2 Shelf-Stable Complete Pizza Kits for Camping and Beyond

    I spent an evening a while back teaching how to make these awesome shelf-stable pizza kits with some of my friends in Utah.  These are "just add water" simple and they use the technology of freeze-dried cheese. Yes. It is real cheese. Yes, it hydrates beautifully and gets gooey and awesome for pizza. Yes, it is shelf-stable for a very long time. These kits are perfect for any day of the week! They're easy to make and delicious!  They can travel anywhere without needing a fridge for the ingredients. People often ask, where to get the freeze-dried products.  My family is greatly blessed by the extra money brought in by sales tracked back to my freeze-dried food website.  

The crust is a quick rise with the addition of some baking soda and buttermilk powder so it will raise light and fluffy without yeast! The other secret is the addition of a tablespoon of lemonade powder. It is just enough to give the lemon-herb crust a fantastic depth. I use my spice blends because I know what they taste like. If you have a favorite, go with it, right? 

Pizza Kits for Camping and Beyond

Each kit:

•      1 quart-sized bag crust mix
•      1 snack-sized bag sauce mix
•      1 sandwich-sized bag 2 cups freeze-dried cheese

 I use freeze-dried mozzarella cheese for the Italian and Freeze Dried Cheddar Cheese for the Enchilada Pizza.

Storage: Place all bags in a mylar bag or PETE container with a metal lid and an oxygen absorber.* Seal. Store meals in a cool dry place.  Meals will be shelf-stable up to 2 years with an oxygen absorber. *If making vegetarian pizza, no oxygen absorber is needed, but they will only be shelf-stable about 6 months.

Crust quart bag:

No-Raise Lemon and Herb Pizza Crust Mix

3 cups bread flour

1T lemonade powder

¼ cup buttermilk powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1T Chef Tess Romantic Italian Seasoning (or Fajita seasoning for Southwest pizza)

¼ cup powdered shortening

1T SAF yeast or Instant active-dry yeast

Directions: Combine with 1 ¼ cup cool water and knead until a soft dough is formed about 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest 5-10 minutes. Roll or stretch-out into a 10-12 inch circle. Top with hydrated sauce and cheese and place in a heated Dutch oven or baking pan. Bake 425 degrees 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

Sauce Bags :

Chef TessBakeresse™ Instant Marinara Sauce
1/4 cup tomato powder
2T  freeze-dried onion
2T freeze-dried bell peppers
2T  freeze-dried mushrooms
1T granulated honey
1tsp Chef Tess Romantic Italian Seasoning 
1/4 cup ultra-gel

Directions: Add 2 cups warm water (depending on how thick you want your sauce) and stir well.

For meaty sauce, add 1/2 cup freeze-dried sausage and increase water to 2 1/2 cups. Always use an oxygen absorber if you use the real meat. 

Chef TessBakeresse™ Instant Fiesta Enchilada Sauce Mix
1/4 cup ultra-gel
1 ½ T freeze-dried onion
2T  tomato powder 
2T -4T ground ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp Chef Tess Wise Woman of The East Spice Blend 
1T Chef Tess Fajita Seasoning 
1 tsp baking cocoa (not hot chocolate)
2 tsp chicken bouillon (I like the no msg versions)
2 tsp lemonade powder

Directions:  Combine the enchilada sauce mixture with 2 cups of  cool water. Whisk well. 

For Chicken enchilada pizza: add 1/2 cup freeze-dried chicken to the sauce bag and increase the water to 2 1/2 cups when hydrating. Always use an oxygen absorber if you use the real meat. 

I apply a label to the baking directions onto the container so I can remember what the heck I'm supposed to do. 

They look like this:

Chef Tess Bakeresse Shelf-Stable Gourmet Pizza Kit Crust Directions: Combine with 1 ¼ cup cool water and knead until a soft dough is formed, about 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest 5-10 minutes.  Hydrate sauce and cheese. Roll or stretch-out into a 10 inch circle. Top with hydrated sauce and cheese and place in a heated Dutch oven or baking pan. Bake 425 degrees 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Sauce Directions: Add 2 cups warm water (depending on how thick you want your sauce) and stir well. Cheese: Lightly mist with cool water and allow to hydrate about 10 minutes. Top Pizza.

