May Challenge - Store toothpaste and toothbrushes

Purchase and store extra toothpaste and toothbrushes.

You might already have these.  Very handy for when you have emergency guests or forget to add to your own list but it isn't something I like to be without.

If you already have these, store Mouthwash or dental floss or something else for the bathroom.

Week 18 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 Challenge
Store 4 large cans of fruit

$20 Challenge
Store 8 large cans of fruit

You could store your own canned fruit for this challenge, or you could purchase it from Aldi, the IGA, Coles or Woolworths etc.

There are so many ways this challenge can add variety to your diet when you're living on food storage.  You could store any one of the following in natural juice, light syrup or heavy syrup:-

- Peaches
- Apricots
- Pineapple
- Lychees
- Morello Cherries or mixed berries
- Apple pie filling or apple puree
- Fruit Salad
- Plums
- Nectarines
- Pears
- Passionfruit pulp
- Blueberries/strawberries

I just don't include tinned tomato in this, as it comes up as an option when we purchase pasta sauce.

You could use up your canned fruit in the following ways:-

• Bake into muffins or cakes (Pineapple upside cake Mmmmm)
• Serve with rice pudding (using your stored rice, sugar and powdered milk)
• Serve with your stored custard powder (if you did the $20 challenge)
• Bake in a pie
• Drain and bake on puff pastry drizzled with brown sugar or squares of chocolate (if canned in natural juice - otherwise don't add brown sugar)
• Bake in a cobbler/crumble
• Blend in a smoothie with some milk powder for added calcium
• Serve over breakfast cereal with the natural juice
• Eat with jelly
• Heat up the juice and add some gelatine to make jelly (not with the pineapple juice though - it won't set).

This fruit makes a nice welcome break from tuna, rice, pasta and soup! ;D

My subconscious shopping challenge

I say subconscious, because I didn't plan on doing this.  It kind of happened.  I haven't shopped at Aldi, Coles or Woolworths since before Christmas!

I have been relying on things I stored in my cupboards, and topped up anything else I required from my local IGA.  I purchased my meat from my local meat market and my fruit and veggies from my local growers market.

I was getting a little low on some things like flour, sugar, shampoo, hand soap and tissues so did a big grocery shop at Aldi today but could have continued on for a few weeks yet with what I had.  I had to replace lots of things I had used up as well. *Sigh* I realised I missed shopping though.  I do like to 'gather' things ;D

I also bought ahead for the 2011 Food Storage Challenge :D

Just for the fun of it, I read this article.  It had me laughing.  My Aldi is pretty subdued compared to this article, and I like to browse (especially as I hadn't been for 4 months and there were lots of new products).  I did have a lady come up to me and tell me that caffeine was bad for my bones after she asked me to check the label on something for her.  Interesting...I didn't even have a caffeine-loaded product in my trolley at all! http://www.mamamia.com.au/weblog/2011/02/have-you-survived-an-aldi-shopping-experience.html

How long do you think you could rely on your food storage/pantry?

Week 17 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 Challenge
Store 2 cans tuna and 1 can soup

$20 Challenge
Store 4 cans tuna and 2 cans soup

Yes folks, we're back to the ole tuna and soup again. 

Remember you can vary this. Store different varieties of soup.  Ready made soup is great, condensed soup, packet soup mix  (ie French Onion or Chicken Noodle - add to casseroles etc).  You can even substitute for canned ready made meals such as Irish Stew, Sausages and veggies, braised steak and onion etc.

I have to stock up on more tuna...my son found my stash and has been having a field day eating his favourite thing.  He recommended I store lots (a years supply LOL) of flavoured tuna because he can eat it with crackers, bread, leftover plain pasta or just with a spoon straight out of the tin.

If you DO want to store flavoured tuna to eat as a lunch alternative for your food storage, make sure you stock up on crackers or the like as well. 

The image comes from this yummy looking recipe, which is gluten free (if you are looking for recipes like that): http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/b/2011/03/30/gluten-free-tuna-casserole-economical-and-wildly-popular-at-my-house.htm