Year Supply

Ok, pictures will be forthcoming.

Right now I just wanted to think "out loud" about our ward's emphasis on temporal preparedness and getting our year supply of food and water. We just bought a water barrel, a freezer and shelving. Mostly with gift cards! Thank you!

Step one: Get three months supply of food that you already eat. That makes sense right? They said to do this pick 9 dinners that you already eat (from canned goods; ideas to follow) and times the ingredients by 10 to make 90 meals or three months of dinners. Then do the same with breakfast. Fit in two meals each week to rotate. Supposed to eat left over for lunches. Lunches for me are hard because we eat yogurt, cheese etc. Hard to keep long term. I'm just going to add a couple of ideas that sprang into my head:

Chicken pot pie
Shell
2 (+ 2 Tbls.) cups of flour
1 Tbl. salt
1/3 oil and enough water to make it stick together
Insides:
1 packet of chicken gravy mixed according to instructions -or-
1 can chicken broth mixed with 2 Tbls. butter and 1/4 c. flour
Mix in spices (I like pepper, and garlic, thyme or tarragon is good, too.)
While boiling, put in frozen or canned veggies.

Roll out pastry to make two circles, place one in pie plate, reserve other for top. Put either cooked and cut chicken or canned chicken at bottom, pour gravy-veggie mixture. Put other pastry on top, vent and cook for about 20 minutes until heated through at 350 or so.

Tortilla Soup
Lots of canned beans, not sure of the recipe here! Plus, chicken broth, fresh or dried cilantro,l taco seasoning, and cheese, sour cream, fresh or canned tomatoes, chili peppers etc. Can also add cooked chicken.

Pasta with white sauce
I like to make this with veggies (like fresh broccoli or spinach (I'll have to try it canned--maybe artichoke hearts) and chicken). May try to make it with canned milk....

Pasta with Red Sauce
Make marinara sauce from scratch with tomato paste, a little water, garlic salt, spices and pour over cooked pasta.

Muffins
Muffins are nice because you can incorporate fruit and whole wheat if you want. I have a recipe I like but I won't put it here, because it's so basic, everyone has one. Plus, I thought about buying those Jiffy mixes where you just add water. Not the most scrumptious meal, not as good as home made, but quicker- just need 10 of them, like all of 10 bucks!

Burritos
Homemade tortillas are great but they don't last that long so if you are going to make them, which I do have a recipe for and calls for 3 cups of flour, some fat and some salt and water. Store-bought tortillas will do if you can stomach them (I gained a prejudice against Mission tortillas while living in the Southwest where they have -real- tortillas!) Then I put some canned pinto beans (like Taco Bell brand or Rosa Maria's) and some garlic salt. (I eat them with cheese too!)

Waffles/ Pancakes
No-brainer, but don't forget these require eggs. That's a hard thing to have stored for 3 months, but if you have chickens or are lucky enough to know where to get powdered eggs, that's good too. Don't forget syrup or other favorite topping. My mom likes applesauce.

Biscuits
Need milk, use canned maybe...?
Eat with homemade preserves or fruit?

PB&J
Make sure you have jelly and are we making the bread from scratch? I suppose I should add in a bread recipe to my calculations for three months, then....

Oatmeal or other hot cereal/cold cereal
Wow! I could eat Marshmallow Matey's for B-L-or-D! I did in the MTC! Now I need something a little more substantial.



Step two:
Get food to sustain life for nine months
Wheat
Oats
flour
salt
Rice
sugar
oil
spam????
legumes!

See
www.providentliving.org
for info on how much and how to store.