How to Create an Emergency Meal Plan (with 3 Day Menu)

Creating an emergency meal plan has been on my mind for a while now.

It started with a general feeling that I should stock up on some basics when the coronavirus hit. But all of the “stockpile lists” online didn’t feel like they were what I needed. A pantry jam-packed with random basics didn’t feel all that helpful.

I realized that instead of a stockpile, I wanted an emergency meal plan — food set aside that can feed us specific meals for a decided amount of time. Not 20 pounds of flour and sugar. I want specifics. 

So I created this three day emergency meal plan as a start.

Why 3 days?

It’s generally recommended by the government and other sources that you have food and water on hand to last for 3 days/72 hours.

In the event of a natural disaster, it can take a few days for relief and supplies to get to you.

Ask yourself: What kind of emergency am I most likely to experience?

Instead of stocking years worth of food for a zombie apocalypse, I think it’s more helpful to plan for whatever emergency in most likely to happen in your area. This could be evacuating because of wildfires or hurricanes, power outages, earthquakes, or something else.

Growing up in Michigan, we were most likely to experience power outages due to storms.

Things to keep in mind:

As you put together your three day emergency meal plan, here are some things to think about:

• Foods you like and that fit with your diet. You don’t want your kit to be full of foods you would only eat if absolutely necessary. Try to fill it with foods you like and that are in line with your current diet to avoid tummy troubles. We don’t eat meat and avoid excess sugar, so I took that into account with my emergency meal plan.
• Foods that are filling. Make sure the foods you choose will fill you up and give you energy.
• Foods that are lightweight. If you’re likely to experience an emergency where you need to leave your home, it’ll be great if your emergency foods aren’t heavy so that you can easily carry and pack them.
• Foods that don’t require refrigeration or cooking. This is a big one if you are likely to be without power. All of the foods in my emergency meal plan do not require refrigeration or cooking.
• Don’t forget water. It’s recommended to have one gallon of water per person, per day. Plus half a gallon of water per pet, per day.

Our Emergency Meal Plan / Menu

Here’s what’s in our emergency kit along with Amazon links to similar items.

It’s all prepackaged foods that can last in the pantry for a year or more. In the event of an emergency, we’d of course add in any fresh produce we already had on hand.

Breakfasts:

• Protein granola, plus fruit cups or applesauce

Lunches:

• Protein bar, plus raisins

Dinners:

• Whole wheat crackers with peanut butter

Snacks & Extras:

• Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit
• Roasted chickpeas
• Pickles
• Protein Cookies
• Dark chocolate
• True lemon water flavoring

More Ideas:

• Tuna and crackers packs
• Single serving shelf stable hummus packs with chips or crackers
• Goldfish crackers
• Cereal with shelf stable or powdered milk

Hot Tip: You can find a lot of single serving food packs at the Dollar Tree! I got a few of my items there and saw many other good options.

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I’d love to know what kind of emergency plans you have! Do you have some sort of food stockpile, emergency meal plan, or “go bag”?

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