My Life Just Got 100% Easier

[mamaw]

thanks for the tip about using parchment....I think this has been the best thread in months, way to go!!!! I'm pretty sure one will be at our house shortly....too bad canning season is over for this year....I would love to try the fresh tomatoes!!!!

Since I got hubby on board now we both are sending hugs to you.....(wink)

Keep posting !

[julissa]

mamaw, so glad you're loving this thread! 

 

I am so glad it is giving you some ideas. yesterday I had planned to prepare more meals but didn't get to it. I will post when I do more and let you all know what works and what doesn't. 

 

hugs right back 

[w8in4dave]

I have not ever dried fruit and re hydrated it. I have dehydrated it and ate as is. You can dehydrate apple slices you should either spray lemon juice and maby put some cinnamon on them with a lil sugar and dehydrate it is good. You can look on line and find some great recipes. As for meat, I have never re hydrated meat. I have only dehydrated it and ate it. But vegetables yes You can par boil vegetables and dehydrate , potatoes should be sprayed with lemon or some kind of citrus so they don't brown. Before going gluten-free I used to buy frozen bags of veggies, un thaw and dehydrate them. takes up alot less space! 

I gave some dehydrated veggies to a guy that was going on a hunting trip. They were going for 2 weeks in a tent. He said it saved them for sure! They didn't bring any thing back they lived on my dehydrated veggies. and 2 squirrels lol. He loved it! 

[julissa]

as promised I am updating here with my latest experimenting. I found a wonderful website, it's actually done by a man for info on meals to go out backpacking for sometimes weeks at a time. his advice is pretty great. not sure if I can share the site here, I will if it's allowed. anyway, I got a recipe for Italian style chopped meat with pasta. sort of like a take on meat baked ziti without the cheese. it's in the dehydrator now, but by the looks of it I think it will be a success.

 

if someone can tell me how to post pics, I would be happy to share that too. 

[w8in4dave]

Maby you can ask if you can post a link to the web site? Or maby you can PM me the link?? I know some of the extremist people sites can be really good on dehydrating and stuff. They are not usually gluten-free but dang! They can be great! Just for learning cool stuff! 

[mamaw]

I think you can post it.....

[julissa]

ok, thanks. I spent A LOT of time researching how to do full meals to take with me when I travel,  and the very best resource I found and the guy I got my best info from is Glenn McAllister, his site is Open Original Shared Link. it's not a gluten free site, but it is easy to convert the ideas and recipes he gives. 

 

he also has a cookbook and my wonderful hubby got it for me. today I am going to seal up the meals I dried yesterday, and now I have enough food for my trip up north for Thanksgiving. this will be the first time traveling in the 2 years since my diagnosis that I have no worries AT ALL about food. 

[mamaw]

thanks  so  much.... interesting  site.......

[julissa]

my latest project was experimenting with apple chips. beyond great success. I sliced them up, sprinkled a tiny amount of cinnamon/sugar and they were awesome. my daughter took them all home and asked me to make more. she's not celiac, she just loved them. i have another load going now and also some banana chips too.  I have  bought these types of chips, but they're expensive, and I know exactly what's in mine. 

 

this thing is awesome 

[julissa]

I had to come back and report my extraordinary success this past Sunday.

 

I had 3 events to go to, leaving my house at 11AM and getting home at 11PM. normally this would have freaked me out, or I just wouldn't have done a day like this.

 

first was a bridal shower, that was easy, I brought a salad. then from 4-6 we were out at a birthday party for my granddaughter. think pizza, baked ziti, you get the picture. so I decided to give my meals a test run. since there wouldn't be any kitchen to heat the water, I put a  meal in a very good camping type thermos at 11AM when I left my house with some boiled water to just cover the food. put it in my car and prayed. at the party I opened it at 5PM and to my delight the food was completely rehydrated, very very hot, and extremely perfect! I can't tell you how excited my whole family was. 

 

then onto a concert, had a banana with me, and I was good to go! 

[mamaw]

wow, you are  having  great  success....Isn't  it  just  awesome when  good  things  come about  from  a  nasty illness.....I  think  I'm learning  a lot  from you on  dehydrating foods  & I love  the  site  you prefer to....I'm just  waiting for  Santa  now.....(wink)

[julissa]

yes, I totally agree, I thought I'd never be able to spend a full day away from my kitchen, but this has made it doable. hoping Santa finds his way to you quickly this year. when you start playing with it, let me know if you have any questions. I'm far from an expert, but have done a lot of playing with it. 

[mamaw]

thanks  I  will be  calling  on you I'm sure....

[julissa]

just wanted to pop back in here and give you the report on how I made out being away for 5 days, which is something I wouldn't have attempted before. it was fantastic! I had no issues with breakfast or lunch, as i have portable foods for those meals. dinner was easy peasy. I rehydrated my meal a few hours early in my thermos, and by dinner time I had a piping hot delicious meal. ate with the family, it was a dream come true. 

 

hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful Thanksgiving 

[mamaw]

TERRIFIC... do glad  all went  so well..it is  amazing  what  we  can do  when  we are  determined... I  had a  major  biggie  today!... I  conquered  a  recipe  to gluten-free!  It  is a  soft  pastry  dough  rolled  around  clothespins  or   dowel rods  then  filled. It is a Pa  recipe  that  is on  almost every cookie  table  for  weddings & holidays...I'm so excited  that  the grandkids  will be able to  experience  this  crispy  treat....I'm  going to surprised  them on  Christmas eve....

[julissa]

sounds wonderful mamaw, you're right, if we are determined enough, we can find a way 

[w8in4dave]

Cabela's had a sale here not to long ago Black friday sale. I ordered a ten drawer heavy duty dehydrator for 100 Bucks! Merry Christmas to me! 

[w8in4dave]

You know you can make your own instant rice also, I might do this today. Cook your regular rice how you normally cook but don't add oils or butter , when it is done spread it out and dehydrate it. I got this next paragraph out of a blog it explains it better.

 

In most cases you will want to double whatever is the "serving size" on the rice package. That is often 1/4 cup dry rice. Figure 1/2 cup per serving of uncooked rice for trail appetites.

Cook your rice how you prefer making sure you don't add in oil or fat. For white rices I often bring 3 cups water to a boil and add in 1 1/2 cups rinsed rice, bring it back to a boil, stir well and put the lid on. Turn it down to low and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes. When done fluff the rice up well.

A great way to make brown rice was featured on Alton Brown's Good Eats show. Just leave out the fat (and it doesn't need all that salt either!)

Spread the cooked rice on prepared dehydrator trays - if you have fine mesh screen use them, if not line your trays with parchment paper. 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice takes up about 2 trays when cooked. Dry at 135-145*.

[julissa]

so happy you got one and are playing with it. I did do the rice before I went away for Thanksgiving and it did work out well while I was away. the meals I brought were a life saver. let me know as you experiment with new things, we can compare notes and ideas.