Great question. Having lived through a natural disaster before, the answer is YES. 

I wish I had something this back in 2005. 

As I heard that our state would most likely go under "lockdown" due to the Coronavirus, I began to panic. 

What will I cook for the next two weeks? I thought. 

We're already adjusting to managing our employees and working remotely, having the kids back at home homeschooling, and now... I've got to figure out the food! 

Then, my husband reminded me that "we've been here before, don't panic." And he's right. We have. 

Back in 2005, we lived outside of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. We evacuated to another city for 5 days, and when we returned home, we found catastrophic damages around us as well as empty grocery stores. 

While our home only suffered minor damages and we lost our business, many of our family members lost everything. 

Overnight, our small house located 20-min outside of the city became the hub for everyone to shower, eat, and have a safe place to rest their head at night -we had people sleeping on the sofa, in a sleeping bag, on cots, and on the floor. 

This turned my kitchen into a cafeteria, feeding anyone and everyone that stopped by. 

During that time, I learned how to "stretch our food" since food was scarce for that first month after the storm. 

While I didn't have kids at the time, I felt a big responsibility to take care of the people that had lost so much. And feeding people was what I did. 

The hardships we saw those around us experience, taught us a valuable lesson: always have a plan B, because "rainy days" will come. 

Since then, we've maintained a small "stockpile" of food like dried beans, rice, and other pantry staples. Not because we are preparing for doomsday, but to be able to help those close to us. 

Back in 2005, I didn't have a meal planning company. No YouTube, no Pinterest, and I'm pretty sure we had dial-up internet.

What I do wish we had, is a 2-week plan to get us through food shortages, eliminate mealtime stress, and a guide to help me substitute meat for beans, easy swaps when you run out of bread, etc. 

This Pantry Staples Meal Plan is for anyone that feels overwhelmed with cooking using only "the essentials" and doesn't want to eat rice + beans on repeat. 

While I can't come over and cook with you I can help you make simple meals and eliminate some of the kitchen-overwhelm. 

My husband also reminded me that all crises are universally the same. We feel most secure when we know we have a roof over our heads, food to eat, and our health. This too will pass. 

Laura