goal time: food goals for the new year

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’Tis the season for resolutions, but science tells us resolutions are a bad idea. Apparently, less than 10% of us are successful at keeping them. The inevitable failure, coupled with the January time-bind, can be pretty damaging to one’s psyche and long-term ability to change behavior or achieve big things. What is established among high achievers and general go-getters is the value of telling someone else your goals. So here I am, telling you my big food goals for 2018.

Brooke Lark

focus on the purpose of food with a view

Like many founders, I created foodwithaview.com because I needed it to exist. When I moved to New Jersey from Manhattan, I mourned the loss of good, if not world-class food at every turn. Not one to sit and cry about things, I used every resource at my disposal to find the best restaurants within a 45 mile radius of my new home. Spoiler alert: there were not that many resources. I am only sorry it took me over ten years to start writing all this down, but hey, priorities. Point is, in 2018, while I will still deliver the other parts of foodwithaview.com that both I and my readers enjoy (food and beverage pairings, kitchen love, cookbooks, travel, and such), I am going to spend a lot more virtual real estate on good old-fashioned restaurant reviews. Because that was the always the point.

take prettier pictures

I have always wanted to improve my photography skills. If I do say so myself, I am not half bad naturally. I think I have an eye for composition and a general sense for color and light. But the technical aspects have always been a mystery. That is a nice way of saying that, until about a year ago, I had no idea how to actually use my fancy camera. I have come a long way in a year, but in 2018, I plan to buckle down with those virtual books and master those technical skills. I also plan to practice, practice, practice. And because I keep it real here on Food with a View, a little proof of my general skill improvement provided below for your amusement.

cook adventurously at home

Remember that time I told you about how a food blogger really eats? This particular food blogger tends to eat particularly poorly in December. Nope, it is not the holiday binge. It is the worst of my work “busy season”, a time of big deadlines, long hours, and general stress eating. I have gotten better at managing it over the years, but preparing actual meals is one of the first things to go when times get tough. There is a lot of takeout sushi, salads, and quick scrambled eggs being consumed around these parts. I love to cook, and I particularly love to try new recipes. Time to dust off that big stack of cookbooks and get adventurous in the kitchen again.

curate more

This next goal will probably not come as a big surprise given those first few goals. Deciding to focus on more restaurant reviews, generally improving my photography skills, and cooking at home will take up a lot of my time. To help keep some balance in my life, I plan to dedicate a portion of my voice to sharing the best of the general food community. Along this journey, I have had the pleasure of discovering so many wonderful food writers and creators. I have also read more cookbooks than I ever imagined, learned more techniques than I dreamed, and been inspired by more ideas than I could envision. So while I will continue to create lots of original content, you will also find me acting as curator, bringing you the best of what I discover along the way. It allows me to focus on other goals, and brings you more of the wonderful world of food.

Alison Marras

give this keto thing a go

If you follow me on Instagram or Pinterest, you may have noticed that Gary and I have embarked on a ketogenic diet. It is primarily for me to manage migraines, but it has a lot of other benefits we are enjoying. We have been off and on for the past few months, but overall we like it and plan to dive in a bit more consistently in the new year. Yes, as a food blogger, any type of strict diet is challenging, but I am optimistic that this one will allow us to strike the right balance. Follow along and see how we do!

make those restaurant meals count

When I had kid number one, I was given a lot of advice. One of my favorites, from my then boss and still friend Marie: “children pass through you”. It was such an elegant way of reminding me to maintain a relationship with my husband, because he was there first, and, if we did it right, was going to be there long after they were gone. Right from the start, we instituted regular date nights. Over eight years later, we are still going strong. But, in the spirit of continuous improvement, we decided we needed to use them better. No more meeting in the car at the appointed time with an exhausted “where do you want to go for dinner?” This year, we will work through that “restaurants to try” list, including repeat visits to some of those special “worth the trip” spots I am dying to share with my foodwithaview.com readers.

Alison Marras

I could probably go on, but science also says too many goals leads to inevitable failure and goal burnout. So I will stop at six, and get cracking on some serious action planning for the coming months. In the meantime, you can all look forward to more. More restaurants to explore, more food discoveries to enjoy. More kitchen victories to celebrate, and yes, probably a few mishaps along the way. We will continue to share a few laughs and of course, good food. Happy new year!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook and help monitor my progress on these goals throughout 2018. What’s your big goal for 2018?

p.s. some of you may have noticed you received a draft of this post a little early! Hit that publish button by accident and out the door it went. Sorry about that!