Yesterday I woke up around 5 am {that’s sleeping in for me} and made a cup of tea. No sugar, no milk. By the third cup {I re-used my tea bag} I had pretty much decided tea without sugar or milk is AWFUL. I was left wondering if I will still be drinking tea at the end of this 30 day challenge.
For breakfast I had three options to choose from: Strawberry Cream of Wheat, Strawberry Oatmeal and Multi Grain Cereal. I started with the Strawberry Cream of Wheat because of the simple fact the bag has 20 servings. With only 3 choices for breakfast, I know I’m going to need to rotate what I can eat as much as possible.
Breakfast – Strawberry Cream of Wheat {220 Calories}
It was really good! I am a big fan of Cream of Wheat anyways and I love the fact that there is a wee bit of sugar and some strawberry juice powder in the mix for a little added sweetness.
During the morning hours I drank 3 cups of hot tea and 2 bottles of water.
Lunch and Dinner – Pasta Primavera {760 calories – 380 calories per serving}
Throughout the rest of the day I drank 5 bottles of water.
I was surprised at how good the pasta primavera actually was. In real life, I probably would have eaten a double serving at both lunch and dinner. But I realize part of being in an emergency situation is rationing out your food. And the {mental} adjustment period that comes along with that is probably the hardest part.
The bag said 5 servings… so to make life a little easier, I went ahead and made the whole bag at once and divided up the portions.
I guess it looks like I’ll be eating pasta primavera for lunch and dinner on Tuesday and for lunch on Wednesday as well. Luckily, this stuff was pretty tasty, and if the zombies were not outside my door clamoring to get in, I would probably venture outside and harvest some sugar snap peas or other fresh vegetables to accompany the pasta.
Total Calories Consumed on Day 1 – 980 calories
Total Beverages Consumed on Day 1 – 3 cups of tea 7 bottles of water {I’m using this to drink out of}
The hardest part about day one?
Having to stop myself from getting something to snack on from the goodie drawer in the kitchen. Spirits are high and I feel like I can totally do this.
Something to think about:
The Value Kit {85 servings, which is what I am testing out} has everything you need to get started for a 1 month food supply kit and is based on 2 things:
1. Price point so that people can start their food storage in some way.
2. You are supplementing the kit with beans, rice and other items you are already storing.
If I would have thought this through and actually planned this experiment out a little better, I would have requested the Premium Kit because it comes with 205 servings and was especially designed to feed 1 person for an entire month {and it even comes with pancake mix!!!} Or, I would have set aside some beans and rice to supplement my Value Kit.
In fact, after my surprise blog post yesterday about my crazy experiment, James, co-founder of Valley Food Storage offered to send me the Premium Kit. Wasn’t that sweet! But I’m still thinking about it. Because really, I would hate to go back on my initial plan. I was seriously so excited when my box of emergency rations came so like practically everything I do, I jumped in feet first without thinking too much about it.
I guess what I’m saying is… I really want to try this. I really want to see if I can do what I set out to do {even if I forgot the beans and rice}. Yes, I’m sure at some point it will be uncomfortable, but what if this was my only option. What if I really only had this one box of food to last me for 30 days. Maybe it’s more about will power. Or maybe I’m just crazy.
Who knows.
~Mavis
Rosaleen says
Mavis-
Rather than thinking you are “going back” on your initial plan, think of adding rice and beans as using the plan as intended AND giving Valley Foods a fair trial. If the foods were meant to be supplemented, not doing so is not fair to you or to Valley Foods.
Also, I still think adding some homegrown food, whether preserved from last year or fresh, could be part of a modified emergency plan. If to go you don’t have to go to the store to buy it, any food could be part of an emergency plan. Just be up front about it.
Wynne says
I agree! It seems like such a shame to miss out on June garden goodness.
Liliana says
At least the food is tasty.
Mrs. Chow says
Yes, good to know the food is tasty, and I love cream of wheat, too.
At any rate, the way this works for me is I tend to buy freeze-dried soups. Why? First, my family loves soups; second, they store well; third, they are incredibly handy to have around, especially in the winter.
I also sore a small amount of freeze-dried milk to add to my te or coffee in case of emergency. We are not milk drinkers, but I use it in bread baking from time to time, and in my tea/coffee. My husband has a bag of Jolly Ranchers for the same reason. Part of emergency planning is making sure that one and one’s family don’t go bonkers from food boredom!
Em says
I would consider the beans, rice, some powdered milk, and possibly some Gatorade or other supplement (dried bananas?) so electrolytes don’t get too out of balance. It’s not cheating if that’s how it was designed to be used.
athena says
I agree! Do it like it was designed to be done otherwise its not truly a good test.
Pauline says
Mavis, I love that you are giving this a try, but please be careful. The total daily calories you are taking in are NOT enough to sustain an active adult woman, and you will quickly begin to lose energy, strength, and weight, none of which seem like a good idea for you. Please do add the things that are suggested. We want you to be your usual perky self!
beth says
Well said Pauline. Not enough calories in a day for a busy active adult.
