Y2K menu

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

I have been planning a Y2K menu for all meals and have included some canned meat (beef stew, tuna, etc., pasta items (canned ravioli, etc.), canned veggies and fruits, canned beans, oatmeal, trail mix and nuts. I would like like a little more variety for my diet. Any suggestions?

-- Joe Williams (joewilliams@needhelp.com), March 10, 1999

Answers

can I live with you?

-- Bill Solorzano (notaclue@webtv.net), March 10, 1999.

Check http://www.y2kwomen.com for an excellent list.

-- K (K@anonymous.com), March 10, 1999.

Sure. I understand de Jager has some "humble pie" recipes he will be publishing early next year.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), March 10, 1999.

Make sure you learn how to make tortillas, for heaven's sake...

Stash away some velveeta for special occasions...............

Bean & cheese nachos are cheerful foods.....

-- Lisa (lisa@hungry.now), March 10, 1999.


Joe Try to do what I'm doing for myself, my husband and our 13 yr old daughter: Try to plan a month's worth of menus. Take into consideration how you would cook it if you had no electricity, and instead had, for instance, a camping stove and a grill. Once you have this figured out, buy the ingredients and only those ingredients. You may not be completely sucessful, but you will waste less of your money. You also have to consider how the food is stored: can it be stored without being refrigerated, will it last in a cool, dark place in your home, is it canned, is it dried, etc. Many items in the local grocery stores are perfect for Y2K storage, e.g. pasta products. Check all expiration dates, too. If you live near a rural area, get to know a farmer or two who may have eggs, milk, and other things you may not have. Consider growing a small garden this year if you can. I have gardened for years, and I plan to grow mostly root veggies this year such as potatoes, onions, carrots, but I also know how to can produce, too. Careful planning cannot be overemphasized, because in the end, you will make the best use of your time, energy, and money - 3 resources we cannot afford to waste in preparing! I hope this helps you!

-- luannf (flataufm@hutchtel.net), March 10, 1999.


Joe, run a quick search under "solar cookers" or "solar ovens." There are several sites that have plans to build one of these, which we're going to do over the summer. This could expand your menu possibilities since you can bake in them and cook slow cooker type meals.

Jeannie

-- jhollander (hollander@ij.net), March 10, 1999.


Joe, after I read my answer to your question I realized I didn't really pay attention to what you were saying. Sorry! I just got off working a long day! Let me see if I can answer it better this time. I'm glad you are menu planning, for it will cut out alot of wasteful spending. Think over very carefully what you currently enjoy eating. Using a little creativity, can you find an alternative way of cooking what you like or can you substitute ingredients? Having a diet nearly always dependent on canned goods will get old fast - so look over what is in the grocery store and stock up on some dehydrated foods such as pasta, as you are now doing. Learn to cook from scratch - a good cookbook for Y2K is Woodstove Cookery: At Home on the range by Jane Cooper. You may also benefit from owning Carla Emery's The Encyclopedia of Country Living, which is about the most detailed guide you can buy for us Y2K'ers for planning your home life. It covers just about any topic you can imagine. Think it over very carefully if you purchase products you are not used to eating now, thinking you will eat them next year. ( I work in the field of health care ( I'm a nursing student) and I have seen way too many people get ill from diets they are not used to eating. If you plan on eating dried beans next year, for heaven's sake, start eating that type of diet in small quantities this year, so your body doesn't experience possible shock.) Think about also purchasing such things as bottled juices, salmon, dried beef jerky, or purchase a food dehydrator and try your hand at dehydrating some fruits this year. I hope this is a better answer than my other one. I know how frustrating it can be to plan a menu. I have a teenager to think of and I'm trying as much as possible to include some of her favorite meals in planning. One last thing: don't count out such items as soda, candy, etc. the items you might consider luxeries. It will be rough next year, and you may to treat yourself to things like that to retain your sanity. It's important to try to plan to keep your life as normal as you can. Good luck, Joe! You're alot more creative in this area, probably, than you give yourself credit for!

-- luannf (flataufm@hutchtel.net), March 10, 1999.

sometimes as I sit here and read the posts it is hard not to get depressed and down. then someone like Bill throws in a humorous answer and I roll in the floor with laughter. i love humor and i beleive it is what will keep us all sane as we face the uncertain future.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), March 10, 1999.

Popcorn, dried prunes, Marie Calendar cornbread mix (requires water only), and Cracker Jacks. Canned whole chickens can easily be turned into chicken-noodle soup, chicken-dumplings, chicken pot-pies, etc. Get yourself a good recipe book and start thumbing through it to get ideas on meal planning. Premix muffin, and bread mixes. Rice-a-Roni mixes can be easily homemade and stored. Learn how to extend food with the combination of herbs and spices to create wholesome meals. Good Luck! If you want some ideas and recipes, let me know....Bardou

-- bardou (Bardou@baloney.com), March 10, 1999.

Don't forget tea and powdered drink mixes. Most of us are not used to drinking plain water all the time. A nice sweet drink will make bland food much better, especially for children.

also raisins and other dried fruit, crackers, cereal, canned or dried milk, cheese powder, jello and pudding mix, sausage, bacon bits, dried soup mix, dried or canned gravy, tomato sauce

-- y2kbiker (y2kbiker@bellatlantic.net), March 10, 1999.



In another thread, I shared an idea for cold climate folks about locating a deep freezer on an upper unheated porch. Frozen foods will stay frozen for months post power outages in the winter around here. So if you can do this, all kinds of doors open up. Ice cream, frozen pizza, steak, skillet meals etc. If you can't, how about saving chocolate bars or cocoa mix for special occasions. Cheese. Someone posted a URL for long term storage of hard cheeses a few weeks ago. For warmer climate folks start an early green salad garden in a sunny window. Keep fresh greens growing year round. How about fun foods for the kid in all of us like jello if you think you will have some refrigeration. Cruise the grocery store shelves and look at products that you enjoy and find ways to adapt them to your anticipated situation. Happy hunting.

-- Ramp Rat (Aviation_R_us@noname.nocity), March 11, 1999.

Lots of great ideas in the archives here.

Again, I submit the EASY route to add a little "spice to your life" is to buy canned coconut milk, canned Thai lemon grass soup, Indian, Greek, Polynesian, Chinese and other flavorful ethnic food sauces and condiments.

With little or no cooking, they can be added to your Basic Beans and Rice to make them something special.

I'm also keeping LOADS of flavorful olives, dried shiitake mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts available to throw into everything from omeletes to pasta to casseroles.

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@ptd.net), March 11, 1999.


Don't forget sprouts- may be the only source of fresh veggies from mid-Jan to Spring.

-- B. Fuller (Bucky_Fuller@chromedome.org), March 11, 1999.

Last night I made instant mashed potatoes, and served them with Franco American's brown (beef) gravy in a can. (We were "practicing.") My family really liked it. I realize nothing is quite as good as the "real" thing, but it is something we can definitely eat next year. Don't forget peanut butter and jelly, too. :-)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), March 11, 1999.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