Wishing You All the Richness of the Season

It's the Friday before Christmas and we have successfully completed our SHARE the Season holiday campaign. In a couple of hours we will close the SHARE office for the holiday break. We have four Christmas dinners left out of 5100. A couple more people may stop by to purchase these and any that remain we will donate to St. Vincent de Paul.

I like having just a few dinners left. It means that no one was turned away and also we did not buy more than was needed. SHARE the Season is about making sure that no one is left outside our circle of community. SHARE volunteers worked like Santa's elves to make this happen--thousands of people joining hands and hearts to do more than any of us could ever do alone.

This volunteer activity illustrates the richness of the holiday season perfectly, bringing to life the words of John Greenleaf Whittier, "Somehow not only for Christmas but all the long year through, the joy that you give others is the joy that comes back to you."

Wishing you abundant joy and all the very best for 2012!

This Is The End Of The Food Stamp Challenge

Back in the day (about 60 years ago)...The day before payday; the people who lived in our building, all young Marines and their wives and kids, would really feel the pinch. I  suggested we gather in my kitchen on Friday and bring all the leftovers. The first time it was a mess, but we got through it and the guys got over being self-conscious. I made a hearty soup and we came up with 4 different kinds of bread for toast, biscuits and even corn bread. I had a large soup pot and it was filled to the brim with different meats and veggies. It turned out to be a favorite thing twice a month the day before payday. We became close friends. I wonder where those people are now?  Am I the only one left?

The Richness of Time

Last week I wrote about saving money with SHARE, which is certainly one way to live more richly. Another way is to volunteer for something good that helps the community. As we approach Thanksgiving I want to say a special thank-you to our SHARE volunteers who make it all possible. We have orders so far for close to 9,000 Thanksgiving dinners!!

Imagine, almost all of our funds (nearly $4 million a year) first pass from the community through the hands of the volunteers. Then all the food passes back to the community through a massive volunteer effort. It is an awesome responsibility that they accomplish with a strong commitment to serve the common good.

What if everybody did this?

The gift of their time is more precious than gold. Time is a resource you can only use once. The hour spent tabulating orders or loading a truck will never come back again. I believe giving time to a volunteer activity is the ultimate expression of living richly.

I invite you to share your thoughts on how volunteerism has enriched your life.

Last Day of the Food Stamp Challenge: Out of Money and Out of Milk

Well, we made it through the week and it was a worthwhile experience. Even though I knew it was only for the week it was still an important challenge to put myself in the place of someone who truly must watch every single food dollar spent.

We had plenty of food because of SHARE, but it was a lot of work to plan and cook it all. No coming home late from work and grabbing a rotisserie chicken. Counting the mushrooms to divide them among two recipes, when I would ususally just use the whole packge. Skipping my glass of milk so there would be some for breakfast. A cup of herb tea rather than a glass of wine. None of these things were really big sacrifices, but together it made a week of always thinking about our food budget and stretching each item.

My husband's birthday dinner was ham and scalloped potatoes with a big salad. He is true to his Irish roots and loves potatoes in any form, so it was a hit with him. No cake was ok--I promised we'd celebrate again over the weekend when I have time (and money) to bake.

The Food Stamp Challenge re-enforced my idea that living richly is not a function of how much money you have or how much you spend. I think richness comes from using your resources well and giving at least as much as you get. I invite you to share your stories of living richly while maintaining your household budget. What enriches your life?

Food Stamp Challenge Continues

Dinner last night was simple to make and a treat for the eyes: stir fried chicken breast with red peppers, mushrooms and onions. I served it over the other half of the whole wheat spaghetti from Sunday. I would have liked to add some broccoli to this, but it was not in my budget. I did have some in my garden, but the rules of the Food Stamp Challenge ask you not to use food you already have.

Did you know that food stamps can be used to purchase vegetable seeds and seedlings? I wonder what the multiplier effect of having even one tomato plant in a pot would be compared to the cost of the seedling? Next year I will weigh the yield of one of my plants to find out!

