After participating in Utah’s largest statewide earthquake drill, The Great Utah Shakeout, we are more aware of the importance of preparing for an emergency. To properly prepare for an earthquake or general evacuation emergency, each person in your family needs to have a 72-hour kit packed and ready to go.

Here are some tips when putting together your 72-hour kit:

• Don’t overload it with things you don’t need. A 72-hour kit is meant to keep you alive for three days until help can come to you.
• To compile a list of what you need in your kit, write down everything you use and would need in a three day period. This will give you a better idea of what you use every day.
• Don’t forget medications! If you are diabetic, epileptic, or have allergy, heart or any number of medications that are mandatory every day, you need to pack them.
• Kids: Besides their every day “needs”, they are going to need something to keep them busy if staying long periods of time at a shelter. Pack small items that they can do for entertainment, like word puzzles, mad libs, etc.
• During an evacuation, you want to make sure you don’t get separated from your kids. You know those “child leashes” that everybody loves to hate? Buy a bunch of those and “connect” you and your kids together so that you don’t get separated! No matter what the age of your children, getting separated in a hectic evacuation would be devastating and just add to the panic.
• Make sure everybody can carry their own 72-hour kit. As local Utahn Taralyn Parker discovered in The Great Utah Shakeout earthquake drill, “Only one rolled and the others were too heavy for the kids to carry or drag very quickly so that was a big problem. There’s no way I would have gotten the baby, the kids, and the back packs out on my own and I didn’t know what was in each bag.”
• Make sure you put your 72-hour kit somewhere accessible. Storing them in a basement storage room is great, but what if you can’t get to them in the event of an earthquake? Many experts recommend storing them in the garage where you can grab and go.
• Don’t forget your pets! Having to leave a pet behind can be traumatic, especially for younger children or those that think of their pets as part of the family. Make sure to pack a 72-hour kit full of food, water, leashes and other necessary supplies for your pets as well.
• Important papers. Make sure you keep these in a safe and easily accessible spot. Examples of these include birth certificates, passports, social security cards, insurance policies, etc.

You can visit The American Red Cross website for suggestions on what to put in your 72-hour kit.

Many Utahns experienced first-hand the panic that can come from being unprepared in the case of an emergency. On September 19th 2010, a fire on Herriman Mountain forced a quick evacuation of over 1,500 families. Many of these families were not prepared for an evacuation and had to leave many important items behind. An evacuation can happen at any time, whether you are ready or not, so getting your 72-hour kit together will help you be that much more prepared in the case of a major earthquake and evacuation.

Read how Utahns around the state participated in, and learned from, The Great Utah Shakeout, Utah’s largest state-wide earthquake drill.

Dude.

If you need to brush up on your earthquake skills, head over to BeReadyUtah.gov.

More on TodaysMama:

UtahMama – Food Storage

Printable Emergency Plan Templates

Baking from scratch can be a lot easier than you think. Keeping a simple supply of basic baking ingredients can really save you in a pinch. If you are struggling in these tough financial times,  making food from scratch can  save you a lot of money. These are the basic baking ingredients I always keep a large supply of. Both Maceys and Smiths are having case lot sales currently and many of these ingredients are on sale. Costco is also a fabulous place to by these staples (especially powdered sugar, brown sugar, white flour, wheat berries and yeast….their prices are hard to beat) If you are looking to purchase a Kitchen Aid mixer (something I highly recommend) Costco has a coupon that will run for the next couple of weeks for $40 off.

FLOUR  -white -wheat
SUGAR  -granulated -powdered -brown
SALT
BAKING SODA
BAKING POWDER
OIL
SHORTENING
COCOA POWDER
CINNAMON
VINEGAR
YEAST

Use these simple ingredients with some fabulous fresh ingredients like milk, eggs, and butter and you have yourself a whole repertoire of fabulous food just waiting to impress your family. And impress you will!

Keeping your basic baking ingredients organized really speeds up the process. Try and keep them all in the same spot. I always keep a measuring cup in both my flour and my sugar canister. I also keep a measuring spoon inside my yeast container. This saves me the tedious job of looking through my drawers for a measuring cup and spoon.

