So, I've come to the conclusion that eating healthy on SNAP involves using some of the other assistance available. The food pantry and soup kitchen are great sources for healthy ingredients and meals, but there still is a way to personally coordinate all of these sources for the best impact.
One common tendency for people on SNAP is to use their foodshare benefits right away and then seek out the pantries and soup kitchens. I've done this myself and I can completely understand why people make this mistake. The SNAP money doesn't go that far, and leads to limited menu options. When the beginning of the month rolls around again, it is an opportunity for different menu choices, so we blow through the SNAP money because everything in the store looks good. For me, budgeting and planning go right out the window at the sight of fresh fruit and vegetables and a meat option that I haven't spent the entire last week eating.
The best way to get the maximum health benefits from SNAP is to look at the other sources you seek out and combine these resources throughout the month instead of always at the end. Most food pantries will let you visit once a week, so plan that into your month. Visit there before shopping at the grocery store so you don't buy duplicates and have more to spend on healthy options. I recommend that even at the food pantry you have your shopping list. That way, you are an active participant in your own healthy choices. Don't just grab food and plan to use it later. The worst thing you can do to other food insecure families is take something you won't really use and end up throwing it away when someone farther back in the line would put it to good use.
If you tend to run out of food by the end of the month and spend the entire last week eating at The Community Table, plan those visits throughout your month. If you normally eat there five times at the end of the month, plan at least once a week to eat there. This allows you to work these visits more into your schedule instead of being at the mercy of the serving schedule they offer. Also, The Community Table of Eau Claire posts their day's menu on the answering machine, so if they are serving something you don't like, you can go another day that works with your schedule.
Whether you are on SNAP or not, just making a few changes to the way you use your food resources throughout the month can give you more control over your schedule and your food dollars and can take some of the stress out of food insecurity.
Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budgeting. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Shopping at St Francis Food Pantry
Saturday, I went to the food pantry for the first time as a guest. The amount I would get on SNAP is not enough to eat healthy, so I decided to augment that with visits to the food pantry. The director at the pantry knows about my challenge and has encouraged me to visit as a guest to be able to see how a food pantry can help food insecure families.
St Francis is open from 11:00 'til 1:00 on Saturday, and I thought if I got there about halfway through I wouldn't have to stand in line long. Boy was I wrong! The line was out to the street and a lot of people were standing in the chilly wind waiting for their chance to get into the building. They allow only six people in at a time to avoid the pushing and crowding and to make the shopping more efficient. The line was so long that an hour went by before I was let into the building for my turn.
The first thing you do when you get into the pantry is sign in. If you already have a card, you present it. Otherwise, they have you fill out a registration form so they can log you into the computer and issue you a card. It was my first time and there was still a substantial line outside, so she asked for a photo ID and told me what to bring the next time I came so I can register then. I was given a slip of paper with my name and the number of adults and children in my household and what number of guest I was for the day. I was the 74th family served, and there were many more families waiting outside in the cold.
Then the "shopping" begins. Having volunteered the day before, I had an idea of some of the produce that had come through, but by the time I got there it was pretty slim pickings. There were a lot of tomatoes and they were unlimited, but I took only five. I didn't want them to spoil. I got a couple of ratty looking green peppers that I can put into a curry; two green chili peppers and two habaneros for my chili; a bag of lettuce that was a day past its expiration, some overgrown cucumbers and a head of radicchio that would be fine once I peeled off the outer leaves for a salad and a lot of blueberries for my fresh fruit.
For the rest, I got some canned carrots to add to soups and stews, a loaf of bakery bread, some baking powder biscuits, a can of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, a pound of rice, a pound of dry kidney beans, some canned spaghetti sauce, and a can of pumpkin. I also got two small bottles of milk, a dozen eggs, a bottle of grapefruit juice and a two-pound package of ham.
The food will surely supplement my SNAP allotment, but I'm thinking that a person would be better off going to the pantry before doing their actual grocery shopping for the week. You don't know what you are going to find at the pantry on any given visit, and that way you could spend your foodshare dollars on healthier options instead of just cheap, filling food and would be able to take advantage of the weekly store ads.