Food Stamp Challenge Gets Real

Today I'm having a really tough time with the Food Stamp Challenge. Tomorrow is my husband's birthday and I realize I have not included anything in my menu plan to make him a birthday cake. I used my last egg for the corn bread last night, so I don't think I can make something that even remotely resembles a cake from the Baking Mix I got as a bonus item in the BIG Value Package. I do have apples and pears, so I can make a crisp, but our tradition is German Chocolate Cake.

How many people have to give up their family traditions when they lose their jobs? Thanks to SHARE we do have plenty of food and I am grateful for that. But I know how to plan, am a very competent cook and have a fully equipped kitchen. How would this be for someone who doesn't have years of experience? Or if you lived in a house without a working stove?

My other reality check was making both breakfast and lunch and bringing it with me to work today. I had to do a TV interview very early and didn't have time to eat before I left the house. If I wasn't adhering to this Challenge I would have skipped out the door and stopped for something to eat after the interview. Packing breakfast and lunch every day is a great way to save money, but it sure was inconvenient today.

The Food Stamp Challenge shows just how much work it is to be poor.

Oh Oh...I'm Getting Behind

I missed out on the chicken leg dinner. I fell asleep. It looked good and the report from Mike was that it was delicious!

Last night was football night for the kids, and Dancing With The Stars for me, so we split up. The white bean chili made with ground turkey was really really good. (Who ever heard of using white beans and ground turkey to make chili?)  I was brought up on Tex Mex and that sure doesn't say "turkey" to me! I have to say, Paulette never disappoints--the chili was delicious!

Thinking of Tex Mex makes me remember back in the day, when Mom never knew how many people she might have at the table. It was a game to her to make sure she was always ready, no  matter come what may. She always had dishes of enchiladas ready for the oven, and if everybody was hankering for Mexican and she was caught short, she would send my Dad out looking for a "tamale man".

Times were tough everywhere. Some enterprising men used ice cream push carts in the winter to sell tamales on the street.. Their wives would cook all day, and a bit before dinner time these guys could be found out in the neighborhoods "whistling" their wares. Some of the whistles were quite pretty. They would blow a little tune and then call out, "Hot tamales, get your hot tamales"! Now these were hot tamales! And as we usually needed a lot of them, the tamale men would make more than one pass in front of our house. They would count the bicycles and figure they could sell out and go home early if Mr. Herbert (Dad) was looking for a tamale man. The tamales cost about 10 cents a dozen!  For two dollars and a pan of enchiladas, we could feed the football team.

Back to today, this white bean chili made with ground turkey was delicious and served with corn bread. It certainly met with my approval.

Darn! I fell sleep before Dancing With The Stars was over. Was anyone a standout?

Weekend Food Stamp Challenge

Saturday and Sunday we maintained our budget for the Food Stamp Challenge. It was a busy day, preparing SHARE's Thanksgiving Dinner to show on WTMJ4 News sunday morning.  Still there was time for a delicious dinner using chicken drumsticks from the BIG Value Package.  yum!

I baked the drumsticks in BBQ sauce and also roasted potatoes with just a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and fresh rosemary leaves from my garden.  Tomato quarters made our salad.





 

On Sunday I was tired after the interview and didn't feel much like cooking.  Luckily, I could substitute Spaghetti and Meatballs from Tuesday's menu plan.  This was easy to prepare using fully cooked beef meatballs from the BIG Value Package and canned sauce.  Salad and garlic bread completed our meal.

Today is Saturday, Day 3 of our Living Richly With Food Stamps

Saturday is always a busy day around our house. It's windy and cold and trying to rain so Mike laid in a great fire. I did my part. I busily curled up in my chair and went about helping Jake Grafton solve the 'problems of the collapse of' the  largest bank in Hong Kong per Stephen Coonts' great book called Hong Kong. This is a firm rule in my universe. When everyone gets really busy, find a good book , curl up in your chair, and read  said book (I might add that the rule really doesn't work until you pass age  age 80).  Every one is all full of  energy around here,  because we started the day with a hot bowl of oatmeal chocked full of raisins and topped with milk and brown sugar! tonight we are having the chicken legs. Uh oh, I hear the call to dinner. It's been a great day today..

