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.
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 28, 2013
St Francis food pantry volunteer experience
So, this week, I got a feel for the St Francis Food Pantry both as a volunteer and as a guest. Friday I showed up just after nine o'clock in the morning and found Jerry (that day's volunteer coordinator.) He immediately put me to work helping the guys unload the trucks of donated reclaimed food from local grocery stores. We separated it between baked goods, produce, and grocery. The donation is weighed and documented and the dry goods are sent to the aisles for the shelf stocking crew to sort it onto the shelves.
The produce is gone through to separate it to different types and is cleaned and prepped. It is stored in the refrigerator and right before the public area is opened to that day's guests, the produce is brought back out and the produce area is stocked. The scraps of bits that were really bruised up or really wilted is set outside in an area where local animal farmers will pick it up and feed it to pigs and chickens.
The group of people I worked with on Friday is absolutely priceless. They were all retirees who had worked together so long that they were like family. They razzed each other as if they were siblings, (in fact, several were); and as soon as they found out that I could take some ribbing and dish it right back, they included me in the teasing.
There is a frantic time when all the pickup trucks of donations are being unloaded and sorted to their different areas; then we cleaned up this large empty area that had just a few pallets of food in it. A couple of the guys who were filling me in on how the pantry works told me that that area would be filled up again before we left and this food would be distributed in the next couple of days. Sure enough, the truck showed up from Feed My People food bank and the flurry of activity began again. The meat was stored in the freezer right away and the buns in the refrigerator. The non-perishables were left on the pallets in the back storage area for the shelf-stocking crew who would go through them and put them on the shelves.
The Friday crew has worked together so long that they have their own areas they work in. Each area has a system developed to make it more efficient, and they don't usually mess with each other's space. I don't have a usual spot yet, so I just did what they told me and floated from area to area as they needed me and tried not to step on any toes. Each area of volunteers was so willing to train a new person and give pointers on how to do things efficiently and safely that it was easy to pick up the process.
When there is a lull in the action they take a break together and have coffee and snacks. They welcomed me right into the system of volunteering and invited me to come back again. Whenever possible, I will join that same group--they showed that volunteering is not only fun, it keeps you young. Having a purpose to your life is rewarding and will help you live a happier existence..
The produce is gone through to separate it to different types and is cleaned and prepped. It is stored in the refrigerator and right before the public area is opened to that day's guests, the produce is brought back out and the produce area is stocked. The scraps of bits that were really bruised up or really wilted is set outside in an area where local animal farmers will pick it up and feed it to pigs and chickens.
The group of people I worked with on Friday is absolutely priceless. They were all retirees who had worked together so long that they were like family. They razzed each other as if they were siblings, (in fact, several were); and as soon as they found out that I could take some ribbing and dish it right back, they included me in the teasing.
There is a frantic time when all the pickup trucks of donations are being unloaded and sorted to their different areas; then we cleaned up this large empty area that had just a few pallets of food in it. A couple of the guys who were filling me in on how the pantry works told me that that area would be filled up again before we left and this food would be distributed in the next couple of days. Sure enough, the truck showed up from Feed My People food bank and the flurry of activity began again. The meat was stored in the freezer right away and the buns in the refrigerator. The non-perishables were left on the pallets in the back storage area for the shelf-stocking crew who would go through them and put them on the shelves.
The Friday crew has worked together so long that they have their own areas they work in. Each area has a system developed to make it more efficient, and they don't usually mess with each other's space. I don't have a usual spot yet, so I just did what they told me and floated from area to area as they needed me and tried not to step on any toes. Each area of volunteers was so willing to train a new person and give pointers on how to do things efficiently and safely that it was easy to pick up the process.
When there is a lull in the action they take a break together and have coffee and snacks. They welcomed me right into the system of volunteering and invited me to come back again. Whenever possible, I will join that same group--they showed that volunteering is not only fun, it keeps you young. Having a purpose to your life is rewarding and will help you live a happier existence..
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Human Dynamo Creates Meals for Community Table
I have met the human dynamo and I am awed! Her name is Tami, and she is the kitchen manager at The Community Table in Eau Claire. She can easily be underestimated because she is a little thing with a pixie haircut and some colorful tattoos; but she is, in reality, a small bundle of energy who is usually working on three or four tasks at one time and thinking about six or seven more for the near future.
Tuesday, I went with her for her run to Target to pick up the produce, bread and grocery items that were removed from the shelves because they were no longer saleable. Target has high standards for what they want their customer's experience to be, so if an apple has a bruise, they remove it. If one strawberry in a package is moldy or one orange in the package is bad, the whole package gets removed.
Through a partnership that Target has with Second Harvest Heartland, the food removed doesn't go directly into a landfill--it goes to those organizations who work with food insecurity. Feed My People food bank is under the umbrella of Second Harvest Heartland and The Community Table is a partner hunger relief agency with Feed My People; so through those channels, they created a direct partnership between Target and The Community Table of Eau Claire to reclaim the non-saleable food.
While Tami was going through the reclaimed food to choose what she needed for upcoming menus she was answering all of my questions, but I could see that the whole time she had menu possibilities running through her mind. The bruised pineapples could have the bad parts cut off and be added to the good parts of the apples and strawberries...squeeze the juice of some of the limes and oranges on top, and it will be a tasty, nutritious fruit serving that is easy for the volunteers to make.
