How to Use Powdered Milk

Printable Recipes and Instructions

Once you start storing powdered milk at home, you wonder how you ever went without it before.  It is so wonderful never having to run to the store last minute because you are out of milk or canned milk products like sweetened condensed milk.

The great thing about powdered milk is that it provides a large variety of things we have in our regular diets which we would have a difficult time doing with out including buttermilk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, whipped cream… you get the picture.  So, if you like one or more of the proceeding items, you might want to consider getting some milk in your “Home Store”.

Powdered milk will become more than just a comfort food if we ever had to solely rely on food storage for dietary needs.  As you think about all of the calcium it provides for strong healthy bones in growing children and adults as well as a much more flavorful option than water in recipes it becomes a no brainer to add it to your home store.

Go here to learn more about the differences in powdered milks that are on the market as well as to learn why it is an important thing to stock up on for your Home Store. Click here to learn how to make Homemade Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soups.

Basic powdered milk conversions:

To Make:   You need	Water	THRIVE Instant Milk	Non-Instant
¼ cup	¼ cup	1-½ T	1 t
½ cup	½ cup	3 T-1/4 c	1 ½ T
1 cup	1 cup	1/3 c-1/2 c	3T
1 quart	1 quart	3/4c -1 c	1/3 c
1 pint	1 pint	1 1/2 -2 c	1-1/3 c
1 gallon	1 gallon	3-4 c	2-2/3 c

In most cases (like for baking bread) double the amount of powder for instant milk. I left variance in it because I know that some people like it stronger, but it is great with the lower amount.

When I taught a powdered milk class, hands down the THRIVE won 1st place.  I get people who drink it at my house all of the time who didn't realize it was "fake milk" or whatever nonbelievers like to call it ;)  We also sell a milk alternative we call non-fat powdered milk as well as a chocolate drink mix!

Now for the recipes!

Buttermilk aka Sour Milk

View this post for full details as well as a print out.  In recipes that call for buttermilk you simply need to put a teaspoon of either lemon juice or vinegar in the bowl, then add water and powdered milk.  Let it stand for 5 minutes as the acid creates the chemical reaction, then use as needed.

Evaporated Milk

1-1/2  C Water
1/2  C + 1 T non fat dry powdered milk

Blend very well in a blender. 

Evaporated Milk was created back in the 1920′s and 30's as a way to replace expensive cream and whole milk in recipes. It is whole milk with more than half the water removed before it is homogenized. DO NOT USE IT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK. However, you can use it to substitute for half and half. Isn’t that great?! I know I don’t keep half and half stocked in my fridge. Use Evaporated Milk, made from your food storage, in any recipe by doubling the amount of the dry powdered milk and leaving the water the same. As a good rule of thumb to go by, for normal milk made from your powdered milk it is 3 T. dry powdered milk per 1 C. water and don’t forget there are 16 T. in a cup.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

½ c hot water              2T melted margarine or butter

1 c sugar                       1 c non fat dry powdered milk
1 t vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor. If lacking electricity you can boil the water beforehand and mix quickly with a whisk but it will not be as smooth.  Mix on high for one full minute. The mixture will be kind of thin, but will thicken up after standing for about an hour. This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups, or the equivalent of one can of condensed milk. This mixture stores in the fridge for a week, or for longer storage, freeze it for a few months, and then just thaw before using. The cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk cost about $1.50 in the store so this is a great deal with very little effort involved in the process!

Shop now!  

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bath Soak - Thrifty Thursdays

Do you like babies' soft skin? Me too!

Since May is the month of Mothers Day, we thought it would be a perfect time to put together a few Homemade Spa Treatments that you can make as wonderful, well needed gifts. I think it would be fun to make a few of these, buy a candle and decorate a #10 can and make it a whole spa in a can experience for your mother, mother-in-law, wife, sister-in-law, best friend...etc.  We hope that you will enjoy these Thrifty Thursday posts and use them in your home right along with us.

How many of us take time to take a long warm bath?  I still remember that I had an 8th grade English teacher who told us that no matter what, she soaked in a long warm bath at least once a week.  She said she would light a candle, bring a book and lock the door so the kiddos would know to leave her alone and enjoy the quiet time.

I have kids that are too little for me to just lock out and plan on them taking care of themselves, but I can still make a goal to do something like this in the evening after they've gone to bed.  We deserve it, right?!