Food Stamp Challenge Day 2

Friday was a very good food day.  I got up early as I usually do and made a pan of oatmeal.  The sleepyheads could warm theirs up later!  Then I made lunches for the three of us using the deli sliced turkey breast.  Since we have such a generous amount of fresh fruit it can be added to almost every meal.  I left for work before anyone else was up.

Dinner was delicious: baked tilapia, brown rice and steamed cauliflower and carrots.  One problem: I forgot to start the rice until I already had the vegetables steaming, so that put dinner a little later than planned.   Brown rice takes about 45 minutes, so I usually put it on first.  I like to season the rice with a dollop of olive oil, a little bit of soy sauce and diced onion, which I add to the water as it's cooking.  The tilapia fillets are very good and cook quickly.  I simply drizzled a bit of olive oil on them and sprinkled with seasoning and pop them into a hot oven for about 15 minutes. I had some dried dill from my garden, but you can use whatever you like on this versatile fish.  It looked nice on the platters as you can see in the photo.  We had some rice and one piece of fish left over that my husband will probably eat for lunch.

Day 2 of the Food Stamp Challenge...Thoughts From "Mom"

Tonight our dinner is Tilapia, which is a tender white fish fillet.

It is almost a delicacy. It needs to be served on china plates and use the good silverware, if you please.

This brings up another memory from my childhood in Texas.

Sometimes on Friday night Dad would go down to the fish market and buy a bushel--yes a bushel--basket full of shrimp. This may sound icky to some folks, but how Mom served the shrimp was the best. She boiled the shrimp and let them cool and drain out on our screen porch. Then on our large mahogany dining room table, she spread out the Dallas Morning News at least an inch thick. At each place there were individual condiments: lemon slices, mayo, ketchup, and shrimp sauce. (Very fancy!) I remember I only wanted mayo; some others had all four. After the shrimp had drained, she piled it all in the middle of the table and we shelled and ate shrimp until we were stuffed to the gills.

I don't think we can serve Tilapia like that.

This Food Stamp Challenge can be fun. The menu we created from the SHARE BIG Value Package and a few dollars left over will work. The most important ingredient in any meal is how it’s presented on the plate and the smile on the face of the presenter.

Food Stamp Challenge Day One

We got off to a good start with the Food Stamp Challenge. I got home late from work and decided to switch around the menu and make the meat loaf that was planned for Saturday. This is a fully cooked item that just needs to be heated. What I like about having a menu plan is that I can switch things around if my week goes haywire (as it often does!). 

When I left the office I called home and asked my husband to put some potatoes in the oven to bake. By the time I got there it was just about time to pop the meatloaf in the oven. To jazz it up a bit I made some mushroom gravy, see the recipe below. We all agreed this was a tasty, fast, work-night dinner.


Mushroom Gravy

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

½ onion, small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Flour

2 Cups water, divided

1 beef bouillon cube

Salt and pepper to taste

1) Heat oil over medium heat in skillet; add mushrooms, garlic and onions and sauté until soft.

2) Whisk flour into 1 cup cold water.  Slowly add to skillet and stir until smooth.

3) Add one cup water and bring to simmer.  Add the bouillon cube and continue to simmer until thick.

4) Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Let's Go Shopping!

Last night I went to the grocery store to purchase the items I needed to prepare my weekly menu for the Food Stamp Challenge.  My total budget for the week for our family of three is $94.50.  I spent $30 dollars on the SHARE Big Value Package plus $8 on an extra Deluxe Produce Assortment.  This left me $56.50 to spend.  Check out my shopping list and prices!  I still have $3.42 to spend, which I’m sure I’ll need for something I’ve forgotten before the week is over.

