Written by: Allison Bunyan | Emerson Fellow 

We are almost to the end of 2022! Soon, it will be time to switch out your calendar and welcome the new year, which means it is the perfect time to evaluate the past year and reflect on any changes you want to make in the coming year. Many of us take this time to set goals or make New Year’s resolutions, and as we all know, setting goals is harder than you’d think. The process can be frustrating, especially when the goals that we set do not feel achievable. Before you do begin setting your goals, we want to share some tips to help make them more thoughtful, SMART, and right for your needs. Keep reading for guidance on setting goals for the New Year!

Start With Self-Reflection

Have you sat down and reflected on the past year? An end-of-year review can be a good way for you to celebrate improvements you’ve made in 2022 and determine what goals you want to prioritize next year. You may want to use these questions from Psychology Today in your end-of-year reflection:

• What was a new discovery you made this year? What did you discover that you loved? Your answer could be anything like a new recipe, a podcast, or you joined a gym and found you really liked it.
• What relationship was the biggest positive surprise to you this year? For example, you What simple pleasures have you especially enjoyed this year? For example, you developed a closer relationship with a colleague you hadn’t previously been close to, or a cousin you don’t know well was at your family thanksgiving and you really enjoyed talking to them. Perhaps someone you don’t know very well was very supportive or encouraging of you, even if they might not even be aware their actions were important to you.
• What’s an aspect of self-regulation you’ve gotten better at this year? Your answer could be anything from going to bed earlier, using moisturizer, putting your appointments on your calendar so you don’t forget, or eating more vegetables.
• What simple pleasures have you especially enjoyed this year?
• How did your self-perception change this year? In what ways have you started to see yourself more positively than you did previously? For example, you’ve realized you’ve got inner strength or a capacity to cope that you didn’t realize you had.

The full list of 20 questions can be found here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-practice/201812/20-enjoyable-end-year-review-questions

Or, you might want to ask yourself these 4 questions from Providence Health’s Goal-Setting Guide. They are designed to help you create a wellness vision in preparation for setting goals:

1. What do I value most about my life? What brings meaning?

2. What would I like my health, fitness, relationships and wellness to look like one year from now? Write down a clear statement in the present tense. For example: I feel more in charge of my health, I’m more resilient on a day-to-day basis and I’m able to patiently care for my children.

3. Is there anything that stands in the way of reaching my vision?

4. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being I’ve achieved my wellness vision), where do I fall today?

However you choose to do it, an end-of-year reflection will help you understand how you’ve grown and changed in the past year, recognize your accomplishments, acknowledge your missteps, and reflect on lessons learned. With the answers to these questions in mind, you’ll be ready to set new goals and priorities for the new year!

Types of Goals 

The goals that you set can be about anything you want! Maybe you want to be stronger, more grateful or present, healthier, relaxed, or organized. Healthdirect offers additional examples below to help you with forming your goals:

• Health/Personal Growth: i.e. getting better sleep, weight loss, training for and completing an endurance event, learning a new sport, quitting smoking or reducing alcohol
• Career and Business: improving work performance, gaining a promotion or changing careers
• Education: completing a diploma or degree, learning a new language, achieving certain results in school
• Relationships and Family: spending time with children or partner, reducing conflict or making friends
• Creative/Artistic: learning a musical instrument, cooking, starting a photo album or blog, writing a novel
• Community or Volunteer work: coaching a sporting team, starting a charity project or spiritual practice
• Financial: saving money, reducing debt or achieving investment goals
• Collective goals: working on a community project

 SMART Goals are KEY

Now that you’ve done some self-reflection and learned more about different types of goals, it is time to enter the goal-setting process. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-related. In other words, make them SMART! 

Specific – Identify a specific area for improvement. The first step is to figure out an area you want to improve. Be intentional to identify an area in your life you would like to focus on – it doesn’t matter how big or small it may seem.

Measurable – What will success look like? Once you have a goal, you need to figure out how to measure its progress. Being specific about what success looks like will help you achieve your goal.

Achievable –  Can you do it? When choosing your goal and how you will measure it, make sure it is achievable. While your goal should not be easy, it should be something you can achieve if you work hard and stick to a specific plan.

Realistic – Does this goal make sense for you right now? Results do not happen overnight, and it can be a long journey to achieve your goal. To avoid discouragement, make sure to select goals that are attainable in timeframes that make sense with the resources you have in your life. 

