2018 Goals Update

I love goals. Goals represent fresh starts, dreams, and potential. I'm sharing my 2018 goal progress today to encourage you. It's never too late to start goals, and it's great to share them for accountability. You can comment below to share.

I like the idea of choosing a word for the year. In 2018, I choose new. I challenged myself and try many new things this year: new books, new workouts, and new recipes. Let's dive into a review of my 2018 goal progress. 

1) Try 12 new recipes.

This goal is to challenge me to find new dinner inspiration, to try new cooking techniques, and taste new foods. Here are a few of the recipes I've made this year:

- Greek meatballs (keftedes) with taziki
- Roasted cauliflower with a tahini and lemon sauce
- Grilled shrimp with chermoula
- Avocado toast with a poached egg and everything bagel seasoning (so good!)
- Stove-top mac and cheese
- Blueberry honey scones
- Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce
- Shrimp ban mi
- Vietnamese coffee ice cream
- Spinach and ricotta gnudi
- Ham and gruyere strata
- Spinach and artichoke calzones
- Spinach and feta puff pastry
- Oreo truffle balls
- Gingerdoodle cookies

If you're counting, that's 15 recipes. I was surprised that I tried that many recipes. With busy schedules, I rely on quick easy weeknight meals and can easy get in a cooking rut cooking the same things over and over again. The cooking classes really helped introduce me to new recipes that I made at home.

Do you have any favorite recipes? If so, share them below. I would love your recommendations!

2) Read 12 books.

I read the following books in 2018:

- Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
- Becoming Madeleine by Charlotte Voiklis

- Daring Greatly by Brene Brown 
- A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
- 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs

- A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

- Many Waters by by Madeleine L'Engle

- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben

If you're counting, that's 9 books. I didn't quite reach the goal of 12 books. I started a few other books, but I didn't like them. So, I didn't finish them. That may sound straight forward and simple to you. To me, a recovering perfectionist, it was hard not to push through to finish the books, so I could meet my goal. I count 9 books as a win! When you make goals, I think it important to balance meeting your goals and having grace because accomplishing part of your goal is progress.

What books do you recommend?

3) Be physically active consistently. 

In 2018, I played tennis and took barre classes. Both were great, and I plan to continue to incorporate them in 2019.

Do you have favorite exercise class?  
What motivates you to be physically active? 
What keeps you consistent with physical activity?

4) Learn and improve a skill.

I took several cooking classes this year. I took a Mediterranean cooking class, an Italian cooking class, and a Vietnamese Street Food cooking class. There are some great tips to make cooking easier, and fit also has fun menu ideas and inspiration.

Do you have anything you want to learn to cook this year?
Do you recommend any particular cooking classes?

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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2018 Goals Update

Goals - I love them! I like resolutions. I like to plan, make lists, and work toward a goal. I set yearly goals, and I have monthly goals. These monthly goals help me break long-term, yearly goals into short-term, achievable goals.

Monthly goals help me reach my yearly goals by pacing myself. For example, I'm trying to cook 12 new recipes this year. This divides evenly into an average of 1 recipe per month. However, some months are super busy, and I rely on quick, family-favorite recipes. If I find that I'm not averaging 1 recipe per month, I can try to catch-up the following month. If you've ever had problems achieving long-term goals, I encourage you to set short-term goals that help you reach your long-term goals.

I also find that sharing my goals keeps me accountable. You can share your goals with a friend or post them below. Do you have any tips for achieving goals?

Let's dive into my first quarter 2018 goals update. 

1) Try 12 new recipes.

This goal is to challenge me to find new dinner inspiration, to try new cooking techniques, and taste new foods. So far, I've made the following recipes:

- Greek meatballs (keftedes) with taziki
- Roasted cauliflower with a tahini and lemon sauce
- Grilled shrimp with chermoula
- Avocado toast with a poached egg and everything bagel seasoning (so good!)
- Stove-top mac and cheese
- Blueberry honey scones

Do you have any favorite recipes? If so, share them below. I would love your recommendations!

2) Read 12 books.

So far, I've ready the following books in 2018:

- Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
- Becoming Madeleine by Charlotte Voiklis

- Daring Greatly by Brene Brown 
- A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
- 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs

I'm trying to average about 1 book a month to reach my yearly goal. What books do you recommend?

3) Be physically active consistently. 

So far in 2018, I've been walking, jogging, and doing PT. The weather has been mostly fantastic, so it's a good way to enjoy the weather before the Summer heat.

I took try tennis lessons and plan to try some new exercise classes.  Do you have favorite exercise class?  What motivates you to be physically active? What keeps you consistent with physical activity?

4) Learn and improve a skill.

I've taken one cooking class this year. It was a Mediterranean class. You can read more about it here, and there are some tips to make cooking less stressful.

Do you have anything you want to learn to cook this year?
Do you recommend any particular cooking classes?

