It’s that time of year again, where we can start fresh and hopefully work on some areas in our lives where we need the most help. The key here is to come up with some simple and realistic New Year’s Resolutions so you don’t set yourself up for failure.
Reader Diary Success Stories – We Want to Hear from You!
Before we dive in though, I want to make sure you saw that we’re doing another Reader Diary Series, which means we want to hear from you! I’d love for you to submit your Real Food Success Story + Food Diary for a chance to be featured. Five people will be chosen and they will receive some awesome “thank you” prizes including two of my cookbooks (signed), a 1-year membership to PrePear, and a $50 gift certificate to spend on groceries + a 1-year free membership to ThriveMarket.com!
Find more details and the entry form here. I can’t wait to read your stories! Here are the stories we shared last year.
Okay, back to those resolutions … here are a few simple ways to make some big changes in 2019:
- RESOLUTION 1: Make Dinner From Scratch (at least) 3 Nights a Week
Cooking from scratch is the #1 thing you can do for your health and the health of your family. Even if everyone can’t always sit down together due to busy schedules, think how good it’ll feel to have dinners on hand that are ready-to-eat and homemade. Planning ahead here is key!
– - RESOLUTION 2: Get Your Kids Involved in Dinner (at least) 1 Night a Week
So many options with this one! Involved can mean picking out a recipe you’ll make, shopping with you at the grocery store (my middle schoolers LOVE when I tear off part of my list and send them on their own hunt in the store), helping with food prep, or even making the entire meal themselves. It doesn’t get more rewarding than that (if you have the time)!
– - RESOLUTION 3: Pack a Homemade Lunch (at least) 3 Days a Week
I’ve got LOADS of ideas for you! Making lunches yourself, as opposed to relying on the school cafeteria or going out, does not need to be complicated. Sadly, most school cafeterias don’t actually cook or make the food, it’s all about re-heating things that are basically factory-made.
– - RESOLUTION 4: Eat Vegetables Every Day
I’m not saying something green has to be included in every meal (although that would be great, of course!), but AT LEAST aim to eat a big healthy portion of veggies one meal a day.
– - RESOLUTION 5: Don’t Clean Your Plate
Forget this dated advice from our childhood, and instead, stop eating when your body feels full (not when the plate or package is empty). This is the epitome of mindful eating and can honestly take some practice, but is how things were meant to be and can do SO much for your health.
BONUS RESOLUTION: Get Better Sleep.
Sleep is such an important part of our overall health. I can’t tell you enough how I feel like a whole different (NEW) person after going through sleep therapy! This is what I learned here.
How many of these resolutions do you think you can commit to (realistically) in the New Year? Anything else on your list you’d like to share? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Quiche with a Cheesy Potato Crust (Gluten-Free)
I like the cook from scratch 3x a week! Most likely there will be leftovers, it’s always a plus when a well cooked meal stretches! Thank you for the list!
Hello. Involving kids in dinner is a great one. I would start with eating together – with kids or preferably with the whole family. Usually, it is in a way that everyone is eating when they have time. The correct way would be that we all find time for dinner at the same time