Time-related – Set a deadline. Setting an end date for a goal gives you something to work towards and can help keep you motivated. Be sure your time-frame is achievable and realistic.

Examples:

• My goal is to lose 10 pounds by April 2023, so I will begin walking 30 minutes per day, 3-4 times a week.
• I will exercise 45 minutes a day, 4 days a week until the end of December.
• I will eat 5 servings of vegetables a day until the end of January.

Check out ACCESS Community Health Network’s advice below for setting SMART health and wellness goals:

Setting the Right Goals For YOU

Before committing to your goals, make sure that you are setting the right goals. In other words, set goals that are aligned with your authentic self – your values, talents, interests, and needs.

Ask yourself these 5 questions from Psychology Today to determine if the goals that you set are right for you:

1. Does somebody else want me to achieve this goal, or will I get something from someone if I do?
2. Would I feel ashamed if I didn’t achieve this goal?
3. Do I really believe this is an important goal to have?
4. Will this goal provide me with fun and enjoyment?
5. Does this goal represent who I am and reflect what I value most in life?

According to Psychology Today, you are most likely on the right path if you felt like questions 3-5 described your goals. You might want to change course if questions 1 and 2 describe your goals. Remember, you are more likely to achieve your goals if they align with your authentic self!

Good Luck!

You have all of the tools you need to set meaningful and purposeful goals. As you begin to set and carry out your goals in the new year, we hope that spending time preparing, planning, and setting SMART goals will position you for long-term success. We wish you the best of luck in your goal-setting for the new year!

Written by: Jamie Lyons (Ingalls Falls Dietetic Intern)

With the winter season approaching, our food preferences might start to change. You may begin to crave hearty, comforting meals that warm your body from the inside out. The winter months are packed with holidays, family get-togethers, and events centered around food, which may make it seem impossible to stay on track with your health and fitness goals. People also tend to want to stay inside during the winter months to protect themselves from the cold, which can limit the availability and amount of physical activity that they do. In this article, we will go over three important tips and tricks to help you stay healthy during the winter months!

Become aware of what fruits and vegetables are in season!

The winter months are full of amazing tasting fruits and vegetables, use these to your advantage when making your family dinner! Some foods that are in season for the winter months include apples, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. Here are some ways to incorporate these foods into your dishes for the winter months.

• Try making Common Threads’ sautéed apples recipe for your next dessert! It is a healthier, lower fat, and lower carb option to apple pie, but it tastes just as delicious. 
• Brussels sprouts have recently become more popular and there are so many ways to make them. Swap out green bean casserole for some roasted brussel sprouts at Thanksgiving. They are high in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants and are the perfect crunchy, salty addition to your Thanksgiving feast. 
• Cauliflower has also become all the rage in the last couple of years because it is so versatile and can be easily transformed into a variety of dishes. Mixing equal parts of mashed potatoes and mashed cauliflower together is a great way to increase your fiber intake, add more vitamin C and K into your diet, and hide the taste of vegetables from your kids (they will never know!). 

Stay Active!

The cold winter months can make you want to stay under your blanket all cozied up on the couch for the season. If the thought of leaving the house to go to the gym or go on a walk seems unimaginable during this time, try these activities instead. 

• Go to the mall! Indoor malls are a great place to get your steps in if you want to avoid the cold outside or want to deviate from a treadmill. This can also give you a jumpstart on holiday shopping while exercising to kill two birds with one stone.  
• Do some winter cleaning – don’t wait for the spring. Cleaning your house is a great way to get some moderate physical exercise in. Doing 30 minutes of vacuuming, mopping, cleaning dishes, or making beds will get you on your feet burning some calories and your house will thank you for it, too.  

Don’t feel guilty about what you have eaten.

The winter months can be a time of over-indulgence and over-eating for everybody. Eating patterns are bound to change a bit, it is important to enjoy this time with your friends and family and allow yourself to have those special “once-in-a-while” cultural holiday foods. 

• Focus on addition and not restriction. If you know that you are going to have a piece of pie or cake after dinner, make an attempt to add a vegetable or fruit onto your dinner plate so that you are still getting in some vitamins and nutrients.  
• It is all about finding balance! Balancing what you are eating by incorporating some nutritional food items when you can and finding ways to add in physical exercise will really help! Remember, one day of eating foods that are outside of your norm should not deter you from achieving your health goals.

Are you feeling more confident about winter coming now? I challenge you all to incorporate these tips into your routine this winter. Before we know it, the snow will be melting and the sun will be shining. 

