Prep for the Ration Challenge: My Ration Pack arrived!

So I knew how much food I had to eat before I decided to do this challenge.  But when it actually arrived in its tiny box, I was still a bit shocked - there is just so little of it!  Even though I'd seen in in photo-form, I assumed that the amount of lentils and chickpeas would be more than sufficient.  But when I saw them in person, when I took them out of that tiny box and laid out on my table at home, I realised how misguided that idea was.

Not pictured here: 400g of tofu (as opted out of included sardines)

Once I added in the extra's I've 'earned' as rewards for reaching certain sponsorship levels, it looks a little better.  And if I imagine the vouchers as actual food quantities, that seems a little better again.

including the rewards - unlimited cumin, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 210 mls of milk

To be honest, seeing this makes me feel a little more nervous about participating in this challenge.  I love to cook and our dinners usually comprise of complex spice blends, rainbows of vegetables and assorted condiments.  This food is not only a smaller quantity than I envisaged, but seeing it actually there I realise just how simple it is.
 

There are no fruit or vegetables here - not a single green thing.  This is a huge reminder of how lucky we are here in New Zealand.  If I walk outside I can gather a nutritious and flavourful wild greens salad of nasturtium, puha and dandelion greens - and that's not including the herbs and greens in our actual garden.  Zaatari Camp is in desert - there is no green space, only dust and rocks.  A community park is in the plans for the camp, but has been put on hold due to lack of funds.  Imagine the difference green space could make to people living in a place like this!  But when they have so little to eat, and an ever increasing community, it is easy to understand why this is not top priority.

A comparison of the ground at Zaatari Camp and my front lawn.

It also reminds me of the privilege of choice.  As a former vegetarian, my regular diet is high in vegetables.  Our pantry is stocked with at least four different types of rice and at least three other gluten free grains.  We have six different oils for cooking and medicinal use.  Whilst I do exist on a restricted diet to manage my health issues* (low FODMAPS, and no red meat) I manage to not feel resentful about it by diversifying and getting creative in the kitchen.  Doing this challenge reminds me of how lucky I am to not only have access to such a large assortment of foods, but the facilities and skills to use them to create delicious meals.

So this is going to be a very tough week!  At this point, I am feeling so grateful to have many wonderful donors behind me already.  Even though the actual challenge is a while away still, I am a wee bit of an obsessive planner.  Knowing before going in to the challenge that I get a few extra ingredients really helps me feel like I will be ok.  The addition of milk and sugar spread over a week ups my daily caloric intake by 140 kilojoules - which may make all the difference to me actually completing this challenge.

It is difficult to really understand living on such a limited diet indefinitely.  I am anxious about one week of it - would I, from my position of privilege be able to survive on it for a year?  Three years?  I don't know if I could.  I hope, that with the support of the broader community over time things can become easier for the families living at the Zaatari Camp.

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So on that note, today's recipe is all about getting something small and sweet into each day.  I invented this recipe using what I have available to me for the challenge.  And while my kids will eat them, I don't think they taste amazing.  They are a little hard, and the mix separates during mixing.  I am going to try with a different GF mix, because I think that's the main issue.  So I reckon if you want to give these a go, use regular flour (if you can) but these are probably best to make only if you are participating in the ration challenge yourself.  And you can if you want!  You have until the end of May to sign up, and you can use all and any of my recipes you like.

Basic caramel cookies

1/4 cup brown sugar (the entire sugar allotment)

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp milk

1/4 cup and 1 - 2 Tbsp gluten free flour mix.

• Add brown sugar, oil and milk to a small saucepan on a medium high heat.
• Cook until bubbling and starting to thicken - take off the heat when the smell starts to change and the mixture begins to deepen in colour.
• Add flour and mix to form a soft dough.
• Roll and break of tea-spoon fulls and flatten into soft rounds.  Put onto a baking tray (I use baking paper as just means zero sticking issues.
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown.

Makes about 14 tiny cookies (or two little blasts of sugary joy per day) 

  Even passed the Etta test!  She ate two.

* Adenomyosis, Endometriosis and IBS (which all often occur in conjunction with each other - I'm not just extremely unlucky).