Chef Tess Bakeresse Homemade Shelf-Stable Gourmet Pizza Kit Crust Directions: Combine with 1 ¼ cup cool water and knead until a soft dough is formed, about 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest 5-10 minutes.  Hydrate sauce and cheese. Roll or stretch-out into a 10 inch circle. Top with hydrated sauce and cheese and place in a heated Dutch oven or baking pan. Bake 425 degrees 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Sauce Directions: Add 2 cups warm water (depending on how thick you want your sauce) and stir well. Cheese: Lightly mist with cool water and allow to hydrate about 10 minutes. Top Pizza.

Chef Tess Bakeresse Homemade Shelf-Stable Gourmet Pizza Kit Crust Directions: Combine with 1 ¼ cup cool water and knead until a soft dough is formed, about 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest 5-10 minutes.  Hydrate sauce and cheese. Roll or stretch-out into a 10 inch circle. Top with hydrated sauce and cheese and place in a heated Dutch oven or baking pan. Bake 425 degrees 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Sauce Directions: Add 2 cups warm water (depending on how thick you want your sauce) and stir well. Cheese: Lightly mist with cool water and allow to hydrate about 10 minutes. Top Pizza.

Chef Tess Bakeresse Homemade Shelf-Stable Gourmet Pizza Kit Crust Directions: Combine with 1 ¼ cup cool water and knead until a soft dough is formed, about 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest 5-10 minutes.  Hydrate sauce and cheese. Roll or stretch-out into a 10 inch circle. Top with hydrated sauce and cheese and place in a heated Dutch oven or baking pan. Bake 425 degrees 25-30 minutes until cooked through. Sauce Directions: Add 2 cups warm water (depending on how thick you want your sauce) and stir well. Cheese: Lightly mist with cool water and allow to hydrate about 10 minutes. Top Pizza.

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There you go my darlings! Shelf-stable pizza kits! Have fun with these! Onward and upward my darlings!

My family is greatly blessed by the extra money brought in by sales tracked back to my freeze-dried food website.  You also have the option of joining as a consultant/member and getting the commission on anyone who buys from you! I'd love to have you on my team! Thank you so very much for your support. Xoxo!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Episode 41. We Grow Ours Radio Show!

This week I visited my friends  Nick and Don over at We Grow Ours (Episode 41)  and had a blast talking with them about the benefits of good food in your food storage. 

We Grow Ours radio show is centered around teaching people how and why to grow their own foods. Rabbits, Quail, Aquaponics, Gardens and many other methods. We talk to those doing this and learn new things everyday. Come learn with us as we look into food safety, NON-GMO foods, fun ideas and more. Preppers, gardeners, conservatives, and everyone. We all come together to rally around our food, and our food freedoms!

Check them out here! Xoxo!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Gluten Free Coconut Flour Muffins Video Tutorial

I got to play in an evil think tank with chef Matthew Grunwald making some lower carbohydrate, gluten free muffins out of coconut flour. I think we had way too much crazy fun! What do you think?


Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Pavlova 101, The Meringue Based Cake Tutorial

What the heck is a Pavlova? If you've never had one, you're in for a happy delight! Especially if you're gluten-free and trying to go a little more low-fat!Pavlova got it's name in honor of Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballerina who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926. I'm assuming she was light on her feet and completely delicate.  I'm sharing two version of this recipe today. One is a traditional version from the Joy of Baking, and the other is my higher protein, less sugar version. Both are excellent!

Pavlova is basically a wheat-free, flour-free meringue based cake that has a delicate and crispy crust. The inside is almost a marshmallow center.  My dad, the Pansy Man, has no affection for marshmallow, so we really  never made these when I was growing up. Now however, I have a great love for these bad-boys. Seriously. The crust alone is enough to make me smile. It is just a tender, divine piece of happiness on a plate...if that's possible. 

Usually this remarkable dessert is served with lusciously whipped, lightly-sweet whip cream and fresh fruit.  My personal preference is to make the cream with a kiss of fresh orange zest and a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg, just enough to give a subtle nuance to the cream.  Another secret is I often will dip the fruit in a fresh fruit marinade made from Avocado Oil, lime or lemon juice, and a drizzle of honey.    

The basic tutorial video from Joyofbaking.com (though 8 minutes ) is pretty helpful in seeing how this dessert is made.

Pavlova on The Joy of Baking.com : 4 large (120 grams) egg whites 1 cup (200 grams) superfine (castor) sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour) Topping: 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar (or to taste) 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, or other fruit of your choice Serves 6 to 8.

