Just For Kicks- My 2008 Goals

Lol.  I thought it would be fun to look back at my food goals for 2008 and see how badly I did.  Here is my abbreviated list this morning in bold, with my notes about how I did on it this year, following.  Boy, I sure was ambitious last December!

1. Focus more on Flexitarian eating. I actually did okay with this one.  Last summer with Andy gone I did a lot of vegetarian eating, and I loved it.  However, I didn’t do so hot when it comes to flex eating for the whole family.

2. Continue learning about Indian food. I didn’t make a single new Indian dish this year.  In fact, I think I only made Indian food once or twice.  Shame on me.

3. Source my meat locally. Well, I guess I did okay on this.  I had planned on buying half hogs and half cows from an organic provider near me, but when my freezer quickly filled with veggies, I had to abandon the plan.  I do buy most of my meat from the local butcher now instead of the mass grocery stores. And my small local grocer has a decent butcher there as well.

4. Make homemade Angel food cake. Um, nope. Didn’t even give this one another thought, really.

5. Garden, Garden, Garden! Hey, this one I get a gold star on!

6. Use the grill more in warmer weather. There is definitely a connection with not using the grill and Andy being gone.  Maybe I need to get some more devices for grilling veggies.

7. Explore some new grains and seeds. Does it count if I bought them?  I bought millet, but haven’t used it yet…

8. Continue working my way through my cookbooks. I do still need to get back to this, I think I need to weed again.

9. Break out of my comfort zone for weekly soup day. Hey, I think I did okay on this one as well, exploring some chowders and such.   I might not get a gold star, but maybe a bronze one?

10. And finally, master my new wok. Well, I do use it for stir-frys, but haven’t tried much more with it.

As you can see, I am maybe at 30% for my goals for 2008.  However, if I look back to the goals from the previous year, this year I finally did conquer my fear of greens, to the silly tune that I looooove chard and kale and can’t wait to grow some more! What was I afraid of! I also cooked a lot more with beans this year, and I guess that’s about it.  I’ve decided that rather than make a list of ten goals for 2009 that I probably won’t stick to anyways, I’ll just put out a few general things that I want to work on next year.

Cooking wise, I have a desire to continue exploring cooking for different food tolerances and allergies.  I learned how to cook for a dairy allergy this year (which also encompassed vegan cooking somewhat), and that has me looking towards exploring how to cook gluten free.  I don’t know anyone with a gluten allergy yet, but it could just be a matter of time. I have a few books and intend to especially explore the baking end of gluten free cooking. I want to spend some time learning about carbs and sugars and cooking for diabetics, as my niece was diagnosed this year with type 1 diabetes, and I think that being more aware of what we eat could be beneficial for everyone- not just diabetics.

Additionally, I am going to focus more on preservative free cooking.  I really and truly believe that one of the biggest problems with the American diet is the ubiquitous use of preservatives and chemicals in our food today.  While I don’t cook with a lot of processed food to begin with, the occasional can of soup, box of mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, or block of Velveeta does make an appearance.  But for so many people, these are the norm and not the exception.  I like showing that it is possible to cook delicious food without the long list of chemical ingredients that you cannot pronounce.

But you know, no matter what I explore here on Tummy Treasure, you always know that what you get is how it is in my kitchen.   Thanks for sticking around this year, and I hope you’ll join me in 2009 for some laughs, some triumphs, and no doubt, there may be some tears mixed in there as well.  It will be fun, regardless.  Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, and I’ll see you on the flip side.