I did it!
Breakfast was the last of my Raisin Bran and a fried egg sandwich, on a Kaiser roll.
Lunch was the second of my stuffed chicken thighs, from Friday night, the last bit of my potato soup from last night, and a baked potato.
Last night, as I was thinking about tonight's finishing meal, I asked Irene if I sprayed the bottom of a crock pot with PAM, cut up potatoes, and put chicken thighs on top of that, it the PAM would keep the potatoes from sticking/burning, and if the chicken thighs, as they cooked, would provide juices to make the potatoes moist.
Irene gave some thought to the idea and did her own variation on it, and so I finished with baked thighs, potatoes and succotash.
Tomorrow, I'll take stock on what I have left over, and share some of my thought about the week.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Random Jots
As the week has gone by, there are a few things that have occurred to me, or maybe needed explaining, but didn't warrant a full post, so I've saved that for this thread.
First, I realize that the saying "you get what you pay for" can apply to food. One of my purchases this week was Raisin Bran, which I bought in the cheapy aisle at Farm Fresh, for $1.00. However, after getting it home, Irene noted that it wasn't that full a box; it was only 7 oz., and they might have skimped on that. However, it did help me get through the week, and provided a breakfast that I liked on at least 4 mornings, so I won't quibble with that.
Second, I did survive on "donated" condiments. On a couple of days, I mentioned having a cup of bouillon. I didn't buy that, but Irene had a jar of chicken bouillon cubes that she had purchased, but doesn't like using. So, in essence, I went to my "neighbor" and borrowed a couple cubes of bouillon, and other minor condiments.
And last, I don't know if you noticed, but I didnt' purchase anything to drink. Yes, I bought a half-gallon of milk, but that was for the Raisin Bran and any cooking I might do. It wasn't until Thursday, that I started drinking any milk, when I did an inspection of my "pantry", and saw that I still had 2/3 of that jug of milk left, for just half of a week.
My habits during the week are to drink a large insulated mug of water in the morning, and when I have finished that, to treat myself to a soda in the afternoon. Usually, an off-brand version of Mountain Dew, which I dearly enjoy. And then, sometime in the late afternoon, after I've finished that, I will switch back to water.
For this week, I eliminated the Mountain Dew/soda, and drank just water. I know that that is really pushing it for a lot of people who say that they can't live without their soda, but I was going to come in under that $31.50, and doing without soda was not that big a wrench for me, anyway.
So, there you have it; just some observations about living on the SNAP Challenge.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Day Six - Rounding the Turn, Heading Into the Straightaway
Today's breakfast and lunch consisted of repeat dishes that I have had this week; however, there was something new to the menu tonight, for supper.
Breakfast was two breakfast burritos: eggs, chili and cheese.
Lunch was another hard-boiled egg sandwich on a Kaiser roll. Irene brought me a couple of graham crackers with a glass of milk for a little "cookies and milk" dessert.
Irene asked me in the morning what I wanted for supper, and while I had pretty much planned Saturday's breakfast and lunch, and Sunday's menu, I hadn't really given thought to Saturday evening's meal. She asked if I would like a potato soup with cheese and that sounded good.
This afternoon, I thought about what would make a good go-along, and the common phrase, "Soup and Sandwich" came to mind. Earlier in the week, Irene told me that Extra Sharp Cheddar was terrible for planing, even for slicing. Since I knew that to be true, while she took a nap, I worked at planing/slicing a couple 1-oz. blocks, for a toasted sandwich.
So tonight's supper was Potato and Cheese soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on crusty Rustic bread. It was delicious.
Breakfast was two breakfast burritos: eggs, chili and cheese.
Lunch was another hard-boiled egg sandwich on a Kaiser roll. Irene brought me a couple of graham crackers with a glass of milk for a little "cookies and milk" dessert.
Irene asked me in the morning what I wanted for supper, and while I had pretty much planned Saturday's breakfast and lunch, and Sunday's menu, I hadn't really given thought to Saturday evening's meal. She asked if I would like a potato soup with cheese and that sounded good.
This afternoon, I thought about what would make a good go-along, and the common phrase, "Soup and Sandwich" came to mind. Earlier in the week, Irene told me that Extra Sharp Cheddar was terrible for planing, even for slicing. Since I knew that to be true, while she took a nap, I worked at planing/slicing a couple 1-oz. blocks, for a toasted sandwich.
