A Meal for Two Challenge Recipe

Unfortunately, my current residence is not near any local corner store. However, my previous house was located in Dinkytown 4 doors down from the wonderful 8th Street Market. This place carries everything you might find at a gas station as well as some select "fresh" produce, spices, baking items, and some meat and dairy products. The USDA directed me towards the newly designed MyPlate, which replaced MyPyramid in June of 2011. This tool is based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to help people make better food choices. Following this link, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/, I found tips for meal planning on a budget, sample menus, and nutritional tips for a well rounded diet.

8th Street Market
(Couldn't find a good picture, but here's the street view storefront.)

For my recipe, I went with the go to cheap filler food, brown rice. Coupled with some vegetables and a source of protein, this rice dish is filling and nutrient dense.

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain brown rice ($0.20)
1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.14)
8 oz (1/2 lb) boneless chicken breast ($2.89)
1/2 cup broccoli florets ($1.29)
1 red bell pepper ($0.99)
1 can water chestnuts ($0.99)
1/3 cup julienned carrots ($0.67)
1 small white onion ($0.75)

Total: $7.92

With $2 left to spare, I think the best complement for this dish would be a healthy beverage like milk or a piece of fruit such as apples, bananas, or oranges. With these last two challenge recipes under my belt, I feel as if I am getting better at budget meal planning. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be many options for creating a diverse, healthy meal.