New Year, New Rules

Aaah, new years resolutions, such a time for optimism and self improvement, all the better if you can do them as part of a team. A few years ago I had a new year's resolution, to use my cookbooks more - and Eat Your Books has been marvelous at reaching that goal, it's only a few years delayed, but that and having them in arms length of the kitchen table has also been great.

So this year, we have 3, all of which are kind of food related

• No drinking alcohol on a 'school night' - We'll ignore the fact that Pete doesn't work in the kind of job where he actually get's a weekend and see if we can manage consumption, and costs a little. Switching to boxes of wine a little while ago was a big help too.
• Vegan Mondays - Since our diet is pretty much meat free anyway - sometimes there is fish and I'll eat meat if I fancy it when we go out we thought trying to have a Vegan meal every Monday would be a good thing. I can go back to having exciting experiments with Tofu and it will cut down on cheese / cream / Crème fraîche consumption a little.
• Using up stuff (this goes for non food items too - I've got so much bubble bath to use - why do I keep buying it???) We've got cupboards full of rices, grains, spices etc - it's time to clear the decks a little. So they aim of the game is substitution instead of buying new.

In light of this tonight's dinner will constitute a stuffed butternut squash and some braised red cabbage (we have 2 lefts from the Christmas mega hamper / veg box I'm sauerkrauting the other one). Not sure what tomorrow's dinner will contain but we get our first veg box of the new year on Wednesday - can't wait!