What Food to Stock up on for Coronavirus

If you’re wondering what an emergency food supply for a family might look like, you’re at the right place. And by an emergency food supply, I don’t mean those dehydrated meals or MRE’s (meals ready to eat) that taste like chalk.

On the other hand, no one wants to eat vegetables and beans out of a can for two weeks -unless you have no power, and it’s a natural disaster and emergency.

In this post, I cover what foods you should stock up on should you find yourself and your family at home for 2 weeks or more and want to continue to eat a healthy variety of foods.

I’ve also put together a comprehensive meal plan to help you cook for two weeks just using your pantry staples and what you have on hand.

image: four photos in a collage showing clean meal ideas, text reads "healthy meal plan with pantry staples - cook with what you have!"

Covered in this post:

Things to know before you stock up
What food to stock up on
How to build an emergency food supply
Best foods to stock for emergencies
How to store the food
Food Storage & Perishables to keep on hand
Cooking Essentials to have on hand
Snacks to have on hand
How much is a 2 week supply of water
How to freeze food for storage
How to make fresh food last longer

Whether you find yourself sheltering in place, political unrest, or natural disaster, it’s always a good idea to be prepared.

Things to Know Before You Stock up (and spend a lot of money)

Going to the store and “stocking up on stuff” is not a good idea. It will be expensive, a lot of items will go uneaten, and you’ll find yourself eating the same foods day after day.

1. Take inventory of the food you already have at home.

With pen and paper on hand, head to your pantry, fridge, and freezer and write down the foods you already have and can consume first. There’s no need to buy more pasta if you already have a dozen boxes of spaghetti on hand.

2. Make a list of meals you can make today.

Look at the items you wrote down on your paper and write a list of simple meals your family will eat you can make using the ingredients you have. Any missing ingredients can be written down on a separate shopping list.

And while you’re thinking about meals, jot down meals your family will enjoy eating for additional days. Meaning, if you only have enough food to cook 6 full family meals, write down 8-10 other meals you can make with a few ingredients for the rest of the 2-week period.

Remember to keep things simple. And by the way, repeat meals as necessary since this is temporary.

3. Repeat for all meals.

While you might associate “meals” with dinner, you’ll need to do this process for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. See below for a recommended food list.

Now that you have the “on-hand” list, a “meals” list, and a “shopping list” with the missing ingredients to help you make those meals, let’s talk about what foods to buy to have on hand.

What Food to Stock Up On

Hopefully, you did the steps above to assess what your food needs are. Stocking up for emergencies can get expensive and it’s easy to “run out” without proper planning.

If you’re not the “planning” type and are thinking “just give me a list of food” I’ve got you covered.

Note that the meals you’ll be making with the ingredients below are not going to be a 3-course meal but you’ll go beyond eating “rice and beans” for two weeks.

1. Stock up on shelf-stable, meal-building, pantry ingredients.

Oats, pasta, rice, whole-grains, legumes, and flour are always a good idea. These ingredients only require water to be cooked and can often yield more servings than their measured volume.

These are also the least expensive items to purchase and a little goes a long way! Here are some examples of meals you can build with each:

Oats:

Oatmeal
Pancakes (by making oat flour)
Add-in to smoothies
Energy Bites
Granola

Pasta:

Basic spaghetti and red sauce (or meat sauce)
Pasta salad, cold for lunch
Base for recipes

Rice:

Base for recipes
Plain, with butter
Alongside beans

Whole-Grains:

Like rice and pasta, other whole grains like quinoa, farro, and barley can be used as meal builders and sides for other meals.

Legumes:

Beans, or legumes, are terrific to build meals because they are a good source of fiber, protein, and nutrition. It’s an inexpensive way of providing nutrition and can be easily be prepared with water and seasonings.

Tips: if you are short on storage space, consider buying bulk beans instead of canned. While not as convenient, you can get 4-5 times the amount of servings for the same cost from bulk dried beans.

1 15-ounce can of beans = 3 servings = $1.59 (avg)
1 32-ounce bag of beans = 26 servings = $1.79 (avg)

2. Stock up on Frozen Items

Freezer-space permitting, frozen counterparts to fresh vegetables provide the same amount of nutrition and can be stored in the freezer for long periods of time (1-6 months).

Frozen vegetables:

Spinach, broccoli, green beans pack a lot of nutrition per bite. Other favorites: carrots, brussels sprouts, and stir-fry mixes

Frozen fruits:

Blueberries, strawberries, peaches, cherries, and pineapple are all great choices because they are packed with nutrition from both vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.

