On Friday, our participation in the Food Outreach Hunger Challenge concluded. I had planned to spend the evening blogging about the final days of challenge, but after some initial attempts at this post, I decided I needed to take a step back and truly think about the lessons I learned over the past five days.
When I agreed to participate in the hunger challenge, I hoped that I would be able to show that a person living on food stamps could eat well-balanced, nutritional meals comprised of good, clean foods ... and be satisfied, both physically (ie, not hungry) and mentally (ie, happy with the variety and content of their diet). Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.
If you've read my previous posts (here and here), you'll know that the first day on the hunger challenge was a huge struggle for both The Chef and I. In one short day, we were both incredibly hungry ... and we became quite anxious about our ability to live on the minimal amount of food we were able to purchase with our allotted budget for the week. It was at this moment we knew just how hard the challenge would be.
The next two days were a bit better on the hunger front, but we were both left unsatisfied. We found ourselves with limited meal choices, which meant we were eating the same things over and over ... and we were only flavoring our food with salt and pepper since we didn't have any money to buy spices. In a word ... boring.
The last two days have been much of the same. Our breakfast choices were the same as those we had the other days of the challenge. Our lunches continued to consist of leftovers. Our dinners were actually a bit bleaker than the two previous days. We made another soup that, although inexpensive, didn't hold a flavor candle to the one we made on Wednesday. While we didn't go hungry, the fun we've always had cooking and eating just wasn't there anymore.
So, what are all the lessons we've learned over the last five days?
1. First and foremost, we will never know exactly what it's like to live on a food stamp budget. Many people living on food stamps don't have cars and rely on public transportation. In addition, many people living on food stamps work at least two jobs, leaving limited time to shop. For them, just getting to a grocery store is difficult. For the clients of Food Outreach, who in addition to living on food stamps are also living with HIV/AIDS or cancer, getting to a grocery store is sometimes impossible.
2. The weekly food stamp budget ($29 here in Missouri) is not enough to have a complete diet comprised of good, clean, organic foods ... and not go hungry. As evidenced by how little food we were able to purchase with our allotted budget, it just isn't possible to "eat well" and not be hungry. I'm certain people living on food stamps want to eat better. I'm certain they want to feed their children better. There just isn't money to do so ... and since being hungry is horrible in so many ways, I can understand why some people living on food stamps choose cheap processed foods (usually with little nutritional value, which is extremely detrimental to persons living with HIV/AIDS or cancer) to make their food dollars go farther.
3. There are ways to stretch a food stamp budget ... but they require significant planning and time. The "to use coupons or not use coupons" on the hunger challenge was debated among many of my food blogger friends. Some chose to use them, some didn't. For those that did, they found that they spent a significant amount of time obtaining the coupons and then closely checking the items they purchased to make sure the coupon would work, which made their shopping trips longer. Coupons can be great and will help stretch a food stamp budget, but unfortunately, time isn't on the side of someone living on food stamps.
4. The pleasure of eating—something so important to the pleasure of life—can easily be lost. As I mentioned above, the fun we've always had cooking and eating wasn't there. I think the fact that we always knew that our next meal would be one we'd just eaten made everything less appealing. One of the great powers food has is to bring people together and bring enjoyment to your day, and it makes me sad that this is so easily lost when one only has limited food to eat.
5. There is no "typical person living on food stamps" ... it could be your friends, your neighbors, or even someone in your family. Some of the more eye-opening revelations that occurred during the hunger challenge came when reading the comments that were elicited from readers of my blog and my fellow food bloggers participating in the hunger challenge. So many people commented on their experiences as current or former food stamp recipients, and not one story was the same. Never assume you know what someone living on food stamps looks like.
6. Never, never, never take food for granted. We all know it's easy to take everyday things, especially good food, for granted, and our experience with the hunger challenge drove that home for both The Chef and I. So, it's simple. If you're lucky enough to be able to eat good, clean food on a regular basis, enjoy it ... and perhaps share some with those around you.
