My take on the AmeriCorps SNAP challenge

AmeriCorps member Jeni Roberts has provided food for thought with her SNAP challenge. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and it replaced what we have known as the Food Stamp Program.

Jeni's challenge was to buy the food a person was going to eat for seven days on the average SNAP allowance of $38.83 per person in the family. A family of two would have $77.66 to spend, a family of three would have $116.49 and a family of four $115.32.

Obviously this challenge would be easier if the family was larger, depending upon the age of the members. A family of three with two adults and one child wouldn't spend as much on food if the child was 6 years old. But if the child was a 16 year old football lineman, the weekly cost of groceries probably would be much higher than the SNAP allowance.

But take a household of two people, both seniors, such as my wife, Garnet, and me. Our weekly SNAP allowance would be $77.66. My goal was to follow through with the challenge; purchase and prepare the food to be eaten during the week of June 19 through June 25. However, other events prevented this approach.

Last week Garnet and I attended an event at Fairchild Air Force Base where around 30 airmen visited for two hours. Salads, chips and dips along with other foods were served. Garnet and I took a seven-quart slow cooker filled with a sloppy Joe mix, along with hamburger buns.

Mostly the single airmen eat their fill at these events, but the married ones may try a small amount, so they won't spoil the evening meal with their family. We had a bunch leftover and one airman asked to take some home.

Yes, he was single and he said he was going to stretch the amount by making it into a soup.

This event with the crock pot and airmen provided more insight into what was possible using a crock pot during the SNAP challenge. So my research began with a trip to the grocery store.

My food list included: bulk carrots, 10 pounds of potatoes, five pounds of hamburger, an 11.38 pound pork shoulder, 10 pounds of chicken legs and thighs, 10 pounds of rice, eight pounds of pinto beans, bulk onions, one bag of celery, one package of oats and two loaves of bread.

The plan was to fill a slow cooker with two pounds of hamburger, much the same as was served to the airmen. Once again I would brown the meat and then pulverize it in a food processor.

Add this to the cooker along with diced carrots, chunked potatoes, diced tomatoes, onions and sliced celery. Coffee, left from the morning brew, provided the liquid. Later, corn starch would be added to thicken the food, if needed.

This would be the evening meal of the first day. If Garnet and I eat two cups each, or one quart, of this food mixture it would leave six more quarts to eat later in the week. The leftovers, in quart containers, would be stored in the refrigerator and freezer.

The second day the same slow cooker would be filled with a rice and chicken combination, along with celery, onions and carrots. The leftovers should be about the same, six quarts.

The third day would find the same cooker filled with the pork roast. I would grind the meat and use the beans to provide extra bulk. Others might cook it as is and have a pork pot roast, with the potatoes, carrots, celery and onions.

In my way of thinking, the ground pork with the beans and vegetables would stretch the food as there should be around six quarts left.

The fourth day I would combine leftovers from a couple of the previous meals, say a quart of the beef and a quart of the pork. Even this half gallon of food should provide leftovers.

The fifth, sixth and seventh day would be a repeat of the first three days, using the leftovers, or a combination of the leftovers. Although this may sound and actually be boring, remember my goal is to stretch my food dollar as far as possible.

Breakfast would consist of a piece of buttered toast and oatmeal. Lunch would be a sandwich, one or two slices of bread with one of the leftover mixtures on top, similar to an open-faced sandwich.

After adding the cost of the food after the first round of research, I had a little over $7 left. Lacking on my food list were vegetables and fruit. Next I consulted a friend who is frugal, thrifty, penny-wise, prudent and extremely economical all at the same time.

"My food budget is $125 for two weeks," she said and this is for two adults.

She provided advice to stretch the food dollar even more. Buy two pounds of rice instead of 10, which will save $4.97; four pounds of beans, instead of eight will save $3.60; a smaller pork roast, 3.72 pounds (with a 30 percent discount) instead of 11.38 pounds, will save $5.55. Better yet, a pork roast weighing even less, weighing 4.90 pounds with a 50 percent discount will save $10.82.

Instead of buying the 10 pound bag of chicken legs and thighs, a three pound bag of boneless/skinless chicken breasts saves 62 cents.

This doesn't seem much of a savings, but there are no bones, skin or other waste. This isn't ground, but cut into bite-sized pieces. Two pounds are used in the slow cooker, leaving on pound for another dish.

I wanted to buy a bag of navel oranges for $6.48, but my friend said the same eight-pound bag is on sale for $3.50.

The canned vegetables on my list went for 68 cents, but can be found on sale for 50 cents. A can of vegetables will serve Garnet and I for one meal, with perhaps a little left over. A can at each evening meal would cost $3.50.

In addition, a half gallon of milk would cost $2.06. A 12 ounce bear of Silverbow honey is $2.50 and 3.5 pounds of bananas is $2.07, which provides half a banana each per day.

More SNAP challenge coverage will follow next week.