I love the first week of a new year — there’s so much hope, so much promise. It’s a time to reflect and plan.
For as much as 2020 was terrible (virtual school, canceled vacations, no gym access), there were also upsides. We ate together more as a family, and I got a lot of time with my little buddy. And you may be expecting me to say we cooked together more or that I personally cooked more. That’s somewhat true.
We certainly made more cookies and muffins than ever before, and I did, in fact, cook a lot. But it became more of a necessity — more of a chore — than usual.
I didn’t make space for trying new foods — or my project to track our family recipes. They were 2020 goals that fell by the wayside. Because of coronavirus, because of the stresses of virtual school, because of my anxiety over the unrest in our country … The way I coped was to turn to the familiar. It was too much work to get out a cookbook. It was too much to try something new. And it wasn’t just cooking. I turned to the familiar in my entertainment, too — rewatching The Office and Avengers movies, rather than consuming anything new.
And while everyone loves a little comfort food every now and again, too much can make you sick. And for me, that lack of experimentation — that lack of newness — has, in some ways, impacted my emotional health.
My 2021 Food Goals
I’m a goal-setter — I have high expectations for myself. I may not always reach them, but damn, I’m going to try. Some things stick — 8,000+ daily steps, flossing, eliminating soda. Others (most, if I’m honest) are a work in progress.
So, yes, have food goals for 2021. Here’s what’s in my (most hopeful) plan for the year:
1 – Cook one thing with my son once a week. Even if it’s just a batch of brownies, let’s be in the kitchen. (We have plans to bake something this Friday night.)
2 – Try two new recipes each month. And begin to purge my bookcase of the cookbooks I don’t actually use. (Halfway done for January!)
3 – Try one new restaurant (or a new dish from a current fave) each month. (January: Check!)
4 – Build our family recipe book as much as possible. (Haven’t started.)
5 – Keep the kitchen island tidy so that I want to cook more. (Oh, man, not even close.)
Other Ideas for 2021 Food Goals
If you’re not a person who enjoys being in the kitchen, you may be rolling your eyes. I get it. Some may even sound absolutely ridiculous to you. That’s cool. Consider something a little easier:
Try one new recipe or technique per month. If you normally grill chicken breasts, try pan-frying chicken breast tenders. If you bake fish, try an Instant Pot version. Everything we do to expand our horizons even a tiny bit gives us more confidence and experience in the kitchen. When things feel easier and we feel more confident, cooking feels like less of a chore.
Try to cook with your kiddo just once a month — at a time when you’re able to relax and they’re able to engage.
Find a Facebook group of people who love food where they share their creations that inspire you.
Find a new cookbook that helps make cooking more appealing to you.
But most of all, remember that food is about nourishing our bodies; cooking is about doing so in a healthy way — and cooking with our kids? Well, that is about having fun and creating memories.