We all know that sticking to New Year’s resolutions can be pretty difficult. Many resolutions made every year are centered around topics related to health and fitness. Whether it’s losing weight, exercising, or eating healthier, nearly half of people who make resolutions have at least one health related goal. Here are some ways you can stick to your 2018 resolutions.

Break Down Your Goals

Instead of a difficult goal to achieve such as losing 50 pounds, break your goals down into smaller and more attainable ones. If your goal is to exercise more, don’t plan on going to the gym for an hour every single day or you’ll never start. Start off by walking for 15 minutes a day and hopefully by the end of the year you’ll be in the gym every day or at least exercising more regularly.

Be Specific

Rather than saying you resolve to be healthier, come up with more specific goals. For example, instead of saying you want to eat better, resolve to replace unhealthy processed foods with fresh, plant-based options. Get even more specific by making a shopping list and sticking to it.

Stay Accountable

It’s a lot easier to accomplish any goal when you have someone working on a similar goal or at least someone who knows about yours and wants to help keep you accountable. Whether it’s one person or a group such as a workout class or co-workers who want to eat healthier lunches, this tip can really motivate you.

Focus on Progress

Take time to re-examine your goals and see how you are doing along the way. If you slip up here or there don’t abandon your goals but just try harder to get back on track. Even if you make slight improvements to your daily habits you are at least getting a little bit healthier along the way.

If updating your kitchen would help you improve your food related goals, contact Blue Water Kitchens & More today at 810-958-3193.

If you’re looking to change things up a bit for 2018, trying out some new recipes may do the trick. Whether you’ve resolved to be healthier or simply to try new things, spending time in the kitchen and improving your cooking skills is never a bad thing.

This black pepper tofu recipe is great for anyone including those on a vegan or vegetarian diet. This recipe can be customized based on your tastes or dietary restrictions and this tofu is anything but bland.

Ingredients Needed (serves four to six):

• 1 ¾ lb. firm tofu (cut into 1” cubes)
• 2 cups canola oil
• 11 tbsp. unsalted butter
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 12 cloves crushed garlic
• 12 thinly sliced small shallots
• 8 stemmed and thinly sliced serrano chiles
• 5 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 3 tsp. light soy sauce
• 3 tsp. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
• 16 small scallions cut into 1 1/4” pieces
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• Cooked white rice

Directions

1. Heat canola oil in 12” skillet over medium to high heat
2. Toss cornstarch and tofu in a bowl until coated evenly
3. Fry tofu for about 3 minutes, until browned
4. Drain tofu and set aside
5. Discard oil and wipe skillet clean
6. Heat butter in skillet over medium heat
7. Add in ginger, shallots, chiles, and garlic
8. Cook for about 15 minutes, until soft
9. Stir in pepper, sugar, and soy sauces
10. Cook and stir tofu in skillet for about two minutes, until warmed through
11. Stir in scallions and serve over rice

If you need a better place to prepare your recipes such as new kitchen countertops or new cabinets to store your cookware in, contact Blue Water Kitchens & More today by calling 810-958-3193.