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Everyday Uses For Powdered Milk Food Storage

April 20, 2018 By ParkerMama 1 Comment

There are many everyday uses for powdered milk. Powdered reconstituted milk from your food storage can be used to make whole milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, butter milk and more. Powered milk is a real power house in your pantry!

How Much Powdered Milk Should You Store?

While 16 pounds of powdered milk for an adult would provide about 1 glass of milk a day for a year, it wouldn’t allow any for cooking. Additionally, children would need more to meet their daily requirements.

According to the LDS Food Storage Calculator a year’s supply of dairy would come in at 30 pounds for an adult.

What Brand Of Powdered Milk

I store and use Augason Farms Country Fresh (*amazon ad affiliate link ) powdered milk. Unlike many other brands I’ve tried, Country Fresh powdered milk tastes good. No. Really. It does!

Another option, if your family isn’t keen on powdered milk to drink is Morning Moo’s (*amazon ad amazon affiliate link) Low Fat Milk Alternative.

I also like to keep full fat, or (*amazon ad amazon affiliate link) whole, powdered milk. The shelf life is closer to two years, verses the 20-25 years of non-fat powdered milk. I will often use this in recipes like whipped cream and hot chocolate made from powdered milk.

Uses For Powdered Milk (Instant)

At our house, Instant Milk powder is for drinking because it dissolves instantly in water at any temperature. Instant Milk was also specifically developed for it’s flavor.

Some people add a little bit of sugar and vanilla extract to their reconstituted milk. And I always serve it cold.

Prep Instructions

Mix Instant Milk powder with water using the proportions below [add more or less powder to suit individual tastes]. Store in fridge; for best taste, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before drinking.

3 tbsp. powder + 1 c. water = 1 c. milk

3/4 c. powder + 4 c. water = 1 qt milk

3 c. powder + 16 c. water = 1 gal. milk

Non-fat Powdered Milk

Non Fat Powdered Milk is best used for baking, although you could certainly use it for drinking too, it just takes longer to blend up. You don’t need to mix the milk up before adding it to recipes; just add the milk powder to the dry ingredients and the necessary water to the wet ingredients.

If you choose to use Non-Fat Powdered Milk as your drinking milk, you can make mixing easier by using a blender or a *this post contains affiliate links mixing pitcher like this one from Rubbermaid.

Prep Instructions

Mix Nonfat Powdered Milk with water using the proportions below. Refrigerate once reconstituted.

3/4 tbsp. powder + 1/4 c. water = 1/4 c. milk

1 tbsp. powder + 1/3 c. water = 1/3 c. milk

1 1/2 tbsp. powder + 1/2 c. water = 1/2 c. milk

3 tbsp. powder + 1 c. water = 1 c. milk

Fresh Equivalent

3 tbsp. powder + 1 c. water = 1 c. milk

Let’s take a look at the first recipe that uses powdered milk, shall we?

Sweetened Condensed Milk

I cringe at the price of sweetened condensed milk these days. We can save a small fortune by taking a few minutes to whip it up from scratch.

Add the following ingredients to your blender:

1/2 cup of hot water
1 c. of powdered milk powder
1 c. of sugar
1 T. of butter

Blend until very smooth.

Evaporated Milk

Whisk together the following:

Mix 1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. + 1 T. powdered milk powder

Whisk together thoroughly and add to any recipe calling for evaporated milk.

Buttermilk

Mix the following:

Mix up 1 cup of powdered milk. Add 1 T. lemon juice or vinegar to the milk. Stir it in and wait for 5 minutes.
Viloa’! Buttermilk alternative!

Whipped “Cream”

In addition to the above, you can make whipped cream with powdered milk. Start by adding 1 Cup Ice-Cold water and 1 Cup powdered milk to the bowl of your stand mixer. Whip the mixture until it’s nice and fluffy.

Next, add a bit of sugar and a splash of vanilla extract to taste. Finally, continue to beat until the mixture has thickened.

Homemade Coffee Creamer

In a blender, pulse 1 Cup Powdered Milk, 1 Cup Powdered Sugar and 1 Tablespoon melted Coconut Oil, until the coconut oil is blended in.

Make Your Own Chocolate Pudding Mix

Those little boxes of pudding are expensive. Most people don’t realize that you can make your own chocolate pudding mix.

Master Mix Recipe

Combine 1 Cup good quality Cocoa Powder, 1/2 Cup Corn Starch, 1/2 Cups Sugar and 1 Teaspoon Salt in an air tight container.

Making Chocolate Pudding

When you would like to make a batch of pudding, add 1/2 Cup of pudding mix to 2 Cups of Reconstituted Milk from your powdered milk storage.

In a pan over medium heat and whisk until the pudding mix and reconstituted powdered milk until it comes to a boil. It’s important to keep whisking so your pudding doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.

