The 3 Issues I Want to Address:
I want to lose weight - I've got about 15 pounds of baby weight/broken ankle right around Christmas which means you eat a ton and don't exercise at all but that was 9 years ago weight that I'd like to be rid of.
I want to eat better quality foods
I want to know more about what I'm doing instead of just following recipes
What I Plan to Do About It:
The more I've been thinking about it the more I think that all three are connected so instead of working on all items separately I'm working on a combined method and hopefully will accomplish all three instead of not accomplishing any!
1. Reevaluate HOW I grocery shop. When I was first learning to cook I had a bunch of people to feed, very little time, and a very tight budget. Now there are a whole lot less people, a lot more time, and a much less restrictive budget. However, cost and efficiency are still driving a lot of my shopping choices. I need to start looking at the quality of my ingredients and what I'm buying that I can just as easily make from scratch.
2. Know my limitations. This is connected to #1. While I need to identify the things I can make from scratch and stop buying them I also need to recognize things that I could technically make from scratch but won't. Things like salad dressings, pasta sauce, and dinner rolls are all things I need to stop buying because I can make them. However, sandwich bread and chicken broth? It's probably not happening. I might attempt to try sandwich bread but I doubt it'll be reliably replacing a store bought loaf anytime soon. As for the broth? If I know I'll be using a lot in a short time than I'll try and do it but I don't have the freezer space to make it in bulk.
3. Learn more about what I'm buying. Last year I switched to eggs from pasture raised hens and high fat European style organic butter and I've definitely noticed a change in my baking. But what about milk? Should I go organic in that? If so which kind? Where does my meat come from? What do all the different labels mean? What needs to be bought organic and what doesn't matter? I know the definition of eating seasonally but what are the seasons for specific vegetables and fruits? These are all things that I'm going to actively sit down and figure out before I go grocery shopping again.
4. Plan out what I'm going to have for lunches and snacks. I'm really good at menu plans and lists and all that. I make a menu plan every two weeks and a list based off that plan BUT when it comes to thinking about what I'm going to eat for lunch I'm awful about it and even worse when it comes to snacks. I don't mind eating the same thing for a few days in a row so it'd be easy to cook something healthy once and then eat from that for most of the week but I need to actually do it!
5. Take some online cooking classes. There are tons of online options from quick tutorials to full length classes and I'd really like to take more advantage of that. I did one last year on knife skills from Kathleen Flinn's website and it was amazing. It definitely improved my skill. My knowledge of cooking basics is shaky and this seems like an easy way to improve it.
And that's it! I'm hoping that if I'm more mindful about what I'm eating and make an effort to step away from processed food that not only will I be eating better tasting food and feeding my family healthier food but I'll be able to lose that last stubborn little bit of weight!
Have you made any changes to the way you eat this year? Anything you'd like to change?
I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads
Those are all such amazing goals/resolutions!! I feel the budget restrictions and we try to eat organic and it is hard. I need to get back to meal planning and doing prep on Sundays. I do so much better when that happens. Good luck with these!
ReplyDeletePlanning for lunches and snacks would make a big difference for me, too. Like you, I'm very organized about dinner, but rarely for lunch. At this time of year, I make soup for the week... things tend to slide during warmer weather. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYour guidelines could be useful to just about anyone who shops for food & cooks it!
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Oh I love this. One of my goals this year to to menu plan. I am working on finding recipes I want to try on pinterest and cooking homemade meals more than ordering out. The best thing about living around here is that my grocery store has the shop at home option. So I can order all my groceries on-line and it helps with impulsive buying and allows me to see how much I am spending.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goal! Now I need to check out the weekend cooking meme! :)
Some good goals, you can do it! I've switched to only organically grown flour after reading what has been done to the commercially grown non-organic grain. Also with factory chickens and the horrid conditions with beef and pork production. So trying for only organic meats. Harder when you eat out though. I got a pasta machine for Christmas and want to have fun with that this year.
ReplyDeleteFor chicken broth I save the carcass from the roasted bird. Freeze a few & when I have 2 or 3, put them in the slow cooker with water, carrots, herbs and sometimes a half lemon. You will have a more natural broth for cooking and you can freeze it.
ReplyDeleteWe lost a lot of weight by doi more meatless meals and switching to almond milk. It's only 30 calories as compared to 122 calories from 2% cow milk. I like it but it may not be for everyone, we get the original unsweetened and it's a great with cereal or oatmeal.
I like your goals!
I hear you on needing some new food goals and plans! We've been eating less and choosing healthier, but it's difficult when you still have young adults around who eat cookies, chips, processed foods... but we're trying :)
ReplyDeleteI browsed B & N in person recently to buy myself a new cookbook, but wound up leaving without one. There are so many conflicting thoughts: vegan, paleo, atkins, weight watchers, no carb, no fats, etc. I decided for now to just use the internet for new recipes. I would've gotten at least a general soup recipe cookbook, but couldn't find one in store.
I love this post. I'd like to check out Flinn's tutorials on her website. Wishing you a wonderful year of cooking, eating and enjoying it all!
ReplyDeleteYou go. I believe in organic milk. There are lists on Pinterest about what to buy organic and what you don't have to worry about. I stopped buying organic bananas b'c of what I had read.
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome goals! I think about food a lot. My husband and daughter both have Celiac disease and must eat gluten free. When they were diagnosed, I made it my goal to learn more about food and the science behind baking and cooking. It is really eye opening and I now have things that I can't believe that I ever bought.
ReplyDeleteI turned vegetarian last year and I cannot believe the difference in my health and energy levels... I also achieved my target weight after years of struggling to shed it with relatively little effort. I'm aware it isn't for everyone - but I'll also echo the recommendation to switch to unsweetened almond milk which tastes lovely and was used in medieval times in noble and royal kitchens, who regarded cows' milk as a peasant food. Best of luck with your goals regarding food, given we are what we eat I think it makes sense to pay attention to diet:).
ReplyDeleteLove this post! All super goals. I am going to start working on breakfast -- I am so sick eating the same two or three things every morning. I'm with you on chicken broth. We use way too much of it for me to get into a broth making habit. I buy an organic, low-sodium broth that works well for us.
ReplyDeleteWe too use unsweetened almond milk for everything.
Good luck and keep us in the loop with what you learn and how you're doing.
Great post Katherine! I struggle with planning as well. I think I'm pretty good at shopping but I don't plan our menus and lots goes to waste. I'm not too good with online course so I watch many cook shows and try to learn. Good luck with your plan!
ReplyDeleteOh an awesome way to look at it! I've been reevaluating my shopping the last couple weeks, too, and it has been helping :D Good luck with your foodie goals!
ReplyDeleteThese are all good questions to know the answers to. I would love for you to share what you learn. I struggle with planning (which then affects the purchasing).
ReplyDeleteI keep trying to tell the hubby (who has decided he needs to do the grocery shopping), that we need to focus on quality now that we don't have to do so much quantity. And to convince him that just because it's on sale, doesn't mean we need it!
ReplyDelete