Luis Mendez: 90 Days of Food to Survive a Pandemic

Friends:


Definitely not going back to my old EMOPS function, but sharing what i picked up in the BC network for family preparedness in case of a city lockdown - just adjust to your culinary preferences.


Unimaginable I know but so was the closing of China’s borders - the “black swan” always happens


Read the full article in Modern Survival Blog

Take care out there

Lou

Pandemic Survival | How Much Food Do I Need

It’s all about the calories. Balance and nutrition is important too. But lets focus on calories. Why? Because that’s the primary reality of having enough food to survive.

2,000 calories per day, per person. That’s a typical “good enough” number for most.

So how do you get a sense as to how many calories you might need (or already have) for food storage at home? It can be deceptive — in that you might think you have enough — but do you?

The following meal plan averages about 2,000 calories per day:

Breakfast (~500 calories)

Calories include 1 glass of milk (~100 calories)

1. (3) Pancakes w/syrup & butter (540 calories)
2. (2) Oatmeal packets in milk (520 calories)
3. (2) Toast with Butter & Jelly (500 calories)
4. (1/3) can Spam (460 calories)

Lunch (~600 calories)

Calories include 1 glass of milk (~100 calories)

1. Tuna sandwich, (1) 5oz can, w/2tbsp Mayo (600 calories)
2. Chicken sandwich, (1/2 12-oz can) w/2tbsp Mayo (620 calories)
3. Mac-n-Cheese, 1/2 box (650 calories)
4. Peanut Butter sandwich w/3tbsp PB (585 calories)

Dinner (~700 calories)

Calories include 1 glass of milk (~100 calories)

1. Pasta & Sauce, 1/4-lb & 1/3-pint sauce (620 calories)
2. Rice & Beans w/canned-veggie, dry measure 1/2-cup rice & 1/4-cup beans (690 calories)
3. Rice & Chicken w/canned-veggie, dry measure 1/2-cup & 1 (12 oz) can chicken (810 calories)
4. Corned Beef Hash & Toast, 1/2 can w/2-slices toast (680 calories)

Canned vegetables with 2 of 4 meals above (rotate),

• canned green beans (60 calories)
• cans of carrots (70 calories)
• canned whole corn (210 calories)

Snacks (~200 calories)

Peanuts, 1/4-cup (200 calories)

Grocery List for 90-day Meal Plan

Augason Farms dry-milk (3) #10 cans makes 270 cups (~17 gallons)
(view on amzn)

Pancake Mix (2) 32-oz boxes Aunt Jemima ‘Buttermilk Complete’ makes ~120 4″ cakes

Oatmeal packets Box of 45
(view on amzn)

Spam (8) 12-oz cans

Jelly (1) large 30-oz jar of your favorite

Butter (2) pounds for toast & bread-making

Flour (3) 5 pound bags for ~15 loaves of homemade bread

Canned Chicken (30) 12.5-oz cans

Canned Tuna (23) 5-oz cans

Mayo (3) 30-oz large jars

Mac-n-Cheese (12) boxes

Peanut Butter (1) 40-oz large jar

Pasta (5) pounds

Pasta sauce (6) pints

Rice (8) pounds

Dry Beans (2) pounds

Canned Corned Beef Hash (9) cans

Peanuts (7) 16-oz jars (pounds)

Canned Green Beans (12)

Cans of Carrots (12)

Canned Corn (12)

Conclusion

This is for 1 person. Adjust accordingly.

Note that any meats you have in the freezer are calories. Beef is about 1,000 calories per pound while chicken is about 500.

A 3 month food inventory really is not difficult. It’s just a matter of doing. The example above is just one of nearly infinite possibilities.

Just think about what you’ll need over that time period so that you won’t have to go to the grocery store.

No fresh milk. But the milk alternative I listed is pretty good. We use it all the time.

I didn’t mention it, but eggs will last a long time in the fridge. 1 – 2 months will likely not be an issue if you bought lots of them.

Cheese too. There are about 100 calories in a slice of American cheese. It will last a long time in the fridge. So you could buy pounds of it without issue. Grilled cheese sandwiches?? Yum…

Peanuts and peanut butter have LOTS of calories. Good for survival — bad for weight management. I like PB too much, so I don’t keep it too accessible!

One 1.4L bottle of California Extra Virgin olive oil (we use this) has 12,000 calories! Drizzle it on you pasta or whatever for more caloric intake. Plus it tastes good!

Okay, this article took me a lot of time in that I literally calculated all the calories for everything, reading can labels, looking up facts — to provide a sense of relativity. My head hurts. So I’ll end here. Perhaps time for a adult beverage (lots of calories in that too  ) (use only in moderation!)