30 Days of THRIVE - Peach Chicken

So I decided to get kinda creative with my 30 days of THRIVE dinner this time. You are gonna love this!!! We did!!  This dinner is only only 4 or 5 ingredients! Awesome right? Right!

 

 

PEACH CHICKEN

What you are gonna need:
THRIVE Freeze Dried Chicken Dices
THRIVE Freeze Dried Peaches
THRIVE Peach Drink Mix
THRIVE Flour
THRIVE Potato Beads
               OR
THRIVE White Rice
(Adjust to fit your serving sizes!!)

1. Rehydrate your chicken. I like to toss them around in the pan before I add the other ingredients to carmalize them a bit!

2. Prepare your side....either the potatoes or the white Rice. Either taste wonderful!

3. Add to your hot pan about 2 cups of water and about 6 Tablespoons of Peach drink mix. (If you are making more just increase these until you like the flavor.) You want the consistency to be thicker than a drink, but thinner than a sauce. Add in peach pieces that you have broken up into smaller chunks. Allow them to rehydrate. Cook the chicken in this for just a couple minutes to allow the flavor to get into the chicken.

4. Once everything smells really good and is getting thicker, thicken it with a little flour, or you can also make a roux with some flour and butter. I thicken it until it is a thin sauce. Pour this mixture over a bed of potatoes or rice. YUM!

 

We also tried this on a bed of greens (baby spinach blend) as a salad!! I must say that this makes a great little salad as well!! No additional dressing needed!!

My New Favorite Shortcut for Beans

Welcome back to our 30 Days of THRIVE Tuesday!

Today we have another side recipe that can easily be turned into an economical main meal with the addition of homemade tortillas to our recipes.

Double Decker Mexican Pizza made with Shortcut Refired Bean Recipe.

I was excited to see that the THRIVE Black Beans were on sale this month because there is a new trick I've been dying to share with everyone this month.

I know in the past we've already discussed how I like to substitute beans for butter in my desserts.  I bring them to events and get asked for recipes and no one is the wiser until I let them in on the little secret.  (In fact, I have another fantastic one coming again soon :) People either think its genius or disgusting.  Make sure to tell me what you think by commenting below.

Well, I think this next trick I am going to share with you will be considered genius across the board.  I love beans and really love the simplicity and ease of bean burritos.  I do often think about how nice it would be if less electricity and time were used to make them.  It would bring me so much joy to cook up some tasty burritos in the blink of an eye without having to have soaked them the night before and cooked them all day in my crockpot.

Enter bean flour...
Some of you may be saying what the heck is that.

This is bean flour... white bean flour.  It amazes me how similar it looks to well, flour.

It has totally changed things for me and I am excited to share a bean recipe that will now only take you a few minutes so you really can have that "instant" bean fix at any time.

I love my Blendtec Kitchen Mill Grinder since I can use it on SO many things (post coming about that on Saturday), so I would highly recommend getting one because they truly pay for themselves  once you take the time to mill your own products.  However, if you don't have the money to buy one right now, you can even do this in a blender.  Make sure that you only blend small amounts of beans at a time so it can grind everything to an even powder.

The first time I ground my beans into powder, lets just say breathing was not easy and I wasn't sure what I had done wrong.  Thankfully, I found out that this is a common thing for people so here are some tips for success.

When using the Kitchen Mill Grinder, here are some tips for success:
- Set Kitchen Mill in a DRY, empty kitchen sink, fill hopper with beans, cover with a towel before turning on, then start the machine.  This will trap a lot of dust that may have seeped out.
- Be sure to clean your "F" shaped filter out with each hopper load of beans.  You can just scrape the edges of this into the hopper before loading your next batch of beans so the flour isn't wasted.  (It holds alot!)
- Clean your "F" filter with soap and water and allow to completely air dry before next batch so it will be ready for the nest use.

Now for the recipe.  Although when I make refried beans, typically I just season them the way I like depending on the mood I am in, I got this one off of allrecipes.com because it specifically calls for BEAN FLOUR to make the recipe super speedy.  Now I know that is calls for Salsa and if you are using this as a THRIVE only (plus spices) recipe then you may not have salsa on hand, but you can simply add a little more seasoning, Tomato Powder FD Green Chile and you're in business.... or if you'd prefer, you can decrease the water to 2 c and and add in my Homemade El Pato Recipe.


