All About the Panic-Free Lifestyle of Self-Sufficient Living

Easy Recipe Day

Today I’ve been doing a lot of research on future articles while my stomach grumbled—I’m ignoring it for now. But for some reason I’ve been fantasizing about all kinds of quick meals that I wanted to make tonight for dinner. And if it’s a quick, nutritious meal, then it’s bound to have a pressure cooker involved (at least in my house). So I realized that I could share some of these recipes with you. The first two are made in a pressure cooker, the other two are made simply in regular pans. They are recipes that I would make from my pantry for the most part. So I hope you enjoy them.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Sprouting Sense

Want to ensure that your vegetables are tasty, nutritious, and void of pesticides and other chemicals? Well, the simple answer is to grow your own. Yes, you can do it—even if you live in a 500 square foot apartment in Upper Manhattan. It’s called sprouting. And I can assure you it’s not just a hobby for hippies. *grin*

[caption id="attachment_3550" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Alfalfa Sprouts"]Alfalfa Sprouts[/caption]

You can sprout any whole grain, seed, legume or nut—so long as

By Preparedness Pro, ago
Recall!

Stores of Self-Reliance

Recall!2007 and 2008 were the two biggest years in history for food recalls. Meat, peanut butter, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and even dog food were among the few that were deemed dangerous or downright deadly for consumption. In my view, this is just another reason for the case in favor of having a year’s supply of food and water provisions.

When our country was made up largely of farmers, it was not unheard of for

By Preparedness Pro, ago

Why Bother with Preparedness?

Let me start by saying Preparedness Is Never Pointless.

preparednessPreparedness isn’t about “guaranteeing” ourselves that we will have a particular result. There are too many aspects that are completely out of our control for this to be realistic. Preparedness is about giving ourselves OPTIONS.

By Preparedness Pro, ago
Beware the fire breathing dragons in the coupon world! Art by XxArashiXx

The Villains of the Coupon World

[caption id="attachment_3468" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Beware the fire breathing dragons in the coupon world! Art by XxArashiXx"]Beware the fire breathing dragons in the coupon world! Art by XxArashiXx[/caption]

As you all know, I love, l-o-v-e, LOVE couponing. It has truly brought a world of plenty to my home today and for the future when food may be in short supply. It’s almost like a fairytale for me when I go into a store, load up my grocery cart, and leave with supplies for me and others that I paid less than 20% of their original cost for. But just as in every fairy tale, there are always the fire breathing dragons or wicked witches who make things tough on the heroes and heroines. Today’s article is to warn you of the fairytale nemeses in all of their ugly forms.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

In The Interest of Full Disclosure

(Please note: this piece is in addition to today’s article entitled, “The Cost of Convenience” which you will see below.)

I’ve been sitting on some exciting news the past few days but I couldn’t post anything until everything was finalized…which it is today. Forgive me for telling this story like a typical girl. If you’re a typical impatient guy, then just scroll down to the last paragraph and cut to the chase. Otherwise, read on.

You know how I love to refer you all to “this source” or “that source”, right?

By Preparedness Pro, ago

The Cost of Convenient Meals

[caption id="attachment_3445" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="How to feed your family for less!"]meals[/caption]

Today I’m going to share how a shift in the order and prioritization that we give to the ritual of feeding meals to our families can save us sanity, money, and time.

Most of the households in the U.S. are highly reliant on the convenience of the grocery store when it comes to making their meals. This is actually a bit sad to me because it’s a habit we should all eliminate just as proactively as a bad health habit.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

When You’re Not Ready

Consider the amount of time that you’re out of your home and in an office or work environment. Some of you are “work-a-holics.” You go into work extra early and/or come home past rush hour. On top of this, consider the time in which you’re in your car. Now how about the time you’re in another location other than your home…family visit, the mall, grocery shopping, church,  the doctors, etc. OK. Now look at an average week and add up all of the time in which you are AWAY from your home and the preparedness supplies you have located there. I did this just this week and realized that even though I work intensely from my home, I am still gone over a third of the total hours of my week! In your case, if you work outside the home or are a stay at home mom, you may be surprised to see how much of a chunk of your time during the week puts you in a vulnerable position—vulnerable in the event that a catastrophic event may hit. So, in the name of being prepared and peaceful, instead of panicked, let’s make sure we do our best to get you back safely to your family and the majority of your supplies.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

A Wet Year for Crops—What It Means to You

[caption id="attachment_3001" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Iowa farm with seven inches of snow in October"]crops[/caption]

Ok folks. Here’s some more info on food shortage—it’s going to be a wet year for crops. I keep getting flack for putting food shortage information out there and have been called a fear monger and irresponsible journalist. But the fact of the matter is, we do need to be aware of these kinds of things so that we can knowledgably address our preparedness needs.

By Preparedness Pro, ago

DIY Solar Oven

Today I’m going to give you an easy way to cook in a do-it-yourself solar oven. Understand that I do so only in the name of independence as circumstances may prevent you from having access to a commercially made solar oven. However, if I had a choice between using my own homemade solar oven and a commercial one, I would go commercial any time. Why? Because the commercial solar ovens I recommend are specifically made to handle rugged third world conditions. They are intended for cooking everyday for a number of years (5-15, depending on which model you get). The DIY solar ovens are not likely to last that long, be as sturdy, or handle as much volume as a solar oven you may purchase commercially.

By Preparedness Pro, ago