SNAP Challenge - Dénouement

Why use the word  dénouement in the blog heading? According to Merriam-Webster  dénouement is the final part of something (such as a book, a  play, or a series of events). It  seems appropriate to chronicle the final part of  my  2014 SNAP Challenge journey.

Day 7 was surprisingly smooth. I filled two bottles with water to ensure I would be hydrated  while attending the seminar. Breakfast consisted of oatmeal with raisins. I had chili and the remaining apple for lunch. After the seminar concluded I ran errands and then returned home for dinner. Since this was the last meal I cooked the remaining spinach and splurged and had dessert (1/2 a grapefruit, broiled with a swirl of Dutch Gold's buckwheat blossom honey.  A fitting way to end the Challenge.

Day 7 dinner

Lessons Learned

sautéing remaining spinach

• The groceries I purchased carried me through the week.
• The day without access to water was surreal and could have been avoided. 
• The hummus was a great idea.
• The  package of carrots was definitely more cost effective than the baby carrots I wanted to purchase. I still have carrots
• I 'd give myself a "B" on meeting my stated goals for the week:
• be aware of meal portion/serving size
• pack meals ahead of time
• drink lots of water

An associate asked me if I was concerned about a drop in blog readers or subscribers. I was aware that it was a possibility and took the risk anyway. I've always been clear that the blog is about my experience in all things dining related- exceptional to difficult. I also believe that participating in the 2014 SNAP Challenge gave readers a glimpse of part of the journey that led me to where I am today. For me it was it was humbling to exercise creativity and resourcefulness in order to ensure that I had food and enough to eat.

If a SNAP Challenge were offered in your community, would you participate?

Thank you for joining me on the 2014 SNAP Challenge journey.
 

Be well,

Technicolor girl

image created by InkPlus LLC

SNAP Challenge Day 7 - Twist and Homestretch

Mezcal maragritas for cooking class students

Day 6 began smoothly. I ate oatmeal before heading out the door for the seminar. Lunch (soup) was packed along with a small container of oatmeal,  an orange, a package of raisins, the remaining hummus, and a few carrots. On the first break during the seminar I realized I had no water.  Yikes! I couldn't buy water and I couldn't accept water from others. I was  35 minutes away from home - too far to 'run home' and get a water bottle. I left the seminar to go to my volunteer assistant gig. Before entering the building I consumed the oatmeal and orange. I was finally in a location where I could access to water  without paying for it, but I had already been without water for several hours and being an assistant means you are active preparing the recipes  and clearing the cooking area.

The class topic was "Brian P's Smoke House" and featured smoked po'boys, beef brisket, and  The highlight of my evening was learning to make sausage using a Kitchen Aid mixer and one of its specialized attachments. It was a fun class, but very labor intensive. I came home and went to bed. No chili. No spinach. No brown rice.

Lessons Learned:

• Not having access to water for hours  was painful.
• Eating the oatmeal as an afternoon snack helped me stay full.
• Working with the other classroom assistants took my mind off the lack of water.

Maple bacon pecan pralines for cooking class attendees

 Questions posed to me on Day 6 and my answers:

• Q: Have you lost weight?
• A: Perhaps. I haven't gotten on a scale to find out.

• Q: Are there any foods you wish you hadn't purchased week?
• A: No. I tried to plan to my meals ahead.

Day 7 marks the homestretch to the end of the SNAP Challenge. The seminar concludes today and I have a water bottle with me. Since I didn't eat dinner on Day 6 I will have chili for lunch and dinner. I have a sufficient amount of food to end the SNAP Challenge consuming all three meals.

I hope you will return tomorrow to see how Day7 actually unfolded and the final round of lessons learned and questions posed.


Be well,

Technicolor girl