Food Allergy Meal Prepping For A Pandemic
There are no ways to hide from the news about Coronavirus these days. We’ve been hearing it nonstop. They’re saying there could be a pandemic coming soon. The US Department of Homeland Security says that we should have 2 weeks of food stored at home in case there is a pandemic. So what do 2 weeks of breakfast, lunch and dinners look like for your food allergy family, and how do you even know how much to buy? Read on!
Start With a Meal Plan
If you’ve read my blog for ANY length of time you know that I’m a huge fan of meal planning. It has changed my life by removing so much stress on a daily basis. In fact, it’s a big part of what I teach my beloved members of The Inspired Kitchen Membership (along with meal prepping, and cooking simple, allergy-friendly meals and more).
So it’s no surprise that I would point you toward a meal plan here too.
This means you need to start by planning your meals using non-perishables for 2 weeks. Sound easier said than done?? Don’t worry, I’ve got ya!
Let’s break it down a bit.
First, download a copy of my FREE Allergy-friendly recipe ebook. It has my favorite meal planning template and it’s PERFECT for creating a pandemic meal plan (AND everyday meal plans) to boot.
Now, we can fill in foods that we might need. I suggest you print one meal plan for breakfasts, one for dinners, and one for snacks so you make sure you have all of them ready to go.
But before we start to fill them in, we need to ask a question:
What does food allergy eating during a pandemic look like?
In short, it means LOTS and LOTS of non-perishable foods. But I’m confident that if we plan right, we can get some fruit and veggie goodness in there too. We just have to be smart about it. More on this later…
See what I’m planning here:
Food Allergy Pantry Staples for a Pandemic
In my recipe ebook and training bundle, 90-Minute Variety Booster, I teach moms how to make really simple and easy meals called Pantry Panic Meals. These are perfect for that weeknight when you get home and all craziness has broken loose and you just can’t make the dinner you were planning. If this happens, I teach my members to have a list of “Pantry Panic” meals that they can put together with ONLY pantry staples so they don’t have to stop at the grocery store on the way home. It works great for those busy nights, but equally as good for when you’re short on perishables like you might be during a pandemic.
I thought I would start you off with a few allergy-friendly pantry staple ideas that you could put together into a meal:
Proteins:
Canned ham, chicken, tuna (if safe)
Beans, lentils, chickpeas
Quinoa
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds (try Superseedz or other nuts or seeds if they are safe for you)
Carbs:
Rice
Quinoa
Safe Pasta
Potatoes (these will usually last awhile in a cool, dark spot).
Fruits and veggies:
Canned tomatoes and vegetables, canned fruits (don’t underestimate the deliciousness of an oven-roasted canned peach), canned corn, canned beets, pickles (yes this will add flavor to an otherwise bland non-perishable dish), olives.
Flavorings:
Let’s talk about spices. If the pre-made “taco-seasoning” mixes work for your family’s allergens, that’s fine, but as a personal choice, I prefer NOT to use them even if they do work for our allergens. I find they often have excessive salt and other additives. So I like to buy the spices and mix them myself. Don’t forget that during a pandemic you’ll likely have extra time because you won’t be going anywhere!!
Here are a few spices you could stock up on that will pack a BIG punch:
Salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, bouillon (I like to have beef, chicken, veggie, and maybe mushroom, but of course buy whatever kind is safe for your family).
I find that McCormick’s or Club House spice brands are usually allergy-friendly, but make sure to check for yourself.
Disclaimer - I have many more spices in my pantry, but if you’re just stocking up, the ones above are a great starting place!
A bottle of lemon juice. Usually, I prefer fresh lemons, but in this case, when we may not be able to get fresh lemons a small jar of lemon juice will work wonders. You’ll be surprised how much a little lemon juice enhances your meals! Learn more about making delicious flavors that work together in the 90-Minute Variety Booster.
Pre-made staples:
Canned/jarred pasta sauce,
Allergy-friendly, non-perishable pre-made brand food like Daiya, Udi’s or others.
Food Allergy Freezer Staples for A Pandemic
One thing about a pandemic vs. other emergencies is that you’ll likely have electricity which means we can still use one of my best friends, the freezer!! I always say the freezer is my friend!
In my course, I teach moms how to do a ‘Bulk Cook’ where we make “Freezer Frenzy” meals so their freezers are stocked with delicious and healthy meals that they can grab in a pinch; but Freezer Frenzy meals are also PERFECT to have on hand during a pandemic when we won’t be able to go to the store or out to eat like usual.
If you want to learn how to easily make freezer meals, check out 90-Minute Variety Booster.
I would recommend making 1-2 large batches of Freezer Frenzy meals that you can freeze into individual meal containers in your freezer. Some examples of Freezer Frenzy meals are chili, bolognese sauce, and soups. All of these freeze amazingly well and would add much-desired variety in the event of a pandemic.
Get freshness from your freezer.
The freezer is where you’ll be able to add back that freshness to your meals in the form of frozen veggies and fruits, so you’ll want to stock up on all kinds. Think about, broccoli, cauliflower, mixed veggies, kale, spinach, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and avocado. Buy what your family likes, but you may even want to try one or two new things since you’ll be looking for more variety.