There's an old proverb that says, "An empty belly hears nobody." Normally when I'm hungry, I grab a snack and fill the hole in my belly. But when there isn't anything to snack on, that hole gets bigger and eventually develops a voice of its own ... one that constantly whispers in your ear, "You're hungry" ... over and over until it's all you can think about. It's no surprise it drowns everything else out.
As I mentioned above, I will never know exactly what it's like to be a person living on a food stamp budget ... but I do know though that I've learned a little bit more about their struggles, and because of that, I will never take my ability to make carefree food choices for granted ever again.
~Kimberly
Rhubarb and Honey
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Every Little Thing's Hunger Challenge Day 1
Today, Sunday September 18, is day one of my Hunger Challenge. All the groceries have been purchased. All the meals have been planned. It’s now up to execution and mind over matter.
For photos of my purchases, check out my blog post here.
My first challenge was truly grocery shopping. I typically love to grocery shop but today I was almost dreading the trip. I’m typically a pretty budget-minded shopper but this time, I had to be extra careful, and it wasn’t as fun as my usual grocery store romps. I added prices up as I went along, careful not to go above the magic number: $60. I sacrificed when I had planned to splurge (if by splurge, you mean spending an extra $.50 for name brand), to ensure we’d have enough food for the week.
My food came from three sources: the local farmer’s market, Schnuck’s, and Dierberg’s. All items purchased are all natural or organic, even store-brand items, with the exception of the Cracker Jacks and Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. Here’s what I purchased from each store:
Farmer’s Market:
Schnuck’s:
Dierberg’s:
Grand total: $58.97
Under budget (remember, I live in Illinois, where people receive $35/week instead of $29, so I'm compromising!! The $1.03 leftover will be used to cover any emergency bread/PB/pasta purchases towards the end of the week.
I was proud that 98% of my purchases were all natural. I have told people from the beginning – all natural is first and foremost. If you can afford organic, more power to you, but all natural should be a priority! I think I did well keeping that in mind.
Tonight we’re having a basic chili recipe for dinner (posted tomorrow). We’ll see how the rest of the week goes! I do have to admit we have one change of plans for the week – weeks ago, I inadvertently bought St. Louis Cardinals tickets for Friday night, and had planned to visit Taste of St. Louis beforehand for dinner. We are still planning to do so, but will add an extra dinner likely Sunday evening.
I’ll keep you posted!
Question: Do you think this challenge can be misconstrued as offensive? Why or why not?
(See some of my thoughts on this in my last post)
For photos of my purchases, check out my blog post here.
My first challenge was truly grocery shopping. I typically love to grocery shop but today I was almost dreading the trip. I’m typically a pretty budget-minded shopper but this time, I had to be extra careful, and it wasn’t as fun as my usual grocery store romps. I added prices up as I went along, careful not to go above the magic number: $60. I sacrificed when I had planned to splurge (if by splurge, you mean spending an extra $.50 for name brand), to ensure we’d have enough food for the week.
My food came from three sources: the local farmer’s market, Schnuck’s, and Dierberg’s. All items purchased are all natural or organic, even store-brand items, with the exception of the Cracker Jacks and Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. Here’s what I purchased from each store:
Farmer’s Market:
- Bell peppers (5) - $2
- Onions (1 lb) - $2
- Red potatoes (6) - $2
- Green beans (1/2 lb) - $1
- Sweet corn (2) - $1
- Jalapeno and poblano peppers – $1
- Eggs (2 dozen) - $6
- 1/2 head garlic – $.50
- Grass-fed ground beef (not pictured – 1/2 lb) - $2.50
Schnuck’s:
- Organic diced tomatoes (2) - $2.26
- Organic tomato sauce (1) – $.68
- Organic crushed tomatoes (1) - $2.26
- Nature’s Pride bread (1) plus 1/2 loaf already purchased - $3.09
- Schnuck’s brand whole wheat pasta (1) - $1.00
- Schnuck’s brand pasta sauce (1) - $1.39
- Schnuck’s brand creamy peanut butter (1) - $1.67
- Organic strawberry jelly (1) - $2.69
- Organic chicken broth cans (2) – $.86 (grocery distressed!)
