I love making goals. Whether I chose to keep them or not is a different story, but generally I am always seeking to learn, improve and learn self control, so I love setting goals. I probably struggle the most with learning self control, which is essential for keeping goals. I don't want to be a victim of my habits. I want to have control over the choices that I made, and not excuse myself for bad behavior, or poor choices. The last few years, I have been trying to limit the number of goals that I make, because making too many keeps me from actually making progress on any of them. Here are a few of my goals for 2016 and I would love to hear about some of your goals for the New Year.
Stop snacking. I love snacking. It is kind of a problem, because most days, I find myself filling up on snacks (honestly, I am not sure what kinds of food I even snack on, because I very rarely buy snack food), then dinner only sounds moderately good. It is just extra, mindless calories that I don't need, and I am pretty sure my stomach will thank me for taking a break regularly between meals. I also want to start enjoying dinner more because I am really hungry for it. Yesterday I didn't snack at all, and by the time dinner came around, I was ravenous and it tasted SO much better than if I had been eating all afternoon.
Yoga with Adam: I like the idea of exercising a lot, but have a hard time fitting it in, and I am not a huge fan of working out for working out's sake. I want exercise to be a regular part of my day, and not necessarily a planned out part of my day. But, that isn't super possible living in the suburbs.
When we were in France, I walked a ton everyday, because we lived downtown in a city that had lots to see, and walking everywhere was much easier than driving (we didn't have a car, and honestly didn't need one either). Plus, Lyon had a great public transit system, and we lived right by a metro stop.
We don't live in France anymore, so I have to figure out how to put exercise back into my schedule. Adam and I have decided to try doing yoga in the morning. I am looking forward to being more flexible and toning some muscle through yoga. Hopefully we can keep it a regular thing!
Establish a cleaning schedule that works: I am sure I am not alone in disliking cleaning my house. I love having a clean house, but often it becomes such a chore because I don't have regularly scheduled days for cleaning, so doing it always feel like an inconvenience. This year, I am going to set a schedule and stick to it! No excuses!
On an unrelated note, here is a delicious cornbread recipe for you. Mel's cornbread has long been a family favorite, but the addition of cranberries takes it to a whole new level of delicious! Adam says it tastes like cake, and I don't disagree.
It is a fantastic accompaniment for just about any meal, snacks (I will be skipping it as a snack this year), or dessert. I would love to hear your thoughts about it if you decide to make it!
Also, I have been meaning to thank you all for your feedback about my blog from my last post! It is great to hear what you liked, what you loved, and what you want more of! Thanks for your kind comments, and compliments! They were very helpful and greatly appreciated! I have some great ideas, and good direction for 2016, and can't wait to have you along for the ride! As always, thanks for reading!
Cranberry Cornbread:
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted (another oil can be substituted, but the subtle coconut flavor is incredible.)
3 Tbs butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
3 cups water
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp granulated sugar
In a stand mixer or bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add oil, butter. Mix them slightly, just enough to moisten the flour, then add the eggs and milk. Stir until smooth.
In a small saucepan combine water and cranberries. Bring to a boil until the cranberries begin to burst (they make a popping noise and some of them will break apart). Drain the water out, then put them in a medium sized bowl. Add the sugar and stir. Add the flour, and with the back of a spoon, begin to pop the cranberries, making a soft mixture.
Add the cranberry mixture to the cornbread batter and briefly stir. You don't want to turn the batter pink, just mix it a bit to evenly distribute the cranberries.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 pan and bake for 30 minutes. Check the center after 20 minutes with a sharp knife. If the center is not done, cover with tinfoil and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the center finishes cooking.
We totally need to get on a good cleaning schedule in our house too! I usually just put everything off all week and then try to get the whole house cleaned in one day... and that plan isn't working haha.
ReplyDeleteThe bread looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteMy goal for 2016 is to produce less trash!
To your last post: I really like your vlogs, healthy recipes and of course posts about Fox ;)