One time for 2022 - FOOD

No, literally, I'm going to blog once this whole year. It has been a year of personal and professional growth, but as you can tell, it's been offline. Frankly, the lines between personal and professional have been hazy these last couple years and this year I got a better grip on that.

What knowledge could I possibly impart on this last day of 2022 that would matter at all? I guess I'll just say the following things about something deeply personal and important to me: food.

First, I've tried new food things, especially plant based things. I made tofu tacos and they were great. Tofu gets a bad rap. I want to explore more and more this coming year - new spices and lots and lots of new soups. My dziadek would be proud. 

• If I can make a recommendation for a blog AND a book, I would say Love & Lemons. Jeanine and Jack make a plant-based diet so accessible and delicious with all of their wonderful recipes. Gonna' buy this book for myself, not gonna' lie. Got that spiral-bound for heavy use. 

Next, I love growing stuff I eat. To be clear, I'm only talking plants here. I'm not a great gardener. In fact, I have a little plot of dead seedlings I was experimenting with downstairs right now. However, I won't give up. There's something really great about having my own little patch of land where I can grow things that I can harvest and enjoy throughout the year. There are tons of resources out there, but here's a few of my favorites:

• Book: The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch
• The joe gardener Show podcast

My absolute favorite purchase in the last year or two has been my compost machine. Yes, I have a compost pile way in the back, but it takes a long time and frankly, I kept adding to it, never really having a complete pile. Now, I use Vitamix's FoodCycler FC-50. It's worth every, single penny. It's also made me much more in tune with how much food waste we're producing. Hopefully it will help my sketchy garden journey, too!

Lastly, I've really taken a liking to tracking my food and drink by simply making quick pages with a bunch of days and happily track along as I see fit. I journal if I'm feeling the spirit, but sometimes, I just want to mark what I consumed and get on with it. It's flexible and perfect. Hopefully I can incorporate more meal planning, but that's an ongoing struggle. 

Have a safe and happy new year!