The worst year on record is almost over.
Things can only get better from here on out, don't you think?
I believe so with all my heart.
Turning a page on a calendar or hanging up a new one might not appear, to the logical mind, a move that can effect change in any real way, especially given the terrible things that happened in the world this past year.
But what can make a difference on a personal level for most of us is how we respond to the problems we find ourselves mired in.
That's why, my resolution for this new year is to have a more positive outlook, starting with being more grateful, truly grateful, for all the blessings in my life.
I like to think I am a grateful person. But if I were to be really honest I would have to admit that my actions rarely reflect that. Caught up in the daily stresses of life, I take things and even people for granted more often than not, including those closest to me. When I am angry or annoyed or frustrated, I let the negativity linger on for much longer than it ever needs to.
So in the New Year, I am going to work towards making a better me. Not a slimmer me, or a more prosperous me, but a kinder, more grateful me. Someone who listens before they speak. Someone who considers, more keenly, the needs and feelings of others. And someone who is eager to give back more than I can get.
On the blog, you can continue to expect healthy, tasty recipes that are designed for EVERYONE. Like me, so many people now find themselves balancing the needs of families made up of omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. And so many more are just looking to eat healthy sometimes. Gone are the days when eating vegan was a thing a few of us wierdo outliers did. Today, more and more people are choosing meatless foods because they are compassionate, healthy--and tasty.
The availability of vegan foods itself has come a long way since the days I first became a vegan, in 2007. We have access to so many more delicious ingredients, including meatless meats that look and taste like the real thing. When my dyed-in-the-wool omnivore friends tell me they are adding alternative meat products to their diets, increasingly so in recent months, it makes me happier than I can say.
In Veganuary, especially, I plan to focus on cozy, hearty, healthy, plant-based foods made (mostly) without processed ingredients or added sugars but that are full-blown delicious. I have lots of recipes planned, and I can't wait to share them with you. I hope you will visit, and as always, let me know when you like something or--constructively--when you don't.
If you are a new vegan, I have tons of resources for you to make your transition easier. Browse through my recipe collections for recipes for breakfast/brunch, stews, recipes you can put together with pantry ingredients, Indian vegan restaurant recipes, and even vegan detox recipes for the new year. If you have kids like I do, I have tons of recipes for kids on the blog as well as tips on parenting vegan kids in my collection of 66 kid-friendly vegan recipes.
If you've visited Holy Cow! before, you know I love baking vegan bread and I love to get you to do it too. 😉 There is truly nothing so amazing or joyous as filling the house with the fragrance of fresh baked bread, and winter is the perfect time to bake, when the weather outside makes turning the oven on a pleasure. I have dozens of bread recipes on the blog, including recipes for making a sourdough starter (and a gluten-free sourdough starter) and sourdough breads.
Here's to a very Happy new year! Let's make 2021 a good one.
And if you have a resolution for the new year, I'd love to hear it.
I'll leave you with pictures of some of the greatest blessings in my life--my kids.
Laura
Thank you for your posting and I believe in you.
Take care...