St Francis is open from 11:00 'til 1:00 on Saturday, and I thought if I got there about halfway through I wouldn't have to stand in line long. Boy was I wrong! The line was out to the street and a lot of people were standing in the chilly wind waiting for their chance to get into the building. They allow only six people in at a time to avoid the pushing and crowding and to make the shopping more efficient. The line was so long that an hour went by before I was let into the building for my turn.
The first thing you do when you get into the pantry is sign in. If you already have a card, you present it. Otherwise, they have you fill out a registration form so they can log you into the computer and issue you a card. It was my first time and there was still a substantial line outside, so she asked for a photo ID and told me what to bring the next time I came so I can register then. I was given a slip of paper with my name and the number of adults and children in my household and what number of guest I was for the day. I was the 74th family served, and there were many more families waiting outside in the cold.
Then the "shopping" begins. Having volunteered the day before, I had an idea of some of the produce that had come through, but by the time I got there it was pretty slim pickings. There were a lot of tomatoes and they were unlimited, but I took only five. I didn't want them to spoil. I got a couple of ratty looking green peppers that I can put into a curry; two green chili peppers and two habaneros for my chili; a bag of lettuce that was a day past its expiration, some overgrown cucumbers and a head of radicchio that would be fine once I peeled off the outer leaves for a salad and a lot of blueberries for my fresh fruit.
For the rest, I got some canned carrots to add to soups and stews, a loaf of bakery bread, some baking powder biscuits, a can of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, a pound of rice, a pound of dry kidney beans, some canned spaghetti sauce, and a can of pumpkin. I also got two small bottles of milk, a dozen eggs, a bottle of grapefruit juice and a two-pound package of ham.
The food will surely supplement my SNAP allotment, but I'm thinking that a person would be better off going to the pantry before doing their actual grocery shopping for the week. You don't know what you are going to find at the pantry on any given visit, and that way you could spend your foodshare dollars on healthier options instead of just cheap, filling food and would be able to take advantage of the weekly store ads.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Berries, berries, berries!
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep as Robert Frost said, but they are also filled with berries. Black raspberries (black caps) and raspberries edge the woods in abundance and thanks to the rainy spring, they are fantastic! They are big and juicy and sweet--just the way berries should be.
My neighbor and his friends love their monster trucks, so there are trails running through his woods. At the edge of these trails are the biggest berries I've seen in years. They get the moisture from the woods, but there is just enough dappled sun to allow them to grow and flourish. I was able to pick enough to put some away in the freezer for future use. Several pounds of berries are in the freezer now and I could probably go pick that many more in the next few days.
Smoothies will definitely be on the menu this month! A cup of berries, a cup of spinach, 1/2 cup of yogurt, and a tablespoon of flax seed meal. It's a great start to a summer day, and I can freeze any that I don't drink as freezer pops. Nothing wasted that can't be used.
A couple of weeks ago, I asked my mother how she raised us without having to go on assistance. We were a family of nine...seven young growing children. Mom's advice is to have a big garden and preserve as much as you can for winter, bake your own bread, and eat a lot of hotdish (casseroles to many of you) and soup to stretch the meat. We also raised our own meat, but SNAP doesn't allow for purchase of live animals, so let's not even consider that part of her advice.
So, what am I doing right so far? Garden...check! Stretching the meat in hotdish and soups...check! Baking my own bread...as of yesterday...check! I have a bread machine, so for me it is just a matter of measuring in the right ingredients, turning on the machine, and ignoring it until the timer goes off. I made an oatmeal bread and a 50% whole wheat bread with Italian herbs. The oatmeal bread makes fantastic toast, and the Italian herb bread will make great croutons for salad if I don't eat the whole thing. The bread machine recipes call for bread flour, but all-purpose flour works just fine. It just doesn't have as much protein in it.
I've made almost everything from scratch so far. The food tastes better and is more nutritious, but the time spent on prepping and cooking is amazing. My Saturdays have become a day where I make the week's meals so they are ready during the week. Instead of buying frozen meals at 2-3 dollars apiece, I'm making my own for half that and freezing them for weekly meals. It's a lot of work, but it is the only way to make the meals stretch far enough to last.
