St. Patricks Day FHE, Jell-O Cookies: Food Storage Recipes
I thought I’d share with you a really fun idea for a St. Patricks Day Family Home Evening. Tradition says that St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the trinity. Likewise we can teach our family that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are separate but one in purpose. However, most of us don’t have shamrocks growing in our back yard (and if you do…you’re really lucky because that means you live in a WARM area!). That is why I’m sharing this new recipe with you for Jell-O Cookies that you can shape shamrocks out of by forming 3 balls (while teaching that the God Head is three separate beings) and flattening them with a glass (while teaching they are one in purpose). These cookies are also great for other holidays if you use different flavors of Jell-O to make different colors.
Fruit Jell-O Cookies
1/2 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup shortening (butter works well too)
1 3oz. pkg flavored Jell-O (lime or other green colored Jell-O)
2 eggs (2 T. Dry Powdered Eggs + 1/4 C. Water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 Cups flour (I used half white wheat, half all-purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2-3 drops green food coloring
Mix first five ingredients. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and blend into first mixture. Roll into nickel sized balls, place three together and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls with flat cookie stamp or glass bottom. Bake 6 to 8 minutes at 400 degrees.
Roll cookie dough into nickel sized balls and place three together in pyramid form.
Take cookies and flatten with bottom of glass.
Flattened cookies on cookie sheet.
Low-Fat Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins-Ultimate Food Storage Recipes
We’re moving up in the world! My good friend sent me this recipe, it was like it was meant to be! Not only have I tried a MILLION (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration) muffin recipes trying to find one that is light and fluffy but I was also in the middle of all my freeze dried berry experiments. With a couple of modifications this recipe became PERFECT for food storage….AND delicious (as in the BEST homemade muffins I’ve ever made/eaten). I even brought these to a luncheon and they were devoured-whole wheat, oats, beans, freeze dried berries and all! p.s. I’m pushing you guys and only listing the beans for the recipe, if you haven’t tried it by now-you’re entirely missing out! If you’re still nervous, you can watch a video of how I cook my beans and store them in smaller amounts for baking by clicking HERE. And remember, using beans in place of oil and butter doesn’t change the taste and it actually IMPROVES the texture, making it very moist, light, and fluffy!
Low-Fat Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs (1/4 c. dry egg powder + 1/2 c. water)
2 cups sour cream
1/2 c. + 2 T. bean puree
2 cups light brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups blueberries (1-1/2 c. freeze dried blueberries, hydrated and drained)
2 tbsp. sugar
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners. (This recipe won’t work without them.) In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sour cream until thoroughly combined. Add bean puree and brown sugar. Stir in the oats. Fold in the flour mixture and then, very gently, fold in the berries. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. Drop a generous pinch of sugar onto the top of each muffin.
Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the edges are medium brown and the tops are firm. Cool for 5 minutes; then remove muffins (in their papers) and finish cooling them on a rack. Makes 2 dozen muffins.
Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes-Freeze Dried Berries Food Storage Recipes
Okay, I figured we’d start out easy and this is definitely one of the easiest ways to start using those freeze dried berries…especially since you already make my blender wheat pancakes, right? I had assumed these freeze dried berries would taste different from fresh (probably, because dehydrated vegetables taste a little different). So-long story short I left them sitting on my shelf until one day I had a HUGE craving for blueberry pancakes (probably, because I had a sample at Costco the day before with whole wheat blueberry waffles) and had no fresh blueberries. I remembered I had some freeze dried so I gave it a try (well you know me, I had my husband try it first and then I tried it once he said it was good…I know, I’m such a chicken 
Anyway, I was amazed when I tried the blueberry pancakes and it tasted EXACTLY (not exaggerating here) the same as if I had used fresh. I was sold from that point on and since them have been enjoying the taste of fresh berries in the dead of winter. SO DIVINE!
Blender Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
1 Cup Milk (translation for powdered milk is 3 T. Dry Milk Powder + 1 C. Water)
1 Cup Wheat Kernels, whole & uncooked
2 Eggs (2 T. dry egg powder+ 1/4 C. Water)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbs. Oil
2 Tbs. Honey or Sugar
1/2 -3/4 Cup Freeze Dried Blueberries
1 -1 1/2 Cup Water (for hydrating berries)
Hydrate your freeze dried blueberries in warm water and allow to sit while you’re making the pancake batter (you’ll want twice as much water as you have blueberries, i.e. if you are using a 1/2 C. blueberries then you’ll hydrate them in 1 C. warm water) Put milk and wheat kernels in blender. Blend on highest speed for 4 or 5 minutes or until batter is smooth. Add eggs, oil, baking powder, salt and honey or sugar to above batter. Blend on low. Pour out batter into pancakes from the actual blender jar (only one thing to wash!) onto a hot greased or Pam prepared griddle or large frying pan and top with desired amount of blueberries. Cook; flipping pancakes when bubbles pop and create holes.
FHE Tidbit: 72 Hour Kits and Food Storage Treat Recipe
Okay, I have this feeling that most of you (at least if you’re female) feel entirely overwhelmed with everything you have to do in the day what with taking kids to school, laundry (YUCK!), preparing meals, soccer practice, and on top of it all spending time together as a family….oh yeah and that HUGE project of getting prepared. Well, you all probably know by now that I’m a HUGE fan of multi-tasking so I figured why couldn’t you make getting prepared a family event?! I asked my good friends at www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net to help me (since they have all the WONDERFUL information on getting your food storage gathered and basic emergency preparedness) with some Family Home Evening Tidbits. They are quick ideas that will help you on the road to becoming prepared! At the end there is also a treat you can make using your food storage. So all in a night, you’ll have spent time together as a family, taken a step towards being prepared, and practiced using your food storage! AWESOME!
This week I thought “Milk Jug 72 hour kits” would be fun and easy to get people prepared…here is what Jodi from www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net has to say about it:
What a great treat for talking about 72 hour kits! This recipe comes entirely from shelf stable items and happens to be my all time favorite cookie recipe (HONEST!)
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
*a tip before you begin…I always soak my raisins in water & vanilla so that the raisins are plump and juicy and taste like vanilla. If you don’t have a lot of time you can heat the water, vanilla, and raisins in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remember that you can definitely use your leftover water to hydrate your eggs!
Cream together:
1 C shortening
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 eggs (2 T. dry egg powder + 1/4 C. Water)
1 tsp. vanilla
Stir into creamed mixture
1 ½ C whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
3 C. oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 C. raisins
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.
