Shambo- If you like, and normally use, Condensed Canned Soup, you should include them in your food storage rather than trying to replicate it. Condensed soups are common food storage items and used in lots of food storage recipes. However, if you are trying to avoid the high-sodium content and "odd-ball" ingredients found in most commercial canned soup, or want a reasonable substitute from storage ingredients, then there are recipes you may want to try - just don't expect the same thing (taste-wise) as Campbell's Soup. There is a number of Cream of _______ Soup base mixes to choose from if you are trying to avoid canned soups (see the link below). Augason Farms even has a #10 can of soup base, which is probably similar to what we make in our mixes. Creamed soups are really nothing more than white sauce plus added ingredients like chicken and bouillon, cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, etc. - just like we learned to make in Home Economics all those years ago. We've just gotten out of the habit of making it from scratch and reach for a can of soup instead. I like to use "Magic Mix" (a mix developed by the Utah State Extension Service), and I use the gluten-free version that uses cornstarch instead of all-purpose flour. I use cornstarch because I don't store all-purpose flour, but I DO store cornstarch - which has a long shelf-life. I also use coconut oil instead of butter called for in the recipe so it's shelf-stable and doesn't require any refrigeration. MAGIC MIX 2-1/3 c. dry NON-instant powdererd milk* (I use Morning Moo's Whey-based Milk Substitute) 1 c. all-purpose flour, OR 1/2 c. cornstarch 1 c. butter, at room temperature (I use LouAna Coconut Oil) Combine dry milk, flour or cornstarch, and butter into a large bowl. Mix with electric hand mixer until it looks like cornmeal. Keep mix tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 8-months. Yield: 5-cups. *If all you have available to you is INSTANT non-fat dry milk, you can blend the dry milk powder until it's a fine powder, and then it will measure the same as NON-instant dry milk powder. To make Condensed Cream of Tomato Soup: 1 c. Magic Mix 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes 1 t. dried parsley flakes (optional) salt and pepper to taste Combine Magic Mix and diced tomatoes. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until mixture thickens. Add parsley, salt and pepper. Blend in blender until smooth. Serve immediately, or use in any recipe calling for canned cream of tomato soup. Cream of Mushroom Soup - using Magic Mix 1 c. Magic Mix 1 can (4-5 oz.) can mushroom pieces and stems, undrained (you can also use rehydrated freeze-dried or dehydrated mushrooms + the water used to rehydrate them 1/4 c. water 2 drops Kitchen Bouquet (optional, for color only) dash onion salt dash pepper Combine Magic Mix, mushrooms and liquid, and water. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until mixture thickens. Add Kitchen Bouquet, onion salt, and pepper. Use in any recipe calling for canned cream of mushroom soup. Other recipes using Magic Mix found in the book - "I Can't Believe It's Food Storage" by Crystal Godfrey... -Pesto Alfredo Sauce -Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup -Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup -Condensed Cream of Celery Soup -Magic Mix Gravy -Magic Mix Fudgsicles -Magic Mix Pudding -Magic Mix White Sauce Recipe found on\-line. Tomato Soup Mix \- Single Serving by: Budget101 4 T. Non\-fat dry milk 2 T. Powdered dry tomatoes (you may want to start with 1 T. and add more if needed) 1/8 t. Basil Salt , Dash Pepper, Dash Measure all into jar or ziploc bag, shake to combine. Add mix to 1 Mug of Hot water, stir, let set 2 minutes, enjoy. TOMATO BASIL SOUP (source: Jan's Fabulous Food Storage Recipes - Converting Stored Foods into Useable Meals - by Jan LeBaron) 3 T. dehydrated chopped onions 1 t. dried garlic granules 1 t. dried basil 1 c. tomato powder 4 c. water 1 c. diced freeze-dried tomatoes (optional) In a large pan add 4 c. water, bring water to boil, lower heat and then add garlic granules, basil, whisk in tomato powder until smooth, if you are adding tomatoes dices add last 5-6 minutes. LOW\-FAT CREAM SOUP MIX (source: "Use It or Lose It" (food storage cooking school) \- by Rebecca Low and Deloy Hendricks \- Utah State University Extension) http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_503.pdf 2 c. INSTANT dry milk (or 1\-1/4 c. NON\-instant) 3/4 c. cornstarch 1/4 c. chicken bouillon granules 2 T. onion flakes (dried) 1 t. basil (dried) 1 t. thyme (dried) 1/2 t. pepper Combine all ingredients and mix. Store in air tight container until ready to use. Equivalent to 9 cans of cream soup. To substitute for 1 can condensed soup: Combine 1/3 c. dry mix (use 1/4 c. if made with NON\-instant dry milk) and 1\-1/4 c. cool water or liquid from vegetables. