Exploring the many milk substitutes

A very important yet inexpensive staple to your pantry is rice, oats & even almonds. NOT just for eating, Oh no. Your going to learn how to make it into Milk and save some cash to replace that watery and now pricey powdered milk. Use either brown or Enriched white rice for your milk substitute. Personally, powdered milk is yucky tasting. Childhood memories of the Mormon Cannery groceries we would receive on occasion were my intro to powdered milk. We all hated drinking that stuff and to fathom we were to use it in cereal? Gross! Maybe it was made with too much water to elongate it's time or maybe, just maybe- we were too far gone in the "real" cow milk world. Milk was a luxury in our life.

I have heard some people say they actually enjoy drinking the reconstituted stuff. To each their own. Now, I buy it for quick use in a pinch as well for baking.

What is so worrisome about the store Non dairy milks? Well, I advise you take a moment over to Empowered Sustenance via here*

for insight to understand more of the reasoning behind why many health foods such as Store bought Milk substitutes are not as healthy as you may think.

A few home made Milk Alternatives to experiment with which your family may enjoy are shared below. Mine loves Almond milk the best and Oat milk is nice but not something on a regular basis they want:

Some basic math to help you better understand Rice  vs dairy comparison costs. Just a tad over 16 cups is equal to 1 gallon.  At $3-$4 a gallon for cow milk & $4.66 per gallon made from powdered milk- I think stocking up on white rice may be the budget kind method.

1 cup raw rice and 2 cups of water = 3 cups COOKED rice. So you get about 3/4 of a gallon Rice milk from 1 cup of UNCOOKED rice. 2 1/2 cups of Uncooked rice come in a One pound bag which costs $1 per pound when buying a 10 lb bag. For about .33 cents worth (1 cup uncooked rice) & .50 cents of your water (if bottled) would make 3/4 of a gallon rice milk cost you 83 cents! Not bad for milk storage ingredients. 

1 cup cooked rice

4 cups filtered water

Measure rice into a blender and add 4 cups of filtered water.  Blend until smooth, approximately 1 minute.  You may want to blend again for ultra smooth consistency.  Store in the refrigerator and enjoy cold; shake before using.

For two cups:  1/2 cup rice, 2 cups water

For one cup:  1/4 cup rice, 1 cup hot water

~ I have not found the original source of this photo to give credit. If this is yours, please do let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.

Almond Milk Rich creamy taste with  milk texture Health properties; calcium, magnesium, selenium, vitamin A and vitamin E. Almond milk unlike dairy milk is an unsaturated fat. Almond milk is dairy, grain, gluten, casein and soy free. Almond milk recipe is relatively easy. Simply soak your blanched almonds about 10 hours. After soaking preparation time is about 20 minutes. Raw milk will store in refrigerator for about 2 day:

Ingredient

- 1 1/2 cup blanched almonds (skinless organic almond)

- 4 cups spring water or cooled pre-boiled water

- 1 tablespoon Stevia or agave nectar (to taste)

-1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (optional to taste)

Preparation:

1. Add blanched almonds to water in air-tight container. Do not place in refrigerator but store at room temperature for 10 hours.

2. Soaking almonds softens them making easier to blend.

3. After 10 hours pour almonds and water into blender for approximately 8-10 minutes. Should be complete combined mixture should be creamy.

4. Cover empty large bowl with 4-ply cheese cloth. Secure cheese cloth with large rubber band to hold cheese cloth in plan.

5. Pour blended mixture into cheese cloth. Squeeze all liquid out of cheese cloth.

6. Remove cheese cloth and there is your Almond Milk.

7. Add stevia, Raw Honey or agave, vanilla and sea salt to taste. Mix well all ingredient.

8. Store in air-tight container in refrigerator.

Note: Raw Almond Milk will store for 2 days in refrigerator.

This recipe link via http://paleorecipespaleomeal.blogspot.com/2012/07/homemade-almond-milk-recipe.html will also give you Flax milk & coconut milk recipes.

