The Hunger Challenge

Last Day

2011-09-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Today is the final day of the 2011 Hunger Challenge.

Let us know what this experience has meant to you! Leave a note on our Facebook wall or email us your story!

Only ONE MORE DAY of the 2011 Hunger Challenge

2011-09-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

You’re coming around the home stretch – don’t give up! Are you feeling brain tired like Hunger Challenger Rachel? Did you reach out to friends and family for support like Anneliesz?

How has your week been? What did you think it would be like and how has it been different?

Let us know via twitter or our Facebook wall or by emailing us your story!

Good luck tonight!

Day Five

2011-09-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is KGO Radio Fights Hunger Day. They’ll be broadcasting live from local food banks, bringing their listeners stories and discussions about hunger in the Bay Area!

Petit Appetit blogger and 4th year Hunger Challenger, Lisa Barnes, and SFist editor and 1st time Hunger Challenger, Brock Keeling, will be sharing their experiences on air tomorrow afternoon. Be sure to tune in throughout the day to AM 810 to hear all the hunger-related stories and interviews.

These last days of the Hunger Challenge are the hardest, but the stories we are all sharing are worth so much in the effort to alleviate hunger in our community. Hang in there!

Hunger Challenge Hump Day

2011-09-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

We are almost over the hump and halfway through the Hunger Challenge!

Please join us in a Hunger Challenge "Virtual Lunch" Tweet-Up TOMORROW!
Thursday, September 15th: Noon - 1 pm (PST)

Sure, you may be eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich alone at your desk - but there are lots of other Hunger Challengers in the same situation. Let's get together virtually and have lunch! Here's what to do:

Sign into Twitter
Enter the hashtag #HChal (we're using a different hashtag from the usual #HungerChallenge so there's more room to talk) into the search box. OR, if you're using Twitter apps like HootSuite, create a search stream for #HChal (if you need help, let us know)
Starting at noon, we'll be asking questions and suggesting topics!
Tweet using the #HChal hashtag to join the discussion and share your experiences, insights and ideas!

A lot of our challengers are starting to feel the pressure of a tight budget! Check out this great article on BlogHer which highlights some of our Hunger Challengers!

Hunger Challenge Update

2011-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Challenge is going strong! Everyone has done their shopping and experienced their first two days on the challenge. While reality has set in for many of our Challengers, there are so many great lessons being learned and so many great recipes being shared!

Here are some of our favorite blog posts:

Single Mom Enough gets the kids involved

Cooking with Amy goes shopping

La Marotonista considers the budget’s the strain on a family

Hello Cupcake manages to make her food adorable

Are you taking the challenge? Let us know how it’s going!

The Hunger Challenge is ON!

2011-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

How's it going? Check out posts and tweets from the 2011 Hunger Challengers. Just click on the links on the right-hand side of this page.

To see what everyone's saying about the Hunger Challenge, check out this Twitter feed, or visit the Food Bank's Facebook page.

Taking the Challenge?

Post on Facebook daily about what you’re eating (or not able to eat). Or join the discussion on our FB page.
Tweet all about it – use the hashtag #HungerChallenge
Post pictures of your meals on your blog or Facebook
Talk to your friends, families and co-workers about what you’re doing – they’ll want to listen
Support other Hunger Challengers by reading and commenting on their blogs

Still need to sign up for the Challenge? It's not too late! You can join at any time.

Sign up for the 2011 Hunger Challenge!

2011-08-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

Think you could live on a food stamp budget - for a week or even a day? We invite you to sign up for the 2011 Hunger Challenge, which will take place September 11-17.

Throughout the year, we post news on this site about hunger and food stamps, so subscribe to our RSS feed to receive updates, too!

"Hunger and Children in America: a Slow and Steady Starvation"

2011-08-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

ABC News has been running a series on hunger in America. This shocking story appeared on Good Morning America:

A little 2-year-old boy came to the hospital hungry, not just for dinner, but every day of his young life. He is smaller than he should be and his organs, including his brain, are not developing fully. And he lives in Boston, one of America's most prosperous cities.

Doctors at Boston Medical Center's Grow Clinic, which provides assistance to children diagnosed with "failure to thrive," say they have seen a dramatic increase in the number of children they treat who are dangerously thin.

"What's so hard is that a lot of families are working so hard," said Dr. Megan Sandel, an associate professor of pediatrics and public health at BMC. "They are working jobs. They are earning money and their dollars just don't go far enough."

That is life for nearly 15 million children living in poverty in the U.S., according to the National Center for Children in Poverty...Across the country, nearly 5.5 million children live in families that have lost homes to foreclosures and 8 million children live in families where at least one parent has lost a job, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.... READ MORE

California ranks next to last in food stamp participation - and it's hurting our economy

2011-07-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento News & Review reports on one woman's struggle to obtain food stamp assistance in California, following Monica Turner through "the food stamp process’s web of appointments and paperwork." Fixing the broken system could go a long way toward helping California's economy. Here's why:

Many Californians give up or don’t bother. As a result, the state leaves $4.9 billion in benefits on the table each year, money that could juice the economy by $8.7 billion in related activity.

Forces here and in the nation’s capital are now working hard to change the way people participate in the federal food-stamps program, known nationally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Improving California’s participation could provide a potent injection for a sick economy, a booster shot that California could mainline straight into its corroded veins. At the same time, this elixir would also help people in need, people such as Turner, and provide a jackpot return on the investment.

At the moment, California faces some embarrassing statistics. Despite need, the state ranks next to last nationally in food-stamp participation. Less than half of those eligible in California enroll, compared to a national average of 75 percent. Read the entire article

GOP plan guts food program

2011-06-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

In this June 2, 2011, editorial in The Register Citizen, Rosa DeLauro lays out the grim effects of a plan put forward in the U.S. House of Representatives:

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps to feed more than 44 million Americans a day, 21 million of them kids. Put another way, one out of every seven Americans, and one out of every five children, is getting help. It is our country’s most important anti-hunger program.

Yet, under the budget put forward by the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, this vital effort is at risk

Among the many drastic cuts included, the Republicans’ 2012 budget would slash SNAP by $127 billion — almost 20 percent — over the next 10 years. This could mean up to 10 million men, women, and children would be cut from the rolls and have to go hungry. The Republicans plan to convert SNAP into yet another underfunded block grant to the states, which could mean even larger cuts for American families.

Republicans argue that they are making these cuts because the cost of SNAP has increased in recent years. That is true due to simple math. SNAP helps feed those in economic need, and as the economy has stumbled, their numbers have grown.
According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, food stamp aid lifted more than 4.5 million Americans over the poverty line in 2009, including more than 2 million children and 200,000 seniors...Read more

Soaring Costs Force Some Renters To Choose Between Shelter and Food

2011-04-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

In the Huffington Post, Yepoka Yeebo writes about an alarming trend - higher rents are eating up income that used to go to food:

Around 10 million American households -- or one in every four families that rent their homes -- could have to choose between paying rent, buying groceries or keeping current with bills, according to a report released Tuesday.

The number of households spending more than 50 percent of their income on rent and bills jumped by 2.6 million over the last decade, according to a Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report. Economists generally consider "affordable" rent to cost about 30 percent of a tenant's income.