There are so many elements to planning a menu for The Community Table. Tami has to know what meat she is going to have available from Feed My People or has in the freezer. Then, she will do a recipe search to find a way to use that meat and multiply it out so it serves about 125 people. She may have to modify some of the spices a bit if she doesn't have one or two that are included in the recipe. She usually doubles the amount of vegetables in the recipe so the guests are getting the healthiest meal possible and adds grated carrots to a lot of the tomato dishes to increase nutrition and flavor.
She watches the store ads to see what produce is in season, because in about a week, that is what she will be getting a lot of, so she will be able to incorporate that into the meal planning. If the stores are running ads on broccoli and cauliflower, she can usually bet on getting some soon and can maybe make a soup or side dish to include them. Seasonal fruits like blueberries and strawberries will be added to the fruit salad to give the guests a summer treat.
Tami also makes sure the meal is healthy and the guests are getting the maximum nutrition. She is very strict about making sure that meal provided always offers at least 1/2 cup fruit, 1 cup of raw veggies, 1/2 cup cooked veggies, 3-4 ounces of protein and one or more grains.
When meal planning, Tami has to take into consideration if there is a serving team signed up to help and what the experience level is for that team. If there is a team that is new or is all individual volunteers, she will do a menu that can mostly be prepped ahead so they aren't intimidated by the recipes and the experience. If it happens that the team works well together and ends up with extra time, they clean salad and fruit or wash potatoes and tomatoes for upcoming menus. The whole process reminds me of working in a restaurant kitchen and doing the prep work and light cleaning in between the orders; it is very efficient.
I do want to add, though that she does not do it alone. She plans the meals and regulates the inventory, but without great on-site coordinators and staff members, the plans would all fall apart. The on-site coordinators work with the volunteer teams, watching over them and guiding them in the process of making and serving the menu that Tami has planned.
Tami works really hard to make sure that the guests and the servers all have a great experience and will want to come back; and as someone who has now been on both sides of the serving counter there, I can say she has succeeded.
Tuesday, I went with her for her run to Target to pick up the produce, bread and grocery items that were removed from the shelves because they were no longer saleable. Target has high standards for what they want their customer's experience to be, so if an apple has a bruise, they remove it. If one strawberry in a package is moldy or one orange in the package is bad, the whole package gets removed.
Through a partnership that Target has with Second Harvest Heartland, the food removed doesn't go directly into a landfill--it goes to those organizations who work with food insecurity. Feed My People food bank is under the umbrella of Second Harvest Heartland and The Community Table is a partner hunger relief agency with Feed My People; so through those channels, they created a direct partnership between Target and The Community Table of Eau Claire to reclaim the non-saleable food.
While Tami was going through the reclaimed food to choose what she needed for upcoming menus she was answering all of my questions, but I could see that the whole time she had menu possibilities running through her mind. The bruised pineapples could have the bad parts cut off and be added to the good parts of the apples and strawberries...squeeze the juice of some of the limes and oranges on top, and it will be a tasty, nutritious fruit serving that is easy for the volunteers to make.
There are so many elements to planning a menu for The Community Table. Tami has to know what meat she is going to have available from Feed My People or has in the freezer. Then, she will do a recipe search to find a way to use that meat and multiply it out so it serves about 125 people. She may have to modify some of the spices a bit if she doesn't have one or two that are included in the recipe. She usually doubles the amount of vegetables in the recipe so the guests are getting the healthiest meal possible and adds grated carrots to a lot of the tomato dishes to increase nutrition and flavor.
She watches the store ads to see what produce is in season, because in about a week, that is what she will be getting a lot of, so she will be able to incorporate that into the meal planning. If the stores are running ads on broccoli and cauliflower, she can usually bet on getting some soon and can maybe make a soup or side dish to include them. Seasonal fruits like blueberries and strawberries will be added to the fruit salad to give the guests a summer treat.
Tami also makes sure the meal is healthy and the guests are getting the maximum nutrition. She is very strict about making sure that meal provided always offers at least 1/2 cup fruit, 1 cup of raw veggies, 1/2 cup cooked veggies, 3-4 ounces of protein and one or more grains.
When meal planning, Tami has to take into consideration if there is a serving team signed up to help and what the experience level is for that team. If there is a team that is new or is all individual volunteers, she will do a menu that can mostly be prepped ahead so they aren't intimidated by the recipes and the experience. If it happens that the team works well together and ends up with extra time, they clean salad and fruit or wash potatoes and tomatoes for upcoming menus. The whole process reminds me of working in a restaurant kitchen and doing the prep work and light cleaning in between the orders; it is very efficient.
I do want to add, though that she does not do it alone. She plans the meals and regulates the inventory, but without great on-site coordinators and staff members, the plans would all fall apart. The on-site coordinators work with the volunteer teams, watching over them and guiding them in the process of making and serving the menu that Tami has planned.
