Woo hoo, we're almost there! Today's the last day of the Hunger Challenge.
I guess my reports have been mostly optimistic, but I'd be lying if I said this experience was anything close to easy. I knew I was signing on for limited choices. I knew we'd have to plan very carefully, and stick to that plan.
But I didn't realize just how rigid I had to be with my choices, and what a pain that would be. There was no budget left to stop and pick up a coffee, to change the meal plan at the last minute because black bean soup just didn't sound that great (I was getting dang sick of black beans). Or to come up with something else for dinner because a hunk of cheese had gone missing.
Not fun!
But we're almost there, and over the course of the week, we gained new perspective, that's for sure.
Last night for dinner, we used the rest of the leftover Emerald Quinoa - I chopped up a small onion and a couple pieces of celery, mixed it into the quinoa, stuffed some green peppers (on sale for 58 cents each) with the mix, and baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It was great!
But I wanted dessert. And I couldn't have it. So I brushed my teeth. Very good for the diet!
Here's our menu for today - Day 5 - the last day of the Hunger Challenge.
Friday's Menu
Quantities are per person, but cost is total for both.
Breakfast - $3.50
- Coffee and powdered non-dairy creamer - $0.50
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter on one slice of whole wheat toast - $0.60
- Pineapple-banana breakfast smoothie - $2.40
Lunch - $3.50
- Quinoa-stuffed pepper - $1.50
- Oven-baked chicken breast (only one for the meat-eater, made an extra with last night's dinner) - $2.00
Snack - $1.50
- String cheese - $0.90
- 1/2 an apple - $0.50
Dinner - $3.50
- Whole wheat penne pasta with spaghetti sauce (from a jar) - $2.50
- Spring greens salad - $1.00
TOTAL (for two): $12.00
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Whew!
Coming soon: A recap of our experience.
