Food Stamp Diabetic project Day 6

Costco does indeed take food stamp, they have been doing so since 2009, when they began a pilot program in NY. We got a comment from a reader claiming they did not and buying from them was unfair so I wanted to clear that up, and let anyone out there on food assistance know that if you can scrap up the membership fee, Costco is a great place for some items at low prices.

I begin my day with 4.51.

My downtown pig tail butcher had stocked cranberries for the holidays and had surplus so they were giving them away free with purchase.

Cranberry sauce traditionally involves a lot of sugar and if you purchase dried fruit it typically has both sugar and fat added, which in my opinion ruins the taste of the fruit.

I decided to dry my cranberries. I put them in a bit of water and turned it high just to explode the skin so they would not burst in the oven. I laid them on a cookie sheet at 225 and left them in the oven for 4 hours yesterday. I checked them before going to the gym and they were not quite ready so I turned the oven off, thinking I would finish them when I got home.

I forgot about them. Opened the oven this morning and they were perfect. The drying concentrates the sweetness so though tart, they are tasty. Really good in fact, and free.

I am already pushing it on the carbs this morning. I had my pomegranate, two slices of whole wheat toast and 1/4 cup of my dried cranberries and I am at 50 grams. No more carbs for breakfast.

Toast .16
Butter .18
Coffee .10
Cranberries free
Pomegranate .50
One egg .21
3 bacon slices .51
Total 1.66

I am way over on costs already and have 1/2 of the expensive pig tails for dinner. Lunch will have to be spartan. Breakfast didn't feel like an opulent extravagance. All that money and only 565 calories.

I came home from the gym incredibly hungry. I stopped at the store to buy milk for my turkey meatballs. I ended up with Half and Half because it was on sale and one pint was close to a dollar cheaper than a price of milk.

As I walked through the store I found items appealing that I had never considered eating. Jenos 99 cent pizza...how bad could it be? Spam on sale, I bet it's great. I got a can of 79 cent tuna, one tomato for .23 and two bananas for 50 cents. 

I could not wait, before my coat was off the red bean soup was heating on the stove. I had both servings for lunch.

Red Bean soup .80
Iced Tea .03
Total  .83
Carbs 40

I spent a bit of time seeding pomegranate.

3 of my pomegranates gave me more than 6 cups of seeds so I can keep my serving cost at 50% and pack those 1/2 cups. 

Dinner was to be the remainder of the pigtails, tonight I decided to try a different prep. I stewed 2 cups of cabbage (that 50 cent cabbage keeps on giving)in a bit of the tomato sauce and heated the skinless pig bits in that stew. I wanted to serve it over masses of rice, but instead I served it over a scant bit of Pastini. Topped with cheese from a can (it is really cheap and not bad tasting) and some fresh basil It made an appealing plate. 

Pasta .12

Cabbage .10

Sauce .20

Pig Tail 1.46

Canned Cheese .05

Total 1.93

Carbs 50 grams

Let us see if I made budget today. 4.42 giving me an entire 9 cents to carry into the morrow. 

1,631 calories. I am not sure how to get those calories up, while keeping the carbs low. I've already relied on pasta more than I should and I can't do that every day. I should be getting another 600 to 800 calories a day.