You’ve made it through the overindulgence of the holidays. The non stop food and the booze soaked evenings and now we have made it into the New Year. Are you the type of person who has made a resolution?

It’s a funny thing this New Year resolution lark, I mean the whole point of the Christmas feast is to make you feel good during the deepest, darkest and coldest days of winter. With that in mind suggesting that you deprive yourself at this time of year is a really dumb thing to do…I mean wouldn’t it be better to wait until summer?

Having a salad in January is not the most appealing thing and giving up vices in the darkness of winter is depressing just to think about. My feeling is that whoever came up with this idea is still laughing at everyone who falls for their sick joke. If ever there was a time of year to sit in the pub and enjoying a few pints over a Sunday roast, this is it.

Instead of punishing yourself why not try to make just a little positive change. It’s easy and satisfying especially when it comes to food. Now we all know it’s a good thing to eat more healthily so how about challenging yourself to learn a new style of cooking or to make small changes to your eating habits. How about a vegetarian meal once or twice a week? What about learning how to perfect a good warming spicy Thai curry and add that to your menu? Is there a cuisine you love to eat out but have never tried cooking for yourself at home? Well now is a great time to start working on such things and putting them into action.

This will get you the healthier diet you promised yourself without making it seem like life has become a penance, after all as a general rule I say if it’s not fun don’t do it!

A good way to push yourself out of your comfort zone in the kitchen is to pick up an ingredient you have never cooked (or eaten) from the supermarket. For example you could try one of the weird and wonderful squashes which are available around now. Take it home and find a recipe; a quick tip is that all squashes eat well with rice and all go well with a simple creamy mushroom sauce. It makes for a delicious well balanced meal and feels a little indulgent with the creaminess of the sauce.

Fish is also a great way to get amazing flavour but keep the fat low, and is often overlooked in a lot of people’s kitchens. When I was a kid I hated smoked haddock, now I can’t get enough of it. Why not try it with a classic Mornay sauce and serve with mashed potatoes and peas. Simple and an absolute delight!

What food resolutions have you committed to this year? Or is there a resolution you tried in the past and it didn’t quite go to plan?

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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