During the Challenge, you will want to stretch your dollar as best you can, as food stamp recipients do daily. You are allowed to use coupons, store discount cards or buy in bulk, but if you do not already get the newspaper, you might want to consider whether you could afford to buy one for the coupons while living on a food stamp budget. Below are links to resources to budgeting and meal planning resources:
- USDA's Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals
- MyPlate's Healthy Eating on a Budget
- USDA Recipe Finder Database
- Dollar Dinners
The USDA recently replaced the old Food Pyramid with the new MyPlate icon in an effort to more clearly illustrate a healthy approach to food. Since its release in June 2011, many have debated whether the MyPlate recommendations are obtainable for low-income households. We encourage Challenge participants to see if they can follow the MyPlate guidelines on their limited Food Stamp budget. Reflect on the experience, is it easy or difficult to follow the USDA's recommendations with your food stamp budget? Does your diet tend to follow the MyPlate recommendations when you're not participating in the Food Stamp Challenge?
For more information on MyPlate, visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