Julie says
I have to agree with the above comment. Even if you were NOT such and active person, 980 calories a day is simply not enough. Your body will compensate – you will lose muscle tone and bone density, not to mention energy. In the zombie apocalypse, we may all have to deal with a little bone density loss, but this is real life, and you have a family to care for and a happy life to lead. PLEASE supplement this with more calories.
SilverIzzy says
If it was designed to be done with beans and rice, I would absolutely add beans and rice to the challenge. Pretend some kind neighbor gave them to you during the apocalypse. You are going to need the extra calories and protein to make it. Seriously, I love that you are doing this challenge, I think it is an absolutely fantastic test of the product, but please don’t put your health at risk. As Em said, if it was designed to be done with beans and rice then it is in no way cheating to eat it with the recommend amount of beans and rice.
Tamara says
BEANS and RICE! BEANS and RICE! BEANS and RICE!
CC says
I worry about your high carb (carbs turned by body to sugar) intake. I find these meals put me on the blood sugar roller coaster.
bonnie says
Same. The cream of wheat alone would make me ill.
Deborah says
I agree that if the food was meant to be eaten with beans and rice, it’s not cheating. Think of it more like the happy accidental discovery of a second box that contained beans and rice. : )
I think you’re the greatest, Mavis! I am not open to risking your health or well-being for an experiment. If the experiment isn’t working, it’s ok to modify it to the point where it works. Especially if your goal is to see if you can make it work. Right?
Take care of yourself girl scout. Nuf said.
Butterflyweed says
Mavis, I don’t think it would be cheating to add powdered creamer and a little sugar to your tea. I have those things on hand in case of being snowed in or something. Most people in a crisis, like an earthquake, would be at home and be using things from their pantry-not eating this exclusively. From the comments, I think the vast majority of your readers would not be disappointed or feel your experiment is a failure if you ate a little of the lettuce you grow or a couple of berries.
Pam says
I’m going to chime in just to increase the number of people that urge you to either supplement as it is supposed to be or upgrade to the premium. Nobody wants you to jeopardize your health just because you jumped in a little too quickly. We can all look at it as a lesson on preparedness. Better to figure this out before an actual emergency!
Mary Ann says
Yes, Yes, definitely add the necessary accompaniments!!!!
Em says
I also noticed your glasses are fogged up in your pic with the tea. Now I want some tea, and a mug like that. 🙂
Teresa says
I agree that it is totally acceptable to supplement the kit as intended. Also, I think it is appropriate to eat anything you find growing, either foraged wild things or produce from your garden.
Tricia in NC says
I agree supplement with the beans and rice. This is your favorite time of year and you do not want to become ill. Well and then we would miss some cool posts from you…..
Michelle in AZ says
I agree with everyone above. If it says its meant to be supplemented with beans and rice then that is what you should do. In order to be fair to yourself and the company you really need to do what they recommend.
I also don’t think its cheating if you add a little creamer or sugar to your tea. If the zombies come chances are you will already have that in your kitchen/ storage already.
I think its awesome you are doing this….. look forward to reading about it daily! thanks Mavis!!!!!
Melissa Doroquez says
Yep – I agree with many others. Add the rice and beans that were recommended. I am also of the perspective that any foraging you may do would be completely natural in the end of days. Please…if the zombies came we KNOW you would have seeds planted immediately!
Marcia says
It’s totally not cheating to add beans and rice or to accept the premium kit.
I would also add – it wouldn’t be cheating to acquire freeze-dried fruits and veggies from Costco (that’s where I got mine) to supplement too.
Sharon says
Ditto all the comments about adding rice and beans and maybe things like sugar and powdered milk as though you had prepared for such an emergency and was using this kit. It is totally not cheating. Now, if you go out and buy a ton of chocolate — well, that might be cheating. 🙂 BTW, this is a fantastic endorsement of this kit if you find the food tasty. I’m waiting to see how the rest of the food is, and then I may be ordering a kit for myself.
Cathy B says
I guess it depends on what scenario you are testing. Are you testing a disaster where this kit is literally all you have? Or are you testing a more realistic scenario where you have to live on this kit plus what you’ve already got? In a real scenario you would probably want to use as much from your garden as possible to supplement. Also in real life you try to eat anything that is perishable first. I am pretty sure we would not consider it cheating if you used whatever you had that you didn’t have to go to the store for.
Katie P NC says
I think you should accept the offer for the Premium Kit then raffle it off to a reader who is willing join your adventure with the stipulation that they write about their journey for you to post on the blog. That way you have 2 willing participants! I also agree with adding in the beans and rice and veggies when you have them, who knows, you could stumble across someone’s garden in the zombie apocalypse (I mean, it did happen on The Walking Dead so I assume it could happen in “real life”).
I love that you try and test yourself, I do stuff like this all the time… just not on the scale you are. I feel like it builds mental strength and allows me to say no to the second…… ok fourth cookie.
Good luck!
JR says
Mavis,
I applaud your commitment however, the average person easily consumes 2000-2500 calories each day. And, if you are active, the calorie count needs to increase. Unless you move very little, 1000 calories is going to be VERY hard on anyone.
Railgal says
Sounds like a solid way to lose weight. Seeing as how, you are at a healthy weight now. This trial may be hard on you.