New Recipes

Lately, I have been giving a lot of thought to food storage. This is in large part because I was recently called to serve on the Preparedness Committee in my church. The church I belong to stresses storing food and water in the event of an emergency; along with creating a plan for where your family will meet up, how they will contact each other, and what options B and C are in the unfortunate situation that a natural disaster, economic downturn, emergency, and even job loss impact your family. "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30)
There are hundred of online resources and books about the subject but at some point you need to know enough to ask the right questions and how to process the information you find or it's just data overload. That is pretty much the situation I have been in up to this point (and, to be perfectly honest, I am not entirely sure I've moved on from this stage). Nevertheless, I have decide to move forward with what I do know. And I know how to cook. So, I am starting to collect recipes of various dishes that incorporate food storage ingredients*. Not only is it cost effect to buy basic ingredients in bulk and make your own food but it is also healthier for your family to eat this way because there are less artificial flavorings, preservatives, and additives in your food. Unfortunately, some of the meals you can make with these ingredients don't taste very good. Let's be honest, there is surviving and then there is surviving. If I am going to start up a food storage program in the event of an emergency I want it to be surviving in the latter sense of the word. In the eyes of my 3-year-old, Wonder Bread with its light, fluffy texture wins hands down in a comparison to hand-ground, whole wheat bread. You could use that loaf as a door stop or a fuel alternative not a PB&J sandwich. I am looking for shelf stable** recipes that my family will actually enjoy eating. And, I am looking for alternate ways to make grocery items from home.
I don't own any fancy gadgets or equipment like a water-bath canner, a dehydrator, a wheat grinder, or a food saver. In fact, I don't even own a traditional blender. The only food shelving I have is the pantry that came with the house. I am at the begining and going from there. I will be incorporating my adventures into new food storage recipes and my thoughts on these foods in my blog. Enjoy the crazy ride.

*Food storage ingredients: Foods such as dried beans, whole grains, rice, etc... these are ingredients that can be air-tight sealed, stored at room temperature, and maintain nutritional value for 5, 10, sometimes 30, years.
**Shelf stable recipes: Recipes that only require pantry items to make the dish, thus the meal can be stored without electricity and made without perishable ingredients. I really don't like when someone lists a recipe as "food storage" simply because it includes rice in the ingredient list but the main items you need are chicken breast and two fresh pears. I can't raise chickens in my backyard and I wouldn't know how to prepare a live chicken even if I did so that is not going to work for me. I want my recipes to be two-fold: a meal I enjoy eating just the way it is, with only pantry ingredients, AND a dish that can be spiced up with fresh produce or meats if the option is viable.