A Simple Nutrititious & Affordable Plan (SNAP)

susie · **Posted:** Thu May 28, 2009 7:41 pm

Hi Jeff can you tell me how much rice that is in cupfuls. Here in Oz we don't carry Success rice,so the information would be helpful. I assume it would be about one cup.

Faith in DC · **Posted:** Fri May 29, 2009 10:19 am

Success bags I believe is two cups, maybe two and a half.

JeffN · **Joined:** Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:56 am **Posts:** 5026

susie wrote:

Hi Jeff can you tell me how much rice that is in cupfuls. Here in Oz we don't carry Success rice,so the information would be helpful. I assume it would be about one cup.

Hi Susie

Sure. It was actually in an earlier post in this thread..

JeffN wrote:

Greetings everyone!

Thanks for all your versions of the SNAP meals. They all look great and delicious.

I realize there are many ways someone may want to "improve" on this (fresh produce, organic, variety, etc) but the purpose of this is to show how easily we can cover the most important issues, which is making this program, and the basic foods in it, simple, easy, affordable, and nutritious.

I have experimented some more with the concept and here is my updated "guidelines"

1- 28 oz Can No Salt Added Tomatoes
1- 16 oz Bag Frozen Mixed Veggies (any type)
1- 4 oz Frozen Green Leafy Vegetables (collard, turnip, mustard, etc)
1- Around 200-250 Calories of a Starch (Brown rice, Yam, Potato, WW Pasta, etc)
1- tsp ground flax (if desired)
1- Seasoning (to your preference)

This makes one meal of about 600-650 calories. Add in a couple pieces of fruit during the day or as a dessert if desired. You can repeat the process 2-3x a day for a simple meal plan of around 1300-1950 calories.

This will surpass every single RDA/DRI for every nutrient. The only ones that may occasionally look slightly low (85-95%) will be Zinc, Selenium and Vit E, all of which will not be issues and have been covered in this forum.

As some of you have mentioned, this is a large volume of food. But, what better problem to have then to have SO MUCH food to eat and enjoy!

250 Calories Of Starch options
~1.5 Medium Potatoes
~1.5 Cups Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
~ 1.25 Cups Brown Rice

I just made it again for lunch with potatoes, collards and a mix of California style frozen veggies.

Enjoy!

In Health
Jeff

I thought giving the equivalents would simplify it for everyone.

And, just to clarify, the 1.5 cups Pasta and the 1.25 Cups Brown rice is "cooked"

In Health
Jeff

susie · **Posted:** Fri May 29, 2009 7:39 pm

Thank you Faith and Jeff.I missed those amounts, even though I thought I had read the thread thoroughly. We have a line here that is around 250 grams,so I can substitute one of these.

It is also great to know that it is the cooked weight too.I can't eat much more than a cup of rice at a time.

BarbG · **Joined:** Sun May 31, 2009 9:57 pm **Posts:** 199

Jackie J wrote:

Hi Jeff,
Forgive me if you 've answered this in another thread, but do you not eat breakfast? And if you do, what do you eat?
Thanks so much

I'm interested in breakfast ideas too.

JeffN · **Joined:** Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:56 am **Posts:** 5026

username wrote:

Jackie J wrote:

Hi Jeff,
Forgive me if you 've answered this in another thread, but do you not eat breakfast? And if you do, what do you eat?
Thanks so much

I'm interested in breakfast ideas too.

Greetings,

I am not a breakfast eater in general, though have no "rule" about it and/or don't have any specific recommendation for anyone else. We all have to find how to best incorporate the principles and guidelines into our own lives and schedules. I find most people enjoy breakfast, though for me, unless I am out somewhere and it is being made for me, I usually skip it.

In regard to recipes ideas, I don't have many as it is not something I prepare. However, we do not need separate "breakfast" recipes and any recipes I recommend could just as easily be eaten for breakfast as it can for lunch or dinner. Many cultures consume breakfasts of foods that are not far different from some of my recipes.

However, having said that, when I did eat breakfast on a regular basis, my three favorite breakfasts were

1) Oatmeal with some fresh fruit and berries and a little flax seed on it

2) A bowl of fresh fruit with a little flax seed sprinkled on it.

3) Breakfast rice, which was just some leftover brown rice with fresh fruit, berries and a little flax on it.

If you need more ideas, the recipes section here, and the McDougall newsletters and cookbooks have many breakfast recipes in them.

In Health
Jeff

bunsofaluminum · **Posted:** Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:22 am

mmm, Jeff. I think you just gave me my Basic Meal for This Week!

I might use quinoa for some of it, though. But I have brown rice coming out my ears and want to use it up so I can buy a rice blend. I have the tomatoes and mixed vegs, just need to pick up a large bag of baby spinach at the grocery and I'm set.

looks good, and needs to be cheap FOR SURE.

blessings, HeidiW

WishIWasInBuffalo · **Joined:** Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:13 am **Posts:** 55

This thread also makes it easy to say why others get so big eating SAD. First, at least 4 oz of meat would be added, extra 200 calories? All of it sauted in 2 tbsp oil, extra 100 calories? It would be topped off with some cheese, extra 100 calories? Finally, it would be washed down with a soda, another extra 100 calories? That's an additional 500 calories I would estimate. It's a wild guess of course, but I think the idea is clear.

An extra 500 calories twice a day is another 1000 calories a day, 7000 calories a week, which I believe translates into 2 lbs. So even if you don't like the approach taken in this thread, it should help in understanding some of the fundamental problems in the way that many people eat.