Tami works really hard to make sure that the guests and the servers all have a great experience and will want to come back; and as someone who has now been on both sides of the serving counter there, I can say she has succeeded.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Starting kids early on vegetables
My grandfather was a goofy man. If he was laughing hard, he would make a noise that sounded like a donkey with asthma. Almost a snort, almost a wheeze. He was a teller of tall tales, and could say the most amazing lies with a straight face and keep grand kids believing him until one of us would recognize that little gleam in his eyes and realize that he was spoofing us. He was great! In his way, he encouraged us to always find the funny side of life. When I was a child, it felt like he was encouraging us to be almost wicked and irreverent; but in retrospect, I know that laughing in the face of adversity can really help one get through the struggles.
As well as his wicked humor, my grandfather taught me a love of gardening and nature. In the winter, we would go through his gardening catalogs to find all of the strange new varieties of vegetables and flowers. He would show me apple trees that had three different varieties of fruit and explain grafting to me. He showed me the different kinds of asparagus and told me that if you want it to stay white, you just cover the plant so it gets no sun. He taught me that some plants like acid soil and that you should add leaves or pine needles to make them happy. He taught me that the second year cane on blackberries bears fruit; and if you step on the first year cane, it won't kill the plant. He gave me the gift of gardening and encouraged my curiosity on that topic.
The other day, I saw a gardening program for kids that will encourage them to garden and to look at trying different kinds of vegetables. I joined the WNEP (Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program) nutritionists and the Boys and Girls Club at one of the community gardens. The Boys and Girls Club brought a van load of 3rd-grade kids (usually 14--but only 5 the day I was there) to the garden and, did a scavenger hunt to teach the kids how to identify the different vegetables. They weeded, watered, and harvested and brought the veggies they found to the pavilion where the WNEP educators were waiting to take over.
There, they learned how to prep the vegetables they had harvested and helped make a simple cooked vegetable dish in an electric skillet. The featured vegetable in this Italian vegetable skillet was zucchini, but while they were working on it, they all got to sample some raw sugar snap peas. All five of them tried the peas and only a couple of noses crinkled up in distaste. When it came time to try the vegetable skillet, all of the kids and adults gave it a try. Out of the five kids, only one picked out the zucchini after he tasted it, but the rest took at least a couple of bites of this foreign veggies. Three kids actually ate all that was on their plates, and two went back for seconds.
Out of those five kids, there was one who had never tried zucchini but said he would ask his mom to buy it and make it. He was very involved in the process of making the recipe; and during the question and answer time, he was able to recite the different ingredients. I had no doubt that he really would like to have it again and I hoped his mom would get it and try it with him.
My grandfather planted the seed of gardening in me, and each time I saw him there was a conversation about gardening, and different varieties we saw in our gardening catalogs. That conversation helped that seed to grow and flourish and my love of gardening has been my gift from him and my gift to others. The seed of trying different vegetables got planted in these kids with this kind of garden experience; but like any seed it needs to be fostered in order to make it grow. If this young boy tells his mom that he wants a zucchini to make this dish at home and she tells him, "No, you don't like that," that seed will dry up and die.
So, parents and non-parents...I challenge you! Try a different vegetable that you have never had. If you don't know how to cook it, find one of the millions of recipes online or in a cookbook in the library and let your family be part of the cooking process. You don't have to buy a lot of it to get a taste--just a bit will do, but try it both raw and cooked. Talk about this vegetable with your kids or family and ask some questions. Did you like it? Are there other ways to prepare this? Did you like it raw but not cooked or cooked but not raw? Would you like me to buy this again? Did you like it enough to put this in your garden?
If we plant the seed early and nurture those seeds, nutritious habits are bound to grow; and what parent does not want to raise healthy kids?
As well as his wicked humor, my grandfather taught me a love of gardening and nature. In the winter, we would go through his gardening catalogs to find all of the strange new varieties of vegetables and flowers. He would show me apple trees that had three different varieties of fruit and explain grafting to me. He showed me the different kinds of asparagus and told me that if you want it to stay white, you just cover the plant so it gets no sun. He taught me that some plants like acid soil and that you should add leaves or pine needles to make them happy. He taught me that the second year cane on blackberries bears fruit; and if you step on the first year cane, it won't kill the plant. He gave me the gift of gardening and encouraged my curiosity on that topic.
The other day, I saw a gardening program for kids that will encourage them to garden and to look at trying different kinds of vegetables. I joined the WNEP (Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program) nutritionists and the Boys and Girls Club at one of the community gardens. The Boys and Girls Club brought a van load of 3rd-grade kids (usually 14--but only 5 the day I was there) to the garden and, did a scavenger hunt to teach the kids how to identify the different vegetables. They weeded, watered, and harvested and brought the veggies they found to the pavilion where the WNEP educators were waiting to take over.
There, they learned how to prep the vegetables they had harvested and helped make a simple cooked vegetable dish in an electric skillet. The featured vegetable in this Italian vegetable skillet was zucchini, but while they were working on it, they all got to sample some raw sugar snap peas. All five of them tried the peas and only a couple of noses crinkled up in distaste. When it came time to try the vegetable skillet, all of the kids and adults gave it a try. Out of the five kids, only one picked out the zucchini after he tasted it, but the rest took at least a couple of bites of this foreign veggies. Three kids actually ate all that was on their plates, and two went back for seconds.
Out of those five kids, there was one who had never tried zucchini but said he would ask his mom to buy it and make it. He was very involved in the process of making the recipe; and during the question and answer time, he was able to recite the different ingredients. I had no doubt that he really would like to have it again and I hoped his mom would get it and try it with him.
