Eating Well On One Dollar A Day

[jeffrey]

Good luck! I know you will keep us posted on your progress. This has to be healthier than eating at McDonald's for 30 days. And in this case you might lose weight, rather than gain it!

Actually, my goal is to maintain my current weight. I eat pretty healthy (not perfect, but not bad) and am at a good weight for me. If I gain weight, it means I'm not eating healthy and if I lose weight, it means I'm not eating enough. It will be a good indicator of how I do during the month.

[Broken Arrow]

I thought this is an interesting article.

If nothing else, you've inspired me to see if I can cut down my own food expenses. I don't know if I'm ready for $1 a day though.

[PrincessPerky]

They don't flavor food in Japan?

[jeffrey]

I thought this is an interesting article.

If nothing else, you've inspired me to see if I can cut down my own food expenses. I don't know if I'm ready for $1 a day though.

Heh - I'm not sure I'm ready for $1 a day as it dawns on me what I'm up against. It should be an interesting month.

[jeffrey]

They don't flavor food in Japan?

They do, but it it much blander than here - they use soy sauce as the main flavoring ingredient. A bowl of white sticky rice with every meal is normal. You don't get the spicey that you often do here.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

And seaweed, too, right? My college son uses seaweed for flavoring a lot. He stocks up on it when he is home, buying it dried in a bag.

--Which reminds me to say, don't forget to check out what is inexpensive at import markets.

And would it be permissible to harvest wild vegetables? I had a mix of feral mustard greens & "lambs quarters" seasoned with wild onions with a boiled egg for lunch today. Wild foods are as much out there for us all as are grocery stores. Harvesting wild veggies while you travel might be an unusual way to get to know new places and interesting knowledgeable people, too.

[rob62521]

I just read the book, "The Art of Eating In" and the author who lives in NYC, took a workshop on harvesting greens from the parks that many would normally think of as weeds? Can you do that on your $1 a day?

Hopefully you will blog about your experiences. I have to agree with many posters...flour to make bread. A cheap addition to any meal and you have a flat bread without yeast which gets kind of expensive to buy.

[Daylily]

I'm trying to understand how this will work given that you are traveling. Will you have access to a kitchen every day? If you make a large casserole that is to cover several meals will you be able to keep it refrigerated during your travel time so that it doesn't go to waste?

[snafu]

hope you like ethnic foods, lentils, beans, barley, are cheap in bins, cheaper in ethnic targeted stores. making your own bread is cheap and helps rid tension.

[jeffrey]

And seaweed, too, right? My college son uses seaweed for flavoring a lot. He stocks up on it when he is home, buying it dried in a bag.

Yes, lots of seaweed

--Which reminds me to say, don't forget to check out what is inexpensive at import markets.

Oh, good idea. Completely slipped my mind and there are a lot in the area where my mom lives.

And would it be permissible to harvest wild vegetables? I had a mix of feral mustard greens & "lambs quarters" seasoned with wild onions with a boiled egg for lunch today. Wild foods are as much out there for us all as are grocery stores. Harvesting wild veggies while you travel might be an unusual way to get to know new places and interesting knowledgeable people, too.

On this one, no. My sister says it has to be regular retail shopping, although I would love to give that a try too. In fact, I would love to take a class to learn what wild plants are edible...have to mark that on my list of things to do.

[jeffrey]

I just read the book, "The Art of Eating In" and the author who lives in NYC, took a workshop on harvesting greens from the parks that many would normally think of as weeds? Can you do that on your $1 a day?

Unfortunately, off limits this month. I do agree that would be a good and inexpensive way to get my greens.

Hopefully you will blog about your experiences. I have to agree with many posters...flour to make bread. A cheap addition to any meal and you have a flat bread without yeast which gets kind of expensive to buy.

Yes, I will blog about it.

[jeffrey]

I'm trying to understand how this will work given that you are traveling. Will you have access to a kitchen every day? If you make a large casserole that is to cover several meals will you be able to keep it refrigerated during your travel time so that it doesn't go to waste?

It is definitely going to be a challenge and I will have to get a good deal of food that I can travel with. It means that I won't be able to cook many large meals and use them over several days which will make the challenge all the more challenging.

[jeffrey]

hope you like ethnic foods, lentils, beans, barley, are cheap in bins, cheaper in ethnic targeted stores. making your own bread is cheap and helps rid tension.

It looks like those are the foods that most people think that I will have to eat most of the time. I am hoping that my couponing will allow me to break out of that at least some of the time, although if that is what I have to eat, I could easily do it. It's going to be an interesting morning at the store tomorrow.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Okie, doke. Well, I think you can use some of those beans and lentils to sprout for lighter components to some meals. On day 1 of sprouting, your beans do not need light, so they could be packed in a clear plastic jar in a suitcase, during a 4-10 hour journey, soaking to take up water. For the next 2-3 days they still do not need light, so they can still be packed in that suitcase. After that you need to be in a place where you can set the sprouts in a window to green up.

Really though, why don't you wait to do this challenge during a month when you are not traveling? I'm guessing that of the world's nomads are either following their food source (such as bison), or bringing their food source with them (such as yaks and camels).

[Broken Arrow]

Can you buy things up front? For example, can you buy $30 worth of food at a time each month instead of $1 each day? Also, can you delay this project, or must it start right now?

The reason why I ask is because, if you have enough time to grow your own food, this is a lot more realistic. At the very least, it allows you to buy bulk and cook healthier foods from scratch.

What I find interesting is that a lot of what we consider as exotic cuisines today is really peasant food from back in the day. That they are they way they are mostly because that's what people can afford at the time.

Anyway, it's nice to be able to continue that storied tradition, and find ways to keep our own food costs down.