Milk and Bread? Really? - The Inclement Weather Food List Gets a Makeover

We North Carolinians frequently find ourselves in the paths of hurricanes. And, this year was no different. Much of our state is still recovering from Hurricane Florence with many residents still unable to return to their flooded or ravaged homes. Our hearts and prayers remain with our fellow NC families as they continue to put their lives back together.

In the days leading up to Florence’s landfall, the usual Hurricane Preparedness Lists began to pop up on all social media sites. And, news reports showed grocery store shelves devoid of milk, bread and chips. I checked a few lists and almost all of them encouraged residents to buy milk, bread and comfort foods like chips, cookies and brownies. It struck me as odd that in this new era of health mindedness, milk, bread and chips still rank as top foods we need to have on hand when we are possibly hanging on for dear life.

It was clear that the decades-old “Milk and Bread” Hurricane Food Preparedness List needed a serious update. If you’re stranded without power and electricity for an unknown amount of days, you need to be stocked with “fuel” to endure whatever nature presents. And, I mean food fuel not gasoline for your generator (also good to have on hand). After all, a person would never enter a marathon without pre-planning their sports nutrition. Times of stress call for important nutrition like quality proteins, healthy fats and nutrient dense carbs. This is not the time to be chowing down on pub grub.

So, leave the milk and bread for young families with small children who need PB&Js. For the rest of us, focus on more powerful foods.

Leave the milk and bread for the kids' PB&Js and stock up on healthier foods for potential power outages #saslife
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The foods on the following check list will provide just what your body needs if you are stuck in your home for days without power due to any kind of weather. If heating is desired, this can easily be done on a grill or camp stove. These foods are portable in case you need to evacuate and they are shelf stable so no worries about spoilage.

And, as an extra side note for you On-The-Go folks, these foods are also great to stuff in your gym bag, suitcase or backpack for extra fuel for workouts, travel and camping trips.

Powerful Foods for a Hurricane and Other Potential Power Outages

Keep a copy of this Inclement Weather Food Preparation List in your Favorites File and snap a picture with your phone so you always know where to find it. Click on the image below for a printable PDF that contains live hyperlinks for easy one stop ordering.

For more information about how these foods made it on this healthier list, check out the blog Store Bought Snacks with Simple Ingredients.

Hurricane Fajitas
Makes 4 Servings
Marinade Recipe from: allrecipes.com

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We live in the woods in the Piedmont of North Carolina where it is very common to lose power during hurricanes and the infamous NC ice storms. This was a treat I prepared for our friends as we gathered together to weather Hurricane Florence. It was a comfort to face the unknown with close friends and good food.

This dish can be prepared completely on the outdoor grill in the event of a power outage. I had tortillas on hand for those who love them. We go tortilla-less in our house to keep the carbs lower.

Ingredients

Fajita Marinade Ingredients

¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice (juice of 2 large limes)
⅓ cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (¼ teaspoon if you don’t like much heat)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds grass fed, pastured beef and/or chicken (cut into fajita strips) or wild caught shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Grilled Peppers and Onions Ingredients

1 large red bell pepper – sliced in ⅓ inch slices
1 large yellow bell pepper – sliced in ⅓ inch slices
1 large Vidalia onion- sliced in ⅓ inch slices
1½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Homemade Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions for Marinade

1. In a large resealable plastic bag or bowl, mix together lime juice, water, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and liquid smoke flavoring.
2. Stir in cayenne and ground black pepper.
3. Place meat or shrimp in the marinade, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Directions for Fajitas

1. On a hot grill lined with foil, add meat and cook to desired doneness.
2. While meat is cooking, heat 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil in a skillet.
3. Add peppers and onions. Sprinkle with Homemade Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. Saute until onions are clear.
4. Add black pepper to taste.

5. Build your fajitas with desired fixins’. For us, we simply add homemade guacamole (recipe below) with a roasted veggie on the side and we’re good to go!

Note: We love this recipe so much, I double it and marinate 4 pounds of meat or shrimp. We then grill all the protein at one time, eat what we want for Dinner #1 then freeze the rest of the cooked proteins for subsequent meals in the upcoming weeks.

Homemade Guacamole
Makes about 2 cups

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Ingredients
3 ripe avocados – pitted and flesh removed from skin
3 Tablespoons finely chopped Vidalia onion
Juice of 1 lime
¼ - 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper – to taste

Directions
1. Place avocado flesh in a bowl and slightly mash with a fork.
2. Add onion, lime juice and cilantro. Stir well.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.