Food Resolution
Well January is in full swing and by now, you have likely broken at least one of your resolutions. This was me almost each year a few days after the shine of a new year had dulled and I was left with doing the work of making lofty goals a reality. It’s a wonderful thing to resolve to make changes and to want to improve your health, food, finances, work or life. It is very difficult when you make so many goals and do it on a day that you have been told is THE day to do it, only to have it fall apart by the time the hearts are up for Valentine’s Day.
That’s why this year I challenge you to not to. Do not make 50 resolutions of change. Do not swear you are going to go to the the gym 8 times a week for 2 hours a day when you have not set foot in a gym since leg warmers were cool. Do not swear this is the year you banish all processed foods from your home and will churn your own butter, milk your own cow, and grind your own meat.
Resolutions are a great tool for change, but they mean nothing if you don’t keep them. To truly make resolutions a reality they need to become a part of your lifestyle and how you do life, not something you feel guilty about each time you stumble. And the thing is, you will. As a food person, one may think every single meal that I have in my house is made from scratch and that I 100% have a plan every night, but that is not the case. I have nights where a mix, packaged meal or takeout wins. Does this happen every night? No it does not, but I do not sit and beat myself up when it does happen. I just see that I was not fully prepared for that meal/event and try to figure out what I can do to be prepared next time. I do not give up and sigh and state “I can’t do this” and go back to the box every single night. Because of this, cooking from scratch has become a habit for me. Most nights I am prepared for dinner and have almost no instances where takeout or a box is not by choice because I did not prepare. I made a real change to my lifestyle and it stuck.
Be kind to yourself. Those bursts of inspiration come because you know you want to make changes and want to be better, but by heaping action upon action onto yourself you will set yourself up for failure. So let’s do 2017 different and see if it helps.
May I suggest you try a food resolution to kick of 2017? Just one. And not something like “I’m giving up all refined sugars, caffeine and chocolate” when these three things make up all the happy things in your life. Perhaps if you are seeking to lower your sugar intake, you start by simply saying “I’m going to make more of my treats from scratch using applesauce or other natural sugars and purchase cookies only one time a month instead of every week”. Or if you are seeking to health up your meals, instead of saying “I’m going to make every thing that goes into my mouth from scratch, all the time, every meal” try “I”m going to cook X time each week (keeping your life and schedule in mind) and make extra to freeze for another meal”. In both cases, positive changes are being made, but one leans to extreme whereas the other seeks to find balance.
And here’s the great thing. After about a month or so, this resolution will become a habit and will just be something you do. When you get there, sit down and think of another awesome goal you want to achieve. Keep it realistic, simple and doable and go for it! My first goal this year is double up more of my recipes so I can freeze the leftovers for meals for another day. I currently sometimes do this, but it is something I want do more frequently and make a real habit. How about you? Comment below or find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tell me what your food resolution is and what I and the Kitchen can do to help. Do you need more inspiration with recipes that use different ingredients? Maybe you would like to see more tips and tutorials on an area of food prep you want some more help on. Let me know! I’m here to help you rock your food goals! Let’s make 2017 the year we can stick to a resolution and make our kitchen a great and yummy place to be!