Sarah Bogan believes cooking has become something of a lost art.
And she said we're all less healthy for it.
Through a blog, website and a proposed television show, Bogan is promoting the concept of eating healthy on a food stamp budget.
"I've heard people say that it's too expensive to eat healthy," Bogan said. "I never found that to be true. People will eat out three or four times a week, and they don't realize that was more expensive than eating healthy."
Bogan, 23, is a St. Louis native who lives on Fort Bragg with her husband, who is in the Army.
When Bogan got her first cookbook at age 9, she said it began a lifelong love affair with cooking. She later worked for chefs in the St. Louis area, she said.
Eating healthy always had been a concern for Bogan. But while she was in college at Truman State University in Missouri, she began to notice many of her classmates didn't share that concern.
"I realized none of my friends could cook and didn't know much about nutrition," Bogan said. "Not many people know how to cook. Fast food is so readily available."
Bogan said she believes that in many families, the tradition of cooking is not being passed down through the generations. People aren't picking up kitchen tips from mom or grandma like they once did.
After college, Bogan embarked on a career as a chef. She currently teaches cooking classes in the area through her business, Whisking Apprentice, and is working on a cookbook featuring healthy recipes using ingredients typically found in charity food pantries.
Bogan said she wants to sell her cookbook and also supply copies free of charge to food pantries.
Bogan preaches the gospel of healthy eating through her blog SurvivingOnStamps. wordpress.com and her website WhiskingApprentice.com.
But Bogan, who has been in Fayetteville since January, said she wanted to reach even more people. To do that, she turned to a more traditional vehicle: television.
Bogan developed a TV show titled, "SOS: Surviving on Stamps." She wanted to show that even a family that relies on food stamps can eat healthy.
Bogan said her research for the show showed a link between income and obesity. The less money a family has, she said, the more fattening and unhealthy foods they tend to buy.
Part of the problem, she said, is that poor people might not be able to afford some basic kitchen equipment, so they tend to eat out more or buy ready-to-eat meals.
Bogan said she didn't want to go into the TV project without knowing firsthand what it was like to survive on a food stamp budget.
For a month in January and February, Bogan said she subsisted on a food budget of about $200.
"It really wasn't that bad," Bogan said. Her diet that month included things like eggs, chicken, pork, sandwiches and salads.
The experience convinced Bogan that it was possible to eat healthy on a limited budget.
For the pilot episode, Bogan said she and show producer David Schifter put out a casting call to find a family willing to participate. A family in Hickory, Chris and Candace Moore, responded.
Bogan said both of the Moores are struggling with obesity. The couple have a young son and daughter.
The family relies on food stamps. She said they receive about $688 worth of assistance a month, and supplement it with their own money.
Bogan said she worked with the family to show them how they could eat healthier, yet spend less money on food.
"The items in their pantry were expensive and not high quality," Bogan said. She said the family had a lot of frozen dinners and sugary drinks.
Bogan spent a day with the family. Ideally, she would have liked to have stayed longer, but she said she hopes the family picked up on some of the ideas she suggested.
"I think (Chris) understood where he went wrong, but making the right choices is still a big leap for him," Bogan said.
Bogan's goal is to work with different families. With so many people struggling financially and making poor food choices, she said it shouldn't be hard to locate them.
"The plan is to have a different family from a different part of the United States on each episode," Bogan said.
Bogan said she and Schifter have been shopping the show to networks, but nothing has been finalized. She hopes to have the show on the air by the end of the year and release her cookbook - also called "SOS: Surviving on Stamps" - by April.
Bogan has been raising money to finish producing the pilot "SOS" episode on the indiegogo website, through which entrepreneurs can solicit funds for their projects. She said she also is looking at other fundraising vehicles.
Convincing a fast-food nation to eat healthy is a tall order, but Bogan said she thinks it's a goal that can be accomplished.
"I've received so much interest in it. It's so applicable today," she said. "I think we have a really good chance."
TIPS
Here are some healthy eating tips from Sarah Bogan. Read more tips and recipes at SurvivingOnStamps.wordpress.com and WhiskingApprentice.com.
1. Buy raw, whole chicken instead of pre-cut or cooked. Precooked chicken often contains a lot of preservatives and artificial flavorings and is more costly per pound.
2. Get one more use before tossing the bones. Buying chicken or beef stock/broth wastes money; instead, save poultry and meat bones and simmer with water to create your own stock and control sodium levels.
3. Toss into soup, not the trash. Soup is the catch-all for leftovers and soon-to-be-spoiled produce. Start with your homemade stock, add whatever meat/veggies/rice/noodles/beans you have on hand, and season with salt/herbs/spices to finish.
4. Buy eggs instead of expensive cereal. Not only are eggs a healthier breakfast choice, they also make you feel fuller longer, so you do not end up snacking on other expensive foods.
5. Plan to be on-the-go. A hectic week often means expensive, unhealthy fast food and snacks. Make and prewrap snacks on weekends so that you are prepared when hunger hits. Keep ingredients on hand for easy, yet still homemade dinners for those busy days. A one-skillet dish may contain onions, previously frozen ground beef, a can of tomatoes, plus kale, basil and oregano. Better yet, make large meals and freeze into individual portions.
SAVORY PUMPKIN SOUP
1/4cup diced onions
1 1/2cups pureed pumpkin
1/2cup sweetened applesauce, apple juice or apple cider (mashed sweet potato can be substituted)
2 cups chicken stock
Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2teaspoon dried thyme
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh sage or 1/4teaspoon dried sage
1/4teaspoon salt (may need more depending on amount of salt in chicken stock)
1/8teaspoon pepper
1/4cup heavy cream (optional)
Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium and sauté onions for a few minutes until translucent. Transfer to a blender or food processor and add all the remaining ingredients except the cream. Blend until smooth. Pour soup into a pot and heat thoroughly over medium-high. Reduce heat and stir in cream. Taste and add any necessary corrections.
If it's too bitter, add more sweet. If it's too bland, add more salt or herbs. To thicken, simmer or blend in more pumpkin or sweet potato. To make more thin, add more stock, cream or cider.
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