What Should You Have in an Emergency Food Storage Kit?

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By Mavis Butterfield on August 12, 2015 · 11 Comments

Do you have an emergency food supply? After trying to live 30 days on an Emergency supply of food, I have learned a heck of lot more about how I will be preparing for emergencies in the future. Telling you exactly what you need in YOUR emergency food supply would be next to impossible, BUT there are a couple of things that you should seriously think about when you are building your supply. They are all things that I can totally admit, I hadn’t thought about.

So, here you go, food for thought, literally:

Store more water than you think you could possibly ever need. Or, better yet, locate a water source nearby and invest in a water filtration kit.
If you plan on having dried food, like beans and rice, make sure you have the means to cook it, should the power go out. It’s all great to store dry beans indefinitely, it’s not so great if you have no means to add heat to cook them.
If the idea of planning breakfast, lunch and dinner for every member in your family overwhelms you {it does me, honestly}, consider investing in a freeze dried package. I did THIS ONE, and I can honestly say the food was awesome. I did not feel deprived on taste at all. The only thing I would say is that I would have ordered the bigger pack next time.
Make sure to store spices and seasonings as well. Plain rice and beans leaves a lot to be desired, my friends. It’s like eating Elmer’s glue. Seriously. I learned this the hard way. In the event of a real emergency, you will want the comfort of taste, I promise. Here are a few of my favorite spice combinations.
Think about possible emergencies, odds are, you will burn a lot more calories, should a real disaster strike. Your body will be working harder to stay warm or cool, and you may be physically exerting yourself more. So, make sure to load up on high protein items. Consider peanut butter, canned beans, canned meats {tuna, salmon, chicken}. All of which will help sustain you, without taking up much room in your food storage supply.
If you aren’t going the freeze dried route, consider items that are easily portable meals in a can. Soups, chilis, etc. can be eaten straight out of the can–no heating necessary. P.S. Make sure you have a manual can opener handy. 😉
Multivitamins can help supplement your nutrition, if variety isn’t available. At least they may help to safeguard you from illnesses.
Remember to store pet food. Your pets will want to continue eating in the event of an emergency, and sharing your food storage may not be the best use of your resources.
Make sure to rotate everything out regularly. Buy stuff you would normally eat so that you can rotate your supply easily.
If you are a coffee/tea person, store some instant coffee/tea and dried powdered milk to use as a creamer.
Planning is KEY. Plan all of your meals out, and list ALL of the ingredients you will need to make them. Then, multiply those ingredients by how many days worth of meals you want to be able to sustain yourself.
After being a wee bit, ahem, hungry during my challenge, I really recommend counting the calories out in your meal plans. Make sure you have around 2000 calories per person per day {at least}. The stress of an emergency is enough, no need to add being hungry into the mix.
Last but not least… CANDY. Or something sweet {hard candies store a long time}.

How about YOU, any must-haves that I missed in your emergency food supply?

~Mavis

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What I Learned Living off a 30 Day Emergency Supply of Food

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 1, 2015 · 31 Comments

I made it!!!

I seriously thought I was going to wake up this morning and down a slice of the Godiva chocolate cheesecake that’s been hiding in my freezer since Father’s day. But you want to know what I ate for my first meal after eating packaged food for 30 days straight?

Looks like my tastes have grown a bit simpler over the last 30 days. But I’m not going to lie. I loved Every. Single. Bite. Who knew a banana could taste as good as chocolate cake? I can’t believe I just typed that sentence without flinching. Clearly these past 30 days have changed me. In more ways than one.

My goal was simple: to see what it would be like to live off a basic food storage kit for 30 days. I had no ulterior motives; I just wanted to see if I could eat what was in the box for 30 days. Sometimes I like to experience things or challenge myself in ways some people might think is odd. To me, I just see it as a fun experiment. Might be a bored housewife thing. Might be a quirk in my personality. Either way, I was actually oddly excited to try this. I was curious about so much.

Living off a 30 Day Supply of Dehydrated Food

How bad, or GOOD would the food be?
Would eating food out of a pouch for 30 days wear me down?
Would I go crazy and start seeing flying cows?
Would I break and run to Starbucks for a venti earl grey tea with 2 sugars and an inch of milk?
Could I bake treat after treat for my family and REALLY not touch even a crumb?

Willpower people…. it was all about WILLPOWER.

Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised that I LOVED the food. Had I not, this experiment might have taken a more drastic turn and I’m not sure I would have survived. But the food was actually really good. Eating out of a pouch didn’t bother me and there was enough variety in the basic food storage kit {that was meant to be supplemented with beans, rice and other pantry items} I did not get bored of eating the food.

I didn’t see flying cows, I didn’t make a run for Starbucks, and I was able to bake and participate in family functions without it being awkward. {This may be because my family knows I’m a little off my rocker though and I am always up to something a little crazy}. 😉

They were pretty supportive, as were all of you. That really did help. You guys took an interest in my crazy plan. I got encouraging comments everyday and emails from readers like this one:

Do you think this will change the “regular” food you eat next week? What about tea? If you feel better and look better, is this kind of a kick start to look at what you eat and drink and whether you want it anymore? I am wondering if you will find the regular food and tea aren’t as important anymore.

I thought you were going to give in last week, but I was hoping you wouldn’t because you’d come so far. You’re on the homestretch – way to go!

~Janet

Tea – before this challenge, there were days when I would drink up to 20 cups of tea a day. It was comforting, had sugar in it and I guess when you’ve done something for so long, drinking ridiculous amounts of tea each day just becomes a habit. Now that the challenge is over I plan to drink tea only occasionally, as a special treat.

As far as my overall eating habits, I learned I don’t need to snack as often as I thought {and I don’t need caffeine!}. That was a habit that was accidentally broken during this process. Want to know something else accidental that happened? I lost some weight.

The first morning of my Living off a 30 Day Emergency Supply challenge I decided to weigh myself. I wasn’t going to, but my curiosity got the best of me {and so many of you asked me too}. I decided to go ahead and track my progress as the month went on. This challenge of mine was NOT about losing weight. It was about what it would be like to eat pre-packaged survival food for 30 days.

I want to start by saying I don’t believe in diets. I think they are stupid and I don’t think they work in the long-term. We all know what you decide to put into your mouth everyday dictates how you feel and look, but the bottom line is everyone’s bodies are different.

I didn’t even want to post the scale pictures in the first place because sharing how much I weigh is {extremely} awkward and at the end of the day… it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a number.

But here goes…

I typically weigh more during the winter and early spring months because I am working outside less and because I generally pig out {like everyone else does} around the holidays.

My entire adult life I had basically been the same weight since I graduated high school {128 pounds}. However, over the last 3 years I have put on few extra pounds. Mainly because I spend a great deal of my time sitting in front of the computer talking to you people all day. 😉 Some people refer to it as “blogger’s butt.”

Before I had a blog, I was always busy running here and there and never really stopped moving. But whatever. People get older, they gain a few pounds… that’s normal. I really didn’t care and it wasn’t an issue for me. I was healthy and happy with my size. And anyway, who doesn’t want to be the plump grandma who goes to bingo twice a week and makes delicious cookies and cakes for their grandkids when they are 82? I know I do.

Again, this was not about losing weight. It was simply about seeing if I could survive on a basic food kit supplemented with rice and beans. That was it.

Losing weight was never my goal, but it happened.

If I could go back in time I would have taken the Premium Kit Valley Food Storage offered me after they got wind of my crazy experiment. {The premium kit has EVERYTHING 1 person needs for 30 Days – 205 servings of food}. I used the 30 Value Kit which was intended to be supplemented with things you already had in your food storage and rice and beans.

Because I jumped into this feet first without doing my research beforehand and then stuck to my guns about it because I am an idiot, I did lose weight. I added rice and beans but nothing else. Valley Food Storage is not a substitute for Weight Watchers, nor do they try to be. They are trying to ensure you are all set in the unlikely event of a Zombie Apocalypse {or some other more realistic natural disaster that is way less fun to say than zombie apocalypse}. But there is something to be said about a rigid calorie schedule and consistent food intake: you lose weight.

I think the hardest part of the first week was getting over being hungry. I wanted to eat cake or cookies or bake a pie and eat the entire thing for breakfast.

I am a BIG TIME snacker and could put any grazing cow to shame. I eat most of my food on the go {with the exception of dinner} and I missed being able to grab a treat whenever I felt like it.

Don’t get me wrong. The food from Valley Food Storage was delicious and I totally recommend their products. In fact, I plan to order their Premium Kit and stick it in our pantry in case of an emergency {I mean c’mon, the stuff is tasty and it has a 25 year shelf life}. But committing to eating that and only that when I wanted to grab a granola bar on the go was pretty tough at first.