Learning how to bake from scratch can really be a lot of fun! Everyone can learn to do it well. All you need is a little time to practice, a bit of  instruction and some fabulous recipes. I have literally tried hundreds of recipes that use these basic baking ingredients. The fabulous recipes  listed below are just a sample of the great recipes on my food blog. I’ve done all of the experimenting for your. These recipes will not lead you astray!

I hope you’ll take some of your Little Caesar’s money and stock up on some basic staples. You never know when you might really need them! These staples will be around long after you have licked the last pepperoni off your lips!

***in 15 minutes you can have ***

School Morning Pancakes

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

***in 30 minutes you can have***

Corn Bread

Whole Wheat Muffins

***In 45 minutes you can have***

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

***With a Kitchen Aid and 60 minutes you can have***

White Bread

***With a Kitchen Aid and  90 minutes you can have***

Soft Jumbo Pretzels

This is definitely a wonder. There is a great SuperWalmart close to my home that honors this policy very well and I have had success with ad matching on a regular basis. I have also been witness to many other shoppers receiving bang up bargains. I’ve even seen people price match for toys and other treasures on black Friday.

Now don’t get me wrong. I know what you are thinking. Walmart is a cursed joint with disorganized shelves, lack of goods, long lines, crying children and patrons with more body hair than clothing. (You know the picture I am painting, don’t you…..you can see it in your minds eye….) Just a word to the wise, Walmart can be a good experience for you if you go at the right time of day. I try and get there pretty early in the morning when lines aren’t too long and my patience level is fresh!

I have been wanting to buy some fancy food coloring to make some fun Rainbow Cupcakes. You can find this easy recipe on my food blog Jamie Cooks It Up. I knew I could find the food coloring  at any craft store, but didn’t want to make the 15 minute drive. I also knew they had them at Walmart…so to save a few pennies I took my Robert’s Craft Store “40% off a single item” coupon with me to Walmart. I wasn’t sure they would take it….but they did! Walmart…..a wonder more than a curse.

When you hear the words “Sugar Cookie”do you get a little overwhelmed? Do you feel a little whoozie thinking  of an all day project in the kitchen?

You know how a sugar cookie project goes.

You can see it in your minds eye…. flour and dough flying everywhere with candy sprinkles and frosting  stuck from here to tin buck too.  If you have the patience of a mighty she-ra and want to participate in that kind of activity (I have to admit, I do love a good sugar cookie project! Twice a year does me up just fine) you can click here to find my fabulous sugar cookie recipe. If you are in the mood to save your patience for filling Easter eggs, and shopping for cute Easter dresses then I have the recipe for you ladies! This Sugar Cookie Bars recipe will have you whistling Dixie in no time. Your kids will love them just as much as the cut out kind…and you will have your sanity intact and ready to take on the world. That is something to be grateful for.

Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/2 t almond extract

1 t vanilla

1/2 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

2 1/2 C flour

FROSTING:

1/2 C butter softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3 1/2 C powdered sugar

3-5 T milk

1 t vanilla

food coloring

1. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and egg  until nice and frothy. About 4 minutes.

2. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat for 1 minute more.

3. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix them around so that all ingredients are well incorporated.

4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat for about 2 minutes.

5. Press the dough into a large jelly roll (cookie sheet) pan.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

7. Let the pan cool completely.

8. Time to make the frosting! In a medium sized bowl (or your stand mixer) combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat for about 2 minutes.

9. Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and food coloring. Mix for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.

10. Frost your pan of cookies. Cut the cookies into bars and serve!

As a fun decorative option, you could pipe a bit of white frosting onto the cookie bars. Just take about 1/4 of the frosting out of the mixer before you add the food coloring. Put the white frosting into to sandwich sized zip loc bag. Carefully snip the tip and pipe some fun decorations onto the bars.

Happy children from our neighborhood! They gave these Sugar Cookie Bars the double thumbs up, I bet yours will too.