Printable Recipe
Shortcut Refried Beans 30 Days of THRIVE Recipe:
3/4 c THRIVE Black Beans (Equals about 1 c bean flour)*
1 1/2  t THRIVE Salt
2 T THRIVE FD Onions
1/4 t garlic powder (optional)
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t chili powder
3 c warm water
2 T THRIVE FD Green Chile
2 t THRIVE Tomato Powder

1. Grind beans in a blender or grinder.  Set aside.
2. Combine water, FD Green Chile, Tomato Powder and seasonings in a medium sized pot.
3. Whisk in Black Bean Powder.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve warm.

*To make mixture thicker for bean burritos, increase to 1 c dried beans.  You can also use Pinto Beans instead of Black Beans if you'd prefer and it will work great.\

Original Recipe:
3/4 c dried bean
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t chili powder
2 1/2 c warm water
1/2 c salsa

1. Grind beans until fine using blender or food grinder.  Place in a saucepan and whisk in salt, cumin, chili powder and water.  Boil for 15 minutes.

2. When the mixture has thickened stir and cook another 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in salsa.  Use as dip or for burrito filling.

30 Days of THRIVE - Bread Pudding

Hello Everyone!! Who is ready for another awesome 30 days of THRIVE Dish??? ME TOO!!!

This time I wanted to do something that my family absolutely LOVES!!!

Do you remember that yummy homemade bread that we made just a couple weeks ago? Well this is a great way to make the best of that bread. Especially if you have little ones in your home, the bread bag does not always get closed, am I right? So what do you do with stale bread? MMMM.....one of my very favorite things....make bread pudding! This is so simple, and very flexible. It can be sweet, or savory, or you could make it into a meal by adding some chicken and veggies!

We are going with a sweet version today! Here is what you are gonna need:
***Word of Warning: This recipe is only a ratio based recipe. This will depend on your bread and
             how much you have to use. The good news is that you really can't go wrong!***
Bread (broken up into chunks)
Whole Egg Powder (I start out with about 6 eggs equivalent once prepared)
Instant Milk (I use about 1/2 as much milk as eggs)
Butter Powder (about 1 Tablespoon)
Add in your favorite spices (I use cinnamon and nutmeg)
A splash of vanilla

The key to making this great is to mix all of your wet ingredients, and then slowly add in the bread pieces. You want the bread to be wet, but no dripping. Once you get all the bread mixed in, spray (I use coconut oil) the pan you will be cooking in. I love to make them in muffin tins! The kids love them and it makes them easy for the hubby to take with him to eat on the way to work!
Bake @ 375 degrees for about 20 mins (you want them to still be soft to the touch, but not squishy)

While those are baking, you are gonna want to mix up this yummy syrup to put over the top. Trust me....you will not miss maple syrup after you taste this yummy stuff!!

Buttermilk Syrup  (origional recipe and tutorial can be found here @ Our Best Bites)

3/4 Cup buttermilk (Here is a tutorial on making your own buttermilk from THRIVE)
1 1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup real butter
2 Tbsp Honey (prepared)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, honey, and baking soda in a LARGE pot. (pot needs to be much larger than your ingredients because this will expand!)
Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (you want to see small bubbles). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes. (you can cook it for less time and it is more syrup like and less caramel like...up to you!)

Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Let sit for a few mintues so that you do not burn yourself....because I promise you will not be able to contain yourself after the first bite. Give it a good stir! Enjoy!!

Mama Mondays! Quick Dinner!

Happy Monday Mamas!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as I did....My only complaint was that it went too darn fast!!!

Anyways, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, (which for those that know me best know that this is dangerous!), but I "think" I have come up with a good idea....

Who wants a great, healthy, almost sinful dinner that you can put together for the family in record time? Yeah! Me too!!! Well hold on to your spatulas.....here it comes!!!

 

Amazing Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

 

THRIVE Chopped Chicken

THRIVE Broccoli

THRIVE Pasta of your choice (egg noodle pasta rocks!)

THRIVE Bechamel White Sauce

 

 

 

THAT'S ALL!!! I KNOW!! AMAZING!!!!

 

This is the most simple and crazy delicious meal!!! MY whole family loves it!!! What did my 14 month old think of it you ask? Well he ate just about as much of this as mom and dad did!!! He went to bed last night with a super full tummy!!!

 

Just cook your pasta as usual, and in the last minute or two, add in your chicken and broccoli! Strain and prepare your sauce (Which is insanely easy BTW) and toss everything together!! Ta-Da!!! 15 minutes and you have an amazing dinner that everyone will love!

 

Happy Eating!!!

 

30 Days of Thrive: Best Ever Cornbread

When I joined Shelf Reliance (now THRIVE Life) I was super impressed with the chicken salad, but the cornbread is what REALLY knocked off my family's socks off.  My kids would scarf those suckers down like they were cupcakes and they were the highlight of any meal. These aren't the bone-dry, flavorless crumbly mess that most cornbread turns into.  These are incredibly flavorful and sure to please as they have at every food demo I've done so far.

