How to never rotate your water barrels again and prevent panic during an e coli scare

As a reminder, the THRIVE Live broadcast is today with Chef Todd, teaching us how to make those great Dutch  Oven recipes using THRIVE foods on sale this August. If you can't watch it live at the warehouse in American Fork, be sure to check out the YouTube channel tomorrow to catch the footage. And it's still not too late to take advantage of those August Sale Prices. Just contact me to place your order.

With the business side of things over, let's talk scandal, shall we?  In my neighborhood, we have one option for a water provider, and that's Johnson Utilities. They released a notice today saying that they tested positive for E.Coli in our water back on August 16th. Apparently it takes 48 hours to get the results, and then they did re-test to be sure, but by the 21st, they still found one sample that tested positive, so now on the 22nd they are advising us all to boil our water or use bottled water, for everything from drinking to cooking to washing hands, making ice, brushing teeth, etc. Interestingly enough, information started leaking out some time yesterday evening before the official statement came out this morning.  By 8pm the night BEFORE the official release, here's what the water aisle at our local grocery store shelves looked like:

Emergency Fact: By the time you know there is an emergency, it is too late to prepare. 

I went to the store this morning, knowing I would find the shelves like this. Thankfully, I didn't need to buy any bottled water, because I was already prepared. This summer, it was time for me to rotate the water supply in our big storage barrels. Experts advise rotating that water every 6-12 months.  But I am lazy, and the idea of moving everything else so I could access them, then draining those massively heavy barrels without being able to move them (they weigh 450+ lbs), trying to find a way not to waste the water, cleaning them out, borrowing a potable water grade hose to refill them, etc, was a bit overwhelming for me. Especially knowing I would have to go through that process every 6-12 months. So instead, I invested in some high quality water filters from Shelf Reliance. Now whenever I need to use my emergency water, I don't have to worry about it possibly developing any bacteria or becoming contaminated while in storage. And I don't have  to worry about ever rotating my water barrels again... or about drinking E.coli infested water from my utilities company.

The filters I chose are the advanced Seychelle water filters. They use an ionic adsorption micron filter system that will rid your water supply of 95-99.99% of unwanted taste, minerals, bacteria, pesticides, viruses, cysts, and even radiation! Here's a list of some of what it cleans out: Chlorine, Aluminum, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Mercury, Chloroform,  Radon 222, VOC, DDT, E. Coli, Salmonella, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Dhigella dysentariae, Poliovirus, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and more.

To see the Seychelle advanced filter in action, check out this video on Youtube: 

The Seychelle advanced filter comes in a variety of different filtering containers. Here are a few of my favorites, along with their prices. Pick out the ones you are interested in, and then contact me to place your order and buy yourself peace of mind that your family will have clean drinking water should any sort of emergency happen, and to know that you never have to rotate your water barrels again!

Seychelle Water Filtration Pump 

Cost: $29.49  Filtering Capacity: 100 gallons   

Cost per gallon: $0.29

The Pure Water Pump is ideal for pumping filtered water from any reservoir - 2 1/2 gallon to 5 gallon bottles, 20 to 50 gallon drums, a tub, storage tank, pond, pool, river, lake or virtually any type of container!

It's great for every day use; camping, travel or emergency use. It breaks down into two separate easy-to-carry components that fit into any backpack. The pumping system is powerful - delivering 60 PSI at point of contact.

Seychelle Water Filtration Bottle - 24oz 

Cost: $29.69  Filtering Capacity: 100 gallons   

Cost per gallon: $0.30

Designed for travel, camping, and active lifestyles, this bottle comes with its own handy tote for attaching to other bags or luggage. A water filtration bottle is essential for emergencies, earthquakes, floods, fires and other catastrophes. 

Seychelle Advanced Replacement Filter 

Cost: $11.99  Filtering Capacity: 100 gallons   

Cost per gallon: $0.12

This replacement filter will work for the above water pump and the water bottle.

Seychelle Water Filtration Bag 

Cost: $29.49   Filtering Capacity: 100 gallons    

Cost per gallon: $0.29

The Seychelle Water Bag is the perfect product when you need a continuous supply of water. It holds up to 2 gallons of water and makes great-tasting drinking water. The Water Bag comes complete with a handy carrying case with a strap, which you can hang from a tree, car door or simply hold conveniently in your hand.  

