Day 11: Exhausted

I'll be very honest with you tonight, day 11 has left me feeling very exhausted and a bit overwhelmed. With everything I've got going on leading the organization while also concentrating on my meal "puzzles" three times a day, there's just not as much time left for this blog as I'd like to dedicate to it.

I might take a day or two here and there where I really scale back on the blog content and just document the essential info of getting through the challenge. But tonight I will do my usual dedication, because I just can't keep from telling their story. I'm dedicating day 11 to these kids I met in the Thapathali colony of Kathmandu, Nepal. This is the colony where we've just begun a new program to offer better nutrition and education access for the 200+ children we estimate live here in make-shift homes with no electricity or running water.

The evening I met them they were eating what looked like a very basic soup for dinner. Visit my personal Flickr page for many more shots from this colony. It makes my soup from today's lunch (see below) look like a feast in comparison.

So, here are today's basics. I'm very happy to report that we received a very generous donation of $35, bringing our total up to $1,640. This leaves just $360 to go until we reach our 4th scholarship for a child of the slums!

Please follow this link to donate any amount you can afford toward the goal and help us provide a hopeful future for these kids!

On to what I was able to concoct with 1/30th of this limited ingredients list... 

Breakfast. I used some of my frozen banana rations to add to the 1/3 cup of oatmeal along with a few raisins, for a wonderful new flavor. I did a quick fried rice & fried egg breakfast taco. Anything to mix up the variety! ▼

Lunch. I mashed some boiled potato cubes to mix into the broth of this soup for a new texture. Along with carrots, cabbage, pasta noodles, 1/3rd of a ramen brick, an egg and one corn tortilla cut into strips, this was enough to do the trick for lunch. Although I will say, I sure did pick the worst month of the year to do this challenge. Hot soup during the hottest month of the Houston summer, not the most brilliant idea. But with the right seasonings, it's delicious nonetheless. ▼

Dinner. Adding fresh cabbage to the top of my usual tostada creation (re-fried beans and brown rice on a baked corn tortilla) was a welcome variety-enhancer. It's not much, but it's tasty. ▼

Thanks for your support! Definitely dealing with the doldrums of the challenge, craving my favorite foods and, another thing about doing this challenge—you notice wasted food everywhere! I'm like, "Oh my gosh, you're throwing that away?! If you only knew!"

Take Action!

1) Please consider giving toward scholarships for children of the slums. Our goal is to cover a scholarship for 20 kids to get an education this next year. Every little bit helps!

2) Please visit my unofficial sponsor, Amazon.com through this link. 7% of your purchases made through the link are given to Peace Gospel. If you're in the UK, use this link.

3) If you're compelled by my effort here, please share it with friends. One of the main goals is awareness. So if you can help with that, huge.

4) Leave me feedback. Please comment on this post, especially if you have any ideas about what I should try to cook with these ingredients I have available. I love hearing from you! It really helps!