But by the time day 14 had rolled around, I had ran a 5K, resumed normal daily activities and gardening duties {with the exception of my daily hour long walk with Lucy}. Even though I was still a little hungry at times, I was chugging right along and my energy levels were great. I did sneak in a few afternoon naps and drank lots of water to stay hydrated.

Something to note which I did not realize until later: I was not wearing the same pajamas in the day 21 photo as I wore in the day 7 and 14 photos. I was wearing running shorts and a tank top which are much lighter than the flannel pajama bottoms and a long sleeve shirt.

The dramatic weight loss got me thinking though. If I was losing almost a half a pound a day on 1,000-1,200 calories a day, how many calories a day was I eating before I started this challenge?

CLEARLY it was more than the recommended daily allowance for my height and weight {you can check yours here if you want}. Apparently 118 to 159 lbs is a healthy weight range for my height.

My calorie needs have got to be more than the suggested 1650 – 1850 calories per day, wouldn’t you think? I’ve never really counted calories before so I don’t even know how many I would normally consume. But really, how much does an average dog walking, full-time gardener need?

Speaking of dogs…

I took Lucy to the vet to get her nails done yesterday {she gets them clipped about once a month} and they weighed her. I kid you not, LUCY GAINED 4 POUNDS in the last 30 days.

FOUR POUNDS!!!

How did it happen? Well, before I started my 30 day challenge I was taking her for an hour long walk each day. Sure, she came home exhausted, but that was the point, right? During the challenge though I didn’t want to burn all my calories walking Lucy for an hour everyday, so I had her play in the backyard most of the time instead {the kids did take her for short walks each day}. Well holy crackers people… apparently Lucy needs her one hour of exercise every day.

That was just one of the many things I learned over the course of the last 30 days. Here are a few others:

What I Learned Living off a 30 Day Emergency Supply of Food

1. I don’t want to eat rice and beans again for a very long time.

2. We are all stronger than we think we are, and willpower is an amazing tool.

3. I feel better than I have in a very long time.

4. A treat is really not a treat if you eat one every.single.day.

5. I function better WITHOUT caffeine.

6. My skin has never been better thanks to the 10 bottles of water I drank every day.

7. Valley Food Storage Products rock! I highly recommend them.

8. No matter how big your emergency food storage kit is, you need to supplement it with a few sweets.

9. Lucy needs exercise.

10. Challenging yourself and jumping outside your comfort zone is pretty awesome.

Valley Food Storage sent me their Value One Month Food Supply Kit to try out and review. When they did this, I had no idea this challenge would be born {they didn’t either, and like I mentioned earlier, they freaked out a bit worrying I was going to become skin and bones because I wasn’t using the kit as it was intended- with other foods supplementing it}. Because let’s be honest, who gets a big fat box of food storage pouches and thinks, “Hmmm. Looks like dinner {and breakfast and lunch} for the next 30 days,” when they have a stocked fridge and a pantry full of yummy food.

No one. That’s who says that.

But I did. And it actually turned out to be a pretty fun experiment. Lost a little weight. Learned a thing or two about myself and my eating habits. Broke my caffeine addiction. So all in all, I’d say it was a pretty successful 30 days.

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Living off a 30 Day Emergency Supply of Food – Day 25, 26, 27 and 28

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By Mavis Butterfield on June 29, 2015 · 14 Comments

Day 25 {Thursday}

Breakfast – Strawberry Malt-o-Meal 220 calories

Snack – Rice and Beans 320 calories

Lunch and Dinner – Cheesy Mac 560 {280 calories per serving}

Total Calories Consumed on Day 25 – 1,100

Total Beverages Consumed on Day 25 – 9 bottles of water {I’m using this to drink out of}

The hardest part about day 25 ?

I’d love to tell you I’m going to miss my daily consumption of beans and rice. But, I’d be telling a fib. I am so ready to STOP EATING STUPID BEANS AND RICE. Choking them down every afternoon is getting harder and harder. I can feel my throat tightening up when it’s time to eat them.

But everything else? Butterflies and rainbows.

Day 26 {Friday}

Breakfast – Strawberry Malt-o-Meal 220 calories

Snack – Stupid Rice and Beans 320 calories

Lunch – Cheesy Mac 280 calories per serving {I love this stuff!}

Dinner – Strawberry Malt-o-Meal 220 calories

Total Calories Consumed on Day 26 – 1040

Total Beverages Consumed on Day 26 – 10 bottles of water

The hardest part about day 26?

Honestly, I spent most of the day outside gardening or inside doing housework so the day just whizzed by. Friday was another easy day in packaged food paradise.

