This week for dinner: Eat well, take care of the planet Edition 2023!

For years, I made New Year’s resolutions that tied the food we eat and/or the way we cook to positive environmental changes. And then I started working for “the man” which was great (I love a good 9 to 5 existence, actually…go figure) but also put the blog (and sometimes the kitchen) back burner. But this environmental awareness has impacted my kids (yay!) and now they’re calling me slacker. My girls and I talked this weekend and decided we needed to get back on track.

We took a minute to reflect on our past resolutions and decided to focus on the following for 2023:

For several years, our goal has been to eat less meat and more plant-based foods. It went pretty well! And then I no longer made it a priority. But this graphic keeps popping up in my mind:

It shows so clearly the impact that food products derived from pigs and cows have on carbon emissions, it’s pretty mind-boggling. The girls and I decided to start focusing on those three middle columns again, which should be difficult since we’ve already done that!

This one is tough. I will say that our previous efforts have not been in vain…we are definitely using less paper towels and plastic products than before and I think we are still attractive good about it. But I admit that I have become lazy in recent years. It’s time to be more disciplined again! Like remembering reusable bags in the back of the car for groceries (thanks, COVID-19, for breaking that good habit). Use only paper towels to clean up grease. Eat less in restaurants. Resist the urge to remove the plastic wrap.

So let’s go ! Back on the wagon again!

If you made similar resolutions, share them! If you would like to join our journey, do not hesitate! If you have any favorite tips or products that contributed to any of the above, please write them down in the comments! Here’s one small change at a time that makes a difference.