Calfresh Provides Long Term Benefits

For many CalFresh recipients hunger pangs may not be easily settled on a small budget. Constant hunger can have detrimental affects on one's health and energy. This Challenger reflects on the importance of CalFresh and pushes to take action to support it.

On the second day of the challenge I woke up in the middle of the night feeling pretty hungry. After a bit of tossing and turning, I decided to eat a small bowl of cereal. I knew it would bite into my budget for today, but I'm crossing my fingers that I can just ease back on my portions a bit.

Overall I find myself thinking more about food and when I should let myself eat again. I understand why someone might choose less expensive foods that might not be as healthy just to have something to satiate one's hunger pangs during times like what I experienced last night.

My experience last night was a tiny fraction of what true hunger is like. I actually have a choice. I can actually stop this experience if I want to. Many people don't have that choice, which makes it disempowering and overwhelming.I know that the more time I spend worrying about food and being hungry, the less time and energy I have to devote to work and other things that need my attention. And this is why I believe so strongly in full access and participation in federal food programs: when people have access to enough healthy food, they can focus on things that will help them become more healthy and financially stable in the long run.The proposals currently being supporting by House Republicans are based on misguided understandings of what it means to be in poverty. Their proposals are not actually geared toward ending hunger, improving the lives of Americans, or even on saving money. If they were, there would be a drastically different approach to the Farm Bill - one that used actual research and experiences of people in need to create a nutrition title in the Farm Bill that protects the most vulnerable and acknowledges that access to food is a work support and cost cutting measure in and of itself.

Thursday the House will be voting on their version of the nutrition title from the Farm Bill. Hearing from constituents is the best way to remind them that SNAP/Calfresh works to meet the true need that exists in our communities.

Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

No Room for the Unexpected

Aside from tight budgeting for food as mention in Planning Ahead and Proceeding with Caution post, this Challenger discusses aspects of living on a restrained budget in general. After paying essential bills and utilities leaves no room for emergencies. Just imagine how unexpected medical bills or a loss of a job can take a huge financial toll on CalFresh recipients.  I started the CalFresh Challenge today and had one egg for breakfast, and later I had black-eyed peas and bread for lunch and yogurt with fruit and cereal for dinner.

As I prepared for the Challenge I thought about what it would mean for me, outside of the food aspect, if I qualified for CalFresh Benefits. Not only do people trying to get enough food to eat face the challenge of hunger, but there are other challenges when one faces severe financial hardship, as the vast majority of CalFresh beneficiaries do.

As a household of one, the income limit for me would be $1,245 per month, or 130% of the Federal Poverty Line (as of Oct 1, 2013). After paying about $200 in taxes I’d have around $1,045 available to me. I pay about $800 for rent and about $30 per month in utilities. So after paying those expenses, I’d have $215. I would need to use that money to pay for gas for work, payments on my education loans, car insurance, telephone expenses, food, and personal and household items. From what I can estimate, I’d be well over my budget, by as much as $300. I’d need to renegotiate my education loan repayments (which would mean I’d have to pay more in interest over time) and I’d have to do whatever I could to avoid unexpected and emergency expenses.  Even if I could find a less expensive place to live, I would likely be over budget each month.

Living at 130% of the Federal Poverty Level means I would not have any extra money to boost our economy by purchasing clothing, entertainment, internet access, dining out, or really much of anything besides the very bare minimum. If I was able to qualify for SNAP/CalFresh benefits I’d probably get about $98 (much less than the $200 limit for one person, due to the federal formula for determining benefit levels). I could at least spend that in a local grocery story and not only get a couple weeks’ worth of groceries but also help fund the jobs of those employees.

This was just an exercise on paper for me. But for many people these are the impossible choices they are forced to make. They are the real situations of real people who need real assistance like CalFresh. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reviewed the SNAP program (the federal name for CalFresh) and has credited the program for doing exactly what it is supposed to do: responding in times of need by expanding and it will, they have shown, shrink automatically as the economy improves and less people need help. In fact, they share commentary on how the SNAP/CalFresh program actually encourages people to get back to work. Additionally, the program will shrink even more if the working poor have a minimum wage above the poverty line.

Over 84% of benefits go to households that contain vulnerable populations: children, seniors and people with disabilities. (Find more stats about CalFresh here) The SNAP/Calfresh program is vital to low income people and needs to be strengthened, not cut, so that it can continue to successfully decrease and eliminate hunger.

-Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

Planning Ahead and Proceeding with Caution

Planning ahead for meals seems to be key to work on a tight budget. The first entry speaks of Challengers spending hours to plan and prepare meals in advance. Even with a few dollars to spare, these Challengers decided to hold off on purchasing a sweet treat as a precaution.   

We looked at our watches after we finished washing the pans and putting away what will be today and tomorrow’s lunches… 10:15pm.  We had effectively been planning, purchasing, and preparing food for four hours and still hadn’t made a complete meal! The beans were still soaking and would have to be cooked and added to our quinoa salads in the morning.  While these two CalFresh Challengers enjoy cooking, we are lucky to be in a financial situation that allows us to spend time doing so as a luxury rather than a necessity.  This Challenge has already forced us to slow down, prioritize and spend much more time thinking about food than normal.

After putting everything away and reviewing our purchases, we had spent roughly two thirds of our weekly food budget. (We skipped meat and stuck to high protein, lower cost beans, eggs, and quinoa.)  Even though we seemed to do a pretty good job of budgeting and finding deals, I couldn’t help but feel overly cautious in the grocery store.  Leaving VONs with a little more money left than we expected, we wondered out loud, “Is it ok to use some of our reserves to buy snacks or a sweet treat, or should we hold on to a few dollars just in case something happens and we run out?” After hearing horror stories of past Challengers who wound up with rotten produce or my own experience of running out of oatmeal and eating pasta for breakfast last year, we decided to air on the side of caution… at least until our sweet toothes kick in!

This morning we got up, looking forward to getting an early start to the week, only to remember that we needed to finish making our lunches before leaving the house.  It’s going to be an interesting week!

-Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

One month later, redigesting the CalFresh Challenge

It is hard for us to believe that a month has gone by since finishing the CalFresh Challenge.  During mid September more than 60 San Diego County residents were united in eating on a typical CalFresh benefit allotment, just under $34.31/week. Participants were female, male, students, professionals, retirees, of different ethnic backgrounds and different family situations, mirroring the multitude of backgrounds and situations of CalFresh recipients. It's called the CalFresh Challenge because it is exactly that:  a challenge. But through difficulties, Challengers found what we hoped they would find: a brief insight into what a limited budget might make a person feel, think or experience and appreciation for their own situation. 

