[Serafine]

Originally Posted by runningmama

These are some very wonderful ideas, thank you so much! I think my biggest problem is how to make it a balanced meal but not spend a fortune on produce. I want produce, it can just be so expensive! Specialty items like kale are pretty much out right now.

I mentioned kale, spinach, and collards...b/c they should be starting to come out really soon (since they are early, early spring crops).

You can also go the frozen route. Obviously, not AS good as fresh, but still a great option.

root veggies should be reasonable right now too (compared to obviously summer veggies)...beets, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes.

Also...I don't think the meal itself needs to be balanced, as much as the daily intake and, moreso, the weekly intake, IYKWIM.

So, for example...we had just the beans for dinner...but we had berries, veggies, salad, etc. during the rest of the day. When you look at the daily nutrients (or more importantly, our intake over a week)...WAY balanced, even if one particular meal isn't.