Making Resolutions that Stick

It’s a New Year and time to get on those resolutions again! 2017 is the year of overcoming obstacles! Whether it’s trying to fit more exercise into your daily routine, or eating more meals at home, we’ve gathered up a few of our healthiest recipes and goal-setting tips to help jump-start your New Year on the right foot! When setting your New Year’s Resolutions, keep in mind the goal setting acronym "SMART": specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

Goal: Eat out only twice a month.  

Specific: Write down your goal and a few specific details of how you want to reach those goals. For example:

How to achieve this: Prepare slow cooker recipes the morning before a busy day at work so there’s a meal waiting at home. A delicious and healthy recipe to try is our Slow Cooker Veggie Lasagna. It’s full of flavor and pairs great with a crunchy salad full of tomatoes and cucumber slices.

Measurable: Quantify (put numbers to it) your resolution so you can track progress. For example, it could be to eat at home 5 days through the week.

Attainable: To help keep your resolutions achievable, develop an action plan. If you’re trying to eat out less, research where you could register for a cooking class for a busy week/family locally.   In the meantime, layout 5 healthy meals you know you can make through the week, it’ll get you started.

How to achieve this: Develop a plan. Commit to a day (or two) of the week you can pick up fresh groceries and read up on our storage tips to get the most out of your produce. Plan to cook meals you can double batches of for easy leftovers during the week, like our Grilled Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Meal prep can also be a great time saver.

Realistic: It can be fun and exciting to think about a new routine and a healthier you, but don’t go overboard! On the contrary, you shouldn’t make your goals too easy either, though. One option to create a solid balance is to set a long-term goal and break that down into monthly short-term goals.

Goal: Eat out only twice a month

Secondary Goal (Where you’ll start to reach this goal): Cook 5 homemade meals a week — leaving 2 days for store-bought meal items. You would still eat these at home but they wouldn’t be meals that are considered dining out meals.

How to achieve this: Take small steps. If you currently eat most meals out, next time you’re at the grocery store grab that frozen lasagna or stuffed chicken breast freezer meal, when planning your meals for the week. Go around the store buying your fresh items be sure to account for a salad or some fresh veggies to go with your quick meal nights. It’s not eating out, but it is a convenience meal with more preservatives then a home-cooked meal may have. Next week try to have only one convenience meal and there you go, you’re on your way.

Timely: Once again, this is a New Year, the year of overcoming obstacles! So, set your goals, keep them somewhere you see them every day (on the fridge, bathroom mirror) and keep working towards them. If it doesn’t happen in the first month, push harder in the second, and so on, until you make it — even if it’s only one month, you’ve made it. Reach out to your friends, develop a support system where you all help each other, maybe even cook together one day a week, it will give you the social aspect of dining out while making healthy meals at home — you’ll be a success for sure!   We would love to hear all of your SMART goals, healthy recipes, and New Year’s Resolutions for 2017.

Tag us on Instagram @Shopredsun and use hashtag #RedSunFarmsResolutions! Be on the lookout for a fun and healthy New Year giveaway! #RSFNewYearNewYou  

For more healthy recipes and motivational tips, check out our Healthy You pinboard. Watch us grow and follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter, and  Instagram.