We would like to thank all of you who participated in the Challenge and a special thank you to all of you who were able to take time from your busy schedules to write about, take photos, and document your experiences for our blog. 

The idea that it was "harder than expected" peppered our blog responses. Finding out their favorite fruits and vegetables were too expensive and needing time they didn’t have in their busy lifestyles to cook more basic ingredients frustrated many Challengers. The inconvenience of having to make a meal from scratch or compare every price at the store is a reality for CalFresh recipients leading busy lives themselves. Convenience is a luxury that they don’t have nor can afford. USDA research shows 64% of SNAP recipients spend 75 minutes a day on preparation, cooking and clean up for meals compared to people from higher incomes that spend 58 minutes on the same tasks.

One of the many "challenges" Challengers faced this week was the unexpected need to cook.

As many challengers quickly found out: convenience is an expensive luxury.  What Challengers lacked in money, they were left to make up with time and cooking skills.  Individuals with experience in cooking beans from scratch or making their own soup were able to plan ahead by preparing large amounts and eating it throughout the week while less experienced cooks or those with limited time were often left to buy food every day.  Having to spend time planning and purchasing food each day ultimately increased stress for many Challengers, as they regarded their quickly dwindling funds and limited food choices.

On a similar note, a hallmark of this Challenge every year has been the rapid change in how  Challengers view food during the week. Even as early as Day 2, Challengers notice that food is no longer a luxury or social experience, it is a burden for which they must think about at least three times a day. It has been described as having an "obsession with food," analyzing quantities, time and necessity, figuring out how much will last for how long and for what price.  For those utilizing CalFresh benefits, these stressors are most often compounded by other worries accompanying living at or below the federal poverty line: including struggling to obtain basic needs like transportation, clothing, shelter, and personal items.

For many of you, the days of stretching dollars and hunger pangs may feel like a distant past; however, we ask that you remember those who continue to live the Challenge we briefly participated in.  What does it mean for a person to live with such a limited budget for an extended amount of time? For some, their creativity may flourish, particularly if they have reason to hope for a brighter future.  For others, it may become another difficult circumstance in an already difficult situation.  

According to the 2010 census, almost one third of people in San Diego County – over 1 million people – live in economic hardship below 200% of the federal poverty line (considered the bare minimum to get one’s basic needs met). 240,000 people are on CalFresh in San Diego County, up by 11% from last year.

That increase is telling: The CalFresh/SNAP program is countercyclical – meaning that it is doing exactly what it was designed to do: expanding to meet the needs of low income people during the recession, and enrollment numbers will automatically decline as the economy improves. Removing people from the program and cutting benefits now will only increase the rates of hunger; it won’t solve our economic woes or the problem of food insecurity.

We know that living on a CalFresh budget is difficult. But we also know that without this program, low income people would likely have little, if any, place to turn for food. Food bank leaders tell us that they already struggle to meet the needs in our communities; if CalFresh/SNAP benefits are cut or eliminated entirely, they won’t be able to fill in the gap. CalFresh is a profoundly important part of the social safety net for seniors, the working poor, and those who are unemployed and seeking jobs with living wages.

Taking the Challenge and knowing the statistics are the first steps. Turning this knowledge into action through advocacy is the next step.

Many representatives in Congress feel CalFresh recipients should live on less than $34.31/week. The Farm Bill is the overarching piece of legislation which allocates money to the CalFresh program (called SNAP nationally), and in case you are not already aware, for the first time in US history, this bill has been left to expire without any form of extension or replacement.  There is tremendous uncertainty about when the Farm Bill will be passed, most of which stems from debates over just how much this program should be cut. Here's the breakdown: 

Congress is divided on the funding of SNAP, with some of the biggest divisions being between Republicans in the House. The Senate-passed version of the Farm Bill cuts SNAP by approximately $4.5 billion over the next ten years. The House Agriculture Committee version cuts $16 billion over the same time period. GOP leadership, however, is preventing a vote on the entire bill because there is such a gap between those who accept the $16 billion dollars in cuts and those who would like to see much more. (Many conservative representatives are suggesting $32 billion but going as far as $133 billion cuts!) The House GOP is trying to avoid a vote on this bill, leaving advocates unsure what will happen.  Please like us on Facebook! Or follow us on twitter to get updates on the Farm Bill and how you can get involved as the bill moves forward!

What you can do now:

-Share your CalFresh Challenge experience with your friends and family

-Volunteer at an organization that helps to reduce hunger in San Diego

-Get involved in legislative advocacy opportunities

Tell your elected officials that you do not want any cuts in the SNAP programs (link to find their federal rep)

-Like us on Facebook and twitter to receive up-to-date policy information and advocacy opportunities

We are so appreciative of all of our Challenge participants, whether you were able to send in blog entries or not. The act of taking the Challenge shows a dedication to understanding people and helping to understand hunger in its most basic form. We hope it has given you as much insight as the blog entries have given the rest of us and we can't wait to see you next year! Please take our extremely short survey on the process and give us feedback so we can make the next Challenge even better.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8SPYD6V 

Thank you,

The San Diego Hunger Coalition

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end

The first entry of this post is from our CalFresh Challenger, Stan. He again shows us delicious food (supplemented from his garden) he has made for this week. Hunger doesn't elude him either and he recalls the feeling from last year. The second entry is a Challenger who decided to do a week on his own. His grocery list includes many organic items and we appreciate his unique perspective. After a big meal last night I was not hungry this morning. I forced myself to eat two small flour tortillas for breakfast with my coffee and had a couple of apples for lunch.

I forgot about the danger of work meetings and went to a staff training at 1:30 that had a heaving table of snacks to tempt me. I was good and just watched others eat the food that I could not.

By 3pm I was feeling the dull headache and hunger pangs that come with not eating enough.  I remember this feeling from two years ago when I took the challenge. I can also relate to some of the other bloggers that are looking at their remaining food stores and dwindling benefits and wondering if it will last through tomorrow.

It’s like some sort of natural rationing mechanism kicks in and you ask yourself do I really want to eat that right now or save it for later?

Reflecting on the week, my wife and I were discussing how much of an impact our three community garden beds made on our experience. Without it we would have had much less to work with – Tomatoes, peppers, onions, raspberries, gooseberries…I have not purchased an onion since April. I have 19 pints of roasted tomato sauce in the pantry I canned in July and August (we use it for pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, bruschetta, etc). I estimate the same amount of produce consumed this week from the garden would have cost me at least another $20.

