THE NEED FOR A WELL PREPARED PANTRY IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD!!

I live by the adage, "In the event of an emergency, the time to prepare has passed." A long time ago we received an order from a food storage company that we had purchased from and they included a card with this phase on it. This has stuck with me ever since and it is always in the back of my mind. If you have a disaster, whether it be a weather event, a personal setback, an accident, loss of job or in the current case, a pandemic with potential mass casualties, you will need to be prepared. Today we are starting a series of pantry chats where I will help you get some ideas on how you can get started on your way to never being unprepared again. It's never too late. Especially now! I hope this helps.

I recently prepared a shelf cooking recipe where I pulled nearly all the ingredients from my pantry. The idea here is that no matter what the circumstances, you should have what you need on hand to feed your family if you cannot get to the store. Lunch lady chicken and gravy is easy and quick and it is satisfying and comforting. In times of uncertainty, being able to feed your loved ones, in a healthy way, but still in a way that will make them remain calm, is a great accomplishment. Fear can tend to run rampant during these times. We are constantly being bombarded with news and reports and press conferences and information. Now with our phones, the notifications are always there, in our pocket , purse or even our nightstand, staring us at the face, even at 3:00 am. Set your fears aside. There is no reason to worry. Especially about feeding your family! I got you!

Many years ago I wrote a blog entry about keeping a prepared pantry. While some things have changed for me, the idea remains the same. Basically, you need to have on hand, the things your family enjoys eating. Then you need to be able to have on hand shelf cooking recipes that you can pull and make quickly with shelf ingredients. The Lunch Lady chicken and gravy is one of those recipes. But maybe you have some of your own. In which case you should stock the items to make those dishes. We love tuna noodle casserole and chicken and stuffing bake. Both of those are shelf pulls even when there is no fresh meat to add to them.

Do not limit your "pantry" to only the cupboard or closet. Your pantry is any food you have on hand including the freezer, refrigerator and dry pantry as well as root vegetables that only need cool or room temperature storage. I like to keep a well stocked freezer with lots of meats that we enjoy as well as frozen vegetables, fruits and freezer meals ready to heat up or toss in the slow cooker when time is precious. Freezer banking is a great way to do this when you are already making a casserole, why not make two, pop one in the freezer before you bake it and you already have dinner for another day! Same with leftovers of a slow cooked soup or stew! Those freeze great and can be reheated in the slow cooker for ease of preparation.

A variety of spices, sauces, condiments and mixes can help a lot and go a long way. Items such as pasta, mac and cheese, instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mix and the like can be turned into great dishes that are quick to make and delicious. Jarred gravy or gravy packets, stock in a box, creamed soups, family size cans of tomato soup are all great go to items for quick meals.

Basics such as canned vegetables, beans both canned and dried and canned meats like chicken, tuna, dried beef, salmon, and even spam are great options to keeping your pantry ready for anything! These items all require minimal preparation and depending on the circumstances you can always have something on hand to share in the event friends or neighbors come on hard times.

Keeping a prepared pantry is crucial. Not just for every day life, but for long term wellness of your family. If you do not have to worry about feeding your family then you can set your mind to help others who are in need. This may actually be one of the greatest gifts of all. I hope that you will find this helpful. It comes from the heart. Know that I am praying for all of you as we navigate these uncharted waters together.

Happy Eating!

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