Welfare Food Challenge- sentiments

Ok so today would have been day 5, sadly I didn’t last past day one. I would have never expected to be that sick. My headache was one of the worst I’ve had in my life, I could barely see.  No amount of pain killer would get rid of the headache. I felt nauseous, exhausted and foggy, but why? 

I figured a few things; the meager amount of food, the low quality of food, the lack of certain food groups and the food dye, preservatives and adatives in the food. Does high quality food and a balanced meal make that much of a difference? So much of a difference that I couldn’t finish the day? I couldn’t sit up? I couldn’t see straight? I was irritable? So sick that I thought I had the flu? It’s absolutely does and it’s something I will never take for granted again. Nutrition is the backbone to daily functioning- that’s why when you’re a kid you’re told to never skip breakfast. That’s why they have the breakfast program in inner city schools. That’s why our parents told us to eat our fruits and vegetables. That’s why I nearly gag every morning on my “gut shot” that my nutritionist made me buy. 

It’s because FOOD IS IMPORTANT, it is so important that it could mean the difference between completing your day or not being able to finish. It could mean having ambition or staying in bed. It could mean starting the first day of the rest of your life or not. 

As I shamefully tell you that I couldn’t even survive one day in the Welfare Food Challenge, I am also shameful to say that I had no idea it was the hard. I am reminded of a specific client I had who had a gluten and dairy allergy. While on welfare I know she didn’t get enough to eat. While homeless she accessed community food programs, most weren’t gluten or dairy free. She would buy gluten free bread and tuna or peanut butter and make the same sandwich everyday. The laughable “nutrition” supplements offered her $20 a month extra to help with food costs, as if that put a dent into specialty foods. 

Socio economical disadvantages seem near impossible to escape, particularly when even something that is suppose to get you on your feet (like welfare) just gives you a big kick in the stomach. Another client of mine once said “how are you suppose to pick yourself up by the boot straps without any boots?”. 

He was right, it’s impossible to pull up your boots straps without boots. It’s impossible to get ahead when you feel like you’ve been hit by a train. We as a province cannot allow our fellow British Columbians to live in extreme poverty. 

Because I couldn’t finish the challenge I donated money to First United Church’s food program. $20  for each day I did not complete, that was a total of $120. 

This was eye opening, it was sad, it was surprising and it was painful. 

Welfare Food Challenge- Day two

It’s 5:15am and I just woke up. I went to bed at 6:45pm and probably fell asleep about an hour later. I feel hungover this morning, like I had an insane college night of partying. I feel slightly less nauseous and my headache has almost cleared. I spent some time looking up food allergies and I’m like allergic to food dye. No excuses because I’m sure lots of people are, but it really felt like having the worst flu ever. 

I can’t eat anything now anyways, I’m suppose to fast until after my MRI. Still undecided if I can continue... I’m afraid of another reaction like yesterday. I feel foolish fearing my body shutting down because of “less then perfect food”, but I guess that is the reality. Reality is sad, this challenge is heartbreaking, eye opening and incredibly humbling. 

I’m angry! Angry that in a province with so much wealth that there is so much pain, pain from poverty that is preventable. This experience is reminding me of a client of mine, who had a gluten/soy allergy and rarely got enough to eat. She started off without any income and had to survive off to free meals. What free meals can gurantee you gluten free? NONE! So she would take a risk everyday or not eat. Then when she was finally approved for welfare, the meager amount would easily be spent in two week on gluten free items. We had to cut through all the red tape to get a nutrition supplement for her. But the supplement is only $25 more... not a week a month!! What kind of gluten free products can you buy for a month for $25...!? 

Being on welfare must initially rid you of dignity, for no good reason. MSD workers have to ask you when you run out of money or ask for a food voucher; “have you tried all the free options?”, “what did you spend your money on”. Well for F sake I spent it on BASIC NECESSITIES TO LIFE! I get they have questions that they have to ask, but seriously, how degrading. How awful is our system that people don’t get enough food or don’t get quality food to eat. I can’t imagine going to work every day feeling this awful. 

Making my donation today- I’m done. 

