I Shop Again, Make Tuna Salad and also Pasta

As you can imagine, I'm pretty sick of both Lentil Soup and turkey burgers. On the other hand, I really like lentil soup - in almost any incarnation- and I really like turkey burgers, ideally topped with a mixture of mustard and chili garlic sauce (which isn't currently in my budget). Plus, it's not unusual for me to make soup and eat and eat and eat it until it's gone. On the other hand, I have no choice. It would have been smarter to make two soups and freeze some of each and then alternate them. 

I haven't approached this very smartly: I should have been far more organized. But my guess is that the average person (on SNAP or otherwise) isn't creating an excel spread sheet of their meals. But I do feel that I am learning. 

I'm not usually a fan of whole 
wheat pasta but this brand is great. 
Their tag line reads "The new taste 
of whole wheat" and I have to agree!

I need some more options and head to the store: 

Here is what I purchased:

1 pound pasta $2.09

2 16 oz. cans chickpeas 2/$1.00 on sale

2 16 oz. cans white beans 2/$1.00 on sale

2 small sweet potatoes (.69 each) $1.38

1.57 pounds broccoli crowns $1.55 on sale

1 dozen eggs $2.29

1 lb Cabot cottage cheese $2.85

1 32 ounce container Stonyfield Yogurt $4.49

¼ lb Starbucks coffee $3.87 (enough for about 10 cups) 

(I later realized that I shouldn’t have included this)

Today's total = $20.52

Total so far = $64.14

So far what I seem to be eating less of are snacks. And I didn't even realize that I was much of a snacker. I really need snacks that are heartier than an apple or a bunch of carrot sticks. My trip to the store was inspired by my desire to buy chickpeas and make humus (without the tahini). Chickpeas are usually $1./can so I was happy to see them on sale for .79/can, and happier still when I walked around the corner and saw that the store brand was on sale for 2/$1.  So I bought 2 cans of chickpeas and 2 cans of white beans.

I have now entered the realm of cooking based on what is 

on sale, rather than my usual, which is: what I feel like eating. 

I really want more cheddar cheese but I'm going through it fast (according to the package, way too fast) and it's no longer on sale. In all honesty, I am not doing the math. It's more a visceral response to what I perceive rather than what is. 

I've never even seen such a little Starbucks bag!

After the grocery store, I decide to get coffee beans at Starbucks (and easily resist cheating by not buying a cup of coffee) and because of budget limitations, buy 1/4 pound. 

I feel uncomfortable and self conscious buying so little, like the woman at the counter is judging me and that I'm not worth her time. I am well aware that this is not necessarily true.

I didn't think it through at the time, but buying coffee beans at Starbucks isn't allowed on SNAP.  The problem, of course, is that if you don't have the money to buy a full pound, the only place you can buy in smaller quantities is likely not to be a grocery store but rather a high end coffee shop. You can buy a full bag of Starbucks or any other coffee at the grocery store but I was trying to stick to $44.44/week. It probably would have made more sense to buy a full pound in the beginning, or simply not include it in the SNAP budget.


Day 5 Meals

Breakfast: Coffee with milk; 2 Lacey Edged Fried Eggs; ½ cup cottage cheese

Lunch: Tuna salad (recipe below)

Snack: 1 cup yogurt with lemon zest

Dinner: Pasta with Broccoli and White beans

Here's what went into the tuna but you can add 
almost any vegetable you like. 
I didn't add anchovies but should have.

Recipe: Tuna Salad with Vegetables

I hate mayonnaise, which is probably a good thing since only an essential condiment is worth buying. And more importantly, the combo below is way better. 

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 tablespoon yogurt

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 cans tuna in water, drained

½ cup chopped parsley leaves

½ carrot, cut in matchsticks 

½ celery stick, cut in thin matchsticks

6 radishes, cut in thin matchsticks
Kosher salt and black pepper

Place the olive oil, lemon juice, yogurt and mustard in a medium size bowl and mix well. 

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour and up to 3 days.

Day 6 Meals:

Breakfast: Coffee with milk, 2 scrambled eggs with 1 ounce cheddar cheese, parsley and red pepper flakes
Snack: ½ cup cottage cheese

Lunch: Tuna Salad 

Dinner: Turkey burger; Roasted Broccoli and Roasted Sweet Potato (sprinkled with leftover lemon juice) 

Recipe: Pasta with Broccoli and White Beans

I'm not a big pasta eater but I'm looking for something different and wondering if it will be more filling. 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

½ cup canned or cooked white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup pasta

1 cup broccoli florets

Kosher salt and black pepper 

Crushed red pepper flakes (as much as you like)

Lemon zest (as much as you like)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

While the water is boiling, place a large pan over high heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the beans and mash them a bit (this will help bind the "sauce" and make it creamy. Add the broccoli and mix well. 

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the directions on the package, or until it is the texture you like.

Carefully add ½ cup of the pasta water to the pan with the broccoli and cook until the broccoli is almost tender, about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the beans. Cook about one minute, stirring well.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Add crushed red peppers flakes and lemon zest.

I am running low on my original items: have lots of lentil soup left, olive oil, milk and tuna but I've spent almost one-third of my budget and didn’t buy more cheese, still no almond butter, not even canned tomatoes for soup. 

And I didn't even make humus!