Most expensive groceries in the country...

[sistersue]

Not surprising since the large amounts of S.N.A.P. fuels it. Free money tends to do that.

That is the most absurd comment, Dude you should be ashamed of yourself. But MAGA ain't known for shame, nor intelligence..

People have to eat. That food, or similar, would be bought no matter. The food costs have zero to do with snap. And, besides, snap is corporate welfare. Money for rich people. They too, the economy which is tanking because of the orangutang in the wh, would freak out if snap didn't come their way. Seriously that's their profit margin brah.

But hey, any opportunity to dis the less fortunate of your neighbors and here you are.

And again.. it's another beautiful dawn in Paradise..

Edited, after enjoying another beautiful morning, to add:

Info, as Edge says, is easy nowadays.. and a search of the national budget for snap suggests the feds spend 1.5% of the national budget on the stuff, and it comes out to just north of 100 billion bucks annually. Another search says that manufacturers in the food industry make about 35% of retail back in profits. So, for folks like our esteemed Mr Dude who might be a little dense with numbers, that means that the corporate welfare I cite above amounts to about 35 billion bucks annually that the rich get from our nation's efforts to help the needy.

Think of that Dude, 35 billion bucks.. which goes a long way to payouts to shareholders. Profit man.

Now I don't begrudge our welfare system. In fact I think of it as a symbol of our humanity. But for those that do, all I can say is if the feds made the corporate side of this cough up that food without getting the profits you'd have something to bitch about. But as long as the fat cats are making their's I'd suggest you try humility, and shut up already. 'Cause bitching about me and mine helping them that need it is really unbecoming of you. It looks cheap brah.

My son worked hard all his life and raised 3 good sons.  At age 53 he was in so much pain from slipped discs that he couldn't put out the same amount of work anymore, so the company fired him. Then the landlord raised the rent so high that they couldn't afford it so my son and the youngest boy came back to their family in Hawaii. If it weren't for SNAP helping them, they would be in even more trouble. So, you see, when you insult people who need SNAP help, you're insulting good people. (And this family HATES orangutans ): )

[leilanidude]

I don't have an issue with SNAP other than the ones that abuse it. Stop calling me MAGA because I am not.

[HiloJulie]

My day so far:

   

[leilanidude]

Not surprising since the large amounts of S.N.A.P. fuels it. Free money tends to do that.

That is the most absurd comment, Dude you should be ashamed of yourself. But MAGA ain't known for shame, nor intelligence..

People have to eat. That food, or similar, would be bought no matter. The food costs have zero to do with snap. And, besides, snap is corporate welfare. Money for rich people. They too, the economy which is tanking because of the orangutang in the wh, would freak out if snap didn't come their way. Seriously that's their profit margin brah.

But hey, any opportunity to dis the less fortunate of your neighbors and here you are.

And again.. it's another beautiful dawn in Paradise..

Edited, after enjoying another beautiful morning, to add:

Info, as Edge says, is easy nowadays.. and a search of the national budget for snap suggests the feds spend 1.5% of the national budget on the stuff, and it comes out to just north of 100 billion bucks annually. Another search says that manufacturers in the food industry make about 35% of retail back in profits. So, for folks like our esteemed Mr Dude who might be a little dense with numbers, that means that the corporate welfare I cite above amounts to about 35 billion bucks annually that the rich get from our nation's efforts to help the needy.

Think of that Dude, 35 billion bucks.. which goes a long way to payouts to shareholders. Profit man.

Now I don't begrudge our welfare system. In fact I think of it as a symbol of our humanity. But for those that do, all I can say is if the feds made the corporate side of this cough up that food without getting the profits you'd have something to bitch about. But as long as the fat cats are making their's I'd suggest you try humility, and shut up already. 'Cause bitching about me and mine helping them that need it is really unbecoming of you. It looks cheap brah.

My son worked hard all his life and raised 3 good sons.  At age 53 he was in so much pain from slipped discs that he couldn't put out the same amount of work anymore, so the company fired him. Then the landlord raised the rent so high that they couldn't afford it so my son and the youngest boy came back to their family in Hawaii. If it weren't for SNAP helping them, they would be in even more trouble. So, you see, when you insult people who need SNAP help, you're insulting good people. (And this family HATES orangutans ): )

No need to get riled up. I did say that I have no problem with SNAP and did not insult people on SNAP - just the ones abusing it and it seems your son is not.