————

Made my donation of $120 to the food program at First United Church, $20 ($19 founded) for every day I failed to complete the challenge. There is proof below. I had no idea how truly difficult this was. BC THINGS NEED TO CHANGE!!!!

Welfare Food Challenge- day one

So I’ve had a headache since I ate breakfast and it’s getting progressively worse. Breakfast sucked, I had a small egg, with cheese on some dry toast. Lunch was worse then breakfast, a cheese sandwich, with the same bread and cheese I had for breakfast. My body was craving nutrition so I ate my banana and guzzled some water. 

It’s so hard to continue on with my day with this headache looming. I can only hope dinner will be better. 

I’ve had about three pieces of Halloween candy that had been lingering in my office. I also took my supplements this morning, which I think was cheating (probably?) they were milk thistle and digestive enzymes. I was also going to fry my egg this morning, but I only have coconut oil or olive oil, both of which are more then $19 a bottle/container. Both of which I felt would be cheating, so I microwaved my egg. I was going to throw my cheese sandwich in the toaster oven at work, but was so hungry by 11:30am I just needed to eat it. It’s not even really hunger, it’s craving nutrition! I want leafy greens and a fruit salad. 

CONT’

So here we are at 6:45pm, my usual arrival home time after work and appointments and I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. I’m in my bed, in the dark, sipping on an organic fruit smoothie. Yes I know I cheated and I’m ashamed, really and truly ashamed. Honestly I didn’t think I’d make it without cheating over even the whole 7 days but I never thought I’d be cheating on day one. 

Whether it was the food dye in the cheese or the lack of nutrients and food in my lunch and breakfast I feel like SHIT. Before I got into my bed I thought I was going to hurl, I took and extra strength Tylenol to attemp to cure my headache and it did nothing! I have been yawning since noon and I’m exhausted. I fell asleep at my after work appointment which never happens. Honestly I can’t tell you if I’m going to pick up again and try tomorrow... if I don’t I’ll donate $20 (rounded up from $19) for each day I’ve failed to First United’s food program. If this isn’t a reality check I don’t know what is. I’m feeling pretty damn grateful that I have the CHOICE to stop eating this way. 

Welfare Food Challenge- packing my lunch

So I just did what I do every night before bed, packed my lunch for the next day. Today there were only three ingredients... color dyed cheese, bred and a banana. 

How utterly boring and doesn’t really have much nutritional value. I can already feel my body craving greens, you know those times you binge on junk food and then your body is screaming at you for salad, kind of like that. Hey at least the banana looks delicious and maybe just maybe I can be First in line to the toaster oven at lunch hour. 

Welfare Food Challenge- shopping

Ok all, this post is still about food but it’s not about the cooking I love to do.

This year I am participating in the #WelfareFoodChallenge17 were I have to survive for 1 week on $19 worth of food. I will be blogging everyday.

#WelfareFoodChallenge17 

Okay so I did my shopping tonight for the week... not at Whole Food or Choices and nothing is Organic. I spent $0.15 over my limit but it’s pretty close. $19.15 for a weeks worth of food, feeling optimistic because I managed to get cheese, but I can’t say there is much else to be excited about. Tomorrow I plan to have a slice of bread, cheese and an egg for breakfast, a cheese sandwich and a banana for lunch and chickpeas with brown rice and chili seasoning for dinner. What’s sad is my only produce is bananas and I don’t even have one for every day. The food comes out of cans... do I even own a can opener? The only thing I get to drink is water, no tea, no coffee and no venti matcha green tea lemonade or soy half sweet London fog. I did try to keep it healthy by buying whole grains and a mix of protein and had to buy a season pack to try and make sure the food isn’t bland. I think it will be a real challenge in the morning, I usually have an organic fruit/veggie smoothie with hemp protein, cold pressed juice and cashew milk. It starts the day off right and is a huge energy booster, better then coffee I swear. But for the next seven days none of that either. My coworker Stephanie Dawn Wang is doing it as well and we hope to raise not only our own awareness but awareness of the general public on how impossible and undignified the BC Welfare rate is. We will report any cheating and the reasons why and if we drop out early we will report that too. Living so utterly far below the poverty line is shameful! Especially when the basic necessities of a decent and nutritious meal are being sacrificed.

