THRIVE Garden Fresh Salsa

Did you know THRIVE has a delicious Garden Fresh Salsa?  Well, they do!  But here's the secret:  you can only order this fabulous salsa through a consultant!  Or by becoming a consultant yourself ;).  You won't find this tasty treat on any price lists or online.  But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some for yourself!  Just contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to get your own party sample -- and devour it all by yourself -- or share it with friends :)!

So why do I love THRIVE Garden Fresh Salsa?

1.  It's has all the flavor of fresh salsa and none of the chopping!
2.  It's easy to prepare -- just add water to the contents of the can and let sit (at least 3 hours, but I recommend overnight to allow the flavors to blend).
3.  It has less sodium than canned salsa you buy at the grocery store!!! 
4.  It is full of healthy veggies:  THRIVE red bell pepper, THRIVE sweet corn, THRIVE tomato dices, THRIVE chili peppers, THRIVE onions, and THRIVE cilantro!
5.  It has a shelf-life of 10 years, so you can always have some salsa stashed away for a day you might need it :)!

Although we didn't have ours stashed for 10 years...  I found myself in a situation where having salsa was preferred...  We were going to have tacos and I love to have salsa on my tacos.  And we'd finished off our store-bought canned salsa earlier in the week!  I was kind of bummed and told my husband, "I wish we had salsa, but we used it up in Monday's meal."  (I'd forgotten about my THRIVE Garden Fresh Salsa!  But then I remembered it -- so we made it up!)

The THRIVE Garden Fresh Salsa added a wonderful zip to our tacos -- and was even better the next day while I snacked on it with some tortilla chips :). 

Raspberry Peach Lemonade

One of my friends and I take turns fixing dinner for each other's families every other week.  We call it Marvelous Monday Meals.  It's a time of trying new things, eating great food, and having awesome visiting time.  This past week, I was in charge of dinner (she brought dessert); and, though a drink isn't always on the menu, I decided I wanted to have something special as a beverage.

We are mainly water drinkers in our home, so I don't have much in the way of beverage selection.  But I did have all my THRIVE host benefits!  And I had ordered the THRIVE Simply Peach Drink Mix.  I decided to open up that can and see what I could do!

So all of the #10 cans of THRIVE Foods come with a recipe printed on them!  How awesome is that?  It's a great way to start using your THRIVE in daily cooking, because you have a recipe right in front of you, showing you how to use that product.  The recipe on the THRIVE Simply Peach Drink Mix is for Peach Lemonade.  It sounded great, and I had all the ingredients.  But then I started thinking, "Maybe I could take this a step further and make it mine a little bit."

So I decided to make it Raspberry Peach Lemonade.  Here's how I did it:

RASPBERRY PEACH LEMONADE
1/2 cup sugar*
1/2 cup THRIVE Simply Peach drink mix
1/2 cup THRIVE raspberries
6 cups water
1 cup lemon juice

In one cup of water, rehydrate the raspberries for about 5 minutes.

Place sugar, THRIVE Simply Peach drink mix, rehydrated raspberries, and the 1 cup of raspberry water into a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is dissolved. Strain into a pitcher (to remove raspberry seeds). Add 1 cup lemon juice and mix well. Add additional 5 cups water and mix. Refrigerate until ready to drink.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE.

72-Hour Kit: Hygiene Items

I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure I take for granted the ease I enjoy in being able to keep clean and do my daily "hygiene" routine.  So much so that I often don't even consciously think about everything I'm using to do so.  My hygiene items are always just there.  And, by this point, everything is just second-nature.  Generally speaking, there is usually only one event that makes me even consider all the hygiene items I use on a daily basis:  packing!  For a trip for my 72-Hour Kit, in this case :).

So I figured I'd share the hygiene items we decided are important for our 72-Hour Kit.  (The picture is of mine, so it has a few items my husband wouldn't need...  But that's where it's important to make sure you are packing what you need, if you choose to assemble and build your kit yourself!)

In my hygiene kit, I have the following items:

travel size shampoo and conditioner
1 bar soap
1 small hand sanitizer
floss
1 travel size toothpaste
1 toothbrush
9 sanitary napkins
1 roll toilet paper
1 travel size deoderant
1 hand towel
1 washcloth
1 small package tissues
1 hair scrunchie (wrapped around soap box)

Again, we pack everything in a ziploc back.  And I double bag the toilet paper -- because if I need toilet paper in an emergency, I don't want it soggy!

Granted, many of these items may seem superfluous in an emergency.  But I really like my hygiene.  I am a daily showerer, so I at least like the idea of having all the supplies I would need. 

As I've mentioned before, THRIVE Life has pre-assembled kits that make it easy to obtain your 72-Hour Kit for any emergency!   And, as with all of the delicious THRIVE Life Foods, you can get the most discounted price when ordering through me, so contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com if you want to place an order for your pre-assembled kit!

Raspberry Coffee Cake a la THRIVE

As promised, the rest of the Raspberry Coffee Cake recipe -- with THRIVE!

RASPBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Streusel:
1/4 cup THRIVE Butter Powder (plus +/-1 tablespoon water -- I used leftover raspberry water)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour*
1/4 cup sugar*
Mix together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Cake:
1 1/4 cup THRIVE raspberries
3 cups water
2 cups all-purpose flour* (we do half whole-wheat, because my husband likes it that way)
3/4 cup sugar*
1/4 cup THRIVE Butter Powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk*
2 teaspoons baking powder*
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt*
1 egg*

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 11x7 (or 9x9) baking pan.

Place the raspberries in the water and allow to re-hydrate while you are mixing the cake batter.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, THRIVE butter powder, baking powder, and salt. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. The batter should be slightly thick and spread-able.

Spread half the batter in bottom of prepared pan. Place half the raspberries over the batter (you can drain them, but I just scooped them out of the water and put them on the batter -- the extra liquid on the cake doesn't hurt a thing ! Also, the raspberry water is flavorful and full of fruit-nutrients, so you can find a way to use that, too ... I used a small amount in the streusel, but my husband drank the rest). Sprinkle half the streusel over the raspberries. Repeat layers one more time, ending with streusel.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (My oven bakes hot and the cake was done in 35 minutes).  Devour!  (My husband knocked out half of it on his birthday...)

*Denotes ingredients available through THRIVE.

Now, I'm off to enjoy my late-night single-serve brownie and some reading down-time :). 

Happy THRIVEing!

Streusel Topping with THRIVE Butter Powder

Let me begin by saying I don't like writing the word "streusel."  I either have to type it really slowly -- or I mess it up every time!  Something about the finger combination of typing it ;)...

But enough about that randomness!  Let's talk streusel!

Truthfully, typing the word isn't the only thing I don't like about streusel.  I'm simply not fan of making it.  Mostly because mine has never come out especially well.  Or it takes forever.  I have done the whole "use two knives" to cut the butter into the flour and sugar thing...  And it takes so long!  Most often, I just decide to use my hands to mix it.  But then my streusel ends up very un-streusel-like.  The heat from my hands melts the butter, and I end up with more of a dough than a breadcrumb consistency.  So, in general, I don't opt to make recipes with streusel very often.

But my husband decided one of his favorite treats is Raspberry Coffee Cake.  And, as coffee cakes go, a streusel topping is generally a big part of that...  And every year on his birthday, I make my sweetie this favorite treat.  And the streusel happens to be what "makes" this cake for him.  So I try really hard to get it right for his special day ;).

And THRIVE Butter Powder has now made this much easier for me!!  In fact, I intend to never make another streusel without THRIVE Butter Powder again, if I can help it!  I can use my hands (as opposed to knives).  And since the butter is already in powder form, I don't have to worry about the melting-dough problem.  This streusel experience was so much easier and much quicker!  And I came out with a nice looking streusel!!!  My husband liked it a lot!

So I ended up adding the THRIVE Butter Powder in with all the other dry ingredients called for in a streusel topping (usually flour and sugar).  I mixed them up with a fork.  Then I added about a tablespoon of water and just used my hand to mix it and make it crumbly.  I was highly pleased with the results.

I also used the THRIVE Butter Powder and THRIVE Raspberries to make the Raspberry Coffee Cake!  So if this looks yummy, check back next week for the recipe for the rest :)!

And, if you like what you see on this blog and want to share it, I have a link on the left side-bar where you can easily click and share on facebook or twitter!  I'm trying to get at least 10 shares by the end of August, so if you like it, share away!  Thanks in advance!

And Happy THRIVEing!

P.S.  If anyone was curious about what Kim M's host benefits ended up being...  She is getting $75 in free product and up to $100 in half-off product!  Definitely an awesome way to help her build her home store!

Congratulations: Kim M!

Kim M is the August Virtual Party Mystery Host!!!  Congratulations Kim!  And thank you to all who placed orders this month!  I'll be doing another Mystery Host Virtual Party in the months ahead, so be on the look-out for that!  You won't want to miss it!  Happy THRIVEing!

Leslie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

A friend of mine shared her chocolate chip cookie recipe with me a while back.  Today I decided to try it out with some THRIVE!

There are two reasons I really wanted this recipe:  1.  It uses some whole wheat flour (and I'd tasted her cookies and they are delicious!, so I was pretty excited about them having some whole wheat flour in them!).  2.  You can freeze the dough and then do the slice and bake thing.  I chose to bake mine right away today (it's cool weather out, so I don't want to miss out on the opportunity to have fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies :)).  But I definitely want to try making the dough and freezing it in a log wrapped in plastic wrap.  I think it'll be handy for days when I don't have time to do more than just slice and bake!

Anyway, here's the recipe with my substitutions (and the actual recipe in parentheses).