The first Spa Treatment we will be introducing to also happens to use quite a few bulk storage items.  What an awesome way to rotate through some things!  This recipe is close to the original from this site.  It also uses powdered milk which is on sale this month!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bath Soak
Ingredients:
3/4 c oatmeal
1 c powdered milk
1/2 c baking soda
2 t cornstarch
1 t cream of tartar
1 t cinnamon
An air tight jar to keep out moisture (I just reused an old jam jar)

Directions:
1. Grind your oatmeal in a food processor.  Once it is finely ground, add your remaining ingredients and mix well with the food processor.
2. Put mixture in a moisture proof container so it will not go moldy in storage.
3. To use, simply add 1/2 c of the mixture in a warm full bath.  Soak and enjoy.

I decorated it with paper to be able to give it as a gift in a bucket, then realized since its going to be around water, the paper will get ruined.  I wrapped the paper with packing tape to protect the paper.

I thought it was cute because a little bit spilled on the table because I had been lazy and not got a funnel... anyway the kids were sooooo excited and started licking it up immediately.  My daughter was sad when I told her it was time for bed.  She said, Please don't wipe it mommy.  I'll eat it later.  So there you have it, makes your skin soft AND gives the kiddos taste buds a joy ride :)

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?

Why pancakes are fluffy... and another great sale.

FOODS THAT MAKE LIFE LOVELY...CONTINUED
I told you life would be nothing without cheese a couple of days ago....but, you know what else life would be terrible without?

Bread.  Need I say more?

Probably not, but I'm going to.  Bread or carbs in general are another one of those things that I just would be crushed to live without.  

That's me, Sister Crystal
& Brother Tommy

Here's a story for you:
There was once a girl who hated pancakes and wanted to cry every time she heard her brother or sister request them for breakfast.  One day, this girl discovered something magical.... pancakes need not consist of Bisquik.  Wow!

If you couldn't guess, I was the damsel in distress.  I'm sure that Bisquick holds a special place in Mothers' hearts all over America, but in mine, it does not.  But you want to know what does?

Baking Soda.
Baking Powder.
Eggs.
Salt.
Yeast.

All of the wonderful things that turn flour into different delectable textures and help bubbles rise to make pancakes fluffy and magical!



Shelf Reliance doesn't sell yeast YET but I'm sure if we beg enough we can get it on the list.  For those of you who agree that life would not be the same if you didn't have at least a daily dose of carbs, please join me in requesting Shelf Reliance add yeast to their list of products to add to the list.

In the past, I've bought my yeast at Sams because they have a fantastic price on bulk yeast.  The only downside to this is that it is not long term shelf stable.  However, if you can, put yours in the freezer and that will extend the life of the yeast significantly!

Courtesy of Two Peas and their Pod
Cinnamon Struessal Pancakes

For some of my favorite pancake recipes and a bread machine wheat bread (This means being too busy in not an excuse for not making bread!)
Cinnamon Struessal
Cornmeal Pancakes  I have my own recipe adapted from this one and thought I'd posted it already, but I'll have to do that once life has slowed down after the move :)
Apple Wheat Pancakes
Whole Wheat Machine Bread

Don't forget to stock up on baking soda, baking powder, and salt when buying other baking essentials.  I would hate for you to have to rely on Bisquik :)

What are your favorite bread, or breakfasty food recipes?

Eggs Pack a Powerful Punch

Although I don't remember everything from my freshman year in college, I will never forget learning in biology that eggs were a perfect, complete non-meat protein.  Why does that matter my friends?  Well, back then I HATED, I mean HATED beans.  This is probably silly coming from a girl who encourages you to put beans in your desserts now. But what can I say, I was extremely misguided.

WHO CARES?
Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is that if you have a little picky eater who will not eat beans yet and you haven't learned how to sneak them into other food, this is a great way to make sure they have their protein.  And as you all are already well aware, I love our eggs!

Now, this is not the only 12 pack I am able to offer.  For all of you no joke preppers, there is a list at the bottom of all of the 12 packs Shelf Reliance lets me offer at an incredible price. This is a limited time sale.  A new price list is coming October 2nd, so stay tuned in case the price changes.

Click Here to find out more about
Whole Egg Powder

WHOLE EGG POWDER 12 PACK $179.99
(12) Whole Egg Powder #10

This saves you about $6.50 per can as compared to buying them individually.  So... a savings of almost $80 overall is not too shabby!

(I bet I surprised you with the contents of that package, huh?!)

NOT WANTING 12 CANS OF EGGS?
If you know you need eggs, but aren't planning to provide protein for many people, the Baking Essentials package might be just what you need.  It gives you a little variety by also letting you try some of the other things that make baking yummy. (AKA butter and shortening) This is another one of the packages that are emptying our shelves as of late.


