johnliu, I resolve to continue to cook without white sugar and processed foods. I tossed the bottled salad dressings and spag sauce and boxed cereals and semolina pasta before Thanksgiving. I've lost almost 20lbs and I am not going back.
I want to add more leafy greens, kale and collards.
I want to cook meatless once/week.
How bout you? Any resolutions for you?

I'm not a resolution person, but by January 2nd I like to get back to our "normal" schedule after the hub-bub of the holidays.

--I've got some work to do on low-carb bread and cracker recipes for my friend who has diabetes and is extremely carb. sensitive.

--There are new gluten-free recipes to develop for the sorghum mill, on my list of things-to-do.

--New plans for the gardens this year, and some new food choices. More edible landscaping in the mix. It's so easy to dream and plan as the seed catalogs come in the mail....

-Grainlady

John, tell us about yours first. :-)

dcarch

Mine are no more cooking/eating with meat, dairy, eggs, sugar, white flour, refined carbs, or anything that a 5 year old couldn't pronounce! I feel so much better when I eat cleanly that I don't know why I slip from it.

My resolution is to eat what we have in the refrigerator, freezer, cupboards, and pantry before I go buying more food! Kevin cleaned out the fridge yesterday - I was too sick to be of much help - but now it is easier to see what is in there, and I want to keep it that way. In order to keep my resolution, we will either have to eat leftovers quickly or else throw them out quickly. I'm not exactly sure how this will play out.

Lars

Eat less carbs, eat more meat, eat less processed foods.
Nothing revolutionary.

Somewhat related, pay more attention this spring/summer to my edible gardening.

Bake more bread, no more take-out, use up the stuff I have.
Why do I have spelt flour and flax seed?

Food-related:
- resume learning Indian cooking
- start learning Mexican cooking
- bring healthy, interesting bento to work three days of the week, reserving the remainder of lunches for Portland's vibrant, quirky, tasty food cart culture
- finally finish my sous vide cooker and then try to cook like dcarch (sung to the tune of "Moves Like Jagger", Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera http://touch.dailymotion.com/video/xkj5ji_maroon-5-moves-like-jagger-ft-christina-aguilera-official-music-video_music )
- try Thomas Keller's boeuf bourguignon method and apply the lessons to other dishes (here http://kitchenmusings.com/2007/04/a_keller_recipe.html )
- make a ciabatta good enough that the undiscerning might think it came from Ken's Artisan Bakery (here http://kensartisan.com )
- overcome my fear of baking by making, and serving to guests, a Paris-Brest (like http://www.joepastry.com/2011/making-paris-brest/ ) whose bicycling associations appeal to me

Other health and self-improvement related
- start our veg garden indoors this winter, so as to finally GET. SOME. RIPE. HEIRLOOM. TOMATOES. (Last couple of years have been frustrating, watching green tomatoes rot in the rainy cold fall.)
- have an herb garden in containers that I can bring in when it gets gray and cold
- finish my road bike, ride every weekend, get hams like Christmas
- start going to church. No, not that one. A place that I have dubbed the "Church Of Iron" ( you'll see why from the pictures link on their fancy website http://www.loprinzisgym.com/ )

Other stuff
- house projects: bathroom remodel, carport, garage workshop, side yard landscape, treehouse improvement.
- a car for dear daughter (ideally something interesting) and driving lessons.
- go camping a lot more
- cast a fly for the first time in a decade

Never drink before noon.
Eat healthy.
Fall asleep in bed, not on the sofa.
Do one form of exercise every day.

So far I've stuck to only the last one.

OH!!! And not respond negatively to posts on GW that annoy me. I've kept that one, too, LOL! Feel free to be my support group if I stray. ;-)

CC, flax seeds are wonderfully healthy for you.
Grind them up and put them on cereals (hot and cold) use them in baked muffins, in bread, sprinkled on yogurt, on fruit.

I try to eat at least 2 tbsp per day to help with my hot flashes. :(

I'm going with FOAS resolutions.....

