Extending the harvest doesn’t need to be expensive
Dollar Tree Dinners, who makes budget meals from dollar store food, recently got a lot of pushback for not making more nutritious meals. I have plenty of thoughts about nutrition, food access, and privilege but as someone who has, in my 20s, relied on budget foods as well as food assistance (SNAP is a literal lifesaver) and food banks, I both recognize a lot of the considerations she’s weighing and some of the weird guilt that goes with wanting to eat healthier and not having the budget to buy diverse, nutritious ingredients.
Or, perhaps, even the means to cook those ingredients once you have them (have you ever tried slow cooking a nutrient-dense meal when you’re sharing a kitchen with ten other people in a rooming house?)
As Dr. Sarah Ballantyne notes, when you’re on the severe budget constraints like those proposed in these videos (feeding your family on $20 for 5 meals, for example) the primary concern is to feel satiated and have enough food: That’s it.
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