Food storage is meant for when times are the worst, but sometimes a busy schedule can prevent you from getting to the store. If you have a collection of dry goods, canned goods, camp stoves and generators stored away on your shelf, you always have a backup meal.
But difficult circumstances doesn’t have to mean disastrous meals. Here are five food-storage friendly recipes to have on hand for when you can’t get to the store.
1. Chicken and bean soup
This 7-can, 1 carton recipe can be easily made with nonperishable ingredients. It can also be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken and substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth.
Heat and mix together
- 1 carton chicken broth
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
until well blended. Add:
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn, drained
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 can cooked chicken, drained
Simmer on stovetop or in crock pot until heated.
2. Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes
The following recipe from Provident-Living-Today.com is written specifically to be food-storage friendly.
- 1 cup milk (or 1/3 cup non-fat dry milk and 1 cup water)
- 1 cup uncooked whole wheat
- 2 eggs (or ¼ cup powdered egg and ½ cup water)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
Put the milk and wheat in the blender. Blend on the highest speed for four or five minutes or until the batter is smooth. Turn the blender down to low and add in: eggs, oil, baking powder, honey, and salt. Cook on hot griddle. To make whole wheat waffles, add one more tablespoon of wheat and 2 more tablespoons of oil.
3. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
A pantry well-stocked with at least a few convenience foods can be wonderful in a disaster. Keep a jar of Alfredo or marinara sauce on hand to serve over noodles, like fettuccine. For a heartier meal, add a can of cooked chicken to the sauce.
4. Cherry dump cake
Living off food storage doesn’t have to mean no dessert. This recipe from Duncan Hines uses only nonperishables—with the exception of one cube of butter. It might be best to make this while the fridge is still cold.
- 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
- 1 can cherry pie filling
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 13″x 9″ pan.
- Dump pineapple with juice into pan. Spread evenly. Dump in pie filling. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over cherry layer. Sprinkle pecans over cake mix. Dot with butter.
- Bake 50 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
5. Rice and beans
Keep a simple beans recipe on hand, like the one supplied below. Once your family has a beans recipe they enjoy, you can use it to make casseroles, burritos, nachos, or rice and beans.
Simple Beans (from “The Bean Cook Book” by Northarvest Bean Growers Association)
- 1 pound dry beans
- 1 tsp. salt
- Cider vinegar to taste
Sort and rinse dry beans. Cover beans with 3 times as much water as beans. Soak overnight. Drain beans, rinse and cover with fresh, cold water. Add salt; stir. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender. Serve hot with fresh chopped onion (if available) and cider vinegar sprinkled over the top. Serve with vegetables or in other recipes.