My grandfather planted the seed of gardening in me, and each time I saw him there was a conversation about gardening, and different varieties we saw in our gardening catalogs. That conversation helped that seed to grow and flourish and my love of gardening has been my gift from him and my gift to others. The seed of trying different vegetables got planted in these kids with this kind of garden experience; but like any seed it needs to be fostered in order to make it grow. If this young boy tells his mom that he wants a zucchini to make this dish at home and she tells him, "No, you don't like that," that seed will dry up and die.
So, parents and non-parents...I challenge you! Try a different vegetable that you have never had. If you don't know how to cook it, find one of the millions of recipes online or in a cookbook in the library and let your family be part of the cooking process. You don't have to buy a lot of it to get a taste--just a bit will do, but try it both raw and cooked. Talk about this vegetable with your kids or family and ask some questions. Did you like it? Are there other ways to prepare this? Did you like it raw but not cooked or cooked but not raw? Would you like me to buy this again? Did you like it enough to put this in your garden?
If we plant the seed early and nurture those seeds, nutritious habits are bound to grow; and what parent does not want to raise healthy kids?
Monday, July 22, 2013
Helping people do better--SNAP educators
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”~Maya Angelou
One of the common arguments I hear about SNAP is that people use the allotment to buy junk food and eat unhealthy. "They are wasting our money on crap," I often hear. But what if you weren't raised knowing how to cook? What if your parents weren't big vegetable eaters and your only experience with vegetables was something from a can smothered in cheese? What if your family never had a garden and you don't know the first thing about growing your own food or preserving it? We do what we know until we know better. But how do we get recipients of SNAP to know better? To make healthier choices? To try fresh vegetables that they have never tried before?
Part of the SNAP funding is spent on just that--educating the recipients to make better food choices that will increase the health of their families. There are SNAP nutrition educators throughout the state who deal with low income families to teach them about nutrition, cooking, gardening, budgeting, meal planning, etc. These educators teach the basic information people need to survive on a SNAP allotment.
You can find these educators through the University Extension system of your state. Just look under the "nutrition" or "community resources" tab and you will probably find them. In Wisconsin, they are called WNEP (Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program) educators, but it is just a different name for the same thing. If you go on the link for the nutrition education, you will find recipes, handouts and publications that help teach healthy habits. http://eauclaire.uwex.edu/nutrition-education/
WNEP educators work in tandem with other organizations to teach healthy living to as many low income families as possible. In my area, they work with the schools to teach kids how to cook and eat healthy; they work with halfway houses to teach inmates in transition how to budget and live a healthy life; they work with the local horticulture agency and the Boys and Girls Club to teach lower income kids about gardening and cooking with vegetables; and so much more.
WNEP educators in conjunction with the Eau Claire Community Foundation and the Downtown Farmers Market worked to install the token program that allows SNAP recipients to use their Quest card (foodshare card) to get tokens to be used at the Downtown Farmers Market. (see the link for the farmers market=>) This program gives SNAP recipients access to locally grown fruits and vegetables. They get the healthiest produce and the money goes to local farmers.
I consider the WNEP educators to be a critical part of the SNAP funding, but while Congress is playing around with the farm bill, their funding could be cut. How can we expect SNAP recipients to do better with their allotment if they don't know better? Education is critical to moving ahead toward a better life!
Today, I'm going to see a SNAP educator in action. I'm going to pop in on Pamela in one of the community gardens where she will be working with kids to educate them on gardening and healthy eating. More on that later...
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!
Monday, July 15, 2013
What's the 411 on 211 (your 911 for health and human services)?
Ever heard of 2-1-1? If not, you aren't alone. More than 80% of the United States is covered by 211 and does not know it. So, what is it? 2-1-1 is a number that nationally is a link for you to get local information on any community and human services you may need.
Going through a divorce and want to talk to someone? Call 2-1-1 and they can hook you up.
Are you in an abusive home and need to get out? Call 2-1-1 and they will let you know what shelter(s) are in your area.
Need some counseling for an addiction? Call 2-1-1 and they can let you know what is available to your area and what payment options might be available to you.
If you need job training and don't know where to go...call 2-1-1.
If you have run out of food for your family and don't know if you qualify for foodshare or where there is a food pantry or soup kitchen...call 2-1-1.
If you need to find a free or low cost clinic...call 2-1-1.
What happens when you call? You will be hooked up with a referral specialist who will ask you a few questions; and based upon your location they will let you know what is available in your area to meet your needs. You are never alone with your problems. Just call 2-1-1 and you will get help.
Check out their website and you can see some of the services that 2-1-1 will suggest to you. And spread the word about 2-1-1. Many people can use it, but just don't know it exists.
http://www.211.org/
Going through a divorce and want to talk to someone? Call 2-1-1 and they can hook you up.
Are you in an abusive home and need to get out? Call 2-1-1 and they will let you know what shelter(s) are in your area.
Need some counseling for an addiction? Call 2-1-1 and they can let you know what is available to your area and what payment options might be available to you.
If you need job training and don't know where to go...call 2-1-1.
If you have run out of food for your family and don't know if you qualify for foodshare or where there is a food pantry or soup kitchen...call 2-1-1.
