[Eric Rivera's Cooking Blog's Potato and Leek Chicken Stock Soup]

While today is the official last day of Hunger Action Week, we are going to go over how everyone’s Thursday went!

Hunger Fact:

• A 2009 USDA report showed that 47 million Americans are “food insecure” – that’s the most ever. That means that about 1 in every 7 Americans don’t have enough to eat.

Blogger Round-up:

• Savory Sweet Life shared her food for the day as well as some great insights about the purpose of Hunger Action Week: “I had a conversation with my husband tonight about Hunger Challenge and I asked him what he thought about the purpose of participating this week. “It’s to help families who need the extra help”.  One part of this challenge I have appreciated is how I’m forced to be mindful of not wasting.”
• Cook Local noted that living with food benefits allows you to purchase seeds to start your own garden.  “Planting a small container garden at your home, even if all you have is a small porch, sunny kitchen window, or postage stamp back yard is a great way to get more variety in your cooking for very little money.”
• Eric Rivera’s Cooking Blog extolled (as many other have) the importance of stretching your ingredients when living on a budget.  He continues to use his roasted chicken for a variety of meals including a soup and a sauteed chicken breast!
• Kitchensink Unplugged wrote about how time is a big issue while taking the Hunger Challenge: “So the reality that I have recognized during this challenge is that while it is possible to make healthy, filling, tasty meals on this limited budget…time is a serious element to consider….  I can’t imagine how busy parents with a job (or 2), school, sports, and the like, can manage cooking healthy every meal, every day. I applaud those that do. I have more compassion for those that don’t.”
• Dianasaur Dishes actually posted about her taco soup (which is cheap and can be frozen for months!) and her strategy on taking the Hunger Challenge on Tuesday, but I accidentally missed it!  You should still check out the recipe!
• Family Friendly Food shared her experience growing up and how it affects her view of hunger.  She made an interesting comment that can apply to families who have to both work and come home to feed the family: “The real issue was little energy and a lack of interest in setting foot in the kitchen, going to the grocery store, cooking food, stocking the fridge and the pantry. My mother worked long hours and spending time in the kitchen or home making were never her passion.”  Along with that she shared great tips on eating simply and cheaply and also shared a number of affordable recipes she had posted before!
• Foodista had two posts on Thursday.  One sharing an untraditional pineapple coconut curry and the other sharing a few places to find great recipes for cheap, cheap meals.
• The Hazel Bloom shared her banana berry smoothie recipe, which she ate for breakfast and described as “such a terrific, fairly complete, and fast breakfast on the go, that I fit ‘em in.”
• Back to Basics created a great grilled chicken meal and used the extra bits to make an onion soup going asian.  Her thoughts: “Sometimes, being on a limited budget forces your creative juices out and you get absolutely unexpected results.  Definitely recommend!”
• A Gorgeous Minute shared her meals (which included coffee, something I couldn’t do!) and noted: ” So I just barely made it under £7, but it wasn’t so easy!”
• Mirch Masala wrote about how the challenge is tougher for her this year than the last, citing time and a number of different issues getting in the way.  Despite all that, she posted up a great Indian vegetarain dinner plus recipes.
• Brian Calvert ruminated about the struggle of taking the challenge and recognizing that it’s the reality for many folks in Washington and the US: “The point of the Hunger Challenge isn’t glitz and glamour in the kitchen — it’s about stretching your food money like so many Washingtonians are forced to do on a regular basis. I feel strongly I’m going to be able to stretch my budget to last for the week easily, something I couldn’t do last year.”
• The Murray Family thought about their daily spending habits on necessities like health care and how it affects their overall budget: “I honestly don’t know how they can make the choices they need to make on a daily basis if it comes down to buying food for themselves or family or paying for the medication to keep themselves alive.”

Other Hunger Action Week News:

• Check out our post about the Yes We Can! project we’re raising funds for.  This project will save food that normally would go to waste, bring more food to the emergency food system, and leverage tons more money than the project actually costs.  Consider donating here!