1/2 cup Imperial margarine*
1/2 cup THRIVE Shortening Powder + 2 tablespoons water (original recipe is 1/2 cup Crisco shortening)
3/4 cup sugar*
3/4 cup brown sugar*
2 eggs*
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt*
1 teaspoon baking powder*
1 cup oats*
1 cup whole wheat flour*
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1/2 10-ounce bag chocolate chips

Cream together margarine, shortening powder (plus water), and sugars until well-blended and creamed together.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add salt and baking powder and mix well.  Add both flours and oats.  Mix about a minute or 2, until well mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE.

**Leslie said you can reduce the amount of flour for less cake-like cookies.  I think the slice and bake will also make them flatter than mine :).

P.S...  Don't eat the cookie dough!  It's so good, you may not have any left to bake cookies ;)!

Reaping the Benefits

In July, I hosted my own Launch Party as I stepped into the exciting world of a THRIVEing Life.  I was nervous, but excited.  Choosing to do my first party with friends made me a little more calm...  I figured they all knew me and could tell me where I might be able to improve with sharing the wonderfulness that is THRIVE.  And I knew all them, so I figured it'd be less daunting for me that way.  I had a lovely little group of 6 people (one of whom is the awesome Rebekah who is responsible for first introducing me to THRIVE in 2012 and who also helped me become a consultant :)).

Last week, I finally decided to place my host benefits order.  I have to say, I love having extra time to think about what I want to order with my benefits!  I don't have to be in a rush and figure it out in a week's time.  I can take up to 3 months, if I want to!  It gave me a chance to really decide what items I wanted in my home store -- for free and half-off!

And yesterday evening, the UPS man brought the biggest smile to my face when he dropped off my two hefty boxes full of THRIVE!!  I was so excited, I had to open them immediately and unpack!  And my toddler must have felt the excitement in the air too.  Because she was by my side, helping me unpack!  Clearly she knows the good stuff when she sees it ;).

So what did I get?  Well, I'll show you!

For FREE I got:

#10 can THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices

Iodide Tablets (for 72-Hour Kits)

3 Pouches Emergency Water

3 THRIVE Catalogs (not pictured)

2 Pantry Cans Garden Fresh Salsa

#10 Can Chopped Spinach

#10 Can Sweet Potatoes

The retail value of these items is $183!!  I got them for free!!

For half-off retail, I got:

2 #10 Cans Peas

1 Spice Can Cilantro

#10 Can Cauliflower

#10 Can Taco TVP (textured vegetable protein -- great for meatless meals!)

#10 Can Potato Chunks

1 Pantry Can Chicken Salad Mix

#10 Can Strawberry Yogurt Bites

#10 Can shortening Powder

Pantry Can shortening Powder (I think I added this on accident?)

#10 Can Simply Peach Drink Mix

1 THRIVE Express Creamy Garden Vegetable Chowder

This is a $210.00 value, and I paid $105!

So I got all of this:

...And I paid $105 plus shipping!  And, I didn't even use all my half-off benefits, simply because I wanted to keep my shipping cost at or below $21.  So I forfeited some of the half-off benefits.

I am still so excited about everything I got for hosting one party!!!  The benefits of hosting really are amazing! (I'm a visual person, so it helps me to actually see to fully appreciate :)).

And anyone can host -- whether to have a live party or a virtual one where you collect referrals from people who are interested in ordering!  So if you would like to start building your home store fast, hosting a party is the way to go!!!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com if you're interested in hosting!  And don't forget, the August Virtual Party Mystery Host will have the opportunity to reap their own fabulous benefits -- just because they place an order!  So get your order in by tomorrow to have a shot at it :)!

72-Hour Kit: Food and Water

As promised, I will start doing a 72-Hour Kit high-light!  Today we will focus on Food and Water in your kit!

Water:

Water is probably the most important part of a 72-Hour Kit.  Though highly uncomfortable and definitely not preferable, most of us can go several days without food.  Water, though, is another thing entirely.  We need water.  It is, therefore, vital that water be a part of 72-Hour Kit.  The recommended amount of water is a gallon of water per person per day; though that isn't really feasible for grab and go.  (That amount is definitely what you'll want for a home-store, though -- for 3 days.)   Here is how our family accomplishes this:

We purchased gallon jugs of apple juice and water, drank the contents, and washed the bottle (when it was apple juice).  We actually choose to filter our water, so all of our jugs are filled with filtered water.  One of the more difficult things is making sure you rotate your water storage.  What I have done is label the top of each jug (we actually have 7 -- the 7th is always on our counter-top in the kitchen).  I use this water for our cooking when whatever we are cooking will absorb the water (like pasta and rice), since we prefer the filtered water.  Then I re-fill the jug with filtered water when it's empty and get the next number.  So our water stays relatively fresh.  We keep these stored next to our 72-Hour kits (except the one in use) and hope that we will be able to at least each grab one gallon in the event of an emergency situation.

...But if not...  Well, that's where THRIVE Life has come in for us!  Those packets you see in front are full of water.  We each have a few of those in our packs.  They are light-weight and easy to fit inside the kit (as opposed to a gallon jug, right...?) and two of them a day will keep you alive, even if it's not the ideal. Also convenient:  these pouches are good for 5 years! 