Eating your mistakes.

Last night I started a no knead ciabatta dough and put it in the oven with the light on to rise for 24 hours. The recipe said let it rise for 18 hours, then turn it out on the pan and let it rise for another 2 , then bake.

I don’t know if it was because I chose to bake a loaf of bread on the hottest day in recent history, or if I let the dough rise too long. In any case, when I got home today the dough looked more like batter than bread dough.

Knowing we had limited resources and no bread, I went ahead and put the wet dough in the oven.

I am told in Italian, Ciabatta means “carpet slipper”. What came out of my oven was more like a salty sock.

 Oh well. My wife said the crust made a good spoon for the soup, and my Chihuahua Chico (my sous chef) liked the bread so it was not a total loss.

Tonight we had butternut squash soup with really tough Ciabatta bread.

Tomorrow – to the garden to get beds ready for fall planting and clean up the leftovers for the week.

-Stan of North County Community Services

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Before starting this little journey I recruited my wife to go along with it. We have professional jobs that involve lots of food and drink-related events. Also, she does most of our shopping and cooking (in her “spare time”–yes I am aware of my own good fortune) so her buy-in was pretty important. Here’s a photo of the initial handywork she managed to pull together. We had $58.80 to work with because we are doing this for 6 days. We had food at home so we itemized that down to the penny, planned to use $36.02 worth of that food and that left us with $22.78 to spend–wife pulled it off at $19.90.

The roughly $3.00 we saved will be socked away for either a food “emergency” or some type of splurge on our last day. Oops, just realized we didn’t account for coffee/milk/sugar. Dang. There goes the $3 savings. Our menu for the week is reasonably tasty, if a bit monotonous. We’ve got breakfast burritos, split pea soup (wife adds ham and celery) for lunch–for the next four days–and meatloaf for dinner today, tomorrow and Tuesday. If you click on the split pea recipe you’ll see that it is both incredibly cheap to make and very, very good for you. We like the taste, so that’s a plus. I am trying to dispell the notion that you can only eat over-processed crap if you are on food stamps (read this). It’s an oft-repeated refrain, but it appears not to be entirely true. Side note: We planned to have a third person join us for breakfast, but he didn’t make it and the impact of a house guest on our food budget was significant. So that’s something to keep in mind. Oh, we itemized our breakfast burritos and coffee, here’s a breakdown:

Bacon (no nitrates, preservatives Coleman Natural Hickory Smoked–I do not know if we could use foodstamps for Linkery bacon, but will check) $5 – used 1/3: $1.63

Eggs (Organic Omega-3 cage-free Sprouts brand–you can take the yuppie/buppie out of the…whatever) $4.50 – used 4 eggs: $1.50

Potato (regular old potato, nothing special) 2 for $1 – used 1/2: .25 cents

Avocado (nothing fancy here) .77 cents used 1/2: .38 cents

Uncooked tortillas $2.49/dozen used 4: .83 cents

Cilantro .50 cents/bunch used 1/4: .12 cents

Butter (Organic Valley, organic grassfed pastured butter–yup, super fancy) $4 used 1/16: .25 cents

Coffee (Starbucks–yes, that Starbucks–French Roast Extra Bold*) $25 40 oz, used 2 oz: $1.25

Half & Half (Organic) $2, used 1/4: .50 cents

Grand Total per person for two breakfast burritos and two large cups of coffee: $3.35

This is a useful time for two observations. First, we got the Starbucks coffee at CostCo, which has a $55 annual fee. Please feel free to contact them here to encourage them to offer free memberships to CalFresh recipients. This isn’t a “reward” for needing help, it’s a useful way to make taxpayer dollars stretch farther and help people get on their feet. Second, I live in San Diego and today is the first Chargers home game. I have no idea if it is blacked out, but the thought of watching football with no local craft beer or unhealthy junk food is a little daunting. It’s not on the budget, so it’s the first legitimate casualty of my week on $4.90/day.

I don’t have any illusions that attempting to live for 6 days the way that some people live all the time is some great accomplishment nor that it’s a true portrait of that life. What I hope this week turns out to be is an opportunity to raise awareness that, in my opinion, providing people basic levels of nutrition isn’t worthy of a tacky attempted insult. I also want to share some recipes and tricks so that maybe someone living on a tight budget picks up a new recipe–or shares their food stories so I can learn something. Life is hard, at least for many, and shaming people for needing help is disgraceful. We can encourage hard work and frugality and education and sacrifice without also putting people down for needing help.

-CalFresh Challenger starting his week

I'll take Economies of scale for double savings, Trebek

It seems logical to assume that less mouths to feed would mean more savings. Challengers found that food at the store is catered to family portions and items catered to individuals comes at a higher price. The practice of economies of scale is readily embraced in our "super size it" culture and have an affect on CalFresh recipients, like the elderly. Day 6

Earlier in the week I was almost wishing that I only participated in the challenge by myself instead of including my entire family.  I thought that I had it more difficult because there was greater pressure to provide wholesome and nutrient rich meals and snacks.  When you need to include fruits, vegetables, quality protein, and whole grains its takes a bit more planning to create a menu and grocery list.  I was jealous that those who were only participating as single people, even if they had families, because they could get away with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and top ramen for meals and still have funds left at the end of the day.

However, the more I thought about it, I started to change my mind.  I realized that while shopping for a family, even a small one, there is a benefit of economy of size.  You can buy a better variety of food due to the larger budget.  Most items that you buy in the grocery store are aimed at families.  Chicken breasts are packaged at least 5 breasts together and costs anywhere from $5 to $10 depending if you buy boneless or not.  If you buy boneless at $10, that’s a third of your weekly budget on one food item!  Additionally, larger packages are cheaper by the ounce/serving than smaller packages.

I realized how difficult it would be to buy a variety of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and quality protein on a single person’s SNAP benefits.  Individuals are more likely to pick higher sodium and lower nutrient foods such as top ramen just to make sure they have enough money for the rest of the week.  Even with just two people it would be difficult to have enough benefits to afford to buy nutritious food.  It seems like the highest risk groups are young adults and the elderly.  Both groups need higher quality food: the young adults to prevent problems due to malnutrition later in life, such as osteoporosis; and the older adults to maintain health as their health begins to decline.

