Did you know that March is my favorite month of the year?
It’s true.
March is not only filled with great college basketball, but it’s also National Nutrition Month! The theme for National Nutrition Month this year is “Go further with food.”
What this means to me is that all of us should take advantage of the benefits good food has to offer. How can you go further with food? Here are some of my tips:
Meal Plan. Seriously, friends. If you don’t take the time to meal plan, you should start planning what should be on your stirlist for the week. You can keep it simple by using pen & paper or use a google calendar that you can replicate from month to month. Using a google calendar can make it really easy to communicate with other users (a spouse or older child) and involve them in the meal prep process. Also, take a look at the foods you already have at home and how you can incorporate those foods into future dishes. For example, if you have canned tomatoes or beans at home, those can easily be incorporated into soups and stews. This also helps reduce food waste!
Plan for leftovers. Do you keep storage containers on hand for leftovers at home? Do you take lunch to the office? I have a friend who always makes additional servings so that he can take the leftovers to work the next day for lunch. It’s a good idea to have plenty of storage containers on hand (for the freezer or refrigerator), sharpies for labeling the name/date of your dish and space in your refrigerator or freezer to store leftovers. A good practice is to clean out your fridge once a week to discard any food that might be leftover from the week before. A good rule is to throw out any leftovers after 3 days or stick them in the freezer to enjoy at a later time! Planning for leftovers can help reduce food waste and help keep food costs lower at home.
Go further with fiber and fats! One way that you can go further with food is to choose foods that are more filling! I’ve learned that fiber and fats can help keep me fuller longer. Breakfast often includes oatmeal or a high fiber English muffin with peanut butter!
What does “Go further with food” mean to you?
