The Hunger Challenge: September 2008

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Tyson to Donate 200,000 Pounds of Protein-Rich Foods, Thanks to the Hunger Challenge!

After seeing a tweet from Amy Sherman of Cooking with Amy about the Hunger Challenge, Ed Nicholson, Director of Community and Public Relations at Tyson Foods, has offered to send up to 200,000 pounds of high-quality, protein-rich foods (chicken, meatballs, lunchmeat, etc.) to six Bay Area food banks. That's six tractor-trailerloads of the most hard-to-come-by foods desperately needed by food banks!

They will donate 100 pounds of food for every comment posted on a special web page, so please help spread the word. Here's what you need to do:

1) Go to the special Tyson Foods Hunger Relief page.

2) Read the information about hunger in the Bay Area and post a comment. (NOTE: the format asks for an email address to prevent spam, but Tyson guarantees they will not harvest emails or use them for any other purpose whatsoever.)

3) Tyson adds another 100 pounds of high-quality, protein-rich foods (chicken, meatballs, lunchmeat, etc.) to trucks heading for 6 Bay Area food banks!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Lisa Barnes & Her Entire Family Take the Hunger Challenge..And so does Maria Niles

Hunger Challenger Lisa Barnes, of Petit Appetit, has a great post about her experience at OrganicToBe. Here's a taste of her experiences feeding a family on the Hunger Challenge:

This was definetely going to be more difficult than I had originally
thought and there are a few things that make this challenge especially
frustrating. The first is that it has to be done at all. Food should be a right,
not a privilege. All individuals and families should have access to healthy
foods, especially in a country where so many have so much. The second problem is having a family. If you were only in charge of feeding and providing for
yourself as an adult you understand your own circumstances and can try to be
more discilplined. How do you tell your child “no, you may not have the other
half of her banana”?

Read her entire post here.

Maria Niles, of PopConsumer, read about other bloggers' experiences and decided to give it a try. Here's an exerpt of what she had to say on Day 2:

I get it. I'm hungry and it sucks.

Today I was light headed and woozy. It might be all in my head but right now as I sit here my stomach is rumbling. Plus I'm cranky, as you might guess from the whining that is about to commence.

I suppose if this were my life I might adjust t0 be able to function on this diet
once I got used to it. But I think people don't. They go hungry. If they have
kids they put more food their way so the kids can make it through school with a
hope of being able to learn.

Read more of Maria's Hunger Challenge blogs here.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Some Food Stamp Facts

• The majority of individuals and families utilize the Food Stamp Program in order to get themselves back on their feet.
• The average time a household is in on the Food Stamp Program is nine months.
• To be eligible for food stamps, households, except those with elderly or disabled members, must have gross incomes below 130 percent of the poverty line.
• All households must have net incomes below 100 percent of poverty to be eligible.
• More than 1.1 million people in the Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma counties) are living near the poverty line.
• According to the Census, these people are making less than $26,000 for a family of three.
• The California Budget Project estimates that a family needs to make more than twice that amount - at least $53,000 - in order to make ends meet in the Bay Area.
• Time limits for receiving food stamps apply for many able-bodied, childless, unemployed adults.
• Eligibility in the Food Stamp Program includes work requirements. All non-elderly adults receiving benefits who are able to work are required to be employed or to register for employment. Many must participate in work training and job search programs.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Hunger Challenge Featured on The Kitchn, BlogHer and Tablehopper!

Dana Velden writes in The Kitchn:

Several SF bloggers have taken up the challenge, which is to try to live for a week on a food budget of $21. Their experiences are eye opening. The truth is, it's impossible to feed yourself anything close to a proper nutritious diet on $3 a day, yet many people in San Francisco do. It's hard to imagine what their lives would be like if there weren't places like the SF Food Bank to help pick up some of the slack...

Dana, thanks for raising awareness and starting a great conversation among your readers!

Tablehopper Marcia Gagliardi gave a morale-boosting shout-out in her weekly newsletter:

Wanted to point out this cool (and incredibly challenging) thing a group of Bay
Area food bloggers are doing: the ~SAN FRANCISCO FOOD BANK’S HUNGER CHALLENGE~, which means figuring out how to eat for just $1 per meal this week...

Marcia, who is a great supporter of SF Food Bank, listed links to all the partipating blogs. Thanks yet again, Marcia!!

Alanna Kellogg writes on BlogHer:

Have you had your grande latte today? Ka-ching, that's three bucks. Munch a
small taco for lunch? There's another. Fed your sugar crash at the company
vending machine? Another. If you were an average family living on food stamps,
$3 is all you'd have to spend, per person, for an entire day's food. To raise
awareness, money and recipes, this week the San Francisco Food Bank launched the Hunger Challenge.

Alanna goes on to quote from Hunger Challenge posts on Cooking with Amy, Blog Appetit and The Inadvertent Gardener. Her post is followed by some wonderful, supportive comments by readers. Thanks so much for your support, Alanna!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Recipes from Leah's Pantry & Petit Appetit Cookbook

Here are some low-budget recipes, courtesy of Leah's Pantry, an organization committed to improving the lives and potential of people living in economically disadvantaged communities, through cooking and nutrition workshops and events.

