Emergency Foods to keep in your pantry - From Yahoo!

Natural disasters--such as a flood, hurricane, or blizzard--often come without warning. Stocking non-perishable food items ahead of time (and choosing wisely what you include) will help you weather the storm with less stress.
By: Vanessa DiMaggio

Fueling your body during an emergency is very different from your everyday diet. Because you’ll probably expend more energy than you normally would, you should eat high-energy, high-protein foods. And because you have a limited supply, the higher-quality foods you eat--and the less of them--the better. “In a disaster or an emergency you want those calories,” says Barry Swanson, a food scientist at Washington State University . “You want some nutrients and some fiber—something to keep your diet normal.”
Related: 24 Delicious and Tasty Snacks
But that doesn’t mean you have to eat like a pauper. “In an emergency, generally you tend to think of meeting more basic needs than preferences and flavors,” says Elizabeth Andress, professor and food safety specialist at the University of Georgia . “But if you plan right, you can have a great variety of foods and nutrients.” Here, Andress and Swanson weigh in on what items you should include.
What to Always Keep in Your Pantry
These items have lengthy expiration dates, so you can stash them away for long periods of time. Make a list of everything in your stockpile and check expiration dates every 6 to 12 months to keep things fresh. And don’t forget to have a can opener on hand at all times--all that food won’t be of any use if you can’t open it.

• Peanut butter A great source of energy, peanut butter is chock-full of healthful fats and protein. Unless the jar indicates otherwise, you don’t have to refrigerate after opening.

Related: The Best Hot Dogs
• Whole-wheat crackers Crackers are a good replacement for bread and make a fine substitute in sandwiches. Due to their higher fat content, whole-wheat or whole-grain crackers have a shorter shelf life than their plain counterparts (check the box for expiration dates), but the extra fiber pays off when you’re particularly hungry. Consider vacuum-packing your crackers to prolong their freshness.
• Nuts and trail mixes Stock up on these high-energy foods—they’re convenient for snacking and healthful. Look for vacuum-packed containers, which prevent the nuts from oxidizing and losing their freshness.

• Cereal Choose multigrain cereals that are individually packaged so they don’t become stale after opening.

• Granola bars and power bars Healthy and filling, these portable snacks usually stay fresh for at least six months. Plus, they’re an excellent source of carbohydrates. “You can get more energy from carbohydrates without [eating] tons of food,” Andress says.
Related: The Best Breakfast Cereals
• Dried fruits, such as apricots and raisins In the absence of fresh fruit, these healthy snacks offer potassium and dietary fiber. “Dried fruits provide you with a significant amount of nutrients and calories,” Swanson says.

• Canned tuna, salmon, chicken, or turkey Generally lasting at least two years in the pantry, canned meats provide essential protein. Vacuum-packed pouches have a shorter shelf life but will last at least six months, says Diane Van, manager of the USDA meat and poultry hotline.

• Canned vegetables, such as green beans, carrots, and peas When the real deal isn’t an option, canned varieties can provide you with essential nutrients.

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Many Thanks to the Activity Committee!

Many thanks for a wonderful ward activity last Sat.   Everyone had fantastic time at Mutual Dell - great food, fun and games!!

RS Announcements for Sunday July 18

Next week's lesson is "Generations Linked in Love" (based on Elder Nelson's conference talk), taught by Elise Christensen.

Congratulations to Meg and Lloyd Roberts on the birth of their new baby boy born Friday!

Birthdays this week:

Kathy Edwards        Sunday, 18th

Tracy Mansanarez   Monday, 19th

Lori Mendenhall       Saturday, 24th

   Happy Birthday!!!

Sunday July 11th Announcements

Sunday's lesson is chapter  #12 “The Atonement” -Taught by Judy Tufts.

Next week Sheena Wilson will give the lesson. It will be Chapter #13, “The Priesthood”.

Let a member of the Relief Society presidency know if you would like to order more of our ward cookbooks.

Dana Leavitt is hosting a “Baby Shower” @ her home, on Tuesday, July 13th 7-8:30 pm for Cindy Hansen, Natalie Moore and Meg Roberts. Questions about this event?? Contact Dana Leavitt @ 756-9180 or Tracy Mansanarez @ 319-6453.

**WARD PARTY**

July 17^th at 5pm Come drive up the canyon to Mutual Dell for BBQ and good old-fashionedsummer games. Get ready for some gunnysack racin’, 3 legged races, stick pullin’, and water melon spittin’ contests. Then we will cheer our men in a softball game of High Priestvs. Elders while the rest can do the zip line, volleyball and children’s crafts. Meet at the Large Pavillion for dinner, and let the games begin!!

