Resolve to make tiny changes
It's that time of year -- everyone is making resolutions, breaking resolutions, and resolving not to make any resolution ever again. Of course, we are going to weigh in with our list! There isn't really anything new here -- more fruits, veggies and exercise, less meat. But how to get there?
Put Fruit on the Breakfast Menu
My boys will eat fruit if I put it in front of them. Otherwise they forget to eat it! One will eat any fruit on the planet, so I give him sliced apples, sliced kiwi, mango, etc. The other doesn't like citrus with "strings" on it. So every morning I specially cut an orange for him -- he's definitely spoiled! But at least he knows that I think eating fruit every day is really really important. Even if you just put sliced fruit out at breakfast, and have some available for school (and work) lunches, you're getting something into them!
Put out the Veggies Early and Often
My boys don't like cooked vegetables (except edamame), so I put uncooked veggies on the table. I try to have a plate of carrot ribbons on the kitchen counter before dinner so they start snacking on that. (Carrot ribbons, you ask? Instead of peeling all around the carrot, keep the peeler going on one side of the carrot. The strips will get continually wider, and will be "ribbons". You can serve them alone, or with a vinaigrette.)
Eat less Meat
Good for the body, good for the planet -- eating just a few meatless meals each week will help you feel better. Risotto with fresh peas (summer) or butternut squash (fall/winter). Chili packed with carrots and cauliflower instead of ground beef. Stacked sandwiches filled with roasted peppers, sundried tomatoes, hummus and goat cheese (Fresco Cafe has an utterly craveable veggie-goat cheese sandwich!) If you (or someone in your family) simply eat dinner without meat, try cutting the portion size back, and adding lots of flavorful and colorful veggies.
Get Your Exercise in Unexpected Places
You've heard it before, but it can make a difference -- park farther away and walk the extra distance to the store. Write your exercise into your calendar; you're more likely to do it. And for heaven's sake, do what feels good to YOU! I love to paddleboard, and I would gladly walk across the country before taking a group fitness class. Other people love the energy and accountability of classes. Swimming bores me to tears (not that you'd know in the water!), and I spend a whole yoga class making to-do lists that I hope I won't forget. If I'm with a friend, we can walk and solve all the world's problems in one fell swoop. Maybe you like to dance, ride your bike, run on the beach -- whatever it is, put it in your calendar, grab a friend (if that's your thing), and get out there.
Have more Family Meals
Whether it's breakfast, weekend brunch or one dinner each week, time spent together at the table is time well spent. It's not the fanciness of the meal, just the company at the table. We believe it is better to have take-out TOGETHER than a fancy meal all by yourself. We know it's a juggle, but the struggle will pay off.
Let the Kids Cook and Clean
Sometimes the struggle isn't finding a time that we can all meet, but planning and preparing meals that everyone will like. I gave up on pleasing my kids long ago (well, except for those sliced oranges for breakfast!) My kids ask, "what's for dinner?" If they don't like the answer, they make their own meal. (I usually know what they won't like, so I don't make too much, and I work from home, so lunch is always leftovers.) It's actually fun when they cook -- we are all on top of each other, trying to get our meals cooked to land on the table at the same time.
If they are old enough to dress themselves, they are old enough to clean up. The real challenge in our house is getting my husband to let the kids clean up. He is very particular, and he uses the time to tune us all out (!) He puts in his headphones and listens to heaven-knows-what. He is starting to relinquish post-dinner kitchen control. If it were up to me, they would do the whole thing -- planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning! But I'd probably be served grilled cheese sandwiches or ramen every night!
We wish you a happy, healthy, fruitful 2020!