This has been a very eye opening experience.  It really helped me to realize the problems that many people face in regards to eating nutritious food.  A healthy diet is so important when preventing health problems and in helping you to heal from illness.  The more and more I study about diseases that occur in the elderly, the more I see a common denominator: diet.  Almost every disease that I have studied thus far stated a lack in nutritious food as a contributing factor.  I can definitely see that something needs to be changed.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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So, Friday was crazy busy and blogging just wasn't going to happen.  So, my final blog today will cover the last two days of the challenge. Friday: Breakfast- bagel and peanut butter with tea Lunch- turkey sandwich with cheese and an apple Dinner-eggs and toast with steamed broccoli and tea snack- the of the beans with some salsa

Saturday: Breakfast- bagel with peanut butter and tea Lunch- turkey sandwich with cheese and an apple Dinner- eggs and toast with steamed broccoli snack- the last tortilla with the last of the salsa

Here's what is left in the cupboard: about a half of a loaf of bread 6 eggs one tea bag and a little bit of broccoli

So, this has been an interesting week, and I have to admit that I am glad it is over.  It made for a complicated week doing this project and feeding a family that was not doing the program.  But, I learned some things.  Living on a tight grocery budget is not easy, but it is totally possible and with planning it can be done healthfully.  My diet may not have been the most balanced this week, but I could have made it better with two changes.  First, I needed to plan better.  I should have sat down and really thought about each meal and planned accordingly.  The other significant take away is that cooking for one on a budget is harder that doing so for a family of five.  When you shop for one variety is harder to accomplish and you can't buy big packages as easily.  When you buy big you spend less per ounce- making the product cheaper.  Add this to the fact that many single seniors lack the desire to cook and plan and I can see how balanced nutrition for these people could be very difficult to have happen.  This project has inspired me though, to plan better, to spend less and to but less junk.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Eating healthy on a small budget is like solving a Rubik's cube

Just as solving a Rubik's cube isn't impossible or even highly improbable (This 6 year does it in 37 seconds, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLQJ93B5Nl0), eating healthfully on  tight budget isn't either. The key is having the time, skill and knowledge to plan accordingly. Some of our challengers didn't have any of these things and found it incredibly difficult to satisfy their healthy cravings this week. Today is the last day for the challenge!!! And it's a hot day. 106 degrees. Because I had work last night and tonight I slept most of the day. I woke up at 10am ate a strawberry toast and 1 sunny side up egg. Then my little sister wanted to go get ice cream so we did. I had approximately $14 left to spend so I spent it on ice cream! I bought an avocado shake for $3.99 and ube flavored ice cream (a Filipino brand) for $6.99! I had that all day until I fell back asleep at 3 pm. When I woke up I had to go to work.

This entire experience was good. It made me realize it's hard to eat healthy on such a small budget. Let alone eat enough food. I resorted to cup noodles, top ramen, and lots of eggs this entire week. Because I'm a student it was normal to eat like this. But I can't even imagine to feed kids on this budget.  This is definitely an eye opener for me!

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Friday Day 6

Today is day 6. It’s almost over!!!! So today, I had 1 scrambled egg for breakfast and 1 slice of toast.  Then it was off to school.  I had 2 slices of bread on break. I used the strawberry jam again! Its still delicious though. I am not tired of it yet. By the time I had arrived home, it was late so I ate a mid afternoon snack/dinner.  I had top ramen with sunny side up egg and grilled the other half of the bell pepper I did not finish.  The egg and bell peppers added bulk to the ramen.  Then it was off to bed for me because I work Friday nights.  By the time I woke up, I had to leave for work so I didn’t really eat much today.  So far, I have spent $19.22 with extra groceries left on this challenge and it’s the 6^th day. I can definitely have a big meal tomorrow!   A person can definitely live of off this budget, but its hard to be healthy unless you plan out your meals for the entire week.  I didn’t so I had to rely on cup noodles, top ramen, lots of egg and bread.  But I do think it’s do-able if the food was planned out properly and you bargain hunt for food.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I did it! (Pretty much. . .) Overall, I am glad this is done. I do not agree with the budget, but then again there are also other aspects of foodstamps that I don't agree with but that's a whole can of worms. I am also happy to not be blogging. I'm not a blogger, so I'm grateful to not be doing that either.

Something's gotta change. Healthy food, raw fruits and vegetables need to be affordable or made available to all.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Day 6 of CalFresh Challenge- Today I went to the store and purchased a head of romaine, an avocado and the cheapest bottle of olive oil dressing I could find for my dinner.  For lunch I had a can of mixed vegetables that were on sale for one dollar. This came to about five dollars. The challenge is going okay, but I do have to admit that its getting harder and harder each day. I see all these delicious foods and its hard to resist from purchasing them,  especially when your so hungry! And this weekend I won't be able to go out to dinner because it definitely will not fall within  budget. But that's okay,  perhaps an early Sunday dinner somewhere. My  canned vegetables were good but not the most fulfilling. This challenge is super hard and like I said before it's really hard to eat healthy. I was craving a salad and so that's why I got the head of lettuce. Actually that was pretty inexpensive,  it was like $1.29. I think it actually taste better than the bagged lettuce, it just takes longer to prepare since you have to wash it and cut it up. Just the basic foods such as fruits, vegetables and meats on this income would be extremely hard to manage. That's why many eat canned goods, cause there's lots to choose from, they're non perishable and less expensive. I'm glad to have been introduced to this challenge, otherwise I would not have been made aware of the limited amount of income given to many people. What this challenge has  taught me is to never ever take for granted what I have, and in this case food.  Thanks CalFresh! One more day to go!

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Harder than initially perceived = Day 7, super relieved

Way easier said than done describes the CalFresh Challenge. Unless someone has cut coupons to get a can of soup for 89 cents over a dollar or drank cold water to tide them over in between meals, it's "easy enough". A sigh of relief can be heard in Challenger's posts and a realization of how much harder this actually is reflected in their writing. 

