Let’s Get Some Grub | Real Women Store Grub

Food Storage 101 gives some basic explanations and guidelines to get you started with your food storage, and you’ve seen some great recipes made from food storage here –but if the thought of actually choosing 19 meals and getting them stored in your cupboard is making you crazy, never fear! We’re going to break it down and help you make all your food storage dreams come true!

And there’s no time like the present! So let’s get started!

Begin by grabbing a chunk of notebook paper you can stick in a binder. This will be the beginning of your food storage “command center.” All things food storage belong here – from recipes to try to ideas about where you’re going to put your storage – keeping your thoughts in one location will help keep you organized and focused.
Think about what your family eats now. Jot down what you’ve eaten for dinner this week. Pancakes, macaroni and cheese, roast and potatoes, cheeseburgers – put all of it on your list. Hopefully this will spur some other ideas of things your family eats. Write down everything that comes to mind, regardless of whether you can make it from food storage.
Sort your list into 3 columns. Column 1 is for stuff you know you can food storage – things like tuna casserole and spaghetti belong here. Column 2 is for meals you consider too difficult to store – like fresh strawberry and spinach salad. Column 3 is for the stuff you wonder about. Could I store turkey dumplings or roasted chicken with baby carrots?
Let’s begin our work with Column 1. Looking over the options you’ve listed, choose one meal that all (or most) of your family enjoys. For illustration purposes, let’s say it’s chicken alfredo. On a new page in your notebook, write “Chicken Alfredo,” then write down the ingredients you need:

Chicken Alfredo:

1 pound fettuccini
1 jar Alfredo Sauce
1 can chicken

Next, add the items that will make your Chicken Alfredo a complete meal. Maybe a can of green beans or a can of peaches? Perhaps a loaf of bread. Now your list looks something like this:

Chicken Alfredo:

1 pound fettuccini
1 jar Alfredo Sauce
1 can chicken
1 can green beans
1 can peaches
1 bread mix for a bread machine

Now set a specific storage goal – as in, I’ll buy 3 “copies” of my Chicken Alfredo meal this week at the store. It may be easier to set a monthly goal or a paycheck goal, depending on your situation. The important thing is to decide how many “copies” you’re going to store and in what time frame you plan to get them.
Make your grocery list and do it! Go to the store, put the items in your cart, pay for them. Go home and put them on your shelf. Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of food storage!
Now post a comment and tell us what you stored and how good it felt! We want to cheer for you, too!
Continue to buy more “copies” of your meal as your budget allows until you have 19 copies of your first meal. You are now 1/19 of the way to feeding your family dinner for a year!
Pat yourself on the back!

**If you’re stressing about the idea of eating ONLY 19 meals — don’t. We’ll address this common concern in detail next Saturday!

Happy Eats! –Robin and Mellyn