A trio of winning recipes for the new year!

Like so many people, I recommitted myself to healthy eating/living on January 1.

I fell off the wagon - hard - over the holidays.  I'm a bit disappointed in myself because I was doing so well for nearly five weeks with my real food challenge.  But on December 23, I had a shortbread cookie for no particular reason.  I wasn't really craving it, but got it in my head that I deserved it.  Hmmmmm.....that cookie started a free fall that lasted through New Year's Eve.   Eight crazy days and nights of sugar, sugar, sugar.  Blech.

A few small glimmers of hope - I ran and worked out during that same time period.   Exercise is a part of my life now, whether or not I am eating well.  I've got to give myself credit for that even when I falter diet-wise.   I had some great runs outside in the snow this past week.  I hit the elliptical hard on New Year's Eve (Hills on Level 16 for 60 minutes burning 1,100 calories!).  I even had a 3 mile run on the treadmill, and I hate the treadmill with the fire of a thousand nuns.  Seriously.

Also, I am still soda-free.  Over three months now, and I did not break that streak during SugarFest.  So that's a good thing, too.

And now, I'm ready to move on, and get back on track so that I may go BOLDLY into 2013, and reach my goals.

And this time, my husband Andy is totally on board.  I'm excited about this, and a bit nervous, too.

Andy has always been super supportive, and has never once complained about any whackadoodle plan/dinner I've made.  However, he would also snack on other things (non-"real food") or otherwise supplement any light meals I might serve.   Since Andy 1) does not cook - his one and only "flaw" and 2) works a very physical job, I'm a little concerned about providing enough filling food/calories for him.   He is also looking to lose weight, and I know one of the frustrating things is that he will probably lose 20lbs before I manage to lose five.  Because men do suck like that, don't they?

Yesterday I did a little prep, and tried a few new recipes.  I've got some keepers for sure!

1.  Kolder Salad Dressing Bottle

You need this!  It was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law, and it's the bomb diggity.  Commercial salad dressing is just loaded with sugar. Pick up a bottle of salad dressing, and read those ingredients.  Yuck!  And the "low fat" dressing is the worst.  This inexpensive little glass bottle comes with all sorts of recipes and measurements right on it ( Asian, Caesar, French, Greek, Italian, Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinaigrette and Honey Mustard).   You would need to tweak some of the recipes to eliminate refined sugar, but some are usable as is, and there are a ton of good salad dressing recipes online.  Yesterday, I followed their measurements for balsamic vinaigrette and it was very tasty (salt, pepper, garlic, Dijon mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar).

2. Homemade pizza sauce (from Tasty Kitchen)

photo courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

 Absolutely delicious! The whole family really enjoyed this sauce, and appreciated that it still has that sweet pizza sauce taste they prefer.  In this recipe, the sweetness comes from maple syrup and red wine.  We had some fantastic whole wheat crust mushroom pizza last night.  Yum!

3. Whole Spelt Pumpkin Muffins

photo courtesy of 100daysofrealfood.com

 I did not have high expectations for these muffins, but was so pleasantly surprised.  Really, really good!  And the kids loved them, too.  Did not see that coming as neither is a big fan of pumpkin, and make a point to crinkle up their noses and appear repulsed at the sight of my spelt bread.  A big win!  I enjoyed a muffin, plain Greek yogurt and a banana for breakfast this morning, and it was all sorts of yummy.  Andy took a couple to work today.   I plan to double the recipe this weekend, and freeze a bunch for quick breakfasts/snacks.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic beginning to 2013!

We're in this together.