 Almost there, one more day to go. I have to say this was harder than I thought. For breakfast I had a yogurt with some cut up apple in it. For lunch I made myself a chicken salad. I bought some lettuce and I had some chicken left over from yesterday's dinner. For dinner Since I had to prepare myself for my clinical rotation for Saturday I splurged and bought myself a chicken sandwich from McDonald. It was only $1.00. I would of usually bought french fries and a drink but I went with the sandwich only. One more day to go. Should be easier since I have clinical rotation. Will see how it goes.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I'm not hungry. I ate tons of top ramen. I'm craving sushi, mashed potatoes, a whole hearted meal. Oh well. Yes, I agree that this is a difficult budget to manage. Especially if you're busy. There must be a compromise possible somewhere.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I made it. I am sure glad it is over. Even though it would be nice to keep it up because it would save me money at the end, but it would take a lot of preparation and creativity to keep it up. It does make you think of all the people who do survive on less than 5 dollars a day every day and they don't have the option of saying I don't want to do this. For breakfast today I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. For lunch I had only a salad. It was so hot that I did not feel like cooking on the stove. For dinner I had some chicken fajita, which I found on sale for $1.99 a pound. 1/2 a pound was enough for me. I had it over some white rice. Maybe If I had more time to dedicate to grocery shopping, using coupons and looking for sales I would keep doing it.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I made it through the week. Towards midweek it seemed to for faster than compared to the start of the challenge. Probably because I was busy. This was interesting to to do and I'm glad that I choose to do it. I want to see my blogs afterward to look back and reflect on the experience and see what my thought processes were. Since I'm going to a meeting for school I had dinner a little earlier than usual. On my way to work this morning I had a fresh peach and a Odwalla protein bar. That seemed to tide me over for a little while. For dinner I had a can of mixed vegetables again and imitation crab snacks that are really inexpensive. I heated the veggies on the stove top and mixed in my crab with the olive oil dressing that I had gotten. It tasted really good. I liked the challenge, but I have to admit that I'm looking forward to eating more food and having more to drink. By doing this challenge it has made me aware of just how expensive things can get. I have saved a  money this week, just by being cautious of the food that I have bought. I think it would be hard for most people and interesting to see if anyone else would be up for the challenge. Thanks again for allowing me to become more aware of your important cause:)

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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September 14th, 2012 Friday TGIF!  Today was another day of clinicals for me, which also meant a packed lunch for the road.  On my way to the hospital I had a muffin and another one for a little break.  When I finally made it home for lunch I made half of a sandwich and another cup-of-noodles.  Spending the rest of my day out and about and ending with paperwork, I made rice and egg for dinner.  I'm almost there!

September 15, 2012 Saturday Hello weekend!  For the afternoon I spent my time at Panera Bread reading and taking notes for school while snacking on the food that I brought.  Panera is probably one of my favorite spots to get things done and there is even complementary water to keep me hydrated through the heat.  For dinner my sister and I had left over meat from tacos accompanied by fried rice.  Washing dishes I realized I didn't take my picture, but I can assure you it was fulfilling.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Putting things into perspective... thinking beyond Ramen

While grumbling tummies speak louder than words, Stan Miller reminds us that SNAP keeps 4 million out of poverty each year.  A broader perspective keep in mind as we prepare for potential cuts to this crucial program this fall! On the way into work this morning I was listening to a report on the 2010 poverty statistics on NPR. Year over year poverty figures remained flat but still higher than they have been in decades. The reporter went on to say that had it not been for the SNAP program (federal benefits known as Calfresh here in California), another 4 million people would have fallen under the poverty line.

While I have had an easier time with the challenge this year, I find myself wondering like many other bloggers, just what I would do if I really needed the benefits, but did not qualify  for them or they were not available?

As a child, I know there were times in my life that my family qualified for benefits, but we never took advantage of them. In addition to the garden I mentioned last time, we would hunt to put meat on the table. It sounds a bit barbaric to me today, but one of my favorite thanksgiving meals was one of rabbit, pheasant, and veggies we had either frozen or canned from the garden. I was too young at the time to realize that we did not have a traditional meal because we could not afford to purchase the food for one.

I have read that during the 1940’s, approximately 40 percent of the vegetables consumed in America were home grown.  Today, the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that 40 percent of food in America is wasted. The average American throws away over $40 in the form of 33 pounds of food each month. Those numbers speak very loudly while going through a challenge that gives you just under that amount for a week. Like many others going through the challenge, I am making use of everything I buy.

I feel very grateful today.

Meals for day four included Chilies rellanos burritos (remember the roasted peeled chilies from the first night?) spinach salad, chips and salsa, and more beans with ham hocks.

Eating breakfast has been something new for me this week. Normally I have a couple of cups of coffee and make lunch the first meal of the day.  This week I’ve tried to have a bit of breakfast before leaving for work. It’s made me late a few days, but has alleviated hunger through most of the day and allowed me to work until 2 p.m. several days before breaking for lunch.

Day five I made omelets for breakfast had an apple for lunch, and then went big on dinner with enchiladas. I also prepared a no knead dough for a ciabatta bread for tomorrow night’s dinner. I did run to the store for some flour, yeast and 2 tomatillos. I now have $2.96 in benefits remaining.

Here are a few shots of breakfast, lunch and dinner day five:

2 egg omelet with spinach, green onion, tomato and cream cheese. Topped with tears of green salsa and sour cream.

3 pounds of green apples for the week. Had one for lunch today.

Bargain hunting "spices" things up

Happy Friday! We're almost there! Last nights dinner was spaghetti. I used a jar of garden vegetable spaghetti sauce that was on sale for 1.25, added the rest of my tomato, and some .25 packages of seasoning(salt & pepper and garlic) to season a bit. I found these packets at a local Asian market. I used 1/2lb of lean ground beef- that was all I could afford. I was just so happy to be able to eat something other than top ramen, hardboiled egg, and a pb sandwich.Update- our halibut ceviche was a success and I snack on that as well. We still have half of the large bowl left, so it should hold us down through the weekend. This morning, I added some banana to a slice of bread and peanut butter, which got me pretty full. Got a busy couple days ahead so I'm hoping my hunger won't get in the way. Its going to very warm this weekend, out here in San Diego (90-100degrees)... Stay hydrated everyone!!!

Sincerely, Nina L.

What happens when the food runs out???

It's times like these that make us wish we'd asked you to sign a release waiver before participating...  All joking aside, by no means does this Challenge ask you to go hungry if you run out of food or money.  We ask that your participation serve as an opportunity to both reflect and share on the challenges faced when living on the CalFresh budget.  The examples below illustrate just a couple of the real life challenges faced by more than 500,000 San Diegans who faced hunger last year. I am so hungry! I'm actually starved. So yesterday was a top ramen day and tomorrow is going to be a top ramen day. But I was just craving the raw fruits and veggies. So I took that extra money and spent it on today. Had two nice pieces of fruit and a small salad. Except I'm starved! It's only 5 and I don't have any more money on this budget to eat. I'm guzzling the water hoping it will help. I've figured out that cold water fills me better than room temperature water. Except it takes TONS of it. And, with the ice in the glass, you have to fill it more often (slight inconvenience). So I am really really hungry! And I'm posting early because I can't eat. I'm gonna go crazy on top ramens tomorrow:)

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Today will be my last day of actively participating in the challenge.  I came home today to discover the refrigerator door ajar.  Apparently the last person to close the door assumed it had closed all of the way, when it did not.  All of the food in the refrigerator was warm and no longer edible.  Since the majority of our CalFresh Challenge food was in the refrigerator, we do not have enough food to last the rest of the week.

