Let them eat cake.

I was afraid this was going to sound like a privileged person with no appreciation of the challenges of being poor, so the title is just my way of heading that off as much as possible.

I don’t know how many poor people read Medium, but I don’t mind writing this even if nobody reads it.

Use frozen vegetables, not kidding. I know friends don’t let friends eat frozen fish but vegetables are not fish. Frozen vegetables are a great value price wise and have as good or better nutritional qualities as fresh. Frozen vegetables are not good in every kind of meal, but they will not lack for nutrition as they are frozen at good ripeness, not to early or when gone by.

I have read that poor people can’t afford fresh fruits and vegatables, I get it. Food deserts don’t have them or over charge for them. Even places with choices of grocery stores, fresh fruits and veggies are expensive.

Frozen veggies and fruit are less expensive, and this is important, don’t spoil and have very little waste. Open a bag, take out what you are going to use and close it back up and put it back in the freezer.

You can buy veggie mixtures or strait. Use them to make soups or eat them roasted or steamed. Good nutrition does not have to be expensive.

Frozen blueberries, just eat them as a snack, don’t even thaw them, just munch them. Other berries, the same thing or thaw them out and put them on your cereal or pancakes.

You have to be a little careful buying frozen fruit. Sometimes they can be overpriced because they are luxurious. I have seen them priced from 10 cents an ounce to over a dollar an ounce.

I know that affordable nutrition is not only about price and availability. I know that preparation time, shopping time, etc. are a challenge for many poor people. A crock pot with a timer is a good investment, it will pay for itself, yes, I mean in dollars saved if used well. It will also have a huge pay back in time saved and yumminess.

TEK