BINDER-A-LONG PART 4

It used to make me laugh when I would read things that said, "Talk to your doctor."  Especially since moving to California, I rarely felt like I had a big relationship with any doctor, or even saw them often enough to feel like I could talk through any health concerns.  And it probably is because our health concerns were very minimal.  Sure, there was the stretches of prenatal visits before a birth or other short-term issues.  In the last eight years, we also haven't had a doctor that we stayed with for very long.  Either they moved or I was looking for someone else.  Fast forward to now...with a medically complex kid I suddenly have whole health teams on my phone contacts.  I talk with Eliana's transplant Nurse Practitioners at least once every 3 to 4 weeks, and this is stretched out a lot longer than it used to be.

This week's Binder-a-long challenge has to to with Medical Records.  For me, this suddenly is super important.  Even if you do not have a family member with health issues, it is a good idea to gather some info.

• Business cards for all doctors, dentists, specialists.  These fit perfectly in the 9 pocket pages. (If you do not have this information, consider including a page wtih names, phone number, addresses, email, fax, and phone numbers for each health care professional.
• Health, dental, vision, prescription insurance cards (copy front and back)
• Immunization Records
• List of blood types for each family member
• Medical history for each family member
• Medical records, test results for any family member with a serious health issue.
• Prescription Medication names, doses, and pharmacy information.
• Medical Power of Attorney

I challenge you to keep going with your Emergency Binder.  Get caught up if you are not, and start if you haven't!  I promise some day you will want this information all in one place!

USING FOOD STORAGE

How is everyone holding up?  These are surely interesting times!  If you are like us, we are trying to go to the grocery store as little as possible.  It has been about a month since our last big Costco run and though the fridge is almost empty, we are trying to stretch it out a bit further.  I am learning what I wish I had stocked up more on (tomato sauce and ground beef) and we are getting creative with what we have.  I sadly admit that I did not have a 3 month supply--according to my organizational standards--but we do have quite a bit of long-term storage that is getting used!

In the past week, we have resurrected a very old cookbook.  It is called New Ideas for Cooking With Basic Food Storage.  It is just a small 19-page cardstock-cover book that has no publishing info, just a date of May 1997.  I bought it for a dollar in the early 2000s from our church cannery in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  We have a few staple recipes that we used for years, then gradually stopped using them.  When we pulled it out, my kids were pleasantly surprised at how yummy some of the items are!  I also was surprised when I thumbed through it again and remembered just how many great ideas are in this little book!  (We had the 'Delicious Oatmeal Pancakes' for lunch today, my kids loved them!)

So, for this week, here are some ideas for using that long-term storage.  Hopefully you find a few favorites!

BLENDER WHEAT PANCAKES
Makes 6 to 8 pancakes

1 c. milk (use pwd milk if needed)
2 eggs
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1 c. uncooked whole wheat
2 T oil
2 T honey or sugar

Put milk and wheat in blender.  Blend on highest speed for four or five minutes or until batter is smooth.  Add and blend on low, egs, oil, baking powder, honey, and salt.  Bake on hot griddle.  (Our family loves these with honey!)

DELICIOUS OATMEAL PANCAKES
Makes 8 to 10 pancakes

1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 t. sale
1/3 c. nonfat powdered milk
1 c. water
1 cup rolled oats
2 t. baking powder
2 T sugar
2 eggs, separated
3 T vegetable oil

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and powdered milk, stir until well blended.  In small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, set aside.  In large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, wate, oil, and oats, beat slightly and allow to stand 5 minutes, the beat until blended.  Mix in dry ingredients, then fold in beaten egg whites.  For small pancakes, drop 2 T batter onto griddle, or pour 1/4 measuring cup full, if larger pancakes are desired.

Bake until cakes are full of bubbles on top and undersides are lightly browned.  Turn with spatula and brown other side.  Serve with applesauce or jam and butter and maple syrup.