Oat Milk The average cup of oat milk available for purchase will contain about 4 g of protein, 130 calories, 2.5 g fat, 110 g sodium, 19 g sugar, 2 g fiber, and 24 grams of carbohydrates. Oat milk is also completely void of cholesterol and saturated fats. An extremely health-conscious choice, high in natural fiber and iron, and low in fat, sugars, and calories. Oat milk also provides many important vitamins and minerals including manganese, potassium, phosphorus, many B vitamins, vitamin E, and Vitamin A. Oat milk also contains a type of antioxidant called phytochemicals, which can protect against diseases including heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.

you can experiment with adding anything you would like to your recipe. Oat milk is naturally sweet, but for a sweeter or even dessert-like drink, try adding sugar, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, or agave. For a special flavor you may like to add coconut shavings, or ripe strawberries or bananas. Adding the banana is also a good way to thicken the oat milk without worrying about lumps, and add some extra nutritional value. Some other suggested flavorings and spices for experimentation include cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, or chocolate.

Yield: 3 cups

1/2 cup Oat Flakes

3 cups cold water

1 pinch Sea Salt

1 Tbsp maple syrup or Raw Honey to taste

Directions

Place the flakes in a blender and grind until a fine powder, about 3 minutes. Place 1 cup of water, sea salt, and syrup in the blender and blend to mix. Add remaining 2 cup of water and blend again. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove grain residue. Place in a covered glass jar and refrigerate. Shake well before using.

You can use it on cereal and in cooking and baking in place of dairy milk.

Note: the sweetener can be adjusted for taste preference and variety. Try adding 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract for added flavor. Fresh fruit can also be added to create smoothies.

So there you have it. Some great substitutes to experiment with. Which ever one your family prefers, start stocking the pantry with it's staple on your Basics "extra buying" list & incorporate it into your regular consumption as well.

 Remember, anything can happen and it has. Now to see it for what it is & be prepared for more.

“It's best to have your tools with you. If you don't, you're apt to find something you didn't expect and get discouraged.”  ― Stephen King

Sweet Dreams,

~Tammie

It's Simply smart Independence Pt 1

Before I head into medicinal herbs, I feel it is very important to stress a well stocked food pantry. I'm striving to ensure we have a comfortable 3 months worth of staples with a goal of 6 months back up. I prefer to invest in food that I KNOW my family will willingly consume. I refuse to buy into the Prepper prepackaged foods with individual servings. Some sites list it as under $2,000 for 3 months worth of food for a family of 4. I have ZERO interest in such items. A canning pantry well thought out & stocked from the garden season as well as livestock/wild game or the local butcher meats tie it all together. You should have an inventory list you actually keep updated within the Pantry. This slow stock method will ease your up front cost as well as food rotation while slowly stocking your pantry. Soon enough, it will become habit to grab 5 extra cans of veggies or dry goods along with your routine shopping. Of course the list I am sharing is personalized to our family eating habits and supplement what I already have stocked. I found a suggestion list for a full year of food supplies for 2 people via Off the Grid news *at this link* and make your own adjustments.

Survival Homestead has a very nice weekly buy list also pertaining to 2 people which they claim will provide  1 year's supply of food for 2 people on $10 a week. Click on over here*. Just too much tuna and soup for our preference.

Many dismiss such old fashioned ways as in keeping a long term pantry well stocked. After all, a quick trip to the grocer will provide what they need. Obviously, ignorance is abundant on the matter and that in itself is WHY you should stock up. Between the rising cost of food & gas, a well stocked pantry will provide certain items most commonly used as well as seen surging in price just over the last few years. Peanut butter rose 40% in price this year alone. remember a few years back when talks of sugar prices were set to raise sharply and shelves were at times almost bare of the sweet stuff?

 A simple search on wheat prices has shown a zig zag of big rises and falls. Recently brought to the front line is the GMO strain found from the wheat field of an Oregon Farmer whose entire harvest was declined from his unintentional planting of contaminated seed- some contemplate theories on it's travel. Such things DO effect the store prices. Food manufacturers & retailers do NOT pass lower producer savings onto consumers when items dip down. 