Day 27 {Saturday}

Breakfast – Multi Grain Cereal/Strawberry Oatmeal Combo 250 calories?

Snack – Stupid Rice and Beans 320 calories

Lunch and Dinner Multi Grain Cereal/Strawberry Oatmeal Combo 500 calories {250 calories per serving}

Total Calories Consumed on Day 27– 1070

Total Beverages Consumed on Day 27 – 12 bottles of water {It was 90 degrees out!!!}

The hardest part about day 27?

It was hot out! 😉 So you may be wondering why the heck I ate oatmeal three times in one day. Well, the answer is pretty simple. I wanted to use up ALL the food I had on hand BEFORE I broke into my emergency stash of pancake/waffle mix James from Valley Food Storage sent me.

I.LOVE.OATMEAL. So eating it three times in one day was no big deal. When I’m old and have no teeth, I know I’ll be able to eat mush everyday. No problem.

Day 28 {Sunday}

Breakfast Strawberry Strawberry Malt-o-Meal 220 calories

Snack – Stupid Rice and Beans 320 calories

The all the freeze dried food is GONE.

Lunch and Dinner – Honey Whole Wheat Waffles 380 calories {190 calories per serving}

Total Calories Consumed on Day 28 – 920

Total Beverages Consumed on Day 28 – 11 bottles of water

The hardest part about day 28?

I’m sorry what? I got to eat waffles two times in one day!!!! True, there was no butter or syrup to go with them, but what’s so hard about eating waffles? Umm nothing. Nothing at all. Each serving of waffles {1/2 cup mix +1/2 cup water} makes 2 waffles. Which was PLENTY. Even though the calorie count was lower than most of the other days… I felt full.

All the freezed dried food is GONE. Can you believe it? For the last 28 days I’ve been eating nothing but freeze dried food plus beans and rice. I made it through the entire kit and didn’t even budge for sweets or treats once. Do you know how good it feels to be able to say that?

Since all I have left to eat is pancake/waffle mix… that is what I will be eating for the next 2 days for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Go.Fight.Win.

2 More Days to Go Baby!!!

Living off a 30 Day Emergency Supply of Food – Days 22, 23 and 24

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By Mavis Butterfield on June 25, 2015 · 7 Comments

Day 22 {Monday}

Breakfast- Strawberry Malt -o-Meal 220 calories

Snack – Rice and Beans 320 calories

Lunch and Dinner Mango Habanero Chili 460 calories {230 calories per serving}

Total Calories Consumed on Day 22 – 1000

Total Beverages Consumed on Day 22 – 9 bottles of water {I’m using this to drink out of}

The hardest part about day 22 ?

Nothing. The sprinkler guy was here, tree guys were next door all day, some guy came by to pick up my daughter for an informal date, and Lucy the puggle dog was so exhausted from the day before she barely moved a muscle. There was so much going on it was nuts.

Note: I doesn’t matter how old your daughter is, you are allowed to embarrass/scare the guy who is picking her up for the first time. When I was a teenager my Dad would take a picture of the guys car, write down his licence plate, get his SS number and photocopy his driver’s license. I was totally humiliated. But now, as a parent… I think he was a genius.

Nuff said.

Day 23 {Tuesday}

Breakfast – Strawberry Malt -o-Meal 220 calories

Snack – Rice and Beans 320 calories

Lunch and Dinner Strawberry Malt -o-Meal 440 calories {220 calories each}

Total Calories Consumed on Day 23 – 980

Total Beverages Consumed on Day 23 – 9 bottles of water

The hardest part about day 23?

Again, it was another easy peasy day. A little gardening, a little napping and a little blogging. I find it amazing how your body can adjust after you get past the first week or two.

Day 24 {Wednesday}

Breakfast – Multi Grain Cereal/Strawberry Oatmeal Combo 250 calories?

Snack – Rice and Beans 320 calories

Lunch and Dinner – Cheesy Mac 560 {280 calories per serving}

Total Calories Consumed on Day 24 – 1130

Total Beverages Consumed on Day 24 – 11 bottles of water.

The hardest part about day 24?

Are you kidding me? I have less than a week to go. The days are flying by and I am looking forward to eating pancakes in a few days. Life is good!

I stopped by Wilco to check out the plant sale, went on a long walk with The Girl and stayed up a little too late reading a new book I picked up at the library {I will tell you about it tomorrow}. Life is good.

In it to WIN IT baby!

~Mavis