August Savings Combo Giveaway

We have put together another special combo for our latest giveaway called the August Savings Combo. It contains 6 items that are on sale during the month of August (retail value of $107.35). We have put these products on sale a few days early in conjunction with this giveaway!

The Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken is a new item that we are sure will be a big hit. The combo includes the following items:

1. Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes - Great tasting dehydrated hash browns for your food storage.

2. Peanut Butter Powder - Add some water and a touch of oil and use just like regular peanut butter, or perfect for recipes such as peanut butter cookies. Also great for protein shakes and much easier to clean up than regular peanut butter!

3. Chocolate Creamy Select - This lactose free chocolate milk option is high in vitamins A and D and tastes great.

August Savings Combo

4. Freeze-Dried Ice Cream Sandwiches - These ice cream sandwiches have delicious freeze-dried vanilla ice cream covered by two chocolate wafers.

5. Freeze-Dried Peach Slices - Great as a snack right from the can or for use in dessert recipes.

6. NEW! Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken - Just add water and wait 10 minutes for a delicious Italian main dish!

If you purchase any of the items included in the combo during the giveaway and win, we will issue you a refund or send you the product - whichever you prefer.

How to Enter

To enter this giveaway, simply send an email (with "August Savings Combo Giveaway" in the subject line) to blog@BePrepared.com with your contact information in case you are the winner.

That's it! All emails received through Friday, August 6th will be entered into the drawing. The winner will be chosen at random and posted on the blog no later than Thursday, August 12th.

Please note: We welcome emails and entries from everyone; however, free shipping of the August Savings Combo is included for the winner to the 48 contiguous United States only. For any locations outside this area, the winner is responsible for arranging and paying their own shipping costs.

Emergency Preparedness Guide - Hit the Books!

There is a test that you might need to take any day now, have you taken the time to gather the information you need to ace the big exam?

My husband is currently in college, and I watch him pour over his books in preparation for a test. He tries to commit to memory everything he reads. He spends countless hours reviewing, and hopes in the end that everything he has studied will sink in and he will be able to recall it when test time comes.

We’ve spent many weeks discussing food storage and preparedness. But, if an emergency situation occurred tomorrow, would you be ready for the “test”? Don’t panic, here is the good news: This test can be an open book test. Yes, you can use any and all the information you’ve collected to help you. You just have to have it on hand!

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Summer Savings Combo Giveaway Winner

We would like to thank everyone for entering our latest giveaway. The winner is Steve W. from Ohio. Steve has won our special Summer Savings Combo including Freeze-Dried Super Sweet Corn, Freeze-Dried Organic Apples, Freeze-Dried Green Bell Peppers, Freeze-Dried Strawberries, Orange Drink Mix, and a can of Yoders Bacon. Congrats Steve!

Freeze-Dried Organic Apple Dices

All of these products are all on sale through the end of July. Simply click on the text links above for more information on each item. And don't forget to check back soon to find out about our next exciting giveaway!

Chicken (or Turkey) Broccoli Casserole

A touch of lemon pepper adds a little spice to this easy-to-make chicken or turkey casserole.

Ingredients:

2 cups Freeze-Dried Chicken and/or Turkey
1-2 cups Freeze-Dried Broccoli
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Mayonnaise
1-2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 cup Freeze-Dried Cheddar Cheese
1-2 tsp Lemon Pepper
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Reconstitute meat and broccoli. For more flavorful chicken and/or turkey, add 1 tsp each of salt and chicken bullion to water when reconstituting. Add meat (drained) to bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle lemon pepper over meat. Heat for 5 minutes in oven at 350 degrees. Mix soup, mayo and lemon juice in a bowl. Carefully remove dish from oven. Cover meat with broccoli (drained). Spread soup mixture evenly over meat and broccoli. Sprinkle on reconstituted cheese and then bread crumbs. Return to oven and cook an additional 15-20 minutes. Great by itself or served over rice. Enjoy!