Just my thoughts of course...

susie · **Posted:** Sat Sep 19, 2009 2:29 am

I think that point is valid.I have a sister that thinks she is eating al low fat diet,yet she continues to add full cream milk to her teas, 3-4 cups per day, she adds cheese several times a week and has butter on her bread. Now she has switched the butter for an ample amount of avacado. I did a cron-o-meter analysis for her and she was surprised at how much fat she was ingesting. Added to that is a nice piece of lamb,or other meat and when she leaves something on her plate, it's always the vegetables. She tells me she eats much less than me,and she does too! I just can't get through to her at all. She believes it is the exercise that I do that keeps my weight down to around 120 pounds.

She also has high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabeties and gastritis.All of these conditions, apart from the diabetes that she ignores, are treated by drugs. Need I add that she is obese as well?

Sis · **Joined:** Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:45 pm **Posts:** 5

KareninTN wrote:

Is this "Jeff's Mini?"

Seriously, this sort of dish ought to be demonstrated at the McD programs along with all the fancy stuff. People who are intimidated and overwhelmed by recipes in the back of McD books (I can't be the only one!) need to see how simple it CAN be, if you want it to be.

Karen

Boy howdy, I agree!

I need an inexpensive, easy and quick, tasty, filling "diet". I understand that people that are demonstrating these programs like to show what *CAN* be done - the variety and "company meal" quality is nice... LATER. For now, I just want to get started and I haven't had a paycheck in a month! Getting even a limited amount of so many different things hurts. I'd like a "Minimalist's Guide to McDougall".

Gypsy · **Joined:** Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:16 pm **Posts:** 577

March 2011 I started using the snap but in two years the cost of frozen veggies seems to have doubled. I realized that I live in the middle of no where and that could account for the difference...I have 3 grocery stores to choose from. And our Wal Mart is so small it doesn't even have a frozen food section :lol:

Mixed veggies 2lbs 3.29
Veggie soup mix 1 lbs 1.69
Mditerranean mix 1 lbs 1.79
Fiesta mix 1lbs 1.79
Just wondered how this compares to what you all are paying.
Also, do you add any water to the veggies and tomatoes when they are cooking?
:cry:

HealthE1 · **Joined:** Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:56 am **Posts:** 852

Wow, 22 lbs in 5 weeks? Fan-tas-tic! Hats off to you!

frozenveg · **Posted:** Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:41 pm

Gypsy wrote:

:eek: March 2011 I started using the snap but in two years the cost of frozen veggies seems to have doubled. I realized that I live in the middle of no where and that could account for the difference...I have 3 grocery stores to choose from. And our Wal Mart is so small it doesn't even have a frozen food section :lol:

Mixed veggies 2lbs 3.29
Veggie soup mix 1 lbs 1.69
Mditerranean mix 1 lbs 1.79
Fiesta mix 1lbs 1.79
Just wondered how this compares to what you all are paying.
Also, do you add any water to the veggies and tomatoes when they are cooking?
:cry:

I hear you on the veggies, fresh or frozen! In Alaska they have ALWAYS been expensive--but so is beef, chicken, aspirin, paper towels and potato chips! Everything! I get a lot of the veggies at Costco. The veggies average about $1.25 a pound (but you get a 4-pound bag--my poor little freezer!)

And I'm sure Jeff would respond about the water--if you feel like the ingredients need more water, if it feels hard to stir, or you want a soupier dish--add water!

kittyadventures · **Joined:** Sun Mar 14, 2010 11:48 am **Posts:** 1747

I just watned to share a combo that I recently put together...

it was one of those clean the fridge kind of days

two sweet potatoes(the dark orange kind)
asparagus (1 bundle), carrots(4 big ones peeled and chopped) , broccoli(one bunch), celery( a whole stalk), mini leeks(3) 2 ice burg lettuce insides( you know the tight inside I usually chop them for salad but decided to add to the pot)

I added a little bit of water to the bottom of my pot to cook the potatoes and carrots when they were about half done I added the celery asperagus and broccoli I added the leeks and lettuce last as they only need a few minutes to steam.
Made a lovely big break fast, Lunch and afternoon snack. it probably ran to $7 for the whole pot but still an excellent bargain as cost per meal was about $3.50

lorrwill · **Joined:** Mon May 21, 2012 12:50 pm **Posts:** 5

Gypsy wrote:

:eek: March 2011 I started using the snap but in two years the cost of frozen veggies seems to have doubled. I realized that I live in the middle of no where and that could account for the difference...I have 3 grocery stores to choose from. And our Wal Mart is so small it doesn't even have a frozen food section :lol:

Mixed veggies 2lbs 3.29
Veggie soup mix 1 lbs 1.69
Mediterranean mix 1 lbs 1.79
Fiesta mix 1lbs 1.79
Just wondered how this compares to what you all are paying.
Also, do you add any water to the veggies and tomatoes when they are cooking?
:cry:

May, 2012: I just finished crunching the numbers and came up with about the same as you did. No way to hit $3.50 a day here (northern California)! Not even buying store brands on sale: 2lbs was $3.00 for the least expensive veggies they had. NO greens other than spinach (totally bummed, I was looking forward to turnip greens), Fiesta mix was $2.00 on sale. I will be checking other stores in the area.

Oh well, it is far more nutritious and actually still less expensive than "convenience foods" that we might otherwise turn to when in a hurry to eat.

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