Good morning, it’s James from SurvivalPunk.com, and today we’re finishing out the Christmas dinner series with Part 2 — the stuff that actually makes the meal feel like Christmas:
side dishes, breads, and desserts, all made from long-term storage and everyday pantry preps.

This isn’t about pretending canned food is gourmet.
It’s about proving that even when money is tight or life goes sideways, you can still sit down to a real holiday meal without running to the store.

Let’s wrap this thing up properly.

Side Dishes Are the Easiest Win

If there’s one category preppers already have dialed in, it’s side dishes.

Green bean casserole is basically designed for food storage:

canned green beans

cream of mushroom soup

crispy fried onions

All shelf-stable.
All cheap.
All familiar.

Macaroni and cheese is another no-brainer. You already store pasta. You already store cheese powder or boxed mixes. You probably store powdered milk. That’s Christmas comfort food right there.

Most holiday sides aren’t fancy. They’re nostalgic. And nostalgia is easy to recreate with pantry food.

Bread: From Box Mix to From-Scratch

Bread is where people think things get complicated — but it doesn’t have to.

On the easy end:

boxed quick breads

biscuit mixes

scone mixes

bread mixes in #10 cans

Add water or milk, bake, done.
That alone gets you through most holiday meals.

Cornbread deserves a special mention. Jiffy cornbread mix stores well, and here’s the trick that saves you when eggs are scarce:

You can replace the egg with mayo.

If you store condiment packets (which you should), mayo works as a substitute. Powdered eggs also work. Chickens work best if you’ve got them.

If you want to level up:

store flour

store yeast

learn one simple bread recipe and master it

You don’t need to be a sourdough wizard. One solid, repeatable loaf is enough.

Whole wheat berries ground fresh are fantastic, but let’s be realistic — most disruptions don’t last forever. A year of rotated flour gets you through almost anything without turning bread into a lifestyle project.

Desserts: Where Preppers Usually Forget to Prep

This is the part that separates survival from morale.

Freeze-dried desserts exist — cheesecake crumbles, ice cream, pudding — and they’re fine in a pinch. But let’s be honest: nobody wants rehydrated gloop for Christmas if they can help it.

Better options:

boxed cake mixes

brownie mixes

muffin mixes

Most just need water or milk. If you store powdered or freeze-dried milk, you’re set. Even water works if you have to sacrifice a little flavor.

These mixes are cheap, easy to rotate, and perfect for:

snow days

power outages

morale boosts

holidays during tight times

You can also pre-make your own mixes in jars if you want to go full prepper nerd. Flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa — it’s all doable.

Pies Without the Grocery Store

You don’t need a bakery to make pies.

Options include:

canned pie fillings

home-canned fruit

dehydrated apples or berries

foraged fruit if you’re lucky

Pie crust can be:

homemade from flour and fat

stored in the freezer if your freezer game is strong

learned once and repeated forever

Master one easy pie recipe and you’re covered. You don’t need variety — you need reliability.

If you want inspiration, Amish dessert recipes are gold. They’re designed around limited refrigeration and simple ingredients, which makes them perfect for SHTF cooking.

Rice Pudding and Bread Pudding: The Prepper Desserts

Rice pudding might be the most underrated prepper dessert of all time.

You already store rice.

That’s it.

Same goes for bread pudding. Old bread, milk, sugar, maybe some canned fruit — and suddenly leftovers become dessert.

These are the kinds of dishes that feel warm and normal when things aren’t.

This recipe assumes no fresh milk, no fresh eggs, no refrigeration.

1/2 cup white rice
(long grain works best; jasmine/basmati are fine too)

2 cups water

1 cup powdered milk, mixed with 1 cup water
(or reconstituted freeze-dried milk)

1/4 cup sugar
(white, brown, honey powder, or maple sugar all work)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
(optional, but highly recommended)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Dehydrated apples or raisins

Canned fruit (drained)

Vanilla extract or vanilla powder

Nutmeg

Sweetened condensed milk (replace sugar + milk for ultra-rich version)

Bring 2 cups water and a pinch of salt to a boil.
Add the rice, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until fully cooked (about 15–20 minutes).

Do not drain. You want soft, starchy rice.

Stir in:

reconstituted powdered milk

sugar

butter (if using)

Keep heat low. Rice pudding burns fast if you rush it.

Simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring often.
The mixture should thicken into a creamy consistency.

If it gets too thick, add a splash of water or milk.
If it’s too thin, keep cooking — it thickens more as it cools.

Stir in:

cinnamon

optional vanilla

optional fruit

Taste and adjust sweetness.

Serve hot for cold nights and morale

Serve cold if fuel is limited (it sets up like pudding)

Sprinkle extra cinnamon or sugar on top

This stuff sticks to your ribs and feels like a hug when everything else is chaos.

Uses cheap, common staples

Works on camp stoves, rocket stoves, or propane

No eggs required

Scales easily for families

Turns boring calories into comfort food

Great for kids, elderly, and stressed adults

Rice pudding is the kind of food that reminds people life is still normal, even when it isn’t.

Final Thoughts

Between Part 1 and Part 2, you can now build a full Christmas dinner from your preps:

main dishes

sides

breads

desserts

This isn’t about “end of the world cosplay.”
It’s about resilience during hard seasons — layoffs, medical bills, tight budgets, or unexpected setbacks.

You don’t lose tradition just because times are tough.
You adapt it.

This has been James from SurvivalPunk.com — DIY to survive, and yes, you can still have Christmas dinner when life punches you in the mouth.

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