I'm glad I've done this for more than the initial week. A week is easier to do than a whole month or two or more. When this is an actual lifestyle someone is forced into because of poverty, it isn't fun--it is work.
My neighbor and his friends love their monster trucks, so there are trails running through his woods. At the edge of these trails are the biggest berries I've seen in years. They get the moisture from the woods, but there is just enough dappled sun to allow them to grow and flourish. I was able to pick enough to put some away in the freezer for future use. Several pounds of berries are in the freezer now and I could probably go pick that many more in the next few days.
Smoothies will definitely be on the menu this month! A cup of berries, a cup of spinach, 1/2 cup of yogurt, and a tablespoon of flax seed meal. It's a great start to a summer day, and I can freeze any that I don't drink as freezer pops. Nothing wasted that can't be used.
A couple of weeks ago, I asked my mother how she raised us without having to go on assistance. We were a family of nine...seven young growing children. Mom's advice is to have a big garden and preserve as much as you can for winter, bake your own bread, and eat a lot of hotdish (casseroles to many of you) and soup to stretch the meat. We also raised our own meat, but SNAP doesn't allow for purchase of live animals, so let's not even consider that part of her advice.
So, what am I doing right so far? Garden...check! Stretching the meat in hotdish and soups...check! Baking my own bread...as of yesterday...check! I have a bread machine, so for me it is just a matter of measuring in the right ingredients, turning on the machine, and ignoring it until the timer goes off. I made an oatmeal bread and a 50% whole wheat bread with Italian herbs. The oatmeal bread makes fantastic toast, and the Italian herb bread will make great croutons for salad if I don't eat the whole thing. The bread machine recipes call for bread flour, but all-purpose flour works just fine. It just doesn't have as much protein in it.
I've made almost everything from scratch so far. The food tastes better and is more nutritious, but the time spent on prepping and cooking is amazing. My Saturdays have become a day where I make the week's meals so they are ready during the week. Instead of buying frozen meals at 2-3 dollars apiece, I'm making my own for half that and freezing them for weekly meals. It's a lot of work, but it is the only way to make the meals stretch far enough to last.
I'm glad I've done this for more than the initial week. A week is easier to do than a whole month or two or more. When this is an actual lifestyle someone is forced into because of poverty, it isn't fun--it is work.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Month two, day one on the SNAP Challenge
Well, I'm on the road to hell. I had such good intentions to shop several times throughout the month so I could take advantage of the sales but I pretty much shot the whole budget in one day. I was hungry for healthy foods and the fruits looked so good. Also, I needed some yeast, whole wheat flour and powdered milk (whey protein powder was too expensive) if I'm going to start baking bread. I'm bound and determined to add healthier foods this month and one of the cheapest ways to do it is in the bread I bake. I use old fashioned rolled oats and some oat flour in my oatmeal bread and whole wheat flour and flax meal in the other breads. This makes for some really flavorful and nutritious breads with some texture to them, but it isn't cheap.
I did go for some packaged side dishes this month because I was able to get free meat with them. I'll add some frozen broccoli or spinach to them to pump up the nutritional value. I also got a package of burritos for quick meals. I can do some Spanish rice and some refried beans to go with them. It's a lot of starch, but it is a good amount of protein as well. I hate to do the prepackaged food because of the amount of sodium and all the preservatives, but sometimes it is necessary.
I was surprised at the emotional connection to food as I shopped. I was drawn to the produce aisle and was almost overwhelmed by the beautiful shapes and colors of the fresh fruits and vegetables. They really know what they are doing with those displays, don't they? I wanted to throw a pepper of every color into my cart; but when I looked at the prices and looked at my list, I got the heck out of the aisle. I could easily spend the $116.50 all on fruits and vegetables but I wanted to stretch this money for a month. Besides, if I bought all those vegees at one time, they would rot in my refrigerator because I didn't get around to eating them or they just looked better on the display.
