Local expert shares healthy, budget-friendly meal ideas
Health & Hunger Director at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Maureen Hawkins, highlights how to make nutritious meals on a tight budget.
MANY BUDGETS ARE TIGHTER THAN EVER BEFORE. AND IF YOU SCROLLED SOCIAL MEDIA LATELY, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE RISE OF WHAT’S BEING CALLED STRUGGLE MEALS. REALLY? IT’S A SIMPLE, LOW COST DISH. WHAT’S A TREND IS A REALITY FOR A LOT OF OUR NEIGHBORS. SO JOINING ME THIS MORNING TO SHARE HOW WE CAN ALL MAKE THE MOST OUT OF LIMITED RESOURCES IS MAUREEN HAWKINS, THE HEALTH AND HUNGER DIRECTOR AT SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA. THANK YOU FOR COMING IN. YOU GUYS ARE SUCH A GOOD PARTNER WITH US YEAR AFTER YEAR. MAUREEN, LET’S FIRST TALK ABOUT WHAT DO YOU HAVE HERE ON THIS TABLE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. AND I’M REALLY EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WE PROMOTE THROUGH OUR NUTRITION PROGRAM AT SECOND HARVEST. IT REALLY IS LOOKING AT HOW TO BUILD OUT A LOW COST MEAL. WE CALL THEM BUDGET BITES OR BUDGET MEALS. TO BE ABLE TO STRETCH THAT MEAL AND FEED A FAMILY MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK. SO I THINK EVERYONE STRUGGLES TO MAKE DIFFERENT MEALS, GET CREATIVE. HAVE YOUR FAMILY, ESPECIALLY. ENJOY EATER. YES. SO THE WAY THAT WE ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO ADDRESS THAT IS BY LOOKING AT FIRST THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE FOOD. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING A BROWN, A BROWN RICE, AND IT HAS MORE FIBER, A LOW SODIUM CANNED OR FROZEN FOODS. SO WHEN I PUT THESE MEALS TOGETHER, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE LOTS OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT I CAN INTERCHANGE. SO TWO MEALS THAT I’VE POINTED OUT HERE TODAY, WE HAVE ONE THAT WOULD LOOK MORE LIKE A. OOPS, SORRY. SO SORRY A CHICKEN MEAL WHERE WE’VE GOT RICE AND VEGGIES AND YOU CAN ADD WHATEVER YOU LIKE. IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT I’M SHOWING HERE, THAT’S OKAY. BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE ONE WITH MAYBE SOME TURKEY SAUSAGE. SO YOU’RE YOU’RE CHANGING IT UP A LITTLE BIT AND YOU CAN HAVE A VARIETY AND IT’LL STRETCH THAT MEAL. THE MORE OBVIOUSLY THAT YOU’RE ADDING IN THE MORE IT’LL STRETCH. BUT SOMETIMES HAVING SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN BUY IN BULK, YOU CAN USE IN MULTIPLE MEALS AT ONCE, YOU KNOW, WE SAID ON SOCIAL MEDIA RIGHT NOW IT’S CALLED STRUGGLE MEALS. YOU TALKED ABOUT BUDGET BITES, WHATEVER YOU’RE REALLY CALLING IT. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT RESONATES RIGHT NOW WITH SO MANY PEOPLE? WELL, RIGHT NOW THINGS ARE DIFFICULT. WE JUST CAME OFF OF LIMITED SNAP. THERE WAS A PAUSE THERE. AND SO FOR SOME TIME, YES, SO FOLKS WERE STRUGGLING AND WE SAW THAT IN THE LINES AT OUR FOOD PANTRIES. AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES. AND THESE ARE ITEMS THAT YOU’LL SEE IN ANY OF OUR PANTRIES. AND IT HELPS TO KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR SO THAT THEY CAN GET THEIR BIGGEST BANG FOR THEIR VISIT TO ONE OF OUR LOCAL FEEDING PARTNERS. YEAH. HOW TO STRETCH THAT MEAL THAT YOU’RE GETTING FOR SURE, WHEN IT COMES TO KIND OF A BUDGET FRIENDLY MEAL, WHAT ARE SOME COMMON PITFALLS THAT YOU TYPICALLY SEE