What is “The List”?

If you are completely new to food storage, you may be wondering what “list” I refer to so much.
When you begin to research and really look into food storage, you’ll find a general list of foods that are the basics. Food that you can use for a multitude of cooking and have a good shelf life, when stored properly. These usually consist of wheat, powdered milk and eggs, rice, sugar, salt. Just about anything you would need to make the basic food to get you through 3 months to a year, depending on the list. However, if your family is like mine, one or many of these are off limit foods. What to do then? Well, I’m glad you are here!

Here are a couple of links to some sites that have general lists of food that you should have in your food storage. There are more out there, but these are what I looked at when started out.

Food Storage Made Easy is a site that offers a step by step guide with list to help you with your storage. They start of with getting a 3 month amount of supplies at a time, I have a link on the side of my blog.
Another great place to start is the About.com Food Storage Calculator. Here you enter in the number of family members within a certain age range and they will calculate approximately how much food you need to store for a one year supply of food.
 Top 10 items to stock up in your pantry by Selina Dixon, manager and creator of Self-Reliant moms. Here, she has links to the FEMA and LDS list of foods to have on hand, and also outlines the top ten items that are recommended.

Depending on what your families needs are, you may be  able to use most of the items. But, if you run into things you can’t have, that’s where we come in! I have tried to break things down into categories to make finding these replacements easier.

No matter what list you choose to follow for amounts and  whatnot, just make sure that you are storing the foods properly and that you know how to use it :)

Grains

Depending on your allergies, you may have to look for alternatives to grains such as wheat, gluten grains and rice. Here are a couple alternatives to those, some of which you may be familiar with and possibly some new ones. 
Amaranth is a very mild grain that is quite similar to wheat when it’s prepared (we really like it).
Buckwheat is a very dark grain that has a heavy flavor, although it is a very good source of fiber, I have to mix it with another grain (like amaranth) to get my kids to eat it.
Cassava (better known as arrowroot) is found in almost every gluten free snack. It’s just like cornstarch, and really helps your baking stick together and thicken.
Chickpea (garbanzo) can be ground into chickpea flour which is used a lot in Indian cuisine and also made into a tofu (great for those who can’t have soy).
Corn can be corn starch, corn meal, or maize which is just finely ground corn suitable for things like tortilla shells.  This is great if you can have it, but remember it’s not a good source of nutrients.
Millet is one of the cereal crops, it is commonly used to make a “porridge cereal” of sorts and is a very good option if you can’t have cream of wheat or oatmeal. It’s also used in third world countries often made into a flat bread.
Montina is a type of flour created from milled Indian rice grass, which is native to the western states. Its not related to rice, but has a growing following in the gluten free world.
Oats (note:  oats in the United States can be contaminated with wheat and other grains, so be sure they are gluten/wheat free) Oats are not something we can use, but are a great source of grain for those who can.
Potato flour and starch is another “staple” in most GF diets and recipes.  While full of starch and pretty low in nutrients, this is still a great thing to store, because you can always make potato soups (yum!)
Quinoa (keen-wa) is growing by leaps and bounds in popularity. And it has good reason, this is a super grain jam packed full of protein, minerals and amino acids! When rinsed and left whole, we use it in place of rice for my son (who can’t have rice).  Ground into a flour, its a great way to sneak in some nutrients to your cooking ;) And more importantly, is found at Wal-Mart next to the Rice-a-Roni :)
Rice is widely found on lists for food storage. While my youngest son can’t have it, the rest of the family can so I usually have this one hand. Brown rice is the only whole grain rice, so this is the best option if you are going to use rice.
Sorghum isn’t something I have ever used, except in syrup form. But, it’s the fifth most important cereal grain in the world. It was ground into flour and was the main alternative to wheat in north China for a long time and I have seen it on many gluten free recipes.
Spelt, I almost left it off this list because it is wheat. But…..Both of my boys are allergic to wheat, but for some reason that neither my doctor nor I can explain, they seem to handle Spelt with flying colors. Even though I use it, I would not suggest using this grain if you have severe reactions to wheat or gluten, since it is from the wheat family.
These are the most easily found and affordable grain alternative’s to wheat. There are other grains out there,  for example…Coconut, Almond or any nut flours. These are a delicious in baking things like muffins, etc. but are a little more on the pricey side, so “stocking up”, at least for us,  isn’t an option unless I find a crazy good deal.  Hopefully this will help some of you come up with options for your grains.

Water

Water, it’s something everyone needs and can’t live without. No matter what the situation, having clean water on hand is a must. According to FEMA, you should have at least a three-day supply of water and you should store at least one gallon of water per person per day. A normally active person needs at least one-half gallon of water daily just for drinking.
There are many different ways to store water, you can get cases of water, that are easy to rotate (just drink them, lol). There are water storage containers that require less rotation, but take up more room and when time does come to rotate, can call for some imagination. And of course, there are barrels to store water in.
Because Water takes up so much space, if you are starting out, go small and work up. Buy an extra case of water at the store next time, or if they are on sale, buy three. Whatever you choose, water is a must.  Here is a link that is helpful with storage and amount ideas.

Breaking down the list.

Now, depending on how much and what you are planning on storing, you can adjust a list to fit your needs. For most who want to dive into the food storage world, there is a basic 3 month supply that is kind of a general rule of thumb. Once you have this 3 month supply you can go after another 3 months, and so on.
These magical lists are usually filled with many nutritious and filling foods...that is for most people. When you have an allergy to food, it can change everything. It took me a long time and a lot of searching to find things to replace on my list.
I’m going to try and break these lists down into the categories and share what we have chosen to use instead, obviously according to our needs.  Since we have such a wide range of foods to stay away from, there should be something here for just about everyone. If there is a favorite product that you use as opposed to what I use, please feel free to share it :)
There are approximately 7 general categories that you’ll need to look at. Aside from all of the other items you want to have on hand, I’m focusing on those most commonly found on a food storage list.

1. Water
2. Grains
3. Fats and Oils
4. Legumes
5. Sugars
6. Cooking Essentials
7. Other Proteins

Because there are so many options and so much to each of these categories, I’ve decided to break them down into their own entries. Hopefully, it will be easier to reference these too.

One of the first things you should do.

When an emergency hits you, who's going to wait while you pack a bag and copy a list of you or your child's allergies?  Nothing is going to help you more than an B.O.B. (better known as a Bug Out Bag).there are countless list available on line for adult or family packs, but one that most people don't address is a child's BOB. Depending on the age and size of your child, their BOB should still be as light as possible.

Here's a list of what I put in my kids bags. These are always packed and hanging on a hook in their room. (And trust me, if you ever have a house fire at 2 a.m., it's ideal to have it by their room and ready to grab!) If your children get into things like this, keep them in your room or in an easily accessible place.

• A list of their food allergies and medical history/needs. It's not a bad idea to laminate this to keep dry and legible. There are even sites that offer personalized cards with a picture of your child like this one.
• WATER There are a couple of options for this. They make a "juice box" style of water that is a great option for kids. Whatever container you choose, water is one of the most important items in your pack. An empty water container isn't a bad idea either. You can store the next items in the list inside of it.
• MRE's or power bars that are allergy friendly. These are invaluable to those with allergies for a multitude of reasons. Rotate these every couple of months.
• Gum or hard candy, if your kids can have it, it will keep them busy in an emergency. 
• Change of clothes. This should be changed seasonally and just as light as possible (they are going to be carrying their own pack)

Extra Epipen, books,  poncho, gloves, hat, etc., you can tailor your BOB to whatever needs you have. Think about what season it is and change out the contents ever so often. This could be a literal life saver some day.