A couple folks posting here make excuses for the abuse of federal programs by claiming the amount of abuse is not high to worry about. Isn't all abuse/fraud, bad?

[ironyak]

leilanidude - I did say that I have no problem with SNAP and did not insult people on SNAP

This is you arguing against providing kids with after school snacks, right? As already pointed out, you have a long, well-known history here, and have provided plenty of evidence of your stance on such matters that is clearly not just a concern about presumed fraud. But hey, can always try this again - please highlight what about the current MAGA agenda you don't support because you've gone to bat for it on Punaweb time and time again?

MyManao - Ok, Dude, since it is your boy's buddies who suggest a human can live a good, nutritious, life on something shy of 10 bucks in food a day (does that include taxes?), how about you tell us how it's done?

I'd say, as expected, nothing but [cricket sounds] for actual solutions, but haven't even been hearing them much lately, so maybe that's the secret option - eat ze bugs? Every calculation I've seen or done on the chicken/broccoli/corn tortilla/??? meal puts it around 300 calories, so ~1000 calories a day for 3 such meals. Unless the mystery item is some vitamins wrapped in a chunk of lard, the "Let's them eat broccoli" meal plan is little more than an insufficient starvation level Depression-era style "life hack" that isn't even covered by the average SNAP benefit of $2.something per person, per meal.

But maybe it's those crickets that have the high nutritional value - if anyone finds their deets in a food calculator let us know ;)

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Isn't all abuse/fraud, bad?

Yes.
And isn’t the enormous falsification of taxes, loan applications by wealthy individuals, personal transportation (especially high carbon jets) by government officials, etc…  and even a Mystery Hawaii legislator  receiving $35,000 in a brown paper bag far worse than a poor person fraudulently receiving some food? Even if the poor person didn’t qualify, their circumstances would barely be better off with the food than without the food.  Not living the high life either way.

I’d much rather see across the board abuse/fraud prosecutions of people who are well off but still engage in crimes of needless greed.  Living the high life with an appetite for more money than they can spend.

But sure, let’s point fingers at the downtrodden, because the greedy want you to ignore a far better way to claw back some ill gotten goods.

[MyManao]

But sure, let’s point fingers at the downtrodden, because the greedy want you to ignore a far better way to claw back some ill gotten goods.

As Bobby D, whose words couldn't be more apropos if he wrote them today, said..

Steal a little and they throw you in jail
Steal a lot and they make you king

[Punatang]

Obviously, at this point in 2026 for crying out loud, everything should be free. Since the greedy bastards are all still tryin' to keep a Punatic down, we all need to stick together, be united, and get this community creative to come up with empathetic solutions to make the current abysmal situation, many years in the making, work for everyone. To that end I have challenged Perplexity, which was called to my attention by Ms. Ferret, to try to come up with one creation that can stretch that EBT budget into something that might get the job done.

It would be so wonderful if we (the whole Punaweb family) could all collaborate and come up with a $3.00 Meal - Punaweb Cookbook.  We could even sell the cookbook itself for $3.00 - to raise money to print free copies for everyone on EBT or some sliding scale solution like that.  Please feel free to build on this idea - open source style.  

Meanwhile, this is what Perplexity came up with.  It's not perfect.  In fact, it really should include energy costs, etc., but it's a start. Looking forward to seeing your entries for the cookbook.

************************************************************************************************

Create a recepie for a nutrient and calorie dense cake, which can be prepared with ingredients from Walmart in Hilo. This cake must be at least 800 calories per portion and each portion must cost $3.00 or less. It should have as many required vitamins and minerals as possible.


Here is a nutrient‑ and calorie‑dense cake you can make with common items sold at Walmart (including Walmart in Hilo). It is designed so one slice is about 800–900 calories and under about 3.00 USD in ingredient cost per serving, while adding a broad range of vitamins and minerals.