As you can guess, I can take no credit for this recipe because it was developed by THRIVE Life, but they allow us to share this awesome recipe with our lovely party attendees so, you can thank TL for this complementary side.

The best part is they are made out of ALL food storage.  Yay!

I will warn you that one time I made these with some store bought cornmeal that we had leftover from before I started buying THRIVE and I made this same recipe.  It's not the same.  There is something about the Yellow Dent Corn that they use and the texture they grind it that makes the THRIVE Cornmeal really something else.  My family did not enjoy it and tasted the difference.  It was the first time I'd ever made them that they weren't all gone within the meal.  Funny how these things work sometimes!

I am adding this to the 30 days of THRIVE list because we eat it with our Chicken and Rice dish, Taco Soup and THRIVE Express Entrees so I am sure that it will be included as sides in your family's dishes in the future as well.

Another thing that I love about these muffins is that they can be cooked in an 8x8 dish or in a 12 pan muffin dish.  (Found that one out on accident when I went to do a food demo and the host didn't have an 8x8 dish. Aren't accidents you learn from the best!)

Try them out and let me know what your family enjoys them with. 

Print Full Page Recipe

Best Ever Cornbread

2 T THRIVE Powdered Milk, not reconstituted (either non-Instant or Instant will work)

1 c water

1 T vinegar

1/2 c THRIVE Butter Powder

2 T THRIVE Egg Powder

1/4 c plus 2 t water

2/3 c THRIVE White Sugar

1/2 t THRIVE Baking Soda

1 c THRIVE Cornmeal

1 c THRIVE Flour (I prefer wheat instead of white)

1/2 t THRIVE Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and 8x8 pan or a 12 muffin pan.
2. Whisk together Powdered Milk, 1 c water.  Add vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl whisk the Butter Powder and Egg Powder into 1/4 c plus 2 t water.
4. Add milk mixture into egg/butter mixture and then add the remaining ingredients whisking until few lumps remain.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 22-30 minutes if using an 8x8 dish or 15-20 minutes if using the 12 muffin pan.  (I used to be in a lower altitude before moving to Denver and have noticed a huge difference in cooking times since moving.  Check on yours periodically by doing the toothpick test and find the time for your area)
6. Serve warm!



Question of the Day:
What side dish does your family gulp down?

Sausage and Veggies Pasta Soup - 30 Days of THRIVE Day 1

Welcome Back!  Or if this is your first time joining us, welcome aboard!

Is it freezing and windy where you live?  Here in Denver, its 16 degrees with a windchill factor of -1 degrees... um, yah, fun :)  What's a girl to do on days like these?  Make a warm filling bowl of soup of course!

If you caught my post last Wednesday, you heard all about this new series we're bringing to you.  Since I started the blog almost 2 1/2 years ago, I have been dying to do something like this, but it is an immense undertaking to do alone especially while keeping up with all of the other posts that need to occur.  Thankfully, Brianna and Meilea are go getters who are up for the challenge of helping us bring you a complete 30 Day line up of pantry stable meals that you can depend on.

We will be adding a 100% THRIVE recipe to this series every Tuesday (and continue to have other recipes throughout the week and Thrifty Thursdays throughout the month). This first 30 Days of THRIVE series will finish the final week in October.  Then, in November, we will be able to offer a free ebook to you, our fantastic readers, as well as a shopping list that says exactly how many cans you will need of each thing to make each of these recipes once in the 30 days.  Do you want to build up a year supply? Us too! We will also create a list that shows you how to buy a years supply of these staples to have on hand in your pantry. Easy peasy, right?

When I was out of town for Convention a couple of weeks ago, we stayed with my Aunt Karen in Utah.  She made an amazingly filling, tasty soup in her crockpot that we could enjoy once we got back to the house.  It was called Tortellini Sausage Soup from Our Best Bites.  Yum! I love a good filling soup that is full of veggies and flavor.  Something I really thought was unusual about it though, is Kate added apple cider to the liquids to give it a bit of a sweetened flavor.  I didn't expect it, but I enjoyed it. I posted the original recipe at the bottom of the page in case there are some things that you have on hand (ie canned diced tomatoes or chicken broth) that you want to use instead of some of the THRIVE if you don't have a stocked pantry yet. Just remember to also reduce the water with the addition of your other items.

Now for the recipe!