I stuck to my list and purchased only two things that were not on the list, but I'm spending a lot of money on the pantry staples. I wonder when I will I eventually get a supply of the basics built up so that I can spend less on the starchy fillers and more in the produce aisle? I wonder at what point I will be ahead of the 8-ball and be able to shop without stressing over the cost? Does it ever happen?
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Making the list for the second month on the SNAP challenge
Tomorrow, I can go shopping again for some of my groceries for my next month on the SNAP challenge, and I find myself getting almost giddy over the opportunity to have different food in the house. I've already been looking over the ads to find the right place for me to shop for this week. I want to find some of the best bargains I can to help me make healthy meals all month. Some of my meals by the end of this month were sadly lacking in the nutrition department and I leaned too heavily on starchy, filling foods to make it through.
I lost weight on the first week because I was eating healthy but was eating less. The last three weeks, I ate a lot of carbohydrates and actually started to gain weight. I can see why people can be on SNAP and be overweight. It isn't necessarily because we are feeding people too well--it is often a result of eating fillers to stretch the dollars. Rice is cheap and is easy to add to dishes to stretch them, but it doesn't have a lot of fiber and will stick on your butt and belly more than fruits and vegetables will.
I'm getting over my food snobbery. Now, I know that most things can be off brand or store brand and still be great. In fact, I'm discovering some store brands taste fantastic. The stores insist on a quality product because their name is on it. Aldi's has become a normal place for me to shop so I can stretch my food dollars to include the produce aisle.
I'm following the suggestion of Pamela from the UW Extension...I will be shopping every week and not buying the whole month's food all at once. That way, I will be able to take advantage of the weekly sales and will have more variety. I will plan at least three of my meals each week so I can make a list and stick with it. That will increase the chance that I have some healthy meals throughout the month.
I started a grocery list a couple of weeks ago, and it has two parts: one side is for essentials, and the other is a grocery wish list. If I have enough money, I'll get a couple of things from that side of the list to make some special meals. For instance, I might get a can of coconut milk to make a pork curry. The milk is a luxury, but it will make a big batch and I can load it up with carrots and spinach and onions and potatoes. I might not even notice that there isn't a green pepper in it.
I won't need any sugar or flour this time around, but rice and oatmeal have become staples in my diet. So has popcorn that is made on the stove top. Instead of spending lots of dollars on chips and unhealthy snacks, I've been eating popcorn instead. I love it, and the smell in the house seems to add to the TV watching experience.
Dried beans have really been my friend this month. I can't afford meat, so I've been adding beans to some of the dishes to get my protein. Also, I've discovered that homemade refried beans taste so much better than those in a can. Okay, so I discovered that because I forgot some pinto beans on the stove and cooked them too long, but some accidental lessons are delicious. Smush them up and add in some salsa and some fresh green onions from the garden...yum!
I've decided to get some whey protein as part of my second month. I need to get some dried milk for some of my bread recipes and I figure I'll just substitute the protein powder instead. That way, I have it around for making smoothies, too. Yeast is on the list, too. I've caved and will be making bread so the food goes farther. I'm actually looking forward to a green onion or radish sandwich on oatmeal bread.
My coffee this month will be a can of Folgers. I love the Archer Farms whole bean coffee at Target, but it just isn't in the budget. I can't seem to give up coffee, so I will just go for the cheaper alternative. For another beverage, I'm looking at getting a packet or two of kool-aid. I can probably make my own popcicles with some of it.
I'm not a milk drinker, so my husband suggested last month that instead of buying fresh milk for cooking I might want to just get evaporated milk. It was a great suggestion! That stuff keeps for years, so I don't have to worry about milk going sour in the fridge. That will be the way I buy milk from here out.
I anticipate that I will be shopping at three different stores and the farmers market this week to get everything I need. I have that luxury. A lot of people who are on SNAP don't even have a car, so they have to plan what they can carry on public transportation or shop at the nearest Quick Trip or bodega. I cannot imagine trying to handle groceries and a child or two on the bus. What a pain that must be!
I lost weight on the first week because I was eating healthy but was eating less. The last three weeks, I ate a lot of carbohydrates and actually started to gain weight. I can see why people can be on SNAP and be overweight. It isn't necessarily because we are feeding people too well--it is often a result of eating fillers to stretch the dollars. Rice is cheap and is easy to add to dishes to stretch them, but it doesn't have a lot of fiber and will stick on your butt and belly more than fruits and vegetables will.