THRIVE Life also offers water filtration devices.  In fact, I plan to include one of these in our kits soon.  I like the idea of being able to make non-potable water potable :).

Food:

So, while the food isn't as vitally important (generally) as the water, let's not kid ourselves...  We all know that we'd do better in an emergency if we had the nutrients and calories we need each day.  (For infants and young children, food is a much higher priority.  We actually have a whole separate kit for our toddler, and I will post that later.) 

One thing that is important with the food in a 72-Hour Kit is that you make sure it is rotated.  You don't want to find yourself needing your pack and then learn that all the food has spoiled!  We go through our kits twice a year (during General Conference) in April and October and eat all the food and replace it.  This has helped us keep fresh foods in our kit.  And it has also given us the chance to learn what works for us.

Making sure you have foods that store a long time is one area where THRIVE Life fruit pouches would be super helpful!  They have a long shelf-life with no added preservatives.  They are 100% real fruit.  And they are super-light-weight (just over 1 ounce)!  I haven't added any to our kits yet (because it honestly only just occurred to me), but I will be very soon!

Another thing THRIVE Life offers to make life simpler are calorie bars (available in different calorie amounts).  These are also light-weight and have what your body needs.  They are small, and easy to shove into a kit.  And they are also inexpensive.  So if you're more like my husband and you don't care a lot about what you're eating -- but rather how many calories you're getting...  These are a great option!  But my husband married me ;).  And I'm a total foodie.  Maybe I wouldn't care in a situation that deemed necessary the use of my 72-Hour Kit.  However, since I'm planning it now, and packing it now, I decided I wanted at least some variety in my foods during an emergency!  Ergo, our current food contents looks like this:

We have:
1 package beef jerky
1 squeeze tube jelly
1 small container peanut butter
2 packs Ritz crackers
3 trail mix bars
1 can chunk chicken breast
1 can v8

We package as much as we can into a gallon ziploc bag, to keep things together and also to keep things from getting wet in the event our kit falls into the water.

I should also mention that we opted for items we can eat without utensils.  That was a personal preference.

As I mentioned before, my husband and I decided to "build" our own 72-Hour Kits.  But if that isn't how you want to spend your time -- yet you still want to have one, THRIVE Life has a variety of pre-assembled kits which would benefit you in an emergency situation!

As always, feel free to contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com with questions or to place an order.  If any of the emergency essentials you saw in this post appeal to you, remember you always get the Q price (the cheapest price) when ordering through me!  And if you send me your email, I'll keep you up-to-date on specials at THRIVE Life :).

I hope these tips and information can help you begin becoming prepared in whatever way is best for you and yours!  Happy THRIVEing!

THRIVE Sausage Crumbles + A Recipe!

THRIVE Sausage Crumbles just rocked my socks off this past weekend.  So I think I'll tell you all about it.

I ordered the THRIVE Sausage Crumbles in my Q for August, because they are on special!  Like an amazingly awesome deal type of special.  More than $10 off the regular Party Price! 

So here is why I love them:

1.  I didn't have to squeeze my sausage out of those plastic tubes. And, for that matter, I didn't have to get into said tubes with either scissors or a knife (I find this is always either a messy or difficult step for me -- maybe I'm just sausage-ally challenged, though).

2.  I didn't have to worry about raw pork (again, raw meats make me do extra cleaning in my kitchen to make sure all the germies are gone). Which also means I didn't have to wash my hands a bunch of times (I seriously am obsessive about this).

3.  I didn't have to spend time browning the sausage and getting pork grease splatter everywhere.

4.  Even opened, the Sausage Crumbles in the can are good for a whole year!  (And unopened, they have a shelf-life of 25 years!  A great way to store meat for an unexpected "rainy day!")

5.  As an added bonus, if you feel like just tasting the sausage crumbles right out of the can -- you can! And it's actually really good.

While making the recipe posted below, all I had to do was open the can, scoop out my desired amount of Sausage Crumbles, and pour them into the pot on the stove!  Easy-peasy!

THRIVE Sausage Crumbles are versatile and can be used in many different recipes, such as soups, pastas, and appetizers!  The recipe I'm sharing today is a soup/pasta recipe :).  I loved using the THRIVE Sausage Crumbles in this recipe, and I plan to keep these Sausage Crumbles in my home store!  Definitely a time-saver on so many levels!  One comment I got from my husband about using the THRIVE Sausage Crumbles in this soup is that he felt it had less fat than the times I've made it before with non-THRIVE Sausage.  Less fat is definitely a good thing in my book!  But still all of the flavor :)!

So here's the recipe:

ITALIAN BOWTIE PASTA
1 1/2 cups THRIVE Sausage Crumbles
1/4 cup dehydrated onion*
1 clove garlic, minced
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce*
2 1/2 c. bowtie pasta
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth* + 1 1/2 can water
1 tsp dry basil*
1 tsp dry thyme
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
Saute minced garlic briefly in olive oil. Add water, tomato sauce, onion, basil, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Add THRIVE Sausage Crumbles. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Add bowtie pasta and continue cooking until pasta is tender (about 15 minutes).