Pavlova: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circle is on the reverse side.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Beat in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the outside is dry and is a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.) 

The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days. 

Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours.

My Chef Tess Version uses less sugar and powdered egg white, increasing the protein content quite a bit!

Chef Tess-no-mess-never-fail Meringue from Food Storage

1/2 cup  Powdered Egg Whites

1 1/2  cup warm (not boiling) water

3/4 cup sugar

2T Ultra gel  (modified corn starch)

1T lime or lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

Directions: 

In a very clean (must be free from any oily film whatsoever!)metal bowl combine the egg white powder and water with a whisk until smooth. Fit a stand mixer with a metal bowl with the wire whisk (again, VERY clean). Pour egg whites into the bowl.

 Turn mixer on medium high setting. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and ultra gel. 

When eggs start to get stiff and glossy, add the sugar mixture in a steady stream to the mixer. 

Continue to whisk about 4 minutes until firm peaks form. Add vanilla  and lemon or lime juice and mix to combine.

 I made personal-sized Pavlova by dividing the meringue into 6   5 inch circles on a parchment lined baking sheet. The parchment will help it not to stick like crazy.  Bake the full 60 minutes at 250 degrees. Turn off the oven and allow the Pavlova to sit an additional hour or more in the oven. I personally leave them in the oven overnight. This just assures they will be dried enough.

For service, top with whip cream and fresh sliced fruit. 

There you go my darlings! You're really going to love this one!

Always My Very Best, 
Your Friend Chef Tess

No-cook Pinto Bean Fudge

I taught a bean cooking class today. Pinto beans were on the menu...but let's just be honest. When you see a picture of pinto beans, you don't ever think of creamy chocolate fudge. Ever. When I usually teach a bean class, the pintos are a savory dish.  In fact, when I talk pinto I usually think of that horrid news-station report of "the latest breaking news on the toddler who put 12 beans up their nose and is now in critical condition as the beans sprout..." but if you're like me you don't think of fudge. Right? Because if you think of fudge, well, you're just not normal. I said it.

That being said, when a friend of mine started gushing the phrase , "Tess you should try making pinto bean fudge!" I thought to myself, "yeah, that will happen..." 

Well. Something froze over. I decided it didn't sound that crazy when I read this no-cook super simple recipe for pinto bean fudge. In all honesty, I thought, "well, I'd only be out a little sugar and some beans if it totally stinks." So, I decided to stop being a kill-joy and try something new.  Granted, I also had to change it a bit to make it set better and give it some unique Chef-like twists, but I'm confessing right now...it is evil in a very creamy, very delicious kind of way.  The beans lend a perfectly smooth texture if you puree or mash them really well. In all honesty, it is still fudge. The addition of the pinto beans seems to be more of a novelty than anything...but it does make a really delicious fudge.  Confession. I'm now joining the ranks of the not-normal pinto thinkers. (shh. I know you've thought, "This girl isn't even close to normal!" Now you have proof...)

Tess' Version of Pinto Bean Fudge (don't knock it until you try it)
Ingredients
1 cup of cooked pinto beans ( mashed or puree until smooth)
1 cup of melted butter (no substitutions)

10 oz melted dark chocolate
1 Tbsp vanilla

1 tsp rum flavor
1 cup natural baking cocoa
2 lb powdered sugar (7 cups)

1/2 tsp Chef Tess Wise Woman of the East blend

dash of cayanne pepper

1 cup toasted walnuts (if desired but I think this is the only way to have fudge)
Directions:
First, mash the beans. I use a food processor so you can get them real smooth ( the one cup measure is before mashing).
Then, combine the mashed beans with the melted butter, melted chocolate, vanilla, and cocoa in a heavy  mixer with a paddle attachment. After that’s all combined, add the powdered sugar. Add nuts.
Blend well 3-4 minutes until smooth.

Spread the fudge mixture into an 8 by 8 inch pan lined with non-stick foil or parchment. Set 2-3 hours. Remove the paper or foil. 
Slice with a sharp knife. Keep chilled.

There you go. Pinto beans can be made into fudge. Who know?  Seriously love. Try not to think about the other uses for pinto beans. Think fudge instead of sprouts. I know I will. 


Do you want to hear about these adventures as they unfold? Join me on My Facebook Page.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Cajun Red Beans, Sausage and Rice Meal in a Jar (The 52 method continues)

Welcome to another food storage Monday!

