Emergency Provisions: Food Staples Your Family Should Have on Hand

As convenient as it is to have grocery stores available for the weekly purchase of your family's favorite foods, we need to become more self-reliant, and less dependent upon having everything so easily attainable. It is becoming increasingly more important to stock up on food and water for your family, in the event of natural disasters or money shortages; learn how to combine your family's preferences with concentrated nutritional foods that keep your family healthy.

Baking Supplies

For home-baked goods your family will need learn how to bake, and stock up on whole grain flours, bulk yeast, sugar, salt, milk, and oil. These supplies provide the means to make everything from pizza, pastas, muffins, breads, tortillas, pastries and pancakes. Although sugar is a staple, fresh and dried fruits can also supply a natural sweetness for your baked goods.

I prefer mixing whole grain flours together, from a variety of high-protein grain flours such as quinoa and amaranth, nutritionally fortifying inexpensive and less-nutritious flours, such as wheat, barley, and oats. When flour is unavailable, I purchase whole grains and grind my own; sifting out the larger chunks for delicious whole-grain cereals, when cooked with 2 parts water or milk to 1 part grain (wheat plus milk makes a complete protein).

Milk Sources

Unless you have a cow or goat to supply fresh milk daily, you'll need to stock up on milk in other currently available forms. Concentrated baby formula and dry baby cereals should be purchased by the case and stored. If you wind up with extra once your baby is weaned, add them to home-baked goods for additional vitamins and minerals; plus selling, bartering, or donating excesses could be extremely beneficial.

Milk is also available in several convenient high-protein forms packed with calcium, and other necessary nutrients for your entire family. Although canned milk is only available in 8-oz. pop-top cans, concentrated-powdered milk is also available in easy-travel moisture-proof packets, in pantry-sized boxes, and in five-gallon bucket containers.

Healthy Oils

Pure olive oil is brain and heart-healthy, as long as it is NOT mixed with Canola or other undefined/genetically modified food or non-food oils (read the labels). Olive oil is flavorful when used stove-top to saute, yet mild enough to use for making bread, pizza dough, and other home-baked items.

Coconut oil is also rich in nutrition, but is able to withstand extreme heat or campfires, without burning or scorching foods. It also has a Crisco-like consistency with a faint coconut aroma delightful in pastries, fruit breads, and pancakes, besides making home-popped popcorn taste sweeter.

Both oils can be safely used to moisturize sensitive skin, prevent wrinkling, and provide a healthy, natural glow when used underneath makeup. They can also be used for natural makeup removal, as shown in the article "Coconut Oil for a Beautiful New You".

Versatile Dried Foods

Although my family is not a big fan of rice (or lentils) they do love beans, both of which are versatile dry-staples for your family. Combine rice with homemade salsa and beans for a festive Spanish-rice dish, which can also disguise a variety of additional, nutritious vegetables.

Steamed rice is an easily digestible food for babies, and when mixed with steamed and mashed fruits or vegetables, becomes nutritious homemade baby food. As an added bonus we found our dogs actually preferred rice and beans (together make protein) mixed with refrigerator leftovers, instead of expensive and questionable store-bought dog foods; saving us money and space stocking up on rice and beans for them too.

Emergency Guidebooks

Stocking up on water as well as the above-listed staples, and using the emergency guidebooks listed here, you will be able to create nutritionally balanced meals, when added to your garden-fresh fruits and vegetables, as recommended in the books "How to Grow an EMERGENCY Garden" and the "ABC's of Nutritious Cooking: a Back-to-Basics Survival Guide for Your Family". Get your family involved in cooking up their favorite dishes with you, and they will be able to feed themselves, and stay healthy, even under the harshest of circumstances.