Dehydrated Dinners, part 1

Donna writes, “I was wanting to add a bit of MRE type packaged food for emergencies and travel etc.  However, when I’ve looked into some of the popular brands and looked at the ingredients, we couldn’t possibly purchase them.  It seems they all have some form of MSG as well as other ingredients we can’t eat.  Due to my own health issues, I have to stick to a strict low sodium diet.  One of my daughters has extreme food and chemical allergies.

So I’m trying to figure out if anyone has come up with any packaged MRE type foods that are actually healthy without the chemicals/gmos, etc.  Do you know of a product like this?

image at allrecipes.com

Yes!  There is someone who can make healthier packaged meals for long-term storage, and that person is you!  Creating your own dehydrated meals is fairly easy.  It starts with choosing appropriate recipes, deciding how it will be packaged and stored, and then putting together the ingredients using mostly dehydrated and freeze dried foods.

The benefits are many.

1. You know exactly what is in your recipe and what isn’t.
2. You control the cost of your dehydrated meals.  If a certain recipe contains expensive ingredients, find another.
3. You can use ingredients you dehydrate yourself.
4. Depending on space available, your meals can be packaged in either mylar bags or jars.
5. Your meals will be recipes your family already knows and enjoys.

Watch for Part 2, “Choosing a recipe that works”, coming up, but in the meantime, you can read more about this concept at Dinner is in the Jar.  The book by the same name provides numerous recipes and directions for storage.  The downside of the book is that the author doesn’t explain how she analyzed the recipes to determine how to store them.  For example, you’ll notice that sometimes two jars are called for or certain ingredients are separated from the others and stored in a zip-loc inside the jar.

My series will teach you how to analyze your own recipes and not have to rely only on recipes some other family enjoys.  Having said that, I think the book is worth owning.

This post sponsored by All-in-One Preparedness.

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