*Denotes ingredients available through THRIVE.

It's delicious! I would never have guessed the sausage had been freeze-dried!

You won't want to miss out on the THRIVE Sausage Crumbles at this great discounted price!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to place your order today!  And if you order by the 21st, you'll be entered into the drawing for "August Virtual Party Mystery Host"!  

A Visit to THRIVE

Last week, my mom and I (and my toddler) had the opportunity travel to Utah to visit my younger brother.  Right before we went, I realized just how close we would be to the THRIVE warehouse!  So I decided then and there that I needed to stop in!  (Plus, since my Q order was processing right around that time, I was able to schedule a pick-up and save on shipping :)!!)

Oh my goodness...  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  Samples of everything everywhere!  In retrospect, I feel like I should have taken advantage of that more than I did.  But I was chasing a toddler around, so I was somewhat distracted :). 

Nonetheless, I did manage to sample the ground beef.  I wanted to taste it before I decided to buy it -- make sure I liked the flavor and all.  Well, I did!  So I'll be adding that to my Q soon!

The showroom was awesome.  All the THRIVE Foods you could possibly want, staring you in the face!

My two regrets:  that I'm not a millionaire ;).  And that I didn't realize sooner that I'd be so close to the warehouse and be able to visit.  Because I'd have loved to schedule a chance to tour the whole warehouse and see where the freeze-drying is done :)!  I'll have to make sure to do it next time, I guess.

So I only got one picture while I was there -- and it's a bit cheesy.  But that's okay :).

Using THRIVE Butter Powder Again!

Having THRIVE butter powder in my home store is exciting to me.  Mostly because I like the idea of a longer-term store of butter.  But I'll be honest when I say I am not always great at remembering to use it.  Particularly because I do a lot of sauteing, and I've read other blogs which indicate the butter powder does not saute well.  I've tried it out as a spread, and I thought that was great.  I've even made cookies with it -- and that worked out well (and the cookies were delicious, so that's really what matters most!).  But I like versatility -- and I like knowing I can use my butter powder in a variety of ways!

So today, I remembered to try out my THRIVE butter powder in two new ways!

1.  Kraft {Blue Box} Macaroni and Cheese.  Okay, so I like this stuff.  To tell the truth, I prefer the Velveeta... But one day I noticed the sodium content of Velveeta and decided I'd go with the Blue Box.  Not much better, but a little bit.  I know it's not the best stuff.  Which is why I don't give it to my daughter...  Yet I eat it.  (Probably an unwise choice...  But oh well.)  So, the preparation for the macaroni and cheese calls for butter, right?  Well, today I decided to use THRIVE Powdered Butter and see how it went!  I added a tablespoon of the powdered butter along with the milk and the cheese packet and just stirred!  It worked out great :).  I probably should have added a bit more milk, but I never actually measure the milk anyway, so mine usually comes out a little drier than it could be.

2.  For dinner I made Tomato Biscuit and Cheese.  This is a recipe my mother-in-law gave me -- which she got from her mother-in-law :).  I think that's pretty cool.  There is always the option of buying English Muffins or pre-prepared biscuits.  But I usually make mine from scratch.  I didn't have any shortening (and dog-gone-it...  My THRIVE shortening powder only just shipped today with my host benefits order from my launch party, so I didn't have that either!).  So I decided to use butter powder instead.  I just added the butter powder right into the dry ingredients!  I will post the recipe -- as I made it -- below.  (By the way, I just got rave reviews on the biscuits from my husband -- and he had no idea I made them with butter powder!  And he is generally my best gauge for anything new I try ;)...).

Baking Powder Biscuits
1/4 cup THRIVE butter powder
2 cups all-purpose flour* (I used 1 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat)
1 tablespoon sugar*
3 teaspoons baking powder*
3/4 teaspoon salt*
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk* (you may want to add more milk -- up to 1/4 cup)

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Place THRIVE butter powder, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add milk and stir until just blended.  Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet
and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook.

*Denotes ingredients available through THRIVE Life. 

Single Serve Brownie Using THRIVE!

Do you ever have a craving for something yummy and chocolatey?  And maybe you want to bake a batch of brownies or something to satisfy it?  But then you know you'll eat the whole batch...

Well, last night, I discovered a solution!  A single serve brownie -- in a mug -- in the microwave!  Super easy, minimal clean-up, and no overindulging :).  A brownie for now...  And a brownie for later.  And always warm!

Here's how you can make it happen:

1/4 cup THRIVE fudge brownie mix
2 tablespoons water

Add ingredients to a microwave-safe mug and stir.  Microwave 30 to 40 seconds or until top of brownie is set.  Top with any additional yumminess you want to (like caramel sauce, peanut butter, chocolate chips...).  And enjoy!

Mine was still gooey and warm.  And maybe did this twice...

I'm pretty excited about this super-easy one-serving brownie in a mug thing.  I see some no-fuss after-the-baby-is-in-bed-and-hubby-is-still-at-work dessert yumminess for me to enjoy!

