Belvidere High School Emergency Food Pantry

Tips and Tricks…to make the most of your pantry staple foods

Canned Chicken
You can substitute canned chicken in any recipe
that you would use chicken breast for. Here are
some ideas:
Chicken soup
• Add to broth or bouillon, stir in some drained
canned (or frozen) veggies, eat with pasta
noodles and make it chicken noodle soup.
• Add to Ramen noodles along with some
vegetables to make a hearty meal.
Casseroles
• Cream of Mushroom soup and peas serve this
over rice, or pasta.
• Condensed soup, cooked pasta, cheese and a
frozen or canned vegetable
Mexican
• Sautee with some chile powder or taco seasoning
for chicken tacos or serve with tortilla chips to
make nachos. (don’t forget the other taco fixings)
• Use it in a quesadilla.
• Sautee with some taco seasoning or chile
powder, roll with some cheese in a corn tortilla,
bake in the oven to make enchiladas.
Salads
• Mix with cream cheese and green onion and serve on
a cracker.
• Lettuce, tomatoes, and any other salad fixin’ you like
served with your favorite dressing.
• Mayo, celery, and onion (optional) served on bread,
crackers, or even rolled in a tortilla to make a wrap.
• Waldorf Chicken Salad- chopped apples, walnuts,
celery, and dried cranberries. Serve on bread or
crackers.
Make a chicken patty
• Sautee some onion, add breadcrumbs, and egg to
bind it together and sauté, bake or broil. Serve on a
roll with your favorite creamy dressing. Add some
Tabasco or Red Hot if you want to spice it up.
Add to
• Hamburger helper
• Pasta alfredo
• Macaroni and cheese
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Canned Tuna
You can substitute canned tuna in any recipe that you would use chicken breast. Here are some additional ideas:
Warm
• Tuna noodle casserole – condensed soup, drained canned vegetables, cooked pasta
• Linguini Puttanesca (or any pasta)- canned tomatoes, olives, sautéed garlic
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Add to marina sauce and serve over pasta
• Old fashioned tuna melt- tuna salad on bread, crackers, English muffin, topped with cheese and toasted
Cold
• Tuna fish salad- Mayo, lettuce or celery, on a cracker, bread, in a wrap or just plain in a bowl.
• With beans, fresh tomatoes, olives topped with vinegar and oil.
• Pasta Salad – fresh green beans, carrots, and pasta topped with Italian dressing.
• With crispy chopped bacon and tomato wrapped in lettuce.
 Rice… is a blank slate
Do you know you can add rice to any meal? It is a great filler and makes for full bellies!
Breakfast (Rice continued)

• Heat your plain rice with some milk, a pad of

Lunch/Dinner
butter, a little sugar, honey or maple syrup, and a
sprinkle of cinnamon. (Sometimes I add a little bit
of vanilla) Heat it in the microwave and enjoy!
(This is especially great with leftover white rice left
over from Chinese takeout.)
• Mix with yogurt, raisins and chopped nuts. Eat
cold like rice pudding.
• Breakfast Frittata - Mix with eggs, some veggies
and a little cheese. Cook in the stove until almost
firm, then brown in the oven for a few minutes.
• Mix with the “milk” of your choice, and heat. Then
serve topped with a spoonful of preserves.
• Don’t have any bread? Make Eggs and rice cakes.
Mold leftover cold rice in a buttered measuring
cup. Turn onto a plate and let it set in the
refrigerator. When ready to cook, grill the rice
cake in a frying pan on the stove top. Cook your
eggs and enjoy!
Beans… a mystery protein
Beans are a great source of fiber and protein, and are
very versatile. Drain and rinse and they are ready to
use.
• Add to soup
• Tomato sauce
• Salads
• Rice
Other tips for rice:
• Casseroles
• Toss with some olive oil and season, then roast in
the oven on a baking sheet at 400-degrees until
crispy for a yummy snack!
• Use rice in place of pasta for soups, stews and
casseroles.
• Mix with beans, some chile powder, a little
tomato soup, or chopped tomatoes, and corn to
make a Tex-Mex rice dinner. Don’t be afraid to
serve with taco toppings if you have them.
• Mix with salsa and melt some cheese on top.
• Serve as a base for black beans cooked with
some peppers and onions.
• Add to chile
• Mix with a protein of your choice (ham, chicken,
tuna, beans,) some condensed soup and green
beans or broccoli. Bake in the oven for a tasty
casserole.
• 1 pan chicken and rice dinner- sauté some
chopped onion/garlic in a pan, add 2 cups of
uncooked rice, 4 cups of broth, and top with
seasoned chicken thighs (skin side up). Cover
the pan and bake in a 400-degree oven for 1
hour, then remove cover and cook until all the
liquid is absorbed. Enjoy!
• Fried Rice- Make sure you are using cold rice! In
a skillet sauté a scrambled egg or two in some
oil, add a little bit more oil to the pan and add
your rice. Add drained canned vegetables (corn,
carrots, peas), season with some soy sauce.
Voila!
• Exchange the cooking water for broth
• Add some cheese
• Cook with milk alternative

Don’t be afraid to search the internet for ways to use

individual ingredients, for example, type in “Canned
chicken recipe” Please be sure to wash your hands
The internet is full of useful tips to use all types of food.
before and after handling food!

Belvidere High School Emergency Food Pantry

For information to receive or donate food please contact Debbie Koch at dkoch@belvideresd.org
For information on free and reduced lunch please contact Jessica McKinney at jmckinney@belvideresd.org
Spring 2020