I’ve grown increasingly concerned about the menus frequently created at Enrichment meetings for 72 hour kits consisting of oatmeal, chewing gum, and beef sticks. Read my rant. These low calorie menus fail to meet the dietary needs of individuals in a crisis. I created these menus to meet caloric, protein, and carbohydrate needs for adults and children, male and female, while keeping sodium to a minimum.
I’ve included a price breakdown for each menu and the weight for 1 day’s food for packing purposes. Each menu is for one day’s caloric needs.
I’ve also included pouch only (sort of like a homemade MRE kit, just cheaper) and mixed packaging menus. The mixed packaging menus are usually more balanced than the pouch menus, but can be heavy. The pouch menus are lighter weight but can be lower in carbohydrates, your body’s preferred source of energy. It would probably be wise to create 2 pouch only days and 1 mixed packaging day for your kit.
The items on the menus do not require any cooking or hot water.
I asked my friend, a doctor, to look over the menus (especially the Poor Man’s Menu) and he said they were safe.
Instant grits come in a pouch that’s coated on the inside, so all you have to do is pour water in the pouch and let them sit to prepare them. Water temperature doesn’t matter. Same for oatmeal, but grits taste a lot better than oatmeal when cold. For the mashed potatoes, just add water to the pouch.
If you substitute menu items be sure to compare with the full chart to ensure you’re getting similar amounts of calories, sodium, protein and carbs.
You’ll also need to store 64 ounces (4 lbs) of water per day per person. 64 ounces equals 1/2 gallon or about 2 Liters.
