March is one of our favorite months to cook seafood, thanks to the new seasonal ingredients available. It also happens to be National Nutrition Month® and this year’s theme, “Go Further with Food,” is all about being more intentional with our food choices. Sounds great, right?

As we’ve talked about on the blog before, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend working in at least 2 to 3 servings of seafood per week into your diet. So, our version of going further with food includes more planning to make sure we’re hitting our seafood servings goal. This month, we’re committing to make more grocery lists, reuse our leftovers, and make more meals at home (check out our Monthly Meal Plan for some fresh inspo). If you’re up for the challenge, here are some other ideas from the campaign to get you going:

Benefits of Reducing Food Waste

• Saves money, because when you buy less, you spend less!
• Reduces methane emissions from landfills and reduces your overall carbon footprint.
• Conserves energy and resources, which prevents further pollution from the growing, manufacturing and transporting of food.
• Supports your community through donations of untouched food to your local food bank.

Source: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home

 Tips for Reducing Your Food Waste

• Shop Your Pantry & Meal Plan – Keep an inventory of what you have and structure your meal plan around that, so you’re only picking up what you need when grocery shopping.
• Be Mindful of Portion Sizes – Use the resources provided with the DGAs to make sure you’re getting the right mix of calories and nutrients.
• Utilize Those Leftovers – Incorporate leftover seafood into a new dish the next day.

Looking for recipe inspiration? Here are a few of our favorite dishes that help us “Go Further with Food.”

Salmon Patties

“The crisp edges and big bites of flaked salmon are the hallmark of these salmon patties.” – Natasha Kravchuk, Natasha’s Kitchen

Get the recipe here.

Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus

“Leftover salmon gets a recipe remake with bowtie pasta, fresh asparagus, and dill in this super-simple Parmesan cream sauce that makes meal prep a breeze.” – Heidi Larsen, Foodie Crush

Get the recipe here.

Garlic Shrimp Casserole

This garlicky casserole makes great use of leftover shrimp!

Get the recipe here.

Seafood Casseroles

Casseroles are the perfect way to utilize leftovers! Here’s a list of our family-friendly favorites.