Tuesday, September 27, 2011

"tastes just like costa vida mom!"


when my four year old told me that my thrive quesadillas tasted "just like costa vida", it told me two things....

1. we eat at costa vida too much
2. thrive is dang good!

Quick and Easy Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 c. Thrive Taco TVP, divided
1 1/4 boiling water
1 tbsp Cooking oil
6 six inch flour tortillas
4 1/2 c shredded cheese, divided

rehydrate TVP in boiling water. Heat oil in medium-sized pan over medium-low heat. Place a tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with 1/2 c. cheese.
Add 1/4 c. of the reconstituted taco TVP over the cheese and top with another 1/4 c. of cheese. Cover with another tortilla and cook for 2-3 minutes of until golden brown. Flip the quesadilla over and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
yum!

thriving nations

I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Ghana, Africa with my husband last year. It was my first time visiting a third world country. I was shocked by the things I witnessed while there. But being a Health Major, it was the eating habits that surprised me the most. Everyday is a battle for food. Where to get it, what to get, and when to eat it. On average, African families eat one meal a day. They fill their bellies with as much FuFu (a dough made of cassava and plantains) and soup as they can. It's the same for the children. I realized rather quickly that I am blessed beyond measure. Not only for the country in which i live, but for the bounty of food I have. That is why I LOVE the Thriving Nations program from Shelf Reliance. This beautiful program is designed to help those growing nations receive the food that they need. Not only is the food provided to malnourished children, they are also educating parents on proper farming techniques to help them become more self reliant. 5% of all sales of the Thrive food line are donated to this deserving program. just one more reason to love Thrive!




French Toast

you know the drill....it's early, you're running late and the kids want french toast before school. you decide you have just enough time to squeeze in a batch so you say "YES" out loud. (before looking in the fridge) turns out.....no eggs.

this was me two days ago.
thrive to the rescue!


They turned out fantastic. and even a little faster than regular french toast.

3 Tbsp Thrive Whole eggs
6 Tbsp water

whisk together and dip in your bread
heat for 2 minutes per side.
wah-lah!

now everyone's happy!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Congo Bars

there are two kinds of people.
those who order desert,
and those who order an appetizer.

i prefer appetizers myself.

but i was wishing for something sweet the other night and found this recipe from Thrive.

Congo Bars

2 c. Thrive brown sugar
2/3 c. oil
3 Tbsp Thrive whole egg powder
6 Tbsp water
2 3/4 c. Thrive white flour
1/2 tsp Thrive iodized salt
2 1/2 tsp Thrive baking powder
chocolate chips (optional)

mix well, add chocolate chips to taste.

spread dough into a greased cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes.

makes 16-20 bars

it was really yummy!

Party, Party, Who likes to Party?


call me today to book your party for October!
space is limited!

Marci Pratt
marcispratt@gmail.com
435.770.5548

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Why Shelf Reliance?

I've always had a passion for healthy eating! Unfortunately many things have always gotten in the way of my own family eating right. time....money....time.... and so on. When I was first introduced to Shelf Reliance in the fall of 2009 I thought, "yuck! food storage? no thanks." and didn't even taste anything. Today I regret that.

I went to school at Utah State University to study Community Health. I loved my nutrition courses and it became my goal to get families eating healthier. Eating right is not only about eliminating high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and many other diseases, eating right simply improves life. As i'm sure you can all attest, you just feel better! I created two different programs while studying at USU. First, "Weigh it Out", was designed to help parents weigh out the barriers vs the benefits of eating healthy. My second program was called, "Eat the Rainbow". This was designed for children. I took the program to a local school and encouraged children to eat all the colors of the rainbow everyday! They were able to taste many fruits and vegetables that were new to them. In both programs I saw success. Everyone had a desire to eat better. Everyone saw the benefits! However, they weren't doing it. Even when I evaluated my own family....I wasn't doing it.

No matter what I did in teaching Health and Nutrition, I couldn't eliminate two constant barriers for anyone, including myself. Time and Money. I spent hours researching time-saving tips for preparing healthier meals, and money-saving ideas. But in the end, it was a lot of work, and it was going to cost more money. period. I figured that when I became rich and famous (cause we all plan on that someday, right?) I would make healthy meals for my family!

It wasn't until my own family was experiencing some tough financial times that I pulled out the THRIVE food that had been gifted to us as a Christmas present. At the time, that Christmas present was a fun joke, but I now consider it my greatest gift.

The first thing I opened was THRIVE mixed bell peppers. Right away I knew I was going to go through the can pretty fast. They smelled divine! I was soon incorporating THRIVE into almost every meal. My four-year-old was begging for it for snacks. We quickly signed up for the Q program and started receiving freeze-dried food at our door. It didn't take long to feel the blessing of having our own Home Store. It's convenience and nutrition wrapped in one little can. win...win!

I now go to the grocery store less, spend less, and eat better! Some times I can't even believe I can say that. But it's true, it's really possible! and as if that's not good enough, I also have a food supply in my house with a 25 year shelf life. I used to believe that food storage was strictly for a natural disaster of some sort. It's silly really, because the truth is that the most common disasters happen in the walls of our own home....lost job, illness, etc. I have stopped waiting for the world to end, and I'm eating the yummy, nutritious food NOW!