GARDEN CITY, IDAHO —The bulk aisle at WinCo—bins of rice, pasta, and grains—is not for those who can’t cook from scratch. Today Wendy and Stuart Brian spend most of their budget on fresh produce and bulk products for meals they have already planned, thanks to Dixie Long, a nutrition advisor for UI Extension’s Expanded  Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).

Stuart Brian and wife share a laugh with UI nutrition advisor Dixie Long.

A year and a half ago, Stuart, 47, founded Bee Clean janitorial service. His wife had a good state job and his stepson, Cole, 10, liked school. Stuart printed bumblebee logo business cards, and the work cleaning commercial buildings poured in. When offered a job cleaning three restaurants  from midnight to 4 a.m., he considered hiring an  employee but decided he could earn more alone. After a few weeks, Stuart started taking meth to stay up. He’d get off at 4 a.m., grab something from Jack in the Box, sleep for an hour, then start all over. Some days he worked 20 hours.

“I thought I was superman and could work weeks at a time,” he recalls. But after a few  months he had lost 40 pounds, and nearly his wife.

Unaware he was doing drugs, Wendy, 44, suspected mental illness as the cause of his increasingly erratic behavior. One particularly bad night,  convinced he was paranoid schizophrenic, she called the police. Suspecting drugs, they searched Stuart, found meth, and arrested him on the spot.

“At that point I was literally sick and tired," he said of the relief he felt.

He was sent to Ada County Drug Court, a  court-ordered rehabilitation program that lets participants expunge convictions if they pass random urinalysis tests, stay sober, make court appearances, do community service, and attend meetings and classes with UI Extension’s nutrition advisors.

The program referred him to Dixie, an energetic 69-year-old grandmother of five who keeps even the most resistant clients on task. Enthused about all the UI Extension information he was learning—food preparation, the nutritional pyramid, and Dollar Decisions—he asked Dixie to teach his wife at home. A year later, Stuart has stayed clean, volunteers for  an AIDS prevention group, and takes every Monday off, per court instructions.

Wendy, Stuart, and Cole, 10, discuss how to get
the best bang for their buck while grocery shopping.

The family eats homemade food and has changed  shopping habits. Stuart even planted tomatoes and chili peppers to make salsa and southwest casseroles he learned growing up in New Mexico. “It’s been a real positive experience for me,” says Stuart, in his living room with Wendy at his side. He dropped the restaurant night shifts and hasn’t missed the money. “Everything has balanced back out. With the changes in budgeting and food planning, we are actually better off today.”

“Much better,” Wendy says, patting his knee,  tears welling in her eyes.

                                                 next: Help for Moms-to-be

top