Never drink before noon.
Eat healthier
Fall asleep in bed, not on the sofa.
Do one form of exercise every day.

I cut my foot a few days ago, has really cut into my walking, so as soon as that heals I am back to my 3 - 5 miles per day. The others I started today ;-)

Alexa

Mine is to make gluten free breads that taste good and look good. After three years of trying, the only thing that I've had work is making bread crumbs from the sourdough bread that wouldn't rise correctly but tasted great. >

Nancy

Never drink before noon.
Never post after drinking after noon.
Never read a post after posted after drinking.
Never post after doing that.

Uh - wwhaat was the quwestion??

seagrass

Make a few more annoying videos.

dcarch

LMAO seagrass, perfect!

But hey lest anyone pass judgement, reminder that New Years Day was a Sunday. My church had a communion service ;-)

Okay, FOAS and caliloo, what was the exercise today, and did you fall asleep in a bed, and whose bed? Just keeping you honest.

It's back on the Anti-inflammation diet for me - no sugar, processed foods, or refined flours. Some non-gluten whole grains & meats & fish is good. As is fruit. And.. LOTS & LOTS of VEGS!

Had a serious flare up of some health issues - pain is a powerful motivator....

Want it to be fun though... so Im buying some new cookware. Want to try some serious Indian/ asian cookery -may have to do some modifications but not much - they're already using a lot of VEGS and other ingredients that I want to be including.

That's the secret - make it taste GREAT! It really need not be deprivation at all.

Best wishes to ya'll!

John, if I add it all up I probably did about 15 miles today. Which means I burned a bit over a gallon of gas.

But thanks for the guilt trip. Thanks to you I dug up a bathing suit, found my goggles, and DW found my gym membership card. That's the closest I've gotten to going to the gym since August. (I went grocery shopping instead.)

Err, congratulations? :-)

Get back on track with my way of eating. Full on gluttony this past holiday season for me. I generally eat low carb omitting sugar entirely. My one resolution is to fully use up all my compost. I have been composting for five years and haven't really used it yet so this is what I will do this spring. Feed everyone/thing well - the family, the pets and the garden!

Not being a resolution type person,
I'm just now reading this thread.

No resolutions,
But I do have a couple of goals.

Reorganize my kitchen
so that things I use often are in an accessible place.
(Due to severe Arthritis, I cannot reach much over my head).
And that 'accessible place' must NOT be
The counter tops!

Get all counter tops cleared by end of January.

John, you have a very ambitious list!
Keep us posted on your progress.

"And not respond negatively to posts on GW that annoy me."

How nice it would be if ALL CF members made (and kept)
this resolution! ! !

Rusty

I have the tendency to overwhelm myself. I'll decide that since I have ricotta I could make lasagna, then I'll decide that I should really make fresh pasta for it, then I'll decide that since I don't really like meat in my lasagna, I should also make some grilled chicken, and while I'm at it, I should cut up and roast that squash that's languishing on the counter, and then it's 9 pm, every dish in the house is dirty, and dinner still isn't ready.

Thus, my resolution is to aim lower.

I might operationalize this desired simplicity as follows:

-at least one dish must contain two food groups (defined as protein, carb, veggie) or the veggie must be microwaved with no additional fuss or the first dish must be able to wait while the second dish is cooked in the same vessel.

-dry carbs prevail: Sometimes I end up cooking two carb dishes because the meal feels too wet. If I know I'm going to want crackers or with my soup, I don't need to put rice or noodles in it. If I know I'm going to want toast with my eggs, I don't need potatoes too.

-one vegetable is enough

-the refrigerator should remain 25% empty, or be subjectively easy to navigate.

-I will start the week with one or more of the following: washed and chopped veggies, cut up meat, raw dough, plain cooked rice or pasta.

-I will use my gift card to the World Spice Merchants to buy whole spice blends. I will use them, and I will feel like my one-pot meal is legitimate cooking.

