozen peas that are readily available in just about any grocery store.  If choosing the latter option, the recommendation is to select grade A small peas for the best results.  You might want to try three or four different brands before settling on one that you really like.

Don’t be surprised if this becomes a family favorite.  If it does, you will have found a simple, tasty, nutritious, and inexpensive alternative to those many salted snacks.

A report at the American Dietetic Association’s annual conference held in October of 2008 highlights the fact that a good way of obtaining the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vegetables is through the use of vegetable juice.  In other words, you can drink your vegetables.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of California-Davis who recruited 90 volunteers and split them into three groups.  Using V8 Brand Vegetable Juice, one group was asked to consume two 8 oz. glasses of the juice per day, the second was asked to drink one such glass and the third was provided with dietary counseling.  Similar counseling was given the first two groups.

At the conclusion of the study it was found that everyone in the first group had met their RDA of vegetables, more than half of the second group had done so, and approximately one quarter of the third and final group managed to reach the “5 daily servings of vegetables” that represented the recommended daily allowance.

So why the difference when vegetables are so abundant and easy to obtain?  Well, perhaps many people do not find them “abundant and easy to obtain.” 

The study author, Carl Keen, has been quoted as saying, “drinking vegetable juice seemed to address some of the key barriers to vegetable consumption such as convenience, portability and taste, so individuals were more likely to meet their daily recommendations.” Participants actually enjoyed making the vegetable juice a part of their daily routine, and found it easy to do so.

In the study, of course, commercially prepared vegetable juice was used, and that use was restricted to one particular brand, V8 Juice.  No doubt other brands could have been used with similar results having been obtained. What is apparent is that the drinking of vegetable juice is an excellent way to get us closer to that 5 serving RDA goal, a goal that many are now missing. 

This should also be of encouragement to those who juice at home.  Fresh, home made juices right from your kitchen juicer will also have an added bonus. They will be free from the salt and other preservatives that are found in the bottles and cans of juices found on store shelves, making them an exceptionally healthy choice.

Many of the juices that are sold in supermarkets today are made of artificial ingredients. They also have too much sugar and are unhealthy for kids. The best option is to make your own juices yourself. It is not that hard to do. You could simply invest in gadget, such as an omega juicer, and voila! Healthy drinks around the house. The juices of fruits and veggies such as oranges, carrots, apples and mangoes are just a few that your kids would love to drink.

Another way for them to enjoy their juice is to make it into popsicles. You could simply use your juicer to extract the juices, add a little sugar, and pour the mixture into an ice cube tray. After a few hours in the freezer, you have a healthy snack to serve on a hot summer day.

A smoothie, especially on a hot day, can refresh your body. Smoothies are also nutritious and healthy because they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein. They provide liquid nutrition that is easily absorbed by the body.

Smoothies are also high in carbohydrates and fiber. Having a smoothie maker at home is convenient because smoothies are fast to prepare. This is perfect especially for kids who are picky eaters. Kids will never say no to smoothies.

Use of your steam juicer doesn’t need to be a “once a year” type thing.  Though they are great for making juices for jams, jellies, or concentrates, jobs at which they excel, these handy devices can also be used as cookers. 

In other words, you can use them to steam cook vegetables for an appetizing side dish, or even prepare an entire main course. Steam rice, fish, poultry, clams, cakes, puddings, and more. It’s a healthy way to cook and it’s a simple way to cook.

To transform your steam juicer into a steam cooker, simply remove the juice kettle portion of the unit.  That’s it.  You’re done.  You’re ready to go.  You will have left behind the water pan and the steamer basket, and those are what you require for steam cooking.

Would you like even more versatility?  Use the steamer basket as a colander for draining hot spaghetti or other pastas.  You’ll find it similarily useful for washing greens and other fruits and vegetables prior to meal preparation.  The water pan can easily be used to cook up soups and stews, or as an extra large pot for boiling potatoes or other vegetables for those special, family dinners.

Don’t limit your thinking.  Get your money’s worth.  That steam juicer really can become a kitchen utensil that is useful year round, rather than just seasonally.