I'm getting over my food snobbery. Now, I know that most things can be off brand or store brand and still be great. In fact, I'm discovering some store brands taste fantastic. The stores insist on a quality product because their name is on it. Aldi's has become a normal place for me to shop so I can stretch my food dollars to include the produce aisle.
I'm following the suggestion of Pamela from the UW Extension...I will be shopping every week and not buying the whole month's food all at once. That way, I will be able to take advantage of the weekly sales and will have more variety. I will plan at least three of my meals each week so I can make a list and stick with it. That will increase the chance that I have some healthy meals throughout the month.
I started a grocery list a couple of weeks ago, and it has two parts: one side is for essentials, and the other is a grocery wish list. If I have enough money, I'll get a couple of things from that side of the list to make some special meals. For instance, I might get a can of coconut milk to make a pork curry. The milk is a luxury, but it will make a big batch and I can load it up with carrots and spinach and onions and potatoes. I might not even notice that there isn't a green pepper in it.
I won't need any sugar or flour this time around, but rice and oatmeal have become staples in my diet. So has popcorn that is made on the stove top. Instead of spending lots of dollars on chips and unhealthy snacks, I've been eating popcorn instead. I love it, and the smell in the house seems to add to the TV watching experience.
Dried beans have really been my friend this month. I can't afford meat, so I've been adding beans to some of the dishes to get my protein. Also, I've discovered that homemade refried beans taste so much better than those in a can. Okay, so I discovered that because I forgot some pinto beans on the stove and cooked them too long, but some accidental lessons are delicious. Smush them up and add in some salsa and some fresh green onions from the garden...yum!
I've decided to get some whey protein as part of my second month. I need to get some dried milk for some of my bread recipes and I figure I'll just substitute the protein powder instead. That way, I have it around for making smoothies, too. Yeast is on the list, too. I've caved and will be making bread so the food goes farther. I'm actually looking forward to a green onion or radish sandwich on oatmeal bread.
My coffee this month will be a can of Folgers. I love the Archer Farms whole bean coffee at Target, but it just isn't in the budget. I can't seem to give up coffee, so I will just go for the cheaper alternative. For another beverage, I'm looking at getting a packet or two of kool-aid. I can probably make my own popcicles with some of it.
I'm not a milk drinker, so my husband suggested last month that instead of buying fresh milk for cooking I might want to just get evaporated milk. It was a great suggestion! That stuff keeps for years, so I don't have to worry about milk going sour in the fridge. That will be the way I buy milk from here out.
I anticipate that I will be shopping at three different stores and the farmers market this week to get everything I need. I have that luxury. A lot of people who are on SNAP don't even have a car, so they have to plan what they can carry on public transportation or shop at the nearest Quick Trip or bodega. I cannot imagine trying to handle groceries and a child or two on the bus. What a pain that must be!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
SNAP Challenge--final week of the first month
Yesterday, I planned to go to the St Francis Food Pantry as an actual shopper, but my plans didn't work out. I spent the morning picking wild berries and the time just got away from me. That was my only opportunity to work the food pantry in with my schedule, so I will have to make the food I have on hand last one more week.
I still have plenty of oatmeal and pinto beans and enough rice for another week. I will have enough berries to get some vitamins and the green onions and arugula are coming nicely in the garden and there is a nice-sized Chicken of the Woods mushroom growing out of a stump in my yard. I have about six radishes left and most of the leaf lettuce that I bought at the farmers market. Celery, carrots and cabbage round this all out.
The only thing I'm really missing at this point is the meat. I have three eggs left and two and a half chicken breasts. I'm thinking chicken fried rice will be one of the main menu items. With the carrots and celery, it will look good and taste good. I also have the pasta left, so that can make a nice hotdish or pasta salad. Menu planning is critical, I'm finding, to stretching food dollars. I haven't connected in person yet with the nutrition educators at the Extension office, but when I do, that is one of the things I want to ask them about--how do they teach meal planning and budgeting and healthy eating?