- Schnuck’s brand whipped butter (1) - $1.78
- Prairie Farms sour cream (1) - $1.18
- Cracker Jacks (1) - $1.00
Dierberg’s:
- Borden block cheese (2) - $4
- Daisy cottage cheese (1) - $2
- Heritage Organic milk (1) - $5.59
- Jiffy corn muffin mix (1) – $.50
- Mom’s Best Honey O’s (1) - $1.75
- Mom’s Best Oats and Honey (1) - $1.75
- Bananas (4) – $.93
- Bulk organic black beans (1 lb) - $1.70
- Bulk organic pinto beans (1/2 lb) - $1.05
- Bulk organic popcorn (1 lb) – $.92 (cheap snack!)
- Bulk organic quinoa (1/4 lb) – $.92
Grand total: $58.97
Under budget (remember, I live in Illinois, where people receive $35/week instead of $29, so I'm compromising!! The $1.03 leftover will be used to cover any emergency bread/PB/pasta purchases towards the end of the week.
I was proud that 98% of my purchases were all natural. I have told people from the beginning – all natural is first and foremost. If you can afford organic, more power to you, but all natural should be a priority! I think I did well keeping that in mind.
Tonight we’re having a basic chili recipe for dinner (posted tomorrow). We’ll see how the rest of the week goes! I do have to admit we have one change of plans for the week – weeks ago, I inadvertently bought St. Louis Cardinals tickets for Friday night, and had planned to visit Taste of St. Louis beforehand for dinner. We are still planning to do so, but will add an extra dinner likely Sunday evening.
I’ll keep you posted!
Question: Do you think this challenge can be misconstrued as offensive? Why or why not?
(See some of my thoughts on this in my last post)
Hunger Challenge – Final Thoughts
We successfully completed the hunger challenge. We were never hungry as we predicted, but we did not expect the monotony we experienced with what we did have to eat, admittedly a small price to pay if you have few food dollars.
We mostly heard astonishment from people when we shared we were doing the challenge. “You can’t eat for $4 a day,” and not surprising it was new news that $29 is all that is allotted per person weekly for food while on SNAP (food stamps). Someone suggested eating from the McDonald’s dollar menu, which is not possible since SNAP cannot be used for prepared foods. People asked if we were eating a lot of pasta and rice, which may be a fill-up-you-belly option, but one that lacks vegetables, is higher calorie, and is hard if you are living with a disease like diabetes, prevalent with many Food Outreach clients.
The most arrogant, rude, and ignorant comment we heard was from someone who said that if people would just get a job they wouldn’t need food stamps. WRONG. An August 2011 USDA report stated 60% of those who receive SNAP DO have earnings, granted they have to earn below 130% of the Federal poverty line. For a family of four that’s a monthly gross income of $2,748. Trying to actually LIVE on that would make the hunger challenge look like child’s play!
We’ve posted some lessons learned in prior posts, but to recap:
- You shop somewhere inexpensive, close to your home, and infrequently. Most SNAP recipients shop monthly and then run the risk of not having enough food at month’s end. Hopefully they have access to other resources such as Food Outreach or a pantry that gets food from Operation Food Search.
- Coupons are helpful in keeping food costs down, but a SNAP recipient may not have access to newspapers or the Internet/printer.
- You eat inexpensive foods and have limited choices. Fresh fruits and vegetables are infrequent. Ditto for low fat meats and fish (other than canned, fish is not likely in your food budget at all). And forget about a pantry of spices, which is an easy way to jazz up bland foods without a lot of added sodium (key for someone with hypertension, another secondary condition of some diseases such as HIV/AIDS).
