Freeze Dried Peaches

Delicious Peaches You Can Enjoy Year Round

THRIVE Freeze Dried Peaches

THRIVE Freeze Dried Peaches are large peach slices that come packed in #10 cans.  These freeze dried peach slices make a wonderful snack all by themselves, but they really excell in recipes.  Since they are large in size, they are perfect for use in pies, cobblers, cakes and other dishes.  These peaches are super sweet without any added sugars.  These peaches can store for up to 25 years if stored in cool, dry conditions.

It is easy to rehydrate these peaches for use in recipes.  Simply soak the peach slices in hot water for 3-5 minutes.  THRIVE recommends that you soak 1 cup of peaches in 4 cups hot water to help fully rehydrate the peaches.  We found that if you soak them for more than 10 minutes they really soften up and are like bottled peaches without the syrup.

These peaches really are as good as they look!  So come on in and try out a can today.

Don't be afraid to try them in your favorite dessert or give some to your kids to see how much they like them.  Our little taste testers at home were delighted to try them.

The only problem was..........they wanted to eat the whole can!

Quinoa Salad

Healthy Quinoa Salad

Nutritious and Delicious

Quinoa is one of the powerhouses of the grain world.  Quinoa is gluten free and is a great source of fiber, magnesium and iron.  Quinoa is high in protein, and more importantly, it is a complete protein.  This means that it provides us with all of the essential amino acids.  Quinoa develops a high level of protein as it is grown in the high elevations of Peru and Bolivia.  Quinoa comes in three different colors:  traditional (white), red and black.  Each of the three has slightly different tastes but are all packed with great nutrition.

This quinoa mix can be served as a main dish on a bed of greens or a side dish.  It is easy to make and tastes great.

The first step is to cook the quinoa.  Prior to cooking the quinoa, make sure you soak the quinoa for at least a few hours to help break down the saponins that leave a bitter taste.  After soaking, rinse a few times to ensure great tasting quinoa.  In a pot, bring 2 Cups of water to a boil.  Add the soaked quiona and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes.  This will yield 2 cups of cooked quinoa.  Allow to cool and then continue with the following recipe.

2 Cups Cooked Quinoa (1 Cup Quinoa and 2 Cups Water)

1 Bunch Cilantro (chopped)

1 Bunch Green Onion (sliced)

1 Large Tomato (diced)

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

Mix ingredients and then serve over a bed of mixed greens or lettuce.

Freeze Dried Ground Beef!

Easy to Prepare, High in Protein and Tastes Good

Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Ground Beef

The Honeyville Farms Ranchers Cut Freeze Dried Ground Beef is a good tasting product and represents a great value.  The ground beef in the Honeyville Farms Ground Beef primarily consists of larger crumbles of ground beef with some smaller powder as well.  The only ingredients in the product are ground beef and salt.  The ground beef is fully cooked with salt and then freeze dried.  This results in a high quality product.   What I really liked about the Honeyville ground beef is that to me it tasted like really low fat ground beef that I have eaten.  It is also really easy to re-hydrate.  It only took 5 minutes in boiling water to reconstitute fully.  Just soak and then drain off the excesses water.  The meat comes out nicely reconsistuted and tender.

We decided to make soft tacos with the freeze dried ground beef.  We also used the Honeyville Freeze Dried Cheddar Cheese as a topping for the soft tacos.  Food storage has come a long way!  Freeze Dried Meat and Cheese.........I never thought I would see the day.

We made homemade whole wheat tortillas from scratch and grew our own lettuce.  This helped us to feel we were making a meal centered in self sufficiency.

The soft tacos tasted great and primarily came from our food storage!

Barley Beef Soup

Hearty and Delicious Wintertime Soup

Barley Beef Soup

I love soups and stews and I look forward to cooler weather to be able to fully enjoy them.  Barley Beef soup is a hearty soup that the whole family can enjoy.  You can prepare it using different vegetable combinations for variety or to please the picky eaters in your household.  You can easily prepare this meal with fresh vegetables and meat, or you can use freeze dried vegetables or meat.

Pearled barley is great for soups and stews because it cooks more quickly than hulled barley and provides a delicious flavor and texture to soups.  The barley also helps to provide additional fiber and nutrients.  Here is a delicious recipe that my wife uses:

Barley Beef Soup

1 Cup Chopped Cooked Beef (or brown stew meat first)

2 Carrots Chopped

2 Celery Stalks Chopped

1/2 Large Onion Chopped

1 Small Red Potato Chopped

1/2 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Cup Pearled Barley

16 Cups Water

2 oz Haco Soup Base (Vegetable or Beef)

1 Tablespoon Real Salt

If using raw meat, brown the stew meat in a tablespoon of oil.  Combine ingredients in pan and bring to a boil.  Stir periodically.  After soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour.  The vegetables should now be fully cooked and the barley soft and robust in size and texture.  Serve with fresh bread or rolls.

Real Salt

Isn't all salt real????  So what exactly is Real Salt????

Just pick up a bag of Redmond brand Real Salt and you will begin to understand the difference.  Compared to your regular table salt, Redmond brand Real Salt looks healthy, vibrant and well.......... "real"!

Regular white salt that you find in most stores has been refined in some way, usually bleached and/or purified.  Many experts point out that this robs the salt of all of its healthy benefits while also creating certain health problems through a higher sodium affect on your body.   Regular table salt also will often contain ferrocyanide, yellow prussiate of soda, tricalcium phosphate, alumino-calcium, which are all anti-caking agents.  Many nutritionists feel that these additives prevent the salt from mixing with water, in the box or within the human body, thus preventing the salt from doing one of its important functions on the organism.  By contrast, Real Salt is an all-natural, kosher-certified sea salt extracted from deep within the earth, crushed, screened, and packaged.  It is not heated and it does not have any compounds added.

One popular brand of salt even contains dextrose!  Is this an attempt to get you even more hooked on plain, stripped down salt?????

Real Salt contains over 50 trace minerals and iodine.  These minerals are important for proper nutrition and support the absorption of vitamins and minerals found in other foods you consume.  Food and nutrititional experts also point out that pure sea salt helps to provide your body with a gentle alkiline food that helps regulate the body and helps support healing in the body.   This is salt you can enjoy and feel good about eating.

The best part of all, is that real salt tastes even better than white table salt and comes in fine, regular, kosher and coarse grind.  So quit using salt and start using Real Salt!