A Sample One-week Meal Plan

Following is an example of what one woman did for her one-week plan that could then be expanded to be a simple one-month or three--month supply. She has decided not to use her freezer as part of her storage; I tend to think that for a three-month supply, it would be unlikely that we wouldn't have our freezers to use. You make the call for yourself. :)

Remember that we have been counseled not to go to extremes or go into debt, so as you make your plan, be sure to buy what you can afford; you can start by adding one or two extra things every time you shop until you eventually build up a surplus of all of your basics.

BREAKFAST
Monday: Whole wheat pancakes and syrup; cocoa
Tuesday: Cold cereal; cocoa
Wednesday: Oatmeal or cracked wheat (I like cracked wheat and the kids like oatmeal); cocoa
Thursday: Whole wheat pancakes and syrup; cocoa
Friday: Cold cereal; cocoa
Saturday: Oatmeal or cracked wheat; cocoa
Sunday: Muffins and juice
(She uses cocoa to be able to use powdered milk; I would add juices or something else for variety.)

LUNCH
Monday: Macaroni and cheese; raisins
Tuesday: Peanut butter and jam sandwiches
Wednesday: Tuna sandwiches
Thursday: Tomato soup; breadsticks
Friday: Sloppy joe calzones
Saturday: Tuna Helper (with broccoli added)
Sunday: Beef stew; biscuits and jam

DINNER
Monday: Chili; cornbread and jam; peaches
Tuesday: Lasagna Hamburger Helper; green beans; applesauce
Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper; mandarin oranges; peas; and Jello
Thursday: Sheperd's Pie; pears
Friday: Chicken Helper; pineapple tidbits; cake
Saturday: Clam chowder; muffins
Sunday: Spaghetti; corn; fruit cocktail

My Food Storage Shopping List

I have a list of things that I like to keep on hand for the foods that we eat on a regular basis. I have lots of different options, and decided to include them all for the sake of brainstorming.

My three-month supply for cooking includes the following:

Breakfast foods:

• Oats and oat grouts
• Cold cereal (I try to buy only on sale, and our goal is to eat less for cost's sake)
  
• Baking ingredients (for quick breads, raised breads, waffles and pancakes, etc.)
  
• Eggs (I hear they can be frozen...still have yet to experiment with that; I expect that would work better for baking) - but they still keep for weeks in the fridge
  
• Pancake mix
• Cocoa mix
• Nuts (for granola, protein kick for the morning, smoothies)
• Frozen hash browns
• Bacon bits (I freeze them)
• Shredded cheeses (freeze well)
• Cream cheese (keeps for months in the fridge)
  
• Yogurt cultures (I have a yogurt maker)
• Peanut butter, jams and other bread spreads
• Frozen, dried and canned fruits
• Bottles of juices and/or frozen juice concentrates
• Nuts
  

Ingredients for Lunch and Dinner Foods:

• Rice (for a shorter-term supply, you can store brown as well as white rice)
  
• Pasta (shaped pastas, spaghetti, lasagna)
  
• Other grains for nutrition and variety (I'm experimenting with quinoa right now)
• Lunch meats (I buy in bulk and then wrap and freeze individual slices to help them last longer, and for convenience and food safety for school lunches)
• Bread spreads (see above)
• Tuna
• Mayo, mustard, catsup
• Tortillas (my goal is to get myself making these from scratch)
• Canned beans (I like kidney and black) (I sometimes will use pureed white beans in baking or sauces to hide fiber and nutrition in our meals and treats)
• Dehydrated (or canned) refried beans (cannery refried beans are awesome!)
  
• Pasta sauces (jars and mixes -- our favorite mixes are pesto and alfredo envelopes)
• Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato soup (I've started using the latter in place of sauce or paste in recipes)
• Canned pineapple and mandarin oranges
• Frozen (and sometimes dried) veggies (all sorts)
• Canned evaporated milk
• Cream soups (I use cream of chicken the most)
• Cheese (I like to buy shredded cheese in bulk and freeze in smaller bags) -- mozzarella and cheddar or cheddar/jack
• Cream cheese (stores for months in fridge)
• Canned meats (frozen works, too, but I prefer the ease and small portions of the cans) -- Cannery meats are great
  
• Ingredients to make bread (flour, wheat, yeast, oil, salt, sugar, powdered milk)
• Boxed mixes (e.g., mac-n-cheese, Rice-a-Roni and Pasta Roni)
• Packaged flavorings/seasonings (Italian, Mexican, Chinese...these add so much variety to my basics!) -- these in addition to my basic spices that I get in bulk (taco seasoning, garlic seasoning (my favorite is Johnny's from Costco), cinnamon)
• Other spices (curry, pumpkin pie spice, Italian seasoning, etc.)
  
• Canned soups/soup mixes
• Bullion and/or canned broths
• Dried minced onion
• Green chiles
• BBQ sauce
  

Getting Started

I was excited when I heard about the modified approach to food storage. Even though we are still encouraged to have a year's supply of basic foods that can keep us alive (wheat, beans, etc.), we can begin with a shorter-term supply of things we eat. The goal is to have that supply be for three months, but we can start with a week, then build to a month, and then get to three months.

So, if you are just getting started, for the next couple of weeks, record what you make and what ingredients you use that could be stored on the shelf or in the freezer. You could easily have a one-week supply if you buy those ingredients. To keep things simple, you could easily translate that into a one-month or three-month supply by multiplying ingredient amounts by 4 or 12.

The majority of the posts here will be used to share what I make and store (adding a few ideas from friends as well), with the intent to help you get your own brain juices going. Of course, our tastes will not all be the same, but maybe something here will help you think of something your family would like.