Even though this was a large blow to us personally, luckily we have the funds to re-stock our fridge.  It also made me wonder what a family on SNAP benefits would do in this situation. This would be incredibly disheartening and scary if we were truly on such a limited budget.  So, I did a search for food pantries/banks in our area (Vista, CA).

• Mira Costa Community College Food Pantry for students in need

http://catalog.miracosta.edu/studentsupportservices/foodpantry/

• Palomar Community College Food Bank for students in need

http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/studentaffairs/home/policies/

• North County Community Services  Phone: 760-598-7645

• Brother Benno Foundation in Oceanside  Phone: 619-439-1244

• Plus a list of several others at the website: www.ampleharvest.org

It is a relief to know that there are so many food pantries/banks.  However, it is significant to note that many of them had stipulations or restrictions.  For example for some of the food pantries you need to be a student, for others you need to participate in their particular program, for others you need to be looking for a job.  Many of them also limited the days/times that food could be picked up

Even though I will not be able to blog regarding the food challenge, I will still blog regarding the difficulties of living on SNAP benefits through the rest of the week.

Set to auto-pilot

Many of you now have your CalFresh Challenge diets down to a science, but that doesn't mean you like it or think it's healthy... bound and determined, you're going to keep doing what keeps you full.  

Heading down the home stretch.

Today's meals:

breakfast- same old bagel with peanut butter and hot tea

lunch- broccoli wrap

snack- apple

dinner- two bean and cheese burritos (I was hungry)

I also did a little shopping today.  Originally I spent 26.36 which left me with 7.94 to spend.  I went to Sprouts and purchased:

4 apples    1.57

sliced turkey    2.50

more broccoli (I really like it)    .97

sliced cheese (4 slices)    .75

tea bags        1.00

this brought my new total to 33.15.  So far I have managed to stay in budget and have what I need.  It lack variety, certainly, but it works.

-Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

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Day 5 of CalFresh challenge. -Opps,  I almost forgot to blog. Well today hasn't been much different than any other day as far as my diet is concerned. Pretty boring. I had a banana this morning, 2dollar yogurt from costco and a can of tomato soup for dinner. This all came out to a little over five dollars. I will see what tomorrow brings.

-Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

I don't want to eat anymore Ramen!!!

Many of our faithful Challengers have "hit the wall" so to speak and are ready to be done with the Challenge... Luckily for all of us, we can go back to raspberries and coffee after tomorrow, but for 240,000 San Diego County residents the Challenge continues.  

Well here I am on day five. I have to admit it's getting harder to keep it up. Especially when you don't have time to be creative with the meals and with less than five dollars a day you have to be creative. For breakfast today I had some vanilla yogurt and a banana. Good thing that for the rest of the morning I was in school, so I did not have time to think about being hungry. Even though by 11am my stomach was starting to make grumbling noises. I had some left over spaghetti from yesterdays dinner so I had that for lunch. For dinner I had a chicken breast and some vegetables. I have to admit that I can't wait till this is over. Even though I am saving money it takes some effort to plan your meals with you can only spend $4.90 a day.

-Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

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Today is day 5 of the challenge.  Another busy day at school as always.  I woke up early and left my house earlier than normal so I didn't get a chance eat a real breakfast.  I found a jello pudding in my backpack. That was my breakfast. Since i didn't remember how much I had left to spend, I didn't buy anything to eat.  I definitely was hungry throughout the day.  I arrived at my house and decided to cook my left over grocery food.  I still have lots of eggs, so i had an scrambled eggs with half of the green bell peppers over a toast.  I had another toast with strawberry jam.  Its still good! After taking an afternoon nap, I had ramen and eggs! No matter how bad that food is, I still can say its cheap and it fills you up! I didn't have any veggies available so I couldn't add any to my ramen.  For dinner, I had cup noodles.  I needed to switch it up a little, so I went for the other noodles. This really is such a horrible diet.  This will definitely add to the 30 lb gained during nursing school.  I can't wait until its over.

-Submitted by a CalFresh Challenger

Unfortunately this isn’t Weightwatchers

 A few Challengers are finding they are gaining weight, even though they might be eating less this week. This is an unfortunate reality for CalFresh Recipients and one we are actively working to overcome by providing healthy AND budget-friendly options. The Hunger-Obesity paradox highlights the often misunderstood discrepancy between having enough to eat and having enough of the right things to eat to keep us healthy.  

Why haven't I lost weight? Oh, I know... because I have had five Top Ramens today. One for breakfast, one for lunch, and two as a snack. I wonder if there's a correlation between childhood diabetes and living off of less than five dollars a day for food? It's really hard to eat healthy this way. I mean if we already subsidize the farmers, I'm sure we can cut a deal at the grocery store for veggies for those on stamps. I mean the grocery store will carry them anyways for "cash-paying" people and just have to give x amount for a penny if you prove you receive food stamps.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I'm so grateful there is a lot to do for school this week. It keeps me busy, leaving me with no time for a quick break in the kitchen. So I kind of cheated today. Instead of going to the grocery store, I rummaged through the pantry.

I deducted what I would have spent from my weekly total. I found an asparagus soup packet (it's usually less than $1.50 at the Asian stores so I'll round off and say its $2 just in case). I remember my mom making that when I was young and she would add egg to make it like an egg drop soup.  It's still as yummy as I remember it to be. So today I ate 1 scrambled egg, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 toast with strawberry jam (I definitely will be sick of that when I am done with this challenge), asparagus egg drop soup. I used my left over ingredients so today I spent $2 on the asparagus soup mix. I definitely think I've gained weight in the last 4 days. With the small amount of money to use on food, a person definitely can't make healthy choices. Atleast i didn't eat cup noodles today!

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

The ordinary and the outlandish. Halibut we show you

While most Challengers are feeling the lack of variety reverberate through their day, others are literally catching 15 pounds of delicious fish to spice up their week. Snagging a Halibut for your CalFresh week is fortunate, but using basic ingredients to make the same meal is economical. We celebrate a fishing success and applaud our Challenger for making smart decisions within her budget.  

In the attempt to get my family yo join in on the CalFresh action, I wanted to share this great photo of my husband's catch yesterday- 15lb Halibut, which became today's ceviche lunch/dinner (which should last the rest of the week). Although it may not count during the challenge (?) - because he caught it VS bought it, I think it's still a great way to have some fresh seafood... for free! :) Happy Wednesday!