So tonight's supper was Potato and Cheese soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on crusty Rustic bread. It was delicious.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Day Five - Creativity Achieved!
Here is today's menu, as it happened:
For breakfast, I had a small bowl of Raisin Bran and a fried egg sandwich, on a Kaiser roll.
Lunch was an egg salad sandwich on a Kaiser roll, two blocks of Cheddar and three graham crackers. I didn't think about it until after breakfast, I had planned an egg and Kaiser for both breakfast and lunch. Not very creative, I admit, but wait until I get to dinner.
As I was puttering around the kitchen, preparing lunch, I saw how much cheese I have in my cheese container, going into the weekend, so that's the reason I splurged with two large chunks of Cheddar. I mentioned that to Irene, and she said, "You know, a whole pound of cheese is a lot for one person to eat in a week." I'm kind of surprised at that, but I see what she means.
Okay, dinner now. I had Irene thaw out two chicken thighs, and this evening, she deboned them. She took some of my Rustic bread and made a sort of stuffing, and microwaved the thighs and stuffing until they were done. Of course the bread soaked in the drippings from the chicken. Then she browned them under the broiler. With a side of mashed potato and a serving of succotash, it was delicious. **
The idea of deboning and putting stuffing in the thighs was something we had seen in a Julia Child/Jacque Pepin show on Hulu last year. In that program, they said that there is never enough stuffing from the cavity of a turkey (a feeling with which I heartily concur). They solved that by making more space for more stuffing by breaking off the legs and thighs, deboning them, filling them with stuffing, and wrapping them in foil, and roasting them with the rest of the turkey. It worked well when we tried it, and so I knew that deboning the thighs and cooking them with stuffing would be good.
Something different for our SNAP Challenge week. Something almost gourmet, since I got the idea from Julia Child.
** I only ate one of the thighs, leaving the other for Sunday afternoon. Usually on Sundays, we have something light when we get back home from church, and have our big meal later in the day. A chicken thigh and stuffing will be just right for Sunday afternoon.
For breakfast, I had a small bowl of Raisin Bran and a fried egg sandwich, on a Kaiser roll.
Lunch was an egg salad sandwich on a Kaiser roll, two blocks of Cheddar and three graham crackers. I didn't think about it until after breakfast, I had planned an egg and Kaiser for both breakfast and lunch. Not very creative, I admit, but wait until I get to dinner.
As I was puttering around the kitchen, preparing lunch, I saw how much cheese I have in my cheese container, going into the weekend, so that's the reason I splurged with two large chunks of Cheddar. I mentioned that to Irene, and she said, "You know, a whole pound of cheese is a lot for one person to eat in a week." I'm kind of surprised at that, but I see what she means.
Okay, dinner now. I had Irene thaw out two chicken thighs, and this evening, she deboned them. She took some of my Rustic bread and made a sort of stuffing, and microwaved the thighs and stuffing until they were done. Of course the bread soaked in the drippings from the chicken. Then she browned them under the broiler. With a side of mashed potato and a serving of succotash, it was delicious. **
The idea of deboning and putting stuffing in the thighs was something we had seen in a Julia Child/Jacque Pepin show on Hulu last year. In that program, they said that there is never enough stuffing from the cavity of a turkey (a feeling with which I heartily concur). They solved that by making more space for more stuffing by breaking off the legs and thighs, deboning them, filling them with stuffing, and wrapping them in foil, and roasting them with the rest of the turkey. It worked well when we tried it, and so I knew that deboning the thighs and cooking them with stuffing would be good.
Something different for our SNAP Challenge week. Something almost gourmet, since I got the idea from Julia Child.
** I only ate one of the thighs, leaving the other for Sunday afternoon. Usually on Sundays, we have something light when we get back home from church, and have our big meal later in the day. A chicken thigh and stuffing will be just right for Sunday afternoon.
My Receipts
BTW: here are the receipts for my shopping at Food Lion and Farm Fresh, earlier this week. I seem to have thrown away the receipt from Flowers Bakery.