WHEN PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO COOK ON A TIGHT BUDGET? SURE. IT I THINK EVERYONE EXPERIENCES THIS AS WELL AS THOSE LAST MINUTE MEALS THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE EVERY DAY. IT’S LIKE, OKAY, MY KIDS ARE HUNGRY. WE GOT TEN MINUTES. WHAT DO WE DO? WE GOT TO GET TO THE STORE. SO WHEN YOU’RE BUYING OR LOOKING IN A PANTRY AND YOU’RE IN NEED OF SOMETHING RIGHT AWAY, IT’S HARD TO MEAL PLAN. YEAH. SO IF YOU CAN MEAL PLAN SO YOU CAN BUY IT IN BULK IF YOU’RE ABLE TO OR FIND ITEMS THAT YOU CAN USE IN MORE THAN ONE MEAL, YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO SAVE SOME FUNDS THAT WAY. OKAY. AND WHAT WE ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO DO IS SAY YOU’RE AT A PANTRY AND MAYBE THEY DON’T HAVE MEATS AVAILABLE. GET SOME OF YOUR STAPLES, AND THEN YOU CAN USE EITHER SNAP FUNDS OR OTHER FUNDS TO GET TO THE GROCERY STORE TO GET THE MEAT. YEAH, JUST LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT WITH ANY KIND OF PANTRY. CREATIVE FINANCING. RIGHT. WHAT IS AVAILABLE THAT YOU CAN UTILIZE AND THEN USE WHAT YOU DO HAVE TO GO TO THE STORE? THAT’S RIGHT. HOW CAN WE ALL JUST PRIORITIZE OUR HEALTH WHEN WE’RE TRYING TO MAKE BUDGET FRIENDLY DECISIONS? ABSOLUTELY. I THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. AND IT REALLY IT’S LOOKING AT THOSE LOW SODIUM, HIGH FIBER FOODS. WE’RE LOOKING AT TURKEY SAUSAGE INSTEAD OF, SAY, PORK OR BEEF. AND YOU’RE LOOKING AT IF YOU’RE KIND OF LOOKING AT THE FROZEN FRESH OR CANNED. YEAH. THERE’S A WAY TO ADDRESS THAT WITH LOOKING AT WHAT ITEMS CAN’T BE CANNED LIKE A CELERY. SO YOU’RE GETTING THOSE ITEMS. AND THEN THE NEXT WOULD BE A FROZEN OPTION AND THEN CANNED. AND THEN IN THAT CANNED ITEM, GET A LOW SODIUM OPTION, RINSE OFF THOSE BEANS OR VEGGIES BEFORE IF YOU CAN, BECAUSE THAT REDUCES EVEN MORE. AND I KNOW AS FAR AS THE FRESH STUFF COMES IN, YOU’VE GOT NEW STUFF COMING IN. I’VE BEEN OUT TO THE WAREHOUSE. YES. AND YOU WORK WITH ALL THOSE DIFFERENT STORES WHERE THEY DO THEIR RESCUE RETAIL? YES. AND THERE’S CONSTANTLY FRESH PRODUCE COMING IN AND OUT OF THOSE STORES VERY QUICKLY. YES. IT IS USUALLY THE FIRST TO GO AND IT IS SO POPULAR WHEN WE ARE BRINGING THEM OUT TO THE PANTRIES. WE HAVE NUDGES IN THE PANTRIES TO EDUCATE FOLKS LIKE, HEY, CHOOSE ME OFTEN. YEAH, THE DIFFERENT COLORING. EXACTLY. REALLY QUICKLY, MAUREEN, IF PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN MORE, WHERE CAN THEY GO FOR THAT? OH, PLEASE GO TO SECOND HARVEST WEBSITE AND LOOK AT ANY OF OUR FOOD FINDER APP. IT’S A QR CODE AND YOU CAN FIND WHERE OUR LOCAL PANTRIES ARE TO WHERE YOU LIVE. OKAY, MAUREEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US FROM SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK. WE’RE GOING TO SEE YOU DECEMBER 12TH. YES, WE’RE GOING T
Local expert shares healthy, budget-friendly meal ideas
Health & Hunger Director at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Maureen Hawkins, highlights how to make nutritious meals on a tight budget.
Health & Hunger Director at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Maureen Hawkins, shares how to make nutritious meals on a tight budget. Click here to learn more.
Health & Hunger Director at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Maureen Hawkins, shares how to make nutritious meals on a tight budget.
Click here to learn more.