Written by: Allison Bunyan | Emerson Fellow

Fall has finally arrived and Halloween is almost here!  Have you and your family already decorated the house and pick out your costumes? This is the time to start watching spooky films, and more! We have some fun recipes and activities that you and your family can do to get into the Halloween spirit. We’ve provided some suggestions for you that align with our values of positive lifelong nutrition and wellbeing.

It’s Pumpkin Season!

Carving Pumpkins is a staple when it comes to celebrating Halloween. But, don’t let the fun stop there. Turn the classic activity of carving pumpkins into a chance to snack as well! To supplement sugary trick-or-treating goodies, try out some of our healthy pumpkin-themed recipes with the whole family. Pair recipe-making with a family excursion to a local pumpkin patch! You can make picking up pumpkins a day of fun. Snack on these before you head out for trick-or-treating, during a spooky movie marathon, or while you’re decorating the house!

Our Pumpkin Hummus combines chickpeas with pumpkin puree, garlic, tahini, and other delicious ingredients to make the perfect Halloween snack. Just blend your ingredients, add some garnishes on top, and you’re done!

Fun Fact: Due to its orange color, pumpkins contain a powerful antioxidant called beta-carotene that provides us with an abundant source of vitamin A!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are a versatile food that is easy to make. You can get creative by adding all sorts of sweet or savory spices to make a tasty treat! Pumpkin seeds are also packed full of nutrients like magnesium, zinc, and fiber.

Fun Fact: Pumpkins are actually a fruit! Many people think they’re a vegetable because of their taste, but any produce with seeds are fruit.

Our Pumpkin Pie Bites offer a tasty and healthy substitute for candy. They are a blend of dates, oats, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree rolled into small, bite-sized balls.

Fun Fact: Pumpkins range in size from less than a pound to over 1,000 pounds. The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds!

Get your fruit ready for Halloween with our Pumpkin Tangerines. Make tangerines look like pumpkins by peeling a tangerine and sticking a celery stalk to the top! It’s an easy way to snack on fruits and veggies at the same time.

Get festive on Halloween morning with our Pumpkin Pie Smoothie recipe. You’ll love this healthy and delicious combo of vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, oats, milk, bananas, and pumpkin puree. It’s one more way to incorporate pumpkins into the Halloween season!

Fun Fact: Pumpkins have more fiber than kale, more potassium than bananas, and are full of heart-healthy magnesium and iron!

Halloween Activity Ideas

Halloween Movie Trivia or Charades

Has your family seen a few classic Halloween movies? If so, you may want to play Halloween Movie Trivia to test everyone’s spooky movie knowledge. Come up with simple or more tricky trivia questions to ask your kids! If you want a more general Halloween theme, try Halloween Charades! You and your kids can come up with fun words and phrases like Dracula, ghost, trick-or-treating, and more.

Halloween Sensory Bin

Put items with different textures, sizes, and shapes into a bin for kids to explore with their hands. Make it a bit spooky by adding toy spiders or anything around the house that might feel gooey or squishy. Add a blindfold for extra anticipation and fun!

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Get your kids moving this month with a treasure hunt! Leave clues around the house and/or in the backyard for your kids to find. Pair each clue with a treat or perhaps have them lead to one big surprise! You can find free printable template options online, or feel free to download our template.

Have a Happy Halloween and we hope you enjoy some of these delicious recipes and spooky activity ideas!

Written By: Alejandra Zamora

Happy April! This month we celebrate Earth Day, an annual, worldwide campaign  to raise awareness for pressing environmental issues like climate change, recycling, deforestation, pollution and more. While technically only one day a year, Earth Day highlights topics that should be kept top of mind while we go on about our everyday lives,  like sustainable practices that individuals and businesses can adopt to really make a difference. Much of the difference we as individuals can make can actually be done in the kitchen, like reducing food waste and investing in reusable products. In fact, did you know that many of these routines can also save you time and money? In this blog post, we’re challenging you (and ourselves!) to try implementing the following practices, and let us know what they do for your daily routine— and your wallet!

Reduce your food waste

According to the EPA, 63.1 million tons of food waste was accumulated in landfills across commercial, institutional, and residential sectors. So many things can be done to reduce food waste that will also save money and extend your food supply. Firstly, composting has become extremely popular in the last few years due to its ease and impact. In case you’re unfamiliar, composting is the collection of food and kitchen scraps, like egg shells, coffee grounds, and cardboard, that can be repurposed to fertilize soil. Not only can this practice save space in your garbage (hooray to buying less trash bags!), but it has also offloaded 25 million tons of municipal solid waste from landfills. But, what about the smell? Not to worry– many shops sell countertop compost containers that come with a built-in filter for any potential smell. You can even check your municipal government or local trash collector’s website to see if they offer composting services like curbside collection or a free bin. Check here for a list of a few pickup services. 

