Week 39 - Canned Meats

Week 39: CANNED MEATS Tuna (be sure and rotate) Spam, dried beef, go for 10 cans.


Benefits of Storing Canned Meat in Your Food Storage

Canned meat is a great food storage item. Roast beef, corned beef hash, Vienna sausages, Spam and canned chicken are readily available. We've been spoiled by fresh meat from the grocery store, but all it takes is one trucker strike, or a power outage to limit your use of fresh meat. Here are some benefits and ideas about stocking canned meat in your food storage:

• It's quick and easy to use.
• A 12 oz can of roast beef can be used in place of ground beef in many recipes. Even though the size is smaller, you don't have to use 1 lb. of meat in recipes. "Serve it hot over rice or noodles, or drain the gravy and shred the beef for awesome tacos, burritos, or BBQ." Hereford.com
• A 12 oz can of chicken may be used in enchiladas, salads, and chicken sandwiches.
• It's a great backup for a last minute meal.
• It has a 2-year shelf life. There are some more expensive canned meats available with longer shelf life, but they are very costly.
• Even though it is more expensive, periodically use it in recipes in place of fresh meat to rotate it.
• Using what you store will help your family become accustomed to eating it.
• You can also can your own meat in jars if you have a meat pressure canner.

(taken from Prepared LDS Family)

You can buy many different canned meats at Walmart, Amazon.com, Costco and Sam's Club.  Just be sure and try them and see if your family will eat them and like them!

Here are some hopefully helpful recipes so you can try out the canned meat on your family.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 (10 ounce) cans chicken chunks
• 1 pint sour cream
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup
• 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
• 4 ounces buttery round crackers, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In medium skillet, fry onion in butter until softened. Pour into 9x13 baking dish.
2. In large bowl, combine chicken chunks, sour cream and soup. Stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar. Stir in uncooked egg noodles. Pour mixture over onions in baking dish. Top with crumbled crackers and remaining cheddar.
3. Bake 30 minutes, or until top is golden and noodles are soft.

Bree's Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (12 ounce) cans chicken breast chunks, drained
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 8 croissants, split

Directions

1. Break the chicken breast chunks into small pieces in a large bowl. Mix in the celery, onion, and grapes. Season with dill and salt and pepper.
2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture, and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before spreading the salad onto the croissants to make sandwiches.

Cheggy Salad Sandwiches Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan curls, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 1/4 cup chopped pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons sweet dill pickle relish
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup cole slaw dressing
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
•  
• 10 slices sandwich bread
• 5 lettuce leaves
• 5 slices ripe tomato
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 5 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Lightly combine the canned chicken, eggs, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, pickle relish, chopped onion, mayonnaise, cole slaw dressing, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
2. To assemble sandwiches, spread a generous serving on each of 5 slices of sandwich bread, and place lettuce leaves, sliced tomato, sliced avocado, and Monterey Jack cheese slices over the salad. Top with remaining sandwich bread slices.