I don't actually make New Year's resolutions but I think about topics I'd like to explore during the next year. One is always culinary (2011 was using fruit in savory dishes and steamed puddings for 2010) and I also select a cookbook and try to make a hefty selection of the recipes from it.

Over the years, I have accumulated a collection of WWII booklets and pamphlets with hints and recipes for dealing with the food rationing of that era. So this year, I'm going to try some of the recipes. I'm looking forward to one-layer cakes, organ meats and dishes that contain less meat per serving than we currently use.

My friend and I are also going to continue our tearoom adventures again this year, with the first one scheduled for Friday.

Some "goals" for 2012 - they are NOT resolutions....I don't do those:

~ eat smaller portions of meat

~ have fish once a week

~ have a meatless meal once a week

~ make new kitchen curtains (now that I have neighbors) and redecorate the kitchen with some new artwork and finally hang my blue and yellow wall quilt [I was gifted the painting of my kitchen and bathroom...isn't that the best gift ever?!!]

~ work to keep down the clutter in the kitchen (and the rest of the house for that matter)

That's enough to keep me busy....
Teresa

I did about 6 miles of retail therapy with a friend today, we celebrated the feat with a glass of wine at about 4-ish.

Tonight is the last of the White Bean and Kale soup.

And yes, I have slept in my very own bed every night in 2012. No falling alseep watching Monday Night football in the family room any more!

Alexa

"using fruit in savory dishes"

That sounds fun. What was your favorite such recipe?

"a collection of WWII booklets and pamphlets with hints and recipes for dealing with the food rationing of that era. So this year, I'm going to try some of the recipes. I'm looking forward to one-layer cakes, organ meats and dishes that contain less meat per serving than we currently use."

I would be very interested to see a photo essay of an authentic wartime dinner, especially with organ meats.

I have had the same resolution every year forever. I ususally resolve to be a better person to my loved ones, have more patience and so forth and so on...so, since I seemed to have mastered those past resolutions ;-) I decided to focus on myself for once. This year I want to get healthy in my diet.

I started "The 17 day Diet", by Dr. Mike Moreno, 2 weeks before the Christmas holidays. For me it's not really a "diet". I like the foods offered so I've been sticking with it! Although,seeing that it's the holidays, I've cheated 3 times, once with a piece of Baklava, once with Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and once with 4 french fries! I've lost 10 lbs. in 2 weeks and I'm gonna stick to this plan. Next week I can slowly start to add some really good things such as WW pasta, a little beef, beans, brown rice and some desserts. It's funny... all I'm craving is bread and butter...I don't want any sugar, just give me some bread!! I also need to walk more...

I hope that everyone can stick to their resoulutions and conquer whatever ails ya!

Nope, no resolutions. Like FOAS, I try not to respond negatively to posts that annoy me, I just shrug and close that thread. Sometimes I manage to do that, sometimes not. I'm not making any resolutions about it, though.

In fact, I think this year I'll do whatever I darned well please, whenever it occurs to me to do it.

Besides, I'm bad at resolutions. They usually involve giving up bad habits that I really like, and then I lose my resolve and ditch the resolution and then I feel guilty for having such a lack of willpower.

Nope, it's better to just decide that I'll do whatever I please this year.

I do like Seagrass' list though, maybe I'll try that once or twice....

Annie

John, it sure was more fun than the steamed puddings. LOL
My favorite dish was a lamb and fig stew with chopped green olives and parsley stirred in after serving.

Most interesting was a recipe called "Beef Purses" - a filling of ground beef combined with currants, dates, candied ginger, rosemary and spices baked in circles of dough. That was from a cookbook I checked out from our library - Shakespeare's Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook. There were lots of fruit and meat or poultry combos in that one.

I do cook organ meats (or variety meats, as they were called then) and have occasionally posted pix of them on WFD threads so I'll just be trying different ways of preparing them. There are also many recipes for stretching small amounts of protein (croquettes, pinwheels, etc.) and I think that will be a good lesson to learn in the current economy.