Shelf Reliance Blog

Food Storage Scholar: Thinking About Protein

2010-02-09T23:02:54Z

There are many great protein sources out there that work for food storage, including beans, peanut butter, and soy. If you’re like me, you get a lot of your body’s protein from meat, poultry, and fish. Sadly, these tasty, nutritious parts of our diets haven’t traditionally been great for long-term storage. Meat tends to spoil pretty quickly; even canned meats, such as tuna and chicken, can only last about three years under the best conditions. This has made it difficult to include meat in the average food storage supply.

For many years, one solution to this problem has come in the form of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein), a soy-based meat replacement that packs in the protein with a taste and texture that’s pretty similar to real meat. You can see examples of TVP in our Meats & Beans section.

TVP can be seasoned to taste like chicken, beef, bacon, or any other kind of meat. Many people enjoy the taste and incorporate it into everyday meals, like the fajita shown above. Most restaurants use TVP in their dishes, so you’ve probably eaten it before without even noticing! Shelf Reliance offers seven varieties of TVP that can last about 10 years in your food storage pantry.Recently, another protein option has become available. Shelf Reliance now offers freeze dried meats, including Sausage Crumbles, Roast Beef, and Diced Turkey. These meats are pre-cooked and put through a state-of-the-art freeze drying process that removes almost all of the moisture. That’s what makes our freeze dried meats capable of lasting as long as 25 years in your food storage!

If you’re trying to decide between TVP and Freeze Dried Meats, you should know that both are great sources of protein. TVP is generally more affordable, and it’s also great for vegetarians or those who are trying to decrease the fat in their diets. Of course, anything freeze dried will have a great shelf life, as well as superior taste and nutrition. Both are ready to eat or use in recipes with the addition of hot liquid, such as water, chicken stock, and beef stock.

No matter how you choose to do it, be sure to make some protein available in your food storage. Protein is essential for fighting off illness and aiding in recovery. A variety of beans and meats are available at ShelfReliance.com, as well as Whole Egg Powder that you can use in omelets and all sorts of baked goods. You can browse through different options and get everything you need by visiting our Meats & Beans section.

Thanks for reading today! Please share your own advice for implementing protein in your food storage in the comments section below.

Zeroing In: Emotional Health After A Disaster

2010-01-26T20:30:36Z

Taking care of yourself emotionally is vital at any stage of life, especially since your own emotional state has a profound effect on family members and anyone else you spend much time with. One person’s positive attitude or calm demeanor tends to rub off on others. Similarly, pessimistic or aggressive family members can create toxic situations for everyone in the home.

The importance of emotional health is only magnified when a disaster takes place. In the aftermath of a disaster, adults and children alike are prone to feeling stressed, frustrated, and drained. We hope the information we share today can help you to look after your emotional health and to recover quickly when unexpected problems come along.

What is a disaster?

“Disasters” can be anything from natural disasters, like the earthquake that’s caused so much devastation in Haiti, to car accidents or the death of a loved one. A “disaster” can be big enough make national news or small enough to only challenge one family. Even the long-term stress that comes from a dangerous job or caring for a sick child can create reactions like the ones seen in victims of traumatic events. It’s safe to say that we’ll all experience several disasters in our lives, and the ability to deal with those disasters in a safe way is key.

How do people react emotionally when disaster strikes?

As you might expect, there’s a wide range of emotions that can be inspired by a disaster. According to the Red Cross, here are some of the most common responses to difficult situations:

Feeling physically and mentally drained
Having difficulty making decisions or staying focused on topics
Frustration that occurs more quickly and more often
Arguing more with family and friends
Feeling tired, sad, numb, lonely, or worried
Experiencing changes in appetite or sleep patterns

Looking at this list, it’s striking to notice how important it is to know and understand your own behavior before you can evaluate your emotional health. For example, if you’re usually indecisive or if you tend to worry a lot, then those symptoms might not be as meaningful after a disaster. But if you’ve always been an incurable optimist and are suddenly feeling depressed, or if you’re starting arguments even though that’s completely unlike you, those symptoms are likely very telling.

What’s the best way to respond to these emotional troubles?

The Red Cross offers these suggestions:

Take care of your safety. Find a safe place to stay and make sure your physical health needs and those of your family are addressed. Seek medical attention, if necessary.
Eat healthy. During times of stress, it is important that you maintain a balanced diet and drink plenty of water.
Get some rest. With so much to do, it may be difficult to have enough time to rest or get adequate sleep. Giving your body and mind a break can boost your ability to cope with the stress you may be experiencing.
Stay connected with family and friends. Giving and getting support is one of the most important things you can do.
Be patient with yourself and with those around you. Recognize that everyone is stressed and may need some time to put their feelings and thoughts in order.
Set priorities.Tackle tasks in small steps
Gather information about assistance and resources that will help you and your family members met your disaster-related needs.
Stay positive. Remind yourself of how you’ve successfully gotten through difficult times in the past. Reach out when you need support, and help others when they need it.

