Easy As Cookies

  • Recipes
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
×
Home » Miscellaneous

2019 Resolutions

Published: Jan 1, 2019 · Modified: Mar 15, 2025 by Leona Konkel · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

I feel like I've been waiting for 2018 to end for the last few weeks.

I hate that I've felt that way. In part, it's because of the hustle of Christmas. We traveled to Texas to have an early Christmas with my family, then had a few days to prepare for Christmas at home. Amelia was sick in the meantime, and without Alex taking time off after Christmas, nothing has felt festive. It's hard to believe that Christmas was just a few days ago.

I went a little overboard with Christmas baking. I made a single pie, but we also had chocolate chip cookies, chocolate toffee cookies, peanut blossoms, bourbon balls, and chocolate marshmallows. I've been working hard at eating it all, but there always seems to be some left!

Too many sweets around still, so I can't bake more. But I feel lost without something to bake.

[This post contains affiliate links. I may make a commission for purchases made through links on this post.]

Cooking Resolutions for 2019

Too many sweets brings me around to my resolutions. However, they may be contradictory.

  1. Make a new cookie recipe or publish a cookie recipe each week.
  2. Bake bread more often.
  3. Do Cook90 again this January.

Yes, I just said I made us too many cookies, but I enjoy them so much that I will continue baking them! So, look forward to seeing new cookie recipes pop up here on a regular basis. I have 2 cookie recipes that I've been working on and am hoping to get up soon. Reviews of other recipes will show up on my Facebook page, so follow along with me there!

As for bread - I enjoyed 2014, my year of bread. I don't want to commit to making a loaf a week, but I'd like to get back into it in general. And I'm going to start a sourdough starter this month.

Cook90 for 2019

Just as I did last year, I'm going to eat 90 home-cooked meals during the month of January.

This Cook90 means more serious and strict menu/meal planning than I've been doing most recently. I'll have to be sure we have leftovers for lunch, and back-up meals that I can toss together when I just don't feel like cooking what I originally planned.

No, I'm not going to cook quite every day. When Alex begins teaching an evening class at the end of the month, we'll begin having our dinners out again. And I'm a fan of leftovers for dinner during the week, too.

Overall, I was very glad that I did this challenge last year. I even wrote a post about what I loved about it. I ended up meal planning almost every week during 2018 (and following most of those menus).

As a bonus, my grocery shopping trips became faster (because I shopped mainly from my list) and less expensive (because I wasn't searching out those great buys).

If you're curious about what I made in January 2018, you can view my menu for the month here.

Like I did last year, I'm going to try some new recipes, likely from Epicurious; after all, they did come up with Cook90, and they will send out menus. That said, some of their menu may come from their Cook90 cookbook (affiliate link), which I don't have. But that's ok - I don't eat cheese or cook eggs, which basically nixes half of their menus anyway.

How I Meal Plan

Curious about how I meal plan? I actually prefer to do it with pen and paper. I blog, and I love using apps for shopping lists, but nothing replaces the ability to cross things out or just draw arrows between items to switch them.

I usually take a half sheet of paper and write out the days of the week on it. Sometimes I start on a Monday - sometimes I start over halfway through the week.

a draft of my first week of meals of 2019, for Cook90

I write the weather forecast at the top. Weird, I know! But it helps me plan for the week. Our house tends to run cold in the winter, and we have window unit for AC in the summer. I want to bake when it's coldest, go shopping or grill when it's not raining, and not use the oven when it's hot.

Other things I write down: my wish list of meals to make; big items I have in the freezer (like packages of meat I've bought on sale); and leftover vegetables in the fridge. That way I can try to be sure to use them up rather than end up throwing them out.

Whatever ingredients I haven't used or recipes I haven't made, I copy them over to my next week. That way I don't lose track of what I have.

I'm hoping to keep track of (and use up) my excess pantry ingredients this way, too.

2019 Menu

I told Amelia we play games and eat snacks for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. She chimed in, "and make dumplings!"

We had read the children's picture book Dumpling Soup (affiliate link) about Hawaiian family's New Year's traditions, and Amelia was excited to try making them. So we made them with Alex's help over the weekend, and that's what we ate today.

Otherwise, here's my menu for January 2019. I'll update it as I make it, so check back if you're interested.

steel-cut oats with walnuts and pear, in a bowl, with a spoon and honey

I'll have a new recipe up for you soon (Steel-Cut Oats with Walnuts and Pear - my favorite new comfort food, pictured above), but here's my menu for the upcoming week. I'll update it here as I make it.

A 2019 Cook90 Recap

Cook90 didn't go as I'd hoped this month. I had 2 colds this month, each of which zapped me of the will to cook (and eat!) for a week at a time! I had menus planned that I was excited about, which I pushed aside in favor of oatmeal for dinner. Apparently it's my comfort food.

I'm still looking forward to meal planning throughout the rest of the year, but it's disappointing that January was such a bust for me. That said, I'm glad that I didn't have more I was excited to cook during the month, since I wouldn't have been able to get to it.