- Healthy eating is very doable, but it requires a lot of planning, time (e.g., dried beans are much cheaper than canned, lower sodium too, but must be soaked and take a while to cook), and discipline (you make your meal plan for the week and you stick to it).
- Your social life does not revolve around food like ours does. Likely you eat to survive. Period. But it’s not joyful or celebratory. Certainly no nice dinners out – because you don’t feel like cooking (you don’t eat then!) – or even to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or graduation.
- The simplest things, like a pot of freshly brewed coffee (or a second pot if you want more) or a mid-afternoon snack like an apple to combat a bit of hunger fatigue, ARE luxuries.
These few days have been a miniscule view of what it’s like to eat the way those reliant on SNAP do. An eye-opening experience for sure. We’re blessed that we have the choice to go back to our normal routine. The night after we ended our challenge, we had grilled grass-fed tenderloin filets, and organic red potatoes and corn on the cob (from our CSA box) with basil butter. Did we think twice about how lavish our meal was? YES. I really struggled in writing this post. We are so fortunate, and it was hard for me to really capture how this experience has impacted us. We already know we are doing the challenge for a full week next September.
We did end up finding a new black bean chili we really enjoyed and it can be found on my blog.
Denise and Craig Evans
Johnna52's Hunger Challenge planning and shopping
Hi there! I'm Johnna, a gluten-free, vegetarian food blogger from KC. Inspired by friends and family in St. Louis, my husband and I area participating in the Hunger Challenge this week. I'll be blogging here and also at Johnna52 about my experience. Inspired by my husband's Aunt Judy and Stefani of the Cupcake Project, we will attempt to eat nutritious vegetarian and gluten-free meals for $29 per person for the entire week.
I've followed along as other bloggers share their Hunger Challenge stories. I'm broadening my shoulders and stiffening my backbone for the backlash of negative comments, from folks telling me I don't get it, that I don't really understand hunger. They are right. I'm blessed with an ample food budget and while I've experienced financially lean times, I've never been on food stamps or gone to bed hungry. I'm participating in the Hunger Challenge to learn, to gain understanding. I also hope to prove to myself it is possible to eat gluten-free on a very tight budget.
As I planned the week's menu, I decided to make use of coupons and a Living Social deal to Whole Foods. I thought I would use public transportation to get across town to Whole Foods and had my first eye-opening experience. To get from where I live, on the north end of Kansas City, to Whole Foods in the south part of the city, would require me to ride my bicycle 6 miles, transfer 3 times on the bus and spend a whole lot of time waiting on said buses. The total travel time from my home to Whole Foods and back would be almost 12 hours. There will be no Whole Foods shopping this week.
Instead, I chose to shop only at places within 3 miles of home or those places that I work nearby. I shopped at Trader Joe's and Cargo Largo when I was within 3 miles of them due to work, no special trips to shop. I also used lots of coupons and asked for a bit of guidance from fellow KC Blogger Kelly of Kansas City Mamas. I combed the grocery store ads, took advantage of Hy-Vee's One Day Sale, planned for an entire week in a way I never have before,knowing last minute trips to the grocery store could compromise the budget.
It was stressful, I worried a lot about having enough food, being able to afford food that would nourish us and provide enough energy for our physically demanding lifestyles. I spent time being angry, a waste of energy, because I could have bought cheap boxed mac & cheese for a quarter at the one-day sale if I were able to eat gluten. If I would just budge on my no-HFCS rule, we could save $1.50 on jelly, $1 on spaghetti sauce. Just in planning the meals and shopping, I was learning so much, experiencing so many emotions related to both a limited budget and food restrictions. The overriding feeling is that I'm pissed that anyone goes hungry in America, I'm angry that buying healthy food is so expensive. I had no idea this would be so emotional.