  Between weather issues, the Gas war & Our country' debt amongst other things, it demands more attention to many of the old ways. It is not getting better as the Government continues to spew. Besides, every family should be responsible for their own outlook.  Independence is a must. Not an option. The threat of Germ warfare/a virus epidemic is not over exaggerated. Look at the cases of SARS, the H1N1 epidemic and so on down the line. From minor bugs to deadly disease. The scenarios CAN happen and warnings may come too late in many communities. What about Small Pox? Many parents are under the thought their children receive vaccination for it. No. That is only for Chicken Pox.If you born after 1970, chances are, you were never vaccinated. That's 2 generations of people without a vaccination. "...it is believed that clandestine stocks of smallpox exist in 10 or more other countries."

Quote source: http://www.immunizationinfo.org/vaccines/smallpox

 "Most people in the U.S.—indeed in the world—have not considered smallpox a health threat for several decades. Smallpox hasn’t occurred in the U.S. since 1949, and routine vaccination against it ended here in 1972. When the World Health Organization (WHO) certified that smallpox had been eradicated from the planet in 1980, this was the first time in history that medical scientists and public health workers had completely purged the world of a devastating infectious disease.

Though the disease was eradicated over 20 years ago, several samples of the live virus were preserved, mainly for research purposes. Today the only verified repositories of the virus are held in secure laboratories at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and the State Center for Research on Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo, Russia. However, it is believed that clandestine stocks of smallpox exist in 10 or more other countries."

  People travel worldwide with possible exposure of many infectious diseases, bringing it back home before any symptoms present themselves. Small Pox vaccination is reserved now ONLY for emergency cases. But one can expose others before receiving it. There are many possible scenarios that a stocked pantry eliminates the need to go out in public where sick or contaminated people are bound to go.Although, should we somehow endure an evacuation or flooding where we are... We're screwed. For this amount of food, travel is not likely.

 Remember the Black out in 2003? The east coast of the U.S.A  lost electricity for a week or more in some spots. People panic and looting becomes inevitable with long periods of so called duress.

We are on a 2 week interval pay period so I show 2 weeks clumped together.

 Start looking at those sales flyer's! Most chains will match a competitor sale price if you bring the paper in.

In addition, you will want to gather extra meat for the deep freezer as well as for the pressure canner with each pay. We average 2 lbs meat per person per week. That's 40 lbs of meat a month for our family!

Our basic 3 month back up supply for family of 5

 I already have many of these items stocked in the pantry so the 1 year plan for 3 months worth of food is not exact if your starting from scratch. Simply add extra vegetables/fruits, bag of beans, flour, sugar, oats and such to get the amount you need for your own pantry.  Don't forget to can your own meat! Far less in cost when you compare $1.99 per pound of actual chicken breast meat to $3 a pound (with water added) in the metal can.

In one year by following ONLY the items & amounts on this list, you will have supplemented your family with a Pantry stock totaling:

 225 lbs of flour/wheat berries (giving 15 pounds per person per month)

24 lbs Oats (1.6 lb per person per month)

40 lbs sugar (2.6 lbs per person per month)

18 lbs salt (kosher & pickling)

35 lbs Pasta enriched with veggies (2.33 lbs per person per month)

20 lbs various beans ( a mere 1.33 lb a month per person)

2 lbs baking powder

10 lbs Baking soda

4 lbs of yeast

8 lbs Powdered Milk (0.53 lbs dry matter per person per month)

6 lbs coffee

5 lbs of  various soup

69 lbs rice {various kind}

12 lbs shortening (0.8 lbs per person per month)

26 metal canned Fruit (1.73 cans per person per month)

170 metal Can vegetables (11.33 cans per person per month)

 *You will want to add extra veggie & fruit cans EVERY time you shop. Even just a few each time will soon add up. 