]]> http://utah.todaysmama.com/2010/03/27/sugar-cookie-bars/feed/ 18 http://utah.todaysmama.com/2010/03/18/buy-it-cheap-and-stack-it-deep/ http://utah.todaysmama.com/2010/03/18/buy-it-cheap-and-stack-it-deep/#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:23:32 +0000 Jamie Cooks It Up! http://utah.todaysmama.com/?p=187 When you think of food storage, do you automatically conjure up pictures of little silver packages of dried food? Do you imagine yourself adding bottled water to unrecognizable powdery substances….waiting for them to magically turn into chicken cordon blue, and lasagna?

Doesn’t sound very appetizing, does it? Food storage doesn’t need to be  unapetizing or unrecognizable. I am of the opinion that we should store food that our family enjoys and eats on a regular basis. You might be asking yourself….why do I need to have a food storage? Of what good can come with hoarding food? I will tell you of an experience I had shortly after I had my first baby some 12 years ago.

I saw a commercial where a young gal was working as a waitress. At the end of her shift she stuffs several handfuls of packaged ketchup into her coat pockets. When she arrives home to 4 small children she opens up all of the packages, puts them into a sauce pan with some water and heats them up. This is all she has to feed her family. All she has. A few handfuls of ketchup.

I can’t  even imagine the worry and stress that comes a long with this kind of hardship. While I watched this commercial with my new baby in my arms, I told myself I needed to get prepared. I needed to get educated about storing food and how best to feed my family. Twelve years and 5 children later I can honestly say that I find food storage to be a lot of FUN! You heard me, gals. It can be fun!  I have spent countless hours  learning how to shop for food, store food, cook fabulous meals, and bake heavenly creations. Jamie Cooks It Up! is my food blog where I share all kinds of great recipes and helpful tips. Today I’ll be sharing some basic things you can do to start getting your family prepared with food storage!

1. Get educated about food pricing. In Utah most of us receive the grocery store ads in our mail box on Monday and Tuesday. Make a point to read these ads each week. When something goes on sale, instead of buying one ….buy a case! Buy it cheap, my friends and stack it deep. Set aside a little bit of your grocery budget each month for storage items. Some of you might be overwhelmed with food pricing. It is indeed hard to know if something is a good deal unless you have been matching prices for a while. There are some wonderful websites you can access. Deals to Meals and Pinching Your Pennies are two great ones. Both these two sites post grocery store adds every week and give each product  a rating so you will know if things are a good deal, a great deal, or a “this is so cheap….stack it deep!” deal.

2. Many grocery stores in Utah have Case Lot Salesseveral times a year. My husband and I set aside a portion of our tax return so we have a chuck of money to spend at these sales. If you live close to a Peterson’s Market, they are having a case lot sale this week.

One item I love to stock up on at Case Lot Sale is these wonderful seasoning packets. They are sold at all Associated Food Stores such as Harmon’s, Peterson’s, Reams, Lynn’s and Macey’s. At most case lot sales they are sold for 33 cents a package. That is cheap! I have created many wonderful recipes that use these packets. Here are a few links to some of these great meals.

Southwest Chicken

Pan Fried Chicken with Country Gravy

Chicken Enchiladas

3. Learn how to bake. Fresh baked goods are very cheap to make, and are so much tastier than store bought baked goods. (In all honesty, I have yet to perfect an apple fritter, stay tuned!) You can become a wonderful baker with just a little practice. Oh do I have some wonderful posts in store for you regarding baking. These Quick and Easy Breadsticks are just one example of the great things that can be made with just a few simple ingredients.

4. Buy a freezer and buy meat on sale by the case. I just purchased several cases of boneless skinless chicken breast for $1.29 per pound. That is a steal! I also purchased a 15 pound case of bacon for $19. Another great price.

Getting educated about food pricing will be worth your time. You will save money and be able to start storing food for a rainy day. Don’t feel overwhelmed! You can do it! Just start with something simple, like reading the grocery store ads this week, or checking out one of the websites I mentioned. Or…when you at the store this week and ketchup happens to be cheaper than the last time you bought it, buy 2 bottles instead of 1. Obtaining a food storage can be accomplished a few cans at a time. I am thrilled to be writing for TodaysMama and sharing my knowledge about food and food storage. I have a lot of great things in store for you. See you back here again soon!