I've already made mistakes in shopping. I bought one too many bags of rice, $0.62 gone from the budget. It was such a great deal, I thought I should buy two. If this were my reality, I could save it for the next week, but it could run the budget short. I made a large error related to a coupon. I had a terrific coupon for one free Amy's item. I chose a gluten-free, dairy-free pizza that was $9.35. At the cash register, the coupon only scanned for $5. I neglected to read the fine print on the coupon and spent $4.35, a whole day's food budget for one of us, on a frozen pizza. Instead of telling the cashier I needed to put it back, which is what I should have done, I paid for the pizza and now we have to deal with my expensive mistake.
In buying produce, I've struggled with knowing who offers the best price. Trader Joe's sells by unit and there is no scale to weigh the items to know how the price compares to stores that sell by the pound. On a limited budget, I couldn't drive back and forth across town several times to research who has the best price. I've stressed about buying something and then discovering it was cheaper elsewhere. I stressed about the clerk at one store not giving me my nickel in return for me bringing my own shopping bag.
Tomorrow we start eating the meals I've planned for the week. While technically our week on the Hunger Challenge hasn't started, I've already learned a lot. What I've already experienced has inspired next year's blog project at 52 Sweets (more on that at the end of the week) and showed me how lucky I am to eat the way I do. Feeling extremely blessed...
Photos of this week's meals will be shared in this Facebook album.
I've followed along as other bloggers share their Hunger Challenge stories. I'm broadening my shoulders and stiffening my backbone for the backlash of negative comments, from folks telling me I don't get it, that I don't really understand hunger. They are right. I'm blessed with an ample food budget and while I've experienced financially lean times, I've never been on food stamps or gone to bed hungry. I'm participating in the Hunger Challenge to learn, to gain understanding. I also hope to prove to myself it is possible to eat gluten-free on a very tight budget.
As I planned the week's menu, I decided to make use of coupons and a Living Social deal to Whole Foods. I thought I would use public transportation to get across town to Whole Foods and had my first eye-opening experience. To get from where I live, on the north end of Kansas City, to Whole Foods in the south part of the city, would require me to ride my bicycle 6 miles, transfer 3 times on the bus and spend a whole lot of time waiting on said buses. The total travel time from my home to Whole Foods and back would be almost 12 hours. There will be no Whole Foods shopping this week.
Instead, I chose to shop only at places within 3 miles of home or those places that I work nearby. I shopped at Trader Joe's and Cargo Largo when I was within 3 miles of them due to work, no special trips to shop. I also used lots of coupons and asked for a bit of guidance from fellow KC Blogger Kelly of Kansas City Mamas. I combed the grocery store ads, took advantage of Hy-Vee's One Day Sale, planned for an entire week in a way I never have before,knowing last minute trips to the grocery store could compromise the budget.
It was stressful, I worried a lot about having enough food, being able to afford food that would nourish us and provide enough energy for our physically demanding lifestyles. I spent time being angry, a waste of energy, because I could have bought cheap boxed mac & cheese for a quarter at the one-day sale if I were able to eat gluten. If I would just budge on my no-HFCS rule, we could save $1.50 on jelly, $1 on spaghetti sauce. Just in planning the meals and shopping, I was learning so much, experiencing so many emotions related to both a limited budget and food restrictions. The overriding feeling is that I'm pissed that anyone goes hungry in America, I'm angry that buying healthy food is so expensive. I had no idea this would be so emotional.
I've already made mistakes in shopping. I bought one too many bags of rice, $0.62 gone from the budget. It was such a great deal, I thought I should buy two. If this were my reality, I could save it for the next week, but it could run the budget short. I made a large error related to a coupon. I had a terrific coupon for one free Amy's item. I chose a gluten-free, dairy-free pizza that was $9.35. At the cash register, the coupon only scanned for $5. I neglected to read the fine print on the coupon and spent $4.35, a whole day's food budget for one of us, on a frozen pizza. Instead of telling the cashier I needed to put it back, which is what I should have done, I paid for the pizza and now we have to deal with my expensive mistake.