When housng costs hit certain levels, many Americans are forced to choose between rent and food. "In real terms, it means more people have less money to spend on household necessities such as food, health care, or savings," Eric Belsky, director of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, said in the report. Households which spend 50 percent or more of their income on rent also spend almost 40 percent less on food and over 50 percent less on health care than households with more affordable rent. Read more

NY Times' Mark Bittman Fasts to Protest Proposed Budget Cuts to Hunger Programs

2011-03-31T13:26:00.000-07:00

New York Times food writer and author of the weekly Minimalist column is really going mimimal. He's joined a group protesting proposed Congressional budget cuts to hunger relief programs. Here is his Op-Ed about the fast:

I stopped eating on Monday and joined around 4,000 other people in a fast to call attention to Congressional budget proposals that would make huge cuts in programs for the poor and hungry.

By doing so, I surprised myself; after all, I eat for a living. But the decision was easy after I spoke last week with David Beckmann, a reverend who is this year’s World Food Prize laureate. Our conversation turned, as so many about food do these days, to the poor.

Who are — once again — under attack, this time in the House budget bill, H.R. 1. The budget proposes cuts in the WIC program (which supports women, infants and children), in international food and health aid (18 million people would be immediately cut off from a much-needed food stream, and 4 million would lose access to malaria medicine) and in programs that aid farmers in underdeveloped countries. Food stamps are also being attacked, in the twisted “Welfare Reform 2011” bill. (There are other egregious maneuvers in H.R. 1, but I’m sticking to those related to food.)

These supposedly deficit-reducing cuts — they’d barely make a dent — will quite literally cause more people to starve to death, go to bed hungry or live more miserably than are doing so now. And: The bill would increase defense spending... Read the entire article

Food stamps: More Americans keep signing up

2011-01-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

The Christian Science Monitor reports that food stamp participation continued to rise in December - the latest in a series of record-breaking months for the food stamp program:

As a logical consequence of the prolonged economic downturn it appears that participation in the federal food stamp program is continuing to rise.

In fact, household participation has been climbing so steadily that it has far surpassed the last peak set as a result of the immediate fallout following hurricane Katrina.

The latest data released by the Department of Agriculture shows that in October, an additional 289,737 new recipients were added to the food stamps program, an increase of 14.67% on a year-over-year basis, while household participation increased 16.98%.

Individual participation as a ratio of the overall civilian non-institutional population has increased 13.72% over the same period.

One in Three Working Families Considered "Low Income"

2011-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal reported December 21, 2010:

Nearly one in three working families earned less than 200% of poverty line last year, as a bad economy pushed 250,000 families below that threshold, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data.

The recession’s effects extended beyond the millions who lost jobs, according to a report released Tuesday by the Working Poor Families Project, which researches and advocates for working families. Among those who were working, more than 10 million families earned less than 200% of the poverty level, which the researchers considered “low income.” The low-income threshold for a family of four with two children last year was $43,512.

“Working families are taking it hard during the great recession,” said Brandon Roberts, one of the report’s authors. “We’ve got a whole lot of middle-income families, middle-class families that have now fallen back into low-income working families.”

Read the full story here.

Number of Americans relying on food stamps still on the rise - now at nearly 43 million

2010-12-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal notes the continuing rise of Americans relying on food stamps:

Some 42.9 million people collected food stamps last month, up 1.2% from the prior month and 16.2% higher than the same time a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nationwide 14% of the population relied on food stamps as of September but in some states the percentage was much higher. In Washington, D.C., Mississippi and Tennessee – the states with the largest share of citizens receiving benefits – more than a fifth of the population in each was collecting food stamps.

In California, almost 3.5 million people count on food stamps - an uptick of 17.7% over September, 2009. Go here to read the entire article and see the individual stats for each state.

14% of Americans Now Rely on Food Stamps

2010-11-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

The Wall Street Journal reports that, as of August, 42,389,619 Americans rely on Food Stamps - up 17% from a year ago:

A huge number of American households are still relying on government assistance to buy food as the recession continues to batter families.

Food stamp recipients ticked up in August, children consumed millions of free lunches and nearly five million low-income mothers tapped into a government nutrition program for women and young children.

Some 42,389,619 Americans received food stamps in August, a 17% rise from the same time a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which tracks the data. That number is up 58.5% from August 2007, before the recession began.

Read the entire article here.

We Did It! 300,000 Pounds of Tyson Chicken is on the Way!

2010-09-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who left and comment on the Tyson Hunger Relief website and helped spread the word. For each comment, Tyson put another 100 pounds of chicken on the truck headed for the San Francisco Food Bank.

We've reached our goal, and the chicken is on its way!

Thanks also to Tyson, for their generous support of our Hunger Challenge - for the third year in a row - and for all their hunger relief efforts across the country.

Founding Hunger Challenger Genie Gratto on this Year's Challenge

2010-09-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Genie Gratto of The Inadvertent Gardener was one of the founding bloggers of the Hunger Challenge. In this post on BlogHer, she checks out what others are writing about their 2010 Hunger Challenge experiences:

Hungry for a Cause: The Hunger Challenge Gets Under Way for Third Year

Thanks for all your support, Genie!

Founding Hunger Challenger Faith Kramer Takes on Year #3

2010-09-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

Founding Hunger Challenge blogger Faith Kramer of Blog Appetit has a wealth of observations, recipes and tips for eating on a budget. Here's an excerpt from her first 2010 Hunger Challenge post:

This is the third year that I've participated. You can see everything I posted on the 2008 challenge here, including shopping lists, daily menus, meal planning tips and more. In 2008, we only had $3 a person a day to work with, so filling up my family of four and keeping the food nutritious was even more challenging. (The extra dollar a day really makes a difference, but it is just a temporary change and is due to expire.) I think the Hunger Challenge Chili was my favorite recipe from that year. I also feel that what I wrote in my wrap up/recommendations for change post still sums my experience and what I learned and what I would like to see change to make it easier for Food Bank clients and those on food stamps to feed themselves and their families as well as possible.

You can read about my 2009 experience here. In 2009 we were able to use $4 a day per person. Like the year before, I also planned out a weekly meal plan, gave shopping trips, shared about my experiences and developed recipes. Probably my favorite from 2009 was the Hunger Challenge Cassoulet (a bean and sausage stew). I summed up my reactions here. READ MORE

CA Assemblywoman Fiona Ma Joins the Hunger Challenge!

2010-09-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Showing her commitment to supporting the issue of hunger in California, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma has stepped up to take the Hunger Challenge.

“I've been a food bank volunteer for the past 10 years," Ma says, "And the lines are longer and the clients are younger. In keeping with my commitment to a hands-on approach, I will take this Hunger Challenge to see for myself how difficult it is to survive on limited assistance in these trying times.”

Any other politicians out there who are willing to live for a week on a food stamp budget?

Senate Cutting Food Stamps Funding by $6.7 Billion

2010-07-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ezra Klein reports in the Washington Post that the Senate is cutting food stamps funding by $6.7 billon. Klein notes that's a strange move, because money spent on food stamps may be the the best economic stimulus of all:

The Recovery Act included an immediate 13.6 percent increase in food stamps (which are now known as SNAP). That increase equals out to a maximum of $80 per household -- and these are not rich households. But the price of food has leveled out, and in some cases decreased, in the recession. Meanwhile, the number of people who needed help skyrocketed to more than 40 million. For that reason, the program's costs ballooned from an expected $20 billion to about $65 billion. The new price tag scared some, so people began talking about cutting the benefits back.

And here we are. Democrats needed to offset spending on two worthy, important programs [Medicare and teacher funding]. So they're cutting another important, worthy program. But you really can't think of a worse program to cut than SNAP. SNAP is an extraordinarily well-targeted stimulus. It goes to poor households, for something they need to buy. According to Mark Zandi's numbers, it's literally the most stimulative way to spend a dollar: Better than state and local aid, or unemployment insurance. You get more than $1.70 of economic activity for each buck you put in...

