What to Cook and Buy During an Emergency {Food Storage Tips + Over 40 Recipes}
I debated about whether to type up a post like this or not…but since pretty much every conversation and text message and email I’ve had in the last week has been related to the emergency right now, it feels a bit like the elephant in the room NOT to address it.
Brian and I are talking about all of the issues with our kids, seeking information from viable sources (social media posts from random people and even celebrities are not one of them, FYI :), and trying our best to manage all of the changes and information with rational, calm minds and take actions personally to help flatten the curve of this virus.
While alternately sometimes completely freaking out (ok, that’s just me).
Watching everything from schools to churches to sports teams shut down across the country is a bit discombobulating, to say the least.
We live in Idaho and there is only one very recently confirmed case, so our schools are still up and running. Other than some of our sporting events getting canceled (wrestling would be a natural breeding ground for any type of virus) and church indefinitely going home-based, things *mostly* feel normal except for long lines at the stores and shelves cleared of tp, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, etc.
I know many places across our nation and definitely throughout the world have it much, much worse. I’ve been thinking a lot about the particularly vulnerable children and adults in this emergency (those kiddos that rely on schools for two of their daily meals, working parents and single parents dealing with the adjustments of schools shutting down and/or loss of work themselves, just to name a few things).
It’s a difficult time, there is no doubt about that.
But today I wanted to address a question I’ve been getting over and over this week from readers about food storage, what foods to stock up on, and what recipes to cook.
I don’t have ALL the answers, but here are a few thoughts that can be a great starting place for a discussion about this.
Please chime in on the comment thread with your feedback and thoughts! We can all learn from each other.
Tip #1: Only Stock Up on Food You’ll Actually Eat
If you have never cooked with lentils before, don’t buy them in bulk. Even if creamed corn is on a case lot sale, I wouldn’t recommend buying it if it’ll make your kids gag. Don’t buy a 5-gallon bucket of wheat berries if you don’t have a way to grind it into flour.
Just because “people” say you need such and such in your “food storage” doesn’t mean that’s true for you personally. Food storage will look different for each and every family.
Identify the ingredients that you use often and are familiar with, and stock up on those.
Extra tip: if you have the time and/or budget, think outside the box a little and make sure you stock up on a few treats, too. It’s not a bad thing to consider chocolate chips a pantry essential! And little sweet extras in the pantry can help get through tough times.
Tip #2: Don’t Go Overboard
With everyone in a panic, it might be tempting to buy 1,245 boxes of mac and cheese. But…I don’t know…maybe consider not going to quite that extreme?
Try to be sensible about the quantities of food you are buying right now. What are the expiration dates? Is it humanly possible to eat all of it before it even expires? Do you have places to store it?
If you have accidentally participated in a bit of, ahem, overstocking, consider donating any excess, unexpired food to your local food pantry or shelter.
Tip #3: Start with two weeks and work up from there
If you don’t have much of a food supply at home, it might feel overwhelming to think of getting what you need. It might be helpful to simply start with a two week supply of food.
Write a list of the foods (even detailing an actual “menu” can help with this) that you and your family would need for two weeks and try to source at least that much.
I know right now this might be a bit tricky as some stores are running out of things like milk and eggs, but consider looking for replacement-type items or foods that are more shelf-stable. Powdered milk. Dried or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. Canned fruits and vegetables.
Also check around with neighbors and friends in your area to find out if any local farmers have some of those precious commodities: milk, eggs, cheese.
Extra tip: over the next couple of weeks as we all practice more social distancing and *maybe* have a bit more downtime, consider putting together a longer term food storage plan that you can put in place once this particular emergency is more contained. I’m a HUGE food storage nerd.
Twice a year, I inventory our food storage to make sure we have the essentials to get us through, so if anyone is interested in more info about this, I’d be happy to put together a more detailed post about food storage in general (and share my nerdy spreadsheets dedicated to the cause).
Tip #4: Gather your favorite pantry staple recipes all in one place
Having a few solid pantry-friendly recipes that you can rotate through (yes, even fun baking recipes!) can help you actually look forward to eating through your food storage.
Print them out, staple them together, put them in a binder, bookmark them on your phone, add them to a Pinterest board – just keep them in one place so you can access them easily!
I’ve gathered a few of my favorite pantry staple recipes and included them below and also at this link.
*the key to pantry friendly recipes is to get comfortable making substitutions! Leave out the meat, sub in canned milk for milk or cream, sub in canned green chiles for fresh peppers, etc.
