This is a one-week supply for our family of five (which includes two teenage boys).*
Think it takes too much space to store a three-month supply? This is the same one-week supply as above with everything stacked. It doesn't take much space at all!Hopefully with the Three-Month Supply Worksheet that I posted a few weeks ago, you've been able to find out that gathering a three-month supply is much easier than you'd imagined - especially if you work at it one week at a time. Though you should not use my menu (and should only include what YOUR family eats), I know that sometimes seeing someone else's plan can help you to scrutinize your own eating habits and develop a successful menu for your own family. So today, I'm including an example of my own Three-Month Menu Plan.
Our Three-Month Supply Menu
Multiply these one-week amounts by 13 for a Three-Month Supply
Breakfast
Monday - Cereal/Milk
Tuesday - Oatmeal/Juice
Wednesday - Pancakes/Milk
Thursday - Cereal/Milk
Friday - Oatmeal/Juice
Saturday - Pancakes/Milk
Sunday - Cereal/Milk
Lunch
Monday - Mac-n-Cheese/Juice
Tuesday - PB & Honey Sandwiches/Milk
Wednesday - Jambalaya/Milk
Thursday - PB&J Sandwiches/Milk
Friday - Pizza/Juice
Saturday - Chicken Salad Sandwiches/Pickles/Juice
Sunday - Easy Soups (Spaghettios, Soup, Raviolis, Chili)/Milk
Dinner
Monday - Taco Soup/Mandarin Oranges/Milk
Tuesday - Pasta with Meat and Marinara Sauce/Peas/Peaches/Milk
Wednesday - Burritos/Apple Sauce/Milk
Thursday - Black Beans and Rice/Mandarin Oranges/Corn/Milk
Friday - Wild Rice Soup (includes carrots), Peaches, Juice
Saturday - Chicken Alfredo and Pasta/Peaches/Corn/Juice
Sunday - Curry Chicken/Peas/Apple Sauce/Milk
Note: These are selections from our family menu that are a part of our normal, daily diet. That doesn't mean that we eat all of these items every week. I've picked these particular meals because they store well and we eat them often enough that they are familiar and can be easily rotated. For example, I probably serve Taco Soup about once every-other month - or 6 times a year. I've stored 13 meals-worth of Taco Soup for our three-month supply. We eat it regularly enough that I would be able rotate through all 13 servings in about two years -- well within expiration dates. My family likes it enough that they would be happy to eat it more often if needed.
Also: Our day-to-day menu includes a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. This menu does not reflect that fresh produce, but instead only includes preserved produce or canned items which we also use. We grow a garden, berries and fruit trees and I count on these to be part of my three-month supply. I plan to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to these menus as it is available.
*Picture is missing a small bottle of mayo, one can of cream of chicken soup, one can of chicken broth, and an additional box of cereal.
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2 comments:
Thanks for sharing. This is great. Just today I was looking at my 3-month supply and realizing that I needed 300 chicken breasts. That was daunting. (I'm thinking maybe we need to start cooking with a whole chicken instead.)
I see that your menu, like ours, is HEAVY on milk. We don't regularly consume powdered milk unless it's called for in a recipe. I don't beleive it's as healthful as fresh, so I'm torn between storing it for an emergency or leaving it out because we don't use it. (I do have a very small amount stored, as well as some soymilk and some leftover baby formula, but not 12 weeks worth.) Thoughts?
Thanks for your comment!
I usually have 1 to 2 weeks' worth of fresh milk in my fridge. We are also saving for a freezer in which I intend to store several frozen gallons of milk (with a little milk removed to allow for expansion). But the reality is that you can't easily store three-months' worth of fresh milk.
I personally have chosen to store enough powdered milk to cover three months. I don't regularly use it for drinking, but do for cooking - so it is getting rotated. My biggest issue is that cup of milk served at each meal. I splurged and got a brand of powdered milk that I know that my family will drink (and does drink occasionally when we run out and can't get to the store quickly enough).
I know that some families store, use and rotate shelf-stable milk. You might also choose to store calcium, vitamin D and extra protein to compensate. Grown adults could get by without milk for three months -- but growing kids, nursing mothers and pregnant women really need it. I couldn't drink regular milk when I was nursing -- and stored and used rice milk instead.
Every family is different and I think the answer to this question will be different.
Any other ideas?
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