Prep Genrl Are there any healthy meals from your pantry?

[nomifyle]

By this I mean recipes not using a lot of boxed or packages processed foods. I like cheese but not processed cheese. I have a supply of single package velveta cheese. I've used it a few times but I am loath to use it very often. The freeze dried cheese would be fine but its too expensive for my budget.

Not all pantry foods are unhealthy, but so many are and then there are folks that have a different definition of what's healthy than I do. I've tried to store what I consider healthy and then reasonably not so bad.

Most of my problem is not being able to figure out recipes that would work for me and Dh, although we do not have to eat the same. I know that in a bad situation that we would have to eat rice and pasta more often, although we generally don't eat them at all especially rice. DH just doesn't like rice and as for me I just stopped eating anything white several years ago so I've stayed away from rice, pasta and potatoes, and partictularly baked flour products.

Suggestions are welcome. We are not diabetic but recipes of that sort are welcome.

 

[ejagno]

I grow a garden, freeze dry, dehydrate, can and freeze as much as possible normally. Nothings been normal for the past 3 years but as of today I am on vacation to move into my new house where I will once again have a pantry to stock. I love canning ready to eat meals that we love. We enjoy seasoned and canned squash & zuchinni, canned baby okra, beef tips, shredded chicken with everything except the mayo for chicken salad, vegetable beef soup, gumbo, freeze dried eggs, freeze dried cheese, freeze dried spinach dip, home made extracts (lemon, chocolate, vanilla, orange, etc...)

 

[Loretta Van Riet]

My concern with my preps is higher sodium content than I would like. I have a good assortment of proteins, veggies and carbs, but beware of hidden/or higher sodium content. I do know that parsley, taurine and celery seed act as diuretics for me. So I can keep my BP in a safe range.

 

[packyderms_wife]

We can ready to eat meals, were all we have to add are things like noodles or rice, and we also make freezer meals. I'm doing this for SHTF scenarios, I'm doing it because sometimes neither one of us wants to cook or go out to get something to eat. I always have fresh produce and fruit on hand, have all of the fixings to make bread or pasta, and cheese, lots of cheese!

 

[nomifyle]

Thanks ya'll, I'm just going to have to come to terms with canning. Canned meals would have been a God send when we were without power. And that way I could possibly cans that I consider healthy.

 

[John Deere Girl]

We raise a lot of our food, and I do quite a bit of canning and dehydrating, so I think most of our pantry is pretty healthy. If the kids want snacks, I keep the ingredients to make whatever.

 

[Loretta Van Riet]

Thanks ya'll, I'm just going to have to come to terms with canning. Canned meals would have been a God send when we were without power. And that way I could possibly cans that I consider healthy.

After losing ALL my freezer contents TWICE in one year (derecho power loss for 4 days then freezer expired 6 months later)

I made the decision to only restock my preps with freeze-dried and canned foods. A very good decision for my situation.
So if an extended power outtage occurs, I will have little fresh/frozen foods to cook/eat first.

Also...during that 4 day power outtage, I found my elderly neighbor sitting in the dark, hungry. He didn't even have a flashlight. He couldn't believe how tasty a Mountain House freeze-dried dinner was! Of course I gave him one of my spare lanterns. Thank God we are preppers!

 

[packyderms_wife]

Thanks ya'll, I'm just going to have to come to terms with canning. Canned meals would have been a God send when we were without power. And that way I could possibly cans that I consider healthy.

The main reason I can food is because OC is a diabetic and there are lower sugar options out there, and I'm on a low to no sodium diet. We can a lot of chicken and beef. The Ball Blue Book is your friend.

 

[WalknTrot]

I cook out of the pantry regularly. Don't personally have a big problem with commercially canned vegetables and meat, but I also can my own...especially tomato products, which are healthier than heck, and pretty good even commercially canned. Don't eat a lot of canned fruit, but always can up various forms of apple products and jam in the fall. This year, probably plums too, as the tree is finally loaded.

There are a multitude of meals I can cook out of the pantry - haha, I don't use recipes. Stew, soup, pot pie, both hot and cold pasta dishes, both hot and cold bean dishes, potato and rice dishes, salads. It helps that I currently don't need to cook for folks who are picky, have severe issues with salt or sugar, or have allergies, and learned at my mom and both grandma's apron strings how to cook good food with not much but my experience, imagination and what was available. Folks may consider packaged stuff like noodles and sauce, mac & cheese, or boxed cheesy potatoes unhealthy, but you can dilute the salt and carbs by adding meat and vegetables to almost any way that you use them. They sure make up a fast one pot meal when you are tired, stressed or have no time.

If things get tough, there's a lot of dried potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, peas, oatmeal, cornmeal, wheat, flour, etc. to dive into from long term storage. I consider them stretchers, and that's the way the women who came before me kept people going. Potatoes, pancakes, bread, cornbread, biscuits, rice, barley and pasta. People don't turn up their noses if they are hungry.

 

[Taco Salad]

Yes. We home can a variety of things including various meats, potatoes, veggies, bone broth, and winter (usually butternut) squash. We also dehydrate what veggies we don't feel like canning and grind it to powder, works as a seasoning and a nutrition booster.

Like stated above it comes in handy when you don't have a lot of time and want to put a decent meal on the table.

 

[packyderms_wife]

MY favorite canned dinner is our home canned beef cubes, butter noodles with peas! Yum, yum, yum! His is the chicken enchilada casserole with green sauce.

 

[hd5574]

I can chicken, sausage, beef cubes, hamburger, and others both watebath and pressure fruits and veggies...and I can various meals...soup, stew sauce etc..
I found out that the frozen veggies at the grocery store (think on sale) are the fastest and easiest way to dehydrate...my trays will hold a 1pound each..I will do 4 trays of the same veggies a time..that way they dry in the same time ....the veggies are already cleaned blanched ...all the prep work done...I just grab the veggies come home and dump on the trays and turn it on.. that's it
Then seal in quart jars...even done hash browns ..in half gallon jars.....and the cubed home style potatoes.. I have a quart jar of carrots that held 8 lbs of frozen carrots...
Also have the really large containers of dried chopped onion, celery, garlic in quart jars vacuum sealed...

You can also buy chicken breasts, steaks and fish fillets etc..that are freeze dryed and packaged for long term storage...some cooked some uncooked...yes expensive but a nice additional item to consider....as the price of them today may be inexpensive in the not to distant future....