NEW YEAR RESOLUTION 2011

One stop, you’re done.

 The unthinkable happened this year. Two foodies set out on a mission to eat only once at each food institution. Crazy, DARING, STUPID, we’ve heard them all for what we did. I have to admit, when Evan told me about this New Year’s Resolution he thought of, I didn’t think we’d be able to do it, but we did. Over 200 places were seen and eaten at and not one of them were visited twice the entire year of 2011.

 Looking back from when we first started, it seems like January 1st was a LONG time ago, yet not that long either. Doing this resolution was a true test for Evan and I, but one that we proved possible. It seems like resolutions are always expected, so when someone asks you “What’s your New Years Resolution going to be?” and you don’t have one, people almost look down at you. What’s the point to having one if after the first month you completely forget about it?

 It’s funny why resolutions are even started in the first place. Who on earth is going to carry out something for one entire year? Is it even humanly possible? Well, we just did. It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. The beginning was the absolute hardest because we basically had to change our entire lifestyle. Our whole relationship is centered around food, and we’re proud of that. We love to find new places and eat out, but with a wedding coming up and way too much money being spent out, we decided something needed to change.

 The resolution was perfect. We could only eat at each food place once so then we couldn’t keep eating out constantly unless we traveled for it. There wasn’t anymore quick stops at this place or that place when we were hungry, the resolution forced us to eat at home, with an occasional treat of eating out. We of course had to make some adjustments to the resolution such as we could visit a grocery store more than once because otherwise we might just starve. Another exception was if our parents or friends said we were having something for dinner (us not putting input or paying), we were allowed to eat it.

 The reason for the resolution was to get into a new habit of saving money, which we did, and the other part was to adventure and find what other food places were out there besides our favorite things, which we did again. Our friends loved hearing that we were still holding strong and wanted to know of any new good eateries we found. The support of people around you is one key to keeping any challenge or resolution for yourself. They can keep you going or bring you down in an instant and we’re really glad we had that support to keep our eyes on the prize.

 Having a resolution that I stuck with the entire year feels amazing. It gave me such a great feeling of accomplishment that I could change an aspect of my life and maintain it for the entire year. Did you know it takes 2 weeks to change a habit? It seemed to take way longer than that for me to adjust my eating habits, but now I have and because of it, we’ve benefited. Evan and I challenged ourselves and we dare you to challenge yourself, too. No matter what it is, big or small, may you find 2012 to behold great things and accomplishments with those resolutions.

 Here’s a look at some of the places throughout the year:

A Guac Bacon burger from Burger Barn in Camarillo

Carnitas Chipotle from Toppers in Channel Islands

Dessert from My Florist in Ventura

Philly Steak Sandwich from The Ranch in Agoura Hills

Hawaiian Pork from Mai's Cafe in Ventura