the food stamp experiment (or SNAP goes the budget!)

we've been bouncing around the idea to take the food stamp (now SNAP) challenge and see how we, as a family, would fare.  after visiting our state SNAP site, we've determined that our monthly allotment would be $203.00.  now, the challenge is to come up with menus, a working budget, sticking to that budget, and making sure that we all realize WHY we're undertaking this challenge.  so, instead of just one month, we've decided to finish the year with this experiment.  two months left of the year.  $406.00.  i'm hoping we can make it.  i'll be blogging our attempts at building a budget, shopping, what works, what doesn't work.  my one steadfast rule is NO PREPACKAGED FOODS!  i feel we can eat healthier and better, even on a budget, if we avoid prepackaged garbaged.  and there will be little to no going out for meals.  that will be reserved for a special occasion.  for example, little one's birthday happens to fall during this time frame, as does thanksgiving.  thanksgiving will be done at home, but there will be some sort of going out treat for little one.

wish me luck, and keep checking in to see how we do.  if you have any tips on building a budget, please suggest them.  i'll be scouring the web for ideas, but i'm open to any and all suggestions.  drop me a note to let me know what you think.  the experiment begins on november 1, 2012.

*UPDATE*

after much discussion, hubby has decided we should give this SIX MONTHS to see if it takes.  two months he feels, isn't long enough.  three, we'll just be getting into the groove of things.  six months is what he thinks is good.  he's reserving the option to expand the experiment to one year.    i'm cautiously optimistic of his enthusiasm.  the bread machine is coming out, we'll be needing input on low cost, high nutrition recipes.  i'm hoping there is someone out there that looks at this blog, that might start to follow it, that could actually comment and leave us some information that could be useful.  if you're so inclined, please help!

thanks to flo's V8 diner!

I SURVIVED DISNEY LAND!!  okay, i did indulge in a soft serve cone, but (and this is a very big BUT) at California Adventure, in CarsLand, there is a place called Flo's V8 diner.  if you've seen the movie, you'll truly be AMAZED, no ASTOUNDED by how they recreated the sights and sounds of the movie.  it is really a BLAST!  by the time we got there, we were FAMISHED!!  mac and cheese, with TWO VEGGIES, APPLE RINGS AND GRAPES AND JUICE BOX for little one (how healthy is that???  two veg, two fruit and an additional serving of fruit in a juice box?  I LOVE FLO!)  hubby had turkey dinner with mash and roasted corn medley.  me?  i was in vegetarian HEAVEN!!  no vegan offering, but the vegetarian offering did ROCK!  it was a "tater bake."  it had soy crumbles, bulgar, a nice veggie gravy to pull it together, topped with mash and a slice of veggie cheddar, that could have been replaced by shreds, if you asked me.  roasted corn medley was surprisingly tasty, and a  chive dinner roll (white whole wheat is what they were saying) to round it out.  veggie at an amusement park?  and not a salad?  i was happy.  it was getting cold, and it was time for a nice, warm sit down dinner.  and believe me, a bulgar, mash casserole (which it pretty much amounted to) fit the bill perfectly!

color my mickey ears surprised, happily so.  rock on, Imagineers.  keep up the good work, make more veg offerings for us.  we'll be coming more and more.  this made my day.  that, and the smiles when we TOTALLY pulled this off.  little one had no idea we were going to D-land.  the hugs and giggles were just the BEST!  oh, and my really rockin' new mickey sweatshirt.  i've never seen one like it before.  all glittery and distressed at the same time.  kind of like me, at the end of the day.

how fitting.

the tragic kingdom

this weekend is going to be a rough one.  who am i kidding?  this WEEK was a rough one.  my body basically shut down on me and told me i needed SLEEP.   in a big way.  but this weekend?  ugh.

tomorrow, we're going to Disneyland.  it's an early birthday present for little one.  and i've never been there.  and i do not relish the usual fast food choices.  i know they've gotten better in recent years, but after yesterday's falafel meltdown?  i don't know what to do.  i may just have to salad it all day long.  and that gets WAY TOO BORING.  and i do mean B O R I N G.  there's so much more to being a vegetarian or vegan than salad.  why hasn't the world caught on to that?

and then it's halloween weekend with the family in california.  which means lots of candy and treats for the little ones.  daughter and grandson will be spoiled, as they should be on occasions such as this.  it's going to be the first time we've all been together since my brother-in-law's ashes were released at sea, so it's a happy occasion, and we need to make it such.  costumes, party games, haunted houses, all kinds of halloween fun on a mountain in the middle of a national forest.  how much fun can that be?  TONS OF FUN!

