At Home – Step 2 of 4

1. Disaster Food Supply
2. No Heat Food

First, Read the Information You Need:

We mentioned in step one that with a power outage the Refrigerator and Freezer wouldn’t work. But did you think about your stove or oven?

Many people have an electric stove or oven. Some have gas, but some models need electricity to spark the flame and start up the fire. Most people don’t know how to manually light a gas oven or stove if the starter is non-functioning.

There are alternative ways to cook, but not everyone has them. If they do, they might not have enough fuel to run them for the entire time the disaster takes. Some alternatives are:

• Fireplace and cast-iron grill and cookware
• Backyard grill that uses charcoal or propane
• Fire pit and cast-iron grill and cookware
• Camp stove that uses propane
• Box ovens that use charcoal
• Solar ovens that use power of the sun, but is limited on what will cook in it

So, if you can’t cook your food, what can you eat?

Second, Chose One Option to Complete:

Option 1: Backpack Coalition

Option 2: Thinking Cap

The Backpack Coalition near Austin Texas provides food for school kids that don’t have food at home.   Since a lot of these kids do not have a proper home (some live with their families out of their van, others in motel rooms without even a microwave), there is no guarantee the kids can cook any food they provide. They have a standard food list of specific foods they have learned that even if a kid can’t cook it, they could still eat it… except the microwave popcorn. You still need a microwave for that one. Did you know you can eat ramen noodles without cooking them? They’re crunchy! But be careful, the noodles expand in your stomach, so don’t eat too much too fast or you’ll get a stomachache. Take a look at the food list on the Backpack Coalition website. Tell us: – What food on there did you not expect you could eat without cooking it? – What food on there would you love to eat? – What food on there would you hate to eat, but still would if you had nothing else?

Think about the meals you have. Peanut butter (or no-nut butter) and jelly sandwiches don’t require cooking or a refrigerator… not if you have those individual packets of jelly or jam to use instead of a jar that needs to be refrigerated after opening.   Did you know that they have shelf stable Rice milk in individual serving sizes? Perfect if you don’t have a fridge but still want your favorite breakfast cereal. If you grew your own greens in a garden outside, you could even have a fresh salad in the spring or fall without the need of a fridge. You just need to find a salad dressing that didn’t need to be refrigerated. Or you could use shelf-stable individual dipping cups of ranch as your salad dressing. How is that for being creative? What other meals could you try? If you have no way to heat, nor a fridge or freezer, tell us what you would eat for – a breakfast – a lunch – a dinner – a snack

Congrats!

Brownies stop here. You’ve earned the Food Rocker!

Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, Ambassadors, and Adults, go Step 3!

Return to Food Rocker Step 1 page.

Return to Be Prepared, Not Scared main page.