In buying produce, I've struggled with knowing who offers the best price. Trader Joe's sells by unit and there is no scale to weigh the items to know how the price compares to stores that sell by the pound. On a limited budget, I couldn't drive back and forth across town several times to research who has the best price. I've stressed about buying something and then discovering it was cheaper elsewhere. I stressed about the clerk at one store not giving me my nickel in return for me bringing my own shopping bag.
Tomorrow we start eating the meals I've planned for the week. While technically our week on the Hunger Challenge hasn't started, I've already learned a lot. What I've already experienced has inspired next year's blog project at 52 Sweets (more on that at the end of the week) and showed me how lucky I am to eat the way I do. Feeling extremely blessed...
Photos of this week's meals will be shared in this Facebook album.
Friday, September 16, 2011
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:
…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.
***
Now, let’s talk about a menu! Here’s my dinner plan:
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:
I’ll update after I shop on Sunday! Wish me luck :) Please visit the to follow my (and other bloggers!) journey through the challenge!
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.
***
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!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Virtual Can Drive
We are getting canned goods shipped to our door every couple days from generous supporters just like you! We'd like to raise 3,000 cans this month and one of the ways we can meet that goal is through our "virtual drive" set up through an Amazon wish list. The best part? Orders over $25 ship free! Click here to send us cans!
Make sure to include a gift note with your order so we know who you are!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Rhubarb and Honey's Hunger Challenge Continues
After a rough start to the Food Outreach Hunger Challenge, I am happy to report that days 2 and 3 of the challenge have been a bit brighter for The Chef and I (to learn more about our participation in the hunger challenge, read my introductory post for all of the details).
Our planned menus for these two days pretty much accomplished what I had hoped to achieve when starting this challenge: to eat nutritious meals made from good, clean food and to also be satisfied at the end of the day. I say "pretty much" though because I had also hoped to have a variety of meals and foods throughout the challenge, but I quickly learned that shopping with a limited budget automatically leaves you with limited meal choices, which means we're eating the same things over and over ... and since we didn't have any money to buy spices, we're only flavoring our food with salt and pepper.
Please, please, please don't mistake this is as whining; I know that any food, seasoned or not, is better than no food when you're hungry. It just never crossed my mind until we went shopping for the challenge how little flexibilty in meal preparation we would have; what we purchased is what we have to eat. Have a craving for something different? Too bad because there isn't any money left to buy something else.
One of the things I love about food is the pleasure eating brings; trying new foods, new flavors, and new recipes is something I enjoy and look forward to each week. These last few days, I've found myself more appreciative of food, but (with the exception of dinner last night) not necessarily enjoying each meal as I usually do. This made me wonder ... do people living on food stamps derive pleasure from their meals or is eating just a means to an end, ie, is it just fuel to make it through the day? I truly hope these questions don't come off as condescending; I am honestly interested in understanding more about their experience.
So, what have we been eating? Here's the rundown:
Breakfast Day 2: Cooked oatmeal made with 2% milk and topped with organic trail mix
Lunch Day 2: Leftover brown rice and edamame (from Day 1) with a baked chicken drumstick
Dinner Day 3: Spicy "Southwestern" soup made with Whole Foods dried soup base, organic pinto beans, ground turkey, and tomatillo salsa
Breakfast Day 3: Breakfast burritos made with organic tortillas, "refried" beans (made from the organic pinto beans leftover from last night's dinner), scrambled eggs, and tomatillo salsa
Lunch Day 3: Leftover "Southwestern" bean soup
Dinner Day 3: Baked chicken drumsticks, rice pilaf, and roasted organic green beans and sweet potatoes
Of all the meals we ate, the spicy "Southwestern" soup made with Whole Foods dried "Southwest" soup base, organic pinto beans, and ground turkey was by far my favorite. It was hearty, flavorful, nutritious ... and inexpensive. The recipe we created (posted here) made 10 cups and cost $6.72, which means each generous 2 cup serving is only $1.34. This soup will definitely be making an appearance in our house again.