Seychelle Water Filtration Straw

Cost: $14.84  Filtering Capacity: 25 gallons

   Cost per gallon: $0.59

If you are looking for something more compact and light weight, the straw will be ideal for you. It easily fits in your purse, pocket, backpack, luggage, or car for emergency preparedness. It is the perfect stocking stuffer for the campers in your life, and an ideal 72 hour kit accessory. Key Features:

• Up to 25-gallon filter life.
• Now with BIOSAFE®, removes up to 99.99% of bacteria, virus, contaminants and pollutants found in drinking water including Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and E-Coli Bacteria.
• Proven effective against bacteria and virus to six logs reduction (99.9999%).
• Waterproof carrying case.
• Ideal for everyday use and disaster preparedness.
• Ultra light and compact.
• Non-toxic BPA free materials.
• Tested by Independent laboratories using EPA /ANSI protocols and NSF Standards 42 and 53.
• Costs less than bottled water.

Contact me today to order 

all your water storage and filtration needs. 

Whitney Hemsath

ThriveWithHemsath@gmail.com

714-683-7562

Cooking Demo Videos and August Sales

Wow. It's been over a month. Sorry for the long break. Congrats to everyone who took advantage of the July Sales and hosting benefits -- a few of you got some great food storage packages for half off!  If you  missed out on those deals and promotions, don't worry. There's some great deals this August for you as well.

For those of you who have food storage, but don't know what to do with it, did you know that Shelf Reliance has a YouTube channel with monthly cooking demos? Their resident professional chef, Todd Leonard, hosts a monthly cooking demo, using the THRIVE ingredients on sale that month. If you live in the vicinity of American Fork, UT, and you want to be part of the live audience, just let me know. I'll get you all the details. Otherwise, you can watch it on-line like me. These shows are called "THRIVE LIVE" and they're pretty fun.  And you can see all the recipes for what Chef Todd makes by clicking on the link at the bottom of the video.

In July, the monthly theme was breakfast foods, and Chef Todd made egg white scrambles, smoothies, german pancakes, and spiced apple oatmeal. To see the video of July's THRIVE LIVE, click here.

This month, all the monthly specials are part of Chef Todd's "Dutch Oven" theme, though you can make them in a large sauce pan or skillet as well. The August THRIVE LIVE is happening on August 22nd and will be posted on YouTube shortly thereafter. The recipes he will be showing are:

• Skillet Potatoes
• Beef Stew
• Chicken and Rice
• Cowboy Beans
• Peach Cobbler

As always, if you want to order any of the THRIVE foods or other emergency preparedness items, just contact me. I can get you a better price than Costco, or even than the Shelf Reliance Website. And just this week I made homemade sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce using tomatoes I dehydrated myself in the sun oven, so I promise to get a post up about sun oven dehydration for those interested. Until then, keep thriving!

Host with the Most - Get an extra $500 in half off product this July!

Awesome news everyone!  Shelf Reliance is offering a special deal this July that is truly incredible. For anyone who hosts a party in July, and has at least $100 in sales, in addition to the regular host benefits, you will also get to pick out one extra product, up to $500 in retail price, and you will get that item half off. So that is an extra savings of up to $250. Here are the official rules for redeeming this incentive:

1. This incentive may only be redeemed once (per host) and is valid for one product only—hosts may not combine products to reach the $500 retail value. 
2. The party must be held in July and must record $100 sales to be eligible
3. This incentive is in addition to the usual host benefits
4. A special host benefit order form must be submitted to Shelf Reliance by August 7th. It may take up to 2-3 weeks to process your order. 

There are two ways to host a party. 

1. You can have an in-home party, where your friends come to your home. I bring food for everyone to sample and we talk about the products together. I would love to do that for your and your friends - you just need to contact me to schedule your party and we have to make it happen during July. Available dates are limited, so it this is what you want, please contact me right away. 
2. You can also host an on-line party, or catalog party.  You email links to the catalog and the price lists to all of your friends and family. You leave a catalog and order forms in the break room at work. You collect orders (or give me their contact info and I will collect the orders for you) and voila! You get the same host benefits, but without having to worry about vacation schedules or cleaning up your house. This is the perfect option for people who live too far away for me to come do a party, or for people who are just too busy to throw a party together. If you want to host an on-line party, just contact me so I can get you all the necessary links and work out the details with you. 