If you need to find a free or low cost clinic...call 2-1-1.
What happens when you call? You will be hooked up with a referral specialist who will ask you a few questions; and based upon your location they will let you know what is available in your area to meet your needs. You are never alone with your problems. Just call 2-1-1 and you will get help.
Check out their website and you can see some of the services that 2-1-1 will suggest to you. And spread the word about 2-1-1. Many people can use it, but just don't know it exists.
http://www.211.org/
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?
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Free weed salad...yum!
We've all seen the summer lettuce selection: leaf lettuce, mescalin mix, arugula, etc. But what did our ancestors eat before there were such lovely cultivars available? Look around you the next time you go for a walk and you may find yourself in a living salad bar.
In the dappled shade of the weeping willow where the mosquito and gnat thrive, I found some lovely greens that often get overlooked. I picked small delicate dandelion leaves that have the slightest bite. Grown in the shade, they are tender leaves with a milder flavor. If you gather the ones in the sunny spots, they can be like leather and taste bitter.
Chickweed was next with its flavor similar to watercress. Today, this will be salad, but I can almost taste it on top of an egg salad sandwich. I gave a bit of it to my husband to taste and he said, "Yep, tastes like pasture." Okay, so it isn't for everyone.
Near the garden plot, growing among the weeds was a patch of lambs quarters. To some, this wonderful plant is known by the name pigweed. Such a rude name for such a nutritious plant. This relative of spinach can be used as a replacement in many Florentine recipes. It is excellent in egg and cheese dishes or in a salad to add a crisp, strong leaf. I'll be harvesting more later to add to my pasta sauce to add vitamins and flavor.
Add in a couple of leaves of catmint for a little something different. I'll go back for more leaves later to make a nice summer mint tea. If I don't like the leaves in the salad, I can always feed them to the cats or chew them after the meal to freshen my breath.
Finally, a bit of sheep sorrel to add a lemony zip. This little distinctive plant with its Fleur De Lis shaped leaves contains oxalic acid, like rhubarb; and stimulates the same taste buds. Wood sorrel does the same; it looks like a clover with yellow blossoms and has a wonderful flavor and color.
Tossed together with a mustard vinaigrette and you have a gourmet salad that comes from the yard. If you are going to try this, DO NOT harvest these plants from a yard that is treated with chemical fertilizers or weed controls. The whole point of it is to eat something nutritious and delicious on a budget. I have several foragers guides and I've always loved gardening, so I am familiar with the plants that I eat. DO NOT eat any plants that you aren't familiar with because some plants actually are poisonous and look similar to edibles.
Wildman Steve Brill has been foraging for years and has great information on his website. I highly recommend it if you are curious about some of the free edibles that surround you. It's worth a read even if you aren't planning to forage--his humor is evident in his writing. Step outside the box and into the yard and add a few new nutritious, delicious plants to your salad and cooking that don't cost a thing.
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/
In the dappled shade of the weeping willow where the mosquito and gnat thrive, I found some lovely greens that often get overlooked. I picked small delicate dandelion leaves that have the slightest bite. Grown in the shade, they are tender leaves with a milder flavor. If you gather the ones in the sunny spots, they can be like leather and taste bitter.
Chickweed was next with its flavor similar to watercress. Today, this will be salad, but I can almost taste it on top of an egg salad sandwich. I gave a bit of it to my husband to taste and he said, "Yep, tastes like pasture." Okay, so it isn't for everyone.
Near the garden plot, growing among the weeds was a patch of lambs quarters. To some, this wonderful plant is known by the name pigweed. Such a rude name for such a nutritious plant. This relative of spinach can be used as a replacement in many Florentine recipes. It is excellent in egg and cheese dishes or in a salad to add a crisp, strong leaf. I'll be harvesting more later to add to my pasta sauce to add vitamins and flavor.
Add in a couple of leaves of catmint for a little something different. I'll go back for more leaves later to make a nice summer mint tea. If I don't like the leaves in the salad, I can always feed them to the cats or chew them after the meal to freshen my breath.
Finally, a bit of sheep sorrel to add a lemony zip. This little distinctive plant with its Fleur De Lis shaped leaves contains oxalic acid, like rhubarb; and stimulates the same taste buds. Wood sorrel does the same; it looks like a clover with yellow blossoms and has a wonderful flavor and color.
Tossed together with a mustard vinaigrette and you have a gourmet salad that comes from the yard. If you are going to try this, DO NOT harvest these plants from a yard that is treated with chemical fertilizers or weed controls. The whole point of it is to eat something nutritious and delicious on a budget. I have several foragers guides and I've always loved gardening, so I am familiar with the plants that I eat. DO NOT eat any plants that you aren't familiar with because some plants actually are poisonous and look similar to edibles.
Wildman Steve Brill has been foraging for years and has great information on his website. I highly recommend it if you are curious about some of the free edibles that surround you. It's worth a read even if you aren't planning to forage--his humor is evident in his writing. Step outside the box and into the yard and add a few new nutritious, delicious plants to your salad and cooking that don't cost a thing.