One thing that has helped me stretch my food this month is the free meals at The Community Table of Eau Claire. After today, I will have eaten there four times this month. I also had a great meal yesterday at my niece's bridal shower. It's fun when the women in couple's families get together. In my family, the girls share a lot of laughter and wisdom (or wise remarks?) to start the couple along on their journey. All of the successful marriages I know have a liberal amount of laughter in them. Humor can go a long way to soothing the minor slights and the unintentional emotional bruises.
As for the meal, there was ham and beans and pickles and taco salad and pasta salad and a lot of desserts. I must have eaten a half jar of my sister's homemade pickles all on my own. And the pasta salad had vegies in it! Real vegies, like broccoli and cauliflower and carrots--ones that crunch! I was in heaven! The dessert section didn't appeal to me at all. I'm not really a sweets person, but after all of the starchy foods this month, I just have no desire for sweets.
That is one of the biggest things I've learned on this challenge--fresh fruits and vegetables are so costly that it is actually cheaper to eat unhealthy. I've heard that part of the reason is that we subsidise the corn growers and wheat farmers, so things with corn, corn syrup and wheat have some of the cost offset so they cost us little. I don't know if it is true, but maybe a visit to the local Ag office could shed some light on this. I wonder if there are any farm subsidies for perishable goods? What does the government do for those farmers? There must me some system in place for using all of the crops so they don't go to waste, right?
I still have plenty of oatmeal and pinto beans and enough rice for another week. I will have enough berries to get some vitamins and the green onions and arugula are coming nicely in the garden and there is a nice-sized Chicken of the Woods mushroom growing out of a stump in my yard. I have about six radishes left and most of the leaf lettuce that I bought at the farmers market. Celery, carrots and cabbage round this all out.
The only thing I'm really missing at this point is the meat. I have three eggs left and two and a half chicken breasts. I'm thinking chicken fried rice will be one of the main menu items. With the carrots and celery, it will look good and taste good. I also have the pasta left, so that can make a nice hotdish or pasta salad. Menu planning is critical, I'm finding, to stretching food dollars. I haven't connected in person yet with the nutrition educators at the Extension office, but when I do, that is one of the things I want to ask them about--how do they teach meal planning and budgeting and healthy eating?
One thing that has helped me stretch my food this month is the free meals at The Community Table of Eau Claire. After today, I will have eaten there four times this month. I also had a great meal yesterday at my niece's bridal shower. It's fun when the women in couple's families get together. In my family, the girls share a lot of laughter and wisdom (or wise remarks?) to start the couple along on their journey. All of the successful marriages I know have a liberal amount of laughter in them. Humor can go a long way to soothing the minor slights and the unintentional emotional bruises.
As for the meal, there was ham and beans and pickles and taco salad and pasta salad and a lot of desserts. I must have eaten a half jar of my sister's homemade pickles all on my own. And the pasta salad had vegies in it! Real vegies, like broccoli and cauliflower and carrots--ones that crunch! I was in heaven! The dessert section didn't appeal to me at all. I'm not really a sweets person, but after all of the starchy foods this month, I just have no desire for sweets.
That is one of the biggest things I've learned on this challenge--fresh fruits and vegetables are so costly that it is actually cheaper to eat unhealthy. I've heard that part of the reason is that we subsidise the corn growers and wheat farmers, so things with corn, corn syrup and wheat have some of the cost offset so they cost us little. I don't know if it is true, but maybe a visit to the local Ag office could shed some light on this. I wonder if there are any farm subsidies for perishable goods? What does the government do for those farmers? There must me some system in place for using all of the crops so they don't go to waste, right?
Monday, July 8, 2013
What did I buy for the $116.50?
Okay, this blog might be a bit nerdy. I'm just going to list what I bought for the money I had.
