Monday, May 14, 2007

I'm sorry I haven't been posting. Mostly because it's very boring, because it's all the same. Breakfast is an english muffin with butter or marmalade or peanut butter, cereal or cream of wheat, tea. Lunch is a peanut butter or tuna fish sandwich, carrots, an apple or an orange, tea. Dinner has been lentils and rice, or spaghetti with brocolli when I get too sick of lentils.

I estimate I've been eating about 4 dollars worth of food a day. I've cheated twice this week to buy coffee on the way to work (once) and church (once). I also took my second food stamp holiday on Saturday- we (mike and I) made a beef stew for his mom for mother's day/her birthday, and all the ingredients for the whole meal would have put me seriously over my budget.

I also had two work lunches last week, and will have two more this week. I continue to be amazed at how much free food I get, and also at how deeply food plays a role in socializing. I really am looking forward to being able to go out with friends again, though I have to admit, it's nice to be saving this much money.

I find in general that I'm eating healthier portions, overeating less, and craving fatty and sugary things less (but salty and vingery things more).

I really don't think that this would be a pleasant experience for me at all if it weren't for the constant free food, though. Also, knowing how to cook on the cheap anyway- that has been a good thing for me.

I do find that I have even less energy than usual. This is making me rethink whether I want to do this for the rest of the month. I'm think of doing the food stamp challenge from Food Lifeline for the week of the 17th to the 24th, and then letting the 24th be my last day on this program. The food stamp challenge would be eating on 21 dollars a week (severe!). This is in part because I think not allowing myself to eat out on memorial day weekend will be sad, and part because I want to do the food stamp challenge, but also think in general I need to think about getting back to eating vegetables and meat sooner rather than later.

No comments: