A 14-day pantry meal plan with no fridge: menu and shopping list

A non-perishable food list tells you what to buy. A meal plan tells you what you will eat each day and how much you need, so you do not end up with 20 packs of pasta and nothing for breakfast.

What changes in a crisis

• No fridge or freezer: everything has to keep at room temperature or be eaten once opened.
• Sometimes no stove: you need meals that need little or no cooking.
• No time or energy: simple meals with few dishes.
• Higher needs: stress, cold and physical effort raise your need for calories, protein and fluids.

What goes in the pantry

Type	Examples	Why
Dry	Oats, rice, pasta, cornmeal, lentils	Cheap, keep for years, lots of calories
Canned	Fish, meat, beans, chickpeas, vegetables, fruit	Already cooked, can be eaten cold
Naturally stable	Honey, peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate	Concentrated energy
Dehydrated	Powdered milk, instant soup, instant mash	Light, made with hot water

The 7-day menu (repeats)

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
1	Oats with powdered milk and honey	Pasta with tuna and tomato sauce	Instant soup, crackers, canned fruit
2	Crackers with peanut butter	Rice with beans and sweetcorn	Instant mash with canned meat
3	Cereal with UHT milk	Chickpea, sweetcorn and tuna salad	Pasta with peas and meat spread
4	Oats with dried fruit and nuts	Lentils with rice	Canned vegetable soup, crispbread
5	Crackers, jam, tea	Pasta with sardines	Rice with canned vegetables and meat
6	Oats with cocoa and honey	Canned beans and sausages, crispbread	Polenta with processed cheese
7	Pancakes from flour and powdered milk	Pasta with sauce and tuna	Instant soup, canned fish, fruit cup

Daily snacks: a handful of nuts or dried fruit, a cereal bar or a piece of chocolate.

Days 1–3 work without cooking too (oats can soak overnight in cold water with powdered milk). For the first days without power, see also the 3-day no-cook menu.

Shopping list: 1 adult, 14 days

• Oats: 1.5 kg (3 lb)
• Rice: 2 kg (4.5 lb)
• Pasta: 2 kg (4.5 lb)
• Lentils: 500 g (1 lb)
• Cornmeal: 1 kg (2 lb)
• Flour: 1 kg (2 lb)
• Crackers and crispbread: 1.5 kg (3 lb)
• Breakfast cereal: 750 g
• Canned fish (tuna, sardines): 8
• Canned meat or meat spread: 6
• Canned beans or chickpeas: 6
• Canned vegetables (peas, sweetcorn, mixed): 8
• Canned fruit or fruit cups: 6
• Passata or tomato sauce: 4
• Processed cheese (shelf-stable): 4
• Powdered milk: 500 g, or UHT milk: 6 litres
• Instant soups and mash: 10 sachets
• Peanut butter: 500 g
• Honey and jam: 2 jars
• Nuts and dried fruit: 1 kg
• Cereal bars and chocolate: 14
• Oil: 1 litre
• Salt, sugar, spices, cocoa
• Coffee, tea, vitamin drink powder

Gear for cooking without power

• A camping stove and 4–6 gas canisters (only with ventilation, never indoors in a closed space)
• A pot with a lid and a pan
• A manual can opener
• A vacuum flask, to keep water hot and save gas
• Containers with lids for leftovers

More ideas: cooking without power.

Keeping the reserve from spoiling

• Buy what you already eat and use it every day, replacing what you consume.
• First in, first out: new items at the back, older ones at the front.
• Write the date on big tins and packs.
• Keep the pantry cool, dark and dry.

All about rotation and storage: the emergency pantry. Work out the amounts for the whole family with the supply calculator.