But this is also a question of priorities, of what gets cut. Bernie Sanders put up an amendment last month to cut about $35 billion in oil and gas subsidies. It failed. Republicans are arguing to extend Bush's tax cuts for the rich with no offsets, and they may well succeed. But food assistance for poor families? You can get the votes to slash those. Read more

What's it Like When the Hunger Challenge Never Ends? A Family Living on Food Stamps

2010-07-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hunger Challenge participants are lucky - we only have to live for seven days on a food stamp budget. For many people, it's just life, non-stop, with no end in sight. Here's a National Public Radio series about a family from Carlisle, PA, struggling to make ends meet. They live on an income of $18,000 and have to stretch $600 in food stamps to feed two adults, an eight year old boy and two teenage girls.

A Daily Fight To Find Food: One Family's Story

Aired: July 19, 2010 (9:01)

Eating Nutritiously: A Struggle When Money Is Scarce

July 20, 2010 (6:58)

Food Stamp Use Up 55% in San Francisco

2010-07-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Need for food assistance continues to rise in San Francisco. Requests for help from the San Francisco Food Bank are up 25%, and the number of people on food stamps continues to grow. Here's an update, from the San Francisco Examiner:

The number of San Franciscans on food stamps has grown by some 55 percent in the past 17 months. Today, about 41,743 San Franciscans rely on food stamps, according to San Francisco’s Human Services Agency.

But despite the recent spikes, San Francisco food-security advocates say the food-stamp program is not carrying its fair share of the burden. Today, just one-twentieth of San Franciscans are on food-stamp rolls, compared to one-eighth of all Americans.

One might imagine that disparity could simply mean there’s less hunger in wealthy San Francisco than elsewhere in the nation.

But, in fact, the San Francisco Food Bank believes the opposite is true. It estimates that fully one-quarter of all children and senior citizens and about one-fifth of adults in San Francisco live each day with food insecurity. That’s compared to a national average of about 15 percent, according to the latest estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The cost of living in San Francisco is a major problem for residents who need food stamps, according to food-security advocates.

Read the entire story here.

7 Million More Food Stamp Recipients vs. Last Year - and Half Are Children

2010-01-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Times reports today:

A study finds 7 million additional people receiving food stamps compared with a year ago, half of them children. California had a 21% increase in recipients. As more families are hammered by the recession, more are using food stamps to feed their kids, according to a study by the Brookings Institution and First Focus, a bipartisan child advocacy group. Read the full story

New York Times: Living on Nothing but Food Stamps

2010-01-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

A New York Times (Jan. 3, 2010) piece by Jason Deparle and Robert M. Gebeloff reveals the surprising story of those who have been forced to rely food stamps as their only source of "income":

After an improbable rise from the Bronx projects to a job selling Gulf Coast homes, Isabel Bermudez lost it all to an epic housing bust — the six-figure income, the house with the pool and the investment property.

Now, as she papers the county with résumés and girds herself for rejection, she is supporting two daughters on an income that inspires a double take: zero dollars in monthly cash and a few hundred dollars in food stamps.
With food-stamp use at a record high and surging by the day, Ms. Bermudez belongs to an overlooked subgroup that is growing especially fast: recipients with no cash income.

About six million Americans receiving food stamps report they have no other income, according to an analysis of state data collected by The New York Times. In declarations that states verify and the federal government audits, they described themselves as unemployed and receiving no cash aid — no welfare, no unemployment insurance, and no pensions, child support or disability pay.

Their numbers were rising before the recession as tougher welfare laws made it harder for poor people to get cash aid, but they have soared by about 50 percent over the past two years. About one in 50 Americans now lives in a household with a reported income that consists of nothing but a food-stamp card. Read the entire story...

Tyson Goal Reached! 100,000 lbs of Free Food on the Way!

2009-09-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

Thank you! In just over a day, we collected enough Twitter messages to put 100,000 pounds of protein-rich food onto Tyson trucks headed for the San Francisco Food Bank. Wondering just how much food that is? It will fill three huge tractor-trailers! Learn more about Tyson's donation and see the eye-opening hunger facts people were tweeting here. Feel free to keep on tweeting, too!

2009 Hunger Challenge - September 20-26

2009-09-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

Can you eat for just $4 a day? That's the average amount a Californian on food stamps has to spend on a day's meals.

The San Francisco Food Bank's 2009 Hunger Challenge is this week - September 20-26. Try it for a week or even just a day. More than 35 million people in our country live on a food stamp budget – can you? If you'd like to join the Hunger Challenge, email us at: HungerChallenge@SFFB.org.

Can't take the Hunger Challenge? Consider making a donation to help us feed the 150,000 people in San Francisco who are unsure where their next meal is coming from. Your $20 donation allows us to provide $180 worth of groceries!

CBS5 Reporter Sue Kwon Joins the Hunger Challenge

2009-09-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

CBS5 ConsumerWatch reporter Sue Kwon took the Hunger Challenge and reported about her experiences. Here are links to her stories:
~Monday (noon): Sue describes the Hunger Challenge
~Monday (6 pm): A look at hunger stats; Sue's shopping trip with Hunger Challenge blogger Amy Sherman and her first day eating for just $4
~Tuesday: Shopping with a food stamp recipient and info on food stamp requirements
~Wednesday: What it feels like on the Hunger Challenge, plus viewer comments
~Thursday: San Francisco Food Bank grocery pantries, recipes with Amy
~Friday: The Tyson donation arrives!

We're thrilled - and very grateful - that Sue and CBS5 made such a big commitment to shining a light on hunger in San Francisco!
[In the photo above, Sue shops for the Challenge with veteran Hunger Challenge blogger Amy Sherman; below, all the food Sue had to eat for a week.]

Tips, Recipes and Blog Posts from Last Year

2009-09-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

Click on the link below for a complete listing of all the blog posts published by last year's Hunger Challenge bloggers. You'll find tips, shopping lists, recipes and lots of observations about living on a limited food budget:

2008 Hunger Challenge blogger posts

To see a compilation of all the recipes created by last year's Hunger Challenge bloggers, go here:

2008 Hunger Challenge recipes

The politics of food stamps - a great reading list

2009-08-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Maria Niles of PopConsumer just posted her first 2009 Hunger Challenge blog entry (she's getting a big headstart!). Maria comes at the Challenge from her perspective as a political activist, so for a great reading list of blogs and articles related to hunger and food politics, see her posting on BlogHer: How To Use Hunger To Fuel Political Activism.

Some Food Stamp Facts

2009-08-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

Nearly 34 million people in the U.S. received food stamps in April 2009, up about 20% over April 2008.
Approximately 2.5 million Californians (1 million households) receive food stamps each month. That is expected to increase to 2.8 million Californians (1.15 million households) over the next few months.
In California, a single person is eligible to receive food stamps, only if their yearly gross income is $14,079 or less. A 2-person household is eligible only if they make $18,941 or less. And a family of 4 can't have more than $28,665 in income. So in San Francisco, where the cost of living is particularly high, there are many people scraping by on extremely low incomes who still aren't eligible for food stamps.
Food stamps are officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the benefit is now distributed on swipe cards that can be used at the grocery store. Though in California, it's not exactly a "snap" to get food stamps. The state makes it so difficult to get the benefit, that it ranks last in the entire country in the number of eligible people who are actually receiving food stamps.
The government estimates that for every $1 of food stamp money spent in California, it generates $1.85 in business for the state's economy. Even more reason to make sure all those eligible receive the benefits.

