Too often, I hear that folks shy away from using Food Storage Staples as they have this perception that it somehow substandard. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Teriyaki Chicken and Rice....a Sunday Dinner!
I want to show you how you can prepare a wonderful meal using items in your Food Storage. For heaven's sake....who doesn't love Teriyaki Chicken?
Before I left for Church this morning I decided that we were going to have Teriyaki Chicken so, I took out my trusty Crock pot. I put in Chicken Breasts that I had frozen in pairs and coated them with Teriyaki Sauce. (See the link to learn how simple it is to prepare your own and have it on hand). I turned on the Crock pot and got ready for Choir Practice. Hours later, I entered my home to that magnificent aroma of Teriyaki. It filled the entire house.
I wanted to have rice with my amazing chicken....so we did. I pulled out my the Minute Rice that I dehydrated myself. Now, just to clarify I didn't set out to make my own Minute Rice the first time that I placed it in the dehydrator. The fact of the matter is that I had a lot left over from a family gathering. This rice had butter on it too. I have frozen rice before, but I never have wanted to wait for it to unthaw. (Yes, I am very impatient.....). I decided to try to dehydrate it. I took out my dehydrator and the fruit leather inserts. When it was finished, I dry packed it into jars and vacuum sealed it with my Food Saver.
Today, I opened my jar and poured in the desired amount of rice. (By the way, I always check to see if it is rancid when I break the vacuum seal. I am happy to report that it never has been).
When I add water, I just barely cover the rice. I then bring it to a boil and cook it until it is the consistency I desire. I literally takes a couple of minutes once the water starts to boil. Just for your information, the rice still tasted of butter and it was delicious!
So far, we have discussed using Frozen, Canned, Dry Packed, and Dehydrated foods for this meal. In my Cold Storage (my 2nd refrigerator), I retrieved apples and sliced them with this handy device that most people think is only for canning. Not around here!
Once we got home, I had dinner on the table in about 15 minutes....that's right....15 minutes. I LOVE THAT!
Take Home Message:
- Food Storage is vibrant and delicious! You can have a wide variety of meals if you plan and prepare for them.
- Food Storage meals can sometimes be a great convenience as it was today. I made this meal in a less time that it would have taken to go to the Drive-through at a restaurant.
- I know the quality of my ingredients....because I chose them all! I am not dependent on someone in a back room choosing the ingredients and putting it all together for me. If I have special dietary requirements, I can management them by stocking up on items that fit with my limitations.
- I believe I made this meal for 2 for under $4.00 today. Take that big box restaurants!
- I am rotating my staples and trying out recipes at a time when I could always make something else if this didn't work out.
- I am gaining skill sets by thinking of meals that could use any of the following types of foods: Canned, Frozen, Dehydrated, Dry Packed, and in Cold Storage.
By The Way....IT WAS GREAT!
