New Years Resolutions- Part 1

Is it just me, or by December are you pretty much stretched too thin? With me I lose a lot of the happiness and passion of being a mom/wife and it becomes a repetitive and boring job that I have little will to spice up. I'm sad to say that most of December for me was spent on the couch in sweats and my husband t shirts with no bra, no makeup, and my hair pulled up in a giant knot on the top of my head. My kids pretty much watched tv all day and I feel like there was no excitement in our lives until Christmas came. This may all be due to the fact that I am 6 months pregnant with twins, but it made me seriously depressed to feel so blah. So even though my energy and range of motion is significantly limited, I have vowed to get out of my funk and celebrate life again. I'm going to make my family breakfast instead of pulling out the cereal or yogurt (as I type this, Braden is dishing out yogurt for our kids out of habit.) I'm going to turn the dang tv off and read some books to my kids, and I am going to actually get dressed in the morning and maybe even put some makeup on my face every once in a while. Sounds easy, but it's actually a pretty big deal for me.

One big thing is that I want to cook more and try new things. So, I have searched around and found a handful of food blogs that I am going to share with you all so you can start the New Year with a ton of new recipes to try out and impress everyone with. Hooray for cooking!

Smitten Kitchen is an awesome one that has insane recipes from Homemade Crackers to a Make Ahead Brunch Menu to an evil looking Butterscotch Sauce. She has even made a Kitchen Guide so you can start stocking up on all the tools it takes to make your own Smitten Kitchen. I love lists like these, even if it is going to take me months to save up for her chefs knife. I really love her because she cooks seasonally, so you always have the perfect recipe for things that are in season and they are always practical, like a winter fruit salad and pear bread.

Of course, I love the Pioneer Woman's recipes (I have her cookbook signed, by the way!) since they are so down home and delicious. I have made her cinnamon rolls, garlic mashed potatoes, and steak recipes over and over and over, but I really want to venture out and start making some of the staples she has listed in her cookbook. I mean why haven't I made the Chocolate Sheet Cake or the Braised Short Ribs yet? What is the matter with me? I think I have to make a vow to cook at least one thing from her cookbook every week and cook through the entire book by next year. Yes, I will do it.

If baking is your thing, and you haven't checked out Tongue In Cheeky yet, where the hell have you been? Brooke is darling and her recipes are fun, delicious and well, cheeky. Perfect for kids too. Some really fun recipes I want to try are her Breakfast Syrups & Elixers, and her Triple Decker PB & J's. I'm not even going to go into her cakes & cupcakes (but I will remind you that the Nie Nie Chocolate Mascarpone Cake is her creation.)

And if you really want to get crazy, (I know I do) you can check out Steamy Kitchen's recipes for some delicious looking Asian fare. I have never cooked asian food, and I have promised myself to branch out and be brave. She doesn't just do asian food, but her Broccoli Beef Noodle Stir Fry and the Chinese Chicken Salad look like good starter recipes for my Asian Adventure.

Also, I really want to start getting organized with my cooking and being prepared for my week ahead of time. Braden is only going to tolerate running to the grocery store 3 times for a certain recipe I'm making for so long. I want to have a well stocked pantry so I can whip stuff up whenever I feel like it and have things prepared ahead of time so we can all eat well even if I'm tired. So if anyone knows of any other food blogs that will help us all get more efficient in the kitchen, send them my way!