Survival Kit Series week #4: Food Part I

If you are just joining us, I recommend starting with week #1.  You can find it here:

 Survival Kit Series Week #1

Once you've completed that, just jump in on this week's focus.  I will cycle through each week again once we are done.  You can do the earlier weeks last instead of first!  You can also read the intro to this series here: Survival Kit Ideas: a week by week approach.

I hope all of you were able to add something to help you purify water to your kit last week.  Water is absolutely essential to life.  You will not survive 3 days without water.

Photo Credit: o5com

You will survive without food for 3 days, but it wouldn't be fun.  It can actually be very dangerous.  You will have headaches, and experience serious fatigue and dizziness as your blood sugar levels are depleted. You might begin to lose muscle mass if your body needs to use it as an additional source of energy. You will likely be irritable and mentally fatigued.  That is not the condition I would want to be in following some sort of disaster.  I'm sure I will need all the physical and mental resources I can muster.  I want plenty of food in my 72 hr / survival kit.

This week's focus:  

Add food for 3 breakfasts and lunches (per person) to your survival / 72 hr kit.  Don't forget to leave a comment telling us what you decide to be entered in this week's giveaway!

Goals:

Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee

Keep in mind that you may be in a variety of situations if forced to use your kit.  You may be on the move.  You may not have much water.  You may not have much fuel.  You may be very busy.  You may be overwhelmed / scared.  As such, you should have a few goals in mind when adding food to your kit.  However, there is no one answer for all families.  Everyone is different and some of the following things may be more important to you than others.  But as a general rule, you want your food to meet as many of the following requirements as possible:

• Lightweight 
• Can be eaten without a water / heat source
• Easy to prepare (if you choose to use water / heat to prepare it)
• Nutritious
• Appetizing / familiar (consider a few comfort foods)
• High in Calories
• Long shelf life (in case you forget to rotate every six months).  You can also vacuum seal much of what you include to make it last longer.

What to Avoid:

Credit: wrestlingentropy

A few things I've learned from experience not to include (add your own suggestions / thoughts in the comments):

• Pop-top cans (soups etc): They can pop open rather easily and create quite a mess in your bag.
• Jolly Ranchers: They melt and become difficult to eat. 
• Mint Gum: If kept with your other food, it makes everything taste like mint (but you could keep it elsewhere if this is a good comfort food for you)
• Nuts:  Because of the high fat content, they go rancid rather quickly.  If you are really good at rotating them every 6 months, they should be fine, but if you know you tend to rotate less often (like me), you may want to avoid them.
• Crackers / Granola Bars: These are great options unless they are in a position where they are easily crushed/ smashed.  Then, they become difficult to eat.
• Fruit / Applesauce cups: They just don't stay sealed very well.
• Canned Goods: This is just personal preference, but they are heavy and bulky.  They don't taste great cold.  If you do choose to include them, you will also need a can opener.  I think freeze dried options are better.  Ideally you would have water to hydrate them, but if not, they are safe to eat dry.  I will include both options in the list below as canned goods are far less expensive and this benefit may be more important to you than weight.
•  

Breakfast Suggestions:

• Dehydrated / Freeze Dried fruit  (I get the pouch sizes: VERY lightweight.  Freeze dried = same nutrition as fresh, but my kids think it tastes like candy)  Contact me directly if you want to order a pouch size (1 cup) fruit sampler.  It costs $7.75.  It cannot be purchased online)
• Raisins / Craisins
• Fruit Leather
• Canned Fruit (include a can opener)
• Squeeze Fruit Pouches
• Squeezable Applesauce
• Instant Oatmeal Packets
• Instant milk (milk is a HUGE comfort food for my kids and this tastes just like fresh.  We actually use it every week)
• Dry cereal (like cheerios) in a vacuum sealed bag
• Fruit drink mixes (these are vitamin fortified.  You will need electrolytes; similar to gatorade)
• Hot cocoa (follow the link for some from Shelf Reliance that is vitamin fortified or just get some at the grocery store...it's cheaper!)
• Shelf stable Almond or Rice milk
• Cans of juice (single serving)
• Crackers with a small jar (non glass) of jelly or honey
• Trail Mix (be careful of the nuts...I suggest vacuum packing this if you do choose it)
• Rice cakes
• Granola (Contact me directly if you want to order this in a pouch size.  It costs $9.93 and would feed four.  It cannot be purchased online)
• Granola Bars / Nutri-grain Bars  

 

Lunch Suggestions:

