It’s a brand new year, and time for the customary list of New Year’s resolutions. Raise your hand if you have “lose weight” as a New Year’s resolution … again? (I won’t mention how many years it’s been on my list.)
Last week, U.S. News and World Report ranked 38 popular diet plans. All of the best plans had one thing in common: an emphasis on fruit and vegetables.
“People who eat more vegetables and fruits as part of an overall
healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body,”
says choosemyplate.gov, a U.S. Department of Agriculture site to promote healthy, nutrition-rich eating.
Let’s call it how it is: fresh food is almost always better for you. However, what if you’re in a survival situation where fresh food is hard to come by? Or, what if you want the convenience of pre-packaged foods without all the additives?
Freeze-dried foods and canned foods can help fill those needs.
For example, let’s take this recipe, from the Mayo Clinic, for the DASH diet and the Mayo Clinic diet. The DASH diet was ranked the best by U.S. News and World Report experts. The Mayo Clinic diet was ranked fourth. By the way, I’m not promoting any diet plan. How can I promote something I can’t stay on?
Here’s the
original recipe:
Shepherd's Pie
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 medium russet potatoes, cut into nickel-sized cubes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 F. Place the potatoes in a medium pot with water and bring to a boil.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat oil over medium heat. Sautee the onions and carrots until tender. Add the beef and turkey. Break apart the meat and stir frequently. When the meat is thoroughly cooked, add the tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the stock and cook for 10 minutes; stir in the peas and corn. Cook the mixture down until most of the stock is absorbed; place the mixture in a casserole dish.
When potatoes are soft, drain off the water. Then return potatoes to the pot over medium heat. Add the milk, butter and salt. Using an electric mixer or potato masher, mash the potatoes to a smooth consistency. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top of the meat mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown around the edges. Serve hot.
Now, let’s say you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to chop up onions, potatoes and carrots. You’re just mashing the potatoes.
Instant mashed potatoes might be the fastest substitute, because they contain milk, salt, pepper, and butter flavor. If you don’t like the additives, consider using
freeze-dried potatoes, which contain salt. Other food storage-based options include rinsed canned potatoes.
To save more time, use
freeze-dried onions, and
carrots, which are already cut.
Nearly all the ingredients in this recipe can be kept on shelves in food storage. So even if you’re, say, in a tough period and need to use food storage, you still have healthy food.
Potatoes contain potassium, and diets with a lot of potassium may help keep healthy blood pressure, according to
ChooseMyPlate.gov.
In addition to giving strong flavor, one onion has only 63 calories, and provides up to 20 percent of daily requirement of vitamin C,
according to WebMD.
One carrot provides 200 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin A,
according to WebMD.
According to WebMD, a ¾ cup serving of peas has more protein than a whole egg or a tablespoon of peanut butter, less than one gram of fat and no cholesterol.
Now, a caveat to replacing fresh food with preserved. When you buy food for storage, check the labels. A lot of canned and dried foods have added salt and sugar. If you use something like beans canned with salt, rinse them well first.
83 comments
BMI
Thanks for the details. It’s easily understandable, You’ve explained very good. I’ll try this and see.
Pauline Linares
We have a spare room in which we stack canned food, milk and other powder products. Each are dated, used if need be and re-arranged. I vacuum pack fruits, herbs & meats. All labeled & dated.
Christina A.
We can food and keep pre-prepared canned foods in stock in our pantry!
Jennifer Johnson
I love fresh fruits and veggies. I want tiki try and grow as much as I can because they are so spendy in the store.
Shelly
We try to can vegetables from are garden! Want to read up and learn more of what I can do besides dry goods and vegetables your page has helped me learn more already thank you.
Marie C
We already have quite a bit of food stored for emergencies.
Lori Munhall
I want to have a balanced diet available to me in emergencies as I have to watch what I eat very carefully. Fruits and veggies are a big part of my diet.
Jennifer
I started my food prep with a year’s worth of those “1 month’s meals in one bucket”, but then realized it was all cheap carbs – the calories you need for survival, perhaps, but not the nutrition. Now I am concentrating on stocking up on freeze dried meats, veggies and fruits. Plus things that will never go bad like jars of raw honey and cans of pure maple syrup. Natural nutrition is always best!
Michelle Bartley
I need to have these on hand!!
Mary Songer
I hadn’t considered this until I read your post. I knew it was important to have supplies available in case of emergency. But I hadn’t considered making sure I had nutrition rich freeze dried foods available. Very important and I hadn’t thought of it. Thanks for the tips.
Yvonne McKenzie
Freeze dried food would be good. I do buy canned foods and I also do canning.
Ericka Bissell
It is so important to always be prepared, no matter what, any thing could happen at any time, could be a natural disaster or man-made disaster, anything at anytime.
Jessica Staley
I keep canned fruits and veggies as back up. I also have frozen ones.
Sasha Henrich
We have canned foods stored in case of emergencies, but I do need to add some dried fruit to our stockpile as well.
Billie Bernal
I’m gonna start trying to can fruits and vegetables for emergencies.
