March has finally arrived! We were all patient, waited an extra day this year and didn’t even have to deal with winter sticking in one last nasty jaunt. DC, you know how to treat a lady.
Day one marks the start of {National} Nutrition Month – worldly friends, I’m inviting you to the “celebration” – which is obviously not something we’d overlook here! This year’s theme is “Get your Plate in Shape”, incorporating MyPlate and tips for revamping the colors, nutrient balance and variety of food you choose for each meal.
My impression is that most of you know what should be on your plate for meals, but there are small daily barriers (time, energy, preference of running over taking time to cook, groceries available, etc) to overcome. Some days we win the battle, some days convenience scores a point.
In addition to getting your “plate in shape”, I want you to rate it. Look at every meal you put together for the next few days, weeks, maybe even the whole month – pause before grabbing your fork or spoon and digging in! Think about what rating you would give that meal – 1-10, using your own discretion based on your own needs. What you getting from the contents of your plate? What nutrients are in attendance – carbs, protein, fat plus vitamins and minerals? Which key elements are missing?
Not every meal has to be a 10 – we’re not aiming for elitist foodie perfection here. But if you’re a numbers person, maybe aim for a certain daily average, or at least aim to increase your score as the month flies by rolls along. And give yourself a break from the “Daily Value (DV)" percentages, the calories, and the miligrams. Those numbers rarely hit home to anyone; a simple 1-10? We can manage that, right?
To get us started, I’ll subject my last few meals to your rating system! We’re not counting anything but the quality of a balanced meal (or lack thereof). Lately, we’ve been consuming things like…
Left: Pizza with faux sausage, spinach, red pepper & broccoli (on homemade crust!)
Right: the beginnings of breakfast – oatmeal, pb + banana slices.
Shrimp fried rice – with egg, brown rice, green beans, red pepper & green onion. Cooked with toasted sesame oil, topped with sesame seeds.
Left: steamed kale + sautéed squash, red onion & chick peas – over brown rice.
Right: steamed kale & mini-heirloom tomatoes + Falafel, sliced avocado and fresh parmesan.
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Scores for each? Or the ones you would add to your weekly menu? And, go!
Happy Nutrition Month!
I’m pretty sure in our household those meals would not last long enough to be photographed. (That’s a good thing.) I will most likely be making that shrimp fried rice in the near future.
It was so easy and SO flavorful! Recipe – http://www.eatliverun.com/authentic-shrimp-fried-rice/
The toasted seasame seed oil made all the difference. Definitely have some of that on hand!
I try to think of snacks in terms of “meal components” too – protein, fiber, healthy fats to stay satisfied!
Ohh I love this concept! I’m big on making sure my plate not only looks pretty but has a TON of color on it, which usually means lots of veggies to protein ratio. Yum!
The shrimp fried rice looks very tasty – I will be making that dish next week.
Love, Mamacita
this has nothing to do with nutrition but i’m hoping for one last cold snap to kill all the mosquitos that are hatching now.
I think most of our meals are 7-9s with the occasional 5 or 6 mixed in. Heading off to Mexico next week has definitely made me a little extra conscious of what I’m eating. After all, hello bikini, here I come.
love the kale + squash dish (minus the onions)
and anything with PB and banana is good in my book. the shrimp fried rice dish looks very much like something Billy would make for our dinner – delicious!
Please, please, please come cook for me.
I like the idea of not everything having to be a 10. Don’t beat yourself up about not always being perfect, but you are pretty darn close!
I second LiveForTheRun’s comment, please come live with me and ensure that I don’t spend my days eating bagels and pasta!
I’m a Washingtonian too, so we could really make this happen…
Ha, well you are definitely Much closer than LiveForTheRun
Happy National Nutrition Month! All your meals look great to me
Thanks!
All of your food looks so delicious and healthy at the same time! you should write a cookbook. I’ll make the desserts for it.