SNAP Day 3: I Didn’t Even Realize That Was a Luxury

This post is part of a series.  Read post one, post two, post three, and post four.

I’m starting to realize just how many of the things I think of as relatively modest parts of my everyday life are in reality luxuries.  A cup of coffee, for instance.  I’m not talking a fancy latte, just a standard cup of Joe.  That wasn’t in my budget this week.  It certainly could have been, but that would have meant less money for food, and frankly I’m even more unpleasant when hungry than when uncaffeinated.  But man, I could go for a coffee.

The other thing I’m realizing is a real luxury?  Variety.  You may have noticed from my meal logs that I haven’t had much variety this week.  Living on this tight of a budget means eating the same thing a lot.  I’ve always been one for leftovers.  I often make a big batch of something to eat for lunch all week, and it’s not uncommon for us to eat a casserole or batch of chili multiple nights for dinner.  But eating just two main courses as my lunch and dinner the entire week… well, it’s getting a bit intense.  Luckily they’re healthy!

I think of myself as relatively thrifty when it comes to food.  I bring my lunch to work everyday, which is more than I can say of most folks I know.  I cook at home or we eat leftovers at least five nights a week.  We often eat vegetarian, and I do my best to plan recipes around ingredients I already have at home.  But until now, I hadn’t thought of the fact that I’m able to cook meat when I want to or run to the corner store to pick up additional ingredients on a whim as a luxury.  It is.

SNAP benefits are not a luxury.  83% of households receiving SNAP benefits are at or below the poverty line, and these households receive about 91% of the benefits.  The average SNAP household has a gross monthly income of $744 – meaning before taxes and other deductions.  Between housing, childcare and other expenses, these families rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table.

Today’s Meals:

Pre-workout snack: 1/2 Banana and 1 T Peanut Butter

Breakfast: “Toad in the Hole” with broccoli, apples and peanut butter
Hardy breakfast this morning!  Since I only used one egg, I made sure to bolster it with plenty of sides.  Fruit, veggie, protein and healthy fat, this plate has it all.

Mid-morning snack: 1/2 Banana

Lunch: Leftover Thai Coconut Lentil Curry with a side of broccoli
Looks familiar right?  Expect to see this a few more times this week!  But I can always change it up by using different color dishes.

Dinner: Leftover Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew
Cooking in bulk is much cheaper, so I made a giant pot of this stew!  Since it’s all vegetables, it will easily last a week in the fridge or much longer in the freezer.  Although I expect I’ll finish it before then.

Evening Snack: 1 T peanut butter

Nutrition breakdown for the day:
1,369 calories, 51g fat, 177 carbs, 42g fiber, 60g protein
23% calcium, 60% iron, 69% potassium

Johanna