SNAP Challenge Day 5: Birthday SNAPs

It's Day 5 of the SNAP Challenge, and it's my birthday! We made to the end with enough to eat and cash for treats!

Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon and Apples
Yes, we are still eating oatmeal. My fiance is probably never going to eat oatmeal again. He is totally convinced that this a usually breakfast item incapable of keeping anyone full. He gives me looks of total disbelief when I tell him my 1/2 cup of oatmeal breakfast keeps me full tell lunch. He is certain that this is deception.

Lunch: Frittata + Oranges

Dinner: Pinto Beans, Rice, and Blanched Collard Greens
Having eaten almost all of our soup, we return to leftover beans and rice. On the side we have blanched collard greens with a bit of salt, pepper, and balsalmic vinegar.

DESSERT: BIRTHDAY BROWNIES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! Chocolate! In celebration of our completion of the SNAP challenge, but more importantly, my birthday, we made brownies from a box. We got them for $1.25 (with a coupon even though they were a fancy name brand) during our panic apple run to HEB.

Some thoughts...
At the end of the week, we were left with $4.62.

What would I have done differently? Possibly bought some more food to have as a side with our main dishes, some other kind of vegetables or potatoes. Really only having one thing on your plate can leave you wanting more even if you're full. More realistically, I should have bought my poor fiance something other than oatmeal to eat for breakfast.

What did I learn? A couple of things...

1. I don't eat that much. I am pretty used to a light breakfast and lunch. I might eat more at dinner, on the weekends, or at a restaurant, but I adapted pretty well to a diet with not snacks at limited portions.  
2. Not everyone eats as little as I do. It's clear from this challenge that my fiance and I need very different amounts of fuel to get us through the day. I have always been aware that that he eats more than me (though the difference has definitely lessen since high school), this exercise brought it into sharp focus. While somebody my size might be able to meet their caloric needs without too much thought on the SNAP challenge, the same might not be said of someone else. This is likely a challenge that families on SNAP face, particularly those with growing children.
3. Knowledge is power. I went the grocery store prepared. I had checked the coupon flyer. I had a list and meal plan ready. I have a strong cooking skills and a good working knowledge of healthy foods. Without those things, particularly the last two for which I am very grateful, it would have been difficult to assemble a healthful, cost-effective diet for 5 days. I chose mostly whole, plant based foods that required effort and preparation to turn them into something edible. If I hadn’t had those knowledge and skills to fall back on, I likely would have needed to resort to cheaper, less healthy convenience foods to get through the week. Education may be one of the most powerful weapons we have in combating hunger and obesity in the United States.