In most cases, the symptoms pass quickly after a disaster. Once people have the chance to rest and regroup, they’re able to think clearly and recover. If unusual behavior persists for longer than two weeks, it may be a sign that the person should reach out for more assistance.

For more information on this topic, take a look at this Red Cross document: Taking Care of Your Emotional Health after a Disaster

Q&A: The THRIVE Cookbook

2010-02-18T16:56:08Z

***UPDATE: Thanks to all who took part in our THRIVE Cookbook poll! The feedback you provided has been very helpful so far. At this time, we’ve removed the poll from our website and are evaluating the responses. Keep an eye out for the THRIVE Cookbook to make its debut!***

Many of you have enjoyed having resources like our Recipes section and the Shelf Reliance YouTube channel to find fresh ideas for using your THRIVE food storage in everyday meals. We’re excited to announce that our latest addition, the THRIVE Cookbook, is well on its way. The newest member of the Shelf Reliance family, Kelsey Nixon, is developing new recipes and tips every day, all to help you make delicious, healthy, convenient meals for your family!

As we’ve been working on this cookbook, several questions have come to mind. Our goal is to make a resource that’s helpful and worthwhile for you, and to do that, we need your help! We’ve created a short poll of just 13 questions (all of which are optional), and we’d love to get your feedback. You can participate in the poll by clicking here [editor's note: as indicated above, this poll has been closed and the responses were great!]. We appreciate your thoughts and your time. Have a great day, and be looking for our new THRIVE Cookbook in the coming months!

Sharing is Caring: 12 Days of Deals

2009-12-04T17:38:01Z

From now through December 17th, Shelf Reliance will be hosting 12 Days of Deals. Check our website each day to find out which item is discounted, then snag your own before midnight!

We’re kicking things off today with out first item – the 2 Person Survival Pack. Regularly priced at $160, this pack is on sale for $89.99 through midnight tonight. The pack comes in a sturdy backpack and includes individually-packed water boxes, high calorie food, sleeping bags, ponchos, and a flashlight that can also be used as an alarm, a radio, and a cell phone charger.

The 12 Days of Deals excludes Sundays, so the offers listed on Saturdays will actually last two days. To find out the new item each day, simply visit our homepage and look for a slider like the one above. Happy Holidays from Shelf Reliance! We hope you’ll find an item for every special person on your list.

Food Storage Scholar: Food Safety and Preparation During a Power Failure

2009-12-03T18:38:46Z

A 2003 manual from the United States Department of Agriculture gives some great guidelines for keeping your food from going bad in case of a power outage. The manual, entitled Food Safety and Food Security: What Consumers Need to Know, is a fantastic resource for information on food handling, the USDA’s inspection procedures, canned foods, and other topics. Today’s blog post will give you some food safety tips that will save you money and keep you safe in case of an emergency.

A power failure can be inconvenient and uncomfortable, especially when the weather is extreme. It’s best to keep a supply of nonperishable food at home, cutting down your dependence on food that has to stay chilled or frozen. Of course, since most power failures only last a few hours, the food in your freezer and refrigerator can be kept safe if you follow a few simple rules. Some are common sense, and some require a little more thought.

1. Make the most of the cold air you already have. Keeping the freezer door closed will go a long way. A full freezer can keep food at a safe temperature for 2 days if the cold air is preserved inside. If your freezer isn’t usually full, you can group packages together into a sort of “igloo” shape when you bring them home from the grocery store, allowing the cold foods to support each other most efficiently. In general, refrigerated items should be safe for up to 4 hours if the cold air is kept inside.

2. Plan ahead for longer power outages. If you have reason to suspect that the power will be out for several days, try to get some dry ice. Keep it wrapped in your freezer and don’t touch it with your bare hands. For the refrigerator, cubed or blocked ice will do fine.

3. Know what to do with partially thawed or warming food. If the food in your freezer has started to thaw, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll need to throw it out or prepare it right away. According to the USDA, food can be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or if it registers at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Be sure to evaluate each item separately. Discard any perishable foods that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more, along with food that has a strange order, color, texture, or that feels warm to the touch.

