Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
There are as many ways to prep as there are preppers. Stockpiling longterm stuff you find on sale, buying buckets of freeze-dried food, preserving your own… The list could go on and on. But, have you tried “prepping by recipe?”
The concept is exactly what it sounds like. You choose some of your family’s favorite meals, and then you create a way to serve that dish made only with long-term food. In my opinion, these meals are far more tasty and welcome than adding water to fettuccine alfredo from a bucket.
Please keep in mind these are examples. You may follow a completely different diet. I just chose the typical diet that consists of meat, grains, vegetables/fruit, and dairy. None of these lists, of course, is comprehensive.
Meat
For meat, I recommend freeze-dried or home-canned. Please remember that home-canned meat is far better within the first 9-12 months. This is not a long-term option but can really help in a power outage.
For freeze-dried options, there are all sorts of #10 cans to make any carnivore happy.
These each contain around 20-25 servings.
You can also buy canned meat from the grocery store.
- Canned ham
- Corn beef hash
- Beef Creations (in a pouch, from Starkist)
- Chunk chicken breast
- Tuna and salmon
- Crab meat
- Vienna sausages
- And, of course… Spam
While these may not be the things you reach for on a daily basis, they’re great options when the power is out, the stores are empty, and you need some protein.
Some vegetarian protein sources
- Beans (canned and dry)
- Peanut butter powder
- Powdered eggs
- Scrambled egg powder
Grains
I think every prepper has grains well covered, with fifty pounds of rice, wheat berries, and oats stashed away in mylar and buckets. But these have long cooking times, which may not work for you. As well, the emergency may not always call for that, and you’ll want to have smaller options, too.
One of my favorite things to add to my pantry for smaller grain options is those pouches of pre-cooked grains. One warning – the preseasoned ones go rancid FAST. I only buy the unseasoned pouches.
I also stash away pasta, including some of these Asian rice noodles, which are prepared by pouring boiling water over them and letting them sit.
Fruits
Of course, freeze-dried fruits are great options with lots of variety.
Dried fruits can really jazz up some plain oatmeal or pancakes.
But this isn’t the only way to avoid scurvy during the apocalypse. Your local grocery store also has options.
- Canned fruit
- Mandarin orange slices
- Applesauce
- Dried cherries
- Raisins
Vegetables
Freeze-dried for the win here, too. I find that freeze-dried veggies, when prepared, are much closer to tasting fresh.
I like to stock up on ones that are commonly used to season meals.
You can get freeze-dried potatoes in many forms.
Other vegetables are available in this form, too.
For some veggies, your grocery store may provide better and more thrifty options. (Though I always keep freeze-dried peppers, onion, and celery to add to things I’m cooking.)
Anyway – at the store look for the following.
- Canned vegetables
- Canned mixed vegetables
- Canned vegetable juice (makes a great, nutritious base for soup or chili)
- Dried potato dishes (scalloped, au gratin, etc.)
- Mashed potato flakes
Dairy
I really need some kind of dairy in my coffee, and that’s all there is to it. Here are some reasonably tasty options.
- Individual latte condensed milk (pricey but good)
- Heavy cream powder (what I have the most of)
- Whole milk powder
These are far, far cheaper on Amazon than what you’d find at the grocery store.
For those of you who are dairy free but still want something in your coffee, this coconut milk powder is pretty good. You can get more information on dairy-free prepping in this article.
Other freeze-dried dairy items make our apocalypse food tastier.
Things to add
Adding a few things to your basics can really make your prepper food shine. Some examples:
- Gravy mix
- A variety of herbs and spices
- Bread mix
- Sourdough starter
- Biscuit mix
Okay – so what do I do with this stuff?
Let’s pretend we’re in the middle of a longer power outage. The stuff in our fridge and freezer is gone, whether that’s because we ate it or because it spoiled.
Assuming you have a way to boil water, the sky is the limit.
Want to whip up a big pot of spaghetti?
- Can of crushed tomatoes
- Handful of onion and bell pepper
- Mushrooms
- Ground beef
- Spices from your cabinet: basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper
- Pasta
Top it with some parmesan and mozzarella, and you have a savory, familiar, home-cooked meal.
For breakfast, you could whip up some pancakes from a mix and top it with butter, fruit, and some syrup or powdered sugar.
How do you build this kind of stockpile?
Start by listing your family’s favorite meals. Go with five suppers and two breakfasts to begin.
- Spaghetti and meat sauce
- Stir-fried pork and broccoli with rice
- Vegetable beef soup
- Mexican burrito bowl with meat, veggies, and rice, topped with cheese sauce
- Chicken pot pie with canned veggies and biscuit topping
Some breakfast ideas might be:
- Hashbrowns with onions and peppers, scrambled eggs, and a slice of fried spam
- Oatmeal with fruit, cinnamon, sugar, and whole milk
Whatever you choose, make sure to incorporate family favorites. Write down all the ingredients for each recipe. If you find an ingredient is used in many of the dishes, make sure to put that at the top of your list. (Like diced onion, for example.)
Then, one by one, grab the ingredients for the meals in one of the formats above. Often, the freeze dried options will make about 20 servings, so keep that in mind when calculating costs.
Follow the instructions on the package to reconstitute your freeze-dried items, combine them, and surprise the folks you love with their favorite food. Note: Freeze-dried items will reconstitute much larger than the amount you take out. So, if you want 1 cup of mushrooms, start out with 1/3 cup of freeze-dried mushrooms. Add more as needed.
If money is tight, go through your list and buy one or two things per week to provide you with a tasty, off-grid meal.
It really is that simple!
Do you practice prepping by recipe?
Do you prep with recipe ingredients in mind? If so, please tell us your favorite shelf-stable meals. If not, what meal do you want to try to make first?
Let’s discuss it in the comments section.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
