A FOREWORD FROM THE EDITORS
There are 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE
behind bars in the United States today.
Despite the choices that have brought
them to prison, Prison Fellowship
believes that each of them is in made
in God’s image, with value, potential,
and creativity.
That creativity is on full display when
it comes to food. To supplement their
prison diet, incarcerated men and
women do their best to recreate the
tastes they miss using extremely limited
ingredients. The results are surprising,
frequently ingenious, and tastier than
you might think.
Most of the recipes in this collection
came to Prison Fellowship from readers
of Inside Journal®, our quarterly
publication for America’s prisoners.
Many of the contributors are still
incarcerated, and the ingredient lists
feature items available to the cooks
through their own prison commissaries.
Please note, however, that all items
may not be available at all facilities.
For cooks making these recipes on the
outside, comparable ingredients can
usually be found at a convenience store.
Whether you would like to share this
resource with an incarcerated loved one
or you are curious to try these recipes
out for yourself, we hope they give “I never thought in a
you a fresh perspective on the people
behind bars. million years that you
To learn more about Prison Fellowship’s
could make so many
work to help men and women in things in the microwave!”
prison realize their full potential, visit
—Angelina, Minnesota Prisoner
prisonfellowship.org and look for us on
social media.
 PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

• ¼ cup honey or syrup

• ½ cup peanut butter

• 1 cup powdered milk

• ½ cup granola

(For variety, replace the granola with ½ cup of instant uncooked

oatmeal, your favorite dry cereal, or 1 cup of crumbled
sandwich cookies.)

Place the honey (or syrup), peanut butter, and granola into a
container that is safe for heating. Heat in a hot pot or microwave
until the peanut butter is soft. Remove from heat and stir until
well blended. Mix in the powdered milk a little at a time. (If you
are going with the variation, mix those ingredients in now.) Mix
with a spoon until the mixture will not stick to the back of your
spoon or it becomes a smooth dough. Form the dough with your
hands into 3/4-inch round balls, or pat into a flat “cake” and cut
it into squares. Set aside for several hours until hardened. Makes
about 10 balls or 12 two-inch squares.
 • 6 oz. tuna, drained

• 1 tbsp. salsa

• 1 small pickle, diced

• ½ tsp. ranch dressing or cream cheese

• ½ tbsp. low-fat mayo

• 1 flour tortilla

• ½ oz. Velveeta-style cheese

ZESTY TUNA WRAPS

Combine tuna, salsa, pickle, ranch dressing, and mayo in a bowl,
stirring until well blended. Place 1 tortilla (the wrap) on a clean
work surface. Spread cheese along one edge of wrap. Place tuna
filling on top of cheese. Roll wrap starting at the edge with the
filling. Roll half turn, fold insides inward and finish rolling. (Hint:
tortillas can crack, but if warmed first, they will be more pliable.
Warm the tuna wraps in a hot pot or microwave (or eat cold). Note:
If your commissary doesn’t sell tortillas, you can try substituting
bread or spread the tuna filling on crackers.
• 5 oz. hot & spicy summer sausage

• 15 oz. chili with beans (or dry chili mix)

• 4 oz. salsa

• 1 large dill pickle, diced

• 8 oz. Velveeta-style cheese, cubed (or cheese spread)

• 2 packages ramen noodle soup, chili or beef flavor

• Enough water to prepare the ramen noodle soups

• 3 tbsp. ketchup

• 2 small jalapeño peppers, diced

• ¼ cup bell peppers, chopped (fresh or dehydrated)

• ¼ cup onions, chopped (fresh, dehydrated, or powdered)

• 2 tbsp. sour cream chip dip (optional)

Prepare noodle soups according to package directions. Set aside.

Dice summer sausage and put in a container safe for heating. Add
bell peppers and onions. If using any dehydrated bell peppers or
onions, add enough water to rehydrate them. Heat this mixture TEX-MEX BEEF FIESTA
thoroughly. Set aside. In third container safe for heating, combine
chili, diced pickle, ketchup, jalapeño peppers, and cubed cheese.
Heat until cheese is melted and mixture is very hot and bubbly.
Combine the chili mixture and summer sausage mixture in one
bowl, mixing well. To serve, drain the noodles. Divide into two
bowls and pour the chili/sausage mixture over the noodles in each
bowl. Top each bowl with salsa and sour cream chip dip.
 • 1 (8-oz.) bag microwave popcorn

• 2 (8-oz.) bags caramels

• 3 oz. honey (one-fourth of a 12-oz. bottle)

• 2 scoops peanut butter

Pop popcorn; set aside. In medium bowl, place caramels and a little
water and heat for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Add honey and
peanut butter; heat for 1 minute and stir. Put popcorn on plates or
plastic bags and drizzle mixture on popcorn.

POPCORN SUPREME
• 1 pkg. (or 15-oz. can) chili with beans

• Seasoning packet from chili-flavored ramen

• 3 pkgs. sugar

• Half a bag of corn chips

• 1 summer sausage

• Squeeze Cheese (or similar)

• Lawry’s seasoning

• Onion flakes

• 1 (8-oz.) block mozzarella cheese, cut up

CHILI CHEESE PIE
Cook chili as directed. Cut up sausage and add to chili mixture.
Stir in ramen seasoning, sugar, Lawry’s, and onion flakes.
Microwave for 2 minutes. In a medium bowl, crunch up corn
chips and spread out to create a base layer. Top with chili mixture.
Melt mozzarella in microwave, then pour onto chili mixture. Top
with Squeeze Cheese to your liking.
 • 24 oz. (two 12-oz. pkgs.) chicken
• 1 pkg. rice
• Tang
• Soy sauce

Cook rice as directed; set aside. Heat chicken. Add 2 scoops of

Tang and soy sauce (to taste) to the chicken. Add a spoonful
of hot water and stir together. Microwave for 2 minutes. Pour
orange chicken mixture on top of rice.