Food Stamp Users Hit Record High of 33.8 Million

2009-07-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

"It was the fifth straight month of record participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [the official government name for what most people know as the food stamp program], according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, up 1.8 percent from the prior month," Bloomberg reported this week. "Total spending was $4.5 billion, up 19 percent from the previous all-time high reached in March, the USDA said."

2.7 million Californians receive food stamps, second only to the number who receive them in Texas. The average monthly benefit for an individual rose 17 percent from March, to $133.28 - or $1.43 per meal (based on a 31-day month).

Read the entire story here.

ABC Starts $15 Meal "Dare"

2009-04-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

The hosts of Good Morning America are challenging chefs to create meals from $15 bags of groceries - though they also get to add ingredients from a well-stocked pantry. Sounds like a luxury, compared to $1 per person per meal, doesn't it? Here's a video showing Emeril Lagasse's "Dare" meal.

Food Stamp Usage Hits New High

2009-04-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

There are more food stamp recipients in the U.S. than ever before - 32 million.

The Hunger Challenge

2008-11-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco Food Bank challenged food bloggers to spend just $21 on food for an entire week. That's the average amount a food stamp recipient has to spend. Read about their experiences in the posts below.

U.S. Food Stamp Recipients Hit All-Time High

2008-11-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Here's alarming news about hunger in the U.S. and a record number of people in need.

Jane Black writes Nov. 26, in the Washington Post:

Fueled by rising unemployment and food prices, the number of Americans on food
stamps is poised to exceed 30 million for the first time this month, surpassing
the historic high set in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina...Breaking the
symbolically important 30-million mark comes on the heels of government data
that showed that 11.9 million people went hungry in America at some point last
year. That included nearly 700,000 children, up more than 50% from the year
before.

Tyson Donation Arrives!

2008-10-31T15:56:00.000-07:00

On October 29, a Tyson truck pulled up to the San Francisco Food Bank with 35,000 pounds of chicken, thanks to the Hunger Challenge!

Hunger Challenge bloggers Amy Sherman (Cooking with Amy) and Faith Kramer (Blog Appetit) were interviewed by two TV news stations, along with Ed Nicholson of Tyson and Paul Ash of SF Food Bank. This was SF Food Bank's share of the 200,000 pounds Tyson donated to six Bay Area Food Banks. Read all about it here - and check out the slide show to the left.

Hunger Challenge Recipes

2008-10-13T15:34:00.001-07:00

Some very talented recipe developers took the San Francisco Food Bank's Hunger Challenge, spending just $3 a day per person for all their food. How did they do it? Here are some of their recipes:

Hunger Challenge Green Pea Pesto
Recipe by Amy Sherman, of Cooking with Amy

The Hunger Challenge is a chance to try and walk a mile in someone else's shoes, to see what the experience of eating on a limited budget is all about. In this case that means spending no more than $1 per meal, per person. Succeed or fail, I know I will learn a lot from this experience and the recipes I develop will go to the San Francisco Food Bank as a resource for their clients. My goal is to come up with recipes that are easy, delicious, nutritious and fit the budget. If they are quick to prepare, so much the better.

Frozen organic green peas seemed like a bargain. But what could I do with them? I had hoped to come up with a kind of sandwich filling but ended up with a creamy sauce for pasta. It's actually pretty tasty and is perfect for those times when the cupboard is bare, because it uses mostly pantry staples. Surprisingly this ended up being my easiest, fastest and cheapest meal, and one I know I will make again.

Hunger Challenge Green Pea Pesto with Pasta
56¢ per serving

1 cup frozen organic green peas, 75¢
2 cloves garlic, 5¢
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 36¢
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, 42¢
(note: recipe makes 5 servings of sauce)

1 cup, about 2 ounces penne pasta 24¢

Roughly chop the garlic. In a small saucepan combine the garlic and green peas with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat then lower the heat to simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until peas are cooked through and garlic is no longer raw. Drain the peas, reserving the water. Place the peas and olive oil in the blender and blend, adding just enough water to make a smooth paste, about 1 tablespoon. Combine mixture with parmesan cheese. Serve 2 tablespoons of sauce over each serving of penne pasta.

Hunger Challenge Chili
Recipe by Faith Kramer, of Blog Appetit

“I’m hungry.”When one of my kids whines that he needs to eat, maybe I grumble about having to deal with it, but I can turn to my stocked fridge, overflowing fruit bowl, full extra freezer or packed pantry and get him something to snack on or make him a meal. My only thought is what to serve and if it will spoil his dinner.When a family is on food stamps it’s just not that easy. Very often the cupboard may be bare; whatever food is available needs to portioned out to make it through the month and to be honest, you hope there’s enough for dinner. And based on my experience this week, I bet there aren’t a whole lot of snacks, treats or even fruit in the house when all you can count on for food is $21 a person a week in food stamps. And portions will be smaller than you are probably used to.

Hunger Challenge Chili

This makes a mild, flavorful chili that reheats beautifully. Look for low-cost chili powder in ethnic food sections of supermarkets, at grocery discount outlets and dollar stores, or buy just as much spice as you need by the ounce at stores that carry bulk spices.

The recipe can, of course, be halved, if you don't need 12 servings. Feel free to substitute other types of beans and ground turkey or chicken for the beef. Up the jalapenos, garlic cloves and/or chili powder for more of a bite.

To see how the chili fits into the overall menu for the week, click here.

For more about the Hunger Challenge, my participation, and how to donate, click here.

1 pound of dried pinto beans, soaked overnight, water drained and then cooked with fresh water. (Approximately six cups of cooked beans)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 cup chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-4 jalapenos (I used red ones), seeded for milder kick if desired, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 can (28-32 ounces) of diced, peeled tomatoes with juices
2 plus cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the pinto beans. Set aside.In a large pot, add the oil and heat over medium high heat. Sauté the beef, using spoon or spatula to break up any clumps. Cook until browned but not cooked through. (Work in batches if all the meat doesn't fit or if it doesn't seem to be browning. If the pan is too crowded the meat will steam rather than brown.) Remove to a plate or bowl and set aside. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of drippings out of pan. Heat on medium high, when a bit of onion sizzles immediately on contact with the oil, add the chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion are beginning to turn golden brown. Add the garlic and the jalapenos, cook, stirring often, until the garlic is beginning to turn golden. Add the carrots and celery pieces, cook for a minute or two, stirring often. Add the chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute. Add diced tomato with juices and 2 cups of water. Mix well. Cover and let come to simmer (not quite boiling). Add meat with any liquids it may have exuded, stir well. Cover and return to simmer. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes until meat is cooked through and flavors well combined. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste and additional chili powder if desired. Add additional water if needed. With cover off, return to simmer and let cook a few more minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

I served the chili with rice, with a bit of grated cheese on top. I also used it as a topping for baked potatoes. It would also be good with tortillas or pasta. Or use a half portion and scramble with eggs and tortilla chips for a kind of chilaquiles. Or try it with cornmeal to make a tamale casserole.

Hunger Challenge Pinto Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach
Recipe by Vanessa Barrington

Sorry about the not nice photo. It might not look it, but this was the best tasting and most filling recipe I’ve made yet for the Hunger Challenge. It didn’t leave me wishing for something else to eat immediately and was super simple to make.

