By Amy Dunaway
I haven’t had meat, but I somehow don’t feel like a vegetarian either. I’m half-way through our HCRC SNAP challenge and my diet is about as well-rounded as a cliff. Or at least it feels that way. Most of my food has been canned, boxed or bottled in some way. And given how thirsty I’ve been, I am willing to bet that I’ve been well over my daily sodium limit of 2,300 mg.
Admittedly, I probably wasn’t a well-rounded vegetarian before the SNAP challenge. Often my go-to breakfast recipe consisted of a banana and some walnuts. Lunch frequently would be some variation of oatmeal, fruit and walnuts. But dinners were much more fun: chard, tomatoes, and eggplant; squashes, tempehs and tofu; kale, quinoa and jicama.
I haven’t had any of those fresh foods for a while. (Bananas aside.)
Starting the SNAP challenge, I realized I couldn’t afford to eat so well. My first reckoning came with how many walnuts I usually eat and understanding my normal 48 oz bag that runs about $12 would have to go. Then I started to see how all those fresh items would have to be prioritized because $28 for the week wasn’t going to cover it all.
To maximize my dollar, I went to a low-cost grocery store. You know the one that charges by the plastic shopping bag, and you have to bag everything yourself? That one. And I have to say, I was grateful because I knew at my normal grocery store, I would eat up most of my budget on lettuce, salsa, and bread.
I ended up spending $26.58, which I have to point out is about what I spend on a can of formula for my 9-month-old. (I didn’t extend the challenge to my kids.) I bought:
- Unsalted peanuts $2.29
- Onions: 0.79
- Lettuce: $2.99
- Saltines: 0.99
- 2 lbs. Carrots: $1.19
- Frozen Peas: 0.95 x 2
- Peanut Butter: $1.99
- Black beans: 0.59 x 2
- Tortillas: $1.49
- Salsa: $1.69
- Bananas: 0.73
- Frozen Corn: 0.95 x 2
- Sweet potatoes: $2.29
- Green tea: $1.19
- Bread: $1.79
- Oatmeal: $2.19
On Sunday, I fixed a peanut butter sandwich and got busy in the kitchen. I used most of the carrots and made a great pot of carrot soup. I found this recipe from Runners’ World about ten years ago and it’s become one of my all-time favorites. Lots of carrots, some butter, onions and spices. (Note: I cheated some here and used spices from my spice rack.) Then I made a batch of black bean sweet potato burritos for dinners during the week. I felt pretty happy with myself. Good soup, some crackers, green tea. Some food in the larder, how hard could this be?
…
Monday:
I had some green tea and a banana for breakfast (again, I’m not a big breakfast person these days), oatmeal for lunch, carrot soup and salad for dinner. The salad: green leaf lettuce with some carrot shavings I saved from my 2 lb bag, and yes, I also cheated here, too, with some salad dressing I already had in the fridge. I’m a little tired, but otherwise, fine.
Tuesday:
Green tea. A banana. Oatmeal. More tea. Carrot soup and crackers plus peas and carrots on the side. Thinking about sweet and sour tempeh but I eat half a burrito instead.
Wednesday:
The carrot soup is close to gone now. I’ve snacked on peanuts and bananas and I really want to eat something else. More green tea. I had oatmeal for lunch, and a burrito, peas and corn are in my evening future. Some quinoa would be nice. Or an orange. Did I mention I really hate peas and corn? Why did I buy peas and corn…oh, right…the low-cost grocery store didn’t have a wide selection of frozen vegetables. They did have quite a few pizzas, though.
…
With a few more days to go, I’m shamed to say I’m tired of the menu. How do folks do it? Anxiety is already setting in when I think about the rest of the week. I should have planned better. I should have found other low-cost frozen vegetables. I should grow my own food.
Maybe I just need to drink more water.
I honestly haven’t thought this much about food since my Peace Corps and post-Katrina days. And like Peace Corps, I feel guilty knowing that I’m able to stop this and go back to my typical existence while other folks don’t have the same option. The odd thing is that outside of the hot season, I had more fresh eating options in Peace Corps and very few canned or packaged food ones. There wasn’t a lot to eat, but there was typically something fresh. As part of the SNAP challenge, I felt hard pressed to find fresh produce at the low-cost grocery. I think I’m going to take my remaining $1.42 and see what I can buy at the other store near my house.
More soon…