Please let me know in the comments any thoughts you have about food storage, cooking right now, and other tips helping you through the chaos of our current situation. Hang in there, friends!
Yes, I would appreciate if you could please share your food storage notebook and spreadsheet system. It will be a valuable
Yes, please share with us your food storage tips and spreadsheets. We would love to see! Thanks for all you do!
I’d love your “nerdy” food storage inventory sheets, etc!
Please!!!
I would love to see your spread sheet on food storage and all your tips and trick! This whole virus scare has got me wanting to get my food storage in order. I have some shelf stable #10 cans but just feel like I don’t really know what I am doing.
You are a saint! I love every post and every recipe. I would truly be so grateful to learn more about your food storage strategy. That aspect of life is so overwhelming to me so I will be forever in your debt for sharing!
Thank you so much for offering ideas to help us during this difficult time, and most importantly thank you for your common sense approach!
Thank You Mel for everything you do for us. You are a life saver!!!
I agree 100% with only buying food you actually eat. I wasn’t raised eating Peanut Butter (I’m French) so I don’t care for it much but I love Nutella (now, I grew up eating that 🙂 and I call it a food storage staple 🙂 If/when we’re out of bread and Nutella, my 17 1/2 year old son thinks there is nothing to eat in our home! I also prefer canned beans versus dried ones so, even though it costs more, that is what I buy. One benefit of canned beans is that they don’t take much time to reheat. Also a big THANK YOU for the Tool Kit for Social Distancing: awesome resources 🙂
I’d love the food storage info and spreadsheet 🙂
Please I would love your spreadsheets for food storage and ideas! you’re ideas are great!
Hey, I have a question. I’m wanting to use a recipe that marinates chicken in plain yogurt and curry before grilling. I used a grocery delivery service and they substituted vanilla yogurt. Any ideas on how to over-power the vanilla taste? I was talking about it to my husband tonight and he said, ask your friend that has that food blog – I talk about you so much and use your recipes so much that he didn’t realize we have never met. 🙂
Haha Tammy, that’s awesome! Ok, that’s a tricky one because it’s not just the vanilla flavor but it’s also the sweetness. I would add soy sauce (and quite a bit of it)…I think those salty, warm flavors can help. Good luck!
I shared this post a couple of says ago from facebook, and it totally got reported and deleted! Just wondering if facebook deleted it off of your facebook page, because I was going to share it again, and I can’t find it.
It’s a dang good post with so many good recipes in it!
Yesterday I finally broke down and stocked up on groceries. Restaurants closed down citywide today so it was good timing. But I started laughing last night in bed thinking about how I had bought 2 bags of sugar (when I already have a bag at home). I think I felt peer pressure from the empty shelves of sugar. It’s especially funny because I gave up sugar for Lent – but I will be prepared to make cookies for all the neighbors!
I have been using your recipes for years! With recent required dietary changes I’ve found myself looking for lots of new recipes and always end up here because I know whatever I make will taste great for my whole family! Well except maybe one incredibly tough critic of a kid 😉 anyway- I am wanting to venture into more making my own pasta, and am also finding myself trying to find a way around eggs in baking/pasta as those are not something I am able to get at the moment. I’d also love any additional tips and helps for food storage!!!
This is an amazing post for recent days….and it list of huge beneficial for every people against coronavirus…..Thank you so much Mel…..!
Thank you, Mel! Any tips or systems you share would be great.
We have a decent supply but can you or commenters suggest options for milk (less than great memories of powdered milk) and replacements for fresh veggies??
I don’t know about milk – if we don’t have it we use powdered milk in baked goods and just go without otherwise – but as far as fresh veggies go, the two things I like to do are 1. keep frozen veggies on hand (they have way more nutrition than canned, though they don’t keep as long), and 2. plant a garden! It’s the best way I know to have fresh veggies available when you need them, regardless of what is going on at the grocery story. Oh- and sprouting can be a great fresh source for nutrients too, and is much faster than growing something yourself.
Emily, use the powdered milk in baking and puddings, making yogurt in crockpot. And if you google it, there should be a lot of recipes for a dry mix for cream of….soup, I use that a lot. Also, I take a can of tomato sauce and make tomato soup and add some dry milk to make it creamy.
I was late in the game of hearing about the craziness over toilet paper and such. Didn’t realize it was a problem until I went to buy toilet paper because we were about out ♀️ I do have a pretty good food storage though so we are good there! And we just got chickens in August and they have been laying for about a month now so I figured I’m good on eggs too… then I realized I hadn’t ever thought about food storage for the chickens! Yes I would love to hear about your system for your food storage but I’m also curious if you have any kind of system for your chickens (and other animals) for food storage???