I also believe that it has literally the most nutritional bang for the buck of any of my Hunger Challenge creations. You’ve got greens in the form of spinach, protein, minerals and fiber in the beans, and beta-carotene, fiber, and other good things in the sweet potatoes. I thought it would be boring and might need herbs or lemon juice or something but it was really tasty with just salt and pepper. And a tablespoon of oil was the only fat. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Hunger Challenge Pinto Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach
Serves 5 (.75 cents per serving)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound dried pinto beans, soaked for 4-8 hours and drained
3/4 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
10 ounces frozen spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes) Add the beans and water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cover partially. Cook until nearly soft, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary. (depending on the age of the beans, this can be anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours) Once the beans begin to soften, add salt a little at a time until the beans are salty enough for your taste. Add the sweet potatoes and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and cook to thaw and wilt, stirring occasionally. Adjust water quantity, and salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Hunger Challenge Brasato al Barolo - Hold the Barolo
(aka Braised Beef and Vegetables)
Recipe by Gayle Keck

I wanted to make a braised dish with the stew meat, and knew it would have to spend several hours in the oven before I’d get to dig in. The fact is, cooking cheap takes more time. You have to use tougher cuts of meat and make things from scratch. It’s like having a second job (and a lot of low-income people already work two jobs). My stew meat, now two days past its sell-by date (the reason I got it at a 30% discount), was a little grey around the edges, so I needed to use it - fast. Best case, I would have made this dish ahead of time over the weekend, but my schedule didn’t cooperate.

I vaguely followed my favorite Epicurious recipe for Brasato al Barolo – hold the Barolo. Subconsciously, I think I was constructing an "umami bomb," as Jean-Georges Vongerichten is fond of calling it (I'd like to see him cook for $1 a meal!). Mushrooms, tomatoes, browned meat (and the original recipe didn’t even call for mushrooms). Maybe I was trying to make something so savory, my hunger fears would be quelled.

Hunger Challenge Brasato al Barolo - Hold the Barolo
(aka Braised Beef and Vegetables)
Makes approximately 8 1-cup servings, $0.85 per serving ($1.04 with pasta)

1½ pounds well-trimmed beef stew meat or other budget beef cuts
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes with basil & garlic
2/3 of a large (12-oz) can of tomato paste
1/3 pound carrots (about 5 medium carrots)
1/2 of a medium yellow onion
2 tablespoons bacon grease
8 oz fresh mushrooms
4 cloves garlic
4 (4- to 6-inch) sprigs fresh thyme2 (6- to 8-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary
3 cups water
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Dice carrots and onion. Cut mushrooms in half, then slice. Peel and slice garlic. If meat isn’t cut into stew-sized chunks, cut and trim it. Melt bacon grease in a large, oven-safe pot over medium-high heat and brown meat in two batches. Set meat aside in covered bowl.

Sauté carrots and onion in remaining fat (add additional bacon grease, if needed to prevent sticking) for 10-12 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Add mushrooms, garlic and herbs; sauté 3-4 more minutes, until mushrooms are softened.

Stir in tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the diced tomatoes and their juice. Return meat and all its juices to the pot. Add water, stir well and bring to a simmer.

Cover pot and place in oven. Cook for 2.5 hours, or until meat is falling apart. Remove from oven and take out and discard stems of herbs. Break up meat with a large fork, pancake turner or potato masher. If sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered on stovetop until it reduces to the consistency of a thick, hearty pasta sauce.

Serve over whole-grain pasta or soft polenta.

Hunger Challenge Pinwheel Pizza
Recipe by Lisa Barnes, of Petit Appetit

Usually when I make pizza I also serve an antipasti of different veggies and dips and fancy olives and marinated mushrooms. Not today. Luckily I figure out I can make a salad if I buy bagged organic spinach and use it for the pizza and salad. Also I have my olives from lunch that I didn’t use, so I’m not wasting…

An interesting thing happened when we sat down for dinner.

My son: “Is this dinner?”

Me: “Yes, why do you ask?”

Son: “Well we usually have more things. You only have 2, the pizza wheels and the salad.”

I explained to him about the challenge and how people who don’t have much money don’t have much food or choices when eating. We’ve talked about how lucky we are to have food and clothing and toys and how others are not as lucky. He seemed to understand when we donate clothing, toys and canned goods throughout the year, however this was more real. When he asked for his and his sister’s frozen berries after dinner and I explained in a home where this was all the food for the day I’d have to say “no, I’m sorry, maybe tomorrow” - he understood. The idea on not having enough to eat and going hungry or without himself was a powerful lesson. But I did give him and his sister the berries.

Hunger Challenge Pinwheel Pizza
Makes 8 pieces, serves a family of 4

1 pound whole wheat pizza dough½ to ¾ cup favorite jarred tomato sauce¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese½ cup fresh organic baby spinach leaves2 tablespoons chopped black olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch-round metal baking pan.

Roll dough out into a rectangle shape, about 10 x 12 inches. Spread sauce on top. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with spinach leaves (kids can help arrange) and sprinkle with olives.

Starting with shorter end, roll dough into a tube, with all sauce and toppings inside. You may have to lengthen and even out the dough roll. Carefully transfer roll to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make hard quick crosswise cuts to slice through dough, preventing dough from mashing and sauce spilling out. Cut log in half, then each half in half, then each quarter in half again, so you have 8 equal pieces.

Reshape dough wheels and arrange in baking pan, leaving about ½ to 1 inch between each wheel, so they can expand and rise and push into each other when they bake. Sprinkle wheels with remaining cheese. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and dough is cooked. Carefully remove each wheel from the pan with a spatula or pie server.

Pasta Fagioli: Hunger Challenge Recipe
Recipe by Amy Sherman, of Cooking with Amy

No question, I learned what frugal cooking was all about in Italy the land of "la cucina povera." Soups and salads made from stale bread, beans, pasta with nothing but olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese and the most microscopic portions of meat were all part of my Tuscan diet. But I ate extremely well. I also learned many ways to cook beans. They don't call the Florentines "mangiafagioli" or bean eaters, for nothing. Could this dish be made with heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo and bacon from the Fatted Calf? Absolutely and it would still be a very cheap meal, though not quite $1 per person cheap.

Pasta Fagioli
$1.98 for 2 healthy servings

1 cup pinto beans, 50¢
2 slices bacon 30¢
1/2 onion 17¢
2 cloves garlic 5¢
1 cup macaroni, 11¢
1 bouillon cube 14¢
7 ounces canned diced tomatoes, 50¢
1 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese 21¢

Soak the beans in 3 cups of water in a saucepan overnight (or boil for 2 minutes, cover then allow to soak for one hour). Drain the water then add 3 more cups of fresh water. Bring water to a boil then lower heat simmer beans, covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until almost tender and set aside. Chop the bacon, onions and finely mince the garlic. In a large saucepan cook the bacon over medium heat until almost crisp. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic, tomatoes and bouillon. Stir to combine, add the beans, their liquid, adding more water if necessary, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the macaroni and cook until pasta is done, about 10-15 minutes. Taste and add salt to your taste. Ladle into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

Rude awakening:

* I had to be very stingy with the parmesan cheese to stay within the budget

* This soup is simple, but can be made richer with additions like celery, carrots, and herbs such as rosemary but not for $1 per serving

Hunger Challenge Recipe: Cabbage and Potato Casserole
Recipe by Vanessa Barrington

I like to think I have an ancestral way with cabbage due to my Slavic genes. For this recipe I challenged myself to use some of the items the food bank gets a lot of in one dish—namely cabbage, carrot pieces, onions, and cottage cheese. Sounds like a casserole in the making to me! So here we go with Cabbage and Potato Casserole. And it turns out this dish was very comforting and quite tasty, and makes a great lunch the next day if you have leftovers.
Only problem: it’s expensive because it needs eggs to bind it and the cottage cheese is expensive when you purchase it at the grocery store. Also I felt that if there was ever a good use for 2 precious slices of bacon, this was it. And, it doesn’t matter where you shop, bacon is expensive!

