Food Bloggers Against Hunger

Today, food bloggers across the country have joined together to raise awareness of hunger and food insecurity in the United States that affects 48.8 million Americans. 16.2 million of them are children. Inspired by the new documentary A Place At The Table, a group of food bloggers led by Nicole Gulotta of the Giving Table blog decided to come together to address this issue and work to make a difference. I chose to see what it is like to shop on the average budget for a person on food stamps which amounts to $4 a day per person. In my household, that allotted me $52 for the week.

I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, nor do I have a comfortable savings account or the ability to keep up with latest fashions. But, I make do. I pay all of my bills on time, put gas in the car with no problem and freely shop for quality, organic locally sourced food without a thought. I have been known to dash out of the house to pick up a missing ingredient or splurge on an artisanal product, say, a $13 jar of French mustard. On average, my husband and I spend $200 a week on food.

For us, food is our most important expense. It is medicine and nourishment. We pay now so that we don't have to pay later. For this challenge, it was important that we stayed true to our food philosophy. I wanted to buy quality meat and organic produce mostly from local farmers and I wanted to make wholesome, complete meals.

It took strategy and careful thought. My husband and I had to make a plan. What proteins should we buy? What produce will stretch across several meals? Can we lessen our portion sizes and make more? Here's what my $52 bought me.

I spent $22 at the Davidson Farmer's Market and the remaining $27 at the Healthy Home Market. I went over budget by 65 cents and dug in my purse for the extra change. At both stops, I was forced to make choices.

The chicken I normally purchase at market was too expensive and so were the eggs. I was going to have to purchase the next best choice at the grocery store. After hearing about the challenge, my local farmer ended up discounting my eggs for me. Ground beef was the most economical choice at the farmer's market. Any other cut of meat would've blown the budget and given me less options for complete meals. I also grabbed four sweet potatoes at the farmer's market, but had to put one back after careful consideration. The market was my first stop and I knew I needed to money for other items. I settled for three large sweet potatoes, a giant bundle of bok choi and two pounds of ground beef.

At the local grocery, I found chicken I could afford. Thighs to be exact, which is a cut we cook with often. It's much tastier than boneless, skinless breasts and much easier on the wallet. My husband and I agreed on cabbage for one of our vegetable buys. A whole head can easily produce for three to four meals, from soups to slaws to a tender braise. Green beans were cheap too.

For flavor components, I chose fire roasted tomatoes, Greek yogurt and onions. They can all be applied in numerous ways to add flavor and depth to each meal along with the spices, cooking oils and condiments already in my pantry. I decided that whatever was in my fridge was fair game for the week, but that I could not go out and purchase any more. Here's a look at my kitchen inventory and grocery costs.

Next up was meal planning. We had to determine the best use of each grocery item in order to maximize our food, so we came up with a menu for the week.

The menu allowed us to prepare a few things ahead of time like the egg bake and banana bread (which we will use as both breakfast and a snack) and the carrot soup (which will come in handy for lunch and dinner). We prepped the vegetables for a quick stir-fry, shredded a sweet potato for hash and made the cole slaw. The other items we'll make as we go, but the menu gives us a game plan.

With two foodies in the house, our biggest challenge is mindful consumption. That is, we are going to have to consciously think about portion sizes. For example, even though we technically have enough chicken thighs for three meals, they will be three small meals at one thigh a piece. We'll have to stretch the ground beef over several meals and use our leftovers to cover lunch the next day.

And still, I feel ashamed to even call that a problem.

Sure, living within a constrained budget is challenging, but there are so many other factors to consider for the average American on food stamps- time, access to healthy foods and transportation. There are people who work themselves to the bone to live just above the qualifying line for food assistance and still more who qualify, but cannot access healthy foods because they live in an area devoid of anything but cheap, processed, nutrient deficient foods. It's not their fault.

There are children who believe ketchup is a vegetable and millions who go hungry each day. Food education is part of it, which is why I am using these $52 to demonstrate that healthy meals can be prepared on a budget but there's still more that needs to be done. Federal programs are in danger of being cut and our nation is underfed and hungry for nutritious food.

Private sector programs and charities aren’t enough. The only sustainable solution is for government policies to change, so we must make our voices heard.

I urge you to watch the trailer below and to tell Congress that federal nutrition programs are crucial for hungry children. Click on this link to take action now. In today's world, hunger and obesity stem from the same problem- access to nutritious foods. Let's work to change that today.

To watch the movie in its entirety, check the listings to see if A Place At The Table is playing at a theater near you. If not, the film is available on demand through iTunes and Amazon. Follow the hundreds of other bloggers on Facebook at The Giving Table and on Twitter by following the has tag #takeyourplace. Want to learn more about SNAP/Food Stamp Challenges? Head here for more information.

I'll be blogging my recipes throughout the week along with my thoughts as this week's challenge unfolds. I hope you'll follow along and more importantly, take action to end hunger in our nation.