They won't win any beauty pagents, but let's face it, most of us won't either. |
The other day I found myself at Target, doing that usual Target thing where you pick up the three things you actually need and then spend the next half hour wandering the store because (select all that apply):
a) you needed to get out of the house, if only to escape the sounds of the new battery-powered Nerf gun your child got for Christmas
b) it's too cold to go for a walk outside, so you think that pushing a cart while walking approx. 1.8 mph can be justified as a moderate form of exercise
c) maybe they'll have a deal on frozen edamame and queso fresco (alas, not to be), but oh hey, 50% off Justin Bieber wrapping paper?
Regardless, I wandered and found myself in the notebook aisle. Rows of crisp clean notebooks, pages yet to be written on, potential yet to be fulfilled. Imagine all the plans I can write down, all the lists I can make, all the improvements I will make in myself and my household and my world because IF I JUST BUY A NEW NOTEBOOK IT WILL ALL BE BETTER.
I didn't buy a notebook that day, for the exact same reason I will not be kicking off my 1/1/2014 by doing some sort of diet or detox cleanse or other "IF I FOLLOW THIS PLAN IT WILL ALL BE BETTER" food thing. For me and 97.3% of Americans, growth is a process that happens in small steps, little changes here and there. New Years resolutions feel a bit too abrupt, with too much grandstanding, so much pressure to be suddenly perfect.
However, any day is a good day to think about what you cook, what you eat, what you feed your family, how you feel. I'm by no means perfect, as my sweet tooth will tell you between bites of scotcheroo, but a majority of the time, I am eating good, real food not because I'm supposed to or because I made some sort of pact with myself to do so, but because it tastes good and makes me feel good.
So if you want New Years diet advice from me (so glad you asked!), I say skip the diet. Instead, let's focus on eating more real fresh food, less packaged shelf-stabilized food. At the grocery store, focus less on what is on sale and more on what is delicious and nourishing. Shop the farmers markets. Find a cookbook that interests you and start cooking the book, discovering new flavors and techniques. Bring lunch from home more often, skipping the drive thru. Drink more water, less soda. Have more picnics. Invite friends over for dinner. Don't save good meals only for special occasions. Every day is a special occasion.
To dispel the notion that nourishing food doesn't taste good, allow me to share this recipe. I am a person who loves the nutty taste of a bran muffin, and my mother made plenty of bran muffins using the recipe on the side of the All-Bran box when I was a kid. These, however, are a few steps up, just sweet enough, toothsome with a crunchy top. Add in toasted walnuts and dried cranberries, serve alongside a hot cuppa coffee or tea, and this is a dang near perfect start to a morning - whether this year or in the new 2014.
Bran Muffins
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson. I don't use muffin cup liners because I like the extra texture and flavor I get from baking muffins in butter-greased tins. Yes, it's more clean-up, but if you've never baked muffins without liners, maybe give it a go this time around.
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk or plain yogurt (if you use Greek yogurt, add few Tablespoons of milk to thin the consistency)
1/2 c. barely melted butter
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. unprocessed wheat bran or oat bran (or buzz some rolled oats in a blender for a few seconds)
1 and 1/2 c. plain, unsweetened bran cereal
1 c. white flour or whole wheat flour (or half of each)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. sea salt or kosher salt (if you are using table salt, reduce by half)
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk/yogurt, melted butter, and maple syrup. Sprinkle the bran and cereal across the top, stir, and allow mixture to site for 5 minutes. Then on top of that mixture, add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients together a bit, then stir deeper to mix it into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Immediately fill each mufin cup nearly full.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until the edges of the muffins begin to brown and tops have set. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn muffins out of pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
These are going on my to-make list next week. We're always looking for breakfast options.
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