i'm just really looking forward to seeing everyone.  and i haven't always been in that frame of mind.  but i'm really, really happy to be going.  i'll try my best, but if i fail to eat the best i can, i fail.  tomorrow is another day.  i know i'm not getting any younger, and the faster i accomplish my goals of getting my diet switched over, the better quality of life i'll experience.  but i can't keep tearing myself down because i had a cheeseburger.  but i am having cheeseburgers a bit too often for my liking.  i've got to work on that.

i'm not packed, but everything is sort of in it's place.  i've got a few good books to read on the way, and i need to get to sleep.  i've been up 4 hours longer than i should have been.  my body is going to slam me up against a wall again, if i don't watch it.  i'm going to miss the wind.  i've grown quite fond of the wind we've been having here in the desert.  and the temps.  we're going from mild 70's, low 80's to almost 90's.  not liking that.  but it's Disneyland, the happiest place on earth....with the worst food,  oh, please, let me find some chick peas or kidney beans.  or at least johnny depp.

from the land of sky blue water...and green grass....

my love affair with cheese.  i don't know how i'm ever going to get over this one.  growing up seven miles south of the wisconsin border, i've had a life long fondness, nay, god damned obsession with cheese.  i'm like wallace.  "i can't help it grommet.  i just like cheese!"  and growing up in a small town, with its own world class cheese factory, known for their baby swiss cheese, i grew up rather spoiled.  or so i thought.

yes, i had baby swiss, fresh from the factory, every week.  my dad would help out during the holiday rushes and help make cheese.  then fred, the factory owner hired enough help, and dad didn't need to get a job there for the holidays, he went down the road to the cheese factory that specialized in italian cheeses and made ricotta.  okay, to be absolutely correct, ricotta isn't technically a cheese, but a dairy product.  it literally means, "recooked."  and dad smelled recooked plenty when he came home from work.  you haven't lived until you've smelled clothes that have been soaked in whey.  that's an aroma not soon forgotten.  so there was never a lack of fresh ricotta in our house.  i actually got a little tired of it.  and now?  i'm looking at recipes and techniques to make my own ricotta.  it doesn't look so difficult to do, really.

then there are the other loves.  cheddar, colby (what midwesterner doesn't love colby?) and brick cheese.  how do i describe brick cheese?  it's a wisconsin specialty.  i have never, ever found it on the west coast, east coast or anywhere but the great lake states.   brick gets its name not only from the shape of the loaf, it looks like a big brick, but when cheesemakers first started making this cheese, they weighted down the curds with red bricks to form the loaves.  the taste?  well, if it's young, it's like cheddar and swiss got together and invited monterey jack in for a little bit of a soiree.  if it's old, one of the ladies got jealous and it's almost as strong as limburger.  it's great, when it's a young brick, on burgers or with crackers and fruit, but when it's older, please, take it to iowa and drop it off there!

so i thought i had a well rounded knowledge of cheese.  i grew up going to the monroe cheese days festival, you know.  then i started traveling.  and were my eyes opened.   first to the regional cheeses of the united states.  vermont cheddar.  upstate new york cheddar, that was good stuff.  artisan cheeses from california.  oh, was i in heaven when i lived in san francisco.  i could have blown a whole paycheck on artisan cheeses alone!  that isn't saying much, because i wasn't getting paid that much.  but going out to half moon bay on weekends when they had festivals going on and tasting hand crafted cheeses?  oh.my.god.  such good stuff.  and then....and then...and then i went to.......LONDON.  enter my love for STINKY CHEESE!  stilton, i love stilton.  huntsman, any cheese made in the cotswolds.  good irish cheddar.  oh, just walking by the cheese case in marks and spenser was enough to make me crazy.  i would get a "grab and go" of cheese, fruit and nuts, with a little brown bread and head to a park with my bottle of water always with me.  and when i learned i could bring that cheese home with me?  I DID.  and then to the southern hemisphere, new zealand and australia.  much the same as england, although the butter in new zealand was to die for.  i bought tins of that and brought them home by the case load.