4. Use appliance thermometers in your freezer and refrigerator. The key to determining the safety of your food is an accurate measure of temperature. Rather than having to guess at how warm or cold your unit is, you can have the exact temperature by using an appliance thermometer, giving you that added certainty you need in situations like this. The refrigerator temperature should be 40 degrees Fahrenheit at most. For the freezer, the top temperature is zero degrees Fahrenheit.

More detailed information for handling food in emergency situations can be found in a USDA fact sheet entitled Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency.

Birthday Bash: The Final Five Winners

2009-11-28T02:35:05Z

Black Friday, the infamous start of holiday shopping, is winding to a close, but there’s still one last deal to be had. The winners of the Harvest 72″ systems were selected with the Random Integer Generator:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-28 02:15:04 UTC

Unfortunately, comment #234 was found to be an invalid entry. As a replacement, the following comment was chosen:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-28 02:30:20 UTC

Congratulations to Sandy Huffman, Meg Snow, Natasha Laity Snyder, LaRee Holcomb, and Anne Gullion! Keep your eyes open for a confirmation e-mail that’s on its way to you.

It’s been quite the birthday celebration, and we thank you all for getting involved in our Birthday Bash giveaways!

Birthday Bash: Thanksgiving Day Winners

2009-11-27T02:50:10Z

Looking for our birthday giveaway? You’re getting warmer, and there’s still time to enter! Visit this blog post for all the info you need.

With all the mashed potatoes, family gossip, and napping you’ve likely taken care of today, I expect that the winners of today’s giveaway is the last thing on your mind! It’s certainly a busy time of year, and we hope you had a marvelous time with family and friends on Thanksgiving. The winners of the Medium Can Packs were selected with the Random Integer Generator:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-27 02:29:41 UTC

Congratulations to “traceface”, Debbie Pratt, Jeanine Feldkamp, Jessica Jensen, and Jennifer Andersen! Keep your eyes open for a confirmation e-mail that we’ll be sending out. We wish happy shopping to all of you who are braving our Black Friday Sale tomorrow, and remember that that’s the day we’ll pick the winners of the Harvest 72″ systems! Good luck!

Birthday Bash: Harvest 51″ Winners

2009-11-26T01:03:34Z

Looking for our birthday giveaway? You’re getting warmer, and there’s still time to enter! Visit this blog post for all the info you need.

On Thanksgiving Eve, the team at Shelf Reliance is thankful for all of your birthday wishes and continued support. The winners of the Harvest 51″ systems were selected with the Random Integer Generator:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-26 00:11:07 UTC

Unfortunately, comment #697 was found to be an invalid entry. As a replacement, the following comment was chosen:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-26 00:50:41 UTC

Congratulations to Jessica Pulsipher, Sandy Perlic, Will Stillwell, April Elsegood, and Terri Walker! Keep your eyes open for a confirmation e-mail that we’ll be sending out. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and we’ll see you back here for our last two giveaways!

Birthday Bash: A Quick Announcement

2009-11-25T18:02:26Z

The Shelf Reliance staff is hard at work at locations throughout Utah (and even one in Idaho) to prepare for our Black Friday Sale. You can find details for a sale near you by clicking here.

All this traveling will result in a few delays on the blog, but have no fear! Our Birthday Bash giveaways will continue as expected, and though announcements of our chosen winners might come late in the day, rest assured that we haven’t forgotten about your entries. Have a happy Thanksgiving, and we hope to see you snagging deals at one of our Black Friday locations!

Birthday Bash: Wheat Grinder Winners

2009-11-24T19:50:04Z

Looking for our birthday giveaway? You’re getting warmer, and there’s still time to enter! Visit this blog post for all the info you need.

Turkey Day’s getting closer and closer, and the prizes just keep coming! As mentioned in our King of All Giveaways post, the prize for today – Tuesday – is the Grain Mill Wheat Grinder. This great kitchen accessory is regularly priced at $79.99, but it’s on sale now for $49.99. It would make a great gift for anyone who’s getting serious about food storage.

Now, on to the winners. We used random.org to choose 5 numbers between 1 and 845. Each of those numbers corresponds with an entry. Here are the chosen numbers:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-24 19:02:19 UTC

Those entries have earned a Grain Mill Wheat Grinder for 3 more newsletter subscribers and 2 more Facebook fans. Our winners are Cheri, Stacia, Lorraine, Diane, and Lynetta. All of their entries have been validated, and they’ll be receiving a confirmation e-mail shortly.

Thanks to all who entered! Those of you who are waiting to see your name appear in our list of winners still have time! 15 more prizes are ready to be awarded, and the best is yet to come. We’ll see you back here tomorrow!