The 1950s and '60s were the peak of the Cold War, and they were also the peak of the suburban housewife phenomena. A family that had their own backyard fallout shelter in the suburbs was a step ahead of the Communists, and were assured they could stay underground for two weeks and return to the world unscathed. Therefore, these shelters were stocked with a supply of emergency food, mostly canned goods, that would sustain a family during a nuclear disaster.
But the responsibility of caring for the family would "naturally" fall to the woman of the house, as in everyday life. The women's magazines of the period had plenty of tips and recipes for making creative meals out of fallout shelter supplies. These magazines didn't expect women to ponder the implications of nuclear annihilation, but instead gave them instructions on the more mundane details they dealt with in everyday life, from making something appetizing out of deviled ham to giving birth in a fallout shelter. Read about the advice housewives received for keeping up appearance during nuclear war at Atlas Obscura. Yes, there's a recipe included.