A New Year, a new goal

So, in the spirit of the new year, we had to come up with new goals, right? I mean, it seems sort of pathetic to begin 2007 with the same goals we had in 2006. It just screams failure, does it not? Of course, we also can't abandon these oldies-but-goodies in their entirety... so our new plan is a bit on the, um, "broad" side.

I've always hated the New Year resolution; either you shoot too low and end up done by March, or you shoot for the moon and end up horribly defeated by, well, March. This year, we have instead created a mission statement. The gist of this is that our goal is to live a more peaceful, healthful life and that we will make efforts in the areas of physical health (eating better, moving more), mental health (cutting out stress), financial health (making a point of frugality and saving) and household health (decluttering, organization, repairs/improvements we've put off for years) and that we will be conscious that each decision we make will positively affect one or more of these areas.

So, of course, the first order of business is to get back to eating like people. For whatever reason, the end of the year, from, say, the beginning of November on adds tonnage to us like we've had reverse-lipo at the hands of a mad scientist. I don't understand how jeans I bought when the boys were one can no longer be pulled further than my knees. I have bulges and jutting flesh where none has ever existed. My other in law refers to this state as "fluffy". At this point, I'm about as fluffy as Angela Davis' afro in a cyclone. Not good. Anyway, we both lost a substantial amount of weight when Bailey was small, just by restricting calories a bit, recording our goals, nutrition and activities on FitDay.com (free online is good, PC version is better). It was excellent. We planned three meals and three snacks per day, with our target calories in mind. Most dinners were from Cooking Light magazine, as were many breakfasts and some lunches. After the first two weeks, I had trouble meeting my calorie intake goals and would often have to have a weirdly heavy evening snack to have eaten a reasonable number of calories. 45 pounds later, I felt great, fit into my clothes again and had lots of energy. It was not a "diet" I had to stick to, just a manner of being a little more cognizant of what I was putting into my mouth.

Now, we're back on the "program". Today, I had oatmeal, a steak sandwich on a Trader Joe's "everything" bagel (complete with onions and real mayo), a cranberry scone with my afternoon tea and a fabulous dinner, using new (to me) recipes. I thought I'd share some reviews, in case anyone else is looking for good food that won't stick to their asses like gum on hot asphalt.

Arborio Rice, Parmesan and Green Pea Pancakes from Cooking Light was fabulous. We loved it, the kids loved it. It made exactly as much as it said and was easy to prepare, if it did take a bit of time (most of it waiting, so I could, theoretically been doing something else... like knitting). The one thing about this recipe you should know is that non-stick is NOT optional in the browning phase. These things will adhere to anything they can before they brown. Trust me. I have three pans to clean.

Black Bean Soup from Cook's Illustrated: The Best Light Recipes was OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. Black bean is one of my all time favorites and I'm usually sadly disappointed by any form of light recipe. I decided to use this (and a couple of other, selected recipes) as a barometer to see if I need to own this book. If the others are this good, it will have to be mine. Absolutely everything you would look for in a tasty, satisfying black bean soup is in this bowl. I used the chipotle in adobo variation, because I like the added heat and smokiness.

Last night, we had Southwestern Lasagna, from Cooking Light. I have to admit, when I was out shopping for the ingredients, I was a litte put off by the recipe. To be fair, it may have been a prejudice due to the trauma of shopping with three kids, pushing a stroller, and dragging a cart while grocery shopping on a Sunday afternoon (inadvisable) with every rude, stupid person in the universe. Whatever it was, it was completely out of line with the finished product. The lasagna was yummy. Again, high marks from all age groups. I think it's reminiscent of Amy's Enchilada Bowls, which is a favorite from when I used to take my lunch to work.

I'll keep posting the reviews, for those who are interested. My test kitchen is open!

Knitting? Yes, I'm finishing up a pair of Magical Mittens for my brother-in-law's girlfriend. I'll post a picture of them, and their companion hat, when I finish.

Cheers!