Week 1 & 2:     6 Pounds of Kosher Salt, 2 cans baking powder & 12 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup, 10 cans veggies  total ($19.50)

Week 3 & 4:     10 Pounds of Sugar, 7 lbs of Veggie enriched Pasta, 6 cans veggies, 10 Cans Tomato Soup & 2 large cans fruit Total ($27.50)

Week 5& 6:     25 Pounds of Wheat & 10 Pounds of pasta enriched with vegetables (total $30)

Week 7 &8:     10 Pounds of Sugar, 10 cans veggies, 4 lbs of choice rice & 1 can coffee (total $27)

Week 9 & 10:     4 Pounds of Yeast ~vac sealed package~ & 3 large cans fruit, 25 Pounds of Wheat/flour (total $24)

Week 11 & 12:   12 Cans of chicken noodle Soup, 6 lbs oats, 16 Pounds of various beans ( 6 lbs kidney,6 lbs Northern white & 2 lbs black eyed) (total $34)

Week 13 & 14:   30 lbs bagged enriched white rice (@ $10 per 10lb bag) {Total $30}

Week 15& 16:   30 cans of veggies (10 carrots, 15 Green beans, 5 spinach/greens), 5 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup & 1 can coffee {total $25.50}

Week 17 & 18: Bottle 500 Multi-Vitamins & 3 lbs each Kosher & Pickling salt, 6 cans veggies,  4 Pounds of Powdered Milk  ( They come in 1 lb 10 ounce boxes at Aldi's to be exact) @ $7 each  ($28)

Week 19 & 20:  6 cans veggies, 5 Cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup & 1 can coffee @ $7, 25 Pounds of Wheat  {Total $27}

Week 21 & 22:   6 Cans of Tomato Soup, 10 cans veggies & 8 lbs pasta veggie enriched, 10 Pounds of Sugar {total $28}

Week 23 & 24:   8 Cans of Tuna, 10 cans veggies, 4 lbs dry beans, 6 Pounds of Shortening and 4 large cans fruit {total $27}

Week 25 & 26:  25 Pounds of Wheat, 15 cans of veggies, 15 Pounds of Local Raw Honey (In our case, I would use this week to stock additional bottled Water of gallon jugs & case of bottled. We normally buy 1 extra case of bottled plus a few jugs each shopping trip.) {total $27}

Week 27 &28:   20 lbs white enriched rice, 15 lbs dark rice ~ mix 12 lbs brown & 3lbs wild {Total $43}

Week 29& 30:   6 Pounds of Peanut Butter 25 Pounds of Wheat flour {total $26}

Week 31 & 32:   12 pounds quick & regular oats ~ 4 Cylinder containers (comes in 2lb 10 oz package), 4 Pounds of Powdered Milk (2 box) {total $24}

Week 33 & 34:  2 Bottles of 500 Aspirin, 5 cans veggies, 5 small cans fruits, 3 lbs powdered Milk, 5 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup & 2 bottles multi vitamin {total $27}

Week 35 & 36:   25 Pounds of Wheat, 5 cans fruit, 5 cans veggies, 7 Boxes of pasta enriched with vegetables {total $30}

Week 37 & 38:   6 Pounds of pickling Salt, 15 cans veggies, 2 cans baking powder, 10 Pounds of Sugar & 5 lbs choice rice {total $24.50}

Week 39 & 40:   8 Cans of chicken noodle Soup,  10 small cans fruit, 10 cans veggies, 25 Pounds of Wheat flour {total $32}

Week 41 & 42:   5 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup & 1-2 bottles of strong vodka/ever clear, 10 Pounds of Sugar {total $31}

Week 43 & 44:   2 Bottles of 500 Multi-Vitamins, 8 Cans of Tuna & 20 canned veggies {total $27}

Week 45 & 46:  25 Pounds of Wheat, 10 Pounds of pasta enriched with vegetables {total $29.50}

Week 47 & 48:   6 Pounds of oats (quick or old fashioned), 5 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup & 2 bottles of 80 proof cheap Vodka & 110 alcohol {total $26.50}

Week 49 & 50:   10 packets meat seasoning from Aldi's, 10 cans veggies, 10 cans fruit 6 lbs Shortening & 5 small cans fruit {total $27}

Week 51& 52:   8 Cans of kids choice Soup & 10 canned veggies, 25 Pounds of Wheat & 5 box of Baking soda {total $27}

A Total payout of $729 spread over a year it comes to $60.75 a month. Or $15.18 per week for your family 5. Round it out with an extra bag of beans or oats & two cans of vegetables/fruit, it would still be under $20 a week. All it took was a small amount spread over a year to get you started in a well stocked food Pantry.

