[prepgirl]

I've priced those prepared freeze-dried meals. They aren't cheap, are they? Plus, I really think proper nutrition is seriously lacking, not only in the freeze-dried meal area, but among preppers in general. Meals that contain white rice (and brown rice isn't much better), and white sugar and/or white flour, for example, really offer little as far as nutrition. So I started thinking about some ways I could make my own instant meals with an eye on nutrition. I've been digging around and so far I've found one idea (from Emergency Preparedness » Recipes), which I'll post below, but I'd like to keep a running list, and I'd really like to hear others' ideas. I do need to get some Mylar bags and a sealer, I guess, and I need a sealable bucket to put them in.

I don't use white sugar or white flour. I will be using erythritol and/or stevia for sweetening if needed.

Instant Oatmeal
1/2 c. instant oats
1 T. instant milk powder
2 T. chopped, dried fruit, optional but provides sweetness without sugar
1 t. sweetener, if preferred

Add one cup hot water to serve.

 

[bennettvm]

I have tried a few samples from those prepared meals, and they are average at best in taste. The WISE sample was chili mac. It tasted like something was missing from the packet. Not to mention they are very expensive. Purchased outright, that 1 meal would cost about $12. For $12, I can get 2 cans of spam $5, 5 lbs of white rice $3.75, and the rest in canned veggies/fruits. Why waste your money on those meals, when you can shop smart and store it yourself?

Supplement the white rice with veggies and fruit and you are doing good.

 

[Denton]

Thanks, girl! You are right, they cost a lot and your way is much better!

 

[rickkyw1720pf]

How about making your own MRE's there is so many things in the supermarket to make them with.

 

[9UC]

I've priced those prepared freeze-dried meals. They aren't cheap, are they? .............. and I'd really like to hear others' ideas. I do need to get some Mylar bags and a sealer, I guess, and I need a sealable bucket to put them in.

I don't use white sugar or white flour. I will be using erythritol and/or stevia for sweetening if needed.

Instant Oatmeal
1/2 c. instant oats
1 T. instant milk powder
2 T. chopped, dried fruit, optional but provides sweetness without sugar
1 t. sweetener, if preferred

Add one cup hot water to serve.

That idea sounds great! Wish I had a dollar for every bowl of Quaker Oats I've eaten over the past 60 plus years. I've recently, since mid December, picked a couple of the freeze dried "entree", and one each of the veggie and snacks buckets, but to supplement it with less cost items to supplement. As my wife has no interest in preparedness and I haven't done serious cooking in years, so I'm on my own on this. Recently I've been reading up on and getting supplies for canning, Could the above recipe be done with dry/oven canning. BTW, years ago when as a single parent and was cooking. Tried "Quick Oats" once and ate more than one over cooked bowl of regular oatmeal, I started using the 5 minute oats cooked roughly to the direction of the Quick variety. A lot more chewy.

 

[punch]

I've priced those prepared freeze-dried meals. They aren't cheap, are they? Plus, I really think proper nutrition is seriously lacking, not only in the freeze-dried meal area, but among preppers in general. Meals that contain white rice (and brown rice isn't much better), and white sugar and/or white flour, for example, really offer little as far as nutrition. So I started thinking about some ways I could make my own instant meals with an eye on nutrition. I've been digging around and so far I've found one idea (from Emergency Preparedness » Recipes), which I'll post below, but I'd like to keep a running list, and I'd really like to hear others' ideas. I do need to get some Mylar bags and a sealer, I guess, and I need a sealable bucket to put them in.

I don't use white sugar or white flour. I will be using erythritol and/or stevia for sweetening if needed.

Instant Oatmeal
1/2 c. instant oats
1 T. instant milk powder
2 T. chopped, dried fruit, optional but provides sweetness without sugar
1 t. sweetener, if preferred

Add one cup hot water to serve.

For a sealable bucket, go to Home Depot in the paint dept. and get a Gamma Seal lid. It is a screw on the bucket lid for all 7, 5 and 3 gallon pickle buckets. Its black with a plastic ring, with a rubber seal, you pound on to the bucket with a rubber mallet or your fist. Then you simply screw on the mating lid. Its made here in the U.S. and from the decal, its avalable in asst. colors but all I have found is black. I take acetone and wipe away the adversting on the outside of the Homer Bucket. I color code my buckets. Walmart Has blue buckets with the words "Walmart" and a yellow flower. Its less than the graphic on the homer bucket but it comes off just the same with a little acetone and wiping with a cloth. Northern Tool has yellow buckets. The buckets with advertising always cost about $2.00 more than a plain bucket. I leave the warnings on the side of the bucket so the kiddos dont think its a toy. If you do leave them out and about, puncture them so they don't retain water but can be used for collecting veggies, aluminum cans or use for a strainer filter. I hope this helps. Thanks for the recipe!

punch

 

[SSGT]

I deal with these guys since they are only a few miles away from me...Good prices on buckets and Gamma seal lids. Mylar bags...Ox absorbers and Dessicant

Food Grade Pails - Food Grade Buckets - 6.5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 6 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 4.25 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 3.9 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 3.5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 2.5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 2 Gallon F

They also have tons of other containers....water storage and Ammo cans and they ship anywhere.