Continue whisking as your remove the pan from the heat. Whisk until pudding mixture thickens.

Transfer mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for an hour.

Homemade Milk Bath

Finally, an everyday use for powdered milk is Milk Bath! Our Homemade Herbal Milk Bath Recipe is a skin softening, relaxing delight.

Even MORE Everyday Uses For Powdered Milk

What are YOUR favorite everyday uses for powdered milk?

Bottled Water Contamination l Survival Water Filter

March 22, 2018 By ParkerMama Leave a Comment

Americans choose to drink bottled water thinking it is safer than their municipal water. Unfortunately, we now know this this may not be the case. New research that warns us of bottled water contamination in the form of thousands of thousands of pieces of plastic.

In other words, trying to avoid the type of contamination found in the water storage in Flint, Michigan, could lead you to a whole different kind of contamination.

Bottled Water Contamination

The testing, initiated by Orb Media found plastic particles in bottled water, including polypropylene, nylon and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Dangerous Water

Clean water is becoming an increasing concern. Families across the country have been affected by the hurricanes that have hit leaving contaminated water in their wake. Also, there is great concern about the levels of arsenic and fluoride in our water. Every day hundreds of Boil Water Notices are given due to municipal water sources becoming contaminated.

An Alternative To Bottled Water

Luckily, there are alternatives to risking bottled water contamination. A good survival water filter with advanced capabilities can provide you and your family with clean drinking water.

What Makes A Good Survival Water Filter?

A good survival water filter has the ability to filter and purify water from the following contaminants:

- Dirt and sand particles
- Pathogenic bacteria
- Toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury
- Parasites
- Harmful or unwanted chemicals

A Gravity Fed Filter Is Best

How often power is lost during emergencies? A survival water filter that isn’t reliant on an electric or gas-powered source of filtration is your best bet. Because a gravity fed filter allows dirty water go into the top of the system and come out the bottom clean and safe to drink, no electricity is needed!

Our Family Chose The Berkey

After much research, my husband and I chose the *this post contains affiliate links Big Berkey Water Filter. In addition, the Berkey Arsenic and Fluoride Filters offer up extra protection as a survival water filter.

Water from the Berkey tastes great. It’s safe to mix my son’s medications with. It’s lightweight and very easy to put together. Finally, I don’t have to worry about any bottled water contamination.

PRO TIP: If, like me, you like to carry water with you to drink through out the day, check into the Berkey Filtered Water Bottle.

Buying A Berkey

We had to save up in order to afford a Berkey. We were able to save money buying emergency gear and roll that savings into a higher grade of water purifier. However, our Berkey has been worth every single penny.

Join our Simply Preparing Deals Group on Facebook!

Activated Charcoal For Stomach Viruses And More

February 19, 2018 By ParkerMama 1 Comment

Activated charcoal is a fine, black powder that is odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic. It works by trapping toxins and chemicals in its millions of tiny pores. The porous surface of this charcoal has a negative electric charge that causes positive charged toxins and gas to bond with it.

While I have used activated charcoal in my family, I’m NOT a doctor. Always consult YOUR doctor before trying anything new.

Activated Charcoal For Stomach Bugs

As soon as signs of a stomach bug show up or someone near you gets it, take *this post contains affiliate links 2 capsules with a full glass of water as often as every 2 hours, up to 16 capsules in a 24 hour period. (see specific directions on the package you purchase)

When using activated charcoal internally, it is crucial to make sure to stay extra hydrated. You’ll need the extra water for the charcoal to flush out the toxins, and to avoid constipation.

Activated charcoal comes in both bags and capsules. Because I have a great worry of a bag of charcoal somehow finding it’s way all over my house, I choose the capsules.

Pro Tip: Be aware that if you are on medications, the activated charcoal can intercept the medication. Consult your doctor! Also, activated charcoal will bind to your supplements.

Children

While kids 4 and up can use 1 capsule of charcoal in a cup of purple grape juice to help prevent stomach viruses from taking their toll, always consult your doctor FIRST.

Overdose Or Poisoning

First, call poison control, the local emergency room, or doctor’s office and follow their directions. But if you are in a situation where you can’t make that call the dosage for acute poisoning is as follows

Gas And Bloating

Activated charcoal works to bind the gas-causing byproducts in foods that cause discomfort. Take 500 milligrams one hour prior to a typical gas-producing meal, with a full glass of water. Follow your meal with another glass of of water immediately to help get the charcoal into your system, where it can bind with gas-producing elements.

Relieve Bites And Bee Stings

Being such a great all-around detoxifier, applying a paste of activated charcoal and a bit of water and a drop of both Lavender and Copaiba essential oils to a bug bite or bee sting may offer relief. Reapply as needed. Here’s how to order Young Living Essential Oils.

