The boys and I spent the morning at South Whidbey State Park, a smaller state park on Whidbey Island that is divided by a road going through it. One side is hiking in the forest, the other side is on the bluff above the Salish Sea, with views across to the Olympic Mountains. This park is a hidden gem on the island. Sadly the campground was closed years ago due to dying trees but you can hike both sides of the park and picnic there.
We strolled along the bluff trail.
Wild roses in bloom.
The peekaboo views to the Olympic Mountains and the Salish Sea were phenomenal today in the sunshine.
After the adventure we sat down to make lunch.
This recipe is FBC friendly, and really features the red colors.
Sealed for long-term storage to keep the freeze-dried ingredients fresh.
Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice
In a quart freezer bag or a Food Vac bag:
- ¾ cup instant rice
- ½ cup freeze-dried chicken
- ¼ cup diced dried carrots
- ½ cup freeze-dried pineapple
- 2 Tbsp freeze-dried red bell peppers
- 2 Tbsp freeze-dried tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp dried onion
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
- 2½ tsp dry sweet and sour sauce mix (half a packet)
FBC Method:
Place the bag in a FBC Cozy or similar.
Add 2 cups boiled water to the bag, stirring well.
Let sit for 15 minutes.
One Pot Method:
Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a smaller pot. Add in dry ingredients, stir well. Cover, turn off stove and let sit for 15 minutes.
If at high altitude, or in cold temperatures, insulate pot in a pot cozy.
Serves 1.
*Notes:
When prepping recipes using freeze-dried ingredients (versus dehydrated) you want to ensure the bag is well sealed. Particularly with freeze-dried meat. If you are making the meal to use that weekend, a plastic bag will work great. If longer, I highly suggest using a FoodVac sealer and precut quart size bags.
FTC Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that give us commissions on products purchased. These items are what we used in the recipes. This includes both Amazon and Thrive Life.
~Sarah
Would Dehydrated ingredients work OK in place of freeze dried?
You can use dehydrated, however some items take longer to rehydrate. For best results pack the dehydrated vegetables in a separate bag and add them to the water in the pot, and bring it to a boil, then add the rice and flavorings. One pot method works best with dehydrated vegetables like peppers. The other is use a pouch of chicken (7 ounces) instead of fd chicken.