Day Four Update
Forgot to post this last night, so here goes:
For breakfast, I had a breakfast burrito (scrambled egg, a little chili and some cheese) and fried potato. I thought the burrito was a little creative, so I give myself points for that.
Lunch was a chicken sandwich and bouillon; the chicken was the left-over thigh from the night before.
Finally, supper was one of my favorite peasant meals. For me, a baked potato with chili and cheese is fine dining, so Irene baked two small potatoes and covered them with chili, and crumbled cheese over the top.
As to my cheese, I finally realized a couple of months ago that, while I do like most kinds of cheeses, my favorite is Extra Sharp Cheddar. I love the sharp flavor it add to my favorite foods, and it crumbles easily for toppings.
For breakfast, I had a breakfast burrito (scrambled egg, a little chili and some cheese) and fried potato. I thought the burrito was a little creative, so I give myself points for that.
Lunch was a chicken sandwich and bouillon; the chicken was the left-over thigh from the night before.
Finally, supper was one of my favorite peasant meals. For me, a baked potato with chili and cheese is fine dining, so Irene baked two small potatoes and covered them with chili, and crumbled cheese over the top.
As to my cheese, I finally realized a couple of months ago that, while I do like most kinds of cheeses, my favorite is Extra Sharp Cheddar. I love the sharp flavor it add to my favorite foods, and it crumbles easily for toppings.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Mid-Week Ruminations
Well, it's Thursday afternoon, and I've got some free time, and so I'm going to put down a few things I've been thinking of, concerning this Challenge.
First, I've become more aware of my limited universe of options. While we do most of our food shopping together, Irene handles the food and kitchen department in the house. I'm seeing what it means to have a "pantry" available to you, to make your choices from. Yes, we do have more options in our house than the Challenge left me with; however, as we were discussing my options for the next day or so, she said that I was getting insight into what she faces. What do we have in the house? What can I make with that? We have three meals of chicken, two of hamburger and a pork roast - which will I make tonight, and how do I 'schedule' the others so that we don't end up doing the same two nights in a row? Do I go Italian or Mexican? Will Chuck totally be bummed out by stir-fry? Etc., etc., etc.
Okay. I don't have all of Irene's worries but I do see that my limited pantry does mean that my weekly menu is limited, and I need to do some planning in order to make sure I don't end up with no meat for the last three days and I'm not living off of a diet of tortillas and graham crackers.
Second, I can see the reason why there are so many people who are overweight on SNAP. One of the things you'll hear in complaints about Food Stamps is that so many people on Food Stamps are actually overweight. Looking over what I purchased, look at the starches I bought: two different breads, tortillas, frozen corn, potatoes. Lima beans, a legume/vegetable is also a starch. Starches are basically very cheap, and the easiest to bulk up on in order to not go hungry.
Now, I don't regret those foods, but I'm thinking that maybe I could have done a better job shopping and providing for my pantry.
First, I've become more aware of my limited universe of options. While we do most of our food shopping together, Irene handles the food and kitchen department in the house. I'm seeing what it means to have a "pantry" available to you, to make your choices from. Yes, we do have more options in our house than the Challenge left me with; however, as we were discussing my options for the next day or so, she said that I was getting insight into what she faces. What do we have in the house? What can I make with that? We have three meals of chicken, two of hamburger and a pork roast - which will I make tonight, and how do I 'schedule' the others so that we don't end up doing the same two nights in a row? Do I go Italian or Mexican? Will Chuck totally be bummed out by stir-fry? Etc., etc., etc.
Okay. I don't have all of Irene's worries but I do see that my limited pantry does mean that my weekly menu is limited, and I need to do some planning in order to make sure I don't end up with no meat for the last three days and I'm not living off of a diet of tortillas and graham crackers.
Second, I can see the reason why there are so many people who are overweight on SNAP. One of the things you'll hear in complaints about Food Stamps is that so many people on Food Stamps are actually overweight. Looking over what I purchased, look at the starches I bought: two different breads, tortillas, frozen corn, potatoes. Lima beans, a legume/vegetable is also a starch. Starches are basically very cheap, and the easiest to bulk up on in order to not go hungry.
Now, I don't regret those foods, but I'm thinking that maybe I could have done a better job shopping and providing for my pantry.
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