Day 5 the Diabetic Food Stamp Project

No surprise I woke up hungry. I have 6.15 for today and I feel rich. I want to see how much nutrition, fiber and satisfaction I can pack into that money.

I made a tuna sandwich for breakfast. I whipped up a quick mayo, used a whole can of tuna and added in 1/2 ounce of mixed greens. That with black coffee started me off.

Coffee .10
Egg for mayo .21
Home baked Whole wheat bread .16 (two large slices)
Mixed greens .5 ounce .25
Can of Tuna .94
Total 1.66
27 grams of carb

I feel so good right now, not stuffed but satisfied in the nicest of ways. Maybe it is all the B12 and omega 3 in the tuna. This week I am going to really scour the fresh fish stores to see what deals I can find. I have been choosing heavy meats outside of my normal diet to make the adjustment to less food and it is time for that to change.

I say this as I head to the kitchen to create a recipe for pig tails.

It Started at Harlem Shambles a great local butcher on Frederick Douglas at 116th. They get only naturally raised whole animals and break them down on premise.

I started asking about cheap cuts of meat and ended up with a pig tail for .66, a great price. I went to another good butcher I know downtown and got more pig tail, partially skinned and split. They were prepping them for a local Asian restaurant but managed to spare enough for me. So here I am with 2.93 worth of pig tail. Naturally raised pig tail.

I love oxtail and have eaten them braised for years, but have never cooked a pig tail. It's funny because just a few days back a reader sent me an email asking for a non German recipe, as he did not like the sauerkraut version he had found online. I was not able to help.

I browned my tail, added in two sliced onions, one cut up carrot, 5 cloves of garlic, seasoning and water.

Pig 2.93
Onion .20
Garlic .05
Carrot .09
Pot of tail...priceless, or  3.27.

I don't want to give you the idea I am completely unfamiliar with tail, I have worked with them before, curing and smoking them and seasoning a pot of beans, but I've never had tail as a main course.

It isn't easy to find the calorie and fat content of the pig tail, but I managed to track it down. Don't laugh but they are actually pretty low fat, loaded with collegian and not horribly caloric. The smell is intoxicating and I am looking forward to eating them.

I keep remembering the skin, so I decided to keep them braising for a few hours and then I will chill uncovered in the frig and crisp them before eating, maybe cooking cabbage in that braising liquid.

I believe if Crave Canyon white cheddar and hatch green chile non GMO popcorn could find wide distribution they could put Nacho Cheese Doritos out of business.

They would have to put it out in single serve bags for diabetics as anyone who gets ahold of a large bag would be tempted to consume the entire thing. 

I had a sample (free food). 2 1/2 cups of this delicious popcorn contains 16 grams of carb making it a great snack for a diabetic. A similar serving of the Doritos contains about 90. Besides which, this popcorn is better than any other snack food I have ever tasted. 

In addition the green chili is loaded with vitamin C. Will some canny food distributor please take this company on and make the stuff available in Harlem. 

And lunch, the last of the broccoli, 5 of the dumplings a pinch of dried chicken powder and chili garlic sauce.

I feel as if I have eaten so well today. I am fully satisfied at every stop without feeling stuffed. I could use a lot more fiber and vitamin A, but so far so good. 

Dumpling Soup 1.00

Broccoli .33

Iced tea (2) .06

Total 1.39

30 grams of carbohydrate. 

It was a good day until I got to the gym and was offered some dark chocolate peanut butter cups, now they were mini and not too sweet but I quickly devoured 3, and upped my carbs by 21 grams. Not dangerous, but not healthy.

I did a long hard workout and walked most of the way home. I got home starving. 

I caved. I had to have pasta. I was careful in that I weighted 1.5 ounces of spaghetti but before the water had boiled I had a sauce ready to go.

I took the now jellied pork stock with onion and garlic from the pig tails and popped it in the food processor with one can of organic tomatoes from Costco (.74). Within minutes I had a good 5 or more servings of sauce. 

Topped with basil and 1/2 ounce of cheese it was the most delicious and satisfying bit of food I had consumed this week. 

Then I took 1/2 of the pigs tails and crisped them in oil until they were crackly and golden. I put them on a few of the greens and discovered that I love the pig tail. The skin crisp and the meat filled with porky goodness. 

Only then did I add up the cost. 

Pasta .12

Sauce .20

Cheese .12

Carrot  .09

Pig tail 1.46

Greens .25

Total 2.24

Carbs 46 grams, a fine amount but more pasta would not have been a good idea. 

But wait, there's more. 

I blame Game of Thrones. I was advised to watch as the political games/war played out would give me insight as to the workings of Harlem Hospital. Game of Thrones is bloodier but no less mercenary. It is however more entertaining. In fact it is popcorn entertainment. 

Along with my season two download I made a small batch of popcorn with anchovy butter. 

Organic popcorn (non GMO) .11

Butter .34

Anchovies (4) .12

Iced tea .03

Total .60

An opulent snack to be sure, but a delicious one. 25 grams of carb, a bit much for a snack but the fat from all the butter slows the absorption so not dangerous. 

MMMM, now I am finally satisfied. My total for the day was 5.89, I used most of my overage but can carry .26 cents into tomorrow. 

1,971 calories...still too few but closer to what I need. Good nutrition however. It did take almost an extra two dollars to get those nutrients.