If you have at least $100 of things you would like to order, you already have your sales quota met to qualify. You might as well host a party and see if you can collect a few extra orders. With things like our awesome Instant Milk and our Powdered Eggs on sale for July, the products will basically sell themselves. And the regular host benefits are awesome. In addition to the July promo of $500 in half off,   every hosts already gets 10% of their sales totals in free product, and every  $400 in sales earns $50 in half off product as well.  Also, if anyone books a party from your party, you get another $100 in half off. So there is A LOT of great benefits. If you want to really invest in your family's preparedness, there has NEVER been a better time. 

So what product would you get with your benefits? Perhaps a Sun Oven? Retail price $329.99.  Your host price would be $164.99.  Or maybe a Standard 6 month supply of Freeze Dried Fruits? Retail price $486.99. Your host price: $243.49. Or perhaps you want the Power Center 200 - a portable silent generator that can be recharged in your wall outlet, via solar panel, or even by hand crank? Retail price $499.99. Your host price: $249.99

Hurry and contact me right away to book your in-home or on-line party right away. If you have hosted a party in the past, you are definitely allowed to host another one this month to take advantage of this great offer!

Instant Milk and Eggs on sale.. and so much more this July

Hello! I hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as I am. As July approaches, I wanted to let you all know of the specials for July. Beginning July 2nd, the following items will be on sale. Prices listed are the sale price for a #10 can.

10 Grain Pancake Mix: $9.79

FD Banana Slices: $23.09

FD Blueberries: #36.69

Instant Milk: $17.39

Egg Whites: $24.79

Scrambled Egg Mix: $33.59

Whole Eggs: $18.39

FD Sausage Crumbles: $35.09

THRIVE Express 5 packs on sale:

Baked Potato Cheese Soup: $27.59

Creamy Garden Vegetable Chowder: $27.59 

Southwestern style Chicken and Rice: $31.89

To see pictures of the sales items, click this link: http://www.shelfreliance.com/files/materials/price-lists/Flyer:-July-Monthly-Specials-.pdf

My very favorite THRIVE food item is our Instant Milk. I, too, used to turn my nose up at the idea of powdered milk. But when I tried the Instant milk from THRIVE, I finally put cold cereal back on our food storage menu. THRIVE's Instant Milk is fat free, made from 100% real dairy and as such, it tastes, and cooks, like real milk. I have made ice cream, buttermilk, whipped topping, soups, sauces, ricotta cheese and so much more with my Instant Milk. I have friends who make their own yogurt with it. This versatile item is something no home pantry should be without. It lasts unopened in the can for up to 25 years, and once you open it, it still lasts up to 2 years. 

Homemade vanilla ice cream made with THRIVE Instant Milk

The other item I think every pantry should have are THRIVE Whole Eggs. I use them in making cakes, cookies, quiche, ham fried rice, breakfast scrambles, meatloaf, and so much more. They work just like regular eggs, and a #10 can will reconstitute into 18 dozen eggs. No taking up space in your fridge, no missing out on that batch of brownies because you ran out of eggs and can't make it to the store. 

Mini Quiche bites made with THRIVE Whole Egg Powder

To order your Instant Milk, Whole Egg Powder, and anything else THRIVE offers, just contact me. You can reach me at 714-683-7562 or ThriveWithHemsath@gmail.com. And as always, if you have any food storage questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I am here to help!

Your Shelf Reliance Personal Consultant, 

Whitney Hemsath

Chili Lime Chicken Rice and THRIVE Express

Hey folks.  Missed me? To kick off the summer, my husband (a high school teacher) spent two weeks at various scout camps, and I struggled to play the single mom role. Now that he's finally home, we have already done some major landscaping, made curtains, and painted a few rooms. Amid the busy schedule of summer, I have taken a much slower pace with my THRIVE blogging, but that's not to say THRIVE isn't still an active part of our lifestyle. In fact, the busier I am, the more THRIVE I tend to use because it is so quick and convenient, while still being healthy.  

With the Arizona heat, I have still been using my sun oven a lot, but I'm going to take a small break from blogging about the Sun Oven to let you know about an important part of THRIVE I haven't mentioned before. And that is THRIVE Express.

