Archive | Pantry Meal RSS feed for this section

“Soup in a Bag” week: Corn Potato Cheddar Chowder

17 May Corn Potato Cheddar

Last, but certainly not least, we have LeGay who tested out the book “Soup in a Bag” for us.  I’d like to send out a big THANK YOU to all three of our testers this week!!  I know I’ve got some new soup recipes I’m looking forward to trying out.  You guys have been great!!

~~~

My name is LeGay Burrell. I am a stay-at-home Mom to three children ages 17, 10, and 8.  I currently live in Kentucky but I am an Arizona girl, born and raised.  I have this silly obsession with Mason jars.  I love how they look on a shelf, the popping sound they make when they seal… so the idea of meals in a jar is very appealing to me.  Moving to Kentucky, where tornado warnings are not uncommon, has helped me to realize how important it is that I become more organized and prepared to feed my family in an emergency.

I was so excited to receive the Soup in a Bag cookbook! I liked it so much, that I immediately ordered both Bread in a Bag cookbooks to go with it.  I love soups but my three children aren’t big fans.  So, I’ve begun the search for a recipe that will please them.  So far, I’ve managed to try 8 out of the 30 recipes. (My dehydrator has been working overtime.)  Now, instead of the usual, “What’s for dinner?” my kids are asking, “Are we having soup again?” Continue reading →

“Soup in a Bag” week: Split Pea Soup

15 May SplitPa

Today I’m featuring our second tester, Kat’s review of the book “Soup in a Bag” by Pam Emick.  Enjoy!  In other happenings, I thought I’d let you know I was thrilled to be invited to contribute over on Deseret Book’s Time Out for Women’s blog today!!  Fingers crossed that it snags some new readers to get excited about cooking with their food storage!

~~~

Hi, my name is Kat.  I’m the grandma in a three generation household in the Pacific Northwest.  I’ve been putting together our food storage a little bit at a time for quite a while as it’s recommended to do by my church.  It just seems like a great idea, especially with the state of the world today.  I work full time for an accounting firm and have a Stampin’ Up!  business (you’ll find me here), so I actually do very little cooking, but I do try to test a food storage recipe for our family food storage cookbook at least once a week. Continue reading →

“Soup in a Bag” week: Potato Cheese Soup

13 May soup in a jar

It’s “Soup in a Bag” week!!  You’ll remember our search for reviewers of the book “Soup in a Bag” by Pam Emick back in April.  Well, they’ve now tested it out for us, testing a total of 14 recipes!  They did a fabulous job!!  Also, thanks to the book’s author for allowing us to share each tester’s favorite here.

Without further ado, here’s our first reviewer, Julene (you’ll find the other reviews posted on Wed. and Fri).   Julene is also the author of Prepare Today Newsletter.  You can pay her a visit there to find out more of her tips and favorites on the subject of food storage and preparedness!

Continue reading →

Chicken Barley Soup

9 May Chicken Barley Soup (5)

I’ve got some great “tried and taste tested” content coming up in the next two weeks!  It’s a little different than my “norm” recipe schedule, here there and everywhere (haha!) but I think you’ll like it.

First off, in my second post this week I’ll be posting a compilation of various grocery store ingredient taste tests.  Basically a directory of which brands (of which products) to consider more closely as you’re building your pantry.  This comes as I’ve been collecting this information for a while, trolling various published taste tests and adding up their results. My goal with this post has been to get a better picture of which brand’s products are worth stocking up on versus which ones aren’t.

Secondly, the “Soup in a Bag” reviews are back!!  With the detail in each tester’s trial, I’ve decided to post them each independently M-W-F of next week.  And, best of all, thanks to permission given from the book’s author, each post will include the tester’s favorite recipe for you to try yourself!  Awesome!!  Get ready to enjoy!

Speaking of soup, appropriately enough, swim team just started for my three oldest kids which means the water is freezing and I have kids coming home with blue lips and chattering teeth for the first few weeks.  So you can guess what’s on the menu a lot lately.  This homey soup is the food storage version of this recipe and went over well with everyone, even the five year old.

serves 6 -8 Continue reading →

Simple Sesame Noodles

27 Apr Simple Sesame Noodles (2)

A yummy way to serve up a bowl of noodles!  Don’t let this recipe’s simplicity deceive you — both kids and adults alike love these noodles whether served on their own or as a side. Compliments of Ree Drummond (aka Pioneer Woman).

serves 4-6 

Continue reading →

Homemade Hamburger Helper: 9 varieties

4 Apr Homemade Hamburger Helper (20)

We’re all looking for an easy way to get dinner on the table.  Most nights we’d like it to be without too much thought and without having to worry whether the family is going to eat what we make.  Betty Crocker and other manufacturers have made a killing on the idea of “dinner in a box” albeit with the price of preservatives, colorings and chemicals added in.  Enter Suzanne McMinn.  This gal heads up the site “Chickens in the Road” and she’s figured out a number of the Hamburger Helper boxed dinners for us, allowing us to enjoy the convenience we want minus the additives we don’t.