It is better to begin now then look back and regret not making it a priority.

In the comments to the initial article I mention from Off grid News, I found some wonderful tips to keep your grains/flours, etc. bug free & well preserved. PLUS, those Plastic 5 Gallon buckets with gasket seal would be a bonus for space conserving as well as organization.

 I HIGHLY suggest you make the jump into a food Vacuum sealer gadget. The large bags can hold 5lbs of flour. Much safer then leaving it in the paper,or worse, in large food grade bags with 50lbs of flour that could potentially be ruined while stored in plastic containers. 

To keep the bugs out of flour/wheat, etc, I put in a tight container, along with bay leaves. It keeps quite well. You don’t need a lot of bay leaves per container. Works good with most all wheat products.

Tip For canning, in place of sugar use a ratio of 3 parts water and 1 part honey.

A few sticks of peppermint gum works well to on the pantry shelves to deter the wheat moths.

Freeze flour, pasta, and anything else (not sugar) that may get buggy for 24-48 hours, then take it out of the freezer and put it into an airtight container or vacuum seal it. It’s my belief that freezing will kill off the larvae. Since starting this process, I have not gotten bugs in my flour-grain stores.

Up next We learn how to make Rice Milk which I hope you will print out a DIY for your Must Keep binder. Then we will continue on in stocking up on First aid, Toiletries and Hygiene one pay period at a time.

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

~Lao Tzu 

Sweetest dreams,

~Tammie

And so it begins...

Here I will dabble in everything from my hobby of photography to self sufficient ways and Herbal medicine. I have lost confidence in the way of our society and in those who are of power. I am beyond tired of the phone appendage life around me. Tired of being told by others I MUST get one. A few even stated they would pay for it. Joking or not, that is just sick. They claim it makes it so much easier for them to get a hold of me or just send a quick note. All are shocked to discover I have not had a cell phone but for a year stint long ago. I do not want one. I am just fine with a land line. BTW, the similarities between a zombie and phone appendage person are no longer as comical as I found them to be.

I've blogged since 2006 under a different name. Life was a constant roller coaster trying to live as I felt was the right way with great resistance in all directions. I no longer hold what others believe, do or say as important to our life. Either it's to justify in their minds their own ways or their behavior turns out to be self serving. 

My entire life has been about survival. Living most of my childhood in cars & tents no matter the season. Many nights spent with snow weighing down the tops. Huddled with my 2 brothers for warmth. Not knowing if we would have food that day or next. Not a single person spoke out. They knew, they saw. But never intervened. Years later when I asked "Why didn't you turn them in? Why didn't you do something?" Their answer was self serving. "We didn't want the state to take you away. We would never see you again.". THAT has been proven over and over again to me. The Mass of people always look out for their own interests. A lesson I will never forget.

The life I lead now is not the same survival mode. I fear that life. I fear that our country will continue with it's own self serving ways, destroying the American people. Between the spying, the further restrictive laws with freedom no longer defined as it once was. Going as far as threatening to jail individuals if they do not buy the new government health insurance when they have none. THIS is not what our founding fathers had in mind. THIS is destruction.

My writings will cover Medicinal herb gardening for our Zone of North Eastern Ohio. if it can not grow here, then I find a substitute of similar attributes that will. from tincturing to salves and Pastilles. I will share it. The food gardening, my photography hobby and DIY of useful items for home & garden. Not too mention My moose dog and heathen children ramblings thrown in for good measure. I would rather over estimate then under estimate the way our lives are changing. Knowledge is power, doing is productive and there is no room for the doubters and leaches. Positive minds and actions from here out.

And so it begins...

~Tammie