One New Recipe A Week

Photo by NemanjaMiscevic/iStock / Getty Images

Variety is the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor. -William Cowper

Life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know. -Unknown

MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

In an effort to broaden my horizons and keep life interesting, one of my goals for 2018 is to: 

Try one new whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) recipe each week and share it on the blog. 

 To increase my chances of success, I’m implementing four success strategies.

Success Strategy #1 - Write It Down

I have written my goal down. According to research by psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews, writing a goal increased success rate by 42%!

Success Strategy #2 - SMART Goals

I'm also using the SMART goal framework (making the goal specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound):

• Specific - New WFPB recipes

• Measurable - One per week

• Actionable - Weekly actions are: deciding on a recipe, buying the ingredients, preparing the meal, and sharing it on the blog.

• Realistic - One per week is doable for me.

• Time-Bound - Throughout 2018

Success Strategy #3 - Accountability

By announcing this goal on the blog, I'm adding a layer of accountability. In other words, I am making others aware of this goal so that they will hold me to it. Research by the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) found that good accountability practices can increase success rate by up to 95%!  

Success Strategy #4 - A Compelling "Why"

In the beginning, new goals are fun and exciting. But once the newness wears off, sticking with a goal becomes much more difficult. To help me prepare for this, I need to be very clear on my why. I love this quote by Gail Hyatt:

"People lose their way when they lose their why."

So why is this goal important to me?

• As mentioned above, I want to get outside my comfort zone, try new things, and inspire others to do the same.

• The research supporting WFPB diets for preventing and reversing chronic disease is astounding. (For more information on this, I recommend checking out the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's resource page, which provides several diet and nutrition resources. I also recommend watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. It's available on Netflix. You can see the trailer here.)

• I believe that preparing more WFPB meals is beneficial for my own health, as well as the health of my family, patients, and readers.

• It's important to me to practice what I preach. Practice is the key word here. :) I think healthy living is all about continual practice - learning and growing, picking yourself up when you stumble, and improving your ratio of good choices. Nobody is perfect. I'm certainly not perfect when it comes to healthy eating, but I believe that small, consistent steps lead to big change (in fact, that's my motto for this year). This goal helps me to do this.

• Food is an important, enjoyable part of life. Foods that taste great and nourish us well enhance our quality of life, both short-term and long-term.

• There are so many delicious, healthy recipe ideas available at our fingertips. I want to use these awesome resources and share them with others.

• By the end of 2018, I will have over 50 new answers to the familiar question, "What should I make for dinner?" :)

Follow My Progress!

My 2018 recipe adventures will be available below and in the RECIPES section of the mHp home page. 

I'll still be writing about other health topics (not just food), but I'm excited to offer more recipe ideas to readers this year.

I hope you enjoy the recipes, and I hope this post helps you with your own goals!