USING LEAVENING AGENTS
Everlasting Yeast
1 quart warm potato water
1 tsp salt, 2 T sugar
2 cups white or wheat flour
1/2  yeast cake or 1/2 T dry yeast

stir all ingredients together.  Place mixture in a warm place to rise until ready to mix for baking.  Leave a small amount of everlasting yeast for a start for next time.  Between uses, keep in covered jar in refrigerator until a few hours before ready to use again.

Add same ingredients, except yeast to the everlasting yeast start for the next baking.  By keeping the everlasting yeast start and remaking some each time, yeast can be kept on hand indefinitely.

Egg Substitute (for baking)
Before starting recipe for cookines, cake, etc., combine 2 tsp unflavored gelatin with 3 T cold water and 2T plus 1t boiling water.  This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.

USING DRY (POWDERED) MILK

Foods made with powdered milk will have fewer calories and less cholesterol than those made from whole milk.  Adding additional milk to the recipe will enhance the nutritive value of the recipe.

In any recipe calling for milk, simply add the dry milk to other dry ingredients.  Sift to blend, then add water for the milk called for in the recipe.

Whole Milk
1 c. water
1/3 c. powdered milk

Evaporated Milk
1 c. water
2/3 c. powdered milk

Whipped Evaporated Milk
Makes 3 cups

1 c. evaporated milk
2 T lemon junice

Thoroughly chill evaporated milk.  Add lemon juice and whip until stiff
Sweeten and flavor as desired.

Condensed Milk
1/2 c. hot water
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. sugar

Blend thoroughly in blender.  Can be stored in refrigerator or frozen

"Eagle Brand" Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 c. hot water
4 c. powdered milk
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter

Blend in blender very well. Can be stored in the refrigerator or fozen

Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 c. water
1 T vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 c. powdered milk

Drinkable Powdered Milk
To improve the flavor of powdered milk, mix it half and half with whole or 2% milk.  Another suggestion would be to try adding a little sugar or vanilla to enhance the flavor.  Let it chill several hours before drinking.

SLIM CREAM SOUP MIX
2 c. dry milk
1 c. cornstarch
3T chicken granules
2T dried onion
1/2 t thyme
1/4 t pepper

Mix all ingredients and store in airtight container.  Reconstitute 1/3 c mix with 1 1/4 c water.  This equals one can of "Cream of" soup.


USING RICE

Cook rice in beef or chicken broth instead of water.

Mix cooked rice with a variety of things--sliced mushrooms, sauteed onions, crumbled pieces of bacon, slivered almonds or grated cheese.

Try sour cream and chives mixed into cooked rice.

Add one of the following herbs to the cooking water when preparing rice (amounts are per cup):
1/4 tsp dried thyme, oregano, sage rosemary, basil or savory
1/2 tsp celery seed or dried dill
Seasoned salt instead of salt
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
1 small bay leaf

COOKING BEANS
Soaking and cooking beans before mixing with other recipe ingredients helps to get the right tenderness and can minimize final cooking time.

Overnight Soaking
For each 1 pound beans, dissolve 2 tsp salt in 6 cups of water.  Wash bens, add to salted water, and soak overnight.

Quick Soaking
For each 2 pound beans, bring 8 cups of water to boiling, wash beans, add to boiling water, boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and soak 1 hour.

To Cook Soaked Beans
For each 1 pound beans, dissolve 2 tsp salt in 6 cups hot water; bring to boiling.  Add soaked beans, boil gently, uncovered, adding water if needed to keep beans overed, until tender.  Yield 6 to 7 cups.

To cook old hard beans
Wash and sort to remove any discolored beans or foreign material.  For each cup of dry beans, add 2 1/2 cups of hot tap water and 2 tsp of baking soda and soak overnight.  Drain and rinse two times, then add water to cover and cook until tender and soft, about two hours, adding more water as needed.

Adding a T of oil will cut down on foam as beans.  cook.  Stored beans should be rotated regularly.  They continue to lose moisture and will not reconstituted satisfactorily if kept too long.