When it comes to storing food, I’ve realized people seem to fall into one of these 3 categories:
- THEY HAVE NOTHING – They don’t even bother getting food storage because they say it’s gross, and they would rather die (this used to be me, until I had kids).
- HAVE SOME, BUT WILL ONLY EAT IT IF STARVING– These people actually have some, but it’s rotting under their couch and will only be pulled out when they’re on their death bed.
- STORE IT, EAT IT, LOVE IT – Then there are those wanna-be pioneers that not only store it, but eat it, and love it!
If you fall into one of the first 2 categories I have good news! There is hope ;)
Food Storage CAN be good, really good – and Tess Pennington has written an entire cookbook showing you how! It’s called…
The Prepper’s Cookbook
You don’t have to wait for some catastrophe to enjoy the food you have stored; you can enjoy it now!
I was so excited when I got the priveledge to review her book, because I’ve been looking for an all-around great resource that is simple! This is great for beginners just starting out, and can even teach seasoned preppers a thing or two!
The Prepper’s Cookbook teaches you:
- Which foods to stock-up on
- Methods for organizing your food storage
- How to can, jar, and dry food
- Water storage and purification information
- Maintaining and Rotating your food supply
- How to cook over 300 delicious recipes
- Ingredient substitutions, oxygen absorber size requirements, and much more…
What Should Be In Your Pantry?
If you aren’t storing food yet, you should seriously consider having at least 2 weeks worth! I thought grocery stores had an endless supply until I had a rude awakening after Hurricane Ike hit! Grocery stores only typically stock just 3 days worth of food, but run out even faster during a disaster when people rush the stores.
Sometimes it’s hard knowing which foods to get, especially when just beginning. In the book, Tess uses the following essential food staples as the basis for her recipes. These foods are great for emergencies because they have a longer shelf-life, are affordable, and very versatile.
Here’s a great list to get you started!
25 Must Have Survival Foods:
- Canned fruits, vegetables, meats, and soups
- Dried legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Pasta sauce
- Peanut butter
- Pasta
- Flour (white, whole wheat
- Seasonings (vanilla, salt, pepper, paprika, cinnamon, pepper, taco seasoning, etc.
- Sugar
- Bouillon cubes or granules (chicken, vegetable, beef)
- Kitchen staples (baking soda, baking powder, yeast, vinegar)
- Honey
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Jell-O or pudding mixes
- Whole grains (barley, bulgur, cornmeal, couscous, oats, quinoa, rice, wheat berries)
- Nonfat dried milk
- Plant-based oil (corn oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, olive oil
- Cereals
- Seeds for eating and sprouting
- Popcorn (not the microwavable kind)
- Instant potato flakes
- Packaged meals (macaroni and cheese, hamburger helper, Ramen noodles, etc.
- Purified drinking water
- Fruit juices, hot chocolate, drink mixes
Of course you suit it to fit your needs and tastes! No one says you have to buy hamburger helper if you hate the stuff!
Also, when trying to figure out how many servings of these various items your family will need, this food storage calculator can come in real handy!
Over 300 Life-Saving Meals
Once you have your all the food you need, it’s time to dive into cooking with it!
Tess has everything from French Toast and Fish Tacos to Rice Pilaf and Peach Cobbler. These recipes cover every meal of the day and will have you prepared to eat for weeks, months, or even a year or two, depending on how prepared you want to be.
One of my favorite meals I’ve tried so far is the Chicken with Lemon Basil Sauce (check it out below)!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 (.4 oz) packet ranch dressing mix (optional)
- pasta, cooked al dente
- 2 (12.5-ounce) cans chunk chiken, drained
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
- 1 cup spinach (canned, fresh, or dehydrated)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
- salt
- pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a small bowl, make a sauce for the pasta by whisking together 1 tablespoon of the oil, the vinegar, and the ranch dressing mix (if using). Add to the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until browned. Add the chicken to the bowl of pasta. Leave the juices in the pan.
- In same skillet, reduce heat to medium, add the garlic to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until well blended. Add the chicken broth and spinach; simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. Stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the warm sauce over the chicken and pasta and serve.
Recipe from The Prepper's Cookbook (pg. 122)
The only changes I made was I combined all the ingredients into a casserole dish and then dumped my daily calories of cheese on top (I’m an addict, I can’t help it).
Also, sorry about the half-eaten picture! It was so good, I dove right in before remembering to pull-out my camera!
There are a ton more recipes I can’t wait to try! I’ll be making the Kale Chips from the book this week!
Could Your Pantry Help You Survive a Disaster?
Take a good hard look at your pantry; could it help you survive a disaster? If not, there are a lot of great books and places to help you get started – The Prepper’s Cookbook definitely being one of them. Not only is this book a great resource, but Tess is dedicated to helping you succeed.
This book will help you make the most of your supplies. It’s my intention to help each and every one of you thrive during an emergency – why not have a disaster minorly inconvenience you than majorly set you back?” – Tess Pennington
We want people everywhere to have stocked-pantries! So tell us – what’s holding you back?
[signoff]
I haven’t read anything about this before, and was wondering how someone could keep their food rotated correctly (first in, first out) if they were trying to store enough food for their extended family of ten when there were only three people at home to eat out of the stored foods. The other seven people live away and would only be there in an emergency. Seems like the stored food would not get used up in a timely manner and would get old and have to be disposed of. Any ideas on how to handle this problem?
Great questions! I’ll add that to my future posts. Here’s a quick answer:
1- If at all possible have everyone store and rotate their own food. I know some people need assistance, but sometimes people won’t be able to get to your house in an emergency.
2- Store more of the foods that last 20+ years. You don’t have to worry about keeping those rotated every 3-5 years, but you’ll still have plenty for when the family comes.
Hope that helps. You really have to find a system that works for you. I’ll try and put my rotation system up eventually!
oooooh. I’m gonna try that dish. Looks good. (Love the recipe card too.) Let me know how the kale chips turn out.
Thanks Julie, I’m having fun trying out recipe plugins ;)