It’s the beginning of a new year, and all I hear about is resolutions, dieting and new exercise routines. It’s one of the unfortunate side effects of the holidays – like when they start playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving…

Don’t get me wrong – I love new beginnings. I love the excitement, the hope, the planning, the camaraderie that surrounds each new year. What I don’t love is comparing how much weight I need to lose with the people in my life. Nor do I relish the idea of cutting out delicious foods from my daily diet.

So – this year, I’m not going to declare that I will start a new routine, a new diet, a new lifestyle. Instead, I declare that I will enjoy healthy cooking more. I will diversify the foods I eat, while still keeping a close eye on my budget. And I will be honest with myself about whether or not I want to feed my body with food that is not nutritious. I invite you to join me.

I find that as long as I keep myself excited and interested in new, vibrant and satisfying meals, the food I eat tends to be healthy. One of the ways I keep myself excited and interested is by finding new recipes in cookbooks, on blogs and through friends and family.

With the help of some fellow bloggers, I look forward to starting the year off with a Sauteed Mushroom Salad and Skillet Carrots with Onion and Thyme. And I plan to visit the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Healthy Eating website to come up with new snack, side dish and main dish ideas throughout the year.

What keeps you excited about eating healthy food? Do you have a recipe to share? Are there any blogs or websites with yummy recipes that you follow?

-Katie Barnett