New Year’s Resolutions
On the first day of January, people all across the world ring in the new year by setting a New Year’s Resolution. Did you ever wonder how this strange tradition begin? Let’s take a closer look at the history of New Year’s resolutions.
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One of the first New Year’s resolutions dates back over 4,000 years ago to ancient Babylon. During Akitu, a 12-day New Year celebration, Babylonians would plant crops, promise to pay their debts to the gods, return borrowed objects, and either crown a new king or pledge their loyalties to the reigning king. They believed if they kept their word and performed these tasks, the gods would look upon them with favor for the year ahead. Yet if they broke their intentions, the gods would send them misfortune.
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The ancient Romans, led by Julius Caesar, continued the idea of New Year’s resolutions. In 46 B.C., the Emperor introduced a new calendar which declared January 1st as the start of the new year. Janus, the two-faced god, for whom January is named, symbolically looked forward into the new year and back into the previous one. The Romans would offer sacrifices to Janus, promising good behavior to win his favor for the coming year.
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Medieval knights also had their own version of the New Year’s resolution. One by one, during the last feast of the Christmas week, they would place their hands on a live or roasted peacock and recommit themselves, for the next 12 months, to the ideals of chivalry.
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Modern times have taken the gods out of the resolutions, with most people focusing on self-improvement or change. Often the tradition is focused around health after the indulgence of the Christmas season. The idea of being able to wipe the slate clean and start fresh on the first day of the year is a strong motivation to keep this tradition alive. After the year we’ve had in 2020, I think we can agree that starting with a fresh slate might be just the ticket!
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Unfortunately, statistics are not on our side to maintain our resolutions. Around 40% of people in the US make a New Years Resolution and 80% of those break their resolution by the first week of February. With over 4,000 years of practicing this yearly ritual, only 8% of people are successful in achieving their goal at all. The experts believe that we are doomed to fail due to the unrealistic expectations that we set for ourselves. Our goals are too lofty and we soon feel overwhelmed, making our goals and plans seem unachievable.
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Yet fear not! There are ways to work around what may seem like a recipe for disaster! The key to completing your resolution is to break it down into more manageable steps. Look for achievable goals along the way instead of one lone finish line at the end of the year! For instance, try eating one healthy meal a week, or setting a goal of going to the gym every Monday. Here are a few tips to help make your resolution a success!
1. Choose a Specific Goal
2. Limit Your Resolutions
3. Focus on One Goal at a Time
4. Put Time Into Planning
5. Make a Detailed Plan
6. Start With Small Steps
7. Avoid Repeating Past Failures
8. Remember That Change Is a Process
9. Get Support
10. Regularly Renew Your Motivation
11. Keep Working on Your Goals
12. Keep a Resolution Journal
13. Learn and Adapt
| 1. |
Choose a Specific Goal |
| 2. |
Limit Your Resolutions |
| 3. |
Focus on One Goal at a Time |
| 4. |
Put Time Into Planning |
| 6. |
Start With Small Steps |
| 7. |
Avoid Repeating Past Failures |
| 8. |
Remember That Change Is a Process |
| 10. |
Regularly Renew Your Motivation |
| 11. |
Keep Working on Your Goals |
| 12. |
Keep a Resolution Journal |
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I hope that knowing a bit more about New Year’s resolutions may help you find a happier and healthier year in 2021! I know I’m looking forward to some positive changes!
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RECIPES
Delicious Winter Warmers
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Earl Grey + Blueberry Overnight Oats
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Get a dose of B Vitamins with this warming, filling breakfast.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tea bag Earl Grey
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp honey (or maple syrup)
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
• Banana slices
Directions:
Heat milk so that it is very hot without boiling over. Remove from heat.
Add the tea bag to the milk and steep for 4 minutes.
Once the tea is done steeping, remove the tea bag and whisk in the honey (or maple syrup) and vanilla.
Pour the rolled oats into a container with an airtight lid and stir in the milk mixture. Put the lid on and place in the fridge overnight.
Wash the blueberries and slice the banana and top your overnight oats. Drizzle with a little extra honey (or maple syrup).
Grab a spoon and enjoy cold or heat it up before adding the fruit for a quick, warm breakfast.
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Mushroom Spinach Bacon Egg Cups
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Delicious spinach bacon egg cups with crumbles of feta in every bite. You’ll love this healthy make-ahead breakfast that’s packed with protein and takes just 30 minutes to make.
Makes 10 egg cups
1 serving = 2 egg cups
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Ingredients:
• 10 slices good-quality bacon (1 package of bacon)
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 3 cups packed organic spinach
• 6 large eggs
• ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (any milk will work)
• Freshly ground salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup feta or goat cheese crumbles (or any cheese you’d like)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add bacon slices to muffin pan (we’re only using 10 of the muffin cups) and wrap bacon in a circle around the edges of the tin. The bacon will likely overlap a bit, but that’s okay. Bake for 15 minutes.
While the bacon is cooking, you can sauté your veggies: In a large skillet, add in olive oil, garlic and mushrooms; sauté for 5 minutes or until mushrooms cook down and begin to turn a slight golden brown. Once that happens, add in spinach and cook for another 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and almond milk. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
When bacon is done cooking, remove from oven and rearrange the slices. You can drain some of the grease if you’d like but it I like to keep it in because it helps the muffins not stick to the pan. Most likely they will have shrunk up during baking; simply pull the slices back with a fork towards the edges so that’s there’s enough room to add in the veggies and egg mixture.
Evenly distribute veggies between each muffin cup, then pour egg mixture in each cup, filling a little more than halfway, or so that there is even distribution. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes. Once done, cool for two minutes, then run the edge of a knife around each egg cup and remove from pan. Serve with a side of avocado slices.
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Options for customizing:
Feel free to mix and match veggies and ingredients in these bacon egg cups. Instead of using spinach and mushrooms, here are a few other options we suggest:
• 1/2 cup diced grape tomatoes + 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella + 1/4 cup basil ribbons
• 1/2 cup finely chopped sautéed broccoli + 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• any cheese or veggies should work well in these egg cups, just make sure they don’t have a ton of moisture otherwise the egg cups might get soggy (example: zucchini or really juicy tomatoes)
How to store and reheat:
These bacon egg cups with store well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply allow them to cool completely to room temperature, and then transfer to a container. If you want to freeze your egg cups, simply place them in a freezer safe container after they’ve cooled completely. They should stay good frozen for up to 3 months. However, I personally think these are best when stored in the fridge.
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Golden Turmeric Chickpea Chicken Soup
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A healing winter dish: Turmeric Chicken Soup with chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Flavored with ginger, garlic, coconut milk and a touch of peanut butter.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup light coconut milk (from the can)
• 2 tablespoons all natural creamy peanut butter
• To garnish: fresh cilantro and green onions
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Directions:
Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in garlic, ginger, jalapenos and chicken breast. Brown chicken for 3-4 minutes, then stir in onion, red pepper and sweet potato cubes.
Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally until sweet potatoes begin to slightly soften and chicken is no longer pink; this should take no longer than 5-7 minutes. Add in turmeric; stirring to coat the chicken and veggies.
Next add in the following: chicken broth, chickpeas, peanut butter, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. If you want more heat, add in a few dashes of hot sauce.
Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro and green onions.
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NEW, BACK IN STOCK & SEASONAL ITEMS
DURING DECEMBER
We want to be YOUR store. Please let us know if there is something we don’t have that you want, and we will do our best to get it in!
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