Newark Mayor to go on Food Stamps

As you may know, last year my husband and I took the seven day foodstamp challenge.

This year, Cory Booker decided to follow our example and do it as well, right after he gets his fill of his mamma's cornbread stuffing.

It wasn't easy staying on a $60 budget (for the 2 of us), but aside from the difficulty getting enough fruits and vegetables, it wasn't that painful. HOWEVER... I do have some nutritional knowledge (my dad wrote a nutritional diet book back in the '90s); it would be a lot harder for someone who didn't know to get the pasta that contains a serving of vegetables, etc. AND since I had transportation to a discount supermarket I was able to get more for my money.

Three things I'm looking forward to seeing with Mr. Booker's challenge:

• How he stays vegetarian (I see lots of rice and beans) on the imaginary SNAP funds.
• If he will have a nutritionist to show that his diet is on line with the government's current dietary recommendations
• How he will obtain the food from his residence's neighborhood (since many on SNAP do not have transportation and have to rely on local bodegas).

To wish him luck, I share with you this vegan foodstamp challenge menu.