My First Bountiful Basket!

This morning I stood in line in the January cold and claimed my first Bountiful Basket. I have been curious about this produce co-op for a long time, and it is part of my New Year's resolutions to order one every week, if possible, so that I can focus on healthier eating. The amount of info on the web from actual Bountiful Baskets customers is extremely sparse, so I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to see what a value I got for my $15 contribution!

For those of you who haven't heard about Bountiful Baskets or who have thought about doing it but need more information to help you decide, I am going to try to post about what I get from my Bountiful Basket every week. And, just for kicks, I might post the meals that I make with all this produce.

Without further ado, here is what I received this week:

(For fun, I have also put the price of each item at our local WalMart)

4 tangerines $.48 each

1 lb. bananas $.52/lb

1 bunch lettuce $1.44

1 head cauliflower $2.68

1 head broccoli 1.88 each

3 avacados $.74 each

6 tomatoes $1.34/lb

1 pineapple $2.50 each

1 melon $3.48 each

8 oz mushrooms $1.68 each

6 kiwis (I'm guessing $.40 each because they don't carry them right now)
Brussels sprouts $1 (guessing again)

Grand total: approximately $25  (I had to guess on a few, since I don't have a produce scale at home....) Not a bad dea, eh? $15 of fresh produce without having to spend half an hour fighting the crazy Wal- Mart Crowds!

 I honestly don't know how to cook brussels sprouts, and I don't like mushrooms. But I will figure out something to do with them!

These are some meals that I think I'll make based off of these ingredients:

• Cauliflower soup (using the cauliflower and some leftover carrots and celery from last week.)
• Chicken, steamed broccoli and lemon rice
• Asian beef (I'm feeling some mushrooms for the honey here) fried rice, and roasted brussels sprouts.

The fruit will be great for snacking and breakfasts. I'm so excited for a week of healthy eating!