THRIVE Express is a line of entrees and sides that Shelf Reliance released this spring. They come in high quality Mylar pouches, which you can buy individually, or in a 5 pack box, and there's even a variety pack with one of each of the twelve different flavors.  They are loaded with plenty of THRIVE Freeze-dried meats and veggies.  The whole meal is in there; you just need to add water. They are guaranteed to last at least 5 years, and will probably last closer to 10, but for sure, Shelf Reliance says 5 years.  My favorite part, however, is how FAST they are to make.

This week, we had been busy painting and by the time we needed to eat, I hadn't prepared anything. I thought it would be as good a time as any to try out the "Chili Lime Chicken Rice" THRIVE Express pouch I had. So I opened the pouch and here's what I saw inside.

Actual freeze dried white meat chicken, freeze dried bell peppers, green chilies, corn, spices, and two kinds of rice. I boiled 1 2/3 cups water, dumped in the pouch, let it simmer for 7 minutes, rest for 3 more minutes, and then we were eating. TEN MINUTES, and my husband and I both had a full cup of a complete meal, which doesn't sound like much, especially to someone like me who always eats more than I should, but even so, I was definitely satisfied afterwards. (Note: the Chili Lime is a express side dish, which makes four 1/2 cup servings, but we ate it like an entree between the two of us. The Express entrees made four full cup servings.)  And the taste? Excellent! Dustin was skeptical about the chili lime flavor, but he kept commenting while eating that he was actually really enjoying it. I also really enjoyed it.

The alternative would have been to run out for fast food, which would have wound up costing about the same if not more, wasting gas, and having way more fat and calories than we needed. I love knowing I have some more pouches of my chili lime chicken rice on hand for those pressed-for-time nights, and I have some of the creamy beef and noodles coming in my Q this month which I'm very excited about.

I have a great page with THRIVE Express FAQs, videos, and more that you can find at: http://whitneyhemsath.shelfreliance.com/parties/index/cms/id/thrive_express.

Along with Tomato Powder, FD Zucchini, FD Green Chilies, FD Red or Green Bell Peppers, FD Raspberries, Carrots, Onions, Pasta and Beans, also on sale for June are the following THRIVE Express flavors: Chile Lime Chicken Rice, The Creamy Beef and Noodles, and the Loaded Scalloped Potatoes.  The above website show pictures and sale prices for those THRIVE Express items. If you have any questions about THRIVE Express or any of the June specials, or to order some for your pantry, just contact me. Here's to productive summers and quick healthy dinners. Here's to THRIVE Express!

Sun Oven Part Two: Moisture tips and tricks

Before I do our next Sun Oven installment, let me remind you that our awesome sales all end Tuesday May 29th at 10am. Harvest shelves, gluten free packages... you don't want to miss out. Contact me right away to place your order and get that special pricing.

Now on to the Sun Oven! I have been using mine A TON lately, and I love it!  I love the piece of mind that comes from knowing I have my Sun Oven, as well as the freedom I feel at being able to bake my favorite things even during the AZ summer. So do yourself a favor and contact me to buy a Sun Oven today, so you can save money on your electric bill now, practice your solar baking skills, and later, when you NEED to cook without electricity, you will already be a pro. As a reminder, if you order directly through me and my virtual party, here's what you get with your sun oven:

Free accessory pan(s)

+

 $28.21 in free product

+

Ability to cook without needing electricity, gas or propane

+

A way to save on your electric bill and keep your house cooler in the summer

+

Peace of mind from being prepared for emergencies 

________________________________________________

All for the price of $282.14 plus applicable tax and shipping

So enough business chit chat. Let's get to the tips and tricks. In part one of this Sun Oven series, we went over general info. Today's we'll be talking about moisture. Regular ovens have vents and exhausts built in to them. As you cook food, the moisture it contains escapes as steam through these vents. If something is cooked too long, the moisture will all cook out, and it will become dry, crispy, or burnt. The Sun Oven, however, does not have any vents. As such, all the moisture of your food stays in the oven (as long as the door stays sealed shut). Here are some of the major benefits to a moisture-retaining sun oven:

•  Meats and Baked Goods stay really moist and tender. Woohoo! Want your cookies to be the chewy gems of the party? Bake them in the Sun Oven!  These White Chocolate Craisin Oatmeal cookies were cooked on a partially over cast day (lower temperature than normal) for about an hour (longer cooking time than normal).  They were so tender that my husband actually preferred them to the batch I baked in my regular oven for comparison.  

