Kick the bad eating habits before the new year

Here we are, almost the last day of this Infamous Year! I am so ready to kick 2020 off the cliff. You certainly feel the same way, I know. So, while we’re doing our kicking, let’s resolve to kick a few bad eating habits for the New Year.

Come on. Admit you have them. We may not have had all the parties and big family feasts as in previous years, so we may not have as many holiday pounds to lose. But staying home, especially for work, has likely worsened our bad habits. Want proof?

I’ll bet you’ve been eating mindlessly while working at your computer. If so, welcome to the club. The kitchen is nearby, so that’s been an easy habit to fall into. To fix that, don’t snack from the container because you’ll eat and eat and eat. Put it into a small bowl and take it back to your workspace.

A related trip-up is when we snack all day. There are no distractions from co-workers, so snacks become our friends. If you keep a stash of snacks nearby, make sure they’re good for you. I could suggest carrot sticks, but really, who gets joy out of a carrot? I’d recommend a piece of your favorite fruit. (Apples and oranges fill me up, and I love them.) Or a hot mug of coffee or tea. Popcorn with just a tiny bit of butter. Avoid the sugar and salt. Deadly!

We often eat when we’re lonely or bored. Before you know it, we’ve become besties with Ben and Jerry. When you get that urge, do some exercise. I don’t care if you walk around the block or do a few pushups. I kept a portable stair-stepper next to my desk so I could exercise during long phone meetings.

(Harder to do now with Zoom meetings. Bummer!)

Did you know that you tend to lose weight when you sleep more? Maybe because those hours aren’t spent eating. But scientists say it does something with your brain chemistry. So, get eight hours each night. And don’t use the computer or your phone while in bed. That screen light prevents your brain from going into sleep mode.

But wait! There’s more!

When you don’t take time to plan real meals, you’re more likely to hop into the car and take the kids to the nearest drivethrough. Once in a while?

Fine. Knock yourself out. But with slow cookers, instant pots, sheet pan dinners, and casseroles, there’s no need to get lazy. Cook in quantity, and refrigerate or freeze some for another day.

Those portion sizes? Too big. What you think of as “a cup of pasta” is likely two cups. Get a kitchen scale to weigh fish and meats. Use your measuring cups to portion out everything else. I know that my soup ladle holds a half- cup, so that’s easy. I’ll forgive you if you don’t measure out fresh vegetables. We need all we can get.

Have dinner with the family. Conversation keeps us from bolting our food and eating too much. And it gives us time to enjoy the people we live with. If you’re alone? Plan a Zoom dinner with a friend or two.

Talk a lot. Eat less.

Hot water now

Sometimes I’ve wished for one of those instant hot water taps so I wouldn’t have to run the water until it warms up. Then I realized something. My coffee-pod machine dispenses hot water!

Now when I want to cook pasta, I add a couple of glasses of hot water to the pot. It shortens the boiling time. If I need hot water to loosen stuck-on food from a pan, I have it instantly. If I have just a few items to wash in the dishpan, I mix tap water with hot water from the dispenser, and it’s the perfect temperature.

But if you don’t have a coffee-pod machine, you’re not stuck. Use the microwave! Two cups of water will be boiling in two minutes, depending on your wattage.

Use a single-edge razor blade to remove stuckon food from a glass-top stove. Then clean it with a bit of noscratch cleansing powder, like BonAmi. When it’s rinsed and dried, apply a thin coat of car wax and buff it to a shine.

Tip of the week

Use a single-edge razor blade to remove stuck-on food from a glass-top stove. Then clean it with a bit of no-scratch cleansing powder, like Bon-Ami. When it’s rinsed and dried, apply a thin coat of car wax and buff it to a shine.

Recipe of the week

Here’s one of those easypeasy sheet pan dinners I was talking about. Too much for one or two people? Save the leftovers, or just reduce the recipe. Thanks to Food Network for this gem.