Store Foods You Usually Eat

Hi everyone...This post is not an originally written piece by me...it is from...
http://www.ehow.com/how_4522326_food-storage-foods-already-eat.html

It is a great "how to" on starting to accumulate food storage. In our food storage, we have a lot of canned beans and our favorite spaghetti sauces. My husband makes sure we always have Beano on hand also.

I could not have said this better...

How to Build a Food Storage with Foods You Already Eat
By SimplySmart

Having a food storage is an important part of any emergency plan. However, storing food for a long period of time can be daunting. The best thing to do is make small goals and build up your food storage one small step at a time. The first thing to do is to make a 72 hour kit. The second thing to do is build up a two to three month supply of food that your family is already eating. The third thing to do is continue building up your food storage using basic foods that last for a very long time such as grains and legumes. This article will give you ideas on how you can accomplish the second step and build a supply of everyday foods that you already eat.

1 Building up a storage of food that your family already eats is a smart idea. In an emergency, you will have many different things to worry about, and you don't need the added stress of becoming accustomed to new foods. Having familiar food to eat will help your family feel more comfortable, and they will be better able to cope with difficult situations. This type of food storage will see you through short term emergencies such as power outages or gas and food shortages. It will also be available in times of unemployment or other financial stress. These foods can be used to spice up and ease the transition to the longer term, basic food storage items.

2 Before you start buying extra food, you need to make a plan. Stocking up on food before you have thought about what you need will certainly fill up your pantry, but the results will be unbalanced and much less usefully. Having 15 boxes of spaghetti noodles but only 2 cans of spaghetti sauce means you will have a lot of plain noodles to eat!

3 Start by making a list of 30 dinners that your family likes to eat. These meals should be simple, easy to prepare and the ingredients should be able to last at least three months in the pantry, fridge or freezer. Remember that SIMPLE is the key, you're not trying to serve gourmet five course meals, you're just trying to survive. Some ideas are: grilled tuna sandwiches, tuna noodle casserole, spaghetti, green bean casserole, hamburgers, hotdogs, bean burrito, baked potatoes, various soups, chili, risotto, spanish rice, and parmesan chicken.

4 Next, make a list of 30 breakfasts and lunches. These meals should fit the same requirements as the dinners. If you can't come up with 30 different meals, then repeat some of them. The point is to come up with enough meals to fill 30 days. Some ideas are: pancakes, a bowl of cereal, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, frozen or canned fruit and oatmeal.

5 Make sure you include several dishes that can be prepared without electricity and contain ingredients that don't require refrigeration. This way you will have food to eat if your power goes out. If you have a gas stove, grill or fire place, you will have more options. Make sure that your gas stove will still work when the electricity is out and that you also store fuel for your grill or fire place.

6 Write down all of the ingredients and quantities needed to make each of your meals. If you repeated any meals, make sure you list the ingredients needed each time you repeated it. Use this list of ingredients to make your shopping list. For Example, if you listed pancakes for breakfast 3 times and you use 1 cup of pancake mix and 1/2 cup of syrup each time you prepare pancakes, you would add 3 cups of pancake mix and 1 1/2 cups of syrup to your shopping list.

7 As funds allow, start picking up items from this shopping list when you do your regular shopping. Once you have purchased everything on your list, you will have a one month supply of food. Use the same shopping list again to build up a two month supply and then a three month supply.

8 Now that you have built up a food storage, you need to rotate and maintain it. You can use this food when you prepare your regular meals, just make sure you replace what you use. Whenever you open a can or package of food, add that item to your weekly shopping list so that you can replace it as soon as possible. Place fresh food in the back so that older food gets used first.


OK....Tomorrow I will make my list of 30 dinners. There will definitley be some re-peats. The point is, it is a menu for 30 days of evening meals. The ingredients for these meals should not need refrigeration. I assume you and I will have a source of heat for cooking, even if the electricity is out. If you have matches, and a gas stove, I believe you can light it. You can use a camping stove, or even your fireplace. More on that later.