Food Stamps

Some people who are on food stamps find that it’s more affordable for them to embrace a vegetarian or vegan diet because vegetables are very affordable and provide such a healthy form of nutrition. However, if this doesn’t seem like the option for you, then you may want to consider combining your vegetables with meat, grains, dairy, or other options to make them last longer throughout the week.

Vegetables are great because you can add them to so many different options. You can create salads for lunches and dinners, sandwiches, or even vegetable smoothies. Steam them for a completely different taste and season lightly. Vegetables are also delicious when served with a dip, which is commonly how many kids prefer them. It can be challenging to get kids to be interested in eating their vegetables, however, so you may have to think of more creative ways to get them involved. One way can be to coat celery sticks with peanut butter and then decorate with raisins in order to create the well known “ants on a log.”

Why Is Making The Most Of Food Stamps Important?

The 2009 Recovery Act had provided additional founding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That funding will expire on November 1 unless congressional action occurs, which many people now believe is unlikely to happen. As a result, $11 billion in funding for food stamps will be cut by the end of the government’s 2016 fiscal year based on information from Stacy Dean, the vice president for the food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Learning how to make the most of your benefits now will make it easier to budget if cuts occur in the future.

Getting The Family Involved

A lot of people who are on food stamps often cite that they feel overwhelmed with trying to handle meal preparation associated with living on a food stamp budget because they handle these responsibilities on their own. A great way to overcome this issue is to work on getting your family involved with the meal ideas and food preparation at home. This can be as simple as getting someone interested in cooking with you or creating unique meals together. Another focus should be getting children interested in eating healthier based on what’s typically available in your home.

Additional Resources

If you want more resources and ideas for meals that you can use to make the most of your food stamp benefits, there are many resources available online. A lot of the state sites for the departments associated with food stamps have their own recipes and meal suggestions that can be helpful. Another option is to get involved on a message board or a Facebook group and share different options and ideas with other people. You will find that many of the people who are facing the same challenges will be more than willing to help you out by sharing some of the options that have worked well for them.