It’s January 3rd, and I’m finally publishing this blog post, but, hey, it’s better late than never, right?
Above: Photos from New Year’s Eve
I actually wasn’t even sure if I wanted to write a “goals” blog post. I didn’t write one last year – although, I’ve written many over the years – so I went back and forth whether I really wanted to do the whole New Year’s resolution thing. But after a New Year’s Day chat with Mal (we talked about how 2018 felt like a good “reset” and what we wanted to improve upon in the year), I was pretty motivated to set some intentions. Here’s what I came up with!
Compartmentalize work life and home life – Ah, yes. This one is a never-ending battle, but I *think* I’m finally getting the hang of it. Three things that are working for me right now: 1) Putting my phone in our bedroom when my family is at home, so I’m not tempted to check email, social media, etc.; 2) Working ahead and not leaving things to the last-minute; and 3) Asking myself what really matters at the end of the day. The answer is pretty much always my family.
Use fewer iced coffee cups – A reader reached out about my plastic iced coffee cup consumption on New Year’s Day, so I took it as a sign that I needed to get it together and use my tumbler more often when I purchase iced coffee.
Go to bed earlier – My goal is no later than 9:30 PM most nights of the week and 8:30 PM on the nights that I plan to go to the 5:15 AM class at CrossFit.
Listen to my body. Ugh, I had too many injuries this year, so I really want to pay attention to any sort of aches and pains before they get out of control (and land me in the ER). Man, getting old sucks. I’m working with a physical therapist/spine specialist now, so, hopefully, he can help get me to a good place with my imbalances.
Make my snacks count – Maybe it was because of the holiday season, but my snacking was getting a bit out of control. I was reaching for something to munch on pretty much all day long. This year, I want to make my snacks more like mini meals and really beef them up with quality protein, carbs, fiber, and healthy fats. I also want to look forward to my snacks instead of just mindlessly grabbing whatever is around, which brings me to these incredible Roasted Carrot Bites. They’re just 3 ingredients, easy to make, and the perfect nutritious snack when you’re something salty and a little sweet. Definitely give them a try in the new year! 🙂
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch-ish pieces
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil (other cooking oils would work too)
- sea salt to taste
Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine carrots, oil, and salt in a oven-safe dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, tossing carrots midway through cooking. When time is up, turn off oven and leave carrots in oven until they cool, about 90 minutes to 2 hours. This might seem like a long time, but I typically make them at the end of my meal prep when I no longer need the oven.
Makes 4 servings
Macros: P 2 C 16 F 4
P.S. If you want to update your workout wardrobe in the new year, definitely check out the awesome clearance sale at Nike from now until Jan 4 – AND Take an Extra 25% Off Sale Styles! Discount automatically applied at checkout. I did some shopping during over the weekend and saved big time!
