preparednessblog

One of the most basic disaster preps that you can do is to keep a well-stocked pantry. The most lax recommendations are for three days worth of food, water and any medicines you take on a regular basis. More cautious approaches recommend anywhere from a few weeks to a full year of stocks on-hand.

I personally think that three months worth of stocks is a good, secure amount that will get you through most situations.

It pays to carefully consider what to stock for your pantry. It’s easy to run out and grab fifty pound bags of beans and rice and call it done. But, after a few weeks of those two staples, I can pretty much guarantee that you and your family will be suffering from serious food fatigue. This is not a trifling concern. Food fatigue can hurt morale, and even lead to malnutrition and starvation, particularly in children.

A better approach is to consider the foods that you currently eat that can be prepared from shelf-stable staples. In a disaster situation, familiar foods will be easier to prepare and help keep spirits up.

There is no need to rush out and buy three months worth of food all at once. It’s much more financially prudent to stock up as items go on sale. This way, you spread out your spending, but also get items at the lowest price. So, next time canned tomatoes go on sale, buy a case instead of just a few cans.

Also remember to rotate what you stock so that everything is of optimum freshness. If you are stocking up on foods you normally eat, this is as simple as putting new items in the back of the pantry, and using older ones for current meals.

A few of the items that I keep on-hand for nutrition and variety:

• canned beans (usually black beans, garbanzos, pintos and kidneys)
• dried lentils, mung beans and peas (both split and whole)
• canned tuna and salmon
• shelf-stable tofu
• tomatoes (diced, sauce, juice and prepared marinara)
• canned vegetables (corn, peas, green beans)
• dried vegetables (broccoli, soup greens, tomatoes)
• peanutbutter
• other grains (oatmeal, grits, cous cous, quinoa, millet, wheat berries)
• pasta in ever shape that I can find
• rice (brown, white, arborio and jasmine)
• ramen and boxed macaroni and cheese

With these supplies, I can make a wide variety of nutritious and easy meals for myself and my family. Your list will almost certainly vary from mine.

Several times a week, I’ll give you a challenge to make your family just a little better prepared for any possible disaster. TODAY’S PREPAREDNESS CHALLENGE: Carefully wash an empty 2-liter bottle and fill it with water. If you have room in your freezer, stash it there. If you don’t, put it under your kitchen sink. You now have half a day’s water rations for a single person.

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