I am taking the SNAP Challenge. What is this you ask? SNAP is the acronym for the US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka America's Food Stamps. The government program which benefits financially struggling families in The States, is scheduled to be the victim of budget cuts in November 2013 and will drop the benefit level from the current average of $1.50 per meal per person to less than $1.40 per meal.
I decided to take the challenge for 3 days. In anticipation, I have carefully planned my menus to stay within the $4.50 daily food budget, while also trying to maintain some sort of nutritional balance. I am a vegetarian, bordering on vegan, so avoiding higher priced meat cuts is not a problem for me, but staying within the RDA for fruits, vegetables and grains is another matter.
The challenge begins tomorrow, and in preparation, I am soaking white beans overnight to provide carefully measured protein for two days and simmering oats on the stove to make hearty oatmeal for the next 3 mornings.
While I'm not someone who minds cooking at home, being vegetarian it is certainly more in line with my diet and lifestyle, the rigidity of controlled measuring and meal planning is something I haven't spent much time doing in the last 10 years. Making a good living in a comfortable job has allowed me to have a rather Laissez-faire attitude towards portion control. Perhaps the waistline tells the real story.
I will report back tomorrow with the Day 1 menu and my thoughts on how the day went.
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