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Add thickened mixture to casseroles as you would a can of soup. Do a search and you will find many more recipes on\-line for creamed soup substitute mixes to try. Powered butter can be reconstituted to make a spread, and I add a little coconut oil to it to add back some fat. When used in baking it is not necessary to reconstitute. Simply add it to your dry ingredients and increase the liquid the amount it would take to reconstitute. For home food storage I prefer coconut oil for cooking and baking to powdered butter, and that's the main source of fat I store. I store some powdered butter, but I only occasionally rotate it into the pantry and use it mostly for homemade mixes and baking. I also store grass-fed organic ghee (mostly for it's nutrition) and commercially canned butter (Red Feather Pure Canned Butter). --------------------------------------------------- Sweet Dairy Whey- I worked with Sweet Dairy Whey years ago as a substitute for some of the sugar in recipes. I've never used it since..... I do, however, store and use whey protein powder (and as you suspected, they are not the same thing). I often increase the protein profile of baked goods and snacks by adding protein powder - especially when we have a vegetarian day. I also use a whey-based milk substitute (Morning Moo's) which has a shortening-like effect on baked goods, so you can often use less fat in a recipe. I've made low-carb cream cheese frosting using Morning Moo's powder instead of powdered sugar and sweetened it with a little agave nectar or stevia. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Making Magic Mixes

Two adults here, as well. Wasted food is the most expensive food you purchase, so I do careful meal plans to help reduce that "forgotten" something-'er-other, especially in the crisper drawer. I dehydrate, freeze, or vacuum seal with a FoodSaver for longer storage. Instead of waiting for the celery go go limp, I'll dehydrate a portion of it. Works great in soups, casseroles, etc. I also dry the celery leaves. Can't get all those mushrooms used? Slice and dehydrate them. I make entire soup mixes with a wide variety of dehydrated foods. We eat dehydrated zucchini as a substitute for potato chips. Hard cheese keeps longer in FoodSaver bags. When grapes are on sale, I'll stock up and freeze them in FoodSaver bags. I like the green bags for bananas, as well as freezing or dehydrating bananas when I can get a deal on them. FoodSaver canisters are great for leaf lettuce and fruit in the refrigerator. They keep much longer when vacuum-sealed. When potatoes are buy a 5# bag - get one free, I make them into mashed potatoes and freeze them in dollops and vacuum seal the dollops in FoodSaver bags. Otherwise, we'd never be able to use 5#, let alone 10#... I also cook and mash sweet potatoes and dehydrate them on the fruit roll-up trays. When crispy-dry, I run them through the blender and make sweet potato powder. Reconstitutes to make mashed sweet potatoes by adding hot water. I do the same thing with tomatoes for tomato powder. Reconstitute it with water for making pizza sauce, etc. It's amazing how many tomatoes you can get in a quart jar when you dehydrate them, and even MORE when you make tomato powder. Ripe fruit can be made into fruit roll-ups. You can dehyarate yogurt. I even dehydrate lean cooked meat cut into 1/2-inch cubes. After they are dry, I package it in FoodSaver bags and stick it in the freezer. Make sure your refrigerator is 40°F, or colder, and your freezer is 0°F or colder. Food degrades faster when those temperatures are warmer. -Grainlady

I store my pet kibble in plastic pails with tight fitting lids. My pet food dealer recommended storing it in the bags, because in his experience, few folks wash out storage containers before refilling them, and that is not good. I always wash mine before refilling, and I find the pails are much less likely to tip over and spill. One other potential problem with in-the-bag storage... If you live somewhere with rodent activity, kibble is extremely attractive mouse food. My neighbours suffered for way too long after mice got into a bag of dog kibble stored in their basement. The little critters colonized much of their basement, between walls and dropped ceilings. They were very persistent and difficult to evict.