It came out to 84 cents a serving, so it’s under the $1 limit. But really, is that 16 cents going to get you a salad or anything really substantial to accompany this dish? Not really. This is when you just have to go to bed early to forget how hungry and unsatisfied you are.

Hunger Challenge Recipe: Cabbage and Potato Casserole
Serves 6, $0.84 cents a serving

1/2 pound potatoes
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 slices bacon, diced
1/2 pound onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 cups green cabbage, chopped
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated Jack or cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

If the potatoes are small, leave them whole, otherwise, cut them into quarters or halves. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the potatoes. Simmer the potatoes until tender and remove with a slotted spoon. Add the chopped carrot pieces to the boiling water and cook them until tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the bacon until all the fat is rendered but it has not yet started to brown. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and a pinch of salt and sauté until thoroughly wilted. Add the potato pieces and the carrots, stirring and breaking up the potatoes into smaller pieces with the edge of a spoon. Transfer to an 8 by 8 inch casserole dish.

Whisk the cottage cheese into the beaten egg and add salt and pepper. Pour it over the casserole and top with the grated Jack or cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until the eggs are set and the top is beginning to brown. Cool slightly before cutting into portions and serve immediately.

12-Serving Hunger Challenge Soup
Recipe by Faith Kramer, of Blog Appetit

This may have been the least expensive meal/dish for my week of menus for the San Francisco Food Bank Hunger Challenge. Developed mainly to provide a quick, nourishing, light lunch, this 12-serving pot of vegetable soup goes a long way into stretching the $21 per person per week food stamp allowance. To make it a heartier meal, trying serving with a slice of bread or adding a half cup of cooked rice or beans to a bowl before ladling in the hot soup. One idea I had since I had a few extra eggs in my food allowance was to serve the soup hot with a poached or fried egg on top of it sprinkled with lots of black pepper. (I’ve had some French-style vegetable soups served this way and have always enjoyed them.) I used all of my pound of two-percent cheddar cheese, otherwise I would have served the soup with a bit of grated cheese on top. My husband enjoyed his soup with a splash of hot sauce. Since this recipe makes 12 servings, it formed the basis of three meals for my family, so a little variety in how it was served was very much appreciated.To see how this soup fits in my Hunger Challenge menu, click here. For about my participation in this event, including how to donate, click here.Of course, if you don't need 12 servings of vegetable soup, the recipe can be easily divided in half or even thirds.12-Serving

Hunger Challenge Vegetable Soup

Feel free to vary your soup to reflect what you have on hand and your family’s taste. You may want to double the garlic and/or jalapeno if your family likes bolder flavors. Using the seasoned tomatoes and the optional spices will also add some more zip.

1 tablespoon canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions1 red jalapeno, minced. I used red since that's what I had, but green works, too. (Seed it if you prefer a milder soup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 cups (1 quart) of chicken or vegetable broth or water (using the broth will add a lot more flavor, but you can use plain water or water with chicken or vegetarian boullion cubes if you prefer)
8 cups (2 quarts) of water
1 ½ pounds of russet (baking) potato (about 4 small), chopped into ¾ to 1” cubes
1 lb of green cabbage, chopped (this was a bit less than half of my 2.36 pound specimen)
1-14-16 ounce can of stewed or diced tomatoes with juice (preferably the kind with Italian or Mexican seasoning)
½ lb of frozen (no need to defrost) or cooked fresh chopped spinach or other greens
1 teaspoon of either Italian seasoning OR oregano OR 1 tablespoon curry powder, (optional)
2-3 cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add onions, fry, stirring occasionally until just lightly golden brown. Add the minced pepper and the garlic. Fry, stirring often until garlic is golden. (Add a few tablespoons of water if the vegetables begin to stick or burn.) Add carrots and celery, and continue to fry stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Add the chicken broth and the 8 cups of water. Stir well, being sure to loosen and stir into the mixture any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes and spinach. (If using stewed tomatoes, break them into small pieces in the pan with your cooking spoon or spatula.) Mix well, bring mixture to a simmer, lower heat to medium low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes have softened but are not falling apart (about 30-40 minutes but the time will vary greatly, so you'll need to keep checking). Add 2-3 cups of water to the pot as needed and return to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer a few more minutes. (Please don’t add the salt before. The broth or the boullion can be salty and the potatoes can really absorb seasonings so you won’t know how much salt you need until towards the end of the cooking.) Can be made ahead and reheated, although the soup may have thickened and you may need to add some more water when reheating.

Makes 12 servings, 1½ cups each. Variation: For a thicker, more potage-like soup, puree about half in a blender or food processor in batches once the soup has cooled.

Mushroom Barley Risotto: Hunger Challenge Recipe
Recipe by Amy Sherman, of Cooking with Amy

This is a recipe I originally made for a friend who was allergic to just about everything. It's an adaptation of a Bon Appetit recipe. She liked it a lot and so it became a regular addition to my repertoire. It tastes a bit like mushroom barley soup and makes a great vegetarian meal with a salad and a glass of wine, but none of those extras fit on the Hunger Challenge budget!

Mushroom Barley Risotto
$2.00 for 2 servings

1 bouillon cube 14¢
1 teaspoon Smart Balance 3¢ (substitute butter or oil, as desired)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion 13¢
2 cups water, or more as needed
1/2 cup pearl barley, 25¢
1/4 lb pound mushrooms, sliced $1
1 garlic clove, minced 2.5¢
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan, 42¢

Melt Smart Balance in large nonstick pot over low heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushroom and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Add barley and toast in the pan for 1-2 minutes, then add water and bouillon; bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Cook until barley is tender but still "al dente", about 45 minutes adding more water as necessary. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of each serving.Observations:I really enjoyed this meal, so many budget meals are soup or pasta, this was chewy and meaty and satisfying. While the original recipe calls for fresh thyme, it was flavorful without it. A smaller serving would make a nice side dish for a grilled pork chop. I was pleased that it came in right on budget.

Hunger Challenge Mujaddara
Recipe by Vanessa Barrington

Hunger Challenge Mujaddara
4 to 6 servings, $0.32 to $0.45 cents per serving

2 large yellow onions, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup regular green lentils
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
Salt

Dice one-half of one of the onions and slice the remaining onions very thinly.

In a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid, over medium high heat, warm one tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the diced onion and stir while cooking until it begins to brown. Add the lentils and rice, along with 3 cups of water and a healthy pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 or 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown and super caramelized. You truly want them on the verge of burnt. This is what gives the dish flavor. This will take about the same amount of time as the lentils and rice will take to cook.

When the rice and lentils are tender, turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes to steam. Serve with the caramelized onions on top.

Hunger Challenge Chicken Stew
Recipe by Faith Kramer, of Blog Appetit

This recipe is part of the San Francisco Food Bank’s Hunger Challenge. It was created for a menu of meals for a family of four costing $21 a person for the week (how much a food stamp recipient would receive.) Ingredients in the stew depended on what sales and values I could find primarily at a local chain supermarket and an independent grocery discount outlet.

For about my participation in the Hunger Challenge, my shopping list, other bloggers participating in the challenge and how to support the San Francisco or your local food bank, please click here.

