Normal food for 72 hour kits

 I prefer to buy normal food from the grocery store for my emergency food supply.  Ready-to-eat meals like this one last a couple of years, and are more convenient for me to buy than ordering MRE's ("Meals Ready to Eat").



(Note: "72 hour kit" is a term that is  going out of style.  After Hurricane Katrina, people have realized that you need to be able to take care of yourself for much longer than 3 days.)

Bio Lite Campstove can charge your phone

 I got one of these stoves, and it works great.  You just light the fuel (twigs, sticks, etc.) and as the stove heats up it creates electricity for the USB port.

Four Things You Need When Disaster Strikes

This is a great article by Creek Stewart, I really think the pictures are useful, so if it takes awhile to load, have patience.  I like the picture of the firestarters the best.

These four categories are what you need to include in your "bug-out bag", also known as a "B.O.B." or a 72-hour-kit.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/4-things-youll-need-when-disaster-strikes/

Food advice for backpacking

A woman asked this question to my husband (who is an avid backpacker and camper):  

Where does your family normally buy the Mountain House meals for hiking?  If I do buy them from Emergency Essentials how long do their orders typically take to get here?  I want to make sure they arrive before the boys go on their 50-miler.

Answer from my husband:  I've never been a big fan of Mountain House.  It is pretty good food, but I prefer lower cost foods from the grocery store.  Not only is it less expensive, but I like the way that it tastes better.  And, I've had fewer problems re-hydrating the food.  MH tends to leave crunchy bits in the corners...

  You might look at Emergency Essential's web site to see what their delivery times are.  But if you ask for faster delivery, you lose the savings and might as well buy locally.

  I think WalMart carries some.  But, REI is going to have a larger selection.

If you want to explore the grocery store style, here are some things we like:

BREAKFAST

  Instant Oatmeal, 2 packets per person per breakfast.

  Hot Chocolate or Instant Spiced Apple Cider

I just boil water and pour it into my cups.

Then, if there is enough hot water left, I use that to wash the cups.

I really don't do much else for breakfast. I just change the flavors to break the monotony.

  We have taken Pop Tarts, too.  They taste good, but they are...

  - very high in calories without filling you up

  - quite heavy.

LUNCH

  This can be the hardest meal to think of.  I want food that allows me to eat when I'm hungry, and I won't have to stop and heat anything.

I tend to bring:

  Bagels & Cream Cheese

  Bagels 

These pack well and don't get too squished,

and are very filling.

 Cream Cheese 

Get the Cream Cheese in the little tub.

They have a bunch of different flavors.

I've never had a problem when I carry it 

deep in my pack away from the sun 

and the heat of my back.

  Trail mix

I make my own with:

  Cracklin' Oat Bran

  M&Ms

  Nuts (what ever variety you like)

Make sure the nuts are SALTED.

You need to replace the salt.

  Granola Bars

DINNER

Couscous.

  Just add boiling water and let it sit for 5 minutes.

There are a variety of flavors to choose from. My favorites are Parmesan or Pine Nut.

Uncle Ben's (or your favorite brand) Flavored Rice

These come in 5 and 25 minute cook times. Make sure you get the 5 minute time to save on fuel.

Ramen noodles.

  I like these better than the Cup O' Noodles because you don't have to carry the empty foam cup after.

Lipton Noodles

  These come in quite a few flavors and have pretty short cook times.

Mashed Potatoes

  Not Plain.

There are many flavored varieties like  

Herb & Garlic,  Loaded Baked Potato, etc.

NOTE: This can leave you wanting something to chew, too.

So, you might want to pair it with Beef Jerky, Summer Sausage, etc.

I always re-package all of the food in freezer bags.  I clip the name & directions from the box or bag

and drop them in with the food then throw away the boxes.

That way I know how much water to add & cook times and which flavor I'm going to eat.

This reduces the weight of all the packaging and if you have left overs, you can put them in the ziplocks. That reduces the smell of the trash bag you carry out.

This is more than you asked for, but I thought you might like to have some options.

(Note from Amy:  I thought his backpacking food choices would also work well for 72 hour kits, or for eating during a disaster when you have to cook without electricity.)

Humorous video about 72 hour kits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=ZsMSvl5GPBM

Crystal's expose' of store bought 72 hour kits

Go here
http://everydayfoodstorage.net/2012/01/16/qa-my-personal-opinion-on-storebought-72-hour-kits/food-storage-recipes
and read why you don't ever want to buy a store bought 72 hour kit.  It is better and cheaper to make them yourself.

Laughing Cow cheese for your 72 hour kits

I really like cheese, and look for kinds that don't need refrigeration.

"Laughing Cow" cheese comes in round boxes, with tiny pie-shaped wedges of individually wrapped cheese inside.  It doesn't need refrigeration, so it is perfect for storing in your 72 hour kit for about 6 months.  (After that, we eat it and buy new.)

