I don’t want to sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but I have to admit that I’m a little nervous about the state of our country. All economic worries aside, we’ve recently had some crazy weather in East TN. When it was just my husband and I, I didn’t think a lot about emergency preparedness. However, with a toddler and a baby on the way, I can’t help but feel some pressure to protect my family. It’s such an overwhelming feeling to come to the realization that your children are truly going to depend on you if something horrific happens – whether it be man-made or a natural disaster.
For this reason, my husband and I have been working on preparing our family for the unknown. The first items you want to take into consideration when preparing for an emergency are the bare basics: food, water, shelter. We have done a lot of research and were so excited to come across a company called “Shelf Reliance”. They not only offer food with a VERY long shelf life (up to 25 years), but they also sell these emergency-type items I’m referring to. A few examples are as follows: emergency backpacks (filled with everything you’d need for your family if you had to get out of your house quickly), sun oven (literally able to cook your food through solar energy in a small, portable oven), food rotation system accessories (allows you to easily rotate your foods by date of expiration), food storage solutions, first aid kits, thermal sleeping bags, etc.
We found a local consultant who was nice enough to come to our house and let us sample some of the “Thrive” food. This food is freeze-dried, as opposed to being dehydrated. The freeze-drying process starts with the foods being cleaned and sliced, then they are put in a vacuum chamber where 98% of the moisture is removed by “vaporizing the ice at 50 degrees F”. The food is then sealed in moisture and oxygen proof cans to ensure freshness. And, let me just say, I was very impressed by the taste and texture of the food.
Sarah allowed us to sample strawberries, pineapple bites, pomegranate yogurt bites, brownies, chicken salad, and a BBQ chicken & rice entrée. Everything was delicious! Our 2-year-old loved the freeze-dried corn, which you can snack on without restoring the water. Sarah said her kids love snacking on the freeze-dried veggies and fruit. What an awesome snack for our kiddos! She also mentioned how nice it is to use the chopped freeze-dried onion in recipes. No more chopping and crying!! She just grabs what she needs and throws it into her soup or other recipes.
I just had to ask Sarah what makes her passionate enough about Shelf Reliance to actually sell their products. Here’s what she had to say:
I became interested in SR when I tried THRIVE foods for the first time and was sold on the quality and taste. I first looked into their products for long-term storage so my family would be prepared for those unplanned emergencies. The food was tasty, so easy and healthy that I quickly decided to include it in my daily cooking & snacks. Getting my kids to eat fruits & veggies has never been easier. I love that SR has really focused on quality & nutrition. There is no shortage of companies who will sell you big cans of “food storage” that’s just mediocre. With SR, I know what I am buying is good enough to eat today and packed well enough to last an average of 20 years on my shelves, ready, just in case.
Most experts suggest having a one-year supply of food for your family in case of an unexpected emergency. This can be so expensive and overwhelming to even think about! Shelf Reliance has an awesome program called the “Q” which is a monthly delivery service. Here’s how it works: You set your own budget and pick out the foods that your family would enjoy. Then, you also determine how long you’d like to work on building up your supply. Once all of this information is entered into the system, the “Q” will manage your customized order and make deliveries to your home every month. This is such an easy way to get the foods you want, build your emergency supply, and not pay a huge dollar amount all at once (you’ll also receive a discount on your food!). Sarah can help you with this customizable program!
We plan on setting up a “Q” for our emergency food supply because we can choose foods that our daughter (with food allergies) can eat, as well. It wouldn’t be conducive to have an emergency supply full of eggs, peanuts, and milk! So, for those of you with food allergies in the family, here’s a link to Shelf Reliance’s allergen list: http://perkins.shelfreliance.com/c/sites/default/files/ThriveAllergensReport.pdf
Shelf Reliance is offering their customers special prices during the month of November. Check them out HERE, HERE, and HERE!
If you’d like to make a purchase from Shelf Reliance, please check out Sarah’s web site HERE. Be sure and tell her that Poots and Pans sent you!
Sarah has been gracious enough to offer one lucky Poots and Pans reader a can of Thrive’s freeze-dried strawberries! If you’re interested in winning, please do the following:
- Check out Sarah’s web site and tell me what product you’d most like to have (2 entries)
- “Like” Sarah’s Shelf Reliance FB page (2 entries)
- “Like” Poots and Pans on FB (2 entries)
- Follow Poots and Pans on GFC (1 entry)
- Share this giveaway on FB (2 entries)
- Make a purchase from Sarah (10 entries)
This contest will end on Sunday, Nov. 20th at 11pm (EST) and the winner will be announced on Monday, Nov. 21st. Good luck!
Sarah Myers