Do you ever feel like life has run you over like a dump truck? Me too. But right now, I feel like life dumped me out the back of a dump truck, covered me in manure, and left me there to climb my way out.
Thankfully, I've had wonderful support from my friends and family, and my care team is working together to find the best way to keep me healthy and happy in the long run.
I am also incredibly grateful for the resources available at my local Social Services office and the kind people there.
I was recently approved for food stamps, or "EBT" as the cool kids are calling it. Given that this program is new to me and my kitchen, I thought I would share my experience with you.
I'm calling this week "Week Zero" because I relied heavily on pantry staples, leftovers, and prior purchases for my meals this week, only supplementing with a handful of fresh groceries.
What I Bought
- Raw cashews - $9.87
- Everything bagels - $3.88 for six
- Two cans of lentils - $1.16 each
- One can of great northern beans - $0.86
- One can of tomato paste- $0.86
- One bag of pre-shredded cabbage - $1.97
- One bag of burrito-sized flour tortillas - $2.08
- Two boxes of 10 lemonade packets - $1.98 each
- One pint of salted caramel oatmilk ice cream - $3.44
My total at Walmart was $29.24.
What I Ate
- Day One
- Apple crisp (using leftover apples and basic baking ingredients) and caramel ice cream
- Bean and lentil loaf with zucchini (left over from Zucchini Garlic Pasta) and fried potatoes
- Day Two
- Coffee and an everything bagel with cream cheese (left over from Vegan Orzo Verde)
- Instant ramen with peanut butter and sriracha
- Tacos (I always have taco stuff on hand) with the shredded cabbage and some of the flour tortillas
- More apple crisp and ice cream
- Day Three
- Coffee and a bagel
- Leftover taco fixins with some stale Fritos I found in the cupboard
- Spaghetti and meatballs (also staple foods in my house) and garlic bread made with hot dog buns that were about to expire
- Day Four
- Coffee and a bagel
- Leftover spaghetti
- Spicy lentil wraps using the lentils, cabbage, and tortillas
- A mini-batch of Rice Krispie Treats made with chocolate cereal left over from Christmas and some expired vegan marshmallows.
- Day Five
- Coffee and a bagel
- Leftover spaghetti
- Leftover bean and lentil loaf and some fries my roommate brought home
- Day Six
- Coffee and a bagel
- Quesadilla using the last of the tortillas
- Red pepper pasta, homemade Pyrex Bowl Bread with garlic butter, and green beans
- The rest of the caramel ice cream
- Day Seven
- Coffee, leftover bread with apple butter, and a slice of cheese
- Leftover red pepper pasta
- BBQ chicken pizza using Sweet Simple Vegan's pizza crust recipe (I cheated -- the chicken and cilantro are included on next week's grocery haul)
I drank the lemonade packets and some flavored seltzer throughout the week. I also munched on the dried mangoes I got for Christmas.
Next week should have a more robust grocery haul. I'll keep you updated!
