January Goals
2 Jan
Well, the first Monday of January has just about come to a close, which means back-to-work for me tomorrow! I can’t believe our holiday break is over, but I guess all good things must come to an end.
I headed off to a 6:00AM spin class first thing this morning. I thought it would be a good idea to start the week with an early wake-up call so tomorrow isn’t quite so brutal. Plus, I definitely prefer to workout in the morning, but that isn’t really a possibility with work, so when I can I definitely take advantage of it!
When I returned home from the gym, I whipped up a quick breakfast of a cheese omelet (2 eggs + leftover shredded cheese from last Monday’s taco bake), served alongside two pieces of toast (with jelly) & a mug of coffee.
After quickly showering, I headed off to Target & the grocery store to stock up for the week. As I was getting ready to check-out, I fell victim to the convenience of the grocery store salad bar. It was just about lunch time, & for some reason a salad sounded really good. I chose the small size, & loaded it up with all kinds of goodies.
Dessert was two Gertrude Hawk peanut butter Smidgens… so good!
This lunch didn’t hold me over for too long, so a few hours later I blended up a quick & tasty smoothie.
In the mix:
- 1 very ripe banana
- 1 handful blackberries (lovin’ these lately!)
- 1 & 1/2 c. milk
- 2 heaping tbsp. vanilla Chobani
- 4 ice cubes
The banana/blackberry combo was delicious & I loved the pretty purple color! 
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I thought that I would continue with my plan of setting monthly goals, rather than create a list of resolutions for the entire year.
January Goals
1) Get more sleep – This is similar to the goal I set for December of getting up on time for work. I’m never actually late for work, but I definitely love the snooze button! I know that getting to bed earlier, even if it’s only 15 or 20 minutes, is definitely a necessity for me in 2012!
2) Be more mindful of my spending – Chris & I are pretty good with our money & tend to keep each other in-check when it comes to making frivolous purchases. However, over the last few weeks I’ve found myself becoming a little more lax with coupon-clipping & taking extra cost-saving measures. (I blame it on the hustle & bustle of the holidays, but still, no excuse…) I want to start paying more attention to where our money is going & work on saving as much as possible!
3) Add more variety to my breakfasts & lunches – (Almost) Every weekday morning for the last 2 years or so, I’ve had an English muffin (toasted with butter & jelly), a banana, & coffee for breakfast. It’s quick & easy to prepare before heading off to work. I also fall back on sandwiches – usually peanut butter & jelly – as a quick lunch option. There are plenty of other meals that require quick preparation, I just haven’t discovered them yet! Tomorrow, I’m going to try this recipe for overnight oats.
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Alrighty, off to prepare a quick & easy dinner of spaghetti & meatballs. Have a great evening & for those of you heading back to work tomorrow after a vacation – good luck, we’ll need it! 
Do you have any quick, go-to breakfast or lunch options?
great goals! i have several “go to” breakfast & lunch options that i choose from each day. for breakfast i usually choose between: 1/2 sliced banana & PB on wheat toast w/ flax seeds sprinkled on top; “custard oats” (oatmeal w/ an egg mixed in) topped with flax seeds, PB & 1/2 sliced banana; or some version of overnight oats. my lunches usually consist of some sort of sandwich (most of the time tuna or turkey on wheat), leftovers, or a big ol’ salad. i try to keep my breakfasts & lunches easy but always packed with protein and healthy carbs.
Custard oats sounds fantastic!
You know how much I love my turkey bacon
Although that isn’t exactly the “quickest”..
How about take oatmeal to go? Maybe a smoothie or a PB & banana sandwich? Or maybe you can make some muffins or something? Also, The Fitnessista has a good recipe for a breakfast cookie you might like
I will definitely be checking out the breakfast cookie recipe!
Great goals- I have oatmeal all.the.time for breakfast. Every M-F I am taking my oatmeal to work! (crud, speaking of which, I need to make it RIGHT NOW- thanks for the reminder) Guess I’ll continue to ride the oatmeal train!
Good luck tomorrow- you’re right, we’ll need the luck! (and ENERGY!)
I had overnight oats today & really enjoyed them so I think I’ll be having oatmeal much more often now!
I head back to work on Wednesday this week and I can’t decide if I’m ready to return to a normal routine or not! I love your goals for the year
I like to make homemade pancakes and waffles and freeze them, then reheat them for breakfast with peanut butter instead of syrup. It gives me extra protein and a little less sugar. I’m also a fan of smoothies for breakfast with protein powder in the mix.
Great idea to freeze pancakes & waffles! And LUCKY that you had one extra day off!
Most breakfasts include a quick egg white scramble with some fruit or greek yogurt with fruit — keeps me full and only takes 5 minutes to prepare!
Breakfast is always always always oatmeal for me. For lunch, it’s a sandwich (turkey on rye), soup, or some type of leftovers from a night earlier in the week. Good luck with your goals!
I’m working on making enough for dinner so that I have leftovers, but my husband has a big appetite so it’s difficult! I’m cooking for 4 or 6 when there’s just two of us!
That is one pretty smoothie
Looks delicious! Love your goals!I need to start putting more energy into my meals…hopefully that will make them healthier!
I am right there with you on needing to add more variety to breakfast and lunch. I get in such food ruts–but I LOVE routines! My tastebuds are happy, but I am sure my body could use a bit more nutritional variety!
That omelet looks YUMMY!
Way to plan ahead and get up early yesterday!! I, of course, slept till like 9 or later. I’m getting my new blender in 2 days!! Can’t wait. I feel you on the mindful spending. I’m trying to take up coupon clipping, but haven’t been very successful. I just don’t find the time. I guess it’s not a big enough priority so I need to make like a… measurable goal! Haha.
It can be a pretty big time-suck, but I try to dedicate at least a half hour to clipping coupons every Sunday morning!
I will have to try that smoothie combination! I got a new blender for Christmas, so I am antsy to try out new recipes other than my usual banana and peanut butter! I agree with your one goal to add more variety to meals. I find myself eating the same thing every breakfast and lunch!!
I like overnight oats for breakfast, or even warm porridge! Sometimes toast and banana is just too yummy, quick, and easy to pass up, though. For lunch, I usually take a salad, leftovers from dinner, or I like to keep frozen veggie burgers on hand that I can quickly cook in the morning while I am getting ready for work.