#SNAPchallenge organic menu: not just beans and rice

S.N.A.P. = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

When I think of budget eating I think of two food items: rice and beans. The thought of eating two things I can't stand for seven days straight made me dizzy and nervous. After careful thought and planning I came up with a menu that was 1) all organic ingredients 2) 80% vegetarian 3) had equal parts protien, veggies and fruit. THE problem with budget eating (and eating in general) in this country is that no one wants to take the time to plan out their meals. Slow down people! COOK more. It's healthy, cheaper and better for you.

TUESDAY:

Breakfast: banana, tea

Egg, toast + glass of milk

Lunch: Tuna sandwiches

Dinner: Asian noodle dish x 2

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast: banana chia seed porriage, tea

Steel cut oats w/ almond milk, agave + frozen blueberries

Lunch: Tuna salad (artichoke hearts, cannelli beans, olive oil, green beans, onion)

butternut squash soup

Dinner: left over Asian noodles

THURSDAY:

Breakfast: banana, tea

Egg, toast + glass of milk

Lunch: Tuna sandwiches/lunch meat sandwhiches

Dinner: Beef burgers, roast veggies

FRIDAY: Breakfast: banana + chia seed porriage, tea

Egg, toast, + glass of milk

Lunch: Tuna + quinoa salad with Siracha sauce

Dinner: Potato Latkes and homemade apple sauce

SATURDAY:

Breakfast: banana + tea

Lunch: Egg sandwich + cheese

grilled cheese w/ tomato soup

Dinner: left over asian noodles OR pasta + homemade sauce

SUNDAY:

Breakfast: banana + tea

Lunch: Blueberry muffins/ eggs

Dinner: Beef patties + baked french fries

MONDAY:

Breakfast: Steel cut oatmeal + frozen fruit

Lunch: Tuna sandwiches + soup

Dinner left over pasta + meat balls

TUESDAY:

Breakfast: banana + tea

Lunch: Lunch meat sandwiches

Dinner: leftovers/soup

Bite on a budget: organic eating on $4 a day #SNAPchallenge

Let's be clear. I'm not here to judge what people eat. I'm fully aware that it's not easy to eat healthy when you are dealing with work/school/kids/husband/wife/life. But when Mayork of Newark, New Jersey Cory Booker announced he was planning to spend only $4 a day on food for a week (the same amount food stamp recipients get) as part of the #SNAPchallenge, I decided to one up him. MY plan was to spend $4 on food a day while ONLY eating organic food. What's more, I was going get my food at Whole Foods ($WFM)- easily one of the most expensive grocery stores in New York City. The point of me doing this wasn't to complain about not being able to drink my usual soy chai latte from Starbucks (which costs me $4.40 every morning) or worse, try and portray myself as some food martyr. Nope. I wanted to show everyone that if you had to live on only $4 a day, you could do it in a healthy way. Here's the list of items purchased:

Almond milk (Whole Foods Brand): $1.99 4 cans of Whole Foods brand tuna: $1.69 Imagine soup: 2 for $4.00 .5lbs of steel cut oats .25 lbs of quinoa 1.8 lbs of bananas at .89 cents 2.56 lbs of butternut squash @ $1.29 4 granny smith apples @ $2.99 per pound Box of shitake mushrooms Jewel yams (sweet potatoes) $1.99 per lbs .67 lbs of grass fed beef $6.69 6 cage-free eggs $2.19 2% milk @ $1.29 Andrew and Everrett Provolone cheese Wholefoods organic english muffins $2.99 Frozen edamame $2.49 Frozen organic wild blueberries $2.99 365 Whole Foods brand 2% milk

Total amount spent: $57.59 (the amount two adults living on food stamps for a week). I went over budget by 19 cents, but didn't realize being a member of the Wellness Club + using your own bag to carry groceries + giving back the glass milk bottles for deposit put our household under budget by $10. Cool, right?