Thank you for compiling this list of easy, pantry friendly recipes. I’m terrible at meal planning, so I frequently just cook whatever I have on hand – I can see that several of these recipes are going to become regulars! And I join in everyone else in saying, please share your food storage system and spreadsheets!
Hi there Mel, Love your stuff so, so much! I’d love to see your food storage suggestions but would REALLY love to see anything great you’ve found to help explain what’s happening to your kiddos. I overheard my sweet 9 year-old telling his little 7 year-old sister that “it’s Armageddon” the other day and I really want to address the scary unknown calmly to accurately explain what’s going on to my littles. I’m not sure if anyone’s asked that yet and think that this would be a wonderful forum to share resources, if anyone’s found anything really good. Blessings!
Yes please to the food storage post! I set up recipe binders years ago, following your templates and I still use them and love them.
Mel,
I first must say, I LOVE your site, and have loved it for more then 15 years!
Thanks so much for this post. Yes, the virus is the only thing everyone is talking about. That and the shortages in the store and the long lines getting to said shortages.
Whenever I get a “new recipe” my husband asks, “so is this Mel’s?” Hahaha! “Yes, as always!”
I would love to hear more of your thoughts on food storage and see your “nerd spreadsheets” if you’re willing to share.
Thank you again for so many amazing recipes that my family enjoys everyday!
thank you so much for taking the time to post this! I for one would LOVE a more detailed post about your food storage. I continue to get overwhelmed every time I try to put something together. love every single recipe I’ve ever made from your site. thank you!!
Mel,
I love your website and use it all the time in my menu planning. I have done food storage for years, but would love to see your spreadsheets. I have always struggled with how to keep track of what we have and what we need. Please share! And I love the food storage recipes…. I made my own list the other day with many of your recipes.
I join with the rest of the community here to say Thanks! You are amazing and we are so happy to have you as a friend! Stay healthy everyone and let’s focus on this extra time that we have with kids at home, and enjoy it 🙂
We live in a rather remote area in earthquake country, so I have always kept my pantry stocked for when “the big one” hits. I keep a spreadsheet for my two chest freezers, so I guess I qualify as a storage nerd. I have found the biggest problem with the spreadsheet is getting the rest of my family to mark off what they take out of the freezer! My system and pantry works well for me, but I would love to see yours to see how I can improve on mine. I love your site and have tried a lot of your recipes. Even my husband knows that if a new recipe is one of yours it will be a good one! Oh yes, I must add that on one visit from our grown daughter, she asked if I REALLY needed that many chocolate chips in the pantry!
Thank you Mel for the recipe ideas!! I would so love your spreadsheets! I want to be that kind of nerd too
Love that you keep plugging away at retaining that sense of normalcy while we all support each other during this. Love and prayers for your family and all.
Great post. I love food storage too and having regular recipe items. It’s definitely time to make a better inventory and I’d love your spreadsheets!
I’m in Ontario Oregon and they’ve closed the schools for two and a half weeks. Anyway, every grocery store around here is out of flour and sugar! But I have tons of pancake mix. I want to make your delicious buttermilk banana bread. What would the banana bread be using the pancake mix? The ingredients listed are: wheat flour, butter milk solids, nonfat dry milk, Salt, dextrose, monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, sugar. It says for pancakes add 3/4 cup cold water or milk, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and one egg to one cup of mix.
I meant “what would the banana bread RECIPE be when using pancake mix?”
Thank you so very much for your great blog today and all the time. I have never made a comment but I want you to know that I have used some of your recipes. I am 69 and still learning to cook! Being an athlete, I was made to practice and was not in the kitchen like my other two sisters who are fabulous cooks.
Be well and thank you again.
Can I suggest in addition to stocking up you have lots of ready to go’s in the freezer? I pray you and your family stay well, but, if you don’t you need ready meals. I do a lot of batch cooking (there’s just me and my husband) from Mel’s site. Yesterday I did a double batch of the barley pilaf recipe. Today I’m doing a double batch of cilantro lime rice. Tomorrow I’m doing cheesey orzo. I portion and freeze them for future. I already have pasta sauce, lasagne, soup, curry sauces and more made up and frozen. Mustn’t forget that awesome meat loaf of Mel’s either. I’ve bought salmon, steaks, pork chops and fish and they are all portioned. Not a big fan of frozen veggies, but…… This has saved me so many times (my husband has alzheimers) when I’ve gotten sick and need healthy meals available. My husband is having a bad day? No problem, I simply pull a meal out and we’re good to go. Thanks Mel for this site and it’s many tasty and healthy recipes – most of them are great for freezing.
