Influenza, more often called the flu is a well known companion to Winter and colder weather. Typically, the flu is a minor annoyance to most people but it kills a surprising number of people in this country each year, typically the very young or very old.
While it hasn’t been reported widely in the media, the UK has begun to experience a longer, deadlier flu season. This got me thinking about preparing for a deadlier flu. Besides basic sanitation such as frequent hand washing, what can I do to prepare myself and my family for such an event?
After doing some research, I compiled a list of links that one should read if they are interested in knowing what to do to prepare for, treat and recover from a harsh flu outbreak. These links below are from the Center for Disease Control website on the flu.
I thought I’d share a nice and easy way to utilize your whole wheat berries for an on-the-run breakfast. Of course, I’m talking whole wheat cereal. Now I remember as a kid hating this stuff, my mom would make it for us kids, and we’d all turn our noses at it, pleading for something sugary. But we did have to eat it anways, it was what we could afford.
Fast forward to now, after years of living away from home, and getting used to some of my favorite breakfast foods (BACON!), I have realized that I need to eat a little better. I also know that I need to eat a little cheaper a lot of the time, and using my cheapest food storage is a great way to do that.
One of the biggest problems with a whole wheat cereal is that those berries require a lot of soaking/cooking to get soft enough to eat. Who really wants to wake up extra early to spend a long time cooking some ‘simple’ breakfast? Well, it’s easy to avoid that, and it truly is error free.
Just combine 1 part whole wheat berries, and 2 parts boiling water, along with a pinch of salt (kosher of course :) ) to a thermos. Seal well,
Simple Ingredients, Healthy Food
then let sit overnight on your counter, ready to grab in the morning rush out the door. Pour into a bowl at work, and add your favorite flavorings (honey, syrups, berries, raisins, brown sugar, butter, etc). You get an amazingly cheap, powerfully filling, energy rich breakfast for pennies, and the time it takes to microwave a little bit of water. And with all the different options for what to add in, you can easily rotate flavors every day with storage foods (or fresh ones from your garden).
Now, how much do you need? Especially at first, start small. If you haven’t been eating whole wheat food (maybe this is your first attempt at using your wheat?) then switching too fast is going to make your insides get a cleansing they weren’t ready for. But a single serving won’t be bad if you are taking it easy. I find about 1/3 cup of wheat to make a nice serving size for starting out. That stuff really swells up with the soaking, so that is a good sized adult portion for most folks. After you have found the flavors you love, it’s easy to adjust to the amount you will eat.
Now, I still crave the usuals (Bacon, Sausage, Eggs, etc.), but for on the go, and at work this is an amazingly simple food, that will keep you full through the day. Add to that the amazing financial sense of it, and you can’t afford not to try it out.