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/
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.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Shopping With SNAP at the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market
Yesterday, I went to the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market. I haven't been there in years, but I wanted to check out the new token program. The token program allows those who have SNAP to actually use their benefits at the farmers market by having their Wisconsin Quest card (foodshare card) run through a mobile card reader and receiving tokens valued at $1 each. Bank debit cards can also be run through if you have forgotten to bring cash for your purchases.
I love this program! This is an opportunity for SNAP recipients to purchase the freshest fruits and vegetables they can find and the money goes to local farmers and businessmen. Add to that the fact that people who are not on SNAP are getting tokens with their debit cards, so there is no stigma to using tokens at the different vendor tables.
The tokens can be purchased only from 9:00 to 12:30 on Saturday but can be used throughout the week at the farmers market. Some vendors have signs up that say they take the tokens and some don't. I spent mine at a vendor who did not have a sign; but when I asked if he took tokens he was quick to assure me he did. The farmers trade in the tokens for cash value, so a lot of them are on board with this program. If they don't display a sign, ask before you pick out your produce.
If you haven't been to the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market, please go. It is a wonderful experience! There are vendors who sell plants and flowers, meat producers, cheese makers, coffee companies, bakeries, and of course produce growers galore! A band plays every Saturday adding extra joy to the occasion. Shopping should be fun, and shopping for healthy foods is fun thanks to the farmers market!
http://www.ecdowntownfarmersmarket.com/
I love this program! This is an opportunity for SNAP recipients to purchase the freshest fruits and vegetables they can find and the money goes to local farmers and businessmen. Add to that the fact that people who are not on SNAP are getting tokens with their debit cards, so there is no stigma to using tokens at the different vendor tables.
The tokens can be purchased only from 9:00 to 12:30 on Saturday but can be used throughout the week at the farmers market. Some vendors have signs up that say they take the tokens and some don't. I spent mine at a vendor who did not have a sign; but when I asked if he took tokens he was quick to assure me he did. The farmers trade in the tokens for cash value, so a lot of them are on board with this program. If they don't display a sign, ask before you pick out your produce.
If you haven't been to the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market, please go. It is a wonderful experience! There are vendors who sell plants and flowers, meat producers, cheese makers, coffee companies, bakeries, and of course produce growers galore! A band plays every Saturday adding extra joy to the occasion. Shopping should be fun, and shopping for healthy foods is fun thanks to the farmers market!
http://www.ecdowntownfarmersmarket.com/
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.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
SNAP Challenge...two weeks in
Well, I'm two weeks into my SNAP Challenge and I've got $7.96 left for the rest of the month and I don't want to spend it. I'm afraid that I'm going to need some last minute ingredient and not have the money to get it.
Fear must be a big part of the life of someone who really is living a life of food insecurity. I can always call it quits and I still find it stressful as hell! Real sleep is a thing of the past and that is making concentration a chore. If I can't concentrate, I get frustrated and snappish. I'm tired all the time and feel as though I'm living life underwater. Moving my limbs takes more effort than before--like there is a force working against them.
I don't want to go to St Francis Food pantry as a shopper. I just sort of feel like that is the final admission that I can't do it on my own and I'm a damned independent person! Yes, I realize that I've already accepted free meals and coffee from The Community Table, but that seems different somehow. Food pantries are for poor people, after all. With all of my recent work learning about food insecurity, I'm learning that I have stigma that I need to examine. Why am I afraid to go to the food pantry? Am I afraid about what I may feel? What I may learn about myself?
Fear must be a big part of the life of someone who really is living a life of food insecurity. I can always call it quits and I still find it stressful as hell! Real sleep is a thing of the past and that is making concentration a chore. If I can't concentrate, I get frustrated and snappish. I'm tired all the time and feel as though I'm living life underwater. Moving my limbs takes more effort than before--like there is a force working against them.
I don't want to go to St Francis Food pantry as a shopper. I just sort of feel like that is the final admission that I can't do it on my own and I'm a damned independent person! Yes, I realize that I've already accepted free meals and coffee from The Community Table, but that seems different somehow. Food pantries are for poor people, after all. With all of my recent work learning about food insecurity, I'm learning that I have stigma that I need to examine. Why am I afraid to go to the food pantry? Am I afraid about what I may feel? What I may learn about myself?
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
SNAP Real Life experience
Last night I ate at The Community Table as a guest rather than as a server. It was a strange experience for me. I was nervous and almost talked myself out of it several times. I even almost drove past when I saw how busy it was. I knew that if I did, though, that meager bit of groceries that I have left for the month just wasn't going to cut it.
I was a late straggler, so I was the only person in line. There was a table there with a woman and a notebook. I thought she was going to ask my name just like at the food pantry, but she was just making tic marks counting how many people had been served. So, there was a slight pause for me and I got a little embarrassed not knowing the routine.
I stepped to the counter and the first group I encountered asked what I wanted as far as hot food. It was very similar to a school cafeteria. I got the Italian meatballs and carrots Au gratin. I moved down the counter and got my tossed salad and fruit salad and declined the bread and butter. Utensils and napkin next...grabbed a banana...and looked for a place to sit.
That's when I felt really weird for the first time. There was a roomful of people who were laughing and talking; I felt like the new kid in school. So, I did like the new kids do and found a table that was almost empty. The gentleman who I was sitting with and I did not talk. I hid myself behind eating my meal.
