Greetings and Happy New Year to all of our Life by Larabee friends.

So here we are again, at another New Year. Today, many people will set resolutions. Some may succeed, but many will abandon their well-intended goals before the end of March. I stopped setting resolutions years ago, preferring instead to live a few principles consistently. This approach works better for me; I can build on previous successes and learn from the challenges. Instead of a one-off goal, I like to build the life I desire in layers.

One of my favorite principles concerns the idea of simplicity. When I look out into the world, I see lots of unrest and uncertainty, both of which translate into stress. The longer I live, the more complex and divided the world seems. Life hands us many messes, some of which we cannot resolve. Practicing simplicity is a path to balance, to take action on the things I can control.

You probably noted the (Part 1) in the title. Hint: This is the first post of several on simplicity, ideas I hope you will find useful in navigating the complexities of life. Today, the focus is on one of my favorite topics. Yes, you guessed it. Today is about simplicity with food.

Meal preparation is one of the most time-consuming tasks most people face each day. Most folks, myself included, delight in delicious and creative meals that stimulate the appetite. Variety in our food choices and preparation methods is a good way to achieve nutritional balance without boredom. Yet, hectic days and tired cooks are not necessarily a sentence to bland, tasteless meals that one swallows and forgets. Quite the contrary. In this type of scenario, one can capitalize on the creative by “preparing” cookless or minimally-cooked meals.

For example, take the meal shown in the featured image. This breakfast was a John creation and included one cooked ingredient, air-fried eggplant. Everything else was fresh or jarred and included fresh tomatoes, pickled okra, shaved parmesan, lettuce, artichoke, sliced banana pepper, and red onion. The hardest part was tossing the seasoned eggplant into the air fryer for twenty minutes, but who could resist an opportunity to hone one’s aim?

Example #2 (below) required no cooking skills at all. Toss simple salad greens with cherry tomatoes and olives. Add a protein source (shrimp with a side of cocktail sauce was used in this example) and serve. If you are really feeling pushed, you can use a ready-made vinaigrette, or if you are like me, you can mix EVOO with a favorite vinegar and toss in some seasoning for instant yumminess.

Example #3 (below) is the most complex of the three and is still super simple. The asparagus was pan-seared in EVOO until tender, and the quinoa was steamed for twenty-five minutes. Diced carrots, sliced onions, and garlic gloves were added to the quinoa mid-way through the steaming process. Add some salsa to a small bed of lettuce, plate the cooked ingredients, and serve.

A Few Final Tips:

• Banish the “old school” notion that vegetables are synonymous with bland and boring. I still hear this from friends who think that vegetables = munching on raw lettuce all day.
• Be creative and bold. Think color in your meals. If you don’t like the result, switch it up again next time.
• Challenge your notions about food. Allow yourself the gift of exploring new foods and ideas. Base decisions on what is both physically (nutritionally) and emotionally (time demands, etc.) healthy for you. Eating healthy does not have to be difficult.

As you try different options, you might experience what I call the domino food effect. You will find more foods to like and more possible combinations to try. Not only will you nutritionally benefit from the variety, but your taste buds will be overjoyed with the different textures and flavors. Over time, simple, healthy meals may actually become your new favorite habit.