PraxisFitness

Ok, this is a challenge from Everyday Sensei, to shop and eat for 5 days as if the only money available was what you’d be given if you were on food stamps.  It’s quite a challenge to do this and eat the healthy foods I’m used to grabbing, but I am grateful that I have a slow cooker and a little flexibility with time - for example, I can imagine that some people of food stamps would be working multiple low-paying jobs, leaving them with very little time.  A flexible schedule also allowed me to get various items at different stores, depending what was on sale where.  Even so, it was still difficult!  I am not sure there is enough food there, calorie-wise, and I may need to add oils (which were not included, but I only have 50 cents left!) to help compensate.  Definitely a lean week.    About half the items were store brand, but if all of them were, I could have saved a little more and therefore had a slightly better volume of food.  The volume here is what we would eat to lose a couple of pounds!  No snacking in the evening is going to be pretty tough as well.

Here is what I bought for the week, for two, which allowed $58.70 in total:

• 1 pound carrots @ 0.95/lb = 0.95: total $0.95
• 1.74 pounds apples (4) @ 1.59/lb = 2.77: total $3.72
• 2 ea bell peppers @ 1.89 ea = 3.78; total $7.50
• 1.5 pounds zucchini (5) @ 0.99/lb = 1.49; total $8.98
• 1.87 pounds butternut (1) @ 1.29/lb = 2.41; total $11.39
• 1.28 pounds bananas (3) @ 0.64/lb = 0.82; total $12.21
• 1 head romaine @ 1.89 ea = 1.89; total $14.10
• 1 head red leaf @ 1.69 ea = 1.69; total $15.79
• 1.9 pounds onion @ 0.99/lb = 1.88; total $17.67
• 3.5 pounds yams (6 med) @ 0.99/lb = 3.47; total $21.14
• 0.2 pound garlic (2 heads) @ 2.39/lb =  0.48; total $21.62
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes @ 1.73 ea = 1.73; total $23.35
• 4 15-oz cans French green beans @ 0.97 ea = 3.88; total $27.23
• 1 pound bag dry small red beans @ 1.59 ea = 1.59; total $28.82
• 1 pound bag dry lentils @ 0.99 ea = 0.99; total $29.81
• 1 16-oz bottle salsa @ 1.00 =  1.00; total $30.81
• 1 12-oz can tuna @ 2.99 ea = 2.99; total $33.80
• 1 can Tony Chachere’s w/herbs  @ 1.39 ea = 1.39; total $35.19
• 1 half gal skim milk @  3.50 ea = 3.50; total $38.69
• 1 24 oz  lowfat cottage cheese @ 2.99 ea = 2.99; total $41.68
• 1 dozen eggs @ 1.69/dz = 1.69; total $43.37
• 0.78 pound long grain brown rice (2 c) @ 1.49/lb = 1.16; total $44.53
• 0.25 pound pearl barley @ 0.99/lb = 0.25; total $44.78
• 2.17 pounds whole wheat flour (for 1 loaf) @ 0.99/lb =  2.15; total $46.93
• 0.6 pound steel cut oats (1.5 c) @ 1.39/lb = 0.83; total $47.76
• 1 jar natural peanut butter @ 3.39 ea = 3.39; total $51.15
• 1 bottle mustard @ 1.69 ea =1.69; total $52.84
• .22 pound almonds @ 8.99/lb = 1.98; total $54.81
• 1 small jar mayo @ 1.39 ea = 1.39; total $56.20
• 1 pound chicken (2 breasts)  @ 1.99/lb = 1.99; total $58.19

As you can see, the money is extremely close - no wiggle room at all.  From those purchases, here is the plan:

Mon - Fri, breakfast for both: baked oats/barley w/1 apple, 3 c milk, 3 egg whites  (baked once and nuked the rest of the week; it’s much better with a few dried cranberries, a little maple syrup, and a scoop of protein powder, but that was out of the budget)

Mon am snack - me (just me, husband doesn’t snack):  1 hard boiled egg

Mon lunch - me: homemade bread with peanut butter & banana; DH: homemade bread with peanut butter & banana

Mon pm snack - me: 1/3 c cottage cheese, 1/2 banana

Mon dinner - both: lentil soup (lentils, 2 carrots, garlic, Tony’s, 1 bell pepper, 2 zukes, 1/2 can tomatoes, mustard)

Tue am snack - me: 14 almonds (had office meeting and a free slice of King Cake as well)

Tue lunch - me: hard boiled egg sandwich with lettuce & mustard; DH: tuna salad sandwich (3 oz tuna, mayo, zuke, carrot, Tony’s, homemade bread)

Tue pm snack - me: 1/2 apple with peanut butter

Tue dinner - both: butternut stew (butternut, other 1/2 can tomatoes, red beans, Tony’s, 1/2 bell pepper, onion, garlic) (I usually make this with chipotle chilis as well, but that’s out this week)

Wed am snack - me: 1/3 c cottage cheese

Wed lunch - me: leftover lentil soup; DH: leftover butternut stew

Wed pm snack - me: 1 hard boiled egg, a few almonds

Wed dinner - both: frittata (6 eggs, 2 cans green beans, garlic, salsa); salad (greens, vinagrette, diced steamed yams)

Thu am snack - me: 14 almonds

Thu lunch - me: tuna sald (3 oz tuna, mayo, zuke, carrot, Tony’s) over red leaf lettuce; DH: leftover frittata

Thu pm snack - me: 1/3 c cottage cheese, 1/2 banana

Thu dinner - both: chicken with peanut sauce (chicken, peanut butter, milk, Tony’s, garlic) over brown rice, green beans on the side

Fri am snack - me: 1 hard boiled egg

Fri lunch - me: homemade bread with peanut butter, 1/2 apple; DH: homemade bread with peanut butter, 1/2 apple

Fri pm snack - me: 1/2 apple, peanut butter

Fri dinner - both: tuna salad (6 oz tuna, 2 zuke, 2 carrots, almonds, mayo, Tony’s, mustard over remaining lettuces), baked yams