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High‑Calorie, Nutrient‑Dense Cake (Approx. 8 Servings)
Ingredients
Dry

• 2 cups oat flour (or quick oats finely ground in a blender)
  
• 1 cup whey protein powder, vanilla or chocolate
  
• ½ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
  
• ½ cup white sugar
  
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  

Wet

• 4 large eggs
  
• 1 cup whole milk (or fortified soy milk if preferred)
  
• 1 cup full‑fat Greek yogurt
  
• ½ cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Add‑ins (nutrient boosters)

• 1 cup peanut butter (creamy)
  
• ½ cup chia seeds
  
• ½ cup hemp hearts (hemp seeds)
  
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds
  
• ½ cup raisins or chopped dates
  

Optional simple topping (adds calories and minerals)

• ½ cup peanut butter, warmed
  
• ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup)
  

Most of these ingredients (oats, protein powder, oil, peanut butter, chia, hemp hearts, nuts, raisins, Greek yogurt, whole milk) are typically available at Walmart stores and are commonly used in nutrient‑dense recipes.

---

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13‑inch baking pan.
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, protein powder, cocoa powder, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
   
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
   
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until combined.
   
5. Fold in peanut butter, chia seeds, hemp hearts, nuts, and raisins/dates until evenly distributed. Batter will be thick.
   
6. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.
   
7. Bake 28–35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake.
   
8. Cool at least 20–30 minutes. For the optional topping, warm peanut butter and honey together until pourable and drizzle over the cooled cake, then chill briefly to set.
   
9. Cut into 8 equal pieces (2×4 grid). Each piece is one high‑calorie serving.
   

---

Approximate Calories and Cost
Very rough estimate per full batch and per 1/8 slice (values rounded and will vary by brand):

• Oat flour, 2 cups: ~600 kcal
  
• Whey protein, 1 cup: ~480 kcal
  
• Cocoa powder, ½ cup: ~100 kcal
  
• Sugars, 1 cup total: ~770 kcal
  
• Oil, ½ cup: ~960 kcal
  
• Peanut butter, 1 cup: ~1500 kcal
  
• Chia seeds, ½ cup: ~300 kcal
  
• Hemp hearts, ½ cup: ~400 kcal
  
• Nuts, ½ cup: ~400 kcal
  
• Raisins/dates, ½ cup: ~200 kcal
  
• Greek yogurt, 1 cup: ~130 kcal
  
• Whole milk, 1 cup: ~150 kcal
  
• Eggs, 4: ~280 kcal
  

Total: roughly 6,270 kcal for the pan, or about 780–800+ kcal per slice when divided by 8. The optional topping (¾ cup PB + honey) can add ~600–800 kcal to the pan, pushing portions closer to 900 kcal if needed.
Typical Walmart “Great Value” prices for bulk oats, sugar, oil, eggs, peanut butter, and milk are low, and even with the protein powder, seeds, and nuts, spreading the cost over 8 very large slices generally keeps each portion under about 3.00 USD (especially if you choose store brands and the most economical protein powder and nuts).

---

Vitamin and Mineral Coverage
This cake is still a dessert, but it is packed to cover many nutrients per slice:

• Oats: manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, B vitamins, fiber.
  
• Whey protein: high‑quality protein, calcium (if dairy‑based).
  
• Peanut butter and nuts: vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, copper, healthy fats.
  
• Chia and hemp seeds: omega‑3 and omega‑6 fats, fiber, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus.
  
• Whole milk and Greek yogurt: calcium, vitamin D (if fortified), vitamin B12, riboflavin.
  
• Eggs: vitamin B12, choline, selenium, vitamin A.
  
• Raisins/dates: potassium, some iron and B vitamins.
  

For even broader vitamin coverage, you can:

• Use fortified soy milk instead of dairy milk to boost vitamin D and B12.
  
• Add ½ cup pumpkin puree (vitamin A, potassium) by reducing yogurt slightly and adding a couple of extra minutes to baking time if needed.
  

---

Serving Suggestions
To keep each slice ~800–900 calories and nutrient‑dense:

• Eat one slice as a full meal replacement or heavy snack.
  
• Pair with a glass of fortified milk or soy milk to further boost calcium, vitamin D, and B12.
  
• Store slices wrapped in the fridge or freezer; they reheat well in a microwave at low power.
  

[HiloJulie]

YES, YES, YES, YES!!!

   

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Obviously, at this point in 2026 for crying out loud, everything should be free.

No one ever said life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness had to include food.  But at least in Puna we have an internet connection and access to AI simulations.  Papayas and coconuts too.