BAKING ESSENTIALS PACKAGE $88.29
(3) Instant Milk
(1) Butter Powder
(1) Shortening Powder
(1) Whole Egg Powder

When compared to buying it online, this is like paying for just the Instant Milk and Butter Powder and getting the Shortening Powder and Whole Egg Powder for FREE!!!

Plus, you'll really want shortening to make homemade tortillas.

While we're talking baking... tomorrow I will explain why I don't like Bisquick


OTHER 12 PACKS THAT MIGHT ROCK YOUR WORLD while supplies last.  New pricelist coming October 2nd.
Chicken $372.49 *(You save over $50)
Ground Beef $418.99 *(You save over $75)
Roast Beef $409.69 *(You save over $180)
Cheese (6 Mozzarella, 6 Cheddar) $372.49 * (You save almost $100)

*When compared to buying the cans individually online.

Check out my thoughts on FD Meat here.


Shelf Reliance Eggs are the best.  Have you heard about our new THRIVE Scrambled Egg Mix?  YUMMO!

If you liked this post, you may also like these:
Top 10 Reasons why I love our Powdered Eggs
New! THRIVE Scrambled Egg Mix
Powdered Eggs and Cookie Dough...Yum, yum.
Thrive Apple Pancakes

If you are wondering what other sales does Shelf Reliance have?  You can check out this post with instructions on how to get the best pricing on all of our products or email me at ShelfRelianceMom@gmail.com.

Restaurant Style-Fluffy Banana French Toast

I love French Toast, but I'm not so much a fan of soggy bread or of slimy messes. Bleh.  Plus, there is always a debate on which type of bread you need to buy in order to make it thick and delicious.  Would you believe it if I told you that I have found a way to make cheap store brand wheat bread taste amazing as french toast?

I stumbled upon a recipe on Allrecipes.com that I knew I needed to not only make food storage friendly, but also more flavorful.  I think you will all agree that this recipe ROCKS! I know that the batter doesn't look super appealing, but I wanted to post a picture so that way when you are making it and say, oh no what did I do wrong, you'll know its supposed to look that way!

This is a double batch so I made it in a 9x13 pan.

My kids went through piece after piece the first time I made this recipe.  As if that wasn't good enough.... another thing that sets this recipe apart as a stand out recipe is that it freezes or refrigerates well.  Yep, you can be super mom just by having a 'Gimme my Eggo' quickness, but have a healthy filling breakfast rather than store bought waffles.  After making a large batch of these, just get a cookie sheet and lay pieces of French Toast flat on the cookie sheet and freeze them for about an hour.  Stick them in a freezer bag, label and date them and you are all set.  These should last in the freezer for a few months, although I haven't ever been able to get them to last that long because my family goes through these like crazy.  To reheat, just stick them in the toaster, microwave or oven.  They're not fickle.

They can be served with whatever your topping of choice may be. My son prefers "regular brown syrup" with these, but I like to make an easy go-to fruit syrup. Just spreading butter with sprinkled powdered sugar is also a hit.  On special occasions we like to do a fruit syrup, cut up fresh bananas and berries and top it with whipped cream. Yum.

Can you see the texture. Super thick but not soggy.  Perfect.

When we need to eat on the run, I will cut the toast into 3 strips and make little French Toast Dippers and give my kiddos a tiny cup of syrup that into which they can dip the "Dippers".

Enjoy!

Print Full Page Recipe

Print 3x5 or 4x6 Recipe Cards

Restaurant Style: Fluffy Banana French Toast

Ingredients:

2 c Water                                                   

3 T THRIVE Instant Milk                 11/2 t Vanilla

1 c Flour  (I use whole wheat flour)   Pinch of Salt

1/2 c THRIVE Egg Powder              2 T Sugar

1/2 c THRIVE FD Bananas              1 t Cinnamon

16-20 Slices of Bread                     
 2 Dashes of Nutmeg & Clove

Directions:

Crush bananas (or food process) into powder. Empty into an 8x8 dish.  Add remaining dry ingredients (Instant Milk powder, four, egg powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, clove, sugar). Whisk powders together then add water in slowly. Add vanilla.  Mix should be THICK! Heat up skillet, spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Dip each side of bread in mix then cook on skillet.

Mix it up!  I like to add coconut extra instead of vanilla and it is FANTASTIC! Instead of putting cinnamon in the mix, many times I will leave it out, then sprinkle it onto the individual pieces of toast as they are cooking on the skillet.

Don't have food storage, but you want to give it a try?