• Tuna Pouches (the pre packaged ones at the grocery store with crackers and everything)
• Raw nuts (I suggest vacuum sealing them)
• Jerky
• Laughing Cow cheese wedges (no refrigeration required)
• Dehydrated / Freeze Dried fruit  (I get the pouch or pantry can sizes: VERY lightweight.  Freeze dried = same nutrition as fresh, but my kids think it tastes like candy)  Contact me directly if you want to order a pouch size (1 cup) fruit sampler.  It costs $7.75.  It cannot be purchased online)
• Canned Fruit (include a can opener)
• Canned Ravioli / Spaghettios etc.
• Canned beans / chili / stew
• Canned chicken / tuna + mayo / relish packets
• Dried soup mixes (will likely need to be cooked to be eaten...most include dehydrated foods which must be cooked).  These can be purchased in a larger size and then re-packed with a vacuum seal into smaller more manageable sizes..
• Raman Noodles / Cup of Noodles
  
• MREs (taste similar to Chef Boyardee. Usually come with their own heater and require no separate water / heat source.  Relatively long (5 yr) shelf life.  Are prone to exploding)
• Freeze Dried Chicken Salad (chicken, celery, onions...just add water) and mayo and / or relish packets.   (Contact me directly if you want to order this in a pouch size.  It costs $11.71 and would feed four.  It cannot be purchased online)
• Squeeze Fruit Pouches
• Squeezable Applesauce
• Raisins / Craisins
• Fruit Leather / fruit roll-ups
• Fruit drink mixes (these are vitamin fortified.  You will need electrolytes; similar to gatorade)
• Crackers with a small jar of peanut butter
• Trail Mix (be careful of the nuts...I suggest vacuum packing this if you do choose it)
• Granola Bars / Nutri-grain Bars

What we have done in our family:

We have multiple pantry cans of freeze dried fruit.  I've chosen this b/c it is lighter, healthier, and has a longer shelf life than dehydrated fruit (I don't have to worry about rotating it).  We have a pouch of instant milk (enough for 1 gallon) as this is a huge comfort food for my kids.  We have vacuum sealed cereal. and instant oatmeal packets.  We have crackers (at the very top of our kit) and peanut butter and 6 MREs for lunch.  After creating the above list, I will be adding (this week) fruit leather, rice cakes, granola, and a chicken salad pouch.

This week's focus:  

Add food for 3 breakfasts and lunches (per person) to your survival / 72 hr kit.  Don't forget to leave a comment telling us what you decide to be entered in this week's giveaway!

And don't forget....
Add $1 per person to your survival kit this week.  Make sure you use $1 bills and / or quarters.

Monthly Challenge: Water.  

This is separate from your 72 hr kit and will help you be prepared to deal with the after effects of an emergency that you do not have to evacuate for.  
Find a way to store at least 14 gallons of water per person in your family.  This is a bare minimum for 2 week's survival and leaves no extra for cooking or washing.  If you already have some water stored, try to add at least another 14 gallons per person.  You can store it in 55 gallon water barrels, 5 gallon containers, plastic juice bottles (not the kind from the refrigerated section), soda bottles, or 16.9 oz water bottles.  A variety is best.  If you have a large water source such as a swimming pool, get a water filter so you could use it if contaminated.  Learn more about water storage

Other weeks in the Series:

Intro: Survival Kit Ideas: a week by week approach
Week #1: Rotation and Packaging
Week #2: Water Part I
Week #3: Water Part II

This week's winner:

I'm so thrilled to announce the winner of week #3's drawing:  I had 7 entries (just one per person):   According to Random.org comment #5 was the winner.

Hi, I'm Heidi said:

Congrats Heidi!   

Want to win?
I am giving away 1 prize per week for 26 weeks.  All you have to do to enter the drawing each week is LEAVE A COMMENT on this post before 11:59 pm on Tuesday.  Simple.  This is open to anyone and everyone: my family members, friends, those I've never met, other Shelf Reliance consultants: anyone! Below are the 4 prizes each winner can choose from:

1. A 55 gallon water barrel, 
2. A Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter, or 
3. A Featherlite zero degree sleeping bag
4. A $70 credit to purchase any emergency supplies you want from Shelf Reliance

That's right!  I will be giving away something EACH WEEK for 26 weeks!

Want to guarantee winning one of the above?  
If you want to earn a prize instead (or in addition) to winning one, fill out the form at the bottom of this post each week.  Once you reach 50 entries (an average of just over 2 per week), I will contact you about which free product you want.
You can share it:

• using the buttons at the very bottom of this post.  This is the quickest and most painless way:...just click on each button!  Each click counts as one entry!
• on your own on facebook (each post counts as one entry, so post often), 
• on your own on twitter (each tweet counts as one entry), 
• on your own on pinterest (each pin counts as one entry)
• by phone (each phone call counts as one entry), 
• by email (each person you email counts as one entry), or 
• on your blog / website (each post / mention counts as one entry).  

The following form will be available at the end of each weeks post.  Simply submit your info each week.  Once you reach 50 entries, I will contact you about which product you'd like.  Please be honest!



I am an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance; a company with a mission to empower others to become self reliant, prosperous and charitable.  You can learn more about Shelf Reliance, buying their products, earning free products, or selling their products on my Shelf Reliance website.