Happy Holidays!

How was your 2011?

What kind of new year resolutions and/or aspirations are you setting for 2012?

How are you planning to make them stick and succeed?

Eating healthy/healthier lifestyle is one of the most popular among many, but lack of time always gets in our way.  I certainly had that challenge in the past. How about you?

I recently shared my secrets to overcome that problem and journey about my positively, sustainable cooking method with WGRN radio host Susan M. Davis.  Using the very process, I was able to make a leap from a less-than-ideal diet of lots of dining out and pre-made food to a healthier, balanced diet made of lots of whole, real foods made from scratch without spending hours in the kitchen. After just a few days, my confidence, creativity, and enjoyment in the kitchen soared; after a few months, my weight and energy went back to ideal; after one year, my husband and I saved $9,000, just from food cost alone.

You may think $9,000 savings from food alone is nearly impossible, but think again.  Many of us eat out for lunch without thinking about it. Even if you spend only $10 for lunch every weekday, at the end of the year, that’s $10X5X52=$2,600. If you cut one dinner out per week — let’s say $25 to be conservative — $25X52=$1560.  Including tax and tip,  it’s already more than $4,500 per person saving, right there.

If you have extra $4,500, what would you do?

“Mari, my problem is lack of time, not money!” you may say. There’s a simpler way to save hours prepping and cooking at least 15 minutes a day, probably even more, while increasing the taste and variety. You may think that 15 minutes are negligible, but at the end of the year, it adds up to over 90 hours — over 8 days in the office.  Plus the psychological effect is simply priceless!  Altogether, that sounds like a nice vacation to me.

So my challenge to you is to stick with your new year’s resolution to eat healthier.  My commitment is to help you do that. I’m planning several resources in the new year, so please watch out for it.

What’s your new year’s resolutions, and your plan to make it stick?  Please post it as a comment.

Have a happy, healthy holiday season.
May your new year be filled with good food, health and happiness.

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