A little prep today could save you a lot tomorrow.
These recipes feature shelf-stable or mostly shelf-stable ingredients, making them perfect for stocking up, saving money, and being prepared for anything life may throw your way.
They're also great for camping trips, make thoughtful gifts for friends and family, or can be wonderful contributions to a food pantry.
*Note - While some of these recipes may not be considered the healthiest, they offer a timesaving and budget-friendly alternative to fast food that often surpasses in nutritional value. Most of them can also be easily modified to suit your taste or adapted to what you have on hand.
Check out these MEAL PLANS with printable grocery lists and directions.
Vegetarian Recipes
Poultry Recipes
Pork Recipes
Dessert Recipes
Pumpkin Muffins/Cookies-Small Meal Kit Recipe Cards
Why Choose Shelf-Stable Meals/Pantry Meal Kits
Directions for Assembling Shelf-Stable Meal Kits:
Create Pantry Meal Kits by gathering all shelf-stable ingredients (unopened) and placing them into a large ziplock bag or any preferred container.
(Depending on the meal and group size, a 1-gallon bag may suffice, but larger 2- or 2.5-gallon bags might be needed for recipes with more ingredients or bigger portions.)
Include a small recipe card in the bag to ensure quick access to the cooking instructions whenever needed.
Be sure to highlight or note (on the recipe card or the bag/container) the perishable ingredients needed for preparing the meal.
Label the container with the expiration date (usually the item with the earliest best-by or expiration date) to indicate when the meal should be consumed. This helps ensure meals don't expire unexpectedly.
Tip: Look at your favorite recipes to see if any can be made using shelf-stable ingredients. Think outside the box. If it calls for cheese, can you use a can or jar of cheese, or even use a cheese packet from macaroni and cheese? Using your favorite recipes will help ensure success when you need to make one of these meals.
I’m always looking to improve our collection, so please let me know if you find errors, have questions or suggestions, or would like to share your own ideas on any recipes.
For more information on stocking up and preparing, check out Lessons of 2020.
