Today actually wasn’t that bad. I’m not sure if it’s my body/stomach compensating or the fact that I had time to cook and make something potentially more substantial – Rosa’s cheap version of Chana Masala. Here’s how it goes.
- Dice 1/3 of 1/2 of a sweet onion. Saute in pan for a few minutes.
- Add entire contents of 15.5 oz can of chick peas. Do not drain.
- Sprinkle liberally with curry powder, red pepper powder, and salt.
- Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the liquid is almost entirely gone.
- Enjoy your $0.86 dish! ($0.69 for the chickpeas, $0.17 for the sixth onion)
It turned out quite tastily, and I plan to make it again, maybe with more onion and a bit of garlic, when I’m done with the challenge. Cheap, easy, and yummy!
I had a lunch meeting at a pizza place and watched my friends eat pizza while I ate half of my chickpeas and half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I was a little jealous then. Then I went to a dining hall for dinner to hang out and use their microwave to heat up my leftover chickpeas. That’s where my jealousy got a little more extreme.
That was my friend AJ’s delectable looking dinner. Look at all the colors! And compare that to the blandness of the oatmeal and bread and ungarnished eggs I’ve been living off of.
I miss fresh fruits and vegetables so much. I’m usually a huge fruit eater. And when I saw another friend carrying a plate full of fresh red pepper slices… it was so hard not to cheat and steal one.
I’m so excited about getting to eat fruit tomorrow. I feel guilty about going back on my regular diet for a day, as it’s totally cheating, but it means I get to eat FRUIT! It’s a bit frightening how much I’m looking forward to it. I’m trying to assuage my guilt by pointing out that it’ll be hard to go fully back on the challenge for Monday, and that I may have hunger pains again on Tuesday after I unacclimate my stomach this weekend. Still, it’s really unfair that I get to turn this Food Stamp thing on and off, while others just have to live it.
I bought a homeless woman a cup of tea today. She asked me for money to buy a cup of coffee, and I told her I wouldn’t give her money, but I would go down to the corner Dunkin’ Donuts with her and buy her a cup. She decided she wanted a cup of tea, so to Dunkin’ Donuts we went. Any guesses as to how much her tea cost?
$1.95. For hot water and a tea bag. That’s what I spent on a day’s worth of food on Day 1! Also, I miss tea, and I’d wish I’d thought to budget it into my week, as it’s a great tummy filler. And I wish I’d bought more cans of chick peas, as they were yummy and pretty filling.
Day 3 food log
8:30 AM breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal ($0.08), 1 tbsp brown sugar ($0.02). And 0.75 oz. peanut butter ($0.06) eaten straight.
12:45 PM lunch: 1/2 of my chickpeas ($0.43), 1/2 a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – see previous days for description – ($0.28), 1 and 1/2 apple ($0.50)
3:00 PM snack: other 1/2 of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich ($0.28)
6:00 PM dinner: other 1/2 of chickpeas ($0.43)
8:00 PM still hungry snack: 1/2 cup oatmeal ($0.08), 1 tbsp brown sugar ($0.02)
Day 3 total: $2.18
Taking the Food Stamp Challenge 