Resolution #2 – Food

Kids on New Year’s Eve

Last week I talked about my need to reduce and/or eliminate my time within Target stores.  And I’m happy to report I have NOT been in a Target store since that post.   Nor have I ordered from Target online.  Nor have I sent anyone else in my place to Target with a list.  Nor have I gone elsewhere to repeat the habit at a new store.  However, I have put down almost an entire thing of Amaretto Slush to deal with the absence.  Just kidding…there’s quite a bit left in the freezer.

Tuesday is my day to get serious with the rest of the resolutions I’m setting.  You see, for me, personally, whenever I tried to start a new resolution on January 1 I always failed that first week. Too many New Year’s Day parties and leftovers that first week.  Trying to get back into the swing of things after a holiday routine was always hard those first few days.  And I’d fail week 1.  Very discouraging.  So I found that if I waited until week 2, it seemed so much more doable.  And I cannot start on a “home” day.  So since I’m off tomorrow…Tuesday it is!

So this weekend I stuffed myself with all the yummies I plan to eliminate for awhile and then go back to the old saying “everything in moderation”.  The cherry cokes, the m&ms, the Panera cinnamon crunch bagel with honey walnut cream cheese, the German pretzel with beer cheese dip (which was my dinner), the Panera shortbread cookie, the pancakes, the list goes on and on.

Obviously, part of the resolution is to eat better again.  Any of you who have been around a bit know that basically in November and December I eat whatever I want.  Any cookie, treat, extra helping, etc.  It’s practically the only time of year I eat Frito’s.  (Other than a church festival walking taco and that deserves a post all on its own!) 

So here’s one “trick” I find works for me at home.  Even if I have all the salad fixin’s washed and ready in the fridge, when I get home from work the last thing I want to do is whip together a salad.  Pulling out all the ingredients just seems like a hassle.  And I do find they stay fresher longer if you don’t put them all together at once and let them sit in the fridge all week.  So instead, I make an effort one evening to compile multiple salads and put them into the fridge looking like the above.  Cling-wrapped and stacked.  That way when I get home and start working on dinner all we have to do is pull out a pre-made, single-serve salad and voila we tend to eat them if they are already made.  (My kids still don’t like the idea of a salad = mixing the vegetables together.  So I still have to get out a bag of carrots or broccoli for them.)

So part of tomorrow will be planning the meals for the next few weeks.  We’d gotten into a holiday rut for sure.  I’m thinking about making sure we either try something completely new or at least new to the normal rotation (pulling out old recipes) every 2-3 weeks.  I’d love for it to be weekly…but must be realistic!

And the sweets…have got to go.  For all of us.  Must switch back to yogurts and fruit, etc.  Sweets have become expected and are no longer treats.  For all of us!