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!
To prepare, I purchased SHARE's October BIG Value Package for $30 plus an extra SHARE Deluxe Produce Assortment for $8.00. Here's what the BIG Value Package looks like:
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| SHARE's $30 October BIG Value Package |
And here's a list of what was included:
Chicken Roaster DrumsBeef Meatloaf Patties
Chicken Breast Fillets
Cook's Ham Steak
Chicken Breast Fillets
Cook's Ham Steak
Ground TurkeyDeli Sliced Turkey Breast
Tilapia Fillets
All-Beef Meatballs
Pork Sausage Patties
Frozen Vegetables
All-Beef Meatballs
Pork Sausage Patties
Frozen Vegetables
Bonus Item: Biscuit Mix
Deluxe Produce Assortment (I bought an extra one, so I received double the numbers below):
Potatoes (6)Deluxe Produce Assortment (I bought an extra one, so I received double the numbers below):
Acorn Squash (1)
Red Peppers (2)
Red Peppers (2)
Tangerines (4)
Apples (4) Cauliflower (1)
Pears (5)
Using those items as a base and some ingredients that I'm shopping for at the supermarket, I've put together the following menu plan for the week:
Breakfasts: Oatmeal, Fruit, Toast, Yogurt, Coffee
Lunches: Turkey Sandwiches, Egg Salad Sandwiches and Leftovers
Snacks: Fresh Fruit, Crackers, Oatmeal Cookies, Yogurt
Beverages: Milk, Coffee, Tea, Water
Lunches: Turkey Sandwiches, Egg Salad Sandwiches and Leftovers
Snacks: Fresh Fruit, Crackers, Oatmeal Cookies, Yogurt
Beverages: Milk, Coffee, Tea, Water
Dinners & Main Meals:
Thursday: Chicken Drums, Steamed Cauliflower & Carrots, Biscuits
Friday: Tilapia, Oven Fried Potatoes, Salad
Saturday: Meatloaf Patties, Baked Potatoes, Mixed Veggies
Sunday Brunch: Sausage, Eggs, Biscuits & Gravy, Fruit Salad
Sunday Dinner: Sauteed Chicken Breast Fillets With Red Peppers & Mushrooms Over Rice
Monday Night (Football!): White Bean Turkey Chili, Raw Veggie Tray, Cornbread Muffins
Tuesday: Meatballs & Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Toast
Wednesday: Ham With Scalloped Potatoes & Mixed Veggies
Thursday: Vegetarian Plate With Baked Squash, White Beans, Salad, Garlic Toast, Rice Puddin
I think we'll be eating pretty well, thanks to a little planning and some great savings on most of our food from SHARE. Here we go!
This is the most positive outlook on the Food Stamp Challenge I've seen yet, Paulette. One particular church body was listing unreasonable items that would be missing from your meal if you stuck to the challenge plan (e.g., the organic lettuce that you couldn't afford for your lunch salad). Your approach--using SHARE and other resources to buy economical foods and be good stewards of them--is great!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gene! I knew the Food Stamp Challenge was a great way to illustrate how SHARE can be a smart part of anyone's food budget strategy. Plus, it was a real help to have my mom to help with the menu planning!
ReplyDeleteDay One of My Food Stamp Challenge.
ReplyDeleteI'm sitting here in my chair enjoying my breakfast of oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, toast, and milk, and my mind is floating back to 1937. I was seven years old.
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There were four of us sitting at the table, my three brothers, and me the only girl. We were wolfing down steaming bowls of the very same dish, and my father was making toast in the grill part of the oven.
The world hadn't fallen in on us in the 29 crash because my father was a war hero and received a huge check of $125.00 each month. We had warm clothes and good shoes. It was just about then that I learned about sharing and gosh, I guess "the apple don't fall too far from the tree"