Since didn’t figure out the cost per serving of every meal I cooked since I knew overall for the week I was on budget, but I do estimate that this stew cost about 85 cents a serving. (I have to say that this stew didn't know it was on a budget, it tasted full-flavored and was very satisfying.)
I paid $1.99 for fresh, boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If those are not a good value in your area, feel free to substitute other cuts or meats. One tip, check the freezer case. Sometimes frozen chicken and meat can be a much better value than fresh.A word about seasoning. Many dried spices and herbs are relatively expensive, so with the exception of chili powder for my chili (more about that in another post), I made them optional. Use them if you already own them.

If you want the punch and flavor of a seasoning, for the best value, skip your supermarket spice aisle and look in the ethnic food section, were there are significant savings. Or buy just a tablespoon or two from stores (such as some Whole Foods) that sell bulk spices and herbs. The spices are usually cheaper to begin with, they are often fresher and since you can buy just the little bit you need, they are much easier on the budget. The discount grocery outlet was a great resource for most common seasonings, having small bottles of spices, herbs and seasoning mixtures for about 50 cents. (I did assume families had salt and pepper, though.) Adding flavor and seasoning helps make the food more enjoyable and add some variety into what is by the very constraints of the food stamp program not a very variable diet.

I wanted the food I made on the challenge to not only be filling and nutritious but also as tasty and satifsfying as I could make it.I couldn’t find a way to work fresh parsley, cilantro, basil and/or mint into the weekly food budget, however, and missed the dash of color, texture and taste they add to a dish. I compensated by using fresh onion, garlic and red jalapeno peppers, all relatively inexpensive and big flavor boosters. For example, the peppers cost me 20 cents for 10 of them.In this dish I choose tomatoes that already had Italian seasoning such as basil added to help pump up the taste. You could also use Mexican, traditional (with bell pepper) or plain in the recipe.

If eight servings is way too much for you, the recipe works well the amounts cut in half.

Hunger Challenge Chicken Stew
Makes Eight Servings

While this was good the first night, the second night it tasted even better. You can pump up the flavor by using more garlic and/or jalapeno peppers. I served it over rice. Other serving options are listed below.

Kitchen Note: Peeling is optional. I generally don’t peel vegetables I’m going to cook, I just wash them well. So I didn’t peel the carrots or potatoes. And I also didn’t core the cabbage; I just made sure the denser core pieces were thoroughly chopped.

2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ¾” to 1” cubes
½ cup of chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red jalapeno pepper, minced (seed the pepper for a milder flavor)
2 large carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
16 ounces of chicken stock (store bought) or water
1 teaspoon of dried, ground herbs, spice or seasoning mix, optional. (Try Italian seasoning or maybe oregano.)
1 lb baking potatoes (about 3 small), cut into cubes about ¾”
¾ of a pound of green cabbage, chopped (That’s a little less than a third of a medium large head of cabbage.)
1-14.5 ounce can of Italian, Mexican, traditional or plain stewed tomatoes with juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, add the oil and heat over medium high. Brown the chicken cubes, working in batches if necessary so they brown, not steam. Stir them so they don’t burn or stick to the pan. When browned but still raw on the inside, remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate.Add onions to the pot, stir in the onions and fry, stirring frequent until they begin to turn a light golden brown. Add the minced garlic and jalapeno and continue to stir and fry until the garlic as turned a light golden brown. Add the carrots and celery pieces, and continue to fry for a few minutes, stirring often. Add the broth or water, stir well, being sure to scrape up and incorporate any little browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the optional seasoning, the potato cubes and the chopped cabbage. Stir well.

Once the mixture returns to a simmer or very low boil, turn the heat to low and cover the pot. Stir the mixture frequently. Once the potatoes have begun to soften (about 20-40 minutes), add the stewed tomatoes with their juices. Using your cooking spoon or spatula, break up the stewed tomatoes into smaller pieces. Stir to combine and then add the brown chicken pieces with any liquid they may have released on the plate. Stir well. Cover, return to a simmer, stirring occasionally and making sure the mixture doesn't reach a full boil, until the potatoes and chicken are cooked through. Taste.

Add salt and pepper to taste. If the stew has gotten too thick or if you would just like it soupier, add some water, stir well and return to a simmer once more before serving.Makes eight, one-cup servings. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, polenta or noodles.
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About the photo: Every house should have a chicken (stew) in a pot. Boy, did I miss that green bling parsley would have brought to this photo!

Lentil & Mustard Greens Soup: Hunger Challenge Recipe
Recipe by Amy Sherman, of Cooking with Amy

I was really optimistic that I could make a successful lentil soup on a budget. I was pretty sure it would be tasty and it took very little time to make. It was filling and healthy and comforting. Lee said it was delicious. I used 2 bouillon cubes to try and get flavor into the soup, but what it really needed was spices and a bit of lemon juice. Some aromatics like carrots and celery would have been good too, but I was afraid it would push me over budget.

Hunger Challenge Lentil & Mustard Greens Soup
Total: $1.81 for 2 servings

8 ounces lentils 62.5¢
2 bouillon cube 28¢
1/2 organic onion 17¢
1 clove garlic 2.5¢ 5 cups water
1 Tablespoon Smart Balance 9¢ (you could use butter or oil)
5 ounces, frozen mustard greens 62¢

Chop the onions and garlic. Heat a large saucepan and add the Smart Balance. When melted, add the onions and cook stirring for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic, water, bouillon cube and lentils. Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 25 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and mash some of the lentils using a potato masher, add more water if necessary and the mustard greens. Heat through and serve. Rude awakening:* I stayed just under budget, but there was no money for salad or a glass of wine, let alone dessert.

Hunger Challenge Cabbage and Rice Soup
Recipe by Vanessa Barrington

Here’s the first official recipe for the San Francisco Food Bank Hunger Challenge. I’m trying as much as possible to use the commonly available food bank ingredients listed here at the bottom of the page.

This simple soup is inspired by one of Marcella Hazan’s that includes rice and escarole and little else. I’ve upped the onions and added carrots and used a bouillon cube instead of homemade stock. This recipe comes in at 54 cents per serving, but the servings are small and you’re going to need some bread and perhaps a piece of fruit for dessert so there’s your $1 per person per meal. This really isn’t easy. Though the nutrients are fairly balanced, there’s not enough protein in this meal and a person doing physical labor is likely going to want more to eat than this.

Hunger Challenge Cabbage and Rice Soup
Serves 4, $0.54 cents a serving

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots (about 1 medium carrot)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 cups chopped green cabbage
4 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/3 cup white rice
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for serving

In a medium pot, over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots and cabbage along with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is wilted. Add the water and the bouillon cube and stir to dissolve. Bring to a simmer and add the rice. Cover partially, and cook for 15 minutes until the rice is cooked through. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Hunger Challenge Spaghetti Frittata
Recipe by Vanessa Barrington

Hunger Challenge Spaghetti Frittata
Serves 4 (exact cost unknown)

This is a good recipe for using leftover odds and ends in your refrigerator. You could use cooked broccoli or any kind of vegetable and any kind of cheese you have.

1 tablespoon butter or oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
4 to 5 mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 small zucchini, grated
2 cups leftover cooked linguini or spaghetti
1/2 cup grated cheese
4 eggs, beaten

In a nonstick pan, sauté onions and garlic in butter or oil. Add mushrooms and a little salt and pepper. Sauté until beginning to brown. Add zucchini and more salt and pepper. Add pasta Stir and arrange evenly in the pan with the spoon.

