New Years Resolutions

I'm not personally one for New Year's Resolutions. When I was in grade school and high school, I had plenty of "new school year resolutions" in the beginning of August, but since the new year actually fell in the middle of classes, schools, and other activities, there wasn't much I could 'resolve.'
As I've gotten older however, I've seen more and more people making resolutions every January. And most tend to do with losing weight.

The gyms get fuller, Special K runs ads on every channel, and my friends squirm when they're offered a chocolatey dessert and peep out a quick "no thanks." 
I hear of new fad diets every year. No flour, no carbs, no sugar, no processed food, etc. 
People prohibit themselves from indulging in any form of fatty, sugary, or oily food. And most can hold out for nearly 2-3 weeks until everything comes crashing down in a moment of weakness. 

And all the weight they lost comes back immediately. 
Ironically, in all the years I've heard weight-loss resolutions, every single plan involves prohibiting yourself from eating something. No one ever tries introducing new things into their diet to help them lose weight.
And no one resolves to learn how to COOK.
Seriously, learning how to cook things from scratch is one of the surest ways to cut calories and improve your overall health. Obviously, you can't loose weight from constantly eating homemade burgers and mac & cheese, but even those typically fatty foods can be made healthier when you put them together at home.
Take for example a classic and easy dish: chicken parmesan
You can grab this box from Stouffers for around 410 calories and a lot of sodium:

Or, you can make your own. Dip a chicken breast in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese. Pan fry it in olive oil while you bake tomatoes in the oven. When your chicken's done, top it with your tomatoes and a circle of fresh mozzarella. Less calories, les preservatives, and less salt. All-around healthier.
Furthermore, learning to cook ends up cutting costs, so if one of your other resolutions is to save money, the two can go hand in hand.

If you're nervous about teaching yourself to cook, or just someone who's looking for some tasty and healthy recipes, take a look at some of my favorites from around the web. I assure you, they're easy, delicious, and full of nutrition.

Tender & Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes

Avocado Spaghetti

Caramelized Mushrooms and Dumplings

Tex-Mex Rice and Black-Eyed Peas

Parmesan Fish Sticks

Slow-Cooker Pork With Noodles

And, of course, be sure to check my recipe's list for some of my less indulgent recipes!

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New Years Pastry Egg Bake

Happy 2013!!

If you rang in the New Year with bottles of champagne and wine, this morning might be considerably rough for you.

Fortunately, a delicious breakfast is an easy solution to re-start the New Year.

My suggestion is to whip up an easy pastry egg bake.

Simple, salty, buttery, and delicious. With a cup of black coffee, it's an easy wake-up.

I use the pre-made frozen puff pastry, because I'm way too hungry in the mornings to spend the time making the stuff from scratch. But, if you're a domestic brunch Queen, feel free to make your own pastry for this recipe.

If you're feeling lazy like me, grab these ingredients:

1 package frozen puff pastry (I use Pepperidge Farm)

1 handful of your favorite shredded cheese (I use provolone)

1 egg

2 strips bacon

1 teaspoon chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Start out by chunking off some of the pastry and rolling it out. Shape into a small square. Pinch the dough on its edges, raising them up and making an indented center (that way the egg won't roll off the pastry).

Cook your pastry for 8-10 minutes, pricking it with a toothpick to deflate.

While your pastry is cooking, toss your strips of bacon into the microwave for 1-2 minutes until crispy.

Pull your pastry out and sprinkle your cheese across it. Crack your egg in the center. Top with chopped chives and bacon.

Cook the pastry for another 5-10 minutes, or until egg has desired gooeyness.

As for how you eat it, that's all up to you. Pick it up, use a fork and knife, whatever you feel! Just celebrate 2013 with deliciousness.

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