Ready for the oven

Just out of the oven

Enjoy by itself or over some rice

Emergency Preparedness Guide - Spice Makes Everything Nice

Don’t forget those special seasonings to make your food storage sing!

You are preparing your family’s favorite spaghetti sauce. You’ve added most of the glorious ingredients. But, you fail to add the delicious Italian seasonings. No big deal right? WRONG! What would your special sauce be without the seasonings? What would apple pie be without the cinnamon? How would your chili taste without the chili powder? You’ve got it now, you need some spice in your life

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Book Review - Making & Using Dried Foods

"This is one of the most complete and easy to use dehydrating books I have found. The book includes detailed instructions on dehydrating foods in the sun, oven, homemade dehydrator (which there are instructions in the back to build) and standard food dehydrators. There are also several recipes included in each chapter for using your dehydrated food. The book includes information on purchasing a dehydrator, if you don’t already own one, as well as making your own. It also gives easy to follow directions on how to simply use your oven as a dehydrator. There are several chapters loaded with information on almost every fruit, vegetable, herb, or meat you can think of. The book includes dehydrating various types of meat as well as recipes for making jerky. If you want to own only one dehydrating book, this one should be it!"

-- Melissa, Iowa

L'Equip® Deluxe Food Dehydrator

American Harvest Snackmaster Express™ FD-60

Summer Savings Combo Giveaway

We hope that everyone is having a great summer! In addition to working hard at "Helping People Prepare" here at Emergency Essentials, some of our free time has been filled with hiking, camping, fishing, barbecues, picnics, baseball games, swimming and more.

In celebration of summer, we have assembled a special Summer Savings Combo for our latest giveaway. It consists of 6 products that we have on sale this month and will make a great start or addition to your current food storage. The combo includes the following:

1. Freeze-Dried Organic Apple Dices - These delicious organic dices are ideal for adding variety, texture and nutrition to your home storage. Add these dices to your cereals, desserts, trail mixes, and more. On sale this month for only $13.99 - a 30% savings.

2. Freeze-Dried Super Sweet Corn - An excellent choice for an instant side dish or a snack that's bursting with flavor. It also makes a great addition to soups, casseroles, Southwest dishes, taco salads and more. On sale this month for only $12.99.

3. Freeze-Dried Green Bell Peppers - Season your recipes right with the flavor of real green bell peppers. These dices are a snap to add to recipes right from your storage. On sale this month for only $10.99.

Summer Savings Combo

4. Freeze-Dried Strawberries - Add these delicious sliced strawberries to your storage and enjoy strawberries year round. On sale this month for only $13.00 (25% off) when you buy 12 or more cans.

5. Orange Drink Mix - Add the sweet flavor orange to your home storage with this drink mix. Just add water for a refreshing drink. Great source of Vitamin C. On sale this month for only $13.99.

6. Yoders Canned Bacon - Have delicious bacon that is fully cooked, drained, and ready to eat with this easy to store can. We've taste tested it and loved it! On sale this month for only $12.49.

If you purchase any of the items included in the combo and win,  we will  issue  you a  refund or send you the product - whichever  you prefer.

How to Enter

To enter this giveaway, simply send an email (with "Summer Savings Combo Giveaway" in the subject line) to blog@BePrepared.com with your contact information in case you are the winner.

That's it! All emails received through Thursday, July 22nd will be entered into the drawing. The winner will be chosen at random and posted on the blog no later than Thursday, July 29th.

Please note: We welcome emails and entries from everyone; however, free shipping of the Summer Savings Combo is included for the winner to the 48 contiguous United States only. For any locations outside this area, the winner is responsible for arranging and paying their own shipping costs.

Emergency Preparedness Guide - Soul Soothing Sweets

Want to keep your family calm and happy during times of distress? Store some soul soothing sweets!

