Tuesday, September 13, 2011

My Food Challenge for the week of Sept. 11-17th

My name is Mary Banach and I am a part-time Dietitian at Food Outreach. I enroll new clients with cancer into the Food Outreach program and do nutrition counseling with clients as needed. I thought I should do the Food Challenge to get a better idea how difficult it is to eat healthy on a limited budget, as many of our clients live of very limited income. I am doing the Food Challenge this week from September 11-17th.





I spent a lot of time trying to plan healthy meals that I could afford and would also enjoy eating. I knew I could afford enough healthy food, but I wanted to make sure I would not be miserable eating beans & rice all week. I also knew I could afford a lot of junk food, but I wanted the foods to be similar in nutrition to what I am used to eating. It was difficult to plan meals ahead of time, not knowing exactly what all the ingredients would cost. I had to make a lot of price estimates and use a calculator at the store to make sure I would not go over. I decided to go to Aldi, because I thought I would get more value for the money I had to spend.





I was surprised how limited my food choices were at Aldi. Aldi does not carry brown rice or cornmeal. I had to stop at Shop-N-Save to get these ingredients. I could have bought white rice as a substitute for the brown rice, but they had no substitute for cornmeal. I planned to eat cheese grits with fresh fruit/veggies for lunch on most days, so I really needed this item. It seemed like there were many options of less healthy foods like chips and sugary cereals and less options of healthier foods.





Many times, the healthier options are more expensive. You can get a whole gallon of “citrus punch” for the same price as ½ gallon of 100% orange juice. I could have bought a whole pound of hot dogs for 99 cents, but opted for ½ dozen of eggs for 99 cents and they are nitrite/nitrate free, which is something I try to limit.





I drove 9.5 miles round trip to shop at the 2 grocery stores and spent at least 1 ½ hours shopping with all the price comparing I did. If I was really on food stamps, I probably would not have had a car and would have needed to walk or take the bus. The closest grocery store to my house is about 1 mile each way and does not have very good selections, but is probably where I would need to go. I spent a lot of time price comparing, which would have been difficult if I had children with me or I was not feeling well. I also did not have any kids begging me for candy/chips/ice cream, which if I purchased, I would have had to put healthier options back.





I also tried to avoid convenience foods like frozen prepared meals and Rice-a-Roni because they are more processed and have less value for the money. I really had to be careful to choose recipes without a lot of ingredients (each item adds up) and plan on cooking only 2 dinner entrees for the week and eating leftovers the other nights.





I was so relieved my crock-pot recipe came out good last night, because I need to eat it for dinner for 4 nights. I winged it using ingredients I could afford and it came out great. One bowl filled me up and it made a lot. It will be plenty for 4 nights and maybe even a lunch or 2. I felt full and that was nice because I felt kind of hungry all day even though I did not skip any meals. Not sure how I will feel after I finish my 4th meal of it, but at least it tasted good and was made with healthy ingredients.





I spent a lot of money to be able to have a cup of coffee similar to what I am used to. $6.16, but I just could not bear to skip my coffee everyday and I don’t like using artificial creamers or drinking it black. I was a little disappointed with the after taste of the coffee I was able to afford, but at least I had my coffee.





The bit I splurged on chocolate was really worth it. I savor those bites of my meager portion of chocolate after dinner.





Here is what I bought for my 7 days and $29.00.





My Purchases




Fruit/Veg.:


1 bunch celery $1.19
2# carrots $1.39
1 grapefruit $ .45
4 necterines $1.40


1 kiwi $ .44
16 oz. frozen Asian veggies $1.65 (after coupon




Proteins:


whole chicken (~4 lbs.) $3.70
6 eggs $ .99


Grains:


16 oz. brown rice $ .68 (after coupon)
24 oz. cornmeal $1.58


20 oz. raisin bran $1.89


Dairy:


½ gallon milk $1.97
8 oz. sharp cheddar $1.99


Coffee:


11 oz. coffee $2.49


32 oz. ½ & ½ $1.79


4 lbs. Sugar $1.88 smallest size available


Sweets: 7 oz. chocolate bar $1.99 (dessert for the week)
Total cost $27.46 plus tax 1.44 = $28.90



I did not know I could exclude tax from the total. I might go back and spend the additional $1.54!

Chicken, Rice, Veggie Slow-Cooker Recipe


4# whole chicken, separated into 4-8 pieces
2 cups brown rice


4 cups water
3 large carrots, quartered length-wise and cut into 1” pieces


6 celery stalks, sliced into ½” pieces


~1 tsp salt and pepper


Mix all ingredients in 6 quart slow-cooker and set on High for 4 hours. Mine turns to warm after the cycle completes, so it was ready when I got home from work.

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