366 Days of Natural Recipes: A New Years Resolution

A new year is upon us. Today is the eve of 2012. My predictions and expectations for the New Year are vast, but none of them include Mayan calendars.

As I've contemplated over the last month or so what my new year's resolution would be- I came to the conclusion that it wasn't necessarily something I wasn't already doing; but rather something I wasn’t doing whole-heartedly. I’ve decided, not only for myself but for my growing little (and fairly new) family that I am going to create one new natural recipe for each day over the next year. Keep in mind that htis year is a leap year- 366 days. In order to increase my stick-to-it-ness, I am going to blog the recipe and my results daily as well. The idea is that it will force be to be more introspective about the food I and my family consume, as well as develop a menu for the week to aid in my other goal of budgeting better.

I was going to title this post as "Natural HEALTHY Recipes", but let's be honest; I have every plan to make some deliciously sinful recipes as well. That being said, there are rules to the resolution…

1.      Being that my house is virtually a gluten free one, all recipes will be GF as well. My husband and older son (Isaac) don’t mind, because they like my GF cooking and are both born human garbage disposals that will eat anything I thrown at them (within reason). That’s not to say I won’t get good feedback, but they will eat it regardless of their inner desires.

2.      I will post with each recipe what food allergen communities the recipe is SAFE for. If my bakery business has taught me anything, allergens are on the rise and it’s better to be “in the know”.

3.      All recipes will be created with “from-scratch”, in-season and local ingredients whenever possible. The exceptions are obviously cheeses, pastas and some sauces- but I will venture to make those from scratch as well when possible. Listen folks, I’m a mommy, a teacher, an entrepreneur and a wife- time is of the essence when it comes to food prep.

4.      Not only will I post “dinner recipes”, but also breakfast, treats, desserts and baby food. My 6.5 month old appreciates a good home-cooked meal as much as the next person.

5.      I may use recipes from books and online, but I must adapt them to make them “my own” and fit the needs of my family.

6.      AND FINALLY… I will be brutally honest about what has been successful and what has flopped. I’ll include any other aspects I would change if I were to carry out a “do-over”.

As part of this whole experience, my husband and I will be expanding our garden selections in the spring. We have always attempted to be a little self-sufficient, but check out the stash that Santa Claus left in my stocking this year... what a great guy!

For anyone who should stumble upon my little blog, please let me know what you think of the recipes. I fyou have anything you would like me to attempt a GF version of, please let me know! Leave comments and Bon Appétit!



Naturally,

Raych

Tomorrow's recipe: Thin Crust Pizza with Farmer’s Cheese, Tomatoes and Honey-Caramelized Onions