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OK, I took the challenge. I went to the food store armed with a list and the strict budget of a SNAP recipient. The results were surprising.
First of all, I read my local ads carefully to decide where to do the bulk of my shopping. Then I made a list and stuck to it.
I was surprised that I was able to get a sufficient amount of food and foods that were relatively healthy too.
Of course, I wasn’t going to buy pantry items I have on hand, and I’d suspect most households no matter what income level, have on hand as well. These would include, at the very least, oil, flour, sugar, oatmeal, margarine/butter, some form of pasta and a couple of cans of condensed soup and salt & pepper & the like.
I did a majority of my shopping in ShopRite, then a couple of other local stores. I live in a rural area where I must drive in order to shop. Also, shopping centers seem to be congregated all around each other, therefore I made sure to hit every store on my route without unnecessary driving–I planned my trip.
Rather than take $3-$4 and try to shop for one day, I multiplied that and came up with a weekly allotment for a family of 2 originally. However, when I saw what I could get, especially bulk packaged, I extended this for a family of 4 because what I bought would indeed feed a family of 4 for one week. No, you couldn’t “eat like there was no tomorrow,” but you would not starve and you’d be relatively healthy. I spent a total of $54 on this food. Here is the food I got for this total:
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| These items from various stores totaling $12 |
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| What I spent in ShopRite |
No child in this country should ever go hungry. Our children are our most precious resource. Please take 30 seconds to go to this website and encourage Congress to pass anti-hunger legislation. Please understand this is not political in nature. No matter what our individual politics are I think we can all agree that no child should go hungry or wonder where their next meal is coming from.
Please also take the time to see the film, “A Place at the Table.” This link lists showtimes in your city. It is also available through iTunes and at Amazon.com
So here is a recipe using what I bought on my challenge shopping trip. I had some pantry items that I had on hand like the soup, the celery, a few leftover baby carrots and traditional seasoning.
This meal is hearty and filling. The chicken thighs were huge. I made 2 portions since I don’t have a family, however doubled, it’s a complete and relatively healthy meal for a family of 4.
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| Tasty and economical |
Please remember to observe proper sanitation when preparing raw meat, and especially chicken. Wash and disinfect all surfaces the poultry came in contact with.
Chicken with Creamy Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs or any other parts
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups water
- 20 oz 2 10 oz cans cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup sliced celery
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the brown rice, the soup, the water, sliced vegetables and the 1 tbs olive oil. Mix well and add to prepared baking dish.
- Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place on top of rice mixture in prepared pan. Brush each piece with the 1 tsp olive oil. Mix the salt, pepper & thyme and distribute over top of the chicken pieces.
- Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until rice is tender and chicken has an internal temperature of 185 degrees (or juices run clear)
Nutrition
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| Chicken with Creamy Brown Rice |
Medeja says
Lovely dish, though I am not a fan of canned soups but I am curious to try.
Judith Hanneman says
Gravy would probably work here Medeja.
Aida L says
love the recipe, just wonder if chicken stock and con starch would work instead of the soup as we aren't that kin on it?
Judith Hanneman says
I'm sure it would work Aida. The rice may not have the same texture as with the condensed soup, but it should still taste super. Please let me know how it turned out.
Sinn says
Thank you for taking the challenge. As a mom on the SNAP program i will tell you i was curious as to how close to my own casserole this was. Very close indeed. Biggest difference is I use cream of mushroom soup and chicken broth. Normally will divide into 2 8×8 pans and freezer one. The problem alot of my friends on the program have is remembering our grandparents had great recipes on tight budgets too. I use alot of recipes from the great depression or the World wars and tell my daughter we are eating history. Makes being budget tight a little more tolerable.
Judith Hanneman says
Sinn, it's really hard to do and I admire someone who can do this each week! Being retired I face the same concerns myself. Shopping carefully is a must!
Jeanne says
I don't care for dark chicken and wondered how it would be with two breasts that were sliced. I also make a lot of things from scratch using the Amish cookbooks and some old cookbooks that I have. I am not yet on the SNAP program but think I will be soon. I am retired and have very little money for food.
Judith Hanneman says
Hi Jeanne–I'm sure it'd be fine with breast meat or breast quarters. Due to the length of time this has to cook because of the brown rice, what I'd do if I were using boneless breast and in slices, is add that to the casserole half way in the cooking, so it doesn't get too dry. If you want to use breast quarters, they should be just fine baked the way I did in this recipe.
Diane Sosa says
i was on snap for a year, after the disability ins. company my work had cut me off, before i got my disablity from the feds. we did not go hungry, you just have to know how to shop. day old bread store, with buy 1 get 1 coupon and punches for purchases. 50 percent off aisles for meat and other items. just look at the meat and the date, i never had a problem. dented cans if not too bad and going to be used that week, yogert at 25 percent off, granola at 50 percent off, coupons, only buy what is on sale this week with coupons, there is no reaso for anyone to go hungry, we even had dessert quite often. just before we lost our benefits at the end of feb. i stalked up on p.b and j., tuna, tomatoe products, pasta, hamburger for the freezer, and we are still doing ok. just look for bargains, bargains, bargains, and you can do ok.
Judith Hanneman says
Smart shopping is the key!! You are so right Diane. I'm also pretty good at stretching what I have. I find also using meat as a condiment is great too. I'm retired so I have to be careful and shop sales.