Transformation Day 2012: Update for 08/15/11

public domain image of a butterflyThis week’s update contains some interesting little tidbits.  I did manage to lose a pound this past week.  After the initial water-shedding that happens with a low-carb eating plan, I tend to lose weight very slowly.  That’s why this Transformation Day 2012 goal is such a big deal for me.  Even if I don’t manage to get to my goal, the goal helps keep me focused.  When weight loss is slow (or nonexistent), it’ll be easier for me to keep focused on the big picture rather than getting discouraged.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be working on planning.  Planning is going to be the keep that keeps me honest and on track.  By planning, I’ll be less likely to be caught off guard by food challenges.  In the past, I’ve failed miserably in the planning department, and I think that’s why my successes have been short-lived.  It’ll be easier now that my big kids are back in school.  Structure during the week really helps things go much more smoothly, and that became really obvious to me over this past weekend.  Less structure makes more opportunities for mistakes and poor choices.

And in the prepping arena, I made a couple interesting discoveries.  My Wal-Mart happened to have Spectrum Naturals Organic Coconut Oil.  It cost a shade under $6 for 14oz, and I’ll be able to re-use the jar.  It is refined though, but the quality seems decent.  I wanted some coconut oil on hand ’til I could afford “the good stuff” from Mountain Rose Herbs.  It’s amazing how spoiled I’ve become.

I also happened across a Emergency Essentials’ YouTube channel (in the course of entering a contest.) I watched several videos which showed a man cooking with their food storage products, and it got me thinking.  “I eat a lot of veggies.  How can I incorporate those kinds of products into my daily life to provide some food security for my family AND save some money?”

First of all, for those of you who don’t know, Emergency Essentials sells an amazing variety of survival items, emergency kits, food storage items, camping supplies, and more.  When I first discovered their site a few years ago, I would literally spend hours ogling all their products and planning my dream wish list.  It was because of those many hours of familiarizing myself with their products that I realized I might be able to use some of their products on a daily basis and save some money too.

After doing a little figuring and watching some of their videos, I’ve decided that I’m going to try a few things.  I intend to start using clarified butter in some of my cooking applications, and I’m going to try some experiments with dehydrated and freeze-dried veggies.  Peppers, onions, celery, and potatoes (for the kids) should be cheap, convenient, and easy to use.  In the case of the onions, in fact, I discovered that Emergency Essentials’ dehydrated onions are even cheaper than fresh, and after they’ve been reconstituted, I can saute them as I would fresh.

After I’ve tried some of my ideas, I’ll be sure to post the results.  I’m really excited though because for this week, anyway, I’m well on my way to making some positive changes in my life and the life of my family!

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2 Responses to Transformation Day 2012: Update for 08/15/11

  1. Jan says:

    Thanks for leading me to the EE videos, I’ve purchased from them for years, but never knew of the videos. They are tremendous. I’d like to recommend to you that you check out the videos at dehydrate2store.com. and everydayfoodstorage.net both ladies give some great recipes and how to’s for using food storage items on a daily basis. I’ve learned a lot from them. Of course they both have cookbooks out too. Thanks again for the lead on EE videos. Jan

  2. I love the dehydrate2store YouTube channel too!

    It’s not always as easy for us to cook with stored foods here since stored foods are usually carb-heavy. Just being able to use low-carb veggies on a daily basis (from long-term food stores) will help a lot. I didn’t quite realize you could get the same results with sauteed dehydrated veggies as sauteed fresh. Of course, with onions or garlic, you use some of the health benefits, but those things are easy to do fresh in a pot somewhere.

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