By Emory Ann Kurysh

 Happy New Year! I don’t know if you’ve noticed this either, but it seems like almost everyone and their dog has posted a list of their New Year’s resolutions. Have you also made one? To be honest, I have not made any New Year’s goals in about four years. My reason for this is simply because my lists were so generic (be a better person, eat healthier, etc.), that I could not keep up with them for very long. While they were exciting to work on in the beginning, in the end, the lack of specificity in addition to a lofty goal would always end up in disaster. I came out feeling like a failure, and thus, never associated positive feelings with New Years resolutions.

I made the decision to become a vegetarian four years ago. With that, I also chose not to make any more resolutions and to only concentrate on my new lifestyle. Months went by, and pretty soon, it became easy not to eat any meat (although my family would have horror stories when it came to accommodating my new diet). I would say that within the first month my whole body felt lighter and cleaner, and by the next month, I knew that becoming a vegetarian was one of the best decisions that I had made in some time. That is not to say that I did not have days when I would feel completely exhausted. However, that was entirely my fault and over the next week I would make sure to overload on healthy proteins like beans, spinach, and eggs in order to compensate for my prior laziness. While being a vegetarian is not for everyone, I would highly recommend it for those of you who have food sensitivities, would like to be more health-conscious, have any sort of concern for animal welfare or the environment, or were just always curious about it. There are many different types of vegetarians (some don’t eat white meat or fish, while some do), and you can try whatever works best for you. If it only lasts a day, hey at least you tried! I will say that the first month is probably the hardest, so if you can survive that, you will be golden.

That being said, I also think that we can all adopt a few minor changes to make eating healthier a life-long goal rather than just a New Year’s goal. This egg sandwich is a wonderful way to start your day. I have been making them for over ten years, and almost daily for the past four. What started out as a supermarket egg, cheese, and bagel sandwich, slowly turned into one with farm eggs, organic vegetables, and one slice of whole wheat or grain-sprouted bread. It’s good to make small changes where they are needed, especially when it comes to food!

5 Minute Egg Sandwich:

1 egg

1-2 slice(s) brown bread

green onion, chopped

tomato, chopped

spinach, shredded

cheese, chopped (optional)

meat, chopped (optional)

1/4 tsp oil

salt + pepper

water

Steps:

1. Gather your vegetables, meat, and cheese together. Chop into small pieces.

2. Crack an egg into a microwave-safe bowl. Add the chopped vegetables, meat, cheese, oil, salt, pepper, and a splash of water. Whisk thoroughly. Cook on high for 2-3 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put your bread in the toaster. This should finish around the same time as your egg.

4. Remove egg from microwave. Let cool for 2 minutes. Using a fork, remove it from the bowl and gently place onto your toast. Voila!!

Remember that the key to eating right is all about moderation, and making sure that what you do eat serves a purpose other than to only taste good. Take a look at some of the benefits that these ingredients have:

eggs (a great source of protein and vitamins, including vitamin A, B, and potassium)

brown bread (high in complex carbohydrates, low in saturated fat, a source of protein, and a storehouse of nutrients and fiber)

green onions (good source of vitamins A, C, K, and phytochemicals)

tomatoes (almost too many to mention- vitamins A, B, C, E, K, iron, fiber, potassium, magnesium, protein, and more)

spinach (again, vitamins A, B, C, E, K, iron, fiber, potassium, magnesium, protein, and more)

cheese (vitamins A and B, calcium, phosphorous, protein, and more)

meat (depends on what type, but generally a high source of protein)

olive oil (many health benefits, helps fight viruses and diseases)

Have a wonderful and healthy month and New Year!