Today at Harris-Teeter, the usual $4 containers were on sale for $1.99.

Matching outfits for a disaster- Why?

http://blog.totallyready.com/keep-going-youre-building-a-great-emergency-kit-join-me-tomorrow/09/09/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TotallyReady+%28Totally+Ready%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

This was written by Carolyn Nicolaysen of Totally Ready.com:


Purchase a uniform for your family. Should you become separated from family members a uniform will make reuniting much easier. 


Purchase hats at a dollar store and let the kids go crazy splatter painting them.  


OR Purchase inexpensive solid color t shirts, preferably a bright color, and stencil, splatter paint or use markers and design away. 


OR Purchase bright colored bandannas or a bright and distinctive fabric and make your own bandannas. 


Whatever you decide every family member should have exactly the same items in their Emergency kits. 


It will be much easier for people to remember seeing your family member if you are wearing something distinctive and can tell first responders or the public that your child or your spouse was wearing exactly the same thing as you are. 


This also means your child can tell those trying to help them find you that you are wearing what they are. This also makes it easier to "claim" your child once they are found. 


The crazier and more unique the design the more people will take notice and remember.

A List of Necessities

After a San Fernando earthquake, the residents made the following list of items they were caught without:

Flashlights

Consecrated oil

Camp stoves, barbecues, or other alternate sources of cooking

Can openers

Sleeping bags

Portable toilets

Changes of clothing

Money

Gas in the car

Sufficient liquids to drink

Shaving equipment

Toilet tissue

Road maps

A radio, with battery

Do you have these items ready to go, in case of a disaster?

CDC Warns Public to Prepare for "Zombie Apocalypse" (tongue in cheek)

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/18/cdc-warns-public-prepare-zombie-apocalypse/?test=latestnews?test=latestnews

This news article compares preparing for a hurricane or pandemic much the same way you would prepare for "flesh eating zombies" (although of course hurricanes and pandemics are real threats and flesh eating zombies are just fiction.)

The post, written by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan, instructs readers how to prepare for "flesh-eating zombies" ..... Perhaps surprisingly, the same steps you'd take in preparation for an onslaught of ravenous monsters are similar to those suggested in advance of a hurricane or pandemic.

"First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your house," the posting continues. "This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp (or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored)."

Other items to be stashed in such a kit include medications, duct tape, a battery-powered radio, clothes, copies of important documents and first aid supplies.

"Once you've made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan," the posting continues. "This includes where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your doorstep. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake or other emergency."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/18/cdc-warns-public-prepare-zombie-apocalypse/#ixzz1MoBupAkq

What is in my 72 hour kit, or Go-Bag.

If you are stranded somewhere without any other source of food than what you have in your bag, you really begin to see what types of food to pack in the future.

I attended the Glenn Beck Aug. 28, 2010 event in Washington D.C., and brought a small cooler with me.  It had food and water in it for 24 hours.  I paid special attention to what I liked and what I wished I had.

(Note:  Most emergency preparedness people do not call this a "72 hour kit" anymore, because you should actually have more than 3 days worth of food.  Probably 5 days is better. So a lot of people are calling it a "Go-Bag" instead.

 And the Church doesn't specifically teach "72 hour kits", they basically teach us to get 3 months of short-term food and then get long term food storage.)

While I was in D.C.,  I realized for each meal I wanted something savory, something starchy, some fresh vegetables and then something sweet.  I would NOT have been happy if all I had were granola bars.

So, for my 72 hour kit, I made sure to get all those different flavors.  And enough of each to have 5 days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, for the 3 people living at my house.  I actually made a chart of each meal, and what to have for each meal, to make sure I had enough.  We won't be very full, but we will have food to eat for 5 days.

The one food group I wish I had more of is vegetables and fruits.  I'll try to add more of those next time.

As you can see, there are a lot of items that need to be rotated.  So my plan is to rotate the food every General Conference.  So this weekend we will start eating a lot of junk food.

LDS woman in Japan- what she wishes she had done before earthquake

http://actegratuit.blogspot.com/2011/03/surviving-earthquake-in-japan.html

Here is a really interesting blog post written by an American LDS young mother in Japan.  Pay close attention to the supplies she wishes she had obtained before the quake.

Rotate your 72 hour kits every Conference

A lot of people in the Church have a habit of rotating the food in their 72 hour kits every six months, during General Conference. Its a good idea. Especially if you watch conference on satellite at your home, you can get out the 72 hour kits and eat all those goodies inside while you watch. Your kids will be excited to eat all those Poptarts and granola bars and Spaghettios that you don't usually let them eat.

(Just make sure you buy more food to fill it up again so it won't be depleted.)