As I have posted before, I am only planning on a basis of 30 days for 10 people and a few dogs. There's not 10 people living at my home but I have a daughter who lives fairly close by, with a house full of kids and a few dogs. I am planning, loosely, for *10.
I covered breakfast type foods in my last post, so I thought I would go to other meals. I really want to call it lunch, just to keep my mind organized, but I realize that it would be just a joke to attempt to separate what people eat during a lunch or dinner type time. So, this is going to be a some what longer list, that would cover both of these type meal situations. I guess the list isn't going to be a lot longer, just more items required. And in this post, I am only going to cover
protein.
When watching shows like The Colony, which I found entertaining, interesting, and somewhat educational, it seemed that the groups were always in search of protein. You will find a variety of proteins on my list that I would never eat on a daily basis. I rarely eat meat and when I do, it will be fish or occasionally chicken. We will all have a huge diet change when things get desperate. Believe me, I will go as long as possible maintaining my regular diet. A huge change would only case a person's health to be compromised. Keep that in mind when you are making your own list.
30 cans of tuna - since I eat a lot of tuna, I just
keep this on my shelf and rotate with use.
30 cans of chicken or turkey - again, I keep this
on my shelf so that it is rotated and does not
expire. costco has a great deal on canned
meats. If you get close to your expiration
date, you can always use these to make tacos
or exchiladas.
10 cans of sardines - assorted flavors.
20 cans of beef - I also keep this on the shelf
tho I only use it when I have company over.
With the veggies I have in the freezer, I can
always throw together a little beef stew in
just minutes.
10 jars of dried meat - I have very little use for this but I know that
when push comes to shove, this will be nice for those who are in
need of a protein kick. I would go with jerky but the shelf life is
longer.
10 packages of jerky - I know I just said that I use dried meat in
place of the jerky but I have one grandson who loves jerky and
keeps this rotating for me. 10 packages is safe for me.
10 packages of shelf bacon - this is not an inexpensive item. The only
time I ever use this is when I vacation with my grand daughters
(I do a lot of this and on a budget too!). A couple of them love
the bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and this travels well.
Again, it is useful if you have people drop by unexpectedly. If you
are a lover of bacon, you may check you local stores for canned
bacon. I believe it can be found and the drippings will be nice for
a pot of beans.
5 packages of real bacon bits - Again, Costco has a great deal on
these. It is real bacon and you uses are endless; beans, salads,
sandwiches, in eggs, etc.
30 pounds of beans - think I am crazy? A pound a day is not too
much for 10 people. And - if things got too desperate, I would
feed beans, with some rice, to any of the dogs. Yeah - it may
be a good idea to have the dogs sleeping outside, but it will fill
their bellies.
There are so many ways to fix your beans that you will feel like it
is a different meal each day. You can add in salsa, veggies, rice,
potatoes, and the list goes on and on. And, there are ways to fix
your beans to make them a bit less 'gassy' for those who worry
about that situation. Click here to check out that little tip.
Back to the beans - I have 20 pounds of pinto. They are available
in bulk in many 'healthy eating' type stores and discount stores.
Costco has large bags that will keep you at just pennies a pot.
I also have a variety of other beans. Great White Northerns are
nice and also the packages of 'mixed beans' will make a well
rounded assortment.
10 packages of instant beans - now you are thinking that this is 'bean
over kill'. Possibly so. I have to take into account that I may not
have additional people show up. If that were to happen, then
having these small packages will be perfect. I also use these when
I go camping. No refrigeration needed and simple and quick.
1 package of powdered soy milk - this is not the easiest thing to find
but well worth the search.
5 cans of soy beans (edamame beans). This is not an item you will
always find in you local grocery store. But, it can be found in
stores such as Sprouts and Trader Joe's.
1 pound of powdered yogurt - this is a great item for protein but
the main reason I have this is for health reasons. If, which is
bound to happen, someone gets sick and just can't get their
stomach back in shape, it could be that a little yogurt is going
to be perfect to aid in that. When finances allows, I may invest
in a couple more packages of this. It is always good to use when
making salad dressings and puddings.
At this point, that kind of covers the proteins. I will be back to fill in the gaps next week, if not sooner. Even if you are a person who avoids carbs in your diet, you may need some of these if in an emergency situation.
* In the beginning of this post, I mentioned that I am planning for 10. I feel I need to mention this one thing here. Most serious preppers say that when an emergency hits, you should stay where you are, with the exception of an act of Mother Nature heading in your direction, that you could avoid by moving. But, if there is ever another 911 or other such event, peoples reactions will be very unpredictable. Many may panic and act irrationally. The roads may not be a safe place to be.
Then there are people, like one of my daughters, who believes that there is safety in numbers. She said she can be out of her house in less than 10 minutes and to my home in less than 30. As long as she acts quick, she should be safe. And I do live in a fairly safe area when it comes to almost every situation.
The moving thing is not what I would recommend for everyone. Every situation will be different. You, as a family, need to make a plan on what you would do for every possible situation. That way, if something happens, you are not attempting to make these important decisions in a panic.
Make a plan - share with your family - write it down if it helps.