$19.04...plants and seeds for the garden
1.79...lemon drops
5.28...pork loin
.99...carrots
1.91 cabbage
3.33...oatmeal
1.29...pasta
2.49...sugar
1.00...Luna bar
5.69...salsa
2.49...popcorn
2.65...raisins
.74...orange
1.15...eggs
2.29...corn oil
1.29...pasta sauce
4.45 Bear Creek cheesy potato soup
2.00...salad dressing
2.04...rice
2.58...pineapple
5.00...vegees in steamer bags
3.42...coffee
1.55...dry beans
1.59...blueberry muffin flavored oatmeal
5.98...chicken
5.87...beef
1.98...romaine
1.36...flour
1.29...brown sugar
1.58...evaporated milk
.59...diced tomatoes
2.49...butter
1.79...pinto beans
.39...tomato paste
.40...bananas
.71...onions
1.15...potatoes
.99...carrots
.35...gelatin
1.99...more rice
2.19...ramen
1.29..cabbage
1.49...applesauce
1.47...apples (3)
1.19...celery
1.00...radishes
2.00...lettuce
My grand total with tax is $115.69. That leaves me with .81 left for the next 12 days. I did make some observations after the fact. I wouldn't buy the big jug of salsa again. I just didn't use it. Canned tomatoes would have been much more versatile.
The steamer bags of vegees were great and were handy, but I should have bought frozen vegetables and would have gotten twice as much at least.
The seeds and plants were over 16% of my budget, but I would do that again because that is an investment in the months to follow.
This isn't easy and I find myself thinking about food all the time. It is similar to being on a diet and being told that a food is off limits because of calories. Now, the foods that I could eat on a healthy diet are off limits because of cost.
$19.04...plants and seeds for the garden
1.79...lemon drops
5.28...pork loin
.99...carrots
1.91 cabbage
3.33...oatmeal
1.29...pasta
2.49...sugar
1.00...Luna bar
5.69...salsa
2.49...popcorn
2.65...raisins
.74...orange
1.15...eggs
2.29...corn oil
1.29...pasta sauce
4.45 Bear Creek cheesy potato soup
2.00...salad dressing
2.04...rice
2.58...pineapple
5.00...vegees in steamer bags
3.42...coffee
1.55...dry beans
1.59...blueberry muffin flavored oatmeal
5.98...chicken
5.87...beef
1.98...romaine
1.36...flour
1.29...brown sugar
1.58...evaporated milk
.59...diced tomatoes
2.49...butter
1.79...pinto beans
.39...tomato paste
.40...bananas
.71...onions
1.15...potatoes
.99...carrots
.35...gelatin
1.99...more rice
2.19...ramen
1.29..cabbage
1.49...applesauce
1.47...apples (3)
1.19...celery
1.00...radishes
2.00...lettuce
My grand total with tax is $115.69. That leaves me with .81 left for the next 12 days. I did make some observations after the fact. I wouldn't buy the big jug of salsa again. I just didn't use it. Canned tomatoes would have been much more versatile.
The steamer bags of vegees were great and were handy, but I should have bought frozen vegetables and would have gotten twice as much at least.
The seeds and plants were over 16% of my budget, but I would do that again because that is an investment in the months to follow.
This isn't easy and I find myself thinking about food all the time. It is similar to being on a diet and being told that a food is off limits because of calories. Now, the foods that I could eat on a healthy diet are off limits because of cost.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
SNAP discovery: Protein powder...food or supplement?
I've been toying with the idea of doing this SNAP Challenge longer than a month. The garden will be in next month and it will be so much easier. I could make fruit smoothies for breakfast instead of oatmeal and just add in a scoop of protein powder to make it more nutritious and make it stick with me longer. Or can I? Is protein powder allowed on SNAP?
Here's a quote from the USDA website:
"Energy Drinks
When considering the eligibility of energy drinks and other branded products, the primary determinant is the type of product label chosen by the manufacturer to conform to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines:
Here's a quote from the USDA website:
"Energy Drinks
When considering the eligibility of energy drinks and other branded products, the primary determinant is the type of product label chosen by the manufacturer to conform to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines:
- Energy drinks that have a nutrition facts label are eligible foods
- Energy drinks that have a supplements facts label are classified by the FDA as supplements, and are therefore not eligible."
