NYR

I've been studiously avoiding the word for nearly two weeks.
NYR.

New Year's Resolutions.
I gave them up last year.
Why?
Because they were the same year after year after year.
And they are always broken by the 5th day of the new year.

But I came across an interesting concept.
Which has been floating around BlogLand, so I can't give any one person the full and total credit.
But it's not my own idea.

It's one word.
A word for the year.

After much pondering, contemplating and discarding, I've distilled my one word down to this:

I've realized that what gives me a "buzz" is learning. I love learning new things. Learning something new motivates me. For example a couple of nights ago I went to a class about agave nectar. I came home so energized to try some healthy new recipes and actually made some fabulous bread using agave nectar. (it's a low glycemic sugar substitute-google it)  I didn't sit down and make a goal....

I will eat healthier in 2010.

Because I knew that 12 hours later I would be scarfing down the chocolate.

So I just decided that this would be my word for the year.

Because if I learn some new exercises, I'll be energized and motivated to exercise.

If I learn something new out of the scriptures, I be energized to study more.

And so on and so forth.

It may not work for you.....

But I'm thinkin' it will work for me.

I've had this on my mind to post for days but life just keeps on happenin' and somehow I haven't gotten to it. So here goes.....

A couple of weeks ago a very pregnant Jessica & I went to see Julie and Julia, the perfect chick flick, except that it didn't have any hunky guys, just lots of good food (and Stanley Tucci is just the cutest-and Meryl Streep positively channeled Julia Child!)

I loved this movie, not because it was about food.

I loved it because it was about setting goals and accomplishing them.

I loved it because it showed the picture of two devoted married couples, their ups and downs.

I loved it because both couples had adversity, supported each other and succeeded.

I came home, inspired, not to buy The Art of French Cooking and cook each recipe,

but to set a goal and accomplish it.

But of course it at least had to be about food!

You see, I'm sort of a cookbook junkie. I love cookbooks and new recipes, not necessarily using them, but just finding new interesting ones that keep piling up in various places in my house. I came home from the movie, energized, with the determination that I was going to go through my un-tried recipe collection and

Cook them!

So I started sifting through the torn out pages of magazines, the printed recipes off the internet and chose 5 or 6 new ones to cook for the upcoming week. Some of the delicacies we have tried are:

Fresh corn and chicken chowder

Basil chicken sandwiches

Fish tacos with corn avocado relish

Chicken lettuce wraps

Alton Brown's granola

Blueberry breakfast cake

What have I learned?

Most of the recipes were "keepers."

Cooking a new recipe every day is HARD! Life is hectic and I had to force myself to check what I needed to do for dinner in the morning!

Keeping up with a goal is difficult after the enthusiasm has worn off. I'm still doing this, but choosing to try fewer new recipes each week.

So we'll see how it goes......I'm looking forward to the piles of recipes diminishing, until I find another new one....