THRIVE Express: Southwestern Style Chicken and Rice

Last Friday I was honored to party THRIVE-style at my sister-in-law's house!  It was a lovely, laid-back, fun event and I got to meet some really nice ladies. 

The one catch:  dinner! 

My husband texted when he'd gotten home from work just to see how things were going.  Well, I missed his text until an hour later.  He asked if I wanted him to start making anything for dinner.  Well, the truth was I couldn't think of what to do for dinner.  But then it hit me:  THRIVE Express could help!

I knew I had to stop by the grocery store for milk (because we are doing whole milk for the munchkin), so I decided to pick up a Rotisserie chicken while I was there.  Plus, my mother-in-law had recently given us some home-canned green beans from her garden.  And THRIVE Express was going to help me with a side dish!

So I got home at 5, put the beans on; got the THRIVE Express Southwestern Style Chicken and Rice into some boiling water and unloaded the car, with my husband's help, while those things were cooking.  And by 5:30, we were eating dinner.  I even decided to open up a jar of peaches I'd canned in 2012 to include with dinner.

Now, that may not seem like all that big a deal.  But sometimes the hardest part for me is thinking up what to cook.  In this case, I came up with a solution to the main dish and the vegetable.  The side dish was stumping me, though, because everything just seemed to take time to make, like peeling potatoes for mashed potatoes.  So once I remembered that I had THRIVE Express in the cupboard...  Well, it provided my solution and made me a happy camper :).  THRIVE Express entrees and sides require very little hands-on time, so that was helpful on that particular day.

Other ways the THRIVE Express pouches might be able to benefit you:

• hiking or camping (light-weight and just add water -- you have a complete meal!)
• 72-hour kit
• Car emergency kit

There is quite a variety of THRIVE Express sides and entrees.  And because of their packaging, they have a shelf-life of 5 to 10 years (most have 10 years, but a few are 5)!!! 

If you think you'd like to try the convenience of THRIVE Express entrees and/or sides, let me know at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com.

Happy THRIVEing!

Preparing With a Car Emergency Kit!

Though I have been trying to feature a post all about preparing with your 72-Hour Kit on Tuesdays, I was recently asked a question about a different kind of kit!  And I do love getting questions so I can answer them and help people with what they need right now!  So today I will discuss a Car Emergency Kit!

Let me offer a little bit of background as to why I got this question.  So my best friend lives in Alabama -- around the Birmingham area.  Though the winters get very cold there, snow and ice on the roads are not frequent occurrences.  And even when they do happen, it's usually a light dusting which melts before lunchtime.  And, usually, it happens overnight; so people are home safe in their beds, and many of the businesses and schools will just close in the morning.

Last winter was not a typical winter in Alabama...  There had been a forecast of snow on a specific day in the evening.  That being the case, many businesses were planning to close that night and possibly the following day.  But during the day, people went to work and school as usual. 

...And by 10 a.m. -- many hours before it was supposed to -- the snow was falling heavily.  People were trying to get home.  Interstates were backing up (when you don't know how to drive in snow, it's not an easy thing to do), accidents were happening.  Many people spent the night in their car, because they simply weren't moving.  Others were close enough to home to get out and walk.  For my best friend's daughter who'd gone to college that morning and didn't have a full tank of gas...  Well, she ran out of gas and ended up spending the night at a fire station.  Fortunately for her, she was able to get to a safe and warm place.  And she didn't mind hanging out with the cute fire fighters ;).  But for many others, the car was the best they could do to keep them out of the elements.  My best friend calls it Snowmaggedon.  And she wants to be prepared, in case it happens again -- for both herself and her daughter.  And she wanted to know what she should have in a car emergency kit.

THRIVE Life offers a pre-assembled car emergency kit.  But as with the 72-Hour Kit, you can also assemble your own and include what you think is most important.  The following list is what I personally feel is important in a car emergency kit.  Some of these things popped right into my head when she asked.  Some things she thought of.  Others come from the research I've done over the last couple of days.  (I've included links to items available through THRIVE Life.)

• Jumper cables
• work gloves
• walking shoes (if you usually wear flip flops or dress shoes in the car)
• flashlight and/or glow sticks and/or candles (2)
• water (preferably a gallon, but at least a few water bottles) and/or water filter
• food (we always have granola or trail mix bars in the car; I have a friend who includes THRIVE Express meals in her car kit, because they only require water and are packaged to last 5 years!)
• manual can opener (if your food requires one)
• basic first aid kit (band-aids, antiseptic cream, pain reliever)
• toilet paper
• blanket (preferably 2) and/or emergency blankets
• whistle
• garbage bag (you just never know how this can come in handy!)
• duct tape
• rope
• waterproof matches and/or lighter
• battery-operated or hand-crank radio
• cell phone charger if you have an extra
• hand warmers
• wipes and hand sanitizer
• feminine hygiene items (if you're female ;))
• knife or multi-tool
• pen/paper
• batteries
• sunscreen
• basic tool kit (screwdriver, pliers, wrench)

That seems like a pretty extensive list!!!   But many of the items are small.  I would recommend you get an opaque container and pack all these items inside.  A clear container could invite people to help themselves if the kit is visible through the windows, and they think you may have something they want...

You want to remember to rotate your food and water every 6 months or so.  Some medicines will also expire and need to be kept current.  For us, we are sure to rotate every 6 months because of General Conference, which is held every April and October.  That helps us remember to check all our kits.  So find a way to remind yourself every 6 months so you don't end up with out-dated food in your kit!

And one last tip:  It's a pretty good idea to always try to have at least 1/2 a tank of gas in your car at all times.  I'll be honest:  this is something I need to work on!

I hope this was helpful!  Remember, you want to make sure your kit meets your needs.  You may need to add more or less based on your family size, etc.  It's sometimes hard to know how to prepare prior to an emergency situation...  But any preparation is good, so don't be discouraged!  Because as someone once said:  "When it's time to act, the time to prepare has passed."  The time to prepare is NOW!

If I can help you in any way, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com.

Happy THRIVEing! 

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 :)!