Another way to reduce food waste that can also save you money is to actually use your food scraps! For instance, you can…

• Use vegetable scraps like carrot tops, onion peels and celery hearts to make homemade stock or pesto
• Drop parmesan rinds in soups to give it extra flavor (keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to use it)
• Turn your coffee grounds into a body scrub
• Create croutons, breadcrumbs, bread pudding or French toast  out of stale bread
• Deglaze pans or make sauces with old alcohol like wine

While these tips do require a little more TLC than others, it’s worth it in the long run for the effect it has on your wallet and your pantry!

Invest in reusable, sustainable products

Take note of the word invest in this section. Some reusable products can seem expensive up front, but over time, you save more money than you spend. As a matter of fact, according to one blog, you can save up to $9,000 a year by making just a few of these swaps. Here are some to consider: 

• Buy less paper towels for cleanup and eating by using cloths and old rags.
• A good-quality water bottle will save you from buying heavy packs of plastic water bottles at the store (not to mention the fridge space it’ll save!).
• At some grocery stores, bringing reusable bags can save you some cents for every trip.
• Cloth coffee filters and fill-able K-Cups mean no more buying disposable filters
• Reusable sealed bags for school lunches and leftovers will prevent you from buying disposable plastic ones at the store. Hot tip: You can even make popcorn with them!
• Stainless steel cutlery and kitchen utensils like spatulas and tongs will last longer and be easier to clean than plastic ones
• Energy Star appliances can cut costs on your energy bill

Check out this blog post for specific breakdowns on exactly how much money you can save with some of these tips. 

Meal plan & shop the right way

When you think of meal planning or prepping, you probably picture a kitchen counter full of containers that contain full breakfast, lunch and dinner meals with an ingredient from every level of the food pyramid. While that image is great if you have the time, meal planning doesn’t have to look exactly like that! Meal planning simply means heading to the grocery store with a list of ingredients derived from a set of recipes you plan on making during the week. When you head to the store with a mission, you’ll avoid wandering through aisles to pick up items you may or may not have and wasting food at home. In our Common Threads recipe tab, we have an arsenal of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts and snacks that were created with families and nutrition in mind. Browse through our collection, pick a few doable recipes and write down your weekly list of groceries after taking into account what you already have– all you need is a few minutes! Take a look at our 4-3-2-1 Meal Planning resource video to learn another easy method with more tips and tricks for you successfully meal prep for the week.

Another easy way to save money and the Earth is to adopt certain shopping practices, like buying produce in-season. In-season fruits and vegetables are produce currently at their harvesting peak. This also means that prices are typically lower for these particular items due to high supply. Get creative each season by swapping out different fruits for snacks and greens for salads and casseroles. Check out a comprehensive list of what’s in-season here. Buying frozen foods like spinach for stir fry’s and fruit for smoothies is also a great way to save money (it’s almost always less expensive!) and make food last longer (hello, less food waste!). 

We hope you incorporate some of these tips into your everyday lifestyle to see how they can benefit you and our planet. Make every day Earth Day with Common Threads! 

Written By: Lucas King, Marketing Intern

Happy New Year! Each year, people all over the world participate in different New Year’s food traditions that are believed to bring them good luck in the coming year. 

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a longtime tradition that is thought to bring good luck. There are many theories surrounding why they are associated with luck. One of these theories is rooted in African-American history, and claims that newly freed slaves ate dishes made with black-eyed peas to celebrate the January 1863 Emancipation, as this was one of the foods made available to the slaves. Celebrate this tradition with our Ham Hocks and Black Eyed Peas recipe. 

Another common New Year’s food tradition is pork. This tradition originates from the behavior of a pig. While chickens and turkeys scratch backwards, a pig buries its snout in the ground, and moves forward. This is meant to symbolize moving ahead into the new year, and improving our lives, rather than focusing on the mistakes of the past. Eating pork on New Year’s Day is a tradition rooted in Germany and Eastern Europe, and brought to the United States.

Collard greens are also believed to bring good luck in the New Year. Their green color symbolizes money and prosperity. According to traditions rooted in the South, greens can be hung by the door to ward off evil spirits that may enter our lives.

