Happy New Year!

Out with the old.....in with the new!  Time to focus on positive changes for the New Year!

This year, I’m striving to focus on mindfulness.....

• Mindful Eating
• Eat when hungry...not ‘just because’
• Minimize snacking between meals and after dinner
• Try not to eat after 8 pm whenever possible
• Drink some water then reassess when I ‘think’ I need a snack
• Mindful Lifestyle
• Try to get plenty of rest...even when tempted to stay up late
• Take time to stretch to start the day
• Work in some yoga every day....even if it’s just 10 minutes
• Try to maintain 10,000 steps per day
• When feeling overwhelmed, close my eyes and meditate for 2 minutes
• Mindful Behavior
• Don’t procrastinate...just do it!
• Leave the kitchen clean...every night
• Sort mail...every day
• Only work on or have out one project out at a time
• Tackle at least one odious task each day
• Reserve some daily ‘me time’
 
 
NEW YEARS TRADITION - BLACK-EYED PEAS

Just for DH, I’ve made a big pot of black-eyed peas for good luck in the New Year,   I’m not a huge fan of black-eyed peas, but he’s a southern boy and its traditional to eat them on New Years.  I’ve also made him a nice cherry pie. 

I ‘ve found that if I add enough veggies, herbs and spices, they are much better tasing.  I soaked the peas overnight, then added some sautéed onions, red pepper, celery, and garlic.   I added some bay leaves, dried parsley, and ground coriander seeds for some additional flavoring.   The main flavor bonus I added this year was a very meaty smoked ham hock from Lothar’s....our local butcher.  The hock had lots of delicious smoked meat to further flavor the peas.

 
Of course, since I love spicy, I had to add some cayenne pepper to my bowl....and top it with fried jalapeños.  Mmm....nice hearty way to start the new year!