Plus, if you don't want just a single serving, you can always whip up a batch of brownies in no time with this awesome mix -- everything is already in the mix, including eggs!  Just add water!  And the shelf-life is 20 years unopened (1 year opened)!

And don't forget!  Only one more week to place your orders and have the chance to be the August "Mystery Host" and receive all the host benefits!!!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to place your order by the 21st and get the Q price on everything!

Hearty Vegetable Soup with THRIVE

It was a much cooler day today in Washington!  I always love that :).  One of the menu items I had on my list -- and which I still had sufficient ingredients for, thanks to my THRIVE home store -- was vegetable soup.  I know, I know... It is kind of crazy for me to plan for eating soup in the summer months...  But I love soups, and so does my toddler.  And it's a great way for me to get a lot of veggies.  So I pretty much like to make soup year-round... I just make it less frequently in the summer :).

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make a vegetable soup.  I usually do one with a clear broth, but thought I wanted to change it up, since I would be adding peas and green beans.  I just felt like they do better in a "red" soup.  So I sought one out online.  And I came up with this recipe as my jumping-off point.

So here is how I did it:

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced*
1/2 cup chopped onion*
1/2 cup THRIVE celery
1 small green pepper, chopped*
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups water
1 can V8 juice
1/2 cup frozen corn*
1/2 cup THRIVE green peas
1/2 cup THRIVE asparagus
1/2 cup THRIVE green beans
1 chicken bouillon cube*
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper, parsley flakes, thyme, and basil to taste

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, onion, and green pepper and saute until tender, about 8 minutes.  Add minced garlic and stir.  Add water, V8, kidney beans, bouillon cube, THRIVE green peas, THRIVE asparagus, THRIVE green beans, and THRIVE celery and stir.  Add seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmering; cover and cook 1 hour.

*Denotes ingredients also available through THRIVE.

This recipe definitely helped me get my vegetables for the day!  And it was quick and easy!  Total time making this was 25 minutes, tops.  It could have been less, and will be in the future, once I add green pepper, carrots, and onion to my home store with THRIVE!  I think I could cut the prep time down to 15 minutes!  And that's just awesome!

Smoothies With THRIVE Bananas

So I am a smoothie girl.  Especially in the summer.

Today I was looking through my freezer and came across some strawberries I'd frozen at the beginning of July.  I figured it was a good time to use them in a smoothie.  Plus I had strawberry yogurt to start using.

I got pretty excited about having a smoothie.  And then I remembered we didn't have any bananas.  I hadn't been to the store since returning from Utah, so there were no bananas in the house.  Disappointed, I started to put everything away.  For me, a smoothie just isn't a smoothie without banana.

But then I remembered my THRIVE Bananas!!  Thanks to my home store (though still admittedly more meager than I'd prefer...) I did have bananas in the house!

So I set to making my smoothie -- and here's how I did it:

1/2 cup frozen strawberries, slightly thawed
1/3 cup strawberry yogurt
2 teaspoons THRIVE blueberry yogurt bites powder (just she stuff from the bottom of the can -- figured I didn't want to waste it!)
1/3 cup THRIVE banana slices
1 1/4 cup milk

Add all ingredients to a blender and let sit about 3 minutes so the bananas reconstitute a little bit.  Then blend!  And serve.  The smoothie will thicken as it sits.

It was easy, and I got to have my smoothie after all :).  So I say it was a win!  And my toddler loved sharing this with me at lunch.  She kept asking for "more."  I'm definitely loving that I can turn to my home store -- even if isn't exactly an emergency :).

The banana slices are on sale this month, so it's a great time to give them a try!  So contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com if you want to take advantage of the opportunity!

THRIVE Express Creamy Garden Vegetable Chowder

Today wrapped up 6 days of vacation for my mom, my munchkin, and me.  38 hours of traveling (34 actually driving); that took 4 of our days.  Two full days in Utah.  (One of which we stopped by the THRIVE Warehouse to pick up our orders -- so check back soon to read about my experience!).

We got home around 6 tonight.  Which means we ran into some yucky rush-hour traffic.  Blech. 

Knowing I was going to get home around dinner time, my mind turned to what I could do for dinner.  Most particularly for my toddler.  I didn't want to do fast food (we'd already done that for lunch -- traveling makes for some bad eating!).  And I really wanted to get more veggies into her (to accompany the THRIVE asparagus we snacked on earlier in the car).  But I didn't want to have to figure out what to cook -- and then cook it -- at the end of a very long day of driving. 

THRIVE Express came to the rescue!!!  While we were visiting the THRIVE Warehouse Showroom, we picked up some extra THRIVE deliciousness!  Including a couple of THRIVE Express pouches! One of which was the Creamy Garden Vegetable Chowder.  I asked my mom if she'd like to eat that for dinner, and this yummy pouch filled all 3 of us (with some leftover for my husband tonight when he gets home from work :)).