Unlike the other traditions discussed so far, lentils are typically eaten on New Year’s Eve, after midnight, in mostly Italian households. The round shape of lentils is meant to symbolize prosperity because of their resemblance to coins. Lentils are often paired with pork, another New Year’s tradition, and sausages.

In Filipino culture, a variety of fruits are used to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Specifically, twelve different fruits are used to symbolize each month of the year. Round fruits are typically the most sought after for this tradition. In Mexico, grapes are used to celebrate this tradition, and in many other cultures, pomegranates are used to symbolize fertility and birth in the coming year. 

Meals that use fish are eaten all around the world to celebrate New Year’s Day, especially in countries closer to water. Specifically, in Scandinavian countries, herring is believed to bring in good fortune. Herring is a heavily traded product, and has brought much prosperity to these countries. Therefore, eating herring on New Year’s Day was a way to hope for good catches in the months to come. Herring’s migrational patterns are very unpredictable, making it very hard to expect a good year for catching herring. 

While New Year’s Day is celebrated differently across cultures around the world, it is one that brings cultures together. Different cultures have different traditions, all rooted in similar ideas of good fortune and prosperity. Celebrate the New Year with some of our recipes!

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Resources: 

• The Real Simple

Written By: Jeneene Connelly

The holidays are rooted in culture and tradition, similar to our values here at Common Threads. It is also a time to gather with family and friends, to make cherished memories, eat delicious traditional foods, and bring in the new year with the best intentions. This holiday season we encourage children and families to make new holiday traditions that celebrate food, culture, and the world around us.

Here are some ways to do so: 

1. Holiday shop at a local farmer’s market. It is easy to get caught up in holiday online shopping or at a mall. But don’t forget about your local farmer’s markets where you can find locally grown produce, made from scratch foods to try, and unique handmade items that make excellent gifts. By shopping local, children and families can help support the community and make a new and exciting holiday tradition.
2. Nod to the past. Holiday recipes tend to be passed down from generation to generation. Putting a spin on a cultural recipe, however, is an easy way to create a new traditional recipe while still keeping original key ingredients! For example, mixing our Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese recipe with the same cheese grandma uses for her traditional Mac & Cheese recipe can create a brand new recipe for the family to try. Creating new recipes while honoring the past traditional recipes can be seen as an exciting venture for you and your family! 
3. Try a different cultural recipe. Trying traditional recipes from other cultures can be an inspiring way to explore and honor diversity with children and families. Here are some Common Threads recipes that honor different cultures during this Holiday season for you and your family to try: 

Kwanzaa

(Dec 26, 2021 – Jan 1, 2022)

Also known as Karamu, includes these foods commonly consumed on the sixth night of Kwanzaa

• Shrimp & Okra Saute: sauteed and seasoned shrimp, okra, tomato, and onion served over brown rice
• Egusi Soup: a flavorful soup made with sirloin beef, vegetables, and seasonings and topped with pumpkin seeds
• Collard greens: a mix of cooked lentils, collard greens, and onions and seasoned to taste

New Years or Chinese New Year

(Jan. 1, 2022/ Lunar New Year, Feb. 1, 2022)

Both feature symbolic ingredients to bring you health and happiness in the new year!

• Lebanese Fattoush Salad: A Mediterranean salad including lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, and toasted bread drizzled with a dressing made from pomegranates, a symbol of good luck.
• Haitian JouMou: Traditional Jou Mou is made with beef marinated in Haitian Epis and pureed Kabocha squash with hearty vegetables like potatoes and carrots with aromatic onions, leeks, and garlic. This traditional soup is consumed in celebration on Jan. 1, honoring Haiti’s revolution and independence. 
• Stir fry: a mix of vegetables, chicken and soba noodles, symbolic of longevity  sautéed in a flavorful sauce. Try our Cauliflower Stir Fry for a vegetarian option as many abstain from eating meat in celebration of Chinese New Year.
• Ham Hocks & Black Eyed Peas: A traditional southern dish made up of stewed pork, vegetables, and black eyed peas has long been recognized as good luck. This dish is usually consumed on January 1, as a symbol of bringing in the new year with good fortune. 

Mixing up holiday traditions this year can be a fun and exciting new way to celebrate and honor the world around us but food will always be our Common Thread! 

Want more Holiday recipe inspiration this December? Make sure to download our holiday cookbook! Happy Holidays!