I'm getting ready to head back and buy another of the largest ammo cans....they make a very nice stove!

surventorlist - YouTube

There is also some more versions out there....Lower a top window on a double hung.....use a piece of flashing tin in a frame to run your stovepipe through and its an emergency survival heater....Just pick up anything that burns!...Wood..Dried cowchips....Neihbors fence or even house if he's bugged out!

 

[punch]

I deal with these guys since they are only a few miles away from me...Good prices on buckets and Gamma seal lids. Mylar bags...Ox absorbers and Dessicant

Food Grade Pails - Food Grade Buckets - 6.5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 6 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 4.25 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 3.9 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 3.5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 2.5 Gallon Food Grade Pails, 2 Gallon F

They also have tons of other containers....water storage and Ammo cans and they ship anywhere.

I'm getting ready to head back and buy another of the largest ammo cans....they make a very nice stove!

surventorlist - YouTube

There is also some more versions out there....Lower a top window on a double hung.....use a piece of flashing tin in a frame to run your stovepipe through and its an emergency survival heater....Just pick up anything that burns!...Wood..Dried cowchips....Neihbors fence or even house if he's bugged out!

Thanks, That is a good deal, the gamma seal lids at Home Depot are like $6.50 or so.

punch

 

[Verteidiger]

I want to start making my own jerky. I need to get a meat smoker first.

Pre-prepared food costs so much because of the energy consumed to dehydrate or process them, and then transport them. Not to mention marketing them and distributing them.

You can make your own much cheaper.

I also need to consider a dehydrator to make dried fruits.

But, not gonna hijack the thread - because a homemade recipe thread is a great idea!

I'll contribute once I perfect my jerky-making techniques.

 

[9UC]

Several years ago I met a guy who did his jerky in his kitchen oven. IIRC after prepping, recipes on line, he put it on racks at 200 degrees with oven cracked open enough to let air circulate.

 

[prepgirl]

I want to start making my own jerky. I need to get a meat smoker first.

Pre-prepared food costs so much because of the energy consumed to dehydrate or process them, and then transport them. Not to mention marketing them and distributing them.

You can make your own much cheaper.

I also need to consider a dehydrator to make dried fruits.

But, not gonna hijack the thread - because a homemade recipe thread is a great idea!

I'll contribute once I perfect my jerky-making techniques.

Don't worry about hijacking. Jerky is on topic. It would be a great addition for meals on the go. In fact, that's what the Native Americans used in pemmican for their survival on the go meals.

We did make venison jerky last fall, but it was gone so quickly. I guess I'm going to have to save some next time before it's all gone!

You make some very good points about what makes the prepared meals more expensive.

I really liked the YouTube video on the homemade MRE's. I got some great ideas I can work with from that, so thanks for posting it!

 

[prepgirl]

Several years ago I met a guy who did his jerky in his kitchen oven. IIRC after prepping, recipes on line, he put it on racks at 200 degrees with oven cracked open enough to let air circulate.

Yes, you can make jerky, dried fruits and veggies in the oven on the lowest setting. No need for a special piece of equipment. I do have a dehydrator that I got years ago at a thrift store for cheap.

 

[Leon]

 

[Smitty901]

The Army had freeze dried food in MRE's for awhile. but they dropped it never did know why. It was not the entire MRE but some of it. The dried fruit was great.
Personally I hate to see it go..
Yes freeze dried is expensive.

 

[Piratesailor]

I've priced those prepared freeze-dried meals. They aren't cheap, are they? Plus, I really think proper nutrition is seriously lacking, not only in the freeze-dried meal area, but among preppers in general. Meals that contain white rice (and brown rice isn't much better), and white sugar and/or white flour, for example, really offer little as far as nutrition. So I started thinking about some ways I could make my own instant meals with an eye on nutrition. I've been digging around and so far I've found one idea (from Emergency Preparedness » Recipes), which I'll post below, but I'd like to keep a running list, and I'd really like to hear others' ideas. I do need to get some Mylar bags and a sealer, I guess, and I need a sealable bucket to put them in.

I don't use white sugar or white flour. I will be using erythritol and/or stevia for sweetening if needed.

