recipes / soups+stews / glutenfree / vegan / vegano

I don´t know if many of you have already written your list of resolutions for the New Year. Those resolutions we write in a beautiful notebook or diary, or even in a plain piece of paper and which are always in search of a revitalization and an improvement in the quality of our life. It is easy to make a list of everything and anything we would like to achieve, but it is somehow difficult to accomplish everything if the list is too long or unrealistic. Sometimes, the resolutions seem to be too general and if we don´t particularize them, most probably we won´t succeed. For example, let´s say, exercise more or practice more sports. Does it sound familiar to you? Good resolution for the New Year! But it is difficult to establish a routine, it does require a lot of discipline. And so, to keep it up, it is necessary to specify a few things:

Which kind of sport do I want to practice?

Which one I like most and which one motivates me more?

Better in group or alone?

In which place is better to practice? Near home, near my workplace…

Which times would be better for me so I can keep on practicing for a while?

How many times per week would be realistic to do? I can start with a couple of days and increase more days when I see I can keep up with the schedule.

Which days of the week?

Which day should I start?

It is always better to start little by little and with something realistic, instead of starting with something big kicking off with a lot of energy but losing heart in a week and giving up everything shortly after.

One of the most wanted resolutions is to lose weight, or to eat healthier. Here again there is too much generalization, it is a broad concept. And besides, it is a HUGE RESOLUTION. You will need to make a breakdown of this extensive resolution and understand the steps you need to go through to move forward in that path. Because a goal needs time and a lot of patience, apart from lots of discipline, and do not forget a certain dose of “self-compassion” either, which means that you don´t have to beat yourself up and throw everything away in your weak days. A NEW DAY IS A NEW CHANCE TO TRY ALL OVER AGAIN!

If we break down the idea of “eating healthier”, what can we ask ourselves to be able to visualize this and achieve our goal? It is important to write it down!

What means eating healthier to you?

Which kind of benefits can I get eating in a healthier manner?

Which kind of food or habits don´t help you out on that path towards a healthier eating? (Having too much industrial food at home, too many sugary products, eating out frequently, skipping meals, eating too fast or while you are sending emails from your computer….)

Of all those habits, try to change at least once per month (for example). Write it on a post so you can remember it on a daily basis.

Which kind of healthy food do I wish to add to my diet?

Choose a new food: a vegetable, a complete cereal, a type of seeds, some legumes, a seaweed (or an elaboration: almond milk, vegetable stew, your own cookies or muesli…) every week (for example) and see if it works. (Some of them will become part of your routine and some of them not).

Cooking at home is essential to a healthier eating and so, here it is a new break down of the resolution:

How many days a week can I cook?

Which days do I have more free time to cook for the rest of the week?

Which type of dishes will work and could be scheduled on the days I have less time?

How many days a week do I eat out?

A highly recommendable option would be to make a weekly meal planning (not necessarily every meal needs to be a new dish, it could be only  the dinner 5 times a week…without forgetting that many days you will be eating leftovers…) this will help you out visualize the week with ease and speed up and save money on your shopping.

The family can help too!! Everyone can have a different role and take turns every week! It is VERY important to be able to ask for help! They will know your intentions and although at the beginning they might not agree with you, over time you will see (and they will see as well) the reward.

Where can I buy healthier products? How can I organize myself on my trips so I don´t need to shop in hundred different places? Is there any consumer group near my home where I can collect seasonal organic vegetables every week?

Is there any book (or books) which can inspire me and motivate me?

Although maybe at this point you may feel your head spinning, you only need to organize yourself and write everything down. This will help you clear your mind and clarify your intentions.

It is important to remember that life is not a straight line, that there are always unforeseen circumstances, but if you have always your goal and benefits in mind, returning to the path feels like something natural.

A BIG advice from the Holistic Nutrition School where I studied, which helps me a lot, consists in not giving importance to whatever you didn´t achieve as you expected, to the things you couldn´t do, but to focus carefully on everything you did or achieved in that day, even if it seems to be something small. What was new and good in that particular day? Try to remember it every day and you will go to sleep feeling fulfilled.

And after all this long bore, like this, without any previous intention, I would just like to introduce a simple soup, which helps purify our body, which is digestive and helps you concentrate on whatever it is important for you. You can serve it accompanied by avocado (like in the picture) or if you feel like eating a complete meal, you could also cook some quinoa.

It is very important to use non-pasteurized organic apple vinegar because only this one has all the digestive, depurative and enzymatic properties than other vinegars don´t have. And of course, don´t boil it. You can cook double amount of cream to store for the rest of the week and everyone can use vinegar to their liking. It is the sour contrast which emphasizes the taste of the soup.

And keep it up with those good resolutions!! Tell me yours!