Reflection and 2013 Goals

Happy New Year everyone!

This time of year – instead of making lofty resolutions – I prefer to reflect back on the last 12 months; recognize any lessons learned; and create goals moving forward into the next year.

I would describe 2012 as an exciting year of learning and growth for me personally as well as for Skinny Mom’s Kitchen. I accomplished a lot but still feel like I have a long way to go.

Here is my list of what I learned and goals moving forward.

• I started 2012 with the goal of creating a 52 Weeks to Healthier Weight Loss Habits series. Well, let’s just say that did not work out. I started off strong but by week 25 I fizzled out. I was really disappointed in myself because I am not one to just throw in the towel. Funny thing is I had all 52 habits listed out I just did not manage my time effectively to actually write them. Sorry about that. My goal moving forward is to finish the series this year and turn it into a free eBook for all of you. Yay!
• Last year at this time I still had around 20 pounds to lose. Well guess what? I didn’t lose any. Fortunately, because I have adopted healthier habits, I have not gained all my weight back – although I did gain some. Looking back, I struggled with finding a balance between everything I wanted and needed to get done. When life got busy I found myself pushing exercise down the priority list and getting lazy with tracking my foods. The main lesson I learned from this is creating a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong process. While I have put into place healthy habits, I still need to be focused and intentional with my foods and working out. My overall goal moving forward is lose the last 20+ pounds. To do this I will focus on getting back to the basics – tracking my food, prioritizing exercise, and accountability. This year on Skinny Mom’s Kitchen I will be posting my weight on Tuesdays. I picked Tuesdays because New Years Day falls on Tuesday so I thought what better time than the present. Look for the first post later today.You are welcome to weigh in with me every week. I know some of you don’t like scales but for me it is the best way I have found to hold myself accountable – it works for me. If you would rather use another method then please do.
• Even though I did not lose any more weight I can say that my eating habits did continue to improve. I moved more towards a clean eating and real food lifestyle. Basically, this means I have worked to reduce or eliminate processed foods from my diet. I am by no means perfect but I have made great strides in this area. I have to say that I have never felt better because of it. I will continue on this path moving forward. I put together a list eating guidelines I will follow to keep me focused on this goal. Other goals in this area will be to source out and purchase local meats, join a CSA, and create a vegetable garden. The first two should be easy the third we will see.
• In 2012, I grew a lot as a home cook. I enjoyed preparing new recipes and learning new cooking techniques – especially ones that made life easier in the kitchen. This year my focus will be on preparing real and clean foods ahead of time using easy cooking techniques as well as make ahead and freezer cooking methods. I plan to offer instructional videos to mix up the content a bit.
• This past year I worked with different brands and also joined the curator’s network with Kitchen Daily. This was a great experience and allowed me to grow as a blogger. In 2013, I will also be joining the Cooking Light’s Bloggers’ Connection. I am very excited about this partnership because I have been a huge Cooking Light fan for years. By joining these networks and building relationships with brands it is my goal to bring you the best information and recipes to help you build a healthy lifestyle for yourself and family.
• The biggest change this year for Skinny Mom’s Kitchen was the new site design and logo. Earlier in the year it dawned on me that everything I was talking about – menu planning, make ahead meals, freezer cooking, cooking tips, and more – centered on organizing a healthier lifestyle. Therefore I had my site logo and designed changed to reflect that message. The goal moving forward is to continue focusing on these topics.
• My next reflection and goal also relates to the site design but I wanted to talk about it separately. As I said earlier, it became clear that the method I was using to create a healthier lifestyle had a lot to do with organization. Just like organizing any area of your life it is a process. Where do you start? What do you do? What are the tools? Back in August I started writing my first ebook outlining the entire process I used to organize my weight loss. My original goal was to have it complete by this past December but obviously that did not happen. I am learning that writing a book while raising a family, working full-time, and writing a blog is a lot of work and takes a ton of time. However, I feel this book is going to help many of you create the healthy lifestyle you want so I am determined to get it done no later than the summer. Stay tuned!

Lastly, I just want to say thank you to all of you for supporting Skinny Mom’s Kitchen over the last couple years. I truly believe that I would have fallen off the weight loss wagon a long time ago if it was not for this blog. I enjoy sharing my story and experiences with all of you. More importantly, I love talking with and learning from all of you too.

I look forward to 2013 and providing you with the best information and resources to help you organize and create a healthier lifestyle for you and your family.

Cheers.