How To Stock Your Kitchen The Right Way For A Hurricane

Unsplash/Rachel Gorjestani

When a natural disaster strikes, that’s not the time to be thinking about what’s in your fridge. You need to use a little foresight and plan ahead, thinking about what you might need to pick up before you’re stuck inside for the unforeseeable future. And because there’s always a chance that even your backup generator could fail, we’ve compiled an essential natural disaster grocery list for you, as well as tips for navigating your food needs amid the chaos.

Perishables

Instead of rushing to throw out your perishable foods, cook them. Use all ingredients with nearing expiration dates, and then keep the cooked meals in the fridge for as long as possible following a power outage. Then before your fridge loses too much of its cool, enjoy a post-storm feast.

Drinking Water

While most folks sprint to the supermarket to buy all of the eggs, bread and milk their arms can carry, be the smart one and reach for those purified water jugs instead. In the case that your water supply is compromised, you’re going to need a lot of clean water to stay hydrated as you ride out a storm. You can survive weeks without a proper food supply, but the human body can only last a few days without water.

Canned Foods

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Canned meat, veggies, beans and fruit may not sound super exciting, but they will give you the important nutrients you need without creating a cooking dilemma. (Just don’t forget the can opener.) If you’re picking produce that’s typically on the Dirty Dozen list, opt for the organic cans. And when it comes to the legume family, go with chickpeas, butter beans or cannellini beans. With a little drizzle of olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkle of black pepper, sea salt and your favorite spices, you’ll have a surprisingly tasty meal on your hands.

Nut Butter

Your favorite cashew, almond or peanut butter doesn’t need to go in the fridge. As long as you keep a spoon handy, you’ll be all set with a creamy source of protein and healthy fat as you wait out the storm. Grab some whole grain crackers while you’re at it to make a satisfying snack that will hold up against the elements.

Granola

Stock up on all of the oats, nuts, seeds, spices and dried fruit and make yourself a big batch of homemade granola for the storm. Sweet, crunchy and spicy granola is addictive to snack on and supplies you with an endless amount of energy without requiring any cooking once power is lost. You can even mix the granola with your nut butter and make yourself a bunch of nutty granola balls.

Chocolate

Unsplash/Charisse Kenion

Make sure to keep a few of your favorite chocolate bars stashed away for when you need a sweet energy boost during the storm. It’ll calm your nerves despite all of the madness around you.

Condiments

Household staples like olive oil, vinegar and coconut oil will be safe during the storm. Keep these condiments on hand to add some healthy fat and flavor to your survival-style meals.

Get your grocery shopping out of the way as soon as you can so you have more time to focus on safety precautions leading up to the storm. 

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