31 Dec Hoppin' John Recipe

This Hoppin’ John recipe uses the convenience of canned black eyed peas and a few items from the grocery store salad bar. Talk about a fast & simple way to start off the New Year!

Disclaimer: I was compensated by the Canned Food Alliance to write this post.  

Welcome to 2015.

I’m going to tell you right here, right now that I’m ANTI resolutions. Don’t do them. Don’t believe in them.  In my mind, resolutions=failure. And I don’t want anyone-including me-to fail. Particularly when it comes to health.

I am, however, PRO goal setting.  It took several years, but I realized that I’m most motivated by the challenge of reaching a goal. Take 2014, for example. My goal was to become more fit by the time I turned 45. Am I more fit? Thanks to a supportive spouse, a supportive group of fitness professionals and, most importantly, a mental commitment I made to myself, the answer is an undeniable yes. Bottom line?  If I can do it, you can do it.

So, let’s talk goals, shall we?

New Year is a time to set the goal to treat your body better and eat healthier by increasing the amount of fruit, vegetables and fiber-rich beans in your diet.

The question I get most often is HOW. We all have the best of intentions at the start of the New Year, but after a long day at the office or running the kids around, the idea of creating a home-cooked meal seems daunting. But eating healthier does not need to be time-consuming, I tell them.  

First, give yourself a break. Nobody is expecting a 4- course meal on the table.

Second, look for healthy options that are convenient, meaning easy to find, easy to prep, easy to cook and easy to clean up after. Canned fruit, vegetables and beans offer huge time-savings and still allow for a tasty, good for you option.

With canned food, healthy meals can be ready in minutes, often with ingredients found in most every pantry. So, no last minute trips to the grocery store are needed to whip up a quick and convenient (there’s that word again!) dinner. I look for ways to incorporate  the convenience factor into my cooking ALL THE TIME.  In fact, the recipe I created below-just in time to wish us all good luck in the New Year- uses items from my local grocery store salad bar* (less prep time and less waste) and leftover Chinese food rice from a previous meal.  

[yumprint-recipe id=’21’] 

Here are some helpful resources and tips from the folks at the Canned Food Alliance to help you reach your goals in 2015. 

• Stocking your pantry with some staple canned ingredients and relying on a few basic recipes that you can adjust with whatever fresh ingredients you have on hand can help you stay on track this year.

• Worried about sodium? Look for low-sodium or no salt added versions of canned beans and vegetables, so you can be in control of how much salt you add. Another tip? Drain and rinse canned ingredients to reduce sodium content; research shows draining and rinsing canned beans results in a 41% decrease in the sodium; draining alone yields a 36% reduction.

• Look for more recipes using canned foods at www.mealtime.org. 

Wishing you all a year of reaching your goals!