Get More Mileage out of Meals & Lower Your Grocery Bill, All with Emergency Food!
Is there anything more remarkable than LONG-TERM emergency food? Just say it out loud…
“Mashed potatoes that last 25 YEARS...”
Amazing!
But did you know that your emergency food can also work magic in the meals you make on a daily basis?
It's true! Today we're going to show you a trick that savvy preppers use all the time – how to mix emergency food into daily meals to increase their size, improve their taste, and add more nutrition.
It will help you get MORE out of your meals AND lower your grocery bill!
Read on to see our favorite emergency food “mix-ins” that will extend your daily meals and save you money at the grocery store.
Egg Noodle Pasta
Pasta is one of the go-to meal stretchers – it’s cheap AND goes a long way.
Take egg noodle pasta, for example. With Emergency Essentials® Egg Noodle Pasta, you get enough pasta for 11 servings, and it has a shelf life of up to 30 years.
Let’s say you need to feed the masses or want to feed a family who just welcomed home a baby. Having egg noodle pasta on hand will make it easy to whip up some delicious chicken noodle soup, beef stroganoff, or tuna casserole.
Black Beans
Beans are another favorite food extender – especially black beans.
Black beans can be used as a side dish or added to salads and soups, as well as a substitute for other ingredients. This is especially helpful if you are in need of protein, fiber, or iron.
Use black beans to make black bean vegetarian burgers or as a soup thickener in place of flour. The budget-friendly Emergency Essentials® Black Beans have 50 servings!
Check out this Black Bean Burger recipe from Food Network.
Ingredients
- 2 cups black beans, drained and mashed with a fork
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated onions
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 egg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Mix together the beans, breadcrumbs, onions, chili powder, egg, and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Form the mixture into 1 big (or 2 smaller) patties.
- Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat and add some canola oil. Cook the burger for 4 minutes per side.
Lentils
Lentils are another type of legume (bean) that works well as a food extender.
Their texture and taste make it possible to extend meals that are traditionally meat-based. For example, by adding lentils to the meat in your meatloaf or spaghetti sauce, your meals will go further.
Here’s an easy way to extend meatloaf the next time you make it: Add 1 cup of cooked lentils to your meat mixture with an additional ½ tsp of salt. Keep the rest of the ingredients the same.
See, we told you it was easy!
Stock up on the Emergency Essentials® Lentils to have 48 servings’ worth of food extenders.
Potato Dices
Diced potatoes are packed with carbohydrates and other nutrients. On top of their health benefits, the Emergency Essentials® Freeze-Dried Potato Dices are extremely versatile!
These freeze-dried diced potatoes simply need to be covered in warm water, and they are ready to eat as a side or added to a variety of recipes.
Diced potatoes can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They can be added to casseroles, stews, and chili. They can be mashed, baked, and more.
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are a comforting side dish, but with instant mashed potatoes, you can turn the traditional side into a variety of other dishes, stretching out a #10 can for many meals.
For instance, Emergency Essentials® Complete Instant Mashed Potatoes can be used to make everything from delicious baked potato soup to breading for fish and chicken.
Here’s a recipe for Crispy Fish Filets from All Recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups instant mashed potato flakes
- ¼ cup oil for frying
- 4 (6 ounce) filets
Directions
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the egg, mustard, and salt; set aside. Place the potato flakes in another shallow dish.
- Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Dip fish filets in the egg mixture. Dredge the filets in the potato flakes, making sure to completely coat the fish. For extra crispy, dip into egg and potato flakes again.
- Fry fish filets in oil for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
9-Grain Cereal
Sometimes people avoid buying long-term emergency food out of fear they will never eat all of it.
With essentials, such as the Emergency Essentials® 9-Grain Cereal, your brood will NEVER get bored with what you make for them. This is because 9-grain cereal can be changed up with a variety of additions, making each meal a little different.
You can add honey, cream, sugar, nuts, and different berries depending on your cravings that day.
Additionally, you can use the 9-grain cereal to make bread.
Cauliflower
If you are looking for a long-term food that is packed with health benefits, consider cauliflower.
The Emergency Essentials® Freeze-Dried Cauliflower is freeze-dried with a shelf life of 30 years.
You will have peace of mind knowing you have a healthy vegetable in your food pantry in the event of an emergency, and you will also have an easy food extender when you need one.
Cauliflower works well as a side, but it can also be added to stews, soups, and stir fry dishes.
Scrambled Egg Mix
Many restaurants have discovered the ease and satisfaction of cooking with a dry scrambled egg mix.
It tastes delicious and goes a long way! Just take a look at the Emergency Essentials® Scrambled Egg Mix – which contains 54 servings, with each serving being the equivalent of 2 scrambled eggs.
In addition to making fluffy, tasty scrambled eggs, this mix can be used to make other recipes that require eggs, such as omelets, quiches, casseroles, and French toast.
It can even be used as a substitute for whole eggs in many recipes!
Quick Rolled Oats
Oats are another easy addition to extend meals by acting as a substitute.
Emergency Essentials® Quick Oats work as a stand-alone breakfast, but they can also be added to cookies, cobblers, and other baked goods. As a substitute, it means your other ingredients will last longer.
Additionally, quick rolled oats also work as a protein replacement for meat (which is good to know with meat prices soaring).
Here is a recipe for Vegan Meatballs.
Ingredients
- 1 can pinto or black beans
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup quick oats
- 1 tsp minced garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F if baking instead of frying.
- Drain and rinse the beans very well.
- Combine everything in a food processor until evenly blended – stop while it still has some texture but no large pieces remain.
- Roll into balls (small meatballs cook much more evenly), and either pan fry in a little oil, or place on a parchment-lined baking tray and cook on the center rack for 10 minutes, then turn each ball and bake an additional 10 minutes or until desired texture is reached.
Vegetarian Taco Meat Substitute
Looking for another way to double the life of your emergency meat supply?
Mix Vegetarian Taco Meat Substitute in with ground beef next time you make tacos or burritos. You’ll get more mileage out of your meats, and cut costs while you’re at it.
Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the many benefits of powerful plant proteins.
Mixed Vegetables
Adding a serving of Emergency Essentials® Mixed Vegetables for Stew will also extend meals.
The can of stewed vegetables, which contains potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and tomatoes, is designed with big-batch stews in mind.
In addition to using these mixed vegetables in stews and soups, you can also turn them into a side dish by adding your favorite seasonings.
The mixture also works well for casseroles.
Honey Wheat Bread
Bread is a filler, so if you want to extend your meals, serve bread with soup and entrees, and people will eat less of the main course.
Save money by making your own bread using Ready Hour Honey Wheat Bread Mix. This delicious bread mix only requires water.
Use the bread for toast, sandwiches, or sides.
Of course, these aren't the only options for mix-in meal extenders. Sound off in the comments below and let us know what emergency foods you've used in your everyday cooking!
