How to Turn a Focus into a Real Meal

Once you’ve grabbed hold of the one idea that will be the dinner focus, then round it out so that you get a more complete meal.

Here’s where the old-fashioned notion of the balanced diet comes into play again. But remember dinner doesn’t have to be a slice of meat, a side of vegetable, and one of starch every night of the week.

If the focus of your menu is a favorite food like a baked potato, then top it with a protein like Cheddar or cottage cheese and serve a green on the side to make the meal complete. Or at the end of summer if dinner consists of a rich salad of ripe tomatoes served with whole-grain bread, you might want to precede it with a light protein soup so that you feel more fully nourished.