Committed

It is the start of a new year, and as usual I’d like to put some goals on record.

One of my main goals is to be more consistent about eating “clean” (no refined carbs, nothing artificial, etc.), which goes hand-in-hand with cooking more at home.  This can be broken down into several mini-goals:

1. Cook more often:  Currently, I cook for the better part of a Sunday afternoon a couple times a month.  I prep weekday lunches for the office and sometimes a few soups to serve as light dinners as well. In 2009, I’d like to increase how much I cook during the week.  I enjoy it, so I should really make time for it.
2. Improve cooking skills:  I bought a $350 food processor a few weeks ago and I have only used it once.  I’ll admit I’m a little afraid of it (not sure why) but I need to just dig in there!  I also want to learn some other techniques like braising tofu, cooking with tempeh, and working in more sustainable ingredients into my foods.
3. Better planning:  Currently I’m lucky to get to the grocery store three times a month.  I get to Trader Joes maybe once a month, and I get to Whole Foods about three times a year.  I’d like to get into a routine of shopping once a week, and rotating stores each time so I get good variety.  I also want to learn how to do meal planning in a time efficient way, and then to learn to adapt recipes so that they can be “prepped” in advance and stored in the freezer or the fridge for quick cooking on a weeknight.

A second resolution has more to do with my mental health.  I am naturally moody, and am prone to short but deep bouts of depression.  I really want to do more for myself in this way.  Again, more mini goals.

1. Meditate:  Learn a few meditation practices, and build it into my life with some regularity.  I know that sounds vague, but I don’t want to be too specific with this one.
2. Exercise:  Exercise is my best friend.  I stay pretty emotionally stable when I have regular exercise in my life, specifically some good, low-impact cardio.  Walking is my mainstay, but I’ve recently been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.  I need a backup, which was swimming when I was young.  I’d like to have a few things I can do instead of walking that will take care of me, my mental health, and my feet!
3. Keep Busy:  Boredom is my nemisis.  When I have too much time on my hands it is *not* good. I need to get better at filling up my down time with plenty to do, even if it is housework or whatever.
4. Give Back:  The times in my life I felt the best, I was giving back by volunteering.  I would like to find a cause I’m passionate about, and find a way to carve out time to give to that cause.  I always feel better when I feel purposeful.

What are some of your resolutions?

PS - I notice that WordPress 3FC *still* does not have the Random Blog feature working.