I love the recipe and REALLY love tortellini, but I thought, I can definitely make this a lot faster if I'm not having to grate veggies or open a ton of cans. And, I can make it shelf stable if I use a different, non-refrigerated variety of pasta.  You have to admire the beautiful color of these THRIVE veggies fresh out of the can.

Plus, something I love to do is cook for multiple nights at a time.  Wouldn't it be brilliant if I made this in the pot, but then added all of the same ingredients in a Ziplock bag to use sometime in the near future. (Meal-in-a-Jars really speak to me :)) So, here you go, Meal in a Bag:

I recommend that you have these things on hand in your pantry already, but if you do not, the soup will still taste great on its own.

If you are making it in a pot on the stove:                                            If you are making the Meal in a bag variety:
-Cooking wine (optional to help get carmelized flavor into soup)     -Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt
-Olive Oil
-Minced Garlic (refrigerated)

So are you all dying to know how to make this recipe from 100% THRIVE? Here we go!
Print the Full Page Recipe

Delicious Sausage Pasta and Veggie Soup by Tiffany
2 c THRIVE FD Sausage
1/2 c THRIVE FD onions
2 T THRIVE chicken bouillon
*2 T THRIVE Orchard Apple Drink Powder
1/3 c THRIVE Tomato Powder
1/2 c THRIVE carrot dices
2 c THRIVE FD Zucchini
1 1/2 c THRIVE FD Diced Tomatoes
1/2 c THRIVE FD Spinach
^1- 1 1/4 c THRIVE elbow macaroni (Depends on if you like you soup thick and hearty or a little more soupy)
1 t THRIVE basil
1 t THRIVE oregano
2 T THRIVE Parsley

Preparing in a Crockpot or Meal in a Bag Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to a Ziplock bag, or dump straight into the crockpot.  Add 9 cups of water.  Stir the mixture a little bit to make sure that the seasonings are well blended.  If you added the optional 1 t garlic powder or garlic salt, you would add that at the same time as the rest of the ingredients.  Set on low for 6-8 hours.  You made need to add another cup or two of water towards the end of cooking time depending on how hot your crockpot gets.

Preparing on the Stove:
1. Add sausage, garlic, onions and 1/2 c water (and optional drizzle of olive oil) to warm pot and allow to brown for 3 minutes to carmelize in the pan, stirring occasionally.  (If you have cooking wine, add a splash of it now to remove carmelized flavor from pan)
2.Add 9 cups of water to the pot. Whisk in the tomato powder, apple drink mix, chicken bouillon, oregano, basil and parsley.
3. Finally add remaining ingredients before water reaches a boil: carrot dices, zucchini, spinach, tomato dices and noodles.  Allow the covered pot to simmer on low for 30-40 minutes.

We like to top it with rehydrated FD Monterey Cheese (or you can put it in dry if you want a little bit of crunch).  If you like it creamy, you can even add a little Sour Cream Powder. Yum.

^ Using 1 1/4 macaroni creates a more filling, thicker soup.  If you would like your soup to be a little more "soupy" decrease the macaroni to 3/4 or 1 cup depending on how liquidous you like it!

*Note that she uses apple cider to give it a little sweetness.  We really enjoyed it.  If you are afraid sweet won't be "your thing" you can leave this out and increase the chicken bouillon to 3 T.

To make it more diabetic friendly, you can use both switches thus decreasing the sugar from the pasta and apple drink mix.

 Original recipe from Our Best Bites:
Tortellini Sausage Soup
3 links Italian Sausage
4 cloves, pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
1/2 c water
2 - 15 oz cans chicken broth
1/2 c apple cider
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 c sliced carrots
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
2 medium zuccini, grated
2 T parsley
8-10 oz package cheese tortellini

1. Remove the casings from the link sausages and crumble into a large soup pot.  To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage then peel back the casing.
2.  Chop onion and add to pot with garlic and a drizzle of olive oil.  Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked.  (This is one of my favorite smells on earth by the way!)
3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil.  Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour.  Add parsley and zucchini and simer for another 15 minutes or so.  Add the tortellini and cook until tender, then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

April 2013 THRIVE Q Sales

Welcome Back!

New name means big changes!
It has been so hard getting used to the new name.  I know for most of you, it probably seems like... "what's the big deal.  Your food was already called THRIVE so 'THRIVE Life' isn't a huge switch."  And you're right, it shouldn't be so surprising for us, but, for many of us that have been with the company from the beginning its kind of a shocker.  As you have probably already guessed we will be needing to change our blog name as the name Shelf Reliance is no longer.

We are hoping to launch our new site as well as many of our new ideas in May or June so look forward to this amazing change.  I am starting to get excited about all that we will be able to do with this new opportunity.  We have a professional web designer from Eedee Designs working hard to make it the most user friendly, easily navigable and fresh looking site.  I hope that you will enjoy the switch!