By and far the most requested meal in a jar to date has been a good recipe for Red Beans, Sausage and Rice. You know...the basic Cajun dish that is used as a staple all over the southern USA...a basic.  Gourmet we do...basic...we do every single day. It wasn't a surprise when I posted the Louisiana Gumbo Meal in a Jar  recipe that the requests for the RB&R started pouring into the e-mail. So, I've heard your cries. I've gone with a basic recipe description from one of my friends here on the blog. She described her recipe as follows:

"The basic recipe I use has a pound of sausage (I use all beef kielbasa since Andoui is hard to find here in the wilds of West Texas), the trinity of onions, celery and bell peppers, and cajun seasoning. I saute the veggies in the fat leftover from cooking the sausage - don't know how you'd get around that in a 52 method recipe. Then I add a can (or two depending on how many I'm feeding) of red beans and the cajun seasonings. I do the rice separately. I have a favorite brand of red beans that I use and wondered if I could just dehydrate those since I like their flavor. I use the "goop" and all since it's flavored too."

All right. Here's what I came up with. Sausage being the main issue as far as I'm concerned it will be as close as you can get without using sausage in casing, but using the same seasoning as andouille sausage  in the beans. This is also a lower fat recipe the the typical pork sausage traditionally used in this dish.  You may need more spicy-heat or to tweak it as desired to your family's likes, but so far so good!  We have kids, so we have to make it a little milder than I think a few of you may be used to doing. Make it your own and enjoy! I get my ingredients for this dish from two sources.

• Special thanks to Chef Tess Thrive Life for the freeze-dried sausage, dehydrated celery, quick cook beans, rice and dehydrated celery. 
• Special thanks goes out to my friends at Firehousepantrystore.com for the special powdered ingredients and dehydrated bell peppers and minced garlic.

Cajun Red Beans,Sausage, and Rice

Bean mixture:

1/2 cup freeze-dried sausage  

1 ½ tsp dehydrated minced garlic

½ tsp black pepper

 2 tsp Hot Sauce Powder

1/2  tsp thyme

1 tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp  dry rubbed sage

1/4 tsp Hickory Smoke Powder

1/3  cup dehydrated onion
1/2 cup dehydrated diced bell pepper

¼ cup dehydrated celery

1 cup quick cook red beans

1 tsp No MSG Chicken bouillon (autolyzed yeast extract is used)

Rice baggie (if you want to cook the rice separate from the beans):

1 cup long grain rice

2 T  Powdered butter (optional)

1 tsp salt

Jar directions:
Combine the sausage, garlic, pepper, hot sauce powder, thyme, paprika, sage, smoke powder, onion, bell pepper, celery, beans and bouillon in a quart jar. Top with a oxygen absorbers (learn all about oxygen absorbers) or seal with a Food Saver Vacuum Packing Jar Attachment).

Product details:
Firehousepantrystore.com has been a really great company to work with on getting specialty powdered items I can't find anywhere else. If I list something here on the blog for meals in a jar and you can't find it anywhere else, you can usually find it from them. They ship really fast as well!

 Chef Tess Thrive Life  is my favorite for bulk items.  Their quick cook red beans cook in 20 minutes and have an outstanding 10-15 year shelf life.

I prefer using the real freeze-dried sausage  .

I like to use the dehydrated celery in this meal. The price is right and the longer simmer gives it enough time to hydrate correctly. 

The find of the week has been this awesome Hot Sauce Powder! I also love sprinkling it on popcorn and homemade potato chips...but I digress. 

To prepare: Combine bean ingredients with 3 1/2 cups water and simmer on low 20-25 minutes until cooked and tender. In a separate pan combine rice ingredients with 2 cups water and simmer low, covered pan 20-25 minutes. OR if you cook the whole thing together, omit the use of the bag for the rice. Cook all ingredients together with 5 1/2 cups water for 20-25 minutes over low heat, covered. 

There you go. Our family's favorite red beans and rice.  Adjust as needed for your family's favorite flavor.




Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

The Cookbook Is ONLINE!

Supplies are limited but I wanted to let everyone know that my new cookbook is finally available online!
Are we excited?! 

