New Year Resolution hints to Fit in your Jeans

Time to reflect and move forward with or without a New Years' Resolution.  Oscar Wilde wrote," A New Year Resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other."
and "Good resolutions are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account."


I like this one by Hal Borland - "Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."
So do we or do we not make one????  I found some of Sonja Lyubomirsky's hints to be helpful from her recent book 'The How of Happiness'.   
 A summary of a goal's / project's ideal characteristics.


Identify what you expect to accomplish

* Imposed by self
* Approach rather than avoidance
* Flexible and be able to work with other aspects of your life
* Activity based - not relying on circumstance


Identify and Imagine the most positive outcome of your goal and the biggest obstacle that stands in the way. (The obstacle bit apparently is the tricky part which most of us don't think through.) They give the example re specific details of when and where and how the person wants to act in critical situations.
For example; If the goal is to "eat more fruit and vegetables", the subject might think of how they will act in restaurants, when travelling , and at other situations where they may be tempted not to follow through with the goal. Then they have to specify the behaviour they would do with an ..."if I am at a restaurant and they ask about dessert, then I will choose options with fruit, not cake."

 We are under the influence of Oprah after her recent visit, who said, "Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right."
 

"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right."

 We know she struggles too with getting it right.

Happy New Year.


Clara

Sensational salads play important role during holiday season

A typical Aussie Christmas Menu  will include simple and creative salads to accompany ham and cold turkey.  However, even if the temperatures soar and it is hot and humid, many of us still insist on a traditional hot Christmas dinner (usually served as a late lunch)  but this is often accompanied by salads.

More sensational salads tomorrow.  Great for post Christmas and holidays as well as enormous health benefits. Just leave out the creamy dressings and concentrate on the wonderful tastes of herbs and creative dressings. 
Clara
Mango and Avocado Salad
To serve 6



Tangy flavours great to accompany seafood

 1 large or 2 medium firm mangoes ,  sliced or cubed
2 medium avocados, sliced or cubed
Baby spinach leaves - 3 good handfuls

1 small red onion, sliced
1 long red chilli chopped(optional for some but not for me)
Toss mango and avo in asian dressing.  Immediately before serving add spinach and combine.

Asian Dressing
Equal amounts, say 2 tblesp fish sauce, lime juice and sweet chilli sauce.


Green Salad with Salsa Verde
Choose leaves of different colours - tear or leave whole.  Simply toss in dressing or add other salad ingredients of your choice such as cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and avocado.


For Salsa Verde, pulse to a smooth paste:-
1/2 cups  flat leaf parsley or basil
2 cloves garlic
1  to 2 tbsp capers
1 anchovy fillet
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil1
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1tsp Dijon mustand
Salt & Pepper

"I only need a belt in case my jeans burst."

Re - Post Christmas trauma or "I only need a belt in case my jeans burst."

I only need a belt in case my jeans burst

Or Peter Hinchliff's experience,  "The other day I got a clean pair of jeans out of the wardrobe. Then began a two-minute nightmare as I struggled to get into them. I couldn't get the wretched things past my knees, let alone fasten the button at the waist.
"Oh no," thought I in the midst of the wrestling match. "No more cake. No more biscuits. No more eating for a week." Then I noticed the label on the jeans. They were my wife's. She'd hung them in my wardrobe by mistake.

Everyone should be lucky enough to find a smaller person's jeans in their wardrobe after Christmas feasting. The relief at discovering they belong to someone else makes up for having gained an inch around the waist..........  and then about why it happens...... "Eating up every chocolate and biscuit, draining the whisky bottle to the last drop isn't mere self-indulgence. It's a duty. A display of appreciation. A way of saying thank you." Let waist-lines bulge and buttons strain as we accept the responsibility of showing appreciation to our gift-givers.

Like many people today we are more conscious that good food can taste indulgent without necessarily being so, with the obvious exceptions of course.  So here are some of the delicious, less indulgent dishes we enjoyed on Xmas day, which I will post over the week.  At this time of the year, one needs to keep on making the dishes rather than write about them.

Capsicum Dip with Parmesan Cheese Rounds

Thai BBQ prawns served with Mango and Avocado salad with snowpeas and roasted sesame seeds

Stuffed Turkey Breast, and honey cured ham with Green salad with Salsa Verde, and Roasted beetroot and pumpkin salad with goats' cheese and walnuts

Pavlova with berries served with Yoghurt and Mascarpone cream.

We were fortunate to have some wonderful wines to accompany each course, thanks to our resident wine expert.

I hope you all had a fantastic festive dinner and can still 'fit in your jeans.'  If not, all is not lost - visit http://www.fitinyourjeanscuisine.com/ for tasty healthy food or if all else fails, read the instructions below on How to put on Skin Tight Jeans
Clara

Put the jeans on in the morning, after a cold shower. Putting your skin-tight jeans on in the morning will increase the chances of success since you haven't eaten much. Also, a cold shower will get your body as taut as possible, making you slightly slimmer.

Wiggle into the jeans. Putting a belt through the jeans' belt loops will help you pull the jeans up. Using the belt as a grip, wiggle side to side to get the jeans over your hips.

Zip up first. Closing the button is almost always the hardest part of putting on skin tight jeans, so try get the zipper closed first. If the jeans are really skin tight, hook the end of a hanger into the zipper so you can leverage the zipper up.

Hold your breath. Like an athlete at the finish line, the last step takes a deep breath in. Breathe in deeply so you contract your midsection and in one quick and deft motion get that button closed.

Baked Moroccan Beef Fillet with chermoula paste ticks every box

Baked Moroccan Beef Fillet with chermoula paste

Rest for 10 minutes before serving



Beef Fillet Moroccan style received the  seal of approval re the heart foundation's  and for weight watchers.
This chermoula paste would also be great with chicken or fish. I love the way the chermoula acts as a sauce so the accompaniments can be simple.
For chilli lovers, serve with a drizzle of harrisa.
Clara
ps - note also that parsley is featuring!


Moroccan Beef Fillet baked with chermoula paste


185 g (6 1/2 oz) beef fillet


Blend to form a Chermoula paste


1 red onion
4 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley - about 75g (2 1/2 oz)
1/2 bunch coriander leaves - about 40g (1 1/2 oz)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground chilli or 2 to 3 dried chilli
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt


Marinate for an hour

Marinate beef in the chermoula for about an hour.


Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).  Line a baking dish with baking paper and heat dish in oven before adding beef. Cook for 20 mins for rare and 30 for medium. Rest in a warm place for 10 mins before slicing and serving on a bed of couscous with a green salad or Moroccan veges (to follow)






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