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Trying to keep your head above healthy water

Eating healthfully can be difficult in general, but feedback from our Challengers has indicated an increased difficulty in getting amount and frequency of nutrients they need this week. Some have experienced negative physical and mental affects, making us reflect on how months or years incomplete nutrition might affect an individual, or a growing child? CalFresh Challenge DAY 4-Wow!!!

Its coming along, but getting a little more difficult each day as now I have to think out ahead of time of what to eat that will not go over my budget. I have to double check the end date for this challenge. But I'm still being very cautious as to not spend or eat any more than $4.90 of food for the day. This is difficult for me because I have a busy week in school. I do have to admit it has been very insightful at the same time.  Again I had a $1.00 power bar this morning (good thing I like those things, but they starting to all taste the same)  and a peach on the way to clinical. And by the way my fruit still needed a little ripening, but I ate it anyway. And tonight I had a can of refried black beans that were on sale for $1.00 and sliced tomato. And now I'm super thirsty due to all the sodium in the can of beans. I do like beans but I feel my diet at the moment is lacking protein and leafy greens. I miss eating chicken, fish and salads. This is much harder than I thought it was going to be and am actually surprised at the small amount of money that is given for food. I think as a population we are becoming more aware of healthy eating and the benefits it provides. But whether or not people choose to eat that way is a different story. The limited income puts people at risk for for malnourishment. They can also become deficient in certain essential nutrients such as vitamins which serve as important co-factors for enzymatic cellular reactions in our body. People may even be at increased risk for electrolyte imbalances which can actually provoke seizures activity in some cases. I guess what I'm getting at is that a healthy diet is the best fuel for our bodies. And I see it being very difficult with what I have at the moment.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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I woke up hungry this morning. So for breakfast I had a some vanilla yogurt with some pieces of apple in it. I had clinical rotation this morning so that's all I had time to make, which was also good since I did not have time all morning long to think about being hungry and wanting a snack. For lunch I made myself another turkey sandwich. I have to say I am getting tired of eating the same thing for lunch everyday, but have to use up my bread and turkey meat that I bought early on this week. For dinner I bought some pasta and spaghetti sauce and made myself some spaghetti. I would of usually added some ground beef but I did not have the money for it. I had a couple of slices of toasted bread with it. It sure is hard to eat healthy with less than five dollars a day. You don't have much money left for fruits and vegetables. Will see how day number 5 goes.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Practices makes palate pleasing dinner

It’s easy to get stuck in the endless loop of repetitious meals this week, but some Challengers have made their way out and on to more delicious things. This week forces participants to dig deep and muster culinary creativity, we’d say they’ve done a fine job.

Tonight I made cheese enchiladas.  I knew it would be an inexpensive meal, but I did not truly realize how economical it was until I calculated everything.  The bag of corn tortillas was $0.99 (a local company), and I only used about half.  The sauce was $1.99, and I didn’t use all of it.  The cheese was on sale for $2.50 (I could have gotten this cheaper if I bought a larger amount, but $7 did not fit into the budget this week.  In all, a serving of enchiladas comes to about $0.66.  I rounded out the meal with a fried egg (I think this is a New Mexico thing), beans, and a salad for a relatively protein filled meal without meat.  Luckily I made enough to use as leftovers for lunch for several more days.  Enchiladas are a fairly easy and quick meal to make, and it can easily make several servings.  Even if you are strapped for time, you can simply make what I call enchilada lasagna.  Or as it is also known in our household, lazy!

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Way to go Wednesday, it's Taco Night....

This morning I went to work and packed my action packed lunch: cup-o-noodles, muffin and a snack bar.  Lunch was not bad at all considering I was stuffed by the time I was done.  After work I headed to Panera Bread to study and brought my snacks along.  Along with my books I had a water and the rest of my muffin to keep me company.  I ended the night with carne asada tacos and it was delicious.  I will be packing these for lunch tomorrow as well.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

The TIPS of the iceberg lettuce

We’re thankful that Challengers are willing to reflect on their experience and derive helpful tips that apply to this week and beyond. Check out some of this Challenger’s tips for leftovers, DIY breadcrumbs and perusing different stores for the best deals.  

This week my family is participating in the CalFresh Challenge, where folks like me who care about food and  issues of hunger and food justice restrict themselves to the $4.91 per person, per day budget allotted by the great state of California to food stamp recipients. There are many lessons anyone can learn from this exercise, I'm sure: I've become more aware of how lazy I am in my shopping habits, how fortunate I am to have the time, energy, and expertise to manage the week with enough food for my houseful of boys, and how easily one misstep--such as buying prepared foods or eating out--can set back the budget for days to come.

Some people believe that food stamp programs in our country are misused, and that the adults receiving the benefits aren't using them for healthy meals, so some of you may be interested to read this recent study indicating otherwise. Regardless, I don't feel that it's my place to tell a struggling family how to spend their meager food dollars, and it literally brings to tears to my eyes every time I look at my children and remember that 1 in 5 American children are food insecure. It's something we should all keep in mind before deciding not to eat that tub of leftover chicken for lunch, or throwing away the bruised fruit: food isn't a luxury item for so many of our neighbors.

Okay, enough with the Debbie Downer portion of this post! In strategizing for the week, I've come up with a few tips I wanted to pass along in case any of you are interested in taking on this challenge in your own households:

•  Anything already packaged at the grocery store is likely to be more expensive--I was shocked to find that even the prebagged onions cost more than if I'd thrown the same weight into a bag myself. And the difference between bagged salad mix and a head of actual lettuce is INSANE.

•  In-season fruits and vegetables are obviously cheaper (and tastier!) than the stuff you thrown into your cart every week out of habit. We bought twice as many servings of bananas, grapes, and apples for probably half of what we normally spend on mangoes and berries and stonefruits.

•  If you're making a dish with a new spice and don't want to commit to that $5 jar you may never use again, try your local health food store--they often have bulk bins that allow you to buy a spoonful for a few pennies. I recently used this strategy when I needed xanthan gum for a cold soup, and it saved me $12!

•  You will never buy breadcrumbs again if you save the heels from all of your loaves of bread (in an airtight container or bag) in the freezer. It doesn't matter of half of them are wheat and half are white, just chuck 'em in there and prepare yourself for some excellent meatballs a few weeks (or months) down the road.