Here are the details My Cookbook on Honeyvillegrain.com:

The Gourmet Food Storage Handbook is a must have cookbook for any kitchen. Stephanie Petersen, more commonly known by her followers as Chef Tess, has hand-picked some of her favorite food storage recipes to help you create delicious meals that belong on every family's dinner table. With helpful tips and tutorials, this handbook will teach you how to fit a family-sized meal in a jar, how to make your own shelf-stable mixes, and how to make the richest, tastiest breads. All these recipes are made with Honeyville's easy to use ingredients, including premium grains, specialty flours, freeze dried products and dehydrated mixes. The food storage cook book contains 225 full-color pages, packed with 143 incredible recipes, including: 9 Appetizer recipes, 9 Breakfast recipes, 6 Bean recipes, 14 Side Dishes, 5 Whole Grain Snacks, 6 Rolls, Sweet Rolls, & Freezer Bread recipes, 12 Whole Grain Bread recipes, 13 Dessert recipes, 31 Gourmet Mixes, 4 Holiday Soup Mixes, 9 Gluten Free recipes, and 25 of her highly popular 52 Method: Meals in a Jar recipes. Practicing storage rotation is a must when building a food storage pantry. This book will help you find daily uses for your food storage items and take your cooking skills to the next level. Your family will soon be begging you to use food storage in every meal! Price: $19.99 Item Number: 007-601-0163

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Tips for Picky Eaters and Survival Situations. Are Your Kids Ready?

Monday is the day I share a little on food storage and emergency preparation.

 

One of the things I'm frequently asked is how I get my kids to eat so many different foods,  especially whole grain and  food storage foods.  I didn't think we were doing anything unusual in our methods of feeding our kids, until the morning my 6 year old came walking into my bedroom with a head of roasted garlic from the fridge and was popping the whole pieces in his mouth...like that was a totally normal thing for a 6 year old to do. Then I realized maybe we weren't as normal as some would hope. Of course, he wasn't putting the garlic cloves in his nostrils or armpits, so I figured we must be doing something right. 

  I'm a chef  so many assume it is because I just know how to cook and make food taste delicious that my kids aren't so picky. Truth be known, that may be only part of the magic.  We've had my kids eating pretty amazing and healthy varieties of foods from the time they could barely start eating. It wasn't just because I'm a "foodie" that my kids are good eaters. It is because we as parents lead by example. Does that mean they always eat everything I make? Nope. It does mean that I never give up. Did I have my share of carrot puree meltdowns? Yes. Yes I did. Then I tried to serve the puree to my kids and it was even worse.

"My kids won't eat beans...(or whatever...). How will they do when that is all there is to eat, like in a crisis or survival situation?"Research shows 15 exposures or more to a new food make is more likely to be accepted by young children, then just leaving it out of the diet completely. That is a big key. They may reject a certain food at first, but your job is to not give up. Find different ways to present it, and have fun. If your child doesn't like carrots but you know they will probably need to eat them sometime in their lifetime...don't panic. Make it a game. Don't make it a matter of emotional pressure. Find that magic consistency now, before you're in a crisis situation and when you do find that magic consistency, put that in your emergency food storage. 

 There are legitimate reasons for picky eating. 

There are 3 main reasons for children being selective eaters that are rooted in natural survival.

•  Children almost always will prefer sweet foods over bitter, by nature.
• Children  suffer from neophobia, the fear of trying new foods.
• Gifted Children have a dislike of too many textures, flavors, or smells together.

Dislike of bitter foods is a natural mechanism put in place  to protect us from eating things that are potentially poisonous or dangerous. That natural aversion to bitter flavors stems from the the fact that most foods that, in nature, are poisonous,  like leaves or flowers have that bitter flavor.  Kale for instance is the worst ever...Okay, maybe I personally don't like the stuff. I'm personally really glad that aversion is there.  That bitter aversion saves lives because they'll spit out the offensive material. Sweeter foods like fruits  are rich in energy. Let's face it, kids need energy foods and it makes sense for that to be their natural attraction.

Neophobia is a defense. It is the natural fear of new foods. It usually appears around age two. That is the age that most societies stop breast feeding. At this point, kids don't depend on mother entirely for nutrition and they will, as a defense, avoid foods. They don't know if it is safe to eat. This however doesn't apply to marbles. They'll eat those and put them up their nose all day. Just saying.

My kid is just freaking brilliant. Do you have one of those kids who doesn't like anything mixed or touching on his plate? I know adults like that (Hi Evil Tara...tee hee). I was happy to find that they were just geniuses. 

