Good morning — it’s James from SurvivalPunk.com, and it’s a crisp 40-degree December morning. Today we’re kicking off Part 1 of a new holiday series:
how to cook a full Christmas dinner entirely from your preps — no grocery trip required.

Because when we talk about “the shit hitting the fan,” we don’t always mean global collapse. Sometimes SHTF is extremely personal:

losing your job right before Christmas

a medical bill

reduced hours

a sudden layoff

a surprise hit to income

When money gets tight, the preps you’ve built become your safety net — and yes, they can absolutely become your Christmas dinner, too.

Let’s get into how to turn canned meat, freeze-dried goods, and back-of-the-pantry staples into a legit holiday meal.

Canned ham is not glamorous.
It is not spiral-cut, honey-glazed, artisan anything.

But with the right technique?
You can turn canned ham into something legitimately good.

Here’s how:

Pop it out of the can.
If it wiggles like cat food… welcome to prepper cooking.

Sear both sides in a skillet.
A hard sear adds flavor and texture fast.

Make a quick glaze using whatever you have:

brown sugar

butter or margarine

maybe some pineapple rings (prepper classic)

Throw it in the oven at 350°F for ~20 minutes.
You’re not cooking it — just letting the glaze caramelize.

And boom:
It won’t be grandma’s holiday ham, but it also won’t taste like sadness and compromise.

No, you’re not carving a drumstick.
No, you’re not getting that Norman Rockwell vibe.

But the flavor of Christmas turkey?
Totally doable.

Options include:

Heat-and-Serve:
Just warm it, make a gravy, and pour it over potatoes.
It’s exactly what school cafeterias served during holiday lunches — and honestly, it slaps.

Turkey/Chicken Loaf:
Mix the canned meat with binder (breadcrumbs, oats, stuffing mix), shape it, bake it, and cover with gravy.
Your store literally used to sell a pre-made turkey loaf — people loved it.

Freeze-Dried Poultry:
If you’ve got freeze-dried chicken breast in storage, this is the time to bust it out.
Rehydrate gently, season well, and serve it like shredded roast turkey.

Go Hunting:
Look — you’re surrounded by wild turkeys in your area.
Not everyone is that lucky, but hunting absolutely counts as “cooking from your preps.”

And, for the record, you still desperately want a Christmas goose.

Nobody is pulling a prime rib from their prep closet.
But canned beef works well when:

warmed in gravy

served over potatoes

mixed into a holiday shepherd’s pie

used in a beef loaf roast

It’s not sexy, but it’s hot, filling, and festive enough for a rough year.

Green bean casserole is basically designed for preppers.

Ingredients:

canned green beans

cream of mushroom soup

crispy fried onions

That’s it.
Three shelf-stable items.
Zero work.
Christmas classic.

Even if you don’t love green beans (you sure don’t), this dish is pure comfort food.

Instant potatoes are good, nostalgic, and cheap — but the package instructions are wrong.

Instead of just adding hot water:

add half water, half milk

add a big chunk of butter or margarine

stir aggressively

That turns them from “survival food” to “actually pretty damn good.”

If you hate instant potatoes?

Dry-can your own potatoes.
Dry-canned potatoes are:

better texture

more flavor

more cooking options (pan fry, roast, mash)

Store-bought canned potatoes also work great in a pinch.

Another holiday classic you can make entirely from storage food:

canned sweet potatoes

brown sugar

dehydrated or homemade marshmallows

maybe cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla extract if you’ve got them

Rehydrate your dehydrated marshmallows if you’re fancy, then toast them on top.
Boom — holiday dessert (or side dish, depending on where you’re from).

This is Part 1, and you’ve already seen how much of Christmas dinner you can make from nothing but the pantry:

ham

turkey

chicken

beef

casseroles

potatoes

sweet potatoes

You don’t need a grocery store to pull off a holiday meal.
You just need the creativity and confidence to cook with what you’ve prepped.

Part 2 will cover vegetables, breads, and desserts — and how to make each one from long-term storage food.

This has been James from SurvivalPunk.com — DIY to survive, and yes, you can celebrate even when things suck.

Iberia Boneless & Skinless Cooked Ham, 16 oz

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The post Cooking Christmas Dinner From Your Preps (Part 1) | Episode 562 appeared first on Survivalpunk.