Every Little Thing Blog's HC Plan

Happy Friday folks! Now that my Hunger Challenge is almost here, I'll be posting updates on here and on my own blog, Every Little Thing. I encourage you to pay a visit over there as well!

Some thoughts first. A friend of mine has been criticized recently for the way she chose to go about the Hunger Challenge. I’ll save you the details but her plan for the Challenge leaves me with this thought:

What exactly is the point of this Challenge?
Is the point to live as much like the stereotypical person on food stamps for a week? Or is the goal to step outside your comfort zone and into another’s shoes for seven days?

For a while, I thought it was the former but now? I believe it’s the latter. There is no stereotypical person on food stamps and to pretend I can mimic their lifestyle seems like a silly goal. In fact, it can make this whole Challenge seem somewhat offensive! That said, if the goal of this challenge is:

• to experience the struggle that those on stamps feel every time they grocery shop
• to note the true challenge in trying to feed yourself a nutritious, healthy meal when processed, chemical-filled food is so cheap and convenient
• to experience another’s hardship, if only for one week

…then I’m in. I can’t pretend to be a person on food stamps, but I can empathize and challenge myself to live differently.

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Now, let’s talk about a menu! Here’s my dinner plan:

• Sunday: Chili
• Monday: Eggs, potatoes, toast
• Tuesday: Baked pasta
• Wednesday: Black bean soup & quinoa-stuffed peppers
• Thursday: Eggs, potatoes, toast
• Friday: Tuna cakes
• Saturday: Grilled cheese & tomato soup 

Lunches will consist of leftovers and PB&J sammies, and breakfasts will include cereal and hard-boiled eggs.

I created a shopping list based on the very high end price of each item and came to $72 – $12 over where I need to be. I’m hoping that by cutting a few corners and finding items on sale (even clearance), I’ll keep it to $60.

I’m going to the farmer’s market tomorrow morning (more and more markets are now accepting food stamps!), then piecing together the rest of the menu with trips to Shop ‘N Save, Schnucks, and Dierbergs (all within 3 miles of my home).

A few things I thought were important:

• Shopping within close distance to my house (many on food stamps rely on public transportation or stores close to home)
• Limiting coupon use (basic store coupons/sales are fine, but most people don’t use more than a couple coupons per transaction, whether on stamps or not!)
• Eating nutritiously, yet realistically (I want us to be full and satisfied while keeping within my food beliefs)

I’ll update after I shop on Sunday! Wish me luck :) Please visit the  to follow my (and other bloggers!) journey through the challenge!