If you’re like me, you vaguely think about a New Years’ resolution but then you forget about it and move on to other things. I don’t like New Year’s resolutions and I don’t think most people do. You can choose to make a fresh start anytime you want. Literally anytime.
But not all resolutions, or decisions to change are made equal. Some decisions to change are important, but there’s no actionable plan, or you lack the necessary supplies to make it a reality. Or you set a goal that’s for an entire year instead of for a shorter period of time. (That’s one reason why I love my goal setting, meal planning 12-month planner! Every month you get a fresh place to set some goals in 4 areas of life).
But this isn’t a post about my planner. It’s about the New Year’s Resolution that you can actually do this year and it ticks off a lot of my boxes (it eliminates a lot of food waste, it saves time, will save you money, and probably will lead you to eating healthier). The only thing it doesn’t do is clean your kitchen for you (dang it).
It’s called “Ritualizing Your Food.”
Ritualize is a word, but it’s not what you think it is. It’s more like habit-ize. You make it a routine, a regular procedure. You’re going to do one small thing food-wise, and turn it into a habit. Let’s compare a typical New Years’ Resolution language with a suggestion from me about how to Ritualize your Food. It’s taking the resolution a few steps further by making it actionable and doable.
| Typical New Year’s Resolution | Ritualize Your Food Version of New Year’s Resolution |
|---|---|
| Lower my cholesterol this year. | Make a large batch of steel-cut oats each week for breakfast, leaving them in the fridge and reheating with chia seeds. Make sure you have a good size container that you’ll use every week. When that container is empty, it’s time to make another batch! |
| Eat more greens this year. | Buy a salad kit, and separate it out into several mason jars for eating little by little as part of your lunches. Put the dressing and wet stuff on the bottom, then some protein, and put your lettuce on top so it doesn’t get soggy. When you’ve eaten all the jars of salad, time to buy a new kit. |
| Eat more home-prepped snacks and meals. OR Save money on grocery bill. | – Buy tiny mason jars for your home-made yogurt. When you run out of jars, it’s time to make a new batch. – Plan your meals each week, but only plan a few! Make bulk food with leftovers so meal planning isn’t too overwhelming. Set a reminder on your phone for a specific day each week that you’ll sit down, look at the food you’ve got and plan your meals. – Use a Food Inventory System to help you use the food you’ve got and save money (made easier by my planner because it has a spot to conduct inventory at the beginning of each month!). – Put a whiteboard on the front or side of your fridge to make your list of meals and grocery list. Everyone in your house will thank you for putting the meal plan in a visible place, and they’ll stop asking you, “What’s for dinner?” (I hate that question with all my heart.) |
| Organize my kitchen. | – Decanter your food into containers that are clear so you can see how much is left, and the food will stay fresher longer. – Buy deep fridge organizing containers so you can group like-items together and make the most of your fridge space. – Put the most used items in your fridge into the door if possible so they never get buried in the back (as long as they fit). |
Even just doing one of these things will help you, I promise! Ritualizing your food is something anybody can do. I have saved literally hundreds of dollars in 2021 from using these systems. I eat healthier and my family does too.
So what are some ways that you ritualize your food? How has it made a difference in your life?