Hunger Challenge: Day 1 in Review

Yesterday was day one of the Hunger Challenge and though I was at times painfully aware of the cost of everything that passed my lips, I managed to eat well and stay on budget! Here's the scoop on all I savored, along with a price breakdown of each meal:

Breakfast was peanut butter banana oatmeal, which admittedly is already my favorite morning dish.

¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats (.99/lb in the bulk section), cooked in water 0.33
1 Banana 0.25
2 tablespoons peanut butter 0.15
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Breakfast Total: $0.73

Mid morning grapefruit: $0.59

Lunch was a heaping chicken and spinach salad with leftover chicken and asparagus that I roasted last night to have for meals throughout the week. (See more recipes using the chicken below.)
The dressing was a simple Asian-inspired mixture of one and a half tablespoons creamy peanut butter whisked with one tablespoon fresh lime juice and one teaspoon sesame oil. I would have loved to add soy sauce, but it wasn't in my budget this week. That said, the dressing was rich and delicious, nonetheless. Along with the salad, I had a sweet, crispy, local apple.

4 cups Baby spinach 0.60
1 carrot 0.10
¼ of a red pepper 0.30
¼ of a cucumber 0.10
1/5th of a whole roasted chicken (breast meat) 1.19
1 ½ tablespoons peanut butter 0.22
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 0.10
1 teaspoon sesame oil 0.05

1 Apple 0.40
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Lunch Total: $3.06

Late afternoon/ early evening I snacked on an orange and a whole wheat English muffin toasted with 2 ounces cheddar cheese.
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Snack Total: $1.00

On Sunday I roasted a five pound, whole chicken so that I could use the meat in five or so different meals. I chose to make it ahead of time for two reasons: 1. It saves me nearly 2 hours of oven time during the week when I come home from work at 6:30pm, and 2. It means I can portion it out now for each of our planned meals. Surefire way to prepare a whole 4-5 lb chicken: rinse it with cold water, pat it dry with paper towel, place in a wide, shallow baking pan, rub all sides with oil, sprinkle generously with salt, bake for 1 hour 45 minutes at 400 degrees F. The skin will be crisp, but the meat will be tender and juicy. Also, roasting the bird breast-side-down will allow the juices and fat from the meat to constantly moisten the breast meat, therefore making it juicier.

Tonight, Daniel and I ate our tender chicken breast with mashed butternut squash and brown sugar, a simply prepared organic boxed stuffing mix, and asparagus roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Altogether a hearty, comforting meal. Forgive me for reviving Thanksgiving in March (though asparagus is in season!). I hope to become more seasonally appropriate :)

1 whole roasted chicken 5.95
1 bunch asparagus 1.91
2 lbs butternut squash 3.50
¼ cup brown sugar 0.05
1 package organic stuffing mix .99
1 tablespoon olive oil 0.25
1 tablespoon butter 0.25
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Dinner Total: $13.35
Makes 5 servings at $2.67 per serving

And because I cannot make it through a week, much less a day, without dessert, I baked almost three dozen dark chocolate chip cookies.

2 cups flour 0.25
2 sticks butter 1.00
1 ½ cups brown sugar 0.40
2 eggs 0.30
baking soda 0.02
salt free
1 bag (2 cups) dark chocolate chips 2.50
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Total $4.15
Makes 30 cookies, at $0.14 each

...and ate three cookies because I hear scientists say eating warm chocolate chip cookies is a direct flight to happiness. And that dark chocolate stains on your (once) white pajama shirt improve brain function. I never stray from science.

Total for the day: $8.42

I'm happy that I bought all of my groceries yesterday (assuming the $12/day that Daniel and I would be allotted), because knowing we've already spent our allowance takes the pressure off of eating below the $7 limit each day. I imagine some days will cost a little less, some a little more, but in the end it will all balance.

Stay tuned for day two!

How much would you guess you spend on food each day?

The Hunger Challenge is an exercise of empathy—to live in someone else's shoes for one week and learn how we can help fight hunger. How you can help: volunteer, learn more about the Hunger Relief Now! Plan, encourage your friends and family and make your voice heard, donate to your local food bank. If you're participating in the Hunger Challenge, consider donating what you save this week on food.