On our journey to preparedness, we’ve discussed several different types of foods to store. We’ve learned about dehydrated, freeze-dried, and Meals Ready to Eat. All of these are wonderful options, and a good combination of all of them is ideal. But here is something you might not know. Each of these foods has something in common, something that I’m sure will tickle your fancy. Within each of these foods storage categories there are some items I would like you to consider…desserts!

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Vegetarian Beef Flavored Broth

Do you have a preparedness or food storage experience, tip, recipe, product review, etc.? Become a guest blogger on Preparedness Pantry and earn a $20 Emergency Essentials gift card! Click here for details.

Vegetarian Beef Flavored Broth

Although there are so many options for vegetarians, some foods are not available at local restaurants. Especially in smaller cities and towns, I find my choices limited. A specific menu item that I love, but usually cannot find a vegetarian alternative are soups traditionally made with beef broth. I purchased Vegetarian Beef Flavored Broth and love it. Being a vegetarian for about 10 years now, I've found many creative ways to alter traditional "meat" recipes into tasty and healthy vegetarian recipes. Certain recipes like French onion soup, wonton soup and noodle dishes are easily converted into vegetarian entreés.

After trying and using the Vegetarian Beef Flavored Broth, I scooped small samples into zip lock bags for my friends and family to try in their own recipes. The bulk #10 size is so affordable, why not at least try it?

Vegetarian Beef and Chicken Flavored Broth

Submitted by Nancy from Virginia

Tote-able Toilet Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to the winner of our Tote-able Toilet Giveaway: Barbie from Texas.

We would like to thank everyone for entering our latest giveaway. Come back soon to find out about our next exciting giveaway.

Remember that our New Tote-able Toilet Seat and Lid are on sale this month for up to 50% off! Click here for more information.

NEW! Tote-able Toilet Seat and Lid

Left in the Dark?

Do you have a preparedness or food storage experience, tip, recipe, product review, etc.? Become a guest blogger on Preparedness Pantry and earn a $20 Emergency Essentials gift card! Click here for details.

Left in the Dark?

Submitted by Emily from Missouri

We live in Kansas City - home of severe weather and the occasional tornado. A power outage is a common occurrence during the spring and summer months. My 3 boys (ages 2, 5, and 8) control their fear of the dark to varying degrees. I have concocted a plan to tackle their fears of the dark and eliminate the panic that ensues the moment that the power goes out.

Nearly every room in our home has a closet nearby. I chose to mount a coated wire shelf on the inside of each closet door, including the pantry and linen closets. I use the kind of shelf intended for organizing foil and plastic wrap. These are quite affordable and can be found at any local superstore. I then place flashlights in these handy wire baskets for easy access in case of a storm. When the power goes out, no matter where the boys are in the house, they can always find a closet and get to a flashlight quickly.

High Uinta Gear™ Pathfinder™ 9-LED Flashlight

Don't forget to mount your shelves low enough so your kids can reach them! This will ensure that no one gets left in the dark.

We (Emergency Essentials) would recommend maybe adding a few other basic items to Emily's list that may be helpful: a lightstick, radio, some water, etc. These will help just in case you may be confined to the room for awhile. Thanks Emily for this great idea to help get us thinking and planning ahead!

Emergency Preparedness Guide - Ice Age

What does new age technology have to do with ice? Freeze-dried foods are the latest development in dehydration, and the result is more than just "cool"!

Last week, our journey was spent learning about dehydrated foods. These are foods that are dehydrated in the standard way, through heat. This week, we are discussing a wonderful process for drying food that uses just the opposite method. Sound crazy? It’s a wonderful technology where food that is fresh or cooked is first flash frozen. Moisture is then removed in a vacuum chamber where a low level of heat is used to evaporate the ice crystals without returning it to a liquid form. Because the food remains frozen during this process, the food’s cell structures do not change. Therefore, much of the nutrition (including the vitamins), color, aroma, and freshness are retained.

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