 Gifted kids with sensual overexcitability can be particularly aware of certain textures and flavors. I was one of those kids myself. They may be overwhelmed by many tastes and textures together. Some of them can even distinguish different herbs and spices in a dish. My mother, thankfully nurtured this. Adding a few herbs at a time and helping me determine what that new flavor was early on became a game. This of course means, if you have a child like this, that they will be genius rock-star chefs and you should make sure they keep that up. On the other hand, don't overwhelm them. The creamy, crunchy, flavor intense dinner you had planned may not be just right for their little mouth just yet. It isn't you...but don't give up!

They may not intentionally be acting stubborn or picky. It is however, our job to broaden their food perspectives now, before they are faced with a stressful situation.  Here are some great tips to use now.

Make them more Sweet or Savory Vegetables
Adding a flavored sweet lemon juice, honey or vinegar to a vegetable can work miracles to change the flavor profile of the veggie. Often, adding that sweetener, if done naturally, will also increase the nutritional value of the food. Carmelized onions work magic to add depth and a lightly sweet flavor to dishes. Keeping that in mind, use finely chopped or minced pieces of the onion. Also, it is remarkable what a little grilling can do to a vegetable or fruit. Tossing a piece of pineapple on a grill pan with a little olive oil and then adding that to the vegetable mixture was magic around my house when the kids were small. It still is. After you find that magic flavor addition, add it to your food storage!

Serve Vegetables Raw, Dehydrated or Freeze Dried
It depends on the vegetable, but many are sweeter raw than cooked. It's a great way to get kids to eat green vegetables, like peas, zucchini and green beans when they are served freeze dried. By the way, a huge amount of nutritional value is retained in the freeze drying as a natural preservation process and it also gives them a snack texture that is hard to beat.  Seriously...I actually will eat peas all day long freeze dried. I've seen kids completely reject zucchini until I served it dehydrated and thin sliced like a potato chip. The flavor was mild and lightly salted, they would eat them like crazy! They're still eating their veggies. Don't get caught up in a mind set that says there is only one way to serve it. 

Serve Foods in a Favorite Texture Form

So your kiddo doesn't like oatmeal, but they really like meatballs. Well...who says you can't add some oats and oat fiber to your meatballs? The texture issue is a key factor in breaking up the monotony and food fatigue in emergency foods. Most of these foods cooked are the same soft texture. If you have a child who likes crunch foods, be sure to store  and learn how to cook foods that are crunchy as well like  Homemade crackers.  

Link Foods to Your Child's Interests Now and Respect Their Tastes

This takes a little creativity, but it works well with younger kids. Give that food storage recipe a personal twist by naming it after their favorite dinosaur, hobby or activity. No. Do not go with the  favorite hobby or activity name being " nose-picking-oatmeal". I'm not saying name the split pea soup mix "T-Rex-turds" either.  Unless you have gross boys that like sick-o names like that.  I am saying to make it personal. Drop-dead-laugh on the ground funny is good as well. Once you've found some shelf-stable kid friendly meals like my Meals in a Jar that you've adapted to your family's tastes, give your child their favorite picks. It is okay, for instance, for them to help you make some specific shelf stable meals that they know are their favorites.  I have one boy who can't live without carrot cake breakfast pudding. 

If I had called it "6 grain cereal with carrots in it"...there's no way I could have ever persuaded him to try it once. 

Respect Your Child's Tastes 

Everyone has foods they like and dislike. If your children don't want to eat broccoli, then don't force it.  Encourage it. Love them anyway. Keep it light and fun.  Add it often to meals in small amounts as you certainly want to encourage your child to try a variety of foods. If your child has tried something many,  many times in several different dishes and applications and says he or she doesn't like it, then respect her decision to say "no" to eating it. I will never be a fan of raw celery sticks (I call them alien fingers). My mom didn't stop serving celery. She just served it differently. I love it chopped and cooked in stews.  Keep serving that food at meal time. Be diligent. You'll never regret teaching your child to appreciate meals that are whole grain with a long-term shelf life if those foods can save their life. It may be a simple emergency, like your family losing employment that forces you to eat more beans and stored food. Wouldn't it be nice, to start now with creative food storage recipes and meals so that in a time of family crisis that are already stressful, the meals are received with enthusiasm? 

There you go. Help your picky eaters.

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess