After putting out there that we’re going to do the SNAP Challenge August 20-26th (living on the budgeted equivalent of food stamps for a week for meals), some folks came forward with some really helpful resources. Even if you’re not on public assistance and not planning to take part in the challenge, these are useful tools to help anyone on a budget plan for some good, nutritious meals.
Here’s a video clip on meal prep with only food bought on the food stamp budget, along with the list of groceries the chef bought on the budget: Mario’s Food Stamp Challenge Grocery List
Here are dozens of recipes from Harvesters Food Network you can do on a food-stamp-equivalent budget, complete with nutrition information for each meal: Harvesters Food Network SNAP Recipes
And here they are as a downloadable PDF: FoodStampChallengeRecipes
Here’s a piece from Delish.com about the prevalence of public food assistance (currently 1 in 7 Americans receives some kind of food aid), along with links to recipes and some tips on how to save money on your groceries, while also eating healthy: Delish.com article, recipes and shopping tips
Finally, here’s a link to the website for Frugivore Magazine, a resource dedicated to low-cost, healthy eating.
Most important, this challenge is about raising awareness for those of us not on assistance, hopefully with the aim of gaining some compassion through the process of the challenges so many of our brothers and sisters face, every day. Aside from that, we can all use the practice of being more mindful of what we put into our bodies from time to time, as well as what we spend on that food.
Do you have other favorite resources? Share them in the comments below!
Christian Piatt is an author, editor, speaker, musician and spoken word artist. He co-founded Milagro Christian Church in Pueblo, Colorado with his wife, Rev. Amy Piatt, in 2004. Christian is the creator and editor of "Banned Questions About The Bible" and "Banned Questions About Jesus." His new memoir on faith, family and parenting is called "PREGMANCY: A Dad, a Little Dude and a Due Date."
Supermarket photo, Natalia Bratslavsky / Shutterstock.com
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!