 

• You don't need to use as much water when cooking many recipes. You can use an entire 1/3 less liquid on recipes that have added liquids (Don't reduce the liquid in baked good items, however.) Here's an example: I grabbed my roasting pan and put in 2 cups dry rice, 2 cups raw broccoli, 2 cups raw cauliflower, and then topped it with 2 raw chicken breasts (cut into 3 pieces each). Normally, I would need to add 4 cups of water to cook all that rice, but since it's in my sun oven, I can use 1/3 less. So I added  2 & 2/3 cups water (with some salt and seasonings mixed in), poured it over the top of my chicken, veggies, and rice, put it in the sun oven at 11am, went about about my day, checked back on it at 1:45, and it was done. Here's how it looked: 

Raw ingredients

1/3 less liquid, everything cooked all at once for less than 3 hours, and the chicken was done, the rice was moist,  the veggies were tender. 

• It is hard to burn things. If I left my macaroons in the regular oven 5 minutes too long, they would be burnt. In the Sun Oven, the difference is negligible. That being said, if you forget about something completely (out of sight, out of mind), and you leave it in there HOURS longer than you should, it might not be as palatable. But as long as you remember to set a timer inside, so you remember to go check on your oven outside, you should be fine. 

• Because there are no vents, the air inside the chamber heats consistently throughout. This means you can actually hard boil an egg without any water. Just preheat the sun oven to 300+ degrees, place a dozen eggs in their cardboard carton (without lid) in the preheated oven, lock the door, come back in 35 minutes, remove the carton, and they will be done. I put mine in some ice water afterwards, to ensure easier peeling. Here's how they came out:

Paper burns at 451 degrees farenheit, and your sun oven won't get much over 350, so cooking them right in their cardboard carton is perfect. 

Easy to peel, and they taste wonderful. In fact, my husband was surprised to learn they had been "boiled" without water in the sun oven. He assumed they were just cooked on the stove top like normal!

Now, the moisture retention does create a few problems, the largest being condensation. Even with the lid on the roasting pot, when I went back about 3 hours later to check on the veggie/chicken/rice dish mentioned above, here's what I found:

Because of the fogged up glass door, the light wasn't reflecting into the cooking chamber effectively. As a result, the over all temperature had decreased to 200 degrees. I have been researching how to remedy this, and have read that if you place a dark tea towel over the dish, then add the lid, and the towel will absorb most of the excess moisture that would otherwise form pesky condensation. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I read the tip on the manufacture's website, so I am pretty confident it will work. Just to be sure though, next time I cook a high moisture food, I will be sure to use this tip and report back.

Another way to get rid of condensation is to just quickly open the door, let some moisture out, then close it again. Do be careful with that method though. It lets out the moisture, but if you forget to come back and check on your food, the decreased moisture lends itself to easier burning.

Rest the door on top of the latches instead of locked underneath to allow moisture to escape
  and turn your sun oven into a dehydrator!

Now, along the lines of opening the door to let out moisture, let me throw in here that if you rest your glass door ON TOP of the thumbscrew locks, (see picture above) instead of under them to seal it shut, you have transformed your Sun Oven into a dehydrator. Keep your oven at or under 200 degrees, place whatever you want to dehydrate on a rack that will allow air flow all around the food, prop the glass door on top of the thumb screws to allow moisture to escape, and let the sun slowly dry your food all day. You can make your own dried fruit, or sun-dried tomatoes like the ones I made this weekend. I am still fine tuning the process, and when I do, I will give you a more detailed set of instructions. Meanwhile, here is a teaser photo:

Sun dried tomatoes....literally!

All in all, the moisture retention of the Sun Oven is a wonderful benefit that when correctly harnessed, produces pretty awesome food. You use less water to cook (a major plus for limited water water supplies in emergency situations). And you do it all without electricty, propane, or anything but the sun itself. Order a Sun Oven today, I promise you won't regret it. You can contact me at ThriveWithHemsath@gmail.com or 714-683-7562.

