Kale? WTF?
The New York City Food Bank challenges us to spend $1.38 per meal for seven days – $29.00 per person for an entire week. Gwyneth Paltrow took the challenge and failed. Well, hello she bought kale and sweet potatoes #CrazyWhiteChick. Seriously WTF white girl? Who freaking buys kale and sweet potatoes with food stamps? Any fool would tap out with that menu! Come to my neck of the woods and see what people purchase on food stamps, it’s not organic for starters…
My own personal experience from college in the Pleistocene era when I had about $35.00 a week for food and other essentials wasn’t memorable. I never went hungry but I never ate for pleasure. Perhaps this is where Ms. Paltrow and others really fail. It’s the understanding that eating for pleasure is a treat, and making each meal “nutritionally sound” is a farce. Somehow, in the grand scheme of things, we manage to survive our legume-phobic childhoods and thrive.
What do I remember eating back then? Nothing green, that’s for sure, although there was salsa. I remember my foods revolving around P’s – potatoes, pasta, and peanut butter. For a special treat I had popcorn. Ramen sold for ten cents a pack at Sam’s Club. I still can’t eat it today, although my daughter – now in college – seems to like it.
Really I’m not sure how I survived because there was very little dairy, scant vegetables, and yet I thrived. Honestly I survived most of my childhood avoiding all vegetables and milk. I still managed to grow to a healthy adult woman, 5’10”.
When budgeting for family meals I had the wild idea that I would economize on our food bill for our family of five. I planned menus carefully. For example, bake a chicken with the vegetables on day one. Day two chicken salad sandwiches. Day three I planned to make chicken soup.
The reality – day one baked chicken devoured, not enough left over for soup and sandwiches. Day two soup – like a gallon which only my husband and I ate. The kids had cereal for dinner. At least they had milk.
Betty White wouldn’t have had any trouble, I’m sure. I will admit that now the kids are older they are more willing to eat the delicious nutritious meals I make. It could help that I stopped buying cereal.
All meals for under a dollar… just sayin’
English