Now I have to be honest, I’ve never bought Hamburger Helper and only learned about this website and recipe idea from a reader who asked for a food storage version of it.  But I’m so glad she did!  And can we say “pantry meal time”??  I love it when I see people naturally coming up with the same idea.  Ready packed meals make sense whether you’re using them day to day or to have on hand in case of emergency, whether the emergency be immediate –to have ready to grab and go with your 72 hour kit– or longer term.

Thanks to Suzanne doing the hard work,  I’ve done the much easier part of translating them to food storage.  And btw, there are all kinds of additions you can make to these recipes, I’d suggest visiting Suzanne’s original blog post for more ideas on that.  Also, all of the recipes call for 1 lb. ground beef (or about 2 cups cooked), so if you’re using fresh ground beef (or hamburger from the freezer) that’s the amount you’d need.

Each recipe serves 4-6

Continue reading →

Easy Hamburger Soup

28 Mar Easy Hamburger Soup (11)

A simple to prepare yet hearty soup that easily adapts with food storage ingredients.  As an everyday meal it’s a great “catch-all” for whatever extra veggies you have in the refrigerator to use up!  I like making this recipe in a large batch because we like the leftovers the next day but if it’s too large a recipe for your group you can easily cut it down by half.  Also, remember, you can replace the soup back into your wonder oven after serving if you’re wanting to keep it hot!

Although it simmers for 45 minutes I’ve categorized it as a pantry meal for how simple the preparation is (plus, it easily “packs” as one).  Ten minutes –fifteen if you’re using freeze dried ingredients– and it’s on it’s way!

Serves 10-12

Continue reading →

Thai Coconut Corn Soup

16 Mar Thai Coconut Corn Soup (16)

After a string of more complicated recipes it’s time to throw in a fast and easy one.  I’ve shortened it’s author-given title here from it’s original  ”Nearly-Instant Thai Coconut Corn Soup”, giving you an idea of how easy it is.

About five years ago Vegan.com pulled together a recipe top ten.  They asked the authors of ten popular vegan cookbooks to name their own personal favorite recipe from their book.  This recipe (which I’ve adapted, though not very much) was author Nava Atlas’ favorite from her book Vegan Express.  Made as she wrote it, it’s an ideal “first course” soup.  I added some rice to bulk it up, to serve as a “meal” soup but you can choose leave it without the rice, whichever way you like.   In place of the rice milk (used as a substitute anyway for cow’s milk) I used a can of evaporated milk however if you’re sensitive to milk (or happen to be vegan) this would be an easy reverse switch to make; rice milk, sold in shelf stable containers has a shelf life of about a year.

This soup makes me happy.  It went over well with everyone (including the five year old) and now I’ll get to have a taste of “Thai”, which I can further spice up if I want to, to enjoy in our food storage plan. Continue reading →

Perfect “Just Add Water” Pancake Mix

26 Jan Perfect Pancake Mix (6)

It’s tough to find a boxed pancake mix that doesn’t turn out pancakes that are heavy and dense and bordering on flavorless.  This recipe is one you can mix yourself from shelf stable ingredients, has a “made from scratch” taste and makes a lighter pancake.  The flavor boosting “secret” ingredient is malted milk, not something you’d think to add into your pancake mix, but believe me you’ll like it!

Continue reading →

Guilt-Free Macaroni & Cheese

8 Dec Clean Macaroni & Cheese (11)

Print the recipe page!  guilt-free macaroni and cheese

If I’m going to go to the work of chasing down bulk amounts of ingredients, spend a lot of hard saved money and then find places in my home to store all these ingredients, you’d better believe I have a priority list of criteria my storable recipes have to meet. The recipes that make it into my plan have to meet at least two of the following four requirements:

  •  better than average nutritionally
  • quick and convenient to make
  • pass the family’s taste test (required always — this food will be used)
  • a favorite/familiar comfort food (overriding sometimes my strictness on the nutrition /quick & easy rule)

This recipe is one of the rare exceptions that hit all four of my goals.

Many thanks to Susan Voisin for the base recipe I adapted this from.  My version isn’t vegan (as Susan’s is) since I did include powdered milk (anyone know of a suitable lactose-free powdered milk substitute for those who can’t have milk?) but thanks to the talented vegan cook parentage it originated from it’s got it going on in the nutrition and taste department.  The star of the show is cheesy flavored nutritional yeast with 14 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber in it’s small one ounce appearance.  The tahini adds in another 6 grams of protein.  And of course, this “clean” version has no strange chemicals or colors that the box at the store contains.

Across the board, all my kids — even with their “we love cheese, we can tell if it’s not real cheese so just try us” taste buds– fell for this cheese-less mac and cheese!  I find myself agreeing with many of the comments from the original recipe, that it’s got an addictive flavor.  And…happy day…it’s absolutely no-fat/no-guilt!  To top everything off, it’s extremely fast to make.  I suggest making it even easier for yourself by pre-measuring the dry ingredients ahead of time and packing it as a pantry meal.