One more thing... 

I am use to eating a 90% organic diet, I have chronic pain/ chronic fatigue and found out nearly 10 years ago that eating high quality food without preservatives made me feel better and I didn’t have to be on medication. This will be hard for me and I can’t imagine the struggle for the thousands of people who share my chronic diseases and symptoms who can’t afford high quality food. Part of me is doing this for a reality check for myself. Yes I work with people in the DTES living in extreme poverty every day but I shamefully have no sense of what that’s like. I’m stressed about this challenge for many reason... :( 

Curry- What more could one want on a cold winter day?

I occurred to me that there is no better meal then a hot serving of curry on a cold winter day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 clove of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 2.5 teaspoons of organic curry powder
• 1 cup of low sodium organic vegetable broth
• 1 cup of organic whole milk
• 2 heaping table spoons of plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of butter 
• 5 large brown mushrooms
• 1/2 cup of frozen green peas)
• chickpeas (14oz can) or two boneless skinless chicken legs
• salt to taste 
• red chilli flakes to taste
• two to three table spoons of cornstarch 

If you are making a chicken curry you need:

• 1 teaspoon of cumin 
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of butter

METHOD:

1. In a deep heavy bottom pan heat about 2 table spoons of butter. Add 1 medium onion diced. Cook until almost brown.
2. Add minced garlic, curry powder and de-glaze the pan with vegetable broth. 
3. Bring to a boil and add 1 cup of milk and two heaving tablespoons of plain yogurt.
4. Add in sliced mushrooms, chickpeas (or almost cooked chicken- see recipe for chicken below).
5. Let all the indigents cook together for about 20 minutes. Add salt and desired spice.
6. After 20 minutes add cornstarch and frozen peas. Cook together for another 10 minutes and serve on top of basmati rice.

For the chicken:

If you decide to make a chicken curry you have a few added steps.

1. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and season with cumin and salt.
2. heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy bottom deep skillet. Add bite sized chicken pieces and cook until brown. (don't cook the chicken all the way through.
3. scrap all the chicken bits out of the pan and set the chicken aside. Use the same pan and proceed with method above.

Serve with basmati rice- cook the rice with the ratio of water to rice on the package. When I cook basmati rice I always start with melting butter at the bottom of the pot and saute the rice. Then i add 1/3 vegetable broth to 2/3 water. 

Its nice to serve this with naan bread. Don't worry you don't need to make it yourself! You can buy it at the store and heat it in the oven or the microwave. I however love the recipe for Naan in the 'Mangoes and Curry Leaves' cook book. The only substitute I make is i use instant yeast. I mean who has time to wait for the dough to rise!?

As always I hope you enjoy my food and remember try to make everything from scratch and make it organic!

Pizza!

Most people are intimidated by pizza but when you make it yourself you know exactly what is in your food.

All you need is a bowl and the ingredients and if you are lucky use your kitchen aid mixer, it makes life a whole lot easier.

Recipe:

The Dough

2.5 cups all purpose organic unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon of organic extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of raw cane sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of instant yeast
1 cup of luke warm water

The sauce

one can of organic diced tomatoes (around 400ml)
one can of organic tomato paste (around 156ml)
one teaspoon of fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon of raw cane sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of organic extra virgin olive oil
1/2 clove of organic garlic

The Method:

Dough:

1. in you kitchen aid mixer add the yeast followed by the warm water and mix until it dissolves.
2. Add the sugar, salt and EVOO and continue mixing.
3. Add the flour slowly until it forms a dough ball. If the mixture is too wet add some more flour.
4. Put the dough on a pizza pan (if you have one) and form the crust. Put the crust in the oven by it self for 5-7 minutes before you add the toppings.

Sauce:

1. In a large heavy bottom fry pan add 1tbsp of EVOO and heat. Add the garlic and fry until almost brown (DON'T BURN) 
2. quickly add the tomatoes and tomato paste to deglaze the pan. Turn down to low heat and add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce.
3. Simmer on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, to allow the flavors to develop.

Now you are ready to dress your pizza!
I always do cheese first and sauce on top!