New Year's Goals: the 2012 edition

I love making goals--love to check things off a list, have something to strive for, and know what my priorities should be. Do I always meet them? No. But they still provide some good direction. Looking back over a New Year's post from (!!) three years ago, I am proud to say that we have met or exceeded most of those goals. I did make my own bread for a while, but now that I make five sandwiches at a time, I just can't make enough to keep around (not with all the other "stuff" I have going on). So scratch that one.

For this year, I'll echo those earlier ones but emphasize especially these two:

Stay within the food budget

Simplify/streamline the cooking

After working hard at Weight Watchers last spring/summer and then watching some of it get canceled out by fall's ... um... gluttony and "I'm-too-tired-too-cook-tonight," the hubs and I've renewed our desire to eat healthily. To make that "simple" or streamlined" means that there won't be as much experimentation. Healthy food just takes more time to prep: usually chopping veggies is the biggie. If I don't have to follow a complex recipe, then I can throw together a reasonably easy and healthy meal--and cost effective! It CAN be done.

So stay tuned for tips on doing just that: eating healthily, simply, and cost effectively. My own classes start up a week from today (my daughter went back to school today), so I know I'll get swallowed up in grad school land once again and won't be posting lots. Feel free to subscribe via the feedburner link above or in your Google reader or what have you so you won't have to check back to see if I've resurfaced briefly. I'll put up some of my new favorite recipes and tips before next week, but after that... who knows.