Instant Oatmeal
1/2 c. instant oats
1 T. instant milk powder
2 T. chopped, dried fruit, optional but provides sweetness without sugar
1 t. sweetener, if preferred

Add one cup hot water to serve.

Good recipe.. Makes sense. Stupid question though... How do you store for long term? In what type of container?

 

[punch]

The foodstuffs I'm fine with, great idea. Regarding the water I would avoid the bottled stuff. Bottled water companies usually package their own water in house. Their plastic bottle making machines use a chemical called Biphismol A or BPA. (see below)

BPA (Biphismol A) is a compound regularly used in the lining of plastics or cans. It's meant to preserve stored food by putting a chemical wall between food and the metals or plastic components of containers that could 'shed' into food and contaminate it.

However, in a glorious twist of irony, the BPA is of course now showing up in all kinds of stored food, mostly canned, and has proven to mimic certain human hormones in ways that disrupt normal endocrine functioning. Oops!

Read more: Where does the BPA come from in canned foods? | GreenAnswers

In certain situations, like leaving the plastic bottles in a hot car, the BPA leaches out of the plastic and into the water. Hot/warm storage of homeade MRE's may have a similar effect. Instead, I would run my water through a Brita type charcoal filter and store in old glass water cooler bottles or spend a few dollars and buy plastic bottles marked BPA free. Walmart has them. I bought a Mainstays Walmart brand 24 pc food storage set for less than $10.00 Also microwaving plastics can case the BPA to leach into your food as well. I would take advantage of canning jars and vacuum packers. Just my $.02 Lets all be safe! Have a great weekend all.

punch

 

[Daryn]

I find canning food very useful

 

[Deebo]

My recipe for box fan jerky
2 20" box fan 34$
12 20"x20" filters 13$
12 laundry bags 12$
the box fans are three speed fans from Kmart 17 each
the filters are from ace hardware
the laundry bags are from dollar tree
Only store I have found that cuts meat for free is Grocery wharehouse. have it sliced on setting 2 and use bottom round roast.
Salt and pepper jerky is easiest, no marinade time
Mix 1 part salt to 3 parts pepper in a dispencer that will allow you to shake it out nicely.
Lay box fan on top of laundry basket, with cord to bottom, so air is pushed up.
apply one laundry bag over cheap 20X20 filter(this keeps most of the white fibers off your meat).
apply thinly sliced meat onto filter, keep edges from touching, not to crowded.
apply salt/pepper mix to taste
flip meat over, repeat salt and pepper.
place loaded filter over box fan.
load next filter by alternating the arraingement of the meat, north south, or east west, just so air can travel a little easier.
load four total filters on fan place last empty covered filter over top,
turn fan on high speed for about 20 hours...enjoy
i have also marinaded with jalapenos and habaneros, red chile powder, green chile, and my own easy homemade teriaki sauce, the sky is the limit on flavors.
Just made my lady about 2 pounds of lime and salt smothered. Damn, the acidity cooked the meat in the fridge like ceviche, and all I can taste is Limesalt, but she loved it.
I have been selling this jerky at work, and trading with the locals for pinion nuts, its simple, fun and has made me gas money when i needed it.

 

[Leon]

The foodstuffs I'm fine with, great idea. Regarding the water I would avoid the bottled stuff. Bottled water companies usually package their own water in house. Their plastic bottle making machines use a chemical called Biphismol A or BPA. (see below)

BPA (Biphismol A) is a compound regularly used in the lining of plastics or cans. It's meant to preserve stored food by putting a chemical wall between food and the metals or plastic components of containers that could 'shed' into food and contaminate it.

However, in a glorious twist of irony, the BPA is of course now showing up in all kinds of stored food, mostly canned, and has proven to mimic certain human hormones in ways that disrupt normal endocrine functioning. Oops!

Read more: Where does the BPA come from in canned foods? | GreenAnswers

In certain situations, like leaving the plastic bottles in a hot car, the BPA leaches out of the plastic and into the water. Hot/warm storage of homeade MRE's may have a similar effect. Instead, I would run my water through a Brita type charcoal filter and store in old glass water cooler bottles or spend a few dollars and buy plastic bottles marked BPA free. Walmart has them. I bought a Mainstays Walmart brand 24 pc food storage set for less than $10.00 Also microwaving plastics can case the BPA to leach into your food as well. I would take advantage of canning jars and vacuum packers. Just my $.02 Lets all be safe! Have a great weekend all.

punch

Ok here's my problem. If you just gave us your two cents, why does it only cost a penny for your thoughts? What happens to that other cent?

 

[Deebo]

was teasing the lady last night, she loves canning, and going to try to convince her to can some vinison, she will probably can it, but she wouldnt eat it.