*Brain Candy In Your Food Storage*
Little Things That Will Mean A Lot
By: Osage
02 July 2009

It's late November in eastern Tennessee. That means it's dripping rain and 33 degrees at dawn. Nine months ago the secondary breadwinner of the household got cut back to 20 hours/week. Four months ago the primary breadwinner got cut back to 30 hours/week. Two months ago the secondary breadwinner got laid off.

Behind each of two doors in front of you are two different menus for the day.

Behind Door Number 1:

• Breakfast - whole wheat flatbread with a small bit of honey
• Lunch - whole wheat flatbread left over from breakfast
• Dinner - whole wheat flatbread and beans

Behind Door Number 2:

• Breakfast - whole wheat biscuits with strawberry jam
• Lunch - leftover biscuits from breakfast (but you're told dinner will be at 2:30)
• Dinner - baked glazed ham with pineapple pieces, candied sweet potatoes, lima beans, cheesecake with cherry topping.

What time of year did I say it was?? OK, which one sounds more like a Thanksgiving dinner to you??

In a situation where the world as we know it has ended (or at least taken a long leave-of-absence) we'll need to look after the emotional needs (and I mean needs) of our families. The difference between the two daily menus above is only:

1 Small Jar Strawberry Jam	1 Can Baking Powder
1 lb Butter-Flavor Crisco	1 Small Canned Ham
2 Cans Sweet Potatoes	1 Box Brown Sugar
1 Small Can Pineapple Tidbits	2 Cans Lima Beans
1 Box No-Cook Cheesecake	1 Can Cherry Pie Filling

or about $20 in Jun 2009! If the world is getting nasty for you & your family, that may very well be the smartest $20 you've spent in a long time.

I heartily recommend you look at a few items you can inexpensively add to your food preps which will make a tremendous difference in your family's emotional health. Here are some things we do in addition to the Thanksgiving dinner above:

• Hard Candy: We hit a clearance on Grandma candy (the mixed hard candies Grandma had in a dish in the parlor) for $1 a bag. We sealed them in mylar bags in 4-oz packages Custom Sized Mylar Pouches. We made enough for one-a-month plus one each birthday for a year, plus a few for emergency needs.

• Favorite Foods: So you're saving some cans of (whatever) or jars of jelly. Make sure you get a few of each person's favorite item or flavor.

• Recipes: While you experiment with using your storage foods on a daily basis (you are experimenting, aren't you?), notice the ones which are the biggest hits. Experiment extra on those and use them for special occasions.

• Spices: I defy you to find a chemical-nutritional reason for spices in most foods. Yet the fact remains that flavor is a critical element to success in cooking. Bend to reality and store at least some ingredients to recreate old favorite dishes and to help the acceptance of the new stuff.

• Activities: Our girls used to love to make cookies as a family (as teenagers it's not cool, but...). We keep a few makings for cookies, and plan to use a cookie bake (maybe in a dutch oven) to defuse tension when things go bad.

Get inventive; you know what works for you. Think about this and you'll come up with great ideas.

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