The first part of January here in la casa de crazy sucked. $490 did not stretch far in December and no…for the eleventy-hundredth time, you don’t get extra food stamps for Christmas.
Everyone knows or at least can imagine that financial instability can cause a lot of stress but lack of food security, while obviously it goes hand in hand, can make people loopy-crazy levels of stressed. The adults snap at each other, even though they’re in it together. They blame themselves,each other,the system,The Man, society,the whole dumb world. We try to protect our kids from all of it because it’s scary as hell to us adults – the kids don’t need to be freaked the fuck out ,too.
John Cheese has much of it right in this The 5 Stupidest Habits You Develop Growing Up Poor. If you’ve been reading this here blog, you know I’m trying hard to make sure that #5: You Develop A Taste For Shitty Food does not happen to my kids. You also know that I very strongly believe that poverty does not necessarily HAVE to equal crappy eating habits. Even though a bag of oranges looks like gold at the end of the month and we sort of had to buy disgusting processed American cheese slices once because it’s cheaper. 4 out of 6 of my kids think it tastes “wrong” so maybe I’ve been doing something right.
As positive as I am that there are ways to make the healthy eating happen when living on food stamps, let me step outside my white,small town bubble and give myself a reality check. It is possible but not without a lot of changes and support systems put in place to make it happen. The way things are now, the poor just get sicker and fatter and continue to be blamed for their own dietary issues, even though it’s a trap they’ve been set up to fall in. Along with those “Stupid Habits” , it isn’t just money poor people spend like crazy when they have it…it’s food, too. It’s feast or famine…when there IS food available, you eat it and you eat it till it’s gone. Also, that stress I mentioned earlier? It doesn’t help.
On an assistance related note, I ended up applying for Medicaid to try to get help getting my teeth fixed. Since I applied, even more of my front tooth (what was left of it) broke, so I’m front-toothless. It doesn’t matter,anyway. I was denied. Because I said when I applied that I had a past medical bill (my ER visit from when I had mastitis), they wanted me to prove that I lived where I do now then, even though it was only in September. Proof of this would be a utility bill from September, in my name. none of the utilities are in my name sooo….. yeah. I told the medicaid worker, “Ok, forget about the past bill then.” She says they can’t because I already told them about it when I applied.
Anyway, the word is that in our area, Medicaid isn’t going to help much with my dental so let’s just hope I stay otherwise healthy.In the meantime, I’m self-conscious as hell about my teeth, avoiding talking to people who don’t love me if I can help it. Not that Sir Snugglemuffin is a bit older, it’s time for me to consider getting one of those job things but realistically, I’m not going to bother trying since my chances of being hired for anything worthwhile is slim with missing front teeth.
Earlier this week, we had to go meet with our 10 year old’s Principal and Guidance Counselor ( longer than I want to get into right now story). The day after, she was called up to the counselor’s office to “chat” so ,as the counselor said, she could get to know her better. Somehow the conversation led into, “Are Mom & Dad happy together?” Do they fight a lot?”. Pookie said it was all very awkward and she really didn’t understand what it had to do with anything. I can’t help but wonder if they noticed my teeth and suspected abuse. It kills me to think anyone would assume something like that about my dearest.
So,yeah…on that cheery note, shall I discuss food we ate this week?
Mmmm….bibimbap. I made this on Monday for brunch when all the kids were home from school. The best thing about this dish was that I made it using all the leftover odds and ends in the fridge… a few carrots,half a container of mushrooms, a little bit of spinach left in a bag,a cuke and a can of bean sprouts all thrown over what was left in the end of a bag of rice. I noticed I still have a little leftover in the fridge…mostly rice and a few sprouts. Fed many with leftovers to spare. Win.
This was my favorite meal this week, mostly because it was almost all free. It’s salmon with jalapeno and ponzu sauce and honey-gingered carrots. The salmon was wild caught locally by a friend who shared his lake-bounty and the jalapenos were from a friend’s garden this past summer. I had them in the freezer. The carrots were given to us by MIL. The only thing purchased was the ponzu sauce.Bottled,Kikkoman…somewhere around $3.
Chicken vindaloo with sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Leftover sweet potatoes thrown in, half a head of cauliflower… chicken on sale.
There was also pasta one night this week and pizza another. …
0.000000
0.000000
It was shoved in the way,way back . The 6 yo would be pissed if he knew since last week he wanted a salad with cucumbers and I told him we have no cucumbers. Obviously,we did.Also, I discovered this on the table this morning. We peeled it for the toddler yesterday and he didn’t finish it and I forgot about it.
My bad.If you were a food waster this week, go share your shame at Food Waste Friday.