Sale deadline Extended! Gluten free package, harvest shelves, and more!

There are a few sales going on with Shelf Reliance right now that were supposed to end today, but they have been extended until May 29th at 10am (MDT). Woohoo! If you didn't see them before, here is the information on all of the current sales.  Remember to order through me directly to get these great deals -- you won't get the same price off the website. You can contact me at ThriveWithHemsath@gmail.com or call me on my cell phone at 714-683-7562.

The first sale I am most excited about is the Harvest 72" #10 Shelf. (ID: 11949) Regularly $264.99, this Food Rotation System is on sale for only $229.99. With Shelf Reliance's FRS, the first can you put in is the first can that comes out.  The Harvest 72" #10 shelf will hold up to 112 #10 (gallon-sized) cans, with 16 different tracks (7 cans per track).  It also comes with 58 food label magnets to help keep you even more organized. Height 72"    Depth 24.5"    Width 36.5" 

For those asking about Gluten Free Items, we are having a special on our gluten free package. All the items in the package come in #10 cans and are certified gluten free by the GFCO at a rate of 10ppm or less (which is more strict that the FDA standard of 20ppm). 

Gluten Free Package  (Catalog ID: 25432)

Regular Price: $1684.34   Sale Price: $1396.49

Contents

12 White Rice

6 Millet

6 Cornmeal

6 Rice Flour

4 Quinoa

6 Amaranth

1 Sweet Corn (FD)

1 Broccoli (FD)

4 Carrot Dices

2 Chopped Onions

2 Split Green Peas

1 Potato Dices (FD)

3 Green Peas (FD)

6 Potato Chunks

6 Tomato Powder

2 Bananas (FD)

2 Strawberries (FD)

2 Raspberries (FD)

6 Apple Slices

1 Pineapple Chunks (FD)

1 Blueberries (FD)

1 Blackberries (FD)

6 Powdered Milk

4 Cheese Blend

4 Chocolate Drink Mix

6 Whole Egg Powder

1 Black Beans

6 Pinto Beans

3 Lentils

2 Lima Beans

3 Chicken TVP

3 Bacon TVP

5 Taco TVP

2 White Sugar

Another awesome sale we have is the Ultimate Veggie Package (ID 25355). Regular Price: $378.00. Sale Price: $323.40.   That is a savings of almost $55 - Sweet! And speaking of sweet, you'll notice in the package contents that some of the veggies say sweet, but rest assured, they are only the way nature created them. Our THRIVE Veggies have no added sugars, salts, or other preservatives. Here is what you get (all in #10 cans) with your Ultimate Veggie Package:

3 Sweet Corn (FD)

3 Sweet Potatoes

2 Green Peas (FD)

2 Cauliflower (FD)

2 Potato Chunks

2 Red & Green Bell Peppers

2 Broccoli (FD)

1 Chopped Onions

1 Split Green Peas

4 Carrot Dices

2 Spinach (FD)

4 Potato Beads

2 Potato Dices (FD)

*(FD)= Freeze Dried

We're also having a sale on the H20 Reserve 20 Pack - ID 25442.  Sale Price: $117.59   Regular Price: $134.26 

The H2O Reserve is a heavy-duty Mylar bag perfect for your water storage needs. It can hold up to 5 gallons of water and comes with a built-in easy pouring spout. The recommended amount of water storage is a gallon of water, per person, per day. So this 20 pack of mylar bags would be enough to store a 2 week supply of water for a family of 4. 

Here are some other sale items you might be interested in: 

White Rice Bucket - ID 24119   Sale Price: $37.29   Regular Price: $47.09

Wheat Flour Bucket - ID 24117   Sale Price: $37.29   Regular Price: $45.08

Chicken TVP Bucket - ID 24559   Sale Price: $47.09   Regular Price: $56.89

Beef TVP Bucket - ID 24558   Sale Price: $47.09  Regular Price: $56.89

Water Filtration Bottle 12 Pack - ID 25416   Sale Price: $131.29   Regular Price: $173.49 

