2020 is the year for being creative with food!!
Every year we make New Years resolutions and more often than not, they're about food. This year, we decided not to focus on the negatives but to think of the fun, positive new years resolutions you can make about what you eat and how you cook.
Here are 12 fun new years resolutions based around food that will help you fall in love with food all over again...
Our first resolution is to learn how to bake...
We think the key to really loving cooking is learning how to bake. The joy of seeing your creations come out of the oven and the pride of showing them off is something everyone could get used to.
Baking is a science so it encourages you to really understand your food which you can then apply to other areas of cooking. And above all, baking is really cheap!
Once you've got all the basic ingredients and equipment in your cupboards, you can make cakes for as little as £1!
How to achieve this resolution:
Start simple. If you've never baked before, perfect a basic sponge with our Victoria sponge recipe. Once you've mastered that, add flavours and icings then progress onto one of our other cake recipes - the the baking world's your oyster!
More food resolutions:
From incorporating meat-free Mondays into your food calendar, to getting the whole family involved by teaching your kids how to cook simple meals too, we have a plethora of ways that will help you up your cooking game in 2020 and will also dramatically change your relationship with food for the better.
Well, what are you waiting for?! Scroll throw our 11 different new years resolutions for food that will give you an abundance of ideas as to how you can kick off your 2019 the right way.
We guarantee these will leave you feeling healthy, happy and full of energy in no time.
Learn a new skill
If you're bored of the food you cook, or if you tend to stick to
unhealthy but easy dinners, a few simple skills could really open up
your food world. Learning how to make sauces, cook different meats and
simple skills, like batter, will open up so many possibilities for your
meal times.
How to achieve this resolution:
Head to our how to recipes section where we show you the cookery basics in easy step-by-step picture form.
Teach the kids to cook
Cooking with the kids is not only educational, it's also a lovely
bonding exercise and a great way to spend extra time with them. If your
kids understand food from an early age, you can teach them a positive
attitude towards food too.
How to achieve this resolution:
shows you what your child can help with at every age. We also have easy
breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes that your kids can help prepare and
lots of fun baking and no-bake sweet treats - head over to our special Kids Kitchen section to see them all!
Try Meat-free Mondays
Cutting out meat every once in a while is an easy way to make your weekly meals a little healthier - without having to completely change the way you eat. Meat-free Mondays is an easy initiative to get behind. Started by Paul and Stella McCartney, it states that just having one non-meat meal every week could make a huge difference. Cutting meat out of your meals also forces you to be a little more adventurous with your meals and flavouring - and it could introduce the family to some new favourite foods.
How to achieve this resolution:
Start with vegetarian versions of classic dishes to get used to cooking full meals without meat. Once you're a little more confident, start experimenting with vegetables and meat alternatives such as Quorn with our easy and delicious vegetarian recipes.
Try new cuisines
Another easy way to expand your food horizons is to sample the flavours
of other cultures - and we're not talking about travelling the world!
Infusing your meals with influences from different countries is easier
than other thanks to the ever-expanding World Food aisles in
supermarkets.
How to achieve this resolution:
Pick a
country and try one of their easiest dishes (that your family will
actually eat). Just a few dishes from a specific country will tell you
loads about their flavour palettes and their unique blend of herbs and
spices. Once you've experimented a few times, you'll be much more
confident in free-styling a little with your own meals. Head to our cuisine section to see classic dishes from other countries.
Give your family meals a twist
If you cook the same meals, time after time, it can be easy not to get
excited about food. Giving your meals a twist needn't mean spending more
money than you usually would either.
How to achieve this resolution:
Write
down the 5 dishes you normally cook for your family then do a little
research. A new sauce, a different side or the addition of one key
ingredient could easily change your meal times for the better. These family meals with a twist are sure to inspire!
Eat more fruit and veg
On the surface, this one doesn't sound that fun - but it can be! Everyone probably needs to eat more fruit and veg than they do but the trick is to make it exciting. It's not just kids who would appreciate a fresh plate of fruit when it's laid out like this.
How to achieve this resolution:
Take a look at our fun ways to serve up your fruit and veg - you'll be having your 5-a-day in no time!
Have a family breakfast every morning
You've probably heard it a million times before but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Rather than making it a chore, you can turn it into the chance to have some quality time with your family. You'll feel fuller for longer and get to start the day off with the people you love most.
How to achieve this resolution:
Make up some breakfast in bulk on Sunday night and set aside at least 10 minutes in the morning to sit down as a family and eat something together. A batch of blueberry muffins or some homemade granola will make a nice treat, as would any of our easy breakfast recipes.
Do less washing up
Now here's one we can really get behind! Do you ever avoid cooking
something more extravagant because you dread the washing up? Not
everyone has the luxury of a dishwasher so we have the next best thing -
one-pot meals! That's right, whole meals that can be cooked in just one
pot! Not only do these dishes save on washing up, they also ensure that
all the flavours from all your ingredients and captured in the dish.
How to achieve this resolution:
Make sure you have a large pot that can be used on the hob and in the oven, then try one of our simple one-pot meals - you won't believe how easy your washing load will be!
Use all your gadgets
How many cooking gadgets do you have in your kitchen that you never use? If they're in the cupboard and out of sight, it can be easy to forget about them.
How to achieve this resolution:
Challenge yourself to use every single one at least once. If you enjoy the experience and make something tasty with it, it stays. If you find it more
hassle than it's worth - it's time to sell it. You'll either gain some
new cooking options or some extra cash - win-win! Our easy slow cooker recipes will show you how many different ways there are to use just one gadget.
Make money with your food
If you're a talented baker, why not start your own cake business? Local cake businesses are booming and it's actually a lot easier to start up than you might think. Local birthday parties and events are a good place to start.
How to achieve this resolution:
Read through our how to start a cake buisiness guide and talk to people who have done the same thing - they could inspire you to take the leap. Imagine baking cakes for a living!!
Set yourself cooking challenges
Learning to cook different foods doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg and you don't have to shell out on expensive cookery courses. If you set yourself 10 cookery challenges you want to accomplish by the end of the year, you have a realistic and achievable goal - and you'll practically be a masterchef by the end of the year!
How to achieve this resolution:
Start a collection in your Recipe Book called challenges and add 10 recipes you've always wanted to know how to cook. Work your way through them, marking the 'I've cooked that' button as you go along - it's so satisfying!