While most of our meals weren't the most creative or flavorful, I have to say that I wasn't that hungry either day, which was a great improvement over day one. Here's to the rest of the challenge and the lessons still to be learned.
~Kimberly
Rhubarb and Honey
Our planned menus for these two days pretty much accomplished what I had hoped to achieve when starting this challenge: to eat nutritious meals made from good, clean food and to also be satisfied at the end of the day. I say "pretty much" though because I had also hoped to have a variety of meals and foods throughout the challenge, but I quickly learned that shopping with a limited budget automatically leaves you with limited meal choices, which means we're eating the same things over and over ... and since we didn't have any money to buy spices, we're only flavoring our food with salt and pepper.
Please, please, please don't mistake this is as whining; I know that any food, seasoned or not, is better than no food when you're hungry. It just never crossed my mind until we went shopping for the challenge how little flexibilty in meal preparation we would have; what we purchased is what we have to eat. Have a craving for something different? Too bad because there isn't any money left to buy something else.
One of the things I love about food is the pleasure eating brings; trying new foods, new flavors, and new recipes is something I enjoy and look forward to each week. These last few days, I've found myself more appreciative of food, but (with the exception of dinner last night) not necessarily enjoying each meal as I usually do. This made me wonder ... do people living on food stamps derive pleasure from their meals or is eating just a means to an end, ie, is it just fuel to make it through the day? I truly hope these questions don't come off as condescending; I am honestly interested in understanding more about their experience.
So, what have we been eating? Here's the rundown:
Breakfast Day 2: Cooked oatmeal made with 2% milk and topped with organic trail mix
Lunch Day 2: Leftover brown rice and edamame (from Day 1) with a baked chicken drumstick
Dinner Day 3: Spicy "Southwestern" soup made with Whole Foods dried soup base, organic pinto beans, ground turkey, and tomatillo salsa
Breakfast Day 3: Breakfast burritos made with organic tortillas, "refried" beans (made from the organic pinto beans leftover from last night's dinner), scrambled eggs, and tomatillo salsa
Lunch Day 3: Leftover "Southwestern" bean soup
Dinner Day 3: Baked chicken drumsticks, rice pilaf, and roasted organic green beans and sweet potatoes
Of all the meals we ate, the spicy "Southwestern" soup made with Whole Foods dried "Southwest" soup base, organic pinto beans, and ground turkey was by far my favorite. It was hearty, flavorful, nutritious ... and inexpensive. The recipe we created (posted here) made 10 cups and cost $6.72, which means each generous 2 cup serving is only $1.34. This soup will definitely be making an appearance in our house again.
Spicy Southwestern Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1/4 pound dried pinto beans
1/2 pound dried "Southwest" soup mix (from Whole Foods bulk section; approximately 1 cup)
1 small onion, diced
1 small jalapeno, diced
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa
Directions:
1. Cover pinto beans with water and soak overnight.
2. When ready to make soup, combine 5 cups water with soup mix in a large pot. Saute onion and jalapeno in a small saucepan; when tender, add to soup.
3 Simmer soup mixture for 1 hour. At the same time, simmer the pinto beans in their soaking liquid (in a separate pot) for 1 hour.
4. Drain pinto beans; reserving 2 cups liquid. Add beans and reserved liquid to soup; continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Brown ground turkey in small saucepan; when browned, add salsa.
6. When soup mixture is done simmering, add turkey and salsa mixture. Turn off burner; let stand 30 minutes.
7. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary; serve.
Notes: The recipe requires some advanced planning since the beans must be soaked overnight; if you forget to soak your beans though, you can easily substitute 2 cans of pinto beans (rinsed) and two extra cups of water.
While most of our meals weren't the most creative or flavorful, I have to say that I wasn't that hungry either day, which was a great improvement over day one. Here's to the rest of the challenge and the lessons still to be learned.
~Kimberly
Rhubarb and Honey
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