March is National Nutrition Month®, and this year’s theme is “Food Connects Us.” Whether it is your friends and family, your community, or the earth itself, food plays a big role in connecting all of us to someone or something. Each week this month, we will explore this theme a little deeper and offer you resources and ideas to help you feel more connected to food and those around you.
This week is all about connecting with food itself. Planning, preparing, and cooking food can often feel overwhelming. The SNAP-Ed website has many resources to try to help take away even a little bit of stress. Check out the following resources:
- The Recipes page has hundreds of recipes for you to search. You can even sort by different cultural inspirations, meal types, and other preferences. If you are looking for a recipe with a specific ingredient, add that to the search bar and see what looks the tastiest to you.
- If you are feeling in a rut with meal planning, these Build Your Own Recipe cards can help you get creative. They include a little formula so you can plug in your favorite ingredients for a delicious meal.
- Our page on Cooking Tips gives you ideas on how to meal plan, minimize food waste, and stay safe in the kitchen. You can also check out our blogs about food safety—Food Safety Basics and Shopping For and Storing Food Safely.
- The Shopping on a Budget blog offers tips on how to efficiently shop for healthy foods that best serve you and your family.
Even with these tools, food is still expensive and can be hard to budget. If you are looking for ways to find healthy, delicious food more easily, there are plenty of resources out there.
- SNAP is a program through DTA that provides monthly funds to purchase groceries. Money is loaded onto a debit card-like EBT card which you can use at many grocery stores and even for online grocery orders.
- The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) provides additional money if you are already receiving SNAP for fruits and vegetables from local farmers markets and farm stands.
- Food pantries across Massachusetts are another wonderful resource. Many pantries have different hours, so be sure to double check before you show up to get groceries.
This week, connect with your food a little more. Be mindful, shop smarter, and enjoy the wonderful recipes you use.
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