•  Some proteins are cheaper than others (duh). Personally, I like chicken thighs better than breasts, so it's a nice bonus for me that they're also way less expensive, especially in the bulk pack. It's easy to soak a big pot of beans, too, for use throughout the week. Eggs are quick to cook any time of day, and you get a dozen for just a couple of dollars. And if you're really craving something more expensive, think of a way to streeeetch it out: this week we're having short ribs one night, but I diced them up into a stir fry that's otherwise veggies and noodles.

•  A surprise in the world of canned tomatoes: at my store, the big (28 oz) can of diced was far cheaper than the "whole peeled" or "crushed" varieties--this was true across the brands--and organic tomatoes were only a tiny bit more than Hunt's.

•  Shopping in a "foreign" market is guaranteed to net you some great deals. My local Asian supermarket sells huge bags of shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and exotic greens for just a couple of dollars. The meat and seafood selection is all beautifully prepared, fresh, and affordable. And those huge bags of rice could see you through an ice age!

•  If you have a meal that's likely to give you leftovers, cook it early in the week. A few days later, when you get home late and in no mood to cook, there's a lot less temptation to order takeout if there's something homemade and healthy waiting for you in the fridge.

I hope some of you will take on the challenge in your own homes, and post your tips on how to eat well on a budget. I know I still have a lot to learn!

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

Gourmet on $4.91 a day

This Challenger veteran took his experience from 2 years ago and applied it beautifully for our challenge. We are amazed (and to be honest, getting hungry) at the pictures of his meals. We understand that some people do not have time to make as many meals from scratch as they like this week, but for the ones that do, this is an excellent example of using your resources to the fullest and making the healthiest meal you can under $4.91 a day. Great work, Challenger!

Having completed the challenge two years ago I at least had some idea of what to expect this time around.  Last time my wife had a severe cold and chose not to participate with me, so I completed the week with the benefit allotment for one and ended up losing 20 pounds in the process.

This time my wife is participating with me and I have doubled the amount to spend for the week ($68).  So far, I feel as if we have more than enough.

 Our food purchases

Early Sunday (day one) we took a list and walked to two local markets and gathered our first items for the week. Here is a summary list:

Flour tortillas, dry black beans, cream cheese, Oaxaca cheese, mozzarella cheese, ham hocks, chicken breast, bread, lemons, limes, blueberries, bananas, avocado, cilantro, green onion, tomatillos, apples, spinach, 10 grain cereal, corn chips, flour, dry active yeast, spaghetti, sour cream, eggs, croutons, club soda, coffee, chips -  All this for a total of $53.48 by using coupons that saved us $8.29. On Monday we took another walk and picked up some butter, leeks, a potato, and some French bread for an additional $7.74. Our weekly total so far - $61.22 leaving about $7.50 left in our benefit allotment for the week.

Like the last time I went through the challenge, we quickly discovered how focused you become on how much food you have in the house. You also become acutely aware of food costs. Since I completed the challenge in 2010, I estimate costs have increased by as much as 20 percent for some items, yet the food stamp benefit has remained the same.

Blessings from the garden

In 2010 I used items from my patio garden and commented that I hoped to teach others to grow some of their own food to supplement what they purchase. That dream has since been realized in part with the creation of a regional garden education center at a ½ acre site in Oceanside. I’ll save that for another blog however and stick to the challenge for the week. Just know that we are supplementing what we purchased with items from the garden – zucchini squash, butternut squash, tomatoes, roasted tomato sauce, a variety of peppers, onions, garlic, raspberries, and cape gooseberries.

The strategy

Rather than plan an entire week’s menu this time around we just shopped for what we like but items that could be used for multiple meals. For many, shopping that way is not something easy to do, i.e. they are not accustomed to planning meals or scratch cooking anything.

I always like to say that hunger in San Diego County is not caused by a lack of food, but an access problem. Part of that access issue involves knowing what to do with food once you get it. Just as important - knowing how to choose foods that will keep you and your family healthy.

I was raised on a farm in rural West Texas and always grew up with a huge garden that sustained us through the winter months with vegetables we canned or preserved during the summer harvest. I learned to cook from my mother who learned from her mom, etc. etc. I am encouraged to see a number of cooking programs accompanying many Calfresh outreach efforts in San Diego County that teach families how to make the most of the food they purchase with an eye towards improving health as well. Just as exciting is the fact that Calfresh benefits can be used to purchase seeds or plant starts to grow some of your own food.

 

Here are some of the meals we consumed the first three days:

Grilled chicken breast and spinach salad, fire roasted and fresh salsa, black beans with ham hocks, spaghetti  with butter lemon sauce, home-made pizza with tomatoes and basil, and chilies relleno pizza.

                                                              

-Submitted by: Stan Miller, Executive Director of North County Community Services

Don't have the time, but have the itch? Scratch cooking.

Even if they know how to cook, Challengers are finding that their lack of time inhibits their ability to do so. Cheaper, basic ingredients and knowledge aren't very much use when there is no time to utilize them. Imagine the frustration of wonderful CalFresh recipient cooks who are forced by their situation to opt for the cheap, faster food. Today, we took a tip from a previous challenger and ate breakfast for dinner.  We didn’t plan on it, but after getting home late, it was too late to cook a traditional meal.  Earlier in the day I made some breakfast burritos to have on hand for a quick and inexpensive breakfast.  I ended up eating two this morning because I was so hungry, but then we needed to eat the remaining burritos this evening with some leftover rice.  Unfortunately this means that we did not have any veggies for dinner! We technically have some leftover roasted broccoli, but I completely forgot about it.  At least we were under budget today at a total of $8.13.  However, now we don’t have a ready made breakfast for tomorrow, and I will have to get up early again.

I find myself reflecting on the difficulties of cooking in advance.  I normally have a few frozen meals that I have made up for days like today.  However, with a limited budget, it is difficult to buy food in bulk to be able to cook in advance.  Additionally, if you are working more than one job, it may be impossible to find the time to make a large batch of meals.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger

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Today as I was preparing breakfasts and school lunches and reflecting on the past couple of days of the challenge, it struck me that my family have some pretty important advantages that many CalFresh recipients may not: someone with the time, experience, and energy to prepare all our meals from scratch (aka, me). There's no way we could make it through the week with enough food for 5 people if we bought much of anything prepared (even something relatively healthy like a pre-roasted chicken is double the price of a raw one). What it would be like if I was a single mom with my same three kids, coming home from my job or jobs, and knowing that I had to spend the next hour cooking, rather than helping kids with homework or doing laundry or chatting with friends or even sitting down for a few minutes of quiet? It's easy to see that there would be a huge temptation to swing by fast food on my way home, even knowing that it would consume the entirety of our food budget for two days.

-Submitted by: CalFresh Challenger