Here's why I absolutely love it:

1.  We were literally eating within 30 minutes of me pulling the van into our parking space.  I came in the house, got the requisite amount of water into a pot on the stove and turned on the burner.  My mom stayed inside with the munchkin and added the contents of the pouch when the water was boiling -- and kept an eye on the munchkin -- while I unpacked the van.  And by the time I was done, so was dinner!

2.  It is full of vegetables!  Corn, carrots, green beans, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, and celery!

3.  It is delicious!  Rich and creamy and yummy.  True, it is an odd choice for a 98-degree day in Washington (what the heck, Washington!?!)...  But fortunately, my sweet husband left the a/c running when he went to work, so it was perfectly fine, even on a hot summer day :)! 

Ah yes, THRIVE Express to the rescue today :).  Totally a fabulous purchase.

If you think you might enjoy the convenience and deliciousness of THRIVE Express Creamy Garden Vegetable Chowder, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com and I'll get you the Q-Price hook-up :)!

72-Hour Kits -- Why?

I love when people ask me questions regarding preparedness.  It gives me an opportunity to pause and think things through -- an opportunity to fully understand the benefits of being prepared and why I do it.  I am also able to talk with my husband about those questions and get his perspectives and thoughts -- which I really appreciate.  He helps me see things I hadn't seen before, and so I feel like I learn so much.  So I love questions about preparedness.  Feel free to ask me any you may have at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!  I will do my best to answer -- and research when I don't know the answer!

The question I got a couple days ago was this:

Why have a 72-hour kit?  What life event would require you to grab your kit and leave your home?  And where would you go?

I want to preface all of this by saying that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  We are commonly known as Mormons.  We believe we have a Prophet on the Earth today, just as in ancient times (like Moses and Noah of the Old Testament).  We believe the Prophet is called of God, and that God reveals to His chosen Prophet those things we on this Earth need to know.  We also believe in the prophecies in Book of Revelation.  We believe that there are troubled times ahead.  One of the things the Prophet has told us to do is to be prepared:  with savings, with a storage of food, with a 72-hour kit, with the ability to garden.  These things help my family be self-reliant and help us be prepared for whatever rainy days may lie ahead (whether those be natural disasters or loss of a job).  That is why my family chooses to be prepared and strives to become so in these areas.

In doing some research, I also found that there is a government agency which encourages people to be prepared in a variety of ways (and for a variety of reasons) including having a 72-hour kit.

So, as I mentioned before, these questions led me to ponder things.  Because I haven't been in a situation where I needed my 72-hour kit (and for that, I'm grateful), I didn't have a personal example to share.  However, I do remember significant events in my lifetime which I believe left people in a situation where they would have benefited from a 72-hour kit.  For example, Hurricane Katrina -- the massive Hurricane that destroyed New Orleans in 2005.  And the subsequent flooding that really created problems.  I can remember videos of people being rescued from roof-tops.  I think a 72-hour kit would have been helpful for people stuck like that:  they would have had water and food and some sanitary supplies to help them for 3 days.  Another scenario I imagined was an earthquake here where I live (again, this was just me imagining).  Perhaps our home was not stable and we couldn't go back in it due to lack of safety...  Having 3 days of supplies of things we need, particularly for the toddler, would be helpful until we could arrange more permanent plans.

But then, as I was talking with my husband, he pointed out some other scenarios.  Scenarios that really hit home for me.  One example he spoke of was, again, Hurricane Katrina.  But from a different perspective.  The people of New Orleans were told to evacuate when it was clear the hurricane would impact that city greatly.  Having the 72-hour kits would make it easy to grab the stuff you need to survive for 3 days and leave.  True, with a hurricane, you sometimes have a little more time to do some packing if you want -- and maybe it's not so urgent that your only option is the 72-hour kit.  However, there are circumstances where that could conceivably be the case.  The fact is, not far from where I live, there are signs for a Tsunami Escape Route.  We are not on the coast of Washington, so we probably wouldn't be impacted by a tsunami...  But people not far from us could be.  If there was ever an earthquake in the middle of the ocean, sizable enough to create a tsunami, people along the coast would be told to evacuate inland.  And they wouldn't have a ton of time to pack.  In fact, the potential for very little preparation time is real in this scenario.  I remember the descriptions of the tsunami that hit Indonesia around 2004A 72-hour kit would be very important in such a situation.  You'd be able to take what you need with very little time to prepare -- and leave. 

And you'd go wherever you were told to evacuate to.  Usually there are routes indicating where people should go in these types of events.  But it never hurts to have a plan in advance :).

So how can you have your own 72-hour kit?  Well, you can build one yourself (which is what our family has done) -- and I will post over the next several weeks about what we have chosen to include in ours.  Or, if building your own kit isn't really your thing, but you still want the peace of mind of having one, you can check out THRIVE Life's pre-assembled kits like this one.

I hope this helps answer any questions you may have about why a 72-hour kit could be important and useful for you and your family.  Again, I love questions about preparing, so feel free to contact me if you have any!  And if you're interested in learning more about how THRIVE can help you become better prepared, let me know that too!  I'm happy to help however I can!

