Resolution: a firm decision to do or not to do something.
Intention: a thing intended; an aim or plan.
Commitment: a pledge or undertaking.
When I was in school, January always meant an english teacher would give us an assignment that involved writing about our New Year’s resolutions. Somewhere along the line the word resolution became unacceptable when talking about any plans we might make for the new year. I think people started getting frustrated because a resolution would be made and it would often be broken in a few days or weeks. Gradually, resolution seemed to go hand in hand with failure. It somehow seemed too strict and severe to declare your resolve to make a change. And yet, the start of a new year is the perfect time to make a resolution!
I think people start running into problems with resolutions because often they set unrealistic goals. Saying you resolve to lose weight, eat better, exercise more, save money, learn a new language, etc., without having a plan to accomplish these declarations usually leads to failure. Thus, a resolution has to be accompanied by an intention to make it happen. For example, if you want to be more active you need to make a plan that you will stick to, such as aiming for 30 minutes of movement three times a week. Articulating that goal sounds much more concrete than the general statement of wanting to get more exercise. Then you need to follow up with a commitment to making your intention happen. Therefore, make a resolution, have an intention on how to achieve your goal and commit to that plan. And remember to keep it realistic. Chose one or two goals that you have a good chance of achieving. Announcing you will become a master gardener when you have never grown anything other than a cactus is only going to lead to disaster. But saying you want to maintain a small container garden this year is completely doable.
I have made a resolution this year to try and avoid interrupting when people are talking to me. I have a terrible habit of not letting people finish their thoughts before jumping in with my own. My plan to be successful is to be mindful whenever I am heading to a social situation or find myself in a conversation. This means reminding myself of my resolution. Also, since I am putting my intentions in this blog, I have committed myself to being successful because know you all will hold me accountable!
Finally, as I did last year, I went back to last January’s blog to see how I did with the resolution I made then. I give myself a B overall because I do try to smile at everyone but I still need to work on finding positives in others instead of worrying what they are thinking about me.
This week I am not including a full recipe. Instead I want to talk about eggs. I love eggs because they are so versatile. Need breakfast? An omelet is delicious. Lunch? An egg salad sandwich is perfect. Dinner? A frittata is easy and filling. I don't recommend having all three in one day, but eggs are an awesome way to get a meal made fast. One large egg has 77 calories, with 5 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein with all 9 essential amino acids and they are rich in iron, phosphorous, selenium and vitamins A, B12, B2 and B5 (among others). Also, they are a great way to add vegetables to your meal. Omelets, quiches, frittatas, egg sandwiches, etc., all taste better with veggies added. Try adding mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, avocados, asparagus, or any other favorite veggie to any egg dish. I always have eggs on hand. I buy them at the public market from one of my favorite vendors. When I get home I hard-boil any eggs left over from the week before. If you aren't sure how to hard-boil an egg, google will give you millions of answers. What works best for me is to use eggs that are at least one week old, put them in a pot large enough to not crowd them, add a teaspoon or two of baking soda, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, I cover the pan, remove from heat and set a timer for 13 minutes. When the timer goes off I drain the eggs and put them in an ice-bath for 30 minutes. (Using older eggs and adding baking soda seem to make the eggs easier to peel). Then I just leave them in the fridge for a quick snack or to add to a dinner dish. If you have made a plan to eat better this year, eggs could be a good addition to your meal plans.
