Goal Setting for 2014

Whoa. Its almost here. The New Year. Time to look back and assess the past year. Time to look forward and plan the year ahead. Each year 45% of americans make New Years resolutions. Only 8% actually follow through on their resolutions. Most make their New Years resolutions and a few months later are back where they started. I have so many goals and things I want to accomplish in 2014 and I want to be in the 8% who succeed with their goals. Because of this I have been researching Goal Setting. Here are a few things I have learned.

1) Write down your goals. Studies show that 90% of people don’t write down their goals. The act of writing down your goal makes it real. Putting your goals on paper helps you remember them. It makes you commit to them. You are now accountable to them. When you look at your written goals it makes you hustle to complete them.

2) Be specific. Your goals need to be attainable, they need an action plan. Instead of setting the goal to get healthy, which is too vague, set a goal of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, or drinking eight glasses of water daily, or exercising for 10 minutes each day.

3) Have a time limit. Instead of setting a goal to read more books in 2014, set a goal of finishing 3 books a month. Instead of setting the goal of losing 60 pounds in 2014, set the goal to lose 5 pounds a month.

4) Most importantly, look at your goals often. Check your progress. Remind yourself of why you set the goal in the first place. You will be surprised by how much you can accomplish with written goals.

Looking back on 2013 I can see how much my husband and I progressed because of our written goals. I’m looking forward to seeing these new tips put into practice in our home in the coming year. I don’t know about you but I’m excited and ready to get started on my goals for 2014!

Food Diary

Karen my nutritionalist, asked me to keep a food diary to find out what, if any, emotional connection to food I have. I’m planning to blog my journey here and search out the solution to my weight issue. You are welcome to go on this journey with me. Maybe you will learn something too, maybe you can just cheer me on.

This morning I pried myself out of bed at 6:00am for the fourth time since 1:00am. The reason for my loss of sleep, my one year old Aubrey, calls to me from her bedroom. Her baby talk is adorable. Every now and then she manages to slip a little English in there and I hear her talk a lot about the dog, and Mama, in a very loud tone. After snuggling with her while she drinks her morning bottle, I start breakfast. On weekends I love to make pumpkin pancakes. I love their spicy flavor and moist texture. Pumpkin anything feels like Fall and Christmas Holidays to me. I have found a wonderful recipe that is low-fat and healthy. (I have posted the recipe in a previous post) Aubrey, Jordan, and I love it. Coffee sputters in the Kurig, pancakes sizzle on the griddle, christmas tree lit, baby playing sweetly, this is the way Saturday mornings should be!

Food Diary
Day 1. November 14th Saturday 2013

7:40am Breakfast:

1. Pumpkin pancakes (2 medium)
2. Yogurt (4oz)
3. Coffee w/a splash of 2% milk
4. Splash of Pumpkin Spice creamer in my coffee

Mood: Happy. Leisurely breakfast with Jordan and Aubrey. Aubrey loves the pancakes. Jordan and I discuss the day. I love the flavor, the pancakes turned out well today. I think my mood has more to do with the lovely family time and the season, but I’m recording it anyway.

12:00pm Snack:

1. package of Lance crackers (3 packages 190 cal each)

Mood: Frustrated. I thought Jordan was coming back from a quick trip to his work within the hour and I am waiting lunch and a shopping trip on him.

2:25pm Lunch:

1. Turkey breast and cheddar cheese sandwich on a english muffin toasted. (3/4 of the sandwich)

Mood: Unhappy. I thought Jordan and I were going to do our Christmas shopping and he has been at work for 5 hours… just found out we mis-comunicated about timing…

4:30pm Snack:

1. Pita chips and hummus

Mood: Content. Jordan is home, I gave up on the shopping trip since it’s so late in the day. We are going to decorate the Christmas tree in a moment.

6:00pm Dinner:

1. Chicken breast lightly cover w/cheese and sour cream and salsa
2. Green beans and sweet potatoes
3. Long grain rice

Mood: Stressed. We took too long decorating the tree and Aubrey is having a melt-down from being too hungry and tired. I cook dinner in a hurry while Jordan gives Aubrey a bath.

 

Wonderful weekends consist of the finer things in life, like family time, sweet baby hugs, singing Christmas carols while you wash the dishes, and of course pumpkin anything!

 

 

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin Spice Pancake Recipe

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup buttermilk or 1 and 1/2 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
Mix pumpkin, egg, and milk in large bowl. Add oil and vinegar. When wet ingredients are mixed, add dry ingredients. Stir just until mixed. Let sit for a few minutes before cooking on skillet. Enjoy! I serve my pancakes with yogurt or applesauce instead of syrup to make it healthier. The combination is delicious!