Day Date Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Tuesday January 1 Steel-Cut Oats with Walnuts and Pear Snacks (homemade pigs in a blanket, Chex Mix) Dumpling Soup
Wednesday January 2 oatmeal leftover dumplings leftover grilled salmon, wheat berries with orange zest and olive oil, red bell pepper, peas
Thursday January 3 oatmeal leftover dumplings Baked Potato and Bacon Soup
Friday January 4 leftover steel-cut oats toast with almond butter and fig butter, homemade yogurt Pizza with Lazy Pizza Dough
Saturday January 5 oatmeal nextovered dumpling filling, stir-fried with leftover rice and wheat berries, peas dinner out
Sunday January 6 oatmeal whole grain corn-rye waffles from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking (affiliate link) chicken tacos with salsa and black beans
Monday January 7 oatmeal leftover dumpling filling stirfry crispy pork belly cooked over potatoes
Tuesday January 8 oatmeal leftover potato soup chicken soup with leftover chicken, odds and ends of pasta, peas
Wednesday January 9 oatmeal leftover potato soup slow cooker pork ribs in bbq sauce, baked potato, corn
Thursday January 10 oatmeal Leftover chicken soup Steel Cut Oats with Walnuts and Pear (yes, again)
Friday January 11 oatmeal Leftover chicken soup Mexican soup, from leftovers
Saturday January 12 oatmeal leftover Steel Cut Oats Buckwheat Pancakes, bacon, sauteed apples
Sunday January 13 oatmeal leftover Mexican soup simple dal from How to Cook Everything (affiliate link), rice, pears
Monday January 14 oatmeal leftover dal 1-Bowl Baked Oatmeal
Tuesday January 15 oatmeal leftover baked oatmeal pasta with spinach, white beans, and garlic (cooked in bacon grease)
Wednesday January 16 leftover steel-cut oats leftover pasta black bean and plantain bowls (from The Bold Vegetarian Chef (affiliate link))
Thursday January 17 leftover baked oatmeal leftover black bean and plantain bowls Ina Garten's lemon chicken, homemade French bread, salad
Friday January 18 oatmeal leftover chicken almond coconut dal
Saturday January 19 oatmeal French Toast from leftover French Bread leftover lemon chicken and salad
Sunday January 20 oatmeal Double Chocolate Scones soup and homemade Ciabatta
Monday January 21 Baked Oatmeal Baked Oatmeal Beef Stew
Tuesday January 22 oatmeal leftover beef stew Chicken and Dumplings
Wednesday January 23 oatmeal Homemade English Muffin with almond butter, yogurt One-Pot Farro with Tomatoes
Thursday January 24 a donut (not homemade :-() English muffin with almond butter, yogurt chicken and dumplings
Friday January 25 oatmeal leftover beef stew Sauteed Swiss Chard with Chickpeas
Saturday January 26 steel-cut oats out at Wing Wars yogurt and fruit
Sunday January 27 baked oatmeal baked oatmeal gyro at Greek Feast
Monday January 28 oatmeal out at Chickfila out (Alex's first class)
Tuesday January 29 oatmeal toast spaghetti squash and black bean tacos
Wednesday January 30 oatmeal toast leftover chicken and dumplings
Thursday January 31 oatmeal leftover chicken and dumplings homemade vegetable soup, French bread

Bonus recipes: Orange Cream Cheese Bread, Whole Wheat Butterscotch Blondies, Double Chocolate Caramel Chip Cookies, Chewy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

More Miscellaneous

  • crispy slow cooker carnitas
    A 2018 Cook90 Recap
  • fennel-crusted pork loin with potatoes and pears
    A Fourth 2018 #cook90 Update
  • cumin-scented potatoes with chickpeas
    A Third 2018 #cook90 Update
  • pasta with parsley pesto
    A Second 2018 #cook90 Update

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Leona Konkel, November 2020

Hi, I'm Leona!

I love homemade sweets and baked goods, using real ingredients, not mixes. I also share easy-to-make meals - so that I can spend the rest of my time baking, not making dinner.

About Me

Popular

  • sesame brittle in a tin
    Homemade Sesame Brittle
  • A slice of coconut cream pie with whipped cream on top.
    Coconut Cream Pie
  • a gooey butter cookie's texture, close up
    Gooey Butter Cookies (from scratch!)
  • slice of brownie cheesecake, with a bite on a fork
    Brownie Cheesecake

Summer-Ready Recipes

  • Iced coffee from cold brew coffee concentrate, in a glass with an ice cube and a straw.
    Cold-Brew Iced Coffee Concentrate
  • slices of grilled winter squash, on a plate outside
    Easy Grilled Winter Squash
  • two margaritas outside - square image
    Classic Margarita
  • steak salad with lime juice, sesame oil, and jalapenos, topped with cashews
    Steak Salad with Lime, Sesame, and Cashews

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2010-2025 Leona Konkel and Easy As Cookies (easyascookies.com).  

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this website’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leona Konkel and Easy As Cookies (easyascookies.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.