It’s day one of the Hunger Challenge, and our amazing Seattle bloggers have been hard at work planning their meals for the week. Blogger Eric Rivera has been documenting his experience so far (including lots of great photos) and had this to say:
“. . . one of the goals of mine with this challenge was to eat how I normally eat but stay within the budget. I’m not sure if I’m going to make it the whole week. Luckily, I do have a little time to think about what needs to go into each meal and I have a few skills to make that happen. I know most people who face this real life challenge of living on $12 per day don’t have time or the skills to pull something like this off. I’m not even sure if I have the skills to pull this off.
I could have easily bought frozen pizzas, ramen noodles, and ate at McDonald’s for the week just to be a smart ass and say “this is easy”. That’s not the point of this challenge in my mind. This isn’t a contest, I’m not looking to beat anyone or win anything. I’m just trying to lend my ideas to people who actually live like this so they can maybe get a few new recipes for themselves or just be inspired a little to create some of their own recipes. Also, it is important for everyone to realize that food is essential.
There is no reason that in today’s society that anyone should have to worry about their next meal. I’m not going to get political or point fingers at anyone and I’m not suggesting everyone needs to eat Filet Mignon or Foie Gras for every meal but I am suggesting that $12 per day for food and trying to eat healthy is extremely hard if you don’t know what you’re doing in the kitchen. Like I said earlier, I have a little time to do this. The majority of people out there don’t have that time so they skimp on healthy food and go for “easy” which usually consists of overly processed foods that are terrible for your health.”
Eric shares his shopping list for the week as well as recipes for his first two Hunger Challenge meals. Make sure to visit his blog for daily recipes!
Other Hunger Challenge posts for Day 1:
Live to Eat: Read about blogger Sig’s grocery shopping experience.
1 Family Friendly Food: See what this blogger bought for the week and the recipes that she’ll be using.
The Curious Domestic: Read about the emotional impact the Hunger Challenge has had on this blogger.
Self-rising Flour: Great tips on using the grocery store’s bulk foods section.
Mirch Masala: Has a detailed day-by-day spreadsheet showing her meals for the week.
Make sure to check out the comment sections of these blogs for some lively discussion about Hunger Action Week. . . and remember, it’s not too late to take action against hunger. Click here to learn how to get involved!
[...] rest of the week, I certainly don’t have what you’d call a plan. Not like many of the other participants. But, I do feel like I’m well on track for eating basically like I normally eat within the [...]
[...] to expand a bit more on the personal level here on my blog. On United Way’s blog, they quote Eric Rivera take on how he is conducting this challenge. It’s similar to what we are doing: eating [...]
Day #1 is done. There is still another 4 days to think about. I’ve never had to worry about food like this before…..
Eric
I decided today that I had to throw my plan out the window. It was making my life miserable.
[...] We’ll see what tomorrow brings… hopefully a picture or two! In the meantime, check out what others have been doing for this challenge on the United Way’s Hunger Challenge Blog. [...]
I think we’ll be good for the rest of the days. Yesterday went well. We even had leftovers for lunch. I was very nervous on day 1 that we might not have enough food for the rest of the days, but I think I planned well. it might just work. And I even managed to buy some organic stuff!
I was doing good until last night when I got unbearable cravings for something heavy, hearty and tasty. It think it was some type of withdrawl from not having take out food. I went out and bought some eggplant punjab, slightly overbudget for the day, but I will make up for it today. Hopefully I won’t get anymore cravings. I just couldn’t fight off that craving. I felt like I was dying of hunger.
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