In the 90-Minute Variety Booster, there’s a BONUS activity where we learned how to make simple allergy-friendly veggies so delicious your kids will beg for them.
If you have favorite frozen pre-made foods, you may want to put those on the pandemic meal plan too.
Meal Planning For A Pandemic
So now that we’ve looked at some pantry and freezer staples, and hopefully got your creative juices flowing, let's get back to that meal plan. Create one meal plan for dinners, one for breakfasts and one for snacks. I usually use leftovers for lunches, but if your family doesn’t like having the same thing 2 days in a row then make a meal plan for lunches too (but don’t forget to freeze those leftovers in individual containers for lunches another day!!).
You may want to leave a couple of meals free at the beginning of your meal plan to use up whatever perishables you have in your fridge when the pandemic starts. Either that or get those foods into the freezer so they don’t go to waste and you can pull them out when you’re ready!
If you have freezer meals ALREADY in your freezer right now, add those to the beginning of the meal plan. You want to use up what you have before making fresh because if you can’t go to the store for two weeks those fresh veggies and fruits you already have will be like gold.
Complete your two-week meal plan by filling in the meal for each night and then putting the ingredients for every meal below in the shopping list. Now move on to your breakfast plan.
Planning Allergy-Friendly Breakfasts
Let’s get some breakfast ideas on your meal plan. What do you normally eat for breakfast? Can this be stretched for 2 weeks? Fill in breakfast for each day and what you’ll need to make it. Remember to keep it non-perishable except for freezer items.
Non-Perishable Allergy-Friendly Breakfast Ideas
1. Breakfast fruit crisp - Using frozen fruit and pantry basics. (Buy butter and freeze it OR For those of you with a dairy allergy, buy frozen avocado to sub for the butter). You’ll find the recipe in my free meal plan and you can download it here.
2. Smoothies - Using frozen bananas and fruit. If you have a milk allergy, I have a recipe in my free meal plan that doesn’t use dairy OR if dairy is ok for your family, you can pre-freeze safe yogurt in Ziploc bags or glass containers to have it on hand in a pandemic.
3. Safe baked goods - Either bake them yourself or buy them from the store and freeze them.
4. Safe cereals - Eaten with or without whatever milk is safe for your family.
Keep in mind you’ll be able to bake when you’re at home during a pandemic, as long as you have all the basics like flour (allergy-safe), baking powder, baking soda, etc. Remember egg replacers work if you have an egg allergy, BUT ALSO if you don’t have an allergy you just can’t get ahold of fresh eggs. You’ll just have to stock a couple of things like either ground flaxseed (mix 1 tbsp with 3 tbsp of water for each egg) OR aquafaba (the juice of chickpeas in a can - use 1/4 cup for each egg). Remember to add these to the meal plan/grocery list too!
Also, think about milk. If you have a milk allergy, just buy enough of your favorite non-dairy, non-perishable milk. If you don’t have a milk allergy you may want to get a package of powdered milk or go non-dairy/non-perishable too.
I have a whole bonus inside the 90-Minute Variety Booster with ideas for baking without eggs AND another about baking without milk. There’s also an extensive cheat sheet of milk/dairy product replacers. You can access these and more in the course.
Non-Perishable Allergy-Friendly Lunch Ideas
Charcuterie board lunch with sandwich meat or pepperoni sticks (buy the meat now and freeze), pickled vegetables (beet, onion, olive etc), hummus and your favorite safe crackers or bread.
Leftovers from dinner the night before. During a pandemic, we don’t want to waste anything!
Non-Perishable Allergy-friendly Snack Ideas
Lastly, start a new meal plan sheet with snacks on it.
Again check your pantry to see what you have. As I already mentioned, you might want to bake some muffins or cookies as snacks DURING the pandemic so make sure your baking supplies are stocked.
Some allergy-friendly brands that make great snacks like granola bars, crackers and cookies are: Made Good, Enjoy Life, Libre Naturals and Free Yumm and Kinnikinik.
Don’t forget canned fruits and fruit sauces work great as snacks too. Corn tortilla chips and pretzels work well as a snack with an allergy-friendly dip (find a recipe in my free meal plan). Popcorn is always a fun option too.
You’re almost done!
By the end of this exercise, you’ll have 3 meal plans (each with 2 pages, since there are 2 weeks) and 3 shopping lists ready to go. One for dinner, breakfast and snacks. All you have to do is stock up!
Keep all the foods for your meal plans in a separate place in your pantry so you don’t eat it before the pandemic starts.
Also, don’t forget to stock up on prescription meds and pain/fever relievers and water.
Conclusion
You’ll feel prepared and confident about your 2-week pandemic food supply using the tips in this post.
PLEASE SHARE with other food allergy moms and food allergy groups. Sharing IS a great way to help other food allergy moms and allows me to continue creating content. Thank you so much!
Let me know in the comments how this post has helped you. I love hearing from you!