I looked around and saw some familiar faces. I've done retail work and have waited on some of these people. I started to relax. I wasn't really alone; like the new kid in school, I was just lonely in a crowd.
I settled into one of my favorite activities--people watching. I was getting some odd looks from the regulars. "Who's the new kid?" their faces were saying. I did the Midwestern slight upturn of the mouth and nodded to the ones who made eye contact. There wasn't any hostility in their eyes as if I didn't belong--just curiosity.
There wasn't any piano music this time, but the conversations made a music of their own. Each voice lent a bit to the melody and the background music was of laughter. That was the thing that threw me--there was so much laughter! Didn't these people realize how hard their lives were? What's with all the laughter? Kids were playing with each other as if they didn't have a care in the world. Parents were joking with their friends about sports and relationships and other life stuff. Old men were making googly eyes at babies to make them laugh. Older couples were lingering over a cup of coffee and fondly watching the chaos. It was normal. It was just such a normal event.
I wanted to be a part of the pulse of this community. I wanted to be part of the love and friendship that they shared with each other over a meal. I wanted to know the little family squabbles that kept some apart from others. I wanted to know the inside jokes that caused some to say one or two words and laugh. I wanted to be one of them.
I finished my meal and brought my empty tray to the dishwasher's area. I took my banana with me for the road. I left still feeling weird--but smiling.
I was a late straggler, so I was the only person in line. There was a table there with a woman and a notebook. I thought she was going to ask my name just like at the food pantry, but she was just making tic marks counting how many people had been served. So, there was a slight pause for me and I got a little embarrassed not knowing the routine.
I stepped to the counter and the first group I encountered asked what I wanted as far as hot food. It was very similar to a school cafeteria. I got the Italian meatballs and carrots Au gratin. I moved down the counter and got my tossed salad and fruit salad and declined the bread and butter. Utensils and napkin next...grabbed a banana...and looked for a place to sit.
That's when I felt really weird for the first time. There was a roomful of people who were laughing and talking; I felt like the new kid in school. So, I did like the new kids do and found a table that was almost empty. The gentleman who I was sitting with and I did not talk. I hid myself behind eating my meal.
I looked around and saw some familiar faces. I've done retail work and have waited on some of these people. I started to relax. I wasn't really alone; like the new kid in school, I was just lonely in a crowd.
I settled into one of my favorite activities--people watching. I was getting some odd looks from the regulars. "Who's the new kid?" their faces were saying. I did the Midwestern slight upturn of the mouth and nodded to the ones who made eye contact. There wasn't any hostility in their eyes as if I didn't belong--just curiosity.
There wasn't any piano music this time, but the conversations made a music of their own. Each voice lent a bit to the melody and the background music was of laughter. That was the thing that threw me--there was so much laughter! Didn't these people realize how hard their lives were? What's with all the laughter? Kids were playing with each other as if they didn't have a care in the world. Parents were joking with their friends about sports and relationships and other life stuff. Old men were making googly eyes at babies to make them laugh. Older couples were lingering over a cup of coffee and fondly watching the chaos. It was normal. It was just such a normal event.
I wanted to be a part of the pulse of this community. I wanted to be part of the love and friendship that they shared with each other over a meal. I wanted to know the little family squabbles that kept some apart from others. I wanted to know the inside jokes that caused some to say one or two words and laugh. I wanted to be one of them.
I finished my meal and brought my empty tray to the dishwasher's area. I took my banana with me for the road. I left still feeling weird--but smiling.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
SNAP Fieldtrip: St Francis Food Pantry
As I was saying this morning, I went to the St Francis Food Pantry last night to how things work there and ask where they get the food from that they need and Minette was kind enough to show me around. The process there is pretty simple. First timers get taken into the office to register and get a card that authorizes you to "shop" there once a week. Those who already have a card stand in line and wait for their turn. The first step is to sign-in for your shopping. You present your card and let them know how many you have in the household: adults and children.
Next, you take a cart and start shopping. First is the produce room. Right now, there are a lot of potatoes and fresh tomatoes in there. There are also bags of produce that have been removed from the shelves at the local grocery stores. Volunteers go to the stores daily and get the day old bakery and deli products and the produce that is set aside to be destroyed (aka. reclaimed food.) Some of the produce comes from Feed My People Foodbank. They get food in huge quantities and supply a 14-county area. The food shelters and other organizations under the FMP umbrella fill out an order online and it gets delivered to them. http://www.fmpfoodbank.org/order_form.phtml St Francis Food Pantry usually receives trucks from FMP Foodbank four times a week.
In the next room, you will find the rest of the groceries. There is a cooler with reclaimed dairy, the day-old bakery stuff as well as other bread, and a lot of different groceries--canned fruits and vegees, crackers, cereal, etc. Some is limited to only one per family because of cost or quantity, but if there is a lot of something, there isn't a limit. The limits are marked on the shelves.
The groceries are a mix of new and reclaimed. There are single donations, government commodities, and some canned goods and boxes of food that are purchased from Feed My People. And there is the reclaimed food from the stores. This is food that the store would have thrown away because the can is dented, the label is bad, or the item is expired. Before you freak out about expired food, have I got a website for you to check out! http://stilltasty.com/ Seriously...before you throw something away because you think it is too old to be healthy, check the item against the website. You could save a ton in groceries!