I would love to learn more about food storage- and I would LOVE to see your spreadsheet. My college aged son spent his first day home from school explaining the advantages of putting the ingredients of every recipe into excel for tracking and rearranging my storage room- it’s like a giant game of Tetris in there! I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining because I absolutely love having him home.
Please do a detailed post on food storage.
I would love you to share a more detailed post on food storage in general and also for you to share your nerdy spreadsheets.
Thanks for being a bright spot and helping us all out!!
Yes! Please! I would love a post or a recipe list or a system or any information you want to go to the effort of sharing about food storage. Thanks for this post.
Thank you for sharing these helpful tips and I would love to see a post on your more in-depth food storage .
I would be interested in your food storage info. Also agree with you warnings about buying what you eat. We got a bit carried away after 9/11 and I’m still working my way through all that grain, but your WW blender pancakes are helping. Incidentally they work with a mixed grain blend as well.
I try to always keep canned beans and tomatoes, chicken, salmon and fruit available. With pasta, rice and dehydrated hash browns from Costco I can make a lot of different things out of that combination. I also try to always have some of the broth in qt. boxes and canned milk.
I keep track of stored items with a spreadsheet, so I can check easy if the store has a sale. I will be interested to see how your spreadsheet works.
Thank you for being a helpful voice of reason during the current times. I agree with the ‘what are people thinking’ question. Hoping you and your readers stay well. Praying for all coping with this, especially the health workers who are dealing with this.
Would love a more detailed food storage post!!
Mel,
Thanks so much for this post! First of all I have to say, I LOVE your site! I have been pulling recipes from it for years and now most of the recipes my family regularly eats are from YOU! I come here knowing that I’ll get tried and true recipes that my family will love. So huge HUGE tHaNk YoU! I would love to hear more of your thoughts on food storage and see your nerd spreadsheets if you’re willing to share. Food storage is something I’ve always aspired to be good at but mine is far from organized. Thanks so much again for this post and so many amazing recipes that my family enjoys on the daily!
Yes! I’d love more details on food storage not based solely on wheat and lentils…or creamed corn! Spreadsheets wanted!
I just happened to recently make a batch of your freezer burritos! They are so good. My husband comments every time he eats one how much he likes them. I have over 40 burritos in my freezer (along with other necessary food storage items, of course). Thank you for all the suggestions and recipes they are super helpful.
I would be interested in any food storage info you feel to share. I think about it frequently but don’t know how to go about it. If electricity was out for an extended period of time how do you make bread for pantry items like pb&h, tuna,chicken salad. Food frozen wouldn’t be good if it was out for awhile. I guess I am thinking about hopefully the worst that could happen
I would LOVE to learn more about how you do your food storage! My husband and I are still living in an apartment for one more year while we are finishing up college, and I have definitely felt underprepared during all of this! Thanks for this great post! 🙂
Such a helpful and thoughtful post! Thank you!!! I would love to hear about food storage. Our pantry is usually pretty bare (except for baking products.) We tried to do a reasonable stock-up – some tuna, canned veggies, peanut butter, etc. Of course I did have to buy some extra chocolate chips too! LOL!
Thanks again! Sending healthy wishes to everyone!
This post has been so helpful. Thank you for sharing! I’m excited to try some new recipes and get my kids in the kitchen with me over the next few weeks while they are out of school. I look forward to your post with a more in depth look at food storage. This has been a wake up call for me to get a little more prepared and organized with this subject in my own home.
This is a useful post, we live in a rural area in earthquake country and I have been wanting an organized way to plan if we are cut off for a time. It seems at this point that fear and media overhyping has caused more economic damage than the corona virus itself, hopefully as more time goes on this will change. Right now I’m breaking out the summer schedules since my son is off school for a month at least and I can see it turning into a video game marathon!
One more thing, I think it would be good to support local restaurants who are taking a hit, even though my kids have a cold right now(NOT coronavirus:) we are going to the chick fil a drive through to support them.
Another vote for a food storage post and your spreadsheets! Thank you for this post!
Yes please share your food storage spreadsheets and ideas! We have some food storage already, but I would love to take a more organized approach.
I would love the spreadsheet!
Thank you for this! Yes please do a food storage post!!
Mel we love you!!!