14 Day “Eat Better” Challenge

By andijorichards

I’m excited to be leading a 14-Day Healthy Food Challenge for over 100 team members at work!

The Challenge: Focus on eating more of the good stuff — think beans, dark leafy greens, colorful veggies, fresh fruit, whole grains, and smaller portions of lean animal protein.

The Perk: This challenge is all about positivity. You don’t have to overhaul your entire diet; just add these nutrient-packed foods throughout your day. For 14 days, participants track what they add and upload it to a site where those with the highest totals will be entered to win some great prizes.

Yesterday after a refreshing run along the lake, I came home feeling recharged and ready to prep meals for the week. In about an hour, I put together several dishes — including dinner — using my go-to strategy: batch cooking whole grains and beans, roasting or sautéing veggies, starting a flavorful soup, and improvising as I go.

It’s not about creating gourmet meals — it’s about balance, using what’s on hand, prepping a variety of plant-based foods, and most importantly, enjoying the process.

Today’s Ingredients:

  • ½ cup red lentils

  • ½ cup mixed grains (quinoa & buckwheat)

  • 5 organic red potatoes

  • Green cabbage, 1 lb mushrooms, 1 bunch asparagus

  • 1 bunch collard greens

In Action:

The quartered potatoes boiled gently on the left while lentils and grains simmered on the right.

Chopped veggies, seasoned with a lively mix of jalapeño juice, honey, garlic, white pepper, pickled ginger, Szechuan spices, and miso, sautéed over medium-low heat for five minutes. After a quick stir, I covered and let them steam to preserve their vibrant flavors.

To the right, a hearty soup bubbled — flavored with garlic, veggie bouillon, miso, and a dash of sriracha — packed with cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes, and collards. This soup can be enjoyed as is or enhanced with brown rice noodles, extra veggies, or your favorite spices.

The veggie mix and the grains-beans combo are now chilled and ready in the fridge. Maybe the veggies will transform into a Thai-inspired pizza base, and the grains-beans mix might become the foundation for veggie burgers — or we’ll simply enjoy them as they are.

Dinner on the table:

A vibrant veggie bowl medley featuring roasted potatoes sprinkled with nutritional yeast, the grains and beans, the veggie sauté with extra cooking juices, all topped with chopped apple cider vinegar and sea salt roasted cashews — a perfect blend of flavors and textures.

Lunch prep for tomorrow:

Cabbage leaves for wraps, potatoes with nutritional yeast and jalapeño juice, grains and beans, olives, red bell peppers, and cashews — all ready to grab and go.

All of this — delicious, nutritious, and done in just one hour.

One of my favorite things is teaching others how to do this. With a little planning, some focused time, and a bit of encouragement, anyone can find their cooking groove. I’m hopeful this challenge will help some of my co-workers discover just that.

Smiles all around!

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