So what does this mean to SNAP recipients? It means that you really have to know your labels and what is allowed and what isn't. For instance, I have three different protein shakes in my cupboard. The Chocolate Fudge SMART Smoothie from Complete Nutrition has a label that lists supplement facts, the Vega One vegetarian protein powder I got at Mother Nature's Foods has a supplement facts label, and the Pure Protein Whey Protein I got from Target has a nutrition facts label. Of the three in my cupboard, the only one I could conceivably use on SNAP is the whey protein from Target. What it boils down to is if the product has a nutrition label instead of a supplement label, it is considered food and foodshare money can be spent on it.
If I can spend some of my SNAP money on protein powder, that gives me more versatility in buying fruits and vegetables. I can mix a bit of it with some fresh spinach from my snap garden and some wild berries and make a healthy smoothie to get my brain going in the morning. I can mix a bit with my oatmeal and raisins to give it a creamy vanilla flavor and add the extra nutrition I need.
Now the flip side to this labeling story that drives me buggy! Energy drinks that consist of mostly caffeine and sugar are also considered food products. To me, there is little or no nutritional value in these items and I would much rather see the SNAP money spent on more healthful options. If you are on SNAP, please don't fall for the marketing of these energy products. It is a temporary energy that does not last nearly as well as the energy from a well-balanced meal. It is not easy to live on SNAP, but find the healthiest options for yourself and your family. You deserve it.
Friday, July 5, 2013
SNAP Challenge Personal Blog: Too much soup
In order to make the meat stretch, I've been eating a lot of soups and stews. Chili, stew, beef soup. This would be great, but I wasn't wise enough to purchase enough vegetables. So, my soups and stews are sadly lacking the nutrition they should have. And that's the thing--it isn't whether or not a person can survive on only 116.50 a month (the average Wisconsin SNAP amount in 2012), it is whether or not a person can eat healthy meals for only 116.50 a month.
I've already had two meals at The Community Table and am signed up to volunteer again this weekend. There, I've been getting a balanced meal with nutrients and fresh fruits and vegetables. They still have their full flavor and nutrition. Really, the meals there are incredible!
As I said yesterday, I have less than eight dollars left to spend for the next two weeks. I've got enough oatmeal and rice to make it and I'm good with the baking supplies like sugar and flour. If I'm not wasteful, the bottle of oil and the remainder of butter will last out the two weeks. Sometime this weekend, I'll post what I've purchased and what I have left.
In another week, I should be able to start to harvest baby lettuce leaves from my garden and a couple of hot peppers that were on the plants when I bought them. The onions are coming in nicely, and I should be able to add some green onions to the mix. The berries surrounding me are starting to turn a bit pink. They will ripen within the next few weeks. I've already asked my neighbor if I can pick berries on his land, so I'll have something for the freezer.
I'm lucky...in a couple of weeks, I will be surrounded by good food in nature. The normal SNAP recipient, though, can't just go to the country to pick berries. Transportation is a huge concern as well as childcare. There aren't any bus routes that run out here and someone needs to watch the kids to keep them out of the poison ivy.
I've already had two meals at The Community Table and am signed up to volunteer again this weekend. There, I've been getting a balanced meal with nutrients and fresh fruits and vegetables. They still have their full flavor and nutrition. Really, the meals there are incredible!
As I said yesterday, I have less than eight dollars left to spend for the next two weeks. I've got enough oatmeal and rice to make it and I'm good with the baking supplies like sugar and flour. If I'm not wasteful, the bottle of oil and the remainder of butter will last out the two weeks. Sometime this weekend, I'll post what I've purchased and what I have left.
In another week, I should be able to start to harvest baby lettuce leaves from my garden and a couple of hot peppers that were on the plants when I bought them. The onions are coming in nicely, and I should be able to add some green onions to the mix. The berries surrounding me are starting to turn a bit pink. They will ripen within the next few weeks. I've already asked my neighbor if I can pick berries on his land, so I'll have something for the freezer.
I'm lucky...in a couple of weeks, I will be surrounded by good food in nature. The normal SNAP recipient, though, can't just go to the country to pick berries. Transportation is a huge concern as well as childcare. There aren't any bus routes that run out here and someone needs to watch the kids to keep them out of the poison ivy.
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