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... :(