Tofu Banana Smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes - Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 c. water
4 oz. vanilla low fat yogurt
1/2 c. (4 oz.) soft tofu, drained
1 banana, cut into chunks
4 ice cubes
Directions:
1. Place the yogurt, water, tofu, berries, and banana in a blender. Cover and process until smooth.
2. While the blender is running, drop ice cubes into the blender one at a time. Process until smooth.
3. Pour and enjoy!
Recipe Benefits: Tofu is low-fat and rich in protein, and berries provide antioxidants.

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread
NOTE: This recipe has some issues. I've only left it up on this site because I blogged about trying to make it – Gayle
Prep time: 20 minutes - Cooking time: 20 minutes - Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Grind oatmeal in a food processor or blender. In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, dissolve honey in vegetable oil; then stir in the milk. Combine both mixtures and stir until a soft dough is formed. Form the dough into a ball and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
Recipe Benefits:
This is an inexpensive alternative to buying bread! The whole grains in this bread provide fiber and nutrients.

Black Bean Salad
Prep time: 20 minutes - Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
8 green onions, chopped or 1 medium onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions:
Combine ingredients, chill, and serve.
Serving suggestion:
Serve this with whole wheat tortillas or brown rice, and you have a healthy, complete, whole food meal! Add broiled chicken breast to create a heartier meal.
Kids might like this to accompany cheese quesadillas.
Nutrition Info:
This recipe contains about 8g fat (monounsaturated from avocados and dressing), 5g fiber, and 5g protein.
Recipe Benefits:
This salad is rich in fiber, protein, healthy fats, and is a good source of a variety of vegetables. It can be easily modified as needed. This salad is good for several days in the fridge.

Hummus and Veggie Wraps
Prep time: 15 minutes - Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 Whole wheat tortillas (large or burrito size) 1 green pepper, sliced
1 Tomato, sliced (1 container alfalfa sprouts - optional)
For hummus:
1-1/2 cups canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. cumin
Directions:
1. Puree in blender all ingredients for hummus. Refrigerate until ready to use.
1. Spread hummus on tortilla
2. Layer sliced veggies
3. Roll up & eat!
Recipe Benefits:
Whole wheat wraps and hummus are high in fiber and protein, and the vegetables inside provide additional fiber and nutrients.

Lentil Soup
Prep time: 20 minutes - Cooking time: 1 hour - Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry lentils
8 cups water
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vinegar (optional)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.
Recipe Benefits:
Lentils are an excellent source of protein and fiber. This soup can be prepared in large batches and frozen to have a simple, nutritious meal on hand any time.

Here's a recipe for kids, from Lisa Barnes, author of the Petit Appetit cookbook.

Cottage Noodles from The Petit Appetit Cookbook
Here’s an easy and more nutritious alternative to the standard “buttered noodles.” The cottage cheese provides protein, and the cinnamon and raisins give some sweetness. If making this for someone less than one year, you may want to choose egg-free noodles.
Makes 2, 1 cup servings
Ingredients:
½ cup small curd cottage cheese
8 oz. wide noodles
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons golden raisins (optional)
Directions:
Cook noodles in pot of boiling water over medium-high heat until tender, about 10 minutes or according to manufacturing instructions. Drain noodles, then toss with cottage cheese, cinnamon, and raisins, until combined.

Monday, September 15, 2008

The $20 Shopping List

This is a sample $20 shopping list, courtesy of Leah's Pantry, an organization committed to improving the lives and potential of people living in economically disadvantaged communities, through cooking and nutrition workshops and events. Here are sample meals that could be made from the list:

Breakfast: Instant Oatmeal, Banana, Milk

Lunch: Peanut Butter on Whole Wheat, Carrots, Apple

Dinner: Brown Rice, Black Beans and Tomatoes, Broccoli :

Breakdown

Fruits and Veggies: Banana, Carrots, Apple, Tomatoes and Broccoli

Protein: Milk, Peanut Butter, Black Beans

Healthy Fats: Peanut Butter

Whole Grains: Oatmeal, Whole Wheat Bread, Brown Rice

Friday, September 12, 2008

Blog Appetit Fights Hunger

Faith Kramer of Blog Appetit has signed on to create recipes that will help low-income people eat healthier and stretch their food dollar farther. Here's how she's taking action:

I've begun planning my menu and recipes and I'm so jazzed to be able to help like this.
My plan is to "source" each meal independent of food bank offerings, but include typical things such as peanut butter and carrots so if your clients have these things, so much the better.
I'm doing a day's menu (although that could change) and each of the three meals will be sourced from a different outlet to demonstrate shopping pluses at each.
Breakfast will be from Safeway -- where 2 for 1 deals make the difference since breakfast usually means more packaged foods.
Lunch will probably be from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or a produce market or the like where I'm hoping to find seasonal produce for a soup.
Dinner will be from somewhere low income people often shop that has good deals on meat for the stew.
My menu will will have lots of seasonal veggies and not feature anything but fairly popular seasonings so there will be nothing esoteric to buy.
I am also trying to balance the healthiness and inexpensiveness of "scratch" cooking with the convenience of processed foods.

Thanks, Faith!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Recipe Development Tips

When you're creating $1 per serving recipes, here are some ingredients you might consider. These items are often available to Food Bank Clients:

Carrot Pieces. These are what's left over when "baby carrots" are whittled out of regular-size carrots. They're chunks about 2-3 inches long - and the Food Bank gets a lot of them!