Zucchini Muffins and a 72 hour kit!

I have a problem…

Every time I go to the grocery store I buy zucchinis and most of the time they are eaten, as both my girls love them.  Rob not so much.  But lately I haven’t been using them and I found nine of them in the crisper.  OOPS!

It’s Saturday morning and Irene has come to visit.  It’s just raining and windy, but not much to worry about unlike those on the coast.  We did all the appropriate things to get ready!  When I worked for the National Office of St. John Ambulance Canada we put together, with the Government of Canada, the 72 Hour Kit.  It’s funny, when we lived in Ottawa and I worked at SJA we never put one together, but now that we are in Raleigh, it’s a must.  What with having a hurricane and an earthquake in the last week and not to mention that “small” tornado that swung by in April.

So what’s a 72 hour kit?  It’s a box full of stuff that you put together (or buy)  and will need if there is an emergency and you can’t get anywhere for 72 hours.  There are so many sites you can go to on the web and if you honestly put all the stuff in the checklist into a box, the box would be the size of 10x10 room.  So here are some essentials that we pulled together, just in case Irene decided to venture inland more.

1. potable water (that’s the stuff you can drink).
2. batteries (AA, AAA, 9V and D).
3. non-perishable food (just in case your power goes out completely and you don’t have a generator).
4. matches and candles.
5. flashlights with new batteries in them.
6. first aid kit; get a new one if you can’t remember when you bought yours, that way you are guaranteed that it’s complete.
7. charge your phones and computers completely.
8. if you think you may have to evacuate, put all important docs and pictures into a waterproof container prior to the storm hitting, so you can grab and go.
9. if you have pets, make sure their leashes or carriers are readily available so you can package them up quick.
10. get cash, don’t rely on plastic.
11. fill the cars up with gas.

Here are some other things you can do:

1. if you have a BBQ, make sure you have an extra full propane tank so you can cook if the power goes out (ours is natural gas)
2. fill a bathtub with water, so you can use the water to flush the toilets.
3. pull out all your board games and decks of cards because  if you have to hunker down, it helps pass the time!

Now since Irene downgraded to a category one storm and is heading up the east coast, I thought let’s use the zucchinis!  (see how they tie together :))

I like this recipe because it doesn’t use oil (I hate using oil if I can avoid it) and as it turned out they were really quite good!

Recipe – Zucchini muffins (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated fresh zucchini
• 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, eggs and vanilla in bowl.
2. Add shredded zucchini and butter.
3. Add remaining ingredients and combine until just mixed.  Don’t mix too much as I always find zucchini bread gets tough with more mixing.
4. Scoop into prepared muffin tins
5. Back at 350 for 25 minutes
6. Enjoy!

So if Irene came to visit you too, I hope you were safe and sound.  Now before there is a next time, get yourself a 72 hour kit and make yourself these muffins.  Both are winners!

Thanks for looking!

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