It’s that time of year when we all want to start 2025 off right by upgrading our habits. So here are my 5 New Year’s Food Resolutions inspired by good habits I’ve observed while living in Paris among savvy French home cooks.
First of all, it seems to me there’s a new food service or home delivery app coming out every month in France. But the objective is always the same: to convince customers that cooking is difficult, complicated, and time-consuming. It’s better to leave all that work to the professionals.
I didn’t think much about it until I did a few quick calculations: financially and quality-wise, even decent take-out food is a bad deal. (Track your monthly take-out bill closely, and you’ll see what I mean).
It dawned on me that for roughly the same amount of money – and a lot more organisation and forethought- I could make much better, healthier meals at home without being a gourmet cook.
I finally realised that even Parisian gourmet home delivery (whipped up by French cooking school grads, no less) tastes “blah” once it’s been strapped to the back of a motorcycle and whisked through city traffic.
I can’t quote any science on this because it’s just from my observation: cooked food traveling on the back of a French scooter is somehow transformed in taste and texture – and not in a good way.
So here are my 5 French-inspired Healthy Food Resolutions for 2025:
1. Plan meals to avoid last-minute take out
This isn’t uniquely French-inspired, but it’s something savvy French cooks do that I need to work on: Though I don’t have a long commute to an office job, I can still be tempted to hit the “take-out button” (phone) if I’m too tired to cook at the end of a long day.
My monthly take-out bill plunged last year when I tried a Saturday planning session for the upcoming week’s meals. I’m not yet at the meal-prep-on-Sunday stage, but it’s a start.
As a result, there was less anxiety around what to eat, less food waste, and less need to buy in bulk.
Tip: I’ve bought a beautiful spiral-bound planner for 2025 that sits near my kitchen table. This makes planning a pleasure, not a chore.
Here’s a selection of Meal and Home Planners:
This style of planner has even become what I call my Central Household Command Book: I put grocery lists, repair lists, and cleaning schedules in it:
Meal Planner with One Year Undated Planner with Grocery Lists and Meal Prep
Life and Apples Undated Meal Planner and Grocery List Amazon.com
My life just got a lot easier with the help of a Meal Planner, so I think this resolution will stick.
2. Make the dinner table attractive and inviting, not just functional
I’ve observed in France for sure that when it’s time to eat, an attractive table is not a frivolous thing. Gathering around the dinner table at the end of a long day may be the only quality time you get with your spouse or children during the week.
So making the table look pretty means dinner is a pleasant, inviting experience for all. That involves clearing away all non-dinner-related “stuff”: sunglasses, the day’s mail, the kids’ homework, or a spouse’s car keys and laptop.
I’m resolved to make my meals pretty and straightforward, so I will do the following two things:
Choose French themed white dishes
I know that white dishes will go well with any colourful glassware or other accent pieces I add to the table.
Here’s a selection of white French-inspired dinnerware that goes with everything:
–Mikasa French Countryside 40-Piece White Dinnerware Set for 8 on Amazon.com
–Lenox French Perle White 16-Piece Dinnerware Set on Amazon.com
–Pfaltzgraff French Lace White 16 Piece Dinnerware Set for 4 on Amazon.com
Add a lovely table center piece
I can pull something decorative off my shelves or use whatever flowers or small plants I may have as a centerpiece.
These little touches let everyone know, “Le Dîner est Servi!”
3. Follow a tried and true meal structure: Starter – Main Course – Dessert
The French live by the Starter – Main Course – Dessert meal structure.
I’ve tried it and found that if you know the structure, it’s easy to run the plan: When I get to dessert, I know the meal’s over. (No more wandering around the kitchen looking for a second helping of chicken after dessert).
Using the Meal Planner mentioned above makes it easier to decide in advance what will be the components of the Starter-Main Course-Dessert structure for your meal.
Does this mean I’ll have French pastries for dessert every day in 2025? -Not at all. Simple, fresh fruit – That’s a definite Yes!
4. Begin a meal with a raw vegetable Starter
Whenever I’ve tried to skip this step (ignoring resolution #3) and devour one plate of food quickly, I end up being unsatisfied – even hungry. I then return constantly to the fridge, looking for something to eat well after the meal. So this resolution is written in stone for me.
Beginning your meal with a raw vegetable Starter gives you fiber (which is excellent for your health), but it also has benefits for curbing your appetite, according to science.
To make it easy: I love a mix of greens with herbs, a grated carrot salad, or thinly sliced raw fennel with a fresh lemon juice vinaigrette.
5. Make salad dressings from scratch, now and … forever!
Since I started buying top-quality oils (like olive or walnut oils) and vinegars (like red wine or raspberry), I’ve been making my salad dressing every day.
Here are some high-quality French ingredients for home-made salad dressing you can find easily on Amazon.com:
Nicolas Alziari Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 liter on Amazon.com
La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil on Amazon.com
Edmond Fallot French Red Wine Vinegar on Amazon.com
Edmond Fallot French Raspberry Vinegar (with organic raspberries from Provence) on Amazon.com
I haven’t gone back to buying bottled dressings because they’re disappointing in flavour and often full of preservatives.
I know that with high-quality pantry ingredients, like a selection of oils and vinegars, I can’t go wrong.
This month I’ve added to my roster a new creamy dressing made with cashew butter, herbs, and apple cider vinegar.
I’ll keep building out my salad dressing “repertoire” in 2024 to keep my greens healthy and delicious.
Conclusion:
Each one of my five healthy, French-inspired food resolutions above relates to and supports the other:
1. Planning my meals in advance will keep the temptation to order take-out at bay.
2. Setting an attractive table for everyday meals makes them feel special.
3. Following a traditional French meal structure will reduce the desire to snack between meals.
4. Beginning lunch and dinner with a raw vegetable starter curbs the desire to overeat.
5. Using excellent quality pantry ingredients will make dinners at home more “restaurant quality. “
If I can stick to these resolutions in 2025, then home cookingwill be the new dining out!
What do you think:What resolutions have you made around food for 2025?
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