and then the day finally came.  the trip that i nearly died for.  i was going to PARIS.  PARIS!  PARIS, DIDYOUHEARME?????  talk about being in heaven!  our hotel was nothing to write home about, for sure.  but location, location, location.  a block and a half away was a boulangerie, with some of the best baguettes i've ever had.  there was a fromagerie just up the street.  imagine that, a store, just for cheese.  these frenchmen had it RIGHT!  runny brie, roquefort, camembert, so many cheeses i'd never seen before.  cheeses from all regions of france.  and the women behind the counters could tell you how the grass in the normandy region affected the milk used in this cheese as compared to the grass in the loire valley was good for an earthier tasting cheese.  i walked out with a very small package of pricey goats milk cheese, my first dabbling into chevre, but certainly not my last.  so i had my travel backpack, my baguette, my smelly goat cheese, a bottle of water, some grapes and an apple that i picked up, and two beers with me.  i made a bee line to pere la chaise cemetery, to picnic with some of the most famous dead citizens of paris.   i found a bench, had my impromptu lunch, saved the beer, though, that had a special purpose.  wandered around for hours.  saw the graves of moliere, oscar wilde, sarah bernhard, chopin,  honore de balzac, so many i can't name them.  it was starting to get late, there was a grey haze starting to cover the sun, i decided it was time.  i followed the crowd, and the arrows.  "this way to the lizard king."  i joined hippies and neo-wannabees from all over the globe at the grave of jim morrison.  someone handed me a cigarette, i gladly accepted.  a guy from holland lit it.  i popped open one beer, placed the other at the head of jim's grave, as an offering.  "thanks for all the great music, jim."  i had my beer, smoked my smoke, listened to some music with kids from hungary, holland, sweden, and i think austria.  we all just sat around, had our beverage of choice, some told stories how the doors music influenced their lives.  i just listened, being much older than all of them.  the sun was starting to set, i wished them adieu, and set my path back to the metro and my hotel.  in a total haze of paris, amazing cheese and jim morrison.  what a trip.

so, am i ever going to get cheese out of my life?  i have to admit, as i'm writing this i have a plate of brie and sliced baguette sitting on my right, with my bottle of water.  i'll probably cue up some doors later.  i no longer smoke or drink.  i guess i have jim's cautionary tale to thank for that.  but cheese?  man, i love the stuff.

i'm gearing up to do another 21 day vegan kick start.  i am not sure when they are going to have one start "officially," but i've decided to give it another go.  it's time to take charge of my own health and destiny.  now.....how do i rid the house of tortilla chips and "nacho cheese" dip?  i had a recipe for vegan cheezey dip, but i can't find that at the moment.  i have to find my copy of "the kind diet" and look through EVERYTHING!   thank goodness it's fall and pumpkin and squash are in season and plentiful.  they're drought resistant, so there was a bumper crop of pumpkins in the midwest this summer.  time to hit the farmer's market on friday!  have market bag, will shop!  and time to clear out the fridge.  but before i do that, i have to make one last batch of bolognese sauce.  it is a weakness that i have.  it's sooooo good.  it takes FOREVER to cook, but oh, so good and oh, so worth it.  and i'll stick the rest in the freezer for the omnivore familia. 

we were cleaning out our storage unit today and i should have grabbed my copy of "the china study" to motivate me a little more.  i've got "the omnivore's dilemma" here at the house.  we have to go over tomorrow, so i guess it won't be too difficult to pick it up...if i can find the right box.  that's a big if, we moved a lot of stuff tonight!

my next challenge in life is to find affordable vegan marshmallows.  i think i'm gonna get burned on that one. 

changing old habits, starting new habits. or why do i have to give up my ramen?

i have to admit it, i'm a sucker for ramen.  really, really good ramen.  the stuff you get in japan, and you very rarely find in the states.  well, we have one of those places here in town.   it's EXCELLENT.  it's been written up in all the culinary mags, all the celebrity chefs go there after work to chow down after their shifts, and we've introduced several friends to the place.  i LOVE it.  but there's a problem.  pork.  they use pork broth and pork belly.  and i have to admit it, it is oh, so delectable, you end up licking your bowl.  so......how do i give up my ramen?  it's one of my true pleasures in this life.  it's one of those places that hubby and i can dash off to, and the wait staff knows us, knows our order, doesn't even hesitate when we come in, they KNOW what we're going to get.  and that's a wonderful feeling.  we've made friends with the manager, and we really care about her.  we keep up with her and her family, we chat, when we have the time, but they're usually very busy.  which is REALLY a great thing.  they've been a thriving restaurant for at least 4 years that we've been going there.

but........PORK?  how do i get around that?  i can't.  and this is my favorite place.  if i go veg or vegan, they're on my no go list.  and I LOVE the staff, i love the atmosphere, I LOVE THIS PLACE.  how do you grieve losing one of your favorite foods?a

i got addicted to ramen when i first flew to japan, and it was about all i could afford.  it was either that or mcdonalds.  and who wants to eat mcdonalds when you're in japan?  i know, the ugly american tourist, that's who.  well, there is a place, we call, "the pink telephone" because of a pay telephone outside the establishment that happens to be pink.  they have this dish that, in the middle of january or february, just makes sense.  chili pepper ramen.  you come in, communal tables, sit down where you can find a spot, there are boxes of tissues on the table, you'll soon find out why.  you order your soup.  its viscous, almost chewy broth is just heaven.  it's spicy, piquant, to the point of making your north american nasal passages let go.  that's okay, there's a box of tissues right there.  everyone is wiping their noses and sneezing and letting go.  it's good therapy.  it's clearing out what ails you.  when you come out, the only more perfect why to make the day exceptional is to hit the baths.  you're all bundled up, make your way back to the bus that takes you back to your hotel and you spend the next hour or so in your "capsule" bathroom steaming up the place, giving yourself a good steam bath.  ah, bliss.  but again....pork.

now the challenge is up to me to recreate these dishes with a vegan stock and ingredients.  is it possible?  i fear i'll come up short.  is there any rationalizing the occasional "slip" such as this?  oh, the dilemma this presents is just not fun to contemplate.  giving up my favorite dish to go 100% vegan or giving myself permission to "indulge" in a less than ideal behavior every now and then?  choices, choices.  i've always said perfection is boring.....

so....three years later.  still haven't gotten the "diet" thing, as far as vegetarian or vegan down.  i mean well, i really do.  i have a husband that doesn't understand my need to change things.  my weight is at an all time high, i'm being tested for sleep apnea this week and my health is just not that great all around.  i can't run any longer.  i just had surgery to fix a work injury on my left foot/ankle and walking is painful at the moment.  i need things to change.

i manage to do the 21 day vegan challenge a few times, but it never sticks.  and i've been pretty good at getting processed foods out of our house, with very few exceptions.  i'm a sucker for oreos.  who isn't?  actually, i'm a sucker for trader joe's joe joe's.  but, you get the picture.  i don't keep convenience foods around, so that's not the reason for my failing at making the final commitment.

i just happen to have a  husband that likes his meat and potatoes.  eat rice and beans?  that's crazy talk.  and lentils?  forget it.  garbanzo beans?  i can't get them past him.  now, i love a good falafel, but he won't go near it.  and the only place here in town that i knew to get a really good egyptian ful has closed.  and that's a shame.  so.....what's a girl to do?  i don't want to rely on pre-packaged "pseudo" meats.  i can get that past hubby and little one every now and then, in tacos and such.  i need to motivate them to start eating more vegetarian and vegan options.  but so much resistance!  at least boca burgers are acceptable.  but there you go again, pseudo meat.  and i'm sick to death of broccoli.  ugh!  it's the only veg that little one will eat, with the occasional pea.  what's wrong with carrots, cauliflower, chard, kale (yum!) spinach, haricot verts?  asparagus?  can't get it in them.  i LOVE the stuff.  i just need to find a way to do this. 

it's not for lack of creativity, or resources.  i've got vegan and vegetarian cookbooks to spare.  it's just that, "doesn't have meat in it."  GAH!  why is it, in america, every meal has to have meat?  i had a LOVELY lunch today, with hubby, that had NO MEAT in it at all.  well, at least mine didn't.  a beautiful caprese salad and a warming bowl of mushroom soup.  vegetarian, yes.  vegan, most definitely not.  but we're talking baby steps here.  i'm taking baby steps.  i don't know if i'll ever be able to give up cheese and butter.  i'm a midwestern girl.  i love my cheese and butter.  it's part of who i am, literally.  it's my hips.  seriously. 

i've never lost any weight when i was eating vegan, but i probably wasn't eating properly.  i need to read more, research more and be more direct and insisting with my family.  every time i try to do "meatless monday" it just falls apart.  hubby comes home with something that he wants, and then it just goes to hell.  well, that's got to change.  we're going to have to sit down and plan our monthly menu and monthly budget.  and i'm going to have to be ruthless with the finances.  i think we should try the "food stamp experiment" and try to live a month on what is allowed for a family of three.  basically, it's $87/week.  that $87/week goes a lot further buying rice and legumes than it does buying meat and dairy.  true, plant milks aren't always the least expensive, but i think we can make it fit in the budget.  so this may be the next part of this omnivore's dilemma.  the food stamp challenge.  let's see if i can sell it to the family.  and figure out what we can do with the money that we will be saving by not buying meat and dairy.  wish me luck, i'm going to need it.