Should I stock up on Meat?

I’m a big fan of keeping a stash of frozen proteins like chicken, pork, and beef roast, in my freezer at all times. These should complement the recipes in your meal plans and not meant to be the bulk of the meal.

If you buy fresh meat at the grocery to freeze, consider it cutting it into smaller pieces or preparing it for the recipe you mean to use it in, add the spices or seasonings, and freeze in a labeled zip bag. Label everything.

If you are having trouble finding what you need in grocery stores or want to limit trips to the store, see how I’ve been ordering chicken and other meats online for months now. This resource is coming in handy right now too!

Best meats to keep in your freezer to build meals:

chicken breast
whole chickens
chicken thighs
beef pot roast or shoulder roast
ground beef
pork roast, pork loins

When considering proteins to purchase to stock up for an emergency, always buy the meats you’re most familiar with and most versatile with recipes.

What about seafood? Should I buy Fish?

I highly recommend purchasing seafood and fish if it’s available and your family will eat it. Remember, you’re meal planning for an emergency period. Ounce for ounce, seafood is more expensive than other animal proteins.

If you’re unsure whether or not you’ll eat the fish in the freezer but would like to get some of the benefits from seafood, consider buying canned seafood (see list below for recommendations).

How to Build an Emergency Food Supply

The most conservative approach to building an emergency food supply is to buy what your family will consume (realistically) for 14 days.

The best foods to use for an emergency food supply should require minimal cooking, limited ingredients needed to build a meal, and you can eat it on repeat.

Besides the above pantry staples and freezer items, canned goods are always a good idea.

Best Foods to Stock for Emergencies

At the end of the day, remember that the best foods to stock for emergencies are those that you will actually consume. Why waste your time and precious storage space on items you’ll never use? Exactly.

You can get ahead of the game by preparing some meals now with the food that you have at home and freezing it. This will save you time and open up fridge and pantry space for new ingredients.

Tip: freezing items flat in a zip bag will take up less room. And remember to label the contents inside the bag.

You might want to make some breakfast muffins or other baked goods and freeze them too.

Best Canned Goods to Stock Up On

Fruit: fruits without added sugar are a good idea. Look for fruits with a high vitamin C content, like peaches, oranges, pineapples, and grapefruit.

Vegetables: I recommend having some canned vegetables on hand because they are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, and other nutrients. Corn, carrots, peas, and green beans are great options. Another favorite: canned pumpkin. It’s not just for fall!

Beans: stock up on all varieties of canned beans (that your family will actually eat). Typically, I recommend 2 cans per meal, for a family of 4. Beans are easy to use, require no cooking, and can be turned into a meal quickly!

Recipes to make with canned beans:

Pasta: this suggestion might make your kids extremely happy and give you a day off from cooking! Many canned pasta varieties are high on sodium so keep an eye out for that.

Simple canned cheese ravioli are kid-friendly, provides protein, carbohydrates, and are low in saturated fat.

Fish: love canned seafood because they are a wonderful source of omega 3s and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Stock up on:

tuna
sardines
mackerel
salmon
herring

Canned fish can be used in sandwiches, salads, and even “fish nuggets“.

How to Store the Food

While some people have large pantries, others do not. When space is limited, you’ll want to store shelf-stable pantry items in temperature-controlled rooms for maximum life-span.

Creative spaces to store food:

In bins or boxes under beds.
In your laundry room
In the space under your staircase
In your closets, high up or at ground floor
In the water heater closet
Under the couch
In the basement, if you have one

Fresh foods to buy for food storage – Perishables to keep on hand

While it seems like you’re preparing for an apocalypse, remember you’re preparing to be self-reliant for a 2-week period (more with proper planning).

Dairy: items like fresh milk can go bad before your 2-week period, so I recommend having on hand what you will consume before the expiration date. Otherwise, purchase shelf-stable milk or dairy-free alternatives that do not require refrigeration.

Did you know that milk can be frozen? It can! If you have the freezer space, buy milk in quart or half gallon sizes and freeze it. When ready to use, thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight and consume within 5 days.

Cheese: block and shredded cheeses last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator after opening so make sure to keep those packages sealed tight and only open when necessary. Some cheeses like Cheddar and Parmesan last about a month.

