A few reflections on #snapchallenge25 so far:

- it's a lot harder than I remembered
- grocery shopping made me more nervous and anxious than I expected
- I'm incredibly fortunate to have a partner to help, nice kitchen equipment, and years of experience cooking
- not getting enough fruits and veg

Today I had peanut butter toast with banana for breakfast, a salami sandwich for lunch, and spaghetti and meatless meatballs for dinner.

On Monday, I had yogurt and a banana for breakfast, and leftovers for lunch (tofu bowl) and dinner (tacos). Also shared some popcorn with my daughter for an evening snack.

On Sunday, I made ground beef tacos for lunch and fried tofu rice bowls for dinner. Altogether it was nearly an hour and a half of meal prep, which I'm not sure how I would have done without my spouse watching our daughter. And of course I had to make chips and cheese that evening.

My meal plan included tacos, fried tofu rice bowls, spaghetti and meatless meatballs, peanut noodles, chili, and sandwiches. I got a frozen pizza just in case. Hardest part was choosing between snacks to get for my 4-year old daughter. The very last item I added to my cart was chocolate ice cream.

On Sunday, I went shopping at my local Aldi where I usually buy groceries. I had a top limit of $126 for the week, and made a meal plan and grocery list ahead of time. I had to make some tough decisions to stay within my budget. Here's my receipt:

Iowa should stop trying to play the food police and instead invest in real solutions that will help SNAP participants and furthermore ALL Iowans have greater access to healthy, locally-grown food.

Not to mention, the definitions aren't very clear, raising questions about other products. Is applesauce okay, even if it has added cinnamon? Are hot dogs considered "real meat" if the definitions specifically refers to "muscle tissue?"

- frozen prepared foods
- granola bars and protein bars
- seeds and starter plants
- olive oil and other cooking oils
- infant formula and baby food varieties that are not included in the WIC-approved list
- much, much more

So what would be banned from SNAP under HSB 216? Well, it's quite a long list.

- spices, seasoning, salad dressing, and condiments
- salsa and pasta sauce
- bottled water, seltzer, coffee, and tea
- macaroni and cheese, hamburger helper, and ramen
- chips, crackers, and cookies

SSB 1012 is sponsored by Sen. Klimesh, who is the chair of Senate HHS. A subcommittee meeting has already been scheduled for next Wednesday, January 22 at 2pm - you can testify in person or online. Sens. Klimesh, Lofgren, and Trone Garriott are assigned to the subcommittee.

So I asked why it was even worth engaging with her if the programming was disrespectful and inaccurate.

This was the response.