Davida Burdette
Fruits provide the natural sugars that we need. You get so much more from the healthy sources they provide. Along with veggies!
Barb Salame
Canned tuna & chicken, beans & rice. Freeze dried foods are missing from my preps, though, so thanks for the reminder.
sunchicka
freezing fruit and veggies
Debbie
Fixing to start working on our food storage after years of worrying too many what-if’s. Katrina was a real wake up lesson. I’ve always stored some water for back-up. I’ve always been pretty much so able to figure out how to do’s when there isn’t anything available to work with. But, it IS NOW that I feel my concern for food storage and to prepare as best I can for long term has got stronger, for many reasons. I just can’t stand to think of my grandkids, family or friends going hungry. Having back up, and plans brings peace of mind. Having food means life and security. I love reading and learning all that is readily available from your site. Cause…we just never know !
rachael debates
im gonna make an emergency bag and also thanks for the tips!
Nicole Jarrell
I need to stock up on more. Really liked these tips on substitutions with the freeze dried!!
Tina Nichols
Thank you for sharing that recipe. I will have to try this version of Shepherd’s Pie. I usually have lots of canned fruits and vegetables around, but too much freeze dried foods. I will probably be changing to healthier alternatives, due to getting older and having to cut back on sodium intake.
Kim K
I need to stock up on some canned meats, soups, vegetables and fruit. I should also have some freeze-dried food for emergencies.
maria gentry
I always fruit in the freezer for smoothies.
L Bash
Great meal suggestion! It’s important to diversify your food storage as you do food items. Emergency essentials has many great products for long term storage, and for real convenience every day! Add some frozen items and canned goods, water, and garden seeds and you have what you need for healthy nutrition. I love EE. Thanks!
Jennifer Collins
Hmm. I have never tried freeze dried foods before. I wonder how they would be for camping?
Chemy
I think maybe I’m not doing the best, but at least better than most, I usually eating some meat or protein with salad and trying not to eat it with carbo, I know are important but I think we usually eat more carbo than we actually need
Kristen H.
Something I plan on doing to make essential nutrients readily available during an emergency is to buy freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. I currently don’t buy any freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, so if an emergency were to occur, it would be difficult for my body to get the essential nutrients it needs to function properly. Having freeze-dried fruits and vegetables around the house would definitely give me peace of mind heading forward that my body would be able to be filled with the essential nutrients it needs if an emergency were to happen.
Lisa Coomer Queen
We have freeze dried foods and canned goods ready. Thanks!
James Fusco
Great information, I hope that there won’t be a situation that will require us all to be using freeze dried foods all the time. Plus I don’t believe most hAve become peppers with major stores of food.
RICHARD SKUSE
eat more vegetables
Patricia Biggar
In an emergency, as well as other times, I’d like to have the nutrients fruits offer. A balanced diet is important at all times. I plan to buy these and keep on hand.
Anita Mitchell
Freeze dried meats, veggies and fruits. Canned goods and anything that stores well. My family and I want to stock up more.
LoriM
with all the weird weather, quakes, floods and whatnot, I started thinking about needing to be prepared for the longer term. Over the last couple years, we have been forced to go as long as two weeks without power and water. If a snowflake falls, and ice storm threatens or whatever everyone rushes to the store to get bread and milk, dry goods, candles etc. I don’t want to be out there in the rush and maybe not be able to get what my family might need. This is a better option for me. I can purchase all kinds of things here. Candles, water, medical stuff. It’s perfect for me to build an emergency supply a little at a time for a crisis. I’d rather have something and not need it, than need it and not have it. And the long term food storage option beats the heck out of boxes of cheerios and tuna…
Christina S
I love seeing recipes that help me figure out how to incorporate my dried food into everyday recipes.
Corene H
I want to have plenty of freeze dried fruits and veggies on hand to go with the meals. What great tips. Thank you!
Anne Padilla
Living in California and threat of earthquakes, we are always prepared with dry food and canned food just in case the big one hits. We always have at least 7 days of drinking water as well. Great information on this website. I learned a lot!
linda e
I have water and canned good but now I need to start freeze drying fruits!
Ruth
Keep a well balanced variety of food on hand
Nicole M
We need to have more freeze dried foods on hand with our first baby on the way.
Robert Todd Volante
I am working on having a balanced diet in my long term storage and powdered supplements for keeping levels in the right zone.
Tom
We need to get better prepared with a baby on the way
Shana
Great article! Thanks!
TMiller
I plan to keep a healthy stock of dried goods and preserves in regular rotation in my pantry so they’re available in an emergency.
Susan Smith
We always have a lot of canned fruits and veggies in the pantry in case of an emergency.
Jennylyn Gross
stocked up on canned food
aaron reck
I climb the stairs and walk around the grocery store. I do squats and inclines. I think I hurt my shoulder though. I hope I don’t have arthritis.
Roberta Dunton
We need to stock up on canned goods and dried foods.
Kelly McBride
Traditionally with cans and vitamins
Heather Weinstock
I have a stock of long term store multi vitamins.