Shopping on a tight budget isn't impossible, but it does take work. Yesterday I started planning for the Hunger Challenge, a campaign to help raise awareness about hunger in our community. For one week during Hunger Action Month participants live on a very limited food budget, comparable to what food stamp recipients live on. In 2008 just seven of us participated in the Hunger Challenge and the budget was $3 a day, this year there will be over
Tomorrow I will be shopping with CBS reporter and Hunger Challenge participant Juliette Goodrich at Foods Co. Yesterday I read the Food Co weekly flyer and planned my menu based on sale items and what I know I can afford.
Here is what I plan on cooking and eating, for new dishes I will post the recipes throughout the week:
Dinners:
Panela and Vegetable Kabobs - a new recipe I will be creating for the challenge. Panela is a cheese similar to haloumi but much less expensive.
Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas - another new recipe that I am creating for the challenge.
Chicken and Rice Soup - past participant Vanessa Barrington made this recipe a few years ago l based on a recipe by Andrea Nguyen
Moroccan Chicken & Lentils - I will be modifying a Bon Appetit recipe I found on Epicurious
Pasta Fagioli - truly cucina povera, something I made the first year of the Hunger Challenge, but this time I think I will add some spinach
Chili - I will make this using a variety of beans, corn, onions and peppers
Red beans and rice
For breakfast, I will eat oatmeal or eggs
For lunch I will eat leftovers or quesadillas. In past years, I have eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I just don't want to do that again.
Of course my plans may change depending upon what I find at the store and how much I can buy...