Birthday this week:

MAREN DAINES -- Friday, 16th   Happy Birthday!!!!!

New RS counselor!

We would like to welcome Alicia Thayn as the new Relief Society Counselor! We are so excited to have Alicia with us!  We will miss Mara Lyman as she moves on to assist her husband as the new bishop of the singles ward in our stake. We appreciate Mara as she has worked endlessly in her efforts to make Relief Society get-togethers fun and unifiy us, as sisters.  Thank you Mara

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Teaching Kids Service - from LDS Living Magazine

Teaching Kids Service

by Valerie Jones

It’s important to teach kids to put others before themselves, but you may think that getting them to agree can be tough. Not so. Read on to see how service can become a habit at even an early age.

Most kids think that serving and fun go together like oil and water, and teaching them to think otherwise can sometimes seem daunting. However, according to Merrilee Boyack, it may be easier than you think.

Boyack, who has written several books on parenting, including 52 Weeks of Fun Family Service, suggests that the best way for parents to foster selflessness is by creating a "family culture" of service. "Having a family cause allows the children to feel a sense of ownership, a sense of pride and involvement," she says. Don't wait for Scouts or Young Women activities: give your kids opportunities to serve others from the time they're young. The younger they start, the more comfortable and confident in service they will be and more likely to continue serving in the future. Here are some ways to help your children develop a lifelong involvement in service.

Involve yourself.
Boyack believes parental involvement is critical. Kids can really start serving when they have a parent alongside them. "That's always the first step," Boyack says.

If you want to get your children interested in service work, then show them you enjoy it and think it's important. Cheerfully volunteer to help out with or even organize Relief Society or elders quorum service projects or other work in the community. When your children see you enjoying the work you're doing, their interest is sure to be piqued.

If you don't believe it, there are numbers to prove it - according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, an overwhelming 86 percent of youth who volunteer for community service also have parents and siblings who do so. On the other hand, 64 percent of youth who do not volunteer have similarly non-volunteering families. Families with parents who teach by example are most likely to have children who are interested in volunteering from a young age and more willing to become involved as they get older.

Make it a family affair.
Parents can't do all the work, so get the kids actively involved in service.

Let them decide what project or event your family will be involved with, and even let them help plan it. This can ensure that you end up doing something that caters to your children's particular interests and talents. Kids will be more likely to stay interested when they can help plan something they already love - they'll want to see it through to the end. If they're animal lovers, find out if you can volunteer at a local animal shelter; if they are avid readers, see if there is a program at their school or library where they can read to younger children; if they love to be outside, help an elderly neighbor or relative with yard work. Service, says Boyack, "allows the children to really develop their skills and talents in a very personal and individual way that they may not otherwise get."

Being involved in "grown-up" work can also be a great confidence booster, and they'll feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when working on "their" project rather than merely following Mom and Dad's orders.

Serve often. 
The holiday season is the most popular time for volunteer work. However, don't forget that there are people in need year-round. Make service a habit for your family by doing it regularly. Decide on a routine, such as giving service a certain amount of hours per week or month, and stick to it. Keeping a schedule will make your children feel more comfortable serving and, as long as it's something they find enjoyable, will increase the likelihood that they will want to continue.

Finding the time may seem hard, but, according to Boyack, it's simply a matter of priorities. "Remove the video games and it's remarkable how much time they have on their hands," she notes. Again, it is up to parents to set the example. "The parents have to make it a priority," she says, "and pull the plug on everything else."

Don't stress. 
Service doesn’t have to be time consuming or even involve a lot of preparation. There are many different ways to serve others. Boyack suggests allowing children to make a donation to an organization they wish to support, such as Heifer International. At their website, heifer.org, you can choose an animal, such as a goat, cow, or flock of ducks, for which you can pay a share. The animal is then purchased for a family in poverty as a way for them to support themselves. Not only is giving a farm animal fun, but it can broaden children's horizons by showing them people in need in faraway countries.

You can get your kids more involved by letting them earn the money they use to donate. Let them collect spare change in a jar or make a lemonade stand. Remember that service will always be a better, more meaningful experience if your kids feel like they really contributed to the project.

Remember the why. 
The most important part of the process is to remember - and to help your children remember - why you are serving. For Boyack, service goes beyond good citizenship. "Our number one task as parents is to raise our children to be disciples of Christ," she says. "If that is our goal, then we must provide opportunities and experiences for them to do His work, and by doing His work to emulate Him and become like Him."

She believes that for families with those children who are just "difficult," giving them opportunities to serve is the best way to get through to them. "I watched what it did for my son; I've watched what it's done for many children like that, and it saves a child and it saves the relationship that you have with that child."