1 Year 4 Person Package - ID 25348   Sale Price: 2792.99   Regular Price: $3308.29

Contents

6 Six Grain Pancake Mix

6 Germade

6 Quick Oats

6 Nine Grain Cracked Cereal

36 Hard White Winter Wheat

6 White Flour

9 Whole Wheat Flour

6 Cornmeal

6 Elbow Macaroni

18 Instant Rice

8 White Rice

6 Pearled Barley

16 Potato Chunks

6 Sweet Corn (FD)

2 Broccoli (FD)

2 Carrot Dices

6 Green Peas (FD)

3 Split Green Peas

2 Chopped Onions (FD)

2 Chopped Onions

4 Sweet Potatoes

6 Red & Green Bell Peppers

2 Pineapple Chunks (FD)

4 Raspberries (FD)

1 Blackberries (FD)

1 Blueberries (FD)

4 Apple Slices

6 Strawberries (FD)

4 Apple Chips

2 Banana Chips

6 Chocolate Drink Mix

24 Powdered Milk

6 Cheese Blend

3 Taco TVP

6 Bacon TVP

6 Beef TVP

3 Sausage TVP

3 Sloppy Joe TVP

6 Chicken TVP

3 Ham TVP

6 Lentils

12 Black Beans

6 Kidney Beans

14 Pinto Beans

6 Whole Egg Powder

6 Orange Bliss

4 Simply Peach

6 Orchard Apple

2 Beef Bouillon

2 Chicken Bouillon

1 Baking Powder

1 Iodized Salt

2 Brown Sugar

4 White Sugar

6 Fudge Brownies

Cookbook

Remember that all of these sale prices end on May 28th at 10am (MDT), so don't wait to place your order. Contact me right away to start saving and start being prepared! And don't forget to talk to me about hosting a party, even if just a "virtual party" so you can earn 10% of your purchase back in free product.  

Giveaway: 72" Harvest Food Rotation System

**(5/16/12) IMPORTANT UPDATE!!! From now until May 20th, those who want to purchase their own Harvest 72" System can do so at a super sale price.  If you want the one that holds all #10 cans, they are on sale for only $229.99!!! That's $35 off the normal price! So hurry and order yours fast by contacting me at ThriveWithHemsath@gmail.com.**

Hey everyone. I am busily researching, experimenting, and drafting part two of my Sun Oven blogpost. But in the mean time, I wanted to let you know about an awesome opportunity. The main Shelf Reliance Blog (http://www.shelfreliance.com/blog/index.php/2012/05/15/win-harvest-72-food-rotation-system/) is doing a giveaway right now.

The contest runs through May 31st, and the winner will receive a FREE 72" Harvest Food Rotation System. At six feet tall, three feet wide, and two feet deep, these things are amazing! They can be customized to hold any size can from tuna fish up to the big #10 cans. The first can you put in is the first can that comes out, so no more cans getting lost and expiring at the back of your shelf.

Check out their link above for contest details, and stay tuned for more Sun Oven info on my blog here. If  you don't win the giveaway, but you really want one of these shelves, no worries. You can just order one through me. They are regularly $264.99, but if you want the kind that holds all #10 cans, they are on sale right now for only $229.99 (plus applicable tax and shipping). If you don't have a space large enough to hold a full 72" Harvest Shelf, that's okay. Shelf Reliance has tons of FRS in just about every size. Check them out, along with their prices and dimensions, by scrolling down to page 6 of the current price list. Remember, that whether you are a Q club member or not,  if you place your order through me, the price you'll pay is the one listed under "Q-Club".

Good Luck Everyone with the Giveaway! And don't forget the sale ends on May 20th!

Sun Oven - Part one: General information

How is your spring going?  May just started, and here in Arizona, we already hit triple digit weather back in April.  When it gets that hot, and you're paying to run your AC all day just to keep the house at 80 degrees, the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven and cook something for dinner. Which, among so many other reasons, is why I am grateful for my Sun Oven!

Here's the Sun Oven, all set up in my back yard. The swinging tray inside keeps my mini-muffin tin level, despite the oven being tilted up via the adjustable leg to access more sun. 

I purchased my Sun Oven through Shelf Reliance around Thanksgiving of 2011. It ships straight from the manufacturer, who happened to be back ordered at the time I ordered, so it took longer than I wanted for it to arrive (6-8 weeks if I remember correctly). But it was definitely worth the wait. I checked with the manufacturer this last week, and they are not currently back ordered, and ship orders within the week of receiving them. 

