by Matt Gustafson

One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions every year is to make healthier choices, whether it’s to eat healthier, lose weight or exercise more. But by this time of year, many who make resolutions like these will have given up.

CookShop can help! As the Food Bank’s core nutrition education program, we work to empower children, teens and adults with the knowledge and skills to make healthy food choices that can last a lifetime. To give a little boost to those who have already abandoned their New Year’s resolutions, CookShop offers these helpful tips to stay on track — and enjoy it!

Change one thing. Most people start fast and hard, eating super-healthily for a week or two — and then fizzle out. Try following the lead of the teenagers in EATWISE (CookShop for Teens) and just Change One Thing! Instead of trying to overhaul all your habits right away, begin with a small, specific step. Substitute water for soda, or eat an apple instead of that bag of chips. A small choice can make a big difference and lay the groundwork for future change.

Keep realistic goals. If your schedule makes it hard for you to cook at home every night, ask yourself what your schedule does permit. Try doing what we recommend to participants in CookShop for Families: make large portions of simple, healthy recipes when you have time, and store them for lunch or dinner on a busier day. You can also pre-slice fruit and vegetables into munchable sizes and bag them for grab-and-go snacks all week long.

Focus on the Positive. Resolving to make healthier food choices doesn’t mean giving up great-tasting food. Healthy food can be delicious — just ask the students in CookShop, who enjoy making and eating nutritious treats like Apple Dippers (apple slices with yogurt dip) and Lettuce Wraps. Here’s the recipe, below, to help you get started. And remember, change is ongoing. Starting with small, realistic goals and keeping a positive attitude can help change your life for the better.

Lettuce Wraps
Makes 20-25 snack-sized wraps.

Ingredients:

Wraps:
2 heads green leaf lettuce                
2 heads romaine lettuce                    
1 bunch spinach    
3 McIntosh apples                   
2 large or 4 small carrots                                   
1 red bell pepper                    
1 cucumber

Dipping Sauce:
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar                 
2 teaspoons deli mustard                          
½ cup olive oil                                   
2 teaspoons honey                                     
2 lemons                                   
½ teaspoon salt                                         
¼ teaspoon black pepper                       

Instructions:

1. Carefully remove lettuce leaves from heads.
2. Wash all vegetables and apples. Pat lettuce and spinach leaves dry with paper towels.
3. Peel carrots.
4. Remove ends from carrots and cucumber, and cut into small pieces.
5. Cut red bell pepper in half and remove stem and seeds, then cut into small pieces.
6. Use apple corer to remove seeds and cut apples into 8 pieces. Cut apple wedges into small pieces.
7. Place cut apples and vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
8. Tear spinach into bite-sized pieces and add to fruit and vegetable mixture.
9. Squeeze juice from lemons into a small mixing bowl.
10. Measure and add apple red wine vinegar, deli mustard, olive oil, honey, salt and black pepper to lemon juice. Whisk together thoroughly.
11. Place a few pieces of apple and vegetable mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf.
12. Wrap lettuce leaf like a burrito.
13. Dip lettuce rolls into sauce and eat immediately. Enjoy!

Matt Gustafson is a CookShop Site Monitor at the Food Bank.