Well, well, well...

So you wake up to discover your next door neighbor in his front yard, eating the sanitation guy. While your neighbor isn't exactly the most savvy individual, this behavior is a tad out of character.

The zombie apocalypse has begun. Crap. There go your dinner reservations.

After boarding up your windows and securing the futon mattress tightly on the sliding glass door, it's time to take inventory of your food supply and plan dinner. One that doesn't include brains, preferably.

Not knowing if the zombification virus has infected animals, it's probably best to stick to a vegetarian diet for the time being (unless you have stored meat in your freezer, in which case, eat this first before it thaws. Also, protein, protein, protein. Just don't let the neighbor smell it cooking.) Let's assume you haven't been planning for this for years and always have a full stock of edibles and versatile, non-perishable ingredients on hand. Let's assume you do not have any meat stored. Let's assume you haven't been to the store this week. Let's assume your pantry is relatively barren. Until the first wave has run its course, you can't go foraging. It's far too dangerous.

What do you do? INVENTORY.

Do you have a fenced backyard? Do you have a garden (you should, at the very least, have a container garden, it's totally hip right now)? What's in your pantry? Take full inventory of all your resources. If you have running water (still), fill any large containers, sinks and bathtubs with water. If the supply line gets shut off, you will need it. But I wouldn't use it for tonight's meal. Save it for later.

For tonight's meal, quick veggie casserole (with no heat). This recipe uses ingredients people usually tend to have on hand most of the time. Grab any canned veggies from the pantry, along with crackers or crispy onions, mayo, creamed soup, and any cheese. Mix drained veggies, mayo, cheese, and soup in a bowl and pour into a glass dish. Crumble crackers or crispy onions on top. If you have a working oven, cook for fifteen mins. If not, it's entirely edible as-is.

While it's not gourmet, it is a ton of protein and calories that you may very likely need to burn very soon, especially if you don't have a lot of grocery supplies.

If you happen to have fresh veggies in the fridge, you can sub those, though they will be crispier than the canned version, unless you have a nice, sunny, minimally-boarded window to allow to sun-cook (preferably on the second floor). Save all seeds to plant in containers for future meals. If you have to flee, take the seeds with you. You may have the opportunity to plant them down the road.

If you are one of those people who "hate veggies!" or think this sounds super gross, take heart, you might be eating totally meaty brains soon. Seriously... Now might be a good time to learn to like veggies. They are your friends.

Bon Appetit.