Print Full Page Original Recipe

Print 3x5 or 4x6 Original Recipe Card

Original Recipe:

1/4 c flour                  1/2 t cinnamon

1 c milk                      1 t vanilla

1 pinch salt                 1 T sugar

3 eggs                        12 slices of bread

Slowly whisk milk into flour in a mixing bowl.  Whisk in remaining ingredients until smooth.  Mix before dipping each slice of bread.

The way I did it:

1 banana, mashed       1 T sugar

1/4 c flour                   1 t coconut extract

1 c milk                      1 dash nutmeg

1 pinch salt                 1 dash cloves

3 eggs                        12 slices of bread

           cinnamon shaker

Mash banana in an 8x8 mixing dish. Slowly whisk milk into flour in a mixing bowl.  Whisk in remaining ingredients except cinnamon until smooth.  Add ingredients to banana in 8x8 mixing dishes.  Mix before dipping each slice of bread. While cooking on skillet, sprinkle each individual piece of toast with cinnamon.

Have you been thinking about joining the Q Club?  For the month of April, I will be sending each person who signs up with a $100 Q a free THRIVE Cookbook which retails for$24.99 or can be bought at a factory direct price for $14.95 on my website.

To check out our April Specials, click here.  If you are a Q Club member, make sure to log in so you get the additional discounts.

Stretching your dollar: The Wonders of Buttermilk

Oh the wonders of church!  A lady from my church taught me this trick when I was telling her I use the old sour your milk trick.  She told me that she feels like this tastes better, so she sticks to the real thing.  I like it either way but in case you like the real deal too, here’s an awesome tip for you. If you are in a pinch and need to know how to make buttermilk just with the powdered milk or regular milk you have on hand, just skip to the bottom!

Printable Recipe

The Wonders of Buttermilk
If you already have store bought buttermilk and prefer the taste of actual buttermilk to that of soured milk, you don’t have to spend lots of time and hard earned money on real buttermilk from the store.

Streching your store bought buttermilk
1 c store bought buttermilk
3 c regular milk (Many people prefer whole because it is creamier, but skim will work)

To stretch your buttermilk, all you will need is 1 container of buttermilk.  (You can usually find an 8 oz container for less than .50 at the store) and 3 cups of regular milk.  Get one of your quart sized canning jars and add the two milks into the jar and allow it to sit on the countertop for 12 hours.  (Some sources say 8-24 hours, but as long as it is sticking to the sides of the jar and looking thicker, you’re in business!)  The way this works is the the cultures that are in the buttermilk (Lactobaccillus according to ehow) ferment with the regular milk making it naturally soured.  

Tips for success: If you don’t have a glass jar, do not despair you can wait until your buttermilk container is nearly empty, then add regular milk to the regular container.  Just remember the 1:3 ratio.  Good news is that this lasts for weeks so you will have plenty of time to make buttermilk pancakes, waffles, buttermilk syrup, banana bread, ranch dressing,.... okay I need to stop because my mouth is watering.
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Streching your store bought buttermilk from food storage
What if you don’t have regular milk?  Just mix up some powdered milk to go with it.  If you are using a glass jar as per the example, just fill it with:

4 cups or 1 quart of buttermilk
3 c warm water
½ c + 1 T of powdered milk (9 T if you want to do it the long way ;)
1 c buttermilk

Mix warm water and powdered milk well. Then add buttermilk.  Allow to sit on the counter at least 8 hours (I would probably wait 12 if I had the choice) then refrigerate for up to a couple weeks.

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Buttermilk strictly from food storage
If you are living strictly on food storage and don’t have the time, money or desire to go to Walmart and need buttermilk in a pinch, use the good ole’ sour your milk trick.  I use this 99% of the time.

Butermilk: Yields 1 cup
1 c warm water
1 t white vinegar or lemon juice
3 T powdered milk

Mix ingredients together and allow to sit for 5 minutes then add to the recipe in place of buttermilk. Voila!

Tips for success: For those of you with lactose intolerance, this trick works great with Moo’s Milk (a milk alternative).

This is the consistency you are hoping to achieve.  As you can 

see it is thick enough to stick to the edges. It should look kind of viscous.   Now that I have a gallon of buttermilk, I can't wait to see what recipes everyone throws at me!

This link had some information on making buttermilk from raw milk over a period of days. Although that would not be a regular thing for me, its a good thing to know if you are living in a long term emergency food situation. Interesting.

Thanks for stopping by!


Question of the Day:
What recipes do you use buttermilk in?

Be sure to try this out in Brianna's Mini Corndog Recipe!


Did you see the details on the next Giveaway?