Sprinkle cheese on top of the spaghetti, distributing it evenly. Pour in eggs with a little more salt and pepper. Lift the spaghetti cake and tilt the pan so the uncooked egg runs underneath. Do this a few times until the egg is mostly set, turn down the heat and cover the pan until the egg is completely cooked. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Asian Sauté & Food Bank Fried Rice
Recipes by Faith Kramer, of Blog Appetit

As part of my participation in the Hunger Challenge I tried to add variety and convenience into a budget that only allowed for $1 a day per meal per person.

I’m told some of the basics San Francisco Food Bank customers often receive are onions, carrots, rice and cabbage. I’ve put them to work in this recipe, however, even if you had to pay for those ingredients, the recipes still cost out at a $1 per serving or less. You can see my shopping list, my other recipes, how this fits into my week’s menu, how to donate to your local food bank, and more by clicking here.

First up, make the sauté and rice. Leftover rice and sauté will be used with some other basic ingredients to make the Food Bank Fried Rice.

This is family dinner fare with an Asian flare; the techniques and seasonings are simplified to keep costs and prep time down a bit. If you have some Chinese or Japanese chili or sesame oil handy, you could mix in a teaspoon or to taste a minute or so before the sauté finishes cooking. Another nice addition would be a sprinkle of freshly minced cilantro or green onions on top the finished sauté and fried rice dishes. A good add-on to the stir fried veggies would be a chopped red bell pepper. I couldn’t “afford” any of these additions on my Hunger Challenge “budget” however. Even without the extras my 17-year-old son couldn’t believe these dishes were part of the Hunger Challenge because, according to him, they looked and tasted like something I would “normally” serve.

Some other suggestions: You could substitute a few packs of the soy sauce that comes with takeout Chinese food (if you have some) and save buying the soy sauce. For the lowest cost soy sauce, look in Asian grocery stores. These grocery stores often have very reasonably priced produce and meats. If you have access to one it might be a way to save a bit on food costs when you shop.

Asian Sauté

Note: Use whatever green vegetable you have on hand. My menu had a half pound of frozen chopped broccoli left so I would use that. I’ve also made it with snap peas and green beans. Use what is cost effective and tasty for you.

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” cubes
½ cup chopped onion
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 small hot red jalapeno or Serrano chili peppers (seeded if you prefer milder), chopped
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons peeled, minced ginger (you’ll need a piece of ginger approx. 1” long and 2 inches wide)
2 medium carrots, shredded or chopped into small pieces (larger ones will take too long to cook)About a third of a pound of green cabbage, shredded or chopped
½ pound green vegetables, fresh or frozen, chopped; if using frozen, do not defrost (see note)
1 package (14 to 16 ounces) firm or extra firm tofu, rinsed, drained and cut into 1” cubes
16 ounces of chicken broth or water2 tablespoons soy sauce or more to taste

Heat the oil in a large fry or sauté pan or a wok until a bit of onion sizzles when it is dropped in. Working in batches if necessary so as not to overcrowd the pan, brown the chicken pieces. When browned on all sides, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Add in onion and sauté or stir fry until it begins to turn golden brown and soften. Add the garlic, peppers and ginger and fry, stirring often, until garlic begins to color. Add carrots and cook, stirring often for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add cabbage and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften and wilt. Add the chopped green vegetable, and mix well to combine, stirring often as the mixture cooks.

Add in tofu and the browned chicken with any juices the chicken may have exuded. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often so tofu doesn’t stick but picks up a little color. (Add some of the broth or water if you need to prevent the tofu from sticking.) Add chicken broth and the soy sauce, cook, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through and the liquid has cooked down to make a sauce that just covers the bottom of the pan. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed.

The recipe makes about six cups. Reserve two cups of the sauté mixture for the fried rice recipe. Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each of the sauté. Serve on top of rice. (Note: you’ll need at least four cups of leftover rice for the fried rice recipe, so make plenty. Generally 1 ½ cups of raw rice will make about 4 cups of cooked rice, but check your package for specific quantities.)

Next, make the Food Bank Fried Rice. (One tip -- I made it the same night after dinner. The rice had cooled and the pan was dirty already, anyway. The fried rice reheated just fine in the microwave the next night. Or you can reheat in a large fry pan with a bit of oil or water.)
Food Bank Fried Rice

Note: To prep the leftover rice for this recipe, spread it out on plates or in a baking dish so the grains don’t stick together as much as it cools. Once it has cooled to room temperature you can go ahead and make the fried rice or store the rice in a container or storage bag in the refrigerator. Let the chilled rice come to room temperature before using.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red jalapeno or serrano chili pepper, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 eggs
2 cups leftover Asian Sauté
4-5 cups leftover cooled rice
3 tablespoons of soy sauce or more to taste

Heat the oil in a large fry or sauté pan or a wok until a bit of onion sizzles when it is dropped in. Add in onion and sauté or stir fry until it begins to turn golden brown and soften. Add the garlic and peppers and fry, stirring often, until garlic begins to color. Add celery and cook, stirring often for a few minutes until they begin to soften.

Break the eggs into a small bowl or cup and beat well. Drizzle the beaten egg slowly into the vegetable mixture, letting the eggs rest about 20 seconds until they just begin to set, then quickly stirring hard and thoroughly until the eggs resemble strands of cooked scrambled eggs mixed throughout.

Add leftover sauté and cook, stirring often, until chicken is beginning to warm through. Add a few tablespoons of water if need to prevent the mixture from sticking. Stir in the rice, breaking up any clumps and incorporating into chicken and vegetables. Stir in the soy sauce, mix well. Heat until dish is heated through. Makes 4 servings about 1 ½ cups each (using 4 cups of leftover rice).

Thanks to 2,000 Comments, Tyson Donation Goal is Reached!

2008-10-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

In less than a week, 2,000 people visited the Tyson Hunger Relief website and made comments. Each of your comments added 100 pounds of high-protein food to Tyson trucks heading for Bay Area food banks.

We've hit our goal, and much of the 200,000 pounds of food have already arrived. Thanks to everyone who helped us!

Hunger Challenge 2008 Blogger Posts

2008-10-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a complete listing of all the blog posts published by last year's Hunger Challenge bloggers. They include shopping lists, recipes and lots of observations about living on a limited food budget:

The Hunger Challenge - Sept. 21 – 27

2008-09-27T16:20:00.001-07:00

We love our food in San Francisco - but there are thousands of people going hungry every day in this city. The average family living on food stamps has just $1 per person to spend on each meal. Want to help? Here's how:

Participate: Try spending just $3 per day on food or $21 a week, per person. Try it for a week or for just a meal - then write about your experiences.
Create: Post a recipe that costs $1 per person and share it with the Food Bank to benefit our local community.
Donate: Contribute to the Food Bank. Consider contributing the amount of cash you saved by spending only $21 on food for the week. For every $1 donated, the San Francisco Food Bank can provide $9 worth of food to the hungry.
Advocate: Get your readers to take the challenge, too - and urge them to contact their elected officials about hunger issues.
Fill a Plate: Join your fellow bloggers for a volunteer evening at the Food Bank, so you can help put more food on people's plates.

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

2008-09-27T16:19:00.001-07:00

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!

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

2008-09-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

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.

Some Food Stamp Facts

2008-09-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

• 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.

Hunger Challenge Featured on The Kitchn, BlogHer and Tablehopper!

2008-09-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

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!

Recipes from Leah's Pantry & Petit Appetit Cookbook

2008-09-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

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.

The $20 Shopping List

2008-09-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

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

Blog Appetit Fights Hunger

2008-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

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!

Recipe Development Tips

2008-09-05T18:18:00.001-07:00

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!