72-Hour Kits: Food and Water
72-Hour Kits: Hygiene Items
72-Hour Kits: Survival Items 
72-Hour Kits: Miscellaneous Items
72-Hour Kits: Clothing 
72-Hour Kits:  Toddler Kit

THRIVE Butter Powder

I decided to try the THRIVE Butter Powder as a butter spread today. There aren't super-specific instructions on the can. It just says to add small amounts of water to the butter powder until you reach your desired consistency.

Huh...

Well, here's the thing: I love to cook... But I NEED a recipe . I almost hyperventilate when I am expected to wing it... Okay, maybe not that bad... But still. I rely heavily on recipes.

So here's what worked for me:
2 tablespoons butter powder
3/4 tablespoon water

I got a spreadable spread that wasn't too fluid.  If nothing else, it's a jumping-off point for others to start at so they can make it the way they prefer it.

One really nice thing about this, though, is in the winter, if I want butter for my bread, I can make up a small amount of this. Otherwise, the stick butter is too hard and tears my bread. I used to buy tub margarine to solve this problem, but now I can skip that and just use my THRIVE!

I had a friend over for dinner, and she said it was really yummy. And I liked it just fine (it was butter, so not a whole lot to say about that..., but I guess that means it was good ;)).

And, of course, I took a picture. 'Cause I'm crazy like that.

THRIVE Asparagus

Thought I'd share on of our favorites: the asparagus! I have to say, I think it is totally random that this is one of our favorites. I mean, who says they snack on asparagus? And what's more, who says their toddler does!?!

Ever since I got THRIVE asparagus, I do! And it's true!

I don't know what it is that I like about it so much. I first tasted it at a party and was shocked at the fact that I really liked the flavor and could see myself snacking on it! And knowing how my little one likes to copy me -- and eat whatever I'm eating -- I felt like she'd be willing to at least TRY them out. And well, she was. And she likes them too.

This is how I know: Last Sunday, at church, she had her snack cup full of cheerios, THRIVE peaches, and THRIVE asparagus. She would grab out handfuls of whatever she got her hands on and open her hand, allowing everything to fall out in front of her. Then she'd go through and eat all the asparagus and peaches! Anytime she'll pick a vegetable over cheerios, I think that's a win!

I love that we are getting more vegetables by snacking on the THRIVE veggies. And this one is just one of our favorites!

And don't forget the long shelf-life!!  Unopened, THRIVE asparagus will last 25 years!  And if you just can't stand not opening it...  It's still good for a whole year opened!  But trust me...  It won't last that long ;).

I haven't tried the asparagus in cooking yet. This is mainly because we enjoy snacking on it so much I haven't felt motivated to try it in a recipe . I will one day, though... And when I do, you can bet I'll share!

I felt like some people might like to see what the product looks like up-close-and-personal. Mostly just because I know I would. I only wish I could transmit taste samples through blogger...

How Can I Get the Most Out of My First THRIVE Experience?

The other day, I was asked this question: What products would I recommend to someone who was planning on trying THRIVE. What a great question! I gave an answer (which I will include here), but as I've pondered it more, I've also thought of other tips to help someone who is wanting to try THRIVE for the first time and wants to get the most out of their experience.

First off, I think it depends on what you plan to use the THRIVE for. What is your plan for using it? Is it something you want to just store for a while unopened to start building your home store -- your emergency food supply? Or is it something you want to open right away and try out?

For example, one of my customers shared that, at least initially, she wants to focus on getting products she can't get as easily elsewhere for her long-term storage. She doesn't like the taste of canned chicken, so she wants to get some of the THRIVE chicken. She wants a store of proteins that will last a long time. That is what is important to her initially, so that is where she is starting.

On the other hand, if you are looking for something tasty and healthy to snack on right away, there are a number of delicious things to try. My recommendation for this category is asparagus (we LOVE the asparagus! Including my toddler!), the green peas, the corn, and the pineapple chunks -- just to name a few . These are delicious and healthy and EASY for snacking. I love that. And I love that we are getting more veggies than before through the THRIVE.

But maybe you're looking for something to make your life easier? Make meal-prepping faster and more convenient. In this case, I would definitely recommend the Seasoned Chicken Strips (holy cow, have I raved about these enough!?!) or something like celery or onion -- things commonly called for in recipes which, by having your THRIVE, you don't have to chop to use in meals, because they come already ready-to-use!
And the other recommendation I have is this: make a list of items you know you throw out on a regular basis because they have spoiled before you got around to using them (for me, this is cilantro, green onions, mushrooms, bell pepper). Find out if THRIVE offers those items. You may want to consider purchasing those first, thereby helping you reduce waste and not "throw away money"!

I will post a link on the left under "Things You Want to Know!" for the THRIVE shopping list. Use it if it's helpful to you. Just a little way to organize your thoughts and maybe help you determine what might benefit your family most as you begin THRIVEing!

Hope this was helpful! And as always, feel free to contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or orders .