A Better Bag of Groceries

To Resolve, Or Not To Resolve

Friday, December 30, 2011 at 07:23 AM

New Years’ Resolutions.  Do you make them?  Or do you skip it?

Experts say that most New Years’ Resolutions are broken by Superbowl Sunday.  I know that as a long-time fitness instructor, I see this phenomenon year after year.  On January 1st, the gyms are packed.  You can’t even get a parking spot.  Three weeks later, everything is back to normal. 

I made two New Year’s resolutions in my life that worked immediately and permanently.  They were both long ago.  One was to wear my seat belt every time I went in the car.  (I told you it was long ago!)  I must have been about 16.  Remember, back then, seat belts were kind of optional.  If you don’t believe me, just watch some TV or movies from the 80s.  Anyway, I made that resolution on New Year’s Day somewhere around 1986 and it worked.  Click, click, click.

The other resolution that worked was to floss my teeth every day.  Maybe I was 18?  Anyway, now I can’t even imagine going a day without flossing. 

These resolutions worked because they were simple, actionable, easy.  They made sense.  They had great return on investment.

This year I did two things that I’m very happy about.  I started playing tennis again.  I took lessons all summer and played in a women’s clinic.  And I started taking ballet again after a six-year hiatus.  Neither of these were New Years’ Resolutions for me.  I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  My pool club started a tennis program that worked for my schedule.  And a new Classical ballet school opened near our home with a class for grown-ups scheduled right after my daughter’s class.  So, I just jumped on these opportunities.  I always knew that I wanted to get back into tennis and ballet someday, I just didn’t know when. 

When my daughter was in pre-school, she took a gymnastics class.  During the class, a bunch of the moms would sit outside the class and watch through the doors and complain about not having time to exercise.  Above the class was an elevated indoor running track.  So during the class, I ran three miles around the track.  Is it a resolution – or just seizing the opportunity?

Whether you make resolutions, break resolutions, or just skip all of it and have a glass of champagne, I wish you a very Happy New Year.  See you in 2012 everybody!

Posted by: Melissa 7 comments

Posted in: Happy New Year

Tags: New Year's Tradition, resolutions

A New Year’s Tradition: Black Eyed Peas

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 07:11 AM

Black-Eyed Peas.  The legume – not the band (although we are big fans in our household and there’s nothing like THE E.N.D. to get the kids dancing). 

Back in the Days B.C. (Before Children), I had a roommate who grew up in Virginia.  She had a fiance who grew up in Tennessee.  These were my friends who introduced me to the Southern tradition of eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day.   According to Southern folklore, Black-Eyed Peas are the first food to be eaten on New Year’s Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead. 

There are a lot of variations on the Black-Eyed Peas for New Year’s Theme, including:

• Eat them with leafy greens.  The beans represent coins and the greens represent paper money.
• For lots of luck in the New Year, one must eat 365 Black-Eyed Peas on New Years’ Day.
• Add a shiny penny or dime to the pot.  The person whose bowl contains the coin receives the best luck for the New Year.

On the last one, all I can think of is “Ewwwwww! Germs!”  My second thought (as a Mom, of course) is “Choking Hazard!!!”

Since meeting my dear Southern friends so many years ago, I still make my Black-Eyed Peas on New Years’ Day.  Hey, why not?  I’ve got nothing to lose!  I do have to admit, however, that I’ve never made them well.  I usually end up with a big pot of mush.  So this year, I’m setting out to find a good healthy recipe for Black-Eyed Peas.

The good news is that I already have a great starting point with this super legume.  Dried Black-Eyed Peas score a 92 (remember, 100 is best) on the NuVal scale.  Awesome! 

So, I set off to find me a tasty recipe.  First, I found Soulful Black-Eyed Peas.  Check out these ingredients:

Soulful Black Eyed Peas

1 pound of smoke pig tails
1 pound bag of black eye peas
1 1/2 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of chopped green pepper
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Salt to taste

Whoa!  A 1/2 cup of butter.  And I’m not quite sure where to find Smoke Pig Tails.  I think I’ll pass on this one!

Then I found Black-Eyed Pea Pate.

Not sure about cream cheese with my Black-Eyed Peas.  And who wants cold gelatin on New Year’s Day?  No Thanks!

So, it was back to my auld acquaintance Cooking Light for some inspiration.  I found Black-Eyed Peas with Swiss Chard.

1 pound Swiss chard

1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.

Wash Swiss chard thoroughly.  Remove and chop stems.  Slive leaves into 1 inch strips.

Please peas in a large Dutch oven; cover with water to 2 inches above beans.  Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes.  Drain peas; set aside.  Wipe pan with a paper towel.

Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion; saute 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in peas and broth; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until peas are tender.  Stir in chard stems and cheese; cover and cook 4 minutes.  Stir in chard leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice.

Now, the interesting thing about this recipe is that it does not include a photograph of the finished dish.  Instead, it has a lovely picture of this fork and spoon.

It’s a beautiful photo.  But it suggests to me that Black-Eyed Peas with Swiss Chard might not be the most photogenic dish.  I take a lot of pictures of food, so I know that you can make almost anything look appetizing.  But there are no pictures of the finished beans and chard here.  Hmmmmmm. 

Still, it must be prettier than the recipe that called for smoke pig tails.

So, bring on 2010 – a new decade, the year in which I will turn the big 4-0 (gasp!), a big year for NuVal.  We’ll ring it in in our little house eating our black-eyed peas and dancing to some Black-Eyed Peas.  Happy New Year everybody!

Winner of the New Years’ GiveAway

Congratulations to Commenter #19, Lori of Finding Radiance.  You are the winner of yesterday’s GiveAway!  Enjoy the Special K Protein Plus and the Joseph’s Pita!

Posted by: Melissa 9 comments

Posted in: Uncategorized

Tags: Black Eyed Peas, New Year's Tradition