National Nutrition Month is coming up in March, and this is the perfect excuse to start setting some real goals to improve your health! National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which we’re both a members of. Through our recipes, posts, and links, we hope we’re supporting you in your journey to achieve a healthier lifestyle. For National Nutrition Month we’re hosting a 7 Day Food Heaven challenge, where each day we’ll be posting an activity that promotes health in our homes and communities. Don’t think you’ll be doing this alone…we’re in there with you! We’ll be posting daily video updates letting you know how we’re completing each posted challenge. I hope you’re as excited as we are! Stay posted for updates and Happy Nutrition Month to you and yours.

b*ck yeah, eat me!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

What you need

• 1 butternut squash
• 2-3 cups of dry whole wheat macaroni or elbow pasta
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup of organic shredded low fat cheese (of your choosing)
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of oregano (fresh or dried or dried Italian seasoning)
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• Any fresh herb for garnish/ extra flava

What you do

• Preheat oven to 350
• Cut butternut squash into cubes
• Boil until soft
• Blend all ingredients except the cheese and breadcrumbs
• Cook pasta according to package directions
• Mix butternut squash mixture with pasta
• Cook for 20-25 minutes on 350 until top later is crunchy

Lime Cilantro Sweet Potato Mash

What you need

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1/3 cup of almond milk
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1 lime

What you do

• Peel sweet potatoes
• cut them into cubes
• boil sweet potatoes until soft
• saute garlic if you want to avoid a strong garlic punch (note: we love it raw)
• Mash potatoes with fork
• Add 1/3 cup almond milk
• Add two tablespoons of olive oil
• Blend cilantro and the juice of the lime
• Combine with sweet potato mash
• Add salt and pepper to taste

Soulful Collard Greens

What you need

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound collard greens, finely chopped
• 3 cups of homemade or low sodium vegetable stock
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• Salt and black pepper

What you do

• In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil
• Saute the onions for 2 minutes, and then add the red pepper flakes and garlic- cook for another minute
• Add collard greens and cook another minute. Add the vegetable stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until greens are tender, but not soggy (15-20 minutes).
• Add tomatoes last and cook for another minute.
• Finish by seasoning with salt and black pepper.

Caribbean Jerk Tofu

What you need

• 1 lb extra firm tofu, pressed (see below)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• For the marinade:
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

What you do

• Puree all ingredients for the marinade in blender or food processor
• Slice the pressed tofu into long triangles (watch show for guidance!)
• Marinade tofu in a bowl for at least an hour covered, flipping slices a couple of times.
• Prepare the cast iron grill with a thin coat of olive oil and turn heat to medium high. When pan is hot, lay tofu in a single layer. Pour remaining marinade over tofu in skillet. Cook for 8 minutes on each side. (If you don’t have a grill, use a skillet!)
• *To press tofu, wrap in paper towels or a clean dish towel and press under the weight of a heavy object, such as a skillet with a heavy book in it. Turn over after 1/2 hour. This will get the water out and allow the tofu to soak up more of the marinade.

• 2 eggs (aim for organic!)
• 2 corn tortilla disks
• 1/4 tablespoon of chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons of cooked black beans
• 1 avocado
• Vegetable oil
• Sprinkle of salt

What you do:

• First smash up a ripe avocado, for a guacamole-like texture…set aside
• Next do your eggs…heat up a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Let the pan heat up for 2 minutes. Crack your 2 eggs in there making sure they don’t stick together (you can do them individually too if that’s easier)
• Let the eggs heat up with the oil. Don’t flip them until the edges are crispy and brown. When you do flip them, only cook for a few seconds on the flip side so your yolk is a little runny. (will taste great with the dish!)
• When the eggs are done, set aside.
• Heat up your tortilla disks on a dry non stick pan for half a minute on each side, so that they’re cooked but still soft
• Lay the first disk on a plate, rub some avocado paste on the surface, add your first egg, then add the second tortilla disk and add the second egg. Top the egg with more avocado paste, the copped onions, beans, and sprinkle with a tad bit of salt. Enjoy!

What you need:

• 3 carrots
• 1 pear
• Small piece of ginger
• Wedge of lime

What you do:

• Assuming you have a juicer…juice everything except for the lime
• When you serve your juice, top off with some squeezed lime and stir…yum!

What you need:

• 1 Kiwi
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of almond milk

What you do:

• Blend and gulp your merry life away!

• 2 cups of finely chopped kale
• 1 tablespoon of olives (i tried the Goya kind with the red peppers in them- yum!)
• 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seed oil
• Sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
• Sprinkle of salt

What you do:

• In a bowl, mix kale with olives
• Drizzle with sesame seed oil
• Top with toasted sesame seeds and sprinkle with salt
  *To toast sesame seeds, just put them on a dry pan under low-medium heat and mix up until all seeds are a dark brown (not black!)