the foodie and the dog

The first week of the new year has come and gone, and I promised myself I would take the week in stride and try not to get anxious about how much needs to get done.

We’ve had frigid temperatures this week, and a blizzard or “bomb cyclone” hit the east coast, the worst of it hitting New England, although the south got some legit snow as well.

I have a stack of to-do lists scattered around with the same items on each one—my cue to get those done—mostly decluttering, organizing, and finishing a few projects. My aim for the month is to finish items still dragging along from 2017 and to enjoy the process with fresh motivation and to take pride in the small achievements on the path to my goals. With each check in the box, a small drop of dopamine spills into the pleasure center of my brain, and my nerve endings do their happy dance I’m sure. When a list can finally be thrown away then there’s a euphoric dance party.

I do fret over what the new year will bring. As much as I insist on not making resolutions, there they are…like little people on my shoulders with their nagging little cries in my ear. Items that need to be first on my list, besides the projects, are daily ones, all doable. Eat smaller portions, sweat for 30 minutes a day or take a long walk, and sit still for just a few minutes without distractions. I have recently carved out a space in the bedroom to knit while listening to relaxing music with the scent of sandalwood from a small diffuser. Betty’s bed is placed on the loveseat next to me—so hygge.

sauce cups for lasagna roll-ups: fill a muffin tray with a red sauce, then place in freezer to harden, wrap individually with parchment paper, and bag ’em up!

lasagna roll-ups: place on parchment paper and into freezer to harden before bagging so they won’t stick to each other.

lasagna roll-ups: line with ricotta mixture.

lasagna roll-ups: bag ’em up and place back into freezer.

Meal prep is a fun project that I can do weekly. Simply slow-cooking meat, chopping fresh vegetables or roasting them, and filling and stacking containers in the fridge for each day is a productive activity. If I haven’t prepped meals, then I like the idea of filling small bowls with a pasta salad or a stirfry with no second helpings and no more than three bowls a day of food. These lasagna roll-ups are an easy reheat in the microwave. I’ll eat one or two of them and a sauce cup. This portioning has really helped my gut and energy levels in many ways. Cooking is a therapeutic process and taking some time to make my life easier for the week ahead is even more beneficial.

Even throwing a salad bowl together during the week is easier when I have my foods prepared beforehand. And what could be easier than ripping open a packet of salmon? See featured image—a simple salad with spinach, salmon, peppers, tomatoes, and walnuts with a simple fresh basil olive oil drizzle. So why haven’t I jumped on the meal prep train sooner? I guess it took some clever Tasty videos to really get onboard.