Hunger Challenge: Day 3 ? 5 ? Daily Dose of Distraction

I found it a lot harder to focus yesterday. I think it was in part to my strong sugar cravings, but I I tried to regroup by summing up the last couple days. I had to finish it today.

Day 3 Recap:

This post is late for a couple reasons. ?The main one was I got home at t 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night from an extra long day at work and the last thing I wanted to do was look at a computer screen. I instead had to make lunch for the next three days, also not incredibly enjoyable.? But alas, If I didn?t suck it up, I wouldn?t eat. ?So there I was, chopping onions and boiling water. ?Another pasta dish, this time with?sauteed?spinach?(yeah green food!) and onion and I added a bit of olive oil this time to the pasta (yes, I purchased olive oil with my allotted budget.) When adding the pasta to my boiling water I got to wondering how many salads I could have made out of purchasing a cucumber, bag of carrots and lettuce. ?Not sure what I would have switched out but going day four without fresh?vegetables makes me think I could have found a way.

I feel like I stepped up my self reflection on Day 3. ?First pondering happened in the morning while reading over some of the tweets and blog posts by other hunger challenge participants. I was hit smack dab in the face by a glaring error I had made: I didn?t use coupons. Not only did I not use coupons, I didn?t event think about them. Why not? Am I really in an economic class that I don?t even consider using these FREE money saving pieces of paper? I certainly don?t think so. My parents were never big coupon-ers so I can justify this by saying it was never in my daily norm to look for these little savings goodies, but I knew they existed. Really no excuse on my part. That realization inspired me to look up coupons for Whole Foods and Trader Joe?s right away and I am proud to say I am ready to save come Sunday when I have money again for food.

Second not so self reflection, but?situation?reflection came around lunch time. The email came in and immediately a wrench was thrown into the planning: I want to see someone on Saturday night.? There is no going out for drinks or going out to dinner so my only option was to change my meal plan. I let my guest know about this current challenge so they?re not surprised about the commonplace meal I conjure up, but that doesn?t ease the fact that I now need to make sure I leave enough food on my last of the challenge to feed two people.? Crossing my fingers I planned the rest of the week correctly.

What I ate:
Breakfast: Joe?s O?s, Milk, Coffee, Creamer (didn?t feel like the banana for some reason, probably a huge mistake)
Lunch: Pasta with eggplant and onion
Dinner: Toast and a fried egg

Day 4 Recap:

Day 4 is when I started to look at how this challenge will change my habits going forward. My first take away is I am definitely inspired to cook more and save money while doing it. This whole experience reminds me there is a lot more I can give in terms of food and charitable giving if i just buckle down myself and save money. (Cough:coupons:Cough cough)

I am also inspired by how much you can do with so little.? You do not need eight ingredients to make a good meal and if you buys less, you waste less. Yes, I have been eating a lot of the same thing because cooking (pasta) in bulk is much more economical, but the simplicity of what a few staples can turn into is rather enjoyable.? As a wise co-worker told me yesterday,? every experience makes you succeed more in life (if you let it). So I?m hoping to take this simplicity, less waste lesson and apply it to my life moving forward. To be fair, our office?s subscription to Real Simple may have had a hand in encouraging this behavior as well. I?m a sucker for their food photography.

What I ate:
Breakfast: Joe?s O?s, (my last) Banana, Milk, Coffee, Creamer
Lunch: Pasta with sauteed spinach and onion
Dinner: Red leaf salad with cucumber and red onion (lettuce and cucumber were left over from last week?s groceries), toast

Day 5 recap

I accepted free handout of pita chip, hummus and salsa samples on Day 5. I justified it by saying it doesn?t matter your income level you can take the free stuff.? I then sort of realized that ?luxury? foods (which is what I qualify pita chips and hummus as, go ask someone living in the middle of America, these are not normal buys) are probably only passed out in the financial district, i.e. where people can afford to buy them regularly, which is not a place where people living on food stamps probably frequent.? I of course thought about this while devouring my two free sample bags of chips.? Another reminder that I?m damn lucky to be where I am at my age.

What I ate:
Breakfast: Joe?s O?s, Milk, Coffee, Creamer
Lunch: Pasta with sauteed spinach and onion
Snack: (free) Pita chips
Dinner: Cup of Joe?s O?s and milk.? I wasn?t to hungry after my snack.

Total cheating thus far, i.e. food left over from the previous week

Half a box of macaroni and cheese: $0.99
Half an avocado: $0.90
Bushel of red lettuce: $1.20
Half a cucumber: $0.50
Two glasses of wine: $2.70
Total: $6.29?

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Source: http://mydistractions.wordpress.com/2011/09/16/hunger-challenge-day-3-5/

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