The final stop is the scale in front of the freezers. In these freezers is the frozen meat--often commodity. The choice this week is ham slices or pork patties. They also have farm fresh eggs available thanks to some fantastic area chicken farmers! They weigh the food to keep track of how much goes out and that's it. You are on your way. They recommend that you bring your own box or bags to pack up the food--I noticed a lot of clients using laundry hampers and hard plastic crates when I was there.
The St Francis Food Pantry has a staff of only three with two senior aides. Other than that, the rest of the help sorting groceries, stocking shelves and helping people with their week's groceries is all done by volunteers. They are a great group of people; and if you ever need them, they will treat you well.
Next, you take a cart and start shopping. First is the produce room. Right now, there are a lot of potatoes and fresh tomatoes in there. There are also bags of produce that have been removed from the shelves at the local grocery stores. Volunteers go to the stores daily and get the day old bakery and deli products and the produce that is set aside to be destroyed (aka. reclaimed food.) Some of the produce comes from Feed My People Foodbank. They get food in huge quantities and supply a 14-county area. The food shelters and other organizations under the FMP umbrella fill out an order online and it gets delivered to them. http://www.fmpfoodbank.org/order_form.phtml St Francis Food Pantry usually receives trucks from FMP Foodbank four times a week.
In the next room, you will find the rest of the groceries. There is a cooler with reclaimed dairy, the day-old bakery stuff as well as other bread, and a lot of different groceries--canned fruits and vegees, crackers, cereal, etc. Some is limited to only one per family because of cost or quantity, but if there is a lot of something, there isn't a limit. The limits are marked on the shelves.
The groceries are a mix of new and reclaimed. There are single donations, government commodities, and some canned goods and boxes of food that are purchased from Feed My People. And there is the reclaimed food from the stores. This is food that the store would have thrown away because the can is dented, the label is bad, or the item is expired. Before you freak out about expired food, have I got a website for you to check out! http://stilltasty.com/ Seriously...before you throw something away because you think it is too old to be healthy, check the item against the website. You could save a ton in groceries!
The final stop is the scale in front of the freezers. In these freezers is the frozen meat--often commodity. The choice this week is ham slices or pork patties. They also have farm fresh eggs available thanks to some fantastic area chicken farmers! They weigh the food to keep track of how much goes out and that's it. You are on your way. They recommend that you bring your own box or bags to pack up the food--I noticed a lot of clients using laundry hampers and hard plastic crates when I was there.
The St Francis Food Pantry has a staff of only three with two senior aides. Other than that, the rest of the help sorting groceries, stocking shelves and helping people with their week's groceries is all done by volunteers. They are a great group of people; and if you ever need them, they will treat you well.
Field Trip: St Francis Food Pantry
Just a short blog this morning. I'm working the day shift, so my writing and interviewing schedule is off. After I got done with work yesterday, I went to the St Francis Food Pantry in Eau Claire to check out how things work. They were kind enough to show me around and answer all of my questions. I'll write more about the process later.
I also spoke with Pamela from the UW Extension office. She is a nutritionist that works with people on foodshare to help them budget and plan meals to help them stretch their foodshare allotment. The nutritionists also teach foodshare recipients how to eat healthy with minimum cost.
They have a community garden where the labor is shared for a share in the produce. Every Monday-Wednesday morning, they work with the kids in that area to teach them gardening and healthy eating. I think that is so cool!
I'm hoping to catch a meal at The Community Table tonight. I should be able to catch serving time after work. I'm hungry for healthy food and that is a great place to find it. The thing about this challenge is that it is teaching me how limiting it would be to live on this without places like The Community Table, St Francis Food Pantry, and Feed My People Foodbank. I have few choices about what to eat because I bought stuff to last a month.
Pork was on sale, so I'm using a lot of that. Things that can be made with flour, oatmeal and sugar are becoming my regular diet. I've got 1 1/2 cans of pineapple left and that is what will take me another 18 days. I'll use the juice in muffins to flavor them and get more vitamins in them. I still have a can and a half of evaporated milk left. That will be put to good use. Everything is rationed. This is insane!
I also spoke with Pamela from the UW Extension office. She is a nutritionist that works with people on foodshare to help them budget and plan meals to help them stretch their foodshare allotment. The nutritionists also teach foodshare recipients how to eat healthy with minimum cost.
They have a community garden where the labor is shared for a share in the produce. Every Monday-Wednesday morning, they work with the kids in that area to teach them gardening and healthy eating. I think that is so cool!
I'm hoping to catch a meal at The Community Table tonight. I should be able to catch serving time after work. I'm hungry for healthy food and that is a great place to find it. The thing about this challenge is that it is teaching me how limiting it would be to live on this without places like The Community Table, St Francis Food Pantry, and Feed My People Foodbank. I have few choices about what to eat because I bought stuff to last a month.
Pork was on sale, so I'm using a lot of that. Things that can be made with flour, oatmeal and sugar are becoming my regular diet. I've got 1 1/2 cans of pineapple left and that is what will take me another 18 days. I'll use the juice in muffins to flavor them and get more vitamins in them. I still have a can and a half of evaporated milk left. That will be put to good use. Everything is rationed. This is insane!
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