Top Foods to Stock for a Storm

Fall is here, which means hurricane season. As most of my clients prepare for Hurricane Matthew to hit the east coast of Florida, we’ve been discussing types of foods to keep in the cabinet to have on hand if the power goes out. Since this is something we all face at one time or another, I figured this was a helpful post for most of us. Whether it’s a hurricane, a snow storm or something else, it’s always a good idea to have a go-to list of easy (and not so unhealthy) foods to stock for a storm.

But first, a few important things to consider:

Foods that need to be refrigerated have about a 4 hour shelf life after the power goes out- so to avoid getting sick from these types of foods if the power to the fridge is knocked out be conscious to keep them cool (about 40 degrees or lower) or consume more quickly if you don’t have another option for cooling.
Use bottled water if there’s a chance that the water source won’t be safe (it’s always good to have an option like this available!)
If you’re not sure if something is safe to eat, toss it- it’s not worth getting sick!

Top foods to stock your pantry with:

Bars:

Crackers: Great to have with peanut butter or an easy tuna salad (mayo-free)

Mary’s Gone Crackers
Ryvita
Wasa
Rice cakes and crackers
Wheat thins

Nuts: Aim to purchase unsalted if able.

Walnuts
Almonds
Cashews
Others

Nut-butters: Try to purchase natural, organic or minimally processed if able, this is always a better choice.

Peanut butter
Almond butter
Sunflower-butter

Soups (shelf-stable):

Pacific Organic soups
Amy’s Organic soups

Cereals: Cereals can be had with shelf-stable non-dairy milks like almond or rice milk

KIND granola
Muesli
Rolled oats
Nature’s Path cereals

Non-dairy milks: Buy these in individual serving sizes like 8-10 oz cartons. They don’t have to be refrigerated unless opened (so if you consume at once you’ll prevent having to do this). Be sure to get the unsweetened variety!

Rice milk
Hemp milk
Almond milk

Fruit & veggies: Those that don’t need to be refrigerated

Apples
Pears
Bananas
Pineapple
Avocado
Tomatoes

Canned protein:

Tuna
Salmon
Sardines

Canned beans: Look for these in cartons as well- cartons are a more environmentally-safe (and contains fewer chemicals too than cans) way to store beans and other traditionally canned items

Chickpeas
Black beans
Kidney beans
And others

Protein powder: Protein powders are great to have on hand because if the power goes out and protein choices are slim you can easily mix the protein with water or a little almond milk that you may not have opened in the cabinet (purchase individual portions of 8-10 oz containers)

Meat jerky: One of my favorite new snacks and especially when from a source-conscious brand like the one below! A great snack that lasts in your cabinet and rich in protein too!