Here are nine simple meal ideas that you might like to use when planning your three month food storage. I recommend coming up with 7 dinner ideas and building up enough ingredients to prepare each meal 12 times, which gives you dinner for three months! After completing dinner ideas, then you can move on to simple breakfast and lunch ideas. Don't forget to include some favorite snacks/comfort foods in your storage as well, like nuts and packaged cookies.
Most commercially canned items last over a year, so you can rotate these meals without having to eat them every night. Don't forget to add/exchange your own fresh ingredients when available! I also recommend adding a can of fruit or veggies as a side to go with each of these meals.
Some people prefer MREs for their three month storage. Choose whatever works for you!
1. Spaghetti Dinner
8 oz spaghetti noodles
1 - 26 oz spaghetti sauce with meat
Boil noodles according to package directions. Drain. Add sauce to noodles. Stir and heat.
2. Tuna Noodle Casserole
8 oz spiral noodles
1 can tuna, drained
1 - 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup milk (can use powdered milk)
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain. Arrange noodles and tuna fish in layers in casserole dish. Combine soup and milk. Pour over noodles. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese, if available. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.
3. Tuna Casserole 2
1 box macaroni and cheese
1 can tuna, drained
1 - 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
2/3 cup milk (can use powdered milk)
Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions. Drain. Return to sauce pan. Add powdered cheese, soup, tuna and milk. Stir and heat through or stir and pour into baking dish (heat at 350 for about 30 minutes).
4. Bean Burrito Enchilades
1 - 16 oz can refried beans
1 - 12 oz can red enchilada sauce
12 flour tortillas*
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4-6 Tbl vegetable shortening or lard
about 1 1/4 cups warm water
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetable shortening or lard. Or use a combination of half lard, half shortening. Use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned way and use your hands. Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water. Knead the dough for a few minutes.
Now pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like. Now you can roll out the dough with your rolling pin. It is a good idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. It is good to lift the dough and turn it. Roll them out fairly thin. Lay your tortilla on a med hot grill. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side. When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles.
Create 12 bean burros, by placing refried beans inside tortilla and rolling up. Then layer them in a 9 x 13 pan. Pour sauce over the top. Then add cheese to top, if available. Bake at 350 degrees until sauce is bubbly.
*Another option for tortillas: Store packaged tortillas in your fridge or freezer, when available. They can last up to three months in a pantry if necessary. Rotation is key.
5. Stew or Chili
2 large cans stew or chili (or make your own up ahead of time and jar it)
6. Pot Pie
2 pie crusts, can make your own, be sure to include ingredients in your storage
2 cans mixed vegetables
2 cups of chicken gravy, packets or jars
1 can of chicken
Prepare the gravy according to the package. Mix in the vegetables and chicken. Put in unbaked pie crust and top with pie crust. Flute the edges, vent and bake at 350 for approx. 40 minutes. Watch for the crust to be browned.
7. Hawaiian Haystacks
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of chicken
4 cups hot cooked rice
1 can chicken broth, optional, depending on desired thickness of chicken gravy
Cook rice as directed. Add chicken to soup to create gravy and heat. Serve "chicken gravy" over rice. You can top this with a wide variety of canned or fresh items: olives, dehydrated onion, dehydrated/frozen peppers, pineapple chunks, cheddar cheese, almonds, coconut, tomotoes, water chestnuts, peas, corn, mandarin oranges, pimiento, mushrooms, thawed frozen peas.
8. Sheppard's Pie
1 pound ground beef (canned or TVP)
2 T dried onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce
1 can corn, drained
1 can green beans, drained
4 cups mashed potatoes, use instant potatoes
In large skillet, rehydrate or heat meat through, add onion. To that, add all other ingredients, except potatoes. When heated through, place warm mashed potatoes on top, by spoonfuls. Top with cheese, if available. Serve.
9. Sheppard's Pie 2
2 cans of beef
1 can vegetable beef soup
4 cups instant potatoes
Combine vegetable beef soup and canned beef. Heat through. Cover with warm mashed potatoes and serve, or you may top your individual portions of potatoes as if it is a hearty gravy.
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