2012 Resolutions, sort of

In a Low Fat Dressing first, I have no New Year's Resolutions to make.

I wish I did; I wish I could look at this coming year, fresh and clean with unlimited possibilities, and say these are the things I want to accomplish. But work laid waste to last year's resolutions, and there is so much uncertainty and, well, work to be done there, that I don't want to make myself a promise I can't keep.

That said, the things I have been doing will continue. The Foodstyle continues to go along; I've lost the weight I gained back over Christmas, and I continue to plan my meals and get plenty of cooking in to prepare for the coming week. I'm hoping to add in some minimal exercise soon, just to get myself moving and get my core stronger. I've started making some long overdue appointments, like the dentist and some home improvements. We just ordered new living room furniture and have our paint colors picked out.

I'm just not going to resolve to get it all done in a calendar year. :)

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I've had a nice staycation. Did a lot less than I planned on, but it was some much needed time away from responsibilities. By the end of the week, I was busy cooking up a storm.

First off, I used a gift from my mother-in-law to make our first main dish of 2012:

Hee! I got the Perfect Meatloaf pan! It does make perfect meatloaf, but not for the reasons they think; it's not that the fat drips away, but that the heat is able to circulate all around so the sides get nice and crispy. Mmmm. I threw in a couple of baking potatoes and a pan of Brussels sprouts in the oven with the meatloaf, and voila! Dinner.

Hubby made dinner for us for New Year's Eve.



Sauteed shredded cabbage with Polish seasoning and kielbasa disks, with a side of mini pierogi. These weren't the best pierogi we've had from my new favorite grocery store, so we'll try some other brands. But the cabbage was amazing! I have some leftover for lunch tomorrow.

We went to a New Year's brunch the next day, so I made Helen's overnight breakfast casserole and my own dish of lucky blackeyed peas. Unfortunately we had to heat and reheat the casserole and I didn't let it settle enough the second time, but everyone seemed to love it anyway! No one had had blackeyed peas before, and they didn't know that they are supposed to be good luck for the coming year, but they were all game and ended up enjoying them too.  (Or it was the mimosas. Heh.)






Today I took Helen's excellent advice and roasted a couple of pounds of carrots. I just used olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and Penzey's Wall of Flavor seasoning, and roasted them for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. A-mazing. The plan was to have them throughout the week, but since I was just eating them right from the pan I'll be surprised if they make it to Wednesday. Thank you for the great idea, Helen! This is going to a regular weekly thing for me.




I also checked out all the fruit on sale, and grabbed kiwis and blackberries for my yogurt and granola in the mornings. I also opened up a couple of pomegranates to collect the seeds. They also go into my morning yogurt.




How can anyone not want to eat right when they start the day off with that? I ask you.


Did you make any resolutions this year?