Go Further with Food for National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month! The theme, “Go further with food” can mean so many things, can’t it?

It can mean, literally, go f-u-r-t-h-e-r. More miles , more steps, more minutes on the bike, by fueling yourself well before you embark on your physical quest.

To go further with food can also mean simply incorporating your ingredients more fully, reducing food waste by using all the edible parts of a vegetable for instance. Or, like how I cut up an apple for my kids, then take the core and nibble down the rest so all that’s left is the plastic-like center and seeds 🙂

It can also mean using up leftovers instead of letting them linger until they spoil! Hey c’mon, where do you think the idea for ‘soup’ came from??

Somebody
Ought to
Use that
Produce

For me, ‘go further with food’ also means making the most of every eating opportunity, even when you’re short on time.

Sure, I share plenty of recipes for those times you have at least 30 minutes to prep and cook. But sometimes, you’re stuck, right? With no idea, no time, or no motivation.

You can still pull together a quick meal that will satisfy your taste buds and your body’s need for great nutrition!

Here’s a few ideas just from meals and snacks I’ve made in the past couple of weeks. I always try to hit a few different food groups (ie., grains, dairy, lean proteins, fruits/veggies). I know that if I’m able to do that, I’m more likely to serve up a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

This super-fast yogurt parfait is a good example. A great source of protein, fiber, calcium, and vitamin C! I used plain Greek yogurt, strawberries, granola, and a drizzle of salted caramel because, well DUH, it’s salted caramel 🙂 You can probably imagine how amazing that all tasted together!

Another yogurt snack my kids love is simple peanut butter yogurt. You just mix natural (unsweetened) peanut butter into vanilla yogurt. The multigrain oat cereal on top added fiber and vitamins to the calcium- and protein-packed yogurt. Bananas on it are great too!

If you love a fried egg, it’s a great topper for quick sauteed greens or sweet potatoes. Is it weird that I sometimes eat straight outta the pan?

And would you LOOK at that gorgeous red grapefruit! A little bit of a labor of love to peel it, but soooooo worth it for those juicy gems. ::drooling::

Sometimes a fast meal is as easy an smearing a whole grain bagel with avocado or cream cheese (or one of each cuz choices are hard) and topping them with some veggies and herbs. (My cold brewed coffee apologizes for the photo bomb, but apparently it will not be upstaged lol!)

Finally, let’s talk about the easiest ‘meal’ ever. While it doesn’t require a recipe, I will send you here for the…let’s call it a blueprint, shall we? This is my super-fancy 10 minute tomato soup with brown rice and shaved parmesan. Never disappoints!

There you have it – real food, real fast, that I eat on the regular. There’s so much more, but this ought to give you proper inspiration to go ahead and Go Further With Food, even when you are short on time!