ORANGE CHICKEN
 BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAP

• 6 tortilla shells

• 1 (8-oz.) pkg. mozzarella cheese, cubed

• 24 oz. (two 12-oz. pkgs.) chicken, cooked

• 4 individual serving pouches (approx. 2 oz. each)

ranch dressing

• Tapatío hot sauce

In medium bowl, combine hot sauce and chicken. Warm tortilla

shells for 20 seconds. In each tortilla shell, add chicken mixture,
cheese, and ranch dressing. Wrap up by rolling into burrito.
Makes 6 wraps.
STRAWBERRY CAKE

• 1 pkg. vanilla wafers

• 2 pkgs. red Kool-Aid
• 1 pkg. strawberry-filled cookies
• 6 oz. (half a 12-oz. bag)
French vanilla creamer
• 6 pkgs. sugar

In large bowl, crush up wafers. Add some water, a little at a time,

and stir until it’s like cake batter. Add in the Kool-Aid packets and
stir together. Separate the outsides of the cookies from their creamy
filling, putting the filling in a small bowl. Crush the outsides of the
cookies and stir into the batter mix. Microwave for 3 minutes. Take
out and set aside to cool. In filling bowl, mix in some creamer. When
the cake has cooled, top with the filling mix as frosting.
 CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

• 1 bag vanilla wafers

• Chocolate milk

• Water

• Hot cocoa packet

In medium bowl, crush up the vanilla wafers. Add water, a little

at a time, and keep stirring until it is like a batter. Stir in a little
chocolate milk. Add half the packet of cocoa to the batter and stir.
For the “frosting,” pour the other half of the cocoa packet into
separate bowl, add a little water, and stir; then microwave for 30
seconds. Add frosting to brownies and let cool.
MONSTER COOKIE BARS

• 1 small jar peanut butter

• 2 (8-oz.) pkgs. caramels
• 1 (12-oz.) jar honey
• 2 pkgs. bananas & cream oatmeal
• 1/2 pkg. vanilla wafers
• 6 sugar packets
• 1/2 cup French vanilla creamer
• 1 bag M&Ms
• Cereal of your choice

In large bowl, crunch up vanilla wafers. Add dry oatmeal. Stir in

creamer and peanut butter. Then stir in cereal, M&Ms, and honey.
Mix it all together. In separate bowl, microwave the caramels (about
30 seconds at a time until melted); add melted caramels to the
mixture. Pat the mixture into bars.
 MACKEREL BURGER

• 1 standard size package mackerel, drained

• 1 handful cheese puffs

• 1 small bag (single serve) favorite chips

• 1/4 packet ramen noodle seasoning

Mix all ingredients into small trash bag. Pat into burger patty
shape and place on microwave-safe plate.. Microwave on high for
three minutes. Serve over rice, in a tortilla wrap, or on a bagel.
Top with sauce made from mixing the following (to your liking):
mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, sugar, and pickle juice.

*Note from Melissa, the prisoner who submitted this recipe: “Not
saying you won’t be run out of the common area for cooking fish,
but it’s a chance we all take.”
HOT WINGS

• Pork skins (or pork rind snacks)*

• Barbeque sauce*

• Ranch dressing*

Place pork skins/rinds in a bowl with a lid. Add equal parts

barbeque sauce and ranch dressing until coated. Place lid on bowl
and shake bowl until all mixed together. Serve and eat!
*The amount you use will depend on how many servings you
want to make.
 TRAIL MIX SUPREME

• 3 oz. (two 1.5-oz. packets) apple cinnamon oatmeal

• 2 oz. (1 single-serve packet) trail mix

• 6 oz. (three 2-oz. squeeze packets) peanut butter

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

GARLIC RANCH CHICKEN ALFREDO

• 4.5 oz. chicken breast

• 1 (3.7-oz.) packet Thai noodles
• 3 oz. (two 1.5-oz. packets) ranch dressing
• Approx. 1 oz. (three single-serve packets) mayo
• 1 tbsp. garlic
• 1 tbsp. dry powder milk
• 4 single-serve pepper packets
• 13 oz. peas (optional)

Place Thai rice noodles and contents of accompanying veggie packet

in large bowl with lid (use only veggie packet, not the seasoning
packet). Heat 1 large cup (about 20 oz.) water until hot. Add hot
water to dry rice noodles and veggie mix. Cover with lid. Set aside to
soak (10 minutes). In small bowl, mix together ranch, mayo, garlic,
pepper, dry powder milk. After noodles have soaked for 10 minutes,
drain water, then add sauce (and peas) and mix well. Gently and
carefully fold in chicken breast. Heat in microwave until warm. Serve
with crackers.
 DELUXE PEANUT BUTTER FRENCH TOAST

• 2 slices buttered toast or firm French toast

• 1 to 2 Tbsp. peanut butter

• 2 full-size Reese’s (or similar) peanut butter cups

• Approx. 2 oz. honey or maple syrup

Spread peanut butter on both pieces of toast to your liking. Place

peanut butter cups inside the two pieces like a sandwich. Then
pour honey or maple syrup onto outer piece of toast. Let sit for an
hour to soak in, then eat.