April Showers bring lots of great sales!
Now for the Q Sales for April.  I am seriously so excited about all of the products that I had to add them all to my Q today before it ships out tomorrow.  I can't wait to start cooking up some Q recipes for next Wednesday's Post.  Then of course we'll have Chef Todd's Thrive it Up next Tuesday so you're head will be spinning with all of the potatoey goodness.  I'm sure that these spuds will be showing up soon in our weekly series that is debuting next week - Thirty Days of Thrive.  (more details below)

April Q-Pon
If you belong to the Q Club, you'll be especially glad to hear about the April Q-Pon!   It is our #1 Best Seller, Freeze Dried Pineapple.  Look out for the awesome Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe in your email box.

Want to see the Full Flyer?

Thirty Days of THRIVE
I have so many people ask me how to use THRIVE on a regular basis.  I will tell you that the more you use it, the less of a switch it feels.  You will begin to wonder how you ever cooked without it because it is so convenient.

In order to help you get on your way, we have been doing multiple things...

Brianna has signed on to show you how she is just getting started with the products. Most of her recipes are things that only require a few ingredient switches. This is wonderful for those beginners who think, I don't have a full pantry of THRIVE, where do I start?

Meilea has signed on to show you just how easy it is to incorporate THRIVE into your daily life especially during pregnancy, nursing and babyhood.

But, our final step is for those of you who are ready to pull out "the big guns" so to speak.  If you are a Q member and have been developing a stock pile aka loaded pantry and want to know either how to use it now or how to have a bunch of recipes to use once time gets tough, we will be doing a series where every Tuesday you can count on a family tested recipe that incorporates 100% THRIVE products except for maybe a few spices or little things you are bound to have on hand.  We hope to release an e-book with these and many more recipes by the end of the year just in time for you to give as gifts for your loved ones who may be struggling with starting with Freeze Dried products.

Please join us along the way and feel free to make suggestions of regular dishes that you would love to see turned into THRIVING meals.  If its possible, we'll do it.  We LOVE to cook!  You can email me at Tiffany@HelpingFamiliesThrive.com.  I love hearing from you :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Dinner in 20 minutes- Easy Chicken and Rice in a Pot

This recipe is one that I use at parties (usually with the cornbread) because it is so simple.  I know that it will turn out perfect even if I am not giving it much attention since I am focusing on the party guests rather than cooking.  It is actually a go-to recipe for me on crazy nights when I don't feel like cooking, but I want to have a home-cooked meal.


Please note that this recipe makes A BUNCH since I use it at parties.  I love having left overs.  Feel free to cut it in half if you are not the type to eat meals 2 nights in a row :)  Since all of THRIVE foods are washed, chopped up and ready to go its easy to create Thrive recipes in a snap!


Easy Chicken and Rice in a Pot
2 c rice
8 c water
1 T THRIVE Butter Powder
4 T THRIVE Chicken Bouillon 
1/3 c THRIVE Carrots
1/3 c THRIVE FD Corn
1/3 c THRIVE FD Onions
1/3 c THRIVE FD Peas
1/8 c THRIVE FD Celery
2 cooked chicken breasts or FD Chicken


Throw all of the ingredients into a large pot and bring to a rolling boil.  Turn the heat down and allow to simmer with the lid on for about 20-25 minutes or until rice is cooked.  Use a fork to shred the chicken that is on top of the rice and serve.

              

                      Click here to Print Full Page recipe

Click here to Print 4x6 or 3x5 of this recipe

Another Time Saving  Tip

While I am on the subject of quick and easy meals, I thought I'd let everyone in on a little secret of mine that makes for quick dinners especially on nights that I don' t feel like cooking.  When I buy a large package of raw chicken breasts from the store, I put them all into a crockpot right when I get home.  I put a little seasoning on them: McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Chicken Bouillon, or just good old fashioned salt and pepper will do the trick. I allow these babies to cook on low for a few hours until fully cooked.  I put the chicken breast in a variety of freezer bags depending on the amounts I need for different recipes, then pop them in the freezer.  They are wonderully flavored and moist since they cook in their own broth and save tons of oven time, heat (my house gets REALLY hot in the summer so this is a HUGE bonus for me), and money since I don't have to pay to heat up my oven each time I need cooked chicken.  Don't forget to save that leftover broth.  You can either put it into a Rubbermaid container if you know that you are going to be using it within a few days, or freeze it into little ice cubes that you can just throw into soups or rice later to replace the water and add alot more flavor to the dish without the added sodium.