The holidays will soon be upon us, and as consumers look forward to their favorite seasonal celebrations, there are ways to help them have a delicious and healthier holiday season with crowd-pleasing meal solutions that the whole family will love. As shoppers look to find some simplicity and joy during this hectic time of year, retail dietitians and health and wellness professionals can help by providing solutions that make life a bit easier. From simple weekday meal planning resources, to nourishing, budget-friendly recipes, to fun gift ideas from your stores, consumers will appreciate your expertise and guidance to help make their holiday celebrations happy and healthy.

With four times the fiber of regular wheat pasta (8g versus 2g in regular wheat pasta) and 9g of protein, GoodWheat™ pasta is a sneaky delicious™ way to add more nutrition to the meals everyone loves this holiday season. GoodWheat pasta is Non-GMO Project Verified, American Heart Association Heart Check Certified, and it has a delicious taste and perfect texture that even the pickiest eaters love. Don’t forget to tell your shoppers about GoodWheat’s Clean Plate Guarantee – GoodWheat is so confident picky eaters everywhere will love their pasta, they have a guarantee: Love it, or it’s FREE! Learn more here.

Here are some educational activation ideas to launch in the weeks leading up to the holidays:

Promote quick and crowd-pleasing weekday meals – Holiday parties, school concerts and family get togethers take a lot of time and planning. When schedules are this hectic, your shoppers will welcome some easy ideas for putting a quick and nourishing weekday meal on the table. Provide a list of better-for-you pantry staples with several menu ideas that are easy to put together. Include pantry items such as canned veggies and beans, pasta sauce, nuts, canned tuna and chicken and GoodWheat pasta. Feature recipes, such as these American Heart Association heart healthy recipes including a delicious One Pot Broccoli Cheddar Rotini or this Tuscan White Bean Pasta. Share this information in a blog post, on social media and in ecommerce.

Create a media segment or video — The video could be focused on “easy, healthy holiday entertaining” or “a healthy, delicious spin on thanksgiving leftovers.” Show consumers how easy entertaining a crowd can be by creating a fun and healthy pasta bar, or offer ideas on giving Thanksgiving leftovers a nutritious spin, like this Turkey Penne Soup.

GoodWheat pasta bar:

Prepare 2-3 kinds of GoodWheat pasta
Provide 2-3 prepared pasta sauces – marinara, pesto, alfredo

Add-ons:

Variety of cheeses – parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar
Variety of meats – meatballs, shredded chicken
Variety of veggies – mushrooms, peppers, spinach
Include a prepared green salad and bread sticks

Share healthy holiday hacks – Use your social media platforms to provide consumers with quick hacks to make holidays healthier. Create a series of posts: Easy Tips and Tricks to Add Happiness and Health to the Holidays. Sample hacks may include:

Holiday swaps, for instance, fiber up meals by swapping GoodWheat pasta for regular pasta, and get four times the fiber in your meal with no sacrifice on taste or texture.
When shopping, look for the heart-check certified foods, such as GoodWheat pasta. A simple step to help you eat smart this holiday season.

Fun ways to give the gift of health – Shoppers are always looking for unique and affordable ways to provide family, friends, teachers and co-workers with a holiday gift. Use social media, your local TV station, an in-store display or your ecommerce site to share Gifts of Health from your retailer. Ideas include:

Pasta meal basket – Use a colander lined with a holiday gift towel as the base and add in other ingredients from your store such as – GoodWheat pasta, San Marzano Tomatoes, whole grain bakery baguette, pasta server, parmesan cheese, and a bottle of red wine. Add a recipe gift tag featuring One Pot Meatball Spaghetti Bake or Classic Fettuccine Marinara.

For more consumer educational resources featuring GoodWheat pasta, click here. To learn more about GoodWheat, go to eatgoodwheat.com or follow the company on Instagram and Facebook.