I think you’re really going to enjoy this recipe! Continue reading →

Crispy Orange Beef

29 Nov Crispy Orange Beef (10)

Print the recipe page!  crispy orange beef

Have a Chinese restaurant favorite at home, and better yet, planned as a meal in your food storage plan!  This meal goes together really fast.  By the time the rice is cooked, dinner is served!

serves 4-6

Continue reading →

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

10 Nov Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (16)

Print the recipe card!  greek lemon chicken soup

This is the food storage version of one of my all-time favorite soups.  In fact, there was a time (before kids) when I used to work near a Greek restaurant and have this soup for lunch 2-3 times a week.  Naturally, it found it’s way into my food storage plan.

This variation (changed up from this fresh recipe) includes all the same ingredients of an original Avegolemono (it’s Greek name) but rather than a wet roux, a powdered “instant” roux is mixed and sprinkled over top of the soup while stirring.   It’s so easy to make and is prepared even faster when stored as a pantry meal.  This soup gets requested by my kids for their lunch thermos’… proof it’s well-liked at our house!

serves 6-8

Continue reading →

Ground Beef Stroganoff

27 Oct Ground Beef Stroganoff (9)

Print the recipe card!  ground beef stroganoff

Thanks to Kathy Clark, author of Dinner is in the Jar for permission to share this recipe!   Packed as a pantry meal it’s really fast and easy to make and everyone likes it!

Continue reading →

Homemade Fruit and Cream Instant Oatmeal

21 Oct Homemade Instant Oatmeal (13)

Print the recipe page!  homemade fruit and cream instant oatmeal

Build some convenience into your breakfast plan with delicious just-add-water instant oatmeal! Our favorite is this one adapted from Chef Tess Bakeresses’ recipe.  Besides being fast and easy to serve, it tastes wonderful!

Continue reading →

Pasta with Bacon and Shrimp

11 Oct Pasta with Bacon and Shrimp (1)

Print the recipe card!  pasta with bacon and shrimp

This meal comes from a recipe found in Giada Laurentiis’ new book Weeknights with Giada.  As a preface to the recipe, Giada writes that it was her way of persuading her husband that whole wheat pasta is delicious.  This is funny to me… so  when in doubt (and trying to get your husband to eat healthier pasta) just add bacon!  Whichever way about it, it works as a food storage meal.  Turn this loose on your own bacon lovers and see what they think!

serves 4-6

Continue reading →

Gnocchi

4 Oct Gnocchi (16)

Print the recipe card!  gnocchi

Gnocchi, or German potato dumplings, are about the easiest and fastest dish to make.  There’s nothing to it!  We like ours topped with warm spaghetti sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

serves 4-6

Continue reading →

Pantry-Made Falafels

7 Aug Platter with falafel, hummus, roti and yogurt dip

Print the recipe card!  Pantry Made Falafels

Although the name sounds exotic and quirky, falafels are simply fried balls or patties of mashed chickpeas/garbanzo beans. They are common in the Mediterranean and Middle East, either served as appetizers with hummus, tzatziki, and flatbread or stuffed into pita pockets with lettuce and tomato. Falafel patties also make excellent veggie-burgers!

Continue reading →

Dry Veggie Powder Mixes

27 Jul Homemade Dry Veggie Powder Mix

Print the recipe card!  dry veggie powder mixes

Condiments and seasonings go a long way towards adding variety and interest to your food storage, but buying commercial jars and mix packets can get really expensive and nibble away at your real food budget. I stumbled on this homemade version when I was figuring out new things to do with our dehydrated vegetables.  The huge bonus is that you can make your own custom dry mixes while using up any dehydrated veggies that aren’t family favorites or that you’ve discovered don’t reconstitute well. Dry mixes like these have a multitude of uses, limited only by your imagination. So far I’ve used them for chowder and soup bases, pesto, casseroles, omelets, salad dressing and dips.

Continue reading →

Creamy Millet and Turkey Salad

4 Jul SaladCompleteAlt (1)

Print the recipe page!  creamy millet and turkey salad

Cooking from your pantry using food storage ingredients doesn’t mean you‘re limited to rice and beans. Most people are familiar with rice pilaf, but millet is a refreshing change of pace and is gluten-free, unlike couscous and bulgur. If you aren’t familiar with millet, you’ve probably seen it a million times without even realizing… it’s those tiny buff-colored beads in birdseed. Fear not, its people food, too! Today’s recipe is for a creamy millet “pilaf” and turkey salad, served warm or cool, that is sure to tempt your taste buds.

Continue reading →

Tortellini Soup

26 Apr Tortellini Soup (1)

Print the recipe card!  tortellini soup

So quick and easy!  Find out (in the notes section) which brand of tortellini was chosen by taste testers of a leading cooking magazine as the best tasting.  Hint…it’s food storage friendly!

Continue reading →

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 351 other followers