Life, Bites, and Resolutions {2014 Edition}

I’m so happy to see you! We haven’t talked since last year!

Okay I’m sorry. The new year’s jokes get older every year.

Because I completely deserved whatever eye rolls I just received, let me make it up to you with a platter of 2014’s greatest hits.

1. Healthy Crepes | 2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars | 3. Coconut Flour Pancakes 2.0 | 4. Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie | 5. The Perfect Whole Wheat Pancakes | 6. Single Serving Cookie Dough | 7. Single Serving Brownies | 8. Single Serving Lava Cake | 9. Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

What a delicious year! Here’s to many more healthy food comas in 2015.

In case you’re new around here, let me bring you up to celebration speed. Every year I made a set of new year’s resolutions and, in order to retain some prayer of keeping them, reflect back on the beginning of the next year to see how I did. (You can find the 2013 reflection post here.) Let’s see how I fared!

Be happy, spread happiness.

I kept this as an everyday mantra and loved it. I’m excited to carry this mentality into the new year!

2. Write a book.

This has been a resolution for a few years now, and I’m 0 for 2 here. Third time’s the charm?

3. Faster turnaround with comments and emails.

Okay I’m still not great at this, but now I have a team to help me!

4. Meditate.

I improved! A lot! I’ve also taken up power yoga along with my new sweatfest of choice, Blogilates.

5. Have fun.

Talk about a resolution well-kept. While I’m happy to say I had a fabulous amount of fun this year, it’s also important to keep a balance. This was fine at the beginning of last year and over the summer, but once junior year kicked in? Ouch. Between keeping due dates and lunch dates in order, the blog quickly fell by the wayside. I hope to fix this in the new year.

6. Don’t chew gum in public.

I think I honored this for a grand total of a day. I’m literally chewing gum as I type this. (Trident layers -> happiness in gum form) I believe you can have your cake and chew it too, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement here.

7. Learn to drive.

Mission accomplished. WATCH OUT EVERYONE.

I passed my driver’s test on the first try. With minus fifteen points. You know what the limit is? Minus fifteen points. Score.

8. Post at least two new recipes a week.

My editorial calendar was atrocious this year, and I apologize. I was essentially dead to the blogging world for these past few months. But I worked hard over this winter break to plan posts for the next few months, so hopefully you’ll be seeing many more Foodie Fiasco recipes this year.

9. Help new bloggers.

Although my consulting startup Foodie Forward closed its doors last year, I’ve still been trying to help any new bloggers who reach out. Please drop me a line at kelly {at} foodiefiasco.com if you ever have any questions or just want to chat!

10. Smile more. Laugh more.

This is another positive affirmation to breathe in like a happy pick-me-up every. single. day. It’s fabulous. Let’s keep it up.

Resolutions for 2015

1. Eat clean(er). 

As someone in long-term maintenance of a significant weight loss, not to mention who is a professional healthy living writer, eating healthy is a priority for me. That being said, a lot of processed foods have crept their way into my diet. I eat almost the same thing everyday because my hectic schedule, so now I’ll resolve to eat a larger variety of healthy, natural food.

2. Post 2-3 times per week. 

Thanks to my re-discovery of the wonders of wholesome cooking, I approach this goal (again) with a lot of motivation. I’m so excited to share lots of new recipes with you guys!

3. Do a big blog project.

This is basically the book one again, but a bit broader this time. Now it can include a Foodie Fiasco book, a trip to a food blogger convention, or another major blog-related endeavor. I’m actually psyched to see where this leads.

4. Get in better shape.

I do eat healthy and exercise regularly, but there’s always room for improvement and fitness is no exception.

The way I’ve resolved to improve is Blogilates. Masterminded by fitness guru extraordinaire Cassey Ho, Blogilates is an intense yet fun yet intense way to get your body in tip-top shape. I’ve already started following her workout calendars, and I plan to update you with progress pictures monthly. Bikini season here I come!

5. Find a balance.

I talked about this above, but it’s a tall order to juggle school, the blog, and extra curriculars while going out and having fun. The key to this is finding balance, which I hope to do in the new year.

I also like to sleep sometimes, and I’m really going to try for 8 hours a night. Drumroll please…

6. Drink less caffeinated coffee.

This is huge. I’m pretty sure coffee pulses through my veins. I have a Nespresso machine and I would marry it if that weren’t the worst idea ever.

But still. Coffee is a hug in a mug. I want to drink less caffeine in the coming year and be productive without being completely dependent on it. I do love me some joe though, so I’ll try to switch to decaf. Pray for me.

7. Make the bed everyday.

Something uplifting to do in the morning that’s not coffee.

8. Successfully navigate the college process.

Here’s a breakdown of some helpful notes to laugh through the pain.

• SAT- Sadistic Act of Torture
• A GPA is like tire pressure. Once it gets low enough, you’re not going anywhere. Speaking of which, a fun way to procrastinate is to look at gas prices and see how much higher they are than your GPA.
• I kid. None of those things are fun. And everyone knows the best way to procrastinate is to eat a plethora of snacks, be proud of yourself for knowing the word plethora, and then forget what you were doing.

Side note: I’m going to be an adult this year. That’s horrifying. But mostly for the other adults around.

9. Sprinkle kindness like confetti.

Be kind to everyone, especially yourself. It’s almost as rewarding to the people around you as it is for yourself!

10. Smile, my love, because today is a beautiful day.

Do something everyday that makes your heart sing. Take time to smell the roses. Don’t worry, be happy! Enjoy your life!

These are the days my friends. Our best year yet is 2015! Lots of love to you and your families, as always. I’ll see you soon with a scrumptious recipe to kick off the food year deliciously.