Every time I open my Threads feed this week, I end up crying messy, snotty tears.

I’m not talking dainty, little single tears falling from my eyes. I’m talking about a tropical storm of emotions that stirs up enough tears to gush, streaming down my face. Leaving me red-faced, snotty, and reaching for a hankie.

Why, you might ask?

It’s because all this week I’ve been reading stories about people fearing the loss of SNAP Food Benefits, also known as the United States Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). You see, we’re in the middle of a federal government shutdown. It’s lasted nearly an entire month. And, in October 2025, it was announced that November’s SNAP payments would not be disbursed as a consequence of the shutdown.

States are stepping up and doing what they can. Like, in the state of California they have deployed the California National Guard to support food banks. And in my home state of Minnesota, the state has fast-tracked $4 million to food shelves and food banks across the state. There are more stories, I’m sure.

But what’s causing me the snotty crying is all the good, deeply good, humans who are sharing either their own stories of food insecurity, their efforts to make sure nobody in their community goes without food, or simply just reminders about who it is who will be at risk of going hungry.

The stories of communities coming together get me. Right there.

Some stories are big, like Heretic Coffee Company in Portland who will be offering “Snap Breakfasts” to anyone who comes in, no questions asked, if benefits run out on November 1st. They’ve crowdsourced $184,000 from not just local community, but people from around the world who can’t bear to see what’s happening in the United States.

And some stories are “little”…like folks paying the remainder of a bill if the person in line ahead of them went over their SNAP funds, or adopting a single parent to buy groceries for in the local “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook, or people adding shelf staples to their grocery runs to donate to a local food shelf, or coming together with friends to make meals that’ll serve a crowd, and freezing them in family-sized portions for those who need them in the community. Everyone is doing what they can and my god…it feels like our country can finally come together over something, right?

Can we come together over not allowing people to starve or suffer from food insecurity? Can we? Please?

A part of me is fuming angry over the people who are allowing this to happen. Headlines today are reading, “senators scramble” and “can’t clarify Trump’s plan to fund program” …so, yeah. I’m angry. We didn’t need to be here and I blame some people more than others.

But as Mr. Rogers is famous for saying, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers.’ You will always find people who are helping.”

And so I’m looking for the helpers. And I’m finding them d*mn near everywhere I look.

We can get through this together, if we come together as humans, as people, as caring community.

And so, in that light, I’d like to offer what I have to offer. In a former career, I was a personal chef. I know how to play with food and I know how to make healthy food. And in thinking about what I can offer, it’s my thoughts on food.

When funds are tight, and food is a precious commodity, it’s even more important to be grateful for it. It nourishes us and, when provided to us with a helping hand of community support, it can nourish both the body and the soul.

Everyone knows that beans are cheap. And they go far. But they can get a little boring, especially if you’re eating the same thing every day.

Here I offer one simple meal idea that can be stretched to last, and can be turned into a meal plan so that there’s variety in every day. 

When facing food insecurity, or when feeding a crowd, you don’t always have all the ingredients you need and especially not all of those that you want. We have to meet the need while also getting creative. So if you only have canned items? That’s okay! These suggestions can be made with shelf-stable items. Beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, noodles, tortillas, these are shelf stable and filling, as well as being lower cost if you’re counting your pennies.

If you’re in a position to have some fresh food items, that’s beautiful and it offers variety and choices to these meal suggestions. Bell peppers add color and flavor to chili, and also make it stretch. Sour cream and cheese (or vegan versions) give these foods a real “comfort food” feeling. Things like fresh onions and lettuce can make a dish feel different and offer nutritional value.

So, when it comes right down to it? No judgement here. Use what you have on hand and try not to feel pressured or stressed by not having every ingredient. When I was cooking for large crowds I would often run out of ingredients and need to pinch hit!

Chili Week: 5 Days of Chili Variations.

Day 1: Make a large, large batch of chili. Either enough for your family to nosh on the entire week, or enough to share with the neighbors. You can keep it less expensive, and happier for the animals, if you lose the meat and stick to a veggie and bean chili. Or, you can add meat if you’d prefer.

I offer these suggestions from Elephant Journal:

>> Spicy & Hearty: Vegetarian Chili Delight.

>> Chili: An easy Tex-Mex style dish for a busy lifestyle

>> A Healthy Chili Recipe for those who just want to Stay Home. {Vegan, Gluten Free}

I would recommend skipping beets, grains, noodles, or greens, or anything fancy in your original pot of chili in order to make the rest of the week’s meals more adaptable.

Serve the chili as it is. Toppings could include sour cream (or a vegan version), cheese, sliced green onions, etc. But if you’re low on funds and making this stretch, no need to get fancy.

Day Two: Serve the chili over a large baked potato and top with cheese. I like to bake the potatoes, split them, spoon in the chili, and then top with cheese (or vegan cheese), and then bake them for a bit until the cheese is melted. This is very filling!

Day Three: Scoop out some of the chili and place into a tortilla, leaving juices behind. Roll the torilla, and place edges down inside a baking dish. Top with a bit of taco sauce, salsa, and cheese, if you like. Bake these at 350 degrees until bubbly. Serve with sour cream, black olives, and if you have any fresh lettuce or cilantro that would be nice too!

Day Four: By now you’ll be getting low on chili but you haven’t had just a “bowl” of it in a few days. Today, serve it up by either mixing in elbow macaroni to individual bowls to bulk it up (and maybe add a little chili powder), or some folks like to stir it right into a bowl of mac & cheese if you have that option.

And, on Day Five: If you have any left…use the leftovers, sans juices, to make a plate of oven nachos. Spread torilla chips over a baking sheet. Spoon over the leftover chili. Top with cheese or vegan cheese. Bake at 425 degree until bubby. And top with all the good stuff for nachos that you have on hand. It’s good alone, or even better with sour cream, olives, diced tomatoes, lettuce, onions, etc.

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I hope this is helpful, or at least sparks some curiousity about how we can look at our food, get creative, and avoid waste…either by creating a new dish, or by sharing with our neighbors. Here’s hoping that SNAP benefits are funded before the deadline, but if not, I’ll be back with more ideas.
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