The New Year – and a new decade! – has arrived and the internet is abuzz with resolutions, goal setting strategies, and a heightened energy about what we can all accomplish in the next 365 days. It’s exciting. And, if I’m being honest, also a little overwhelming. I love to read about the things people are working on and striving for (I find it really interesting and often so inspiring!) so I thought I would share a little bit about one are of 2020 Goals: Around My Table.
As I’ve taken a deep dive into the goal setting space recently, I’ve been focused on breaking down my goals into specific action items to help achieve those goals. So in addition to sharing the three foodie plans I have for 2020, I’m also sharing how I’m planning to make it all happen. Do you have tips for getting stuff done in your life? Big goals for the new year? Tell us! Here are my foodie goals for 2020:
Entertain Monthly
This might seem a little silly for a food blogger, but because my day job requires that I work two weekends each month, sometimes entertaining falls to the wayside. I love to cook for people and there really isn’t much better than a warm home filled with people sitting around a cozy table, talking and enjoying good food. This year, I hope to invite someone each month for dinner in our home. In the past, I felt like it had to be a really big affair to have someone over. I’m hoping to make it more simple in order to make it happen. Here’s how:
1. I’m putting together a list of go-to entertaining recipes so that planning a dinner isn’t a barrier to inviting someone over. Right now I’m really inspired by Alison Roman’s book Nothing Fancy.
2. Semi-Homemade is Totally OK. Yeah, that’s right. I think whomever said that “perfection is the enemy of done” had definitely hosted a few dinner parties. We recently hosted a NYE gathering and I purchased pre-made pizza dough (Trader Joe’s to the rescue!) and all the toppings and let each kid at the party make their own pizza. It was a total hit and super easy entertaining. Looking forward to finding more reliable, semi-homemade tricks like that this year. Got any ideas? Let us know below.
3. Google Calendar. Yeah, the trusty Google Calendar is key in my plan to entertain more. I’m hoping to schedule out dinners each quarter so there are no excuses.
Meal Plan & Prep to Stress Less
This is a tough one for me. I love the idea of meal planning and prep. I’m just not very good at it. My second Around The Table goal for 2020 is to try and meal prep most weeks. We are a two working parent home and with young kids that are starting to get into activities, our nights at home can be crazy. I know so many of you understand! I’m hoping being better prepared at the start of each week will make our evenings a little smoother. Here’s how I’m hoping to accomplish this goal:
1. A Rotating Seasonal Menu. I first saw this idea on instagram, of all places. I love the idea that each day has an easy to remember food category, cutting down on the dreaded “what’s for dinner” question. While, I haven’t quite decided on my daily categories yet (though I’m pretty sure we will do #meatlessmonday), I’m really excited for this tip. Curious? Find out more at her great blog post here.
2. Grocery Delivery. I’m already a huge fan (and user) of grocery delivery services, but by meal planning I will better be able to take advantage of the amazing time (and money!) saving benefits of Shipt, Instacart, and Prime Now. And yes, I use all three. Don’t judge.
3. Freezer Meals. Another area that I really want to be better about is prepping freezer meals. We are working on some new freezer meal recipes for the blog, but until then I’m planning to make a few of these lovely meals (I really like the Freezer Meal Wild Rice Soup!) to have at the ready.
Try New Things
I love to try new things when it comes to food. In the past, I’ve relied on my #52weeksproject to push me to try new recipes and I’ve absolutely loved it (find more info here). This year, I’m going to change it up a little. Here’s what I’m planning:
1. Seasonal Cookbook Selections.
While I love the 52 Weeks Project and will likely continue a version of it, I’ve got a little twist planned this year. Taking a cue from The Lazy Genius Podcast and her idea of the seasonal dinner queue, I’m going to choose 3-4 cookbooks each season to use as my primary source of new recipes. I’m starting out with these gems (#1, #2, and #3). When I do my meal plans, I’m going to try and pull most of the recipes from these books to keep it simple and streamlined (and fun!).
2. Date Night is Restaurant Night
One of my personal goals for 2020 is to make date night with my husband a big priority. Our kids are finally old enough that we feel comfortable with a non-family babysitter and it’s time to hit the town again. Before we had kids, we had a goal to try a new restaurant every month and this year, we’re reviving that. Thankfully, we live in Minneapolis and great restaurants are abundant. What’s on my list? Too many to name, but I’m hoping to start with Young Joni, Demi, Colita, and the Travail pop-up Uffda.
What are YOUR foodie goals for 2020?
One of the things we really hope to accomplish here at WTS this year is to build a stronger community around our virtual table. We love food, we love feeding people, and we love community. All of these things are better when we share. So, tell us, what are your goals for 2020? Let us know. We’d love to hear all about them! Find us in the comments below or on all our social media channels.
Happy New Year, friends!
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