Have you ever opened an MRE (Military ration) and thought half the stuff was gross? Or been allergic to some of it? What about people with gluten allergies or dairy allergies? That stuff is loaded with wheat, soy and milk products. And honestly, a lot of people are just plain picky.

So I made my own MRE. I took apart some of my MRE’s that I got through the army and also searched through my cupboards. Here’s my example:

Freeze dried Chili Mac (made by Wise Company – thanks to TF for sending it!!)

Instant Vegetable Couscous (from a MRE you can make your own, just throw couscous in a bag)

Tomato Basil Rice (from a MRE but you can make your own)

Vegetable Beef Cup of Soup (grocery store)

Bread (from MRE – limited shelf life but I have seen people use vacuum packed tortillas)

Orange sport drink powder (from a MRE but you can get individual sizes at grocery stores)

Peanut Butter and Jam (from MRE but can get from restaurants)

Oatmeal (grocery store)

LaraBar energy bar (availbable here)

Salt, pepper, tea and sugar (available at almost any restaurant… well, buy your own individually wrapped tea bags)

Once you have everything you want, throw it in a bag and vacuum seal it. Or put it in a Ziploc and use a straw to suck out the extra air. I’ve seen people do their own MRE’s with ramen noodles and dehydrated vegetables, macaroni and cheese (out of the box), packets of tuna, soup mixes, anything really. It is easy to go to the grocery store and buy shelf stable items. Just pick something you like and that you’ll eat and throw it all together! Later on, I’ll give you some ideas for the little ones in your survival group