All of the freeze dried foods I have stored up have been quite inexpensive when you figure out cost per serving, but the official serving size is only one cup of food!  One cup of lasagna.  One cup of beef stew.  Around here, “one cup” is an appetizer!  Seriously, my entire stock of freeze dried food could be gone by the time the mushroom cloud clears our neighborhood!

Yes, you could eat this three meals a day, but why??

What I realized last night, however, is why rice, potatoes, pasta, and beans have long been staples in food storage.  Yes, you can eat them as a main dish, but they’re even handier when used as a meal-stretcher.  A cup of beef stew over a cup of pasta is a very satisfying meal.  A cup of teriyaki chicken over a cup of rice, yum! 

Now, when I look at my shelves of pasta, beans (canned and dry), rice and various types of potatoes, I see them for what they are: an economical way to make a meal stretch a whole lot further while still providing nutrients.  Our other stored food will last much longer, and we’ll have far more variety than the dreaded “rice and beans” meal!  Speaking of rice and beans, here is an awesome recipe my family loves that requires almost nothing not already in your food storage.

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