In the past few months, I have been experimenting with my Sun Oven. I have learned a lot about cooking with it, and have been compiling some tips and tricks to share with you. It will probably take a few posts. So for this first post, let me just introduce you to the Sun Oven. 

• The whole unit weighs only 21 pounds. The reflectors are collapsible, and it has an easy carrying case, so it is quite portable. 
• Collapsed storage dimensions: When resting on its back (so the carrying handle is on top) it measures: 13"x22" with a height of 19".
• Internal Cooking Area dimensions: When the bottom is resting flat on the ground, the floor of the internal cooking area measures 10"x13" and the height, at the most shallow part, is 8". 
• There is an adjustable leg in the back that allows you to tilt your Sun Oven toward the sun for maximum sunshine collecting. ("sunshine collecting" is not a technical term, but I think it works). 
• To ensure your food lays flat even if the oven is tilted, there is a removable free-swinging leveling tray inside. The tray measures: 9.25" x 12". 
• To use your Sun Oven, you'll peel off the blue protective film from the reflectors, and open them up, locking them open with a small thumb screw. These reflectors stay cool to the touch, even when the inside of the Sun Oven is over 300 degrees. 
• The glass door has two thumb screw closures to keep the door locked tight against the rubber seal during cooking. These can get hot to the touch, so use an oven mitt when opening them. 
• Also included inside is a thermometer that can register up to 500 degrees. When I first set it up, it only took about 15-20 minutes for the thermometer to read 325 degrees. Since it was winter, I was skeptical it was really that hot, so I put my own thermometer in there as well to check, and when I came back to check, both thermometers were reading 350. 
• The Sun Oven works by reflecting the sun's rays into the cooking chamber through the sealed glass door. The outside temperature doesn't matter, but what does matter is having the direct sunlight successfully reflecting into the chamber. (So watch out for dirty reflectors, fogged up glass door, or overcast skies). The more direct the sunlight, the hotter it will get. On a clear winter's day, I got my oven up to 350. You can use the adjustable leg, as well as turning the sun oven to follow the sun's path in the sky, to make sure your oven keeps having as much direct sunlight as possible, and you will be able to maintain that higher temperature through out the whole cooking time. 
• If you are baking something that needs to cook for a while and do not want to (or can not) continually go outside every 30-45 minutes and shift your oven slightly to follow the sun to maintain those elevated baking temperatures, that's okay. Just use your Sun Oven like a slow cooker. Simply position your Sun Oven to where the sun will be at its hottest for the bulk of the cooking time (usually south facing if you'll be gone all day). Put your food in, go to work, or to church, or wherever, and the oven will act like a big crock pot. Come home and even if the sun has set, your food will still be warm in the Sun Oven, having slow cooked all day at a lower temperature. 
• Sun Ovens are built to last more than 20 years if properly cared for. 
• Through Shelf Reliance, a Sun Oven costs $282.14 (plus tax and $19.99 shipping - unless you want to pick yours up at the warehouse in American Fork, UT, in which case there is no shipping fee).  On top of that, thanks to the party benefits program Shelf Reliance offers, you get 10% of your purchase as credit towards free product... so another $28.21 in free product for a later purchase.  To sweeten the deal, if you live in the continental US, and order as part of my current party, I will use my own benefits to also give you your choice of Sun Oven accessories to go with it (set of two brownie pans or a roaster pan with lid).    So you get: 

Free accessory pan(s)

+

 $28.21 in free product

+

Ability to cook without needing electricity, gas or propane

+

A way to save on electric bill and keep your house cooler in the summer

+

Peace of mind from being prepared for emergencies 

________________________________________________

All for the price of $282.14 plus applicable tax and shipping

To order, contact me now at: ThriveWithHemsath@gmail.com or call me at 714-683-7562.  Stay tuned for more sun oven tips, tricks and recipes, and take a look at some of the photos below. If you have any questions, e-mail me or comment on this post and I will try to answer them right away!

All folded up and ready to be carried  wherever you need.

Peeling off the blue protective film from the reflectors

Comes with a Polder brand thermometer that can register up to 500 degrees F.

One of two metal thumb screws used to keep the glass door locked.

The adjustable leg in the back of the Sun Oven.