Pro tip: Looking for another way to reap the benefits of activated charcoal? Check our SUPER EASY DIY soap recipes for Lavender Charcoal soap!

How does your family fight off stomach viruses?

** I am NOT a doctor, NOR do I play one on the internet. I am simply sharing what has worked for my family. YOU need to check with your doctor about using activated charcoal before giving it to your family.

Lavender Charcoal Soap DIY Homemade Soap Recipe

February 5, 2018 By ParkerMama Leave a Comment

Lavender Charcoal Soap is the perfect blend of a few of my favorite things. Charcoal is terrific for oily skin, with the ability to pull both oil and dirt from pores. Because the charcoal can be drying for some skin types, I’ve chosen to add a bit of shea butter to a goat milk base, to help balance this bar.

Supplies:

*this post contains affiliate links

2 1/2 pounds of white Goat Milk Melt & Pour Soap. I chose goat milk melt and pour soap for it’s extra skin softening abilities.

Activated Charcoal. I prefer to use the capsules. I have a fear of an open bag of charcoal being overturned somewhere in my house. (shiver) But if you rather go with the loose stuff, I like this brand.

Young Living Lavender Essential Oils I choose to use only Young Living Essential Oils. You can go here to learn more about my favorite oils!

Shea Butter (optional) I chose refine shea butter because unrefined comes with a scent that is hard to cover.

Silicone Soap Mold

Small Spray Bottle of Alcohol

Heat-safe glass measuring cup

Thermometer (optional)

Scale (optional)

Let’s Get Started Making Lavender Charcoal Soap!

Set aside 2 pounds of the goat milk melt and pour soap.

Cut 1/2 pound of the goat milk melt and pour soap into 1/2 inch cubes and place in heat safe glass measuring cup.

Melt the 1/2 pound of melt and pour and 1/4 teaspoon shea butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until soap is completely melted.

Allow to cool for a minute and then add 5-10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil.

Slowly add in 5 capsules of charcoal(opening each capsule and adding the charcoal, and disposing of the actual capsule) and stir until it is entirely incorporated into the soap. The soap should be black. If it isn’t dark enough for your liking, add in another capsule.

Pour this now melted black soap into two of your soap molds in different thicknesses. (You can put it back in the microwave for a few seconds if it’s set up too much.) Spritz with alcohol to get rid of the bubbles. Allow to set up and dry.

Pop out the soap and then cut it into different sizes of rectangles and squares. You’ll need to make sure that your sizes fit into your molds.

You can use a small kitchen knife to free hand the heart inside of your square, or you can use a fondant cutter in the shape of a heart.

Give Your Black Soap Shapes Time To Dry

I recommend allowing your shapes to dry for at least a few hours to over night before continuing on with the recipe. This will help your black shapes not to melt into your melted white base. However, if you are in a hurry, we can proceed now.

Creating The Soap Design For Your Lavender Charcoal Soap

Place your black shapes into each mold in the design of your choosing. Having some shapes placed horizontally and some shapes vertically (going UP the sides of your mold) will give more visual interest to your soap.

Press the shapes in so that no air is between the shape and your mold.

Melt The 2 Pounds Of Melt And Pour Soap You Set Aside

Take the 2 pounds of goat milk soap and cut it into half inch cubes. Add 1 teaspoons of shea butter. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stir, and repeat until your base is melted. Allow your soap to cool for a minute and then add in 25 drops of Lavender Essential Oil.

Pay Attention To The Temperature Of Your White Soap

Pouring HOT white soap over your black shapes will melt your black soap pieces.

You’ll need to pour the soap at a temperature that won’t melt your black soap. That means your white soap needs to be about 125-130 degrees, or liquid enough to pour, but not hot enough to melt.

If your soap is too hot to put your finger in, it’s too hot to pour. If you soap is lumpy when you go to pour it, it has set too long.

Pour ONLY enough soap to cover the bottom of the mold, but NOT the shapes of your charcoal lavender soap. Basically, you don’t want to be able to see the bottom of the mold.

Then, press down the black pieces to create a seal so that as you continue to pour, the white soap doesn’t flow under you black pieces.

Next, spritz your soap with a bit of alcohol to remove any bubbles, and continue to fill your mold with your white goat milk soap. Fill it to the top of your mold, because as your soap sets, it will shrink down some.

Allow to completely set up and become hard before popping your Lavender Charcoal Soap out of the mold!

Ta-Da! You’ve Made Lavender Charcoal Soap!

To celebrate your success, why don’t you draw up and warm bath and take your soap for a test drive!

Getting Started With Young Living Essential Oils

If you are looking to get started with essential oils you can purchase a Young Living Premium Starter kit that includes the Lavender Essential Oil I used in making my Lavender Charcoal Soap. You can learn more about Young Living Essential Oils and my Top Ten Essential Oils for Preppers here.

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