How do you think your family would do on $31.50 per person per week?  I really agonized over some of my purchases and it makes me uncomfortable to know I only have $3.42 left.  I sure am thankful to have the SHARE BIG Value Package to use as the center point of my weekly menu plan!

Food Stamp Budget  for 3: $94.50

I shopped with SHARE first!

SHARE BIG Value $30.00

SHARE Deluxe Produce Assortment $8.00

SHARE Total: $38.00

Remaining To Shop At The Store: $56.50

Shopping List:

leaf lettuce $0.89

3 tomatoes $1.31

cornbread mix $0.60

whole wheat bread $1.99

french bread $1.99

carrots $0.48

eggs $0.79

2 gallons milk $3.98

oatmeal $2.79

coffee $7.00

brown rice $0.99

onions $0.98

spaghetti sauce $1.19

yogurt $5.00

white beans $1.69

crackers $5.69

2 qt. cream $3.96

raisins $2.99

margarine $1.89

mushrooms $2.00

brown sugar $1.69

tea $2.19

whole wheat spaghetti $1.00

Store Total $53.08

Grand Total $91.08

Money left to spend: $3.42

The Food Stamp Challenge Begins Today!

Have you heard about the Food Stamp Challenge?  It is a national interfaith Fighting Poverty With Faith mobilization. The idea is to raise awareness and understanding of what millions of Americans face every day by living for one week on the average food stamp allotment-- $31.50 a week / $4.50 a day / $1.50 a meal per person.   The Challenge starts today and last through Thursday, November 3. In southeast Wisconsin the Challenge is promoted by our friends at the Hunger Task Force.

I decided to register for the Challenge and commit to staying on this tight food budget for a week.  I want to demonstrate just how well we can eat if we use SHARE’s BIG Value Package as the base of our week’s menus.  The idea of Living Richly with SHARE is not to just scrimp by, but to really enjoy simpler choices for everyday living.  I put the question to my husband and my mom, who are the other members of my household.  Good sports always, they too accepted the Food Stamp Challenge!

I invite you to follow us as we plan, shop, cook and eat delicious food throughout the coming week.  I will post photos, recipes, shopping tips and more.  The total food budget for our family of three is $94.50.  I know we can do it! 

What Is Living Richly?

Welcome!

This blog is the outcome of many years (most of my life!) of reflection on what it means to live a truly rich life.  As you might imagine, I’m not talking about richness in the material sense. The richness I seek is a life filled with the joy of family and friends, work worth doing, and an abiding contentment in simple pleasures.  For me, richness is not a function of how much money I have or spend.  Rather, it is an expression of an inner sense of God-given worth and gratitude for my many blessings. 

I’m sure I developed this attitude from my mom.  Growing up in a military family we didn’t have much money, but I never felt poor.  Mom made everything seem special.  She turned left-overs into wonderful soups and cut our peanut butter sandwiches into fancy shapes.  She was a gifted seamstress and sewed most of our clothes.  Some girls may have felt funny in a home-made dress.  Through mom’s way of seeing the world I felt great in my one-of-a-kind designer clothes. Mom taught us to see the cup as half full, not half empty.  This lesson has carried me forward through life in good times and hard times.  I feel so fortunate to have had her as a role model as a child and that I still can call upon her wisdom today.

So what’s living richly got to do with SHARE?  Everything.  SHARE is based on the idea of people working together in order to do more with less.  SHARE offers simple food, simple packaging and is spread by word-of-mouth.  You will find SHARE in a church basement or community center rather than a fancy grocery store.  A volunteer packs your bag, not a clerk. It’s friendly and fun and saves you money.  SHARE can give a sense of belonging that goes beyond a shopping experience.

Through this blog I invite you to explore with us the practice of living richly.  I think there is plenty learn about this idea!  Certainly we will post ideas about how to use SHARE food to eat well for less money, including menu plans and recipes. We will also post thoughts on enjoying life’s simple pleasures.  I welcome your insights and observations and look forward to all the richness you have to share.