Fruit: although I just suggested that you stock up on frozen and canned fruits, some fruits have longer shelf life than others. Berries and other soft-skinned fruits have a short life-span, about 3-5 days post-purchase in the refrigerator, while others longer. I recommend you purchase and keep in the refrigerator:

Apples (all varieties)
Oranges & clementines
Pears
Bananas (buy green keep on counter, peel & freeze when very ripe)

I love stocking up on bananas. When they go ripe, I make Banana Oatmeal Muffins with many pantry staples.

Vegetables: few fresh vegetables will last longer than 5 days. This is fine if you’re purchasing foods for two or three weeks. The first week, use up everything fresh and after that, hit up the stash in your freezer.

Some longer-life veggies:

Broccoli (keep in fridge)
Butternut Squash and spaghetti squash (tips on cooking spaghetti squash)
Cabbage, green and purple
Carrots

Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes: when kept in a cool, dry place like your pantry these can last up to 3 weeks.

Onions & Garlic: they add lots of flavor to your meals and can also last up to two months when stored in a cool, dry place like the pantry.

Eggs: eggs have a long life in the refrigerator. It’s best to keep them in their original carton and they are usually labeled with an expiration date (about 3 weeks from the time of purchase). You can also freeze eggs!

Butter: essential to baking, spreading and cooking you can keep this in the fridge for a few months or in the freezer for a year.

Bread (sliced, muffins, tortillas, bagels, English muffins): no doubt, the bread you purchase today at the grocery will have a printed “Best by” date. You can extend their shelf life by refrigerating the bread or by keeping it in its original packaging and freezing, then toast or warm at room temperature as needed.

Other Cooking Essentials to Have on Hand

While you might only be thinking food that needs to be heated or cooked, there are other essentials most people overlook that are almost necessary to cook meals.

While it’s not necessary to stock up on these items, consider having these on hand:

seasonings and spices
oil spray and cooking oils
coffee (always a good idea IMO)
condiments and sauces

Snacks to keep on hand

While you might be inclined to purchase a bunch of “single packs” for snack time, stress eating is a real thing and can hit any of us at any time. Those granola bars? Gone. 100-calorie packs? Gone.

Try having these snacks in your pantry instead:

Dried Fruit: a small serving is nutrition and fiber-rich; so keeping these in your pantry is always a good idea. They can be used to top your oatmeal and baked goods. You can also make your own banana chips or apple chips to keep them longer.

Nuts and Nut Butter: an often overlooked source of protein that lasts a long time is a terrific option for snack time. A small handful of nuts have essential fats and minerals. Buy a big bag of your favorite and remember to seal it well to keep them fresh or keep them in the freezer (if you have room) for ultimate freshness.

When it comes to nut butter you’ll only need a couple of jars. There’s nothing wrong with making a PB&J sandwich and calling it a meal, that’s comfort food for many!

Seeds: also rich in nutrition seeds like flax, chia, and hemp are great to keep in your fridge. If you don’t typically use seeds, skip them. They aren’t cheap and while nutritious, save your money.

I placed seeds in the snack category because they are great to top yogurts, add them to smoothies, or add them to your morning oats.

Other Food Items to Consider

If you have a young child or baby, consider having enough baby food or formula, this is especially the case when it comes to special dietary needs.

If you have food allergies or special dietary needs in the family, make sure to have enough on hand so that you can provide safe and nutritious meals for everyone.

If you have pets, remember having extra pet food for them as well.

How much is a 2 Week Supply of Water?

The CDC recommends that you should have at least one gallon of water per person (and per pet) per day in your emergency stockpile. That means if you have four people in your family, you should have four gallons per day, and that’s just for drinking.

Do you need to stock up on water? Currently, there are no restrictions on water supplies.

You can consider purchasing a filtration pump or LifeStraw pitcher or personal filter to make sure you have access to clean and safe drinking water.

How to Freeze Food for Storage

Below you’ll find some helpful posts on how to freeze many of the items suggested to stock up on. I bet you didn’t know you could freeze some of these!

How to Make Fresh Food Last Longer

If you’re wondering how to make some foods last longer, like lettuce and berries, I totally get you! I too would love to eat fresh salads!

Here is a quick video showing you how I store my lettuce on a regular basis.

In the end, no matter what you are planning your real-food storage for, remember to not over-do-it, plan smart, and create a plan for the food you purchased.

There’s no sense of spending a lot of money on food storage and having your food go to waste.

If you need a plan for your food to help you eat fresh foods, help you with meal prep, and tell you what to buy, check out our weekly meal plans.

2 Week Emergency Food Supply – How to Prepare your Family

Things to Know Before You Stock up (and spend a lot of money)