September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. In light of the black out in Southern California and the numerous tornadoes and flooding across the country this year, I thought I would come up with some healthy alternatives to the typical pantry fare of processed foods.

It is always a good idea to keep your pantry stocked with plenty of nuts, dried beans and grains. I keep all of my dry goods in glass jars that I refill from the bins at one of a couple of local health food stores. In the event of a blackout, most likely the gas would still work. Assuming you have a gas cooktop or a camping stove, you would be set to make a meal of beans and rice, and snack on nuts and popcorn.

I always keep a supply of Barilla Plus pasta on hand. It is made with a grain and legume flour blend of: lentils, chickpeas, flaxseed, barley, spelt, oats and egg whites, so it is a good source of protein and has plenty of fiber. Both of these are important to keep you feeling full longer and regulating your blood sugar. The great thing is, they taste no different than regular pasta. My kids love this! Keep a jar of marinara in the pantry and you will be set for dinner.

Brown rice is a great staple as well. Throw 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water in a pot, bring it to a boil and then simmer for 40 minutes. It takes longer than white rice but the benefits are worth it. White rice is brown rice that has been stripped of all the the nutrients and just the starch is left.

Steel cut oats are my favorite breakfast these days. I like to add some vanilla and mashed banana while they cook and top them with fresh fruit, cinnamon and almond butter. In the event that you don't have fresh fruit to work with, you could always add cinnamon with raisins or any dried or canned fruit you have on hand.

When stocking your pantry for emergency food, be sure to have plenty of canned fruit and vegetables, dried beans and grains and nuts. Canned soup is a good emergency staple, but be sure to look for low sodium varieties. It goes without saying, that any well stocked emergency stockpile will have plenty of bottled water, and candles with matches or battery powered candles (great in dark kids rooms!) with plenty of batteries. A battery powered AM/FM radio is a good thing to have on hand for emergency updates. Have extra blankets available, a first aid kit and make sure you always keep your cell phones charged. You never know when the power could go out!