Also, remember your "why" behind the goals, and give yourself grace. Any progress is progress. If I don't challenge myself, I will never change or grow. That's my "why." I want to continue to learn and grow and become better. 

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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2018 Goals

Goals - some people love them, and some people prefer not to make them. I like resolutions. I like to plan, make lists, and work toward a goal. I also like the idea of choosing a word for the year.  

I like to take the beginning of each year to slow down and reflect. I reflect on last year's goals, what posts you loved last year, and what goals I want to work on for the new year. 

Instead of setting goals or resolutions, some choose a word of the year. If I had to choose a word for 2018, I would choose new. I plan to challenge myself and try many new things this year. Let's dive into my 2018 goals. 

1) Try 12 new recipes.

Do you ever find that you make the same recipes over and over again? I definitely have some favorite recipes that I make regularly. But, sometimes I get in a rut and dread making dinner. Can you relate?

I love to bake and cook. So to get out of a cooking rut, I like to try new things. New recipes make me excited to cook and try new foods. 

Do you have any favorite recipes? If so, share them below. I would love your recommendations!

2) Read 12 books.

I love to read! It’s one of my favorite hobbies, but sometimes I find that I waste too much time on social media or watching television. Can you relate? 

What books do you recommend?

3) Be physically active consistently. 

I have a gym membership and enjoy attending classes. I'm planning to try new classes this year.

Do you have favorite exercise class? 
What motivates you to be physically active?
What keeps you consistent with physical activity?

4) Learn and improve a skill.

I hope to take more cooking classes this year. I've taken a few in the past and learned a ton!

Do you have anything you want to learn to cook this year?
Do you recommend any particular cooking classes?

For more tips, encouragement, and recipes for a healthy lifestyle, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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2017 Goal Update

Every year I set goals. Goals are challenges that motivate me. They are benchmarks to strive for. They give a little more concrete purpose to my everyday life. They encourage me to change, try something new, and push myself.

Here are my 2017 goals and progress.

1) Try 12 new recipes.

I set this goal to challenge myself to try new things. It can be so easy to get into a rut of cooking the same things over and over. Ask my husband, it still happens. To challenge myself, I wanted to try at least one new recipe per month. Here’s my progress:

Dutch baby

Snicker doodle cookie pie

Homemade chocolate peanut butter cups

Stuffed peppers

Chocolate nests

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Homemade Pita Bread

Berry Shortcake

Vanilla cupcakes and vanilla bean buttercream frosting

Cinnamon swirl bread

Oatmeal bread 

Cinnamon chip scones

Chocolate peanut butter pie with chocolate cookie crust

Gingerbread cookies

2) Read 10 books.

I love to read! It’s one of my favorite hobbies, but sometimes I find that I waste too much time on social media or watching television. Can you relate?

So, this goal challenged me to read about one book a month. I gave myself a little grace period for longer books or busy seasons. I found myself gravitating to memoirs, books about cooking, and anything encouraging. Here’s what I read.

• Kathleen Flinn – The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks
  
• Annie F. Downs – Looking for Lovely
  
  
• Kathleen Flinn – The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School
  
  
• Ruth Reichl – Garlic and Sapphires: the Secret Life of Critic in Disguise
  
  
• Kristin Schell – The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection in Our Own Front Yard
  
  
• Chip and JoAnna Gaines – The Magnolia Story
  
  
• Jenna Weber – White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story
  
  
• Melanie Shankle – The Antelope in the Living Room: the Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life: A Memoir
  
  
• Kathleen Flinn – Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family
  
  
• Samantha Verant – How to Make a French Family: A Memoir of Love, Food, and Faux Pa
  
• Melanie Shankle – Sparkling Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn
  

I met my goal!  I read a few more books, but didn’t really enjoy them. So, they didn’t make the list. I also started a few other books, didn’t enjoy them, and stopped reading. I omitted them from the list as well because I want to keep things positive.

Do you have any book recommendations for me?

What is one of your favorite books?

What’s genre of books to you gravitate toward?

3) Be physically active consistently.

I have a gym membership and enjoy attending classes. I found a great instructor who is positive, encouraging, and even learns the names of the people attending class. So cool!

I started the year strong. Then, I had a few injuries, which stopped my physical activity for a while. Then, the weather was amazing this autumn! So, I was able to enjoy the weather and be physically active.

I’m restarting this goal during the holiday season. And, hope to be ready to start classes again in the new year.

4) Learn and improve a skill.

I imagined taking more cooking classes this year, but I didn’t. I was able to be a part of a recipe video at work. It was so fun! I learned a ton!

I was a "hands-in-a-recipe" video. So, I did all the chopping, mixing, and cooking. I learned a ton about the behind-the-scenes of how videos are made, and got to be a hand model. Hahahaha! Who would have thought?!? So, I’m counting that as my new skill.

What are your thoughts?

Do you set goals?

What did you accomplish this year that you’re proud of?

What is one goal you have for 2018?

I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment below or on Instagram or Twitter.

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