@froggy:
Calorie count? I come up with around 1060 calories a day from your list. This is under the average daily minimum to avoid 'starvation'. (Under 1200 a day is known to trigger a medical starvation response). To be active, alert, and have the energy to perform a job will require significantly more calories. If you are a very petite female you might get away with this but no man could.
@Mahkno:
I think its more than the calories you posted. A quesadilla alone is over 500 calories, more if you add a 1/4 cup of shredded chicken. Breakfast of an egg and a tortilla is 300. Add 1 cup of refried beans and you're well over 500 calories. We haven't even added up the grapes or the dinner meal yet. So you CAN get enough daily calories with these meals, especially if you keep in mind that the SNAP money is meant as a supplement and not your entire grocery budget. For another ten dollars you can add ingredients for a salad or buy another package of chicken or beef.
Sure nobody wants to eat beans every week but there are plenty of other food choices that are just as cheap--spaghetti with homemade sauce (can of stewed tomatoes, garlic, onion and olive oil), chicken tacos, a small Walmart pizza (big enough for 2 meals there), chicken and rice, chicken salad, meat and potato burritos, stew meat tacos, etc., etc., etc. You get more mileage out of your meals if you cut out the processed stuff and make your own.
My 22 year old son eats on about $40 a week--he's mostly a vegetarian but he works out ALOT so calories are very important. He makes every one count. If he can do it then it should be easy for the rest of us.
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