Rhizo: I'm glad that you brought that up. Thanks. I re-post the info. on grapefruit interaction below. Grainlady: I'm so lucky to have your valuable info. THANK YOU. I agree that homemade probiotics (Kefir, sauerkraut) is best. Long-shelf storage at the store DECREASE the number of viable bacteria. Some yogurt have artificial sugar added (aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol) ... these sugar-substitute are known to INCREASE the bad bacteria, and ZAP out the good bacteria. Men's Health has an excellent article on how certain medications mixed with certain food/drink can have a deadly effect & toxic: http://www.menshealth.com/health/ 1. Limes and cough medicine. You may have heard not to drink grapefruit juice with some prescriptions, including cholesterol-lowering statins. But limes, pomelos, and Seville oranges—although not the more-common navel and Valencia varieties—also may block an enzyme that breaks down statins and other drugs, including the cough suppressant dextromethorphan ... this includes hallucinations and sleepiness; in statins, you may sustain severe muscle damage. 2. Dairy products and antibiotics. Some antibiotics, including Cipro, bind to calcium, iron, and other minerals in milk-based foods. “This prevents the absorption of the antibiotics, ultimately decreasing their ability to fight infections,” Gullickson says. When you get a new prescription for acne or an infection, ask if the drug falls into a class known as tetracyclines or flouroquinolones. If so, avoid milk, yogurt, and cheese 2 hours before and after taking the pills. 3. Smoked meats and antidepressants. Check the label on your happy pills. If they belong to a class called monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs—brand names Marplan, Nardil, Emsam, or Parnate—combining them with foods rich in the amino acid tyramine can cause life-threatening spikes in blood pressure, says Gullickson. Unfortunately, the list of no-nos includes not only summer sausage and smoked salmon, but also red wine, sauerkraut, hot dogs, aged cheeses, soy sauce, and draft or home-brewed beer. 4. Chocolate and Ritalin. Besides caffeine, chocolate also contains a stimulant called theobromine, says Tom Wheeler, Pharm.D. (It’s the reason chocolate harms dogs—canine bodies can’t break it down.) Combining all these stimulants in humans can potentially lead to erratic behavior and seizures. 5. Apple juice and allergy meds. Nix the nectar from apples, oranges, and grapefruits if you take Allegra (fexofenadine) for hay fever—at least within 4 hours of swallowing the pill, Gullickson advises. The resulting lack of absorption makes Allegra up to 70 percent less effective; lay off these juices while taking the antibiotics Cipro or Levaquin, the thyroid medication Synthroid, or the allergy and asthma treatment Singulair, Gullickson says. 6. Cinnamon and warfarin. People taking the blood-thinning medication warfarin—prescribed to prevent or treat clots—have long been warned to keep their intake of vitamin K steady, says Wolfe. This means you shouldn’t change your weekly intake of foods like leafy greens or broccoli; because vitamin K plays a key role in clotting, doing so could affect the thickness of your blood. But there’s another risk. Cassia cinnamon, the kind on most American grocery-store shelves, contains high levels of a compound called coumarin that can thin blood and potentially cause liver damage, says Eric Newman, M.D 7. Alcohol and acetaminophen. Resist the urge to wash down your Tylenol with a cold one—your body uses the same enzyme to break down the two substances. http://www.menshealth.com/health/