Convert or Convince?

No, I'm not talking about religion or politics.  I'm talking about the "Preparedness Movement".  There's been so much talk about it lately, probably in part to the Prepper shows on television (which I admittedly have not seen, so cannot honestly comment on) and part to do with the way our country is headed.

Is this media attention a good or bad thing?  I'm not sure yet.  But if it makes even one of your friends, family members or occasional acquaintance become more self-reliant and responsible, I'm thinking it's a good thing.

My sister recently asked me for information on what stuff I put into her Emergency Backpack (I had made one for her and Mom years ago...wonder if they have been updated??  Hint-hint.)  because a friend of hers wanted to make one for each member of her immediate family.  I was thrilled to hear that!  I'm nowhere near being an expert crisis preparedness kind'a person, nor would I actually consider the backpacks "Bug-out-bags" or properly equipped for the Zombie invasion, but they make a dandy addition to the emergency equipment in your vehicle.

If you want to see what I have in my vehicle backpack, click here.

It's been quite a while since I've done any posts about food storage or emergency preparedness and this backpack request got me to thinking.  We have a nicely stocked pantry.   Wheat, rice, beans, flour, sugar, canned fruit & vegetables (homemade & store bought) and home canned meats.  Most of our pantry consists of "raw" or basic staples.  Stuff that will require home processing to make into suitable meals.  We don't really have an "Emergency" food storage plan, as in we don't have a special storage area or container for a time of crisis.  Our entire pantry is our food storage plan, be it for every day cooking or in times of unexpected need.

But what about those people who do not (for whatever reason) want to store those basic staples, but want to be prepared in the event of a natural or man made disaster?  People who prefer ready-to-eat or almost-ready-to-eat meals (uhm, Christine???).  There's no use in asking a person that is used to cooking Macaroni & Cheese and hot dogs for dinner to suddenly start storing fifty pound bags of pinto beans in their pantry.  Those beans would just sit in the bag until kingdom come.  So instead of trying to convert someone to rice and hard red wheat berries, I figured I could convince them to have an emergency food supply if the items were a bit more realistic for them.

After doing a bit of thinking and a smidgen of research, I've complied a list of easily prepared, readily available and shelf stable grocery items that could be put into a large plastic tub along with a menu and instruction for meal preparation.  This would hold two weeks worth of food for two people and could be stored in an out-of-the-way place.

Feel free to share this list with others, or to share ideas here with us.  It's an easy, no-brainer way to get someone started on their way to being more prepared for any number of disasters - be it natural, man made, personal or financial.  And it doesn't entail spending tons of money on fancy freeze-dried meals or MRE's.

Menu (repeat twice)

Breakfast – Oatmeal
Lunch – Rice A Roni (your choice), Corn muffins
Dinner – Shredded BBQ Chicken, side of baked beans & leftover corn muffins
Snacks – Canned fruit

Breakfast – Pancakes w/maple syrup
Lunch – Complete Meal bowls (your choice)
Dinner – Pasta with Sauce #1
Snacks – Chocolate bar

Breakfast – PB&J on flatbread
Lunch – Ramen soup with mixed veggies
Dinner – Chicken with mashed potatoes & gravy, stuffing, canned corn
Snacks – Chewy Bars                                                                   

Breakfast – Oatmeal
Lunch – Mac & Cheese with Cheese & garlic biscuits
Dinner – Pasta with Sauce #2
Snacks – Canned fruit

Breakfast – Pancakes with maple syrup
Lunch – Chili with cornbread muffins
Dinner – Tuna Helper    
Snacks – Banana nut muffins                                                                                                                   

Breakfast – PB&J on flatbread
Lunch – Rice a Roni (chicken flavor), Cream of Chicken Soup
Dinner – Pasta with Sauce #3, leftover flatbread
Snacks – Chewy bars             

Breakfast - Oatmeal

Lunch - Complete Meal bowls (your choice)
Dinner- Chicken w/Spanish Rice a Roni, Refried Beans
Snacks - Chocolate bar

Shopping List (for two weeks, two people)

Tuna Fish 5 oz. cans 4, Chicken breast 12.5 oz cans 10, Tuna helper 2, Spaghetti 1 lb. box 3, Pasta sauce (pick a variety) 6, Meals in a cup (your choice) 4, Instant Oatmeal packets 3 boxes, Rice a Roni chicken flavor 2, Rice a Roni Spanish Rice 2, Rice a Roni (your choice) 2, Cream of Chicken soup 2, Powdered milk 1, Vegetable oil 1, Canned fruit 4, Mac & Cheese (w/cheese pouch, not powdered) 2, Instant potatoes 1, Cornbread muffin mix 4, Cheddar & garlic biscuit mix 2, Banana Nut muffins 2, Granola or Chewy bars 2 boxes, Jiffy Pizza Crust Mix (for the flatbread) 4, Peanut butter 1, Jelly 1, Baked beans 2, Canned mixed veggies 4, Complete Pancake mix 2 boxes, Ramen Noodles 4, Canned chili 4, Maple Syrup 1, BBQ Sauce 1, Chicken gravy packet 2, Stuffing mix 2, Canned corn 2, Refried beans 2, Taco seasoning 2, Cooking spray 1, Chocolate bars 4, Dried mixed fruit 2 bags, Tea bags (your choice) 2 boxes, Hard candy 1 bag.  Thirty gallons of water for drinking & meal preparation (in various containers; gallon jugs, individual "sport" bottles, etc.).

This menu and shopping list is obviously very specific, but can easily be changed.  Don't like Chili?  Just swap it out with some canned Ravioli, or one of those instant single-serving Pad Tai Noodle meals.  The reasoning I made it so precise was that I didn't want my sister having to "think" about it, just DO it.  I'd also say that I made the menu pretty fancy and varied for something that's supposed to be for "Emergency" only, so you could just have three or four different menu days instead of seven.  There are also four days out of the week that includes tuna or chicken and those items are pretty pricey.  You could easily reduce the number of "protein days" and replace them with more noodles or rice or pasta.  I tried to limit the items to almost-ready-to-heat-n-eat; products that only needed water, oil or milk (powdered) to make.  You could easily add in meals that require eggs and just add some powdered eggs to your list.

Another reason for this menu being so specific is that I wanted and needed Christine to be able to USE this stuff after a time (she likes chicken, therefore the ten cans of chicken breasts).  As many of us know, the best storage system is "Store what you Eat, Eat what you Store".  I suppose one could just toss the stuff after a few years & replace it with new items and mentally write it off as a cost of having this little "insurance" policy, but I'd prefer if it was used and not wasted.

As soon as I get around to it, I'll have a post that will deal with the actual preparation of the foodstuffs  in an emergency and if I get around to it, the actual costs of this 2-week menu.