Healthier eating to begin the new year

There is nothing like the start of a new year to make an inspirational healthy resolution. I always make a health resolution every year. But how much I follow it is still questionable, taking into consideration the nature of my job, which is to taste multiple food dishes prepared in my hotel kitchens.
We all make New Year’s resolutions and most of them are related to what we are going to eat and how to become fitter than last year. Believe me, it’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm months after we blow up the confetti on the New Year’s countdown, but it’s not impossible.
We always vow to eat less sugar, eat more whole grains, include healthy fats in our diet, include more fish in the diet, eat more fruits, opt for a la carte instead of buffets, to not go for second helpings, eat more vegetables or to even turn vegan. The problem is that we vow too much, which then becomes too much to handle or follow.
Start by taking baby steps and set smaller goals and then gradually raise the standard. As per my experience, cutting down on the food that you eat does not really help with fitness. What really makes you fit is eating regular small portions of food and regular exercise.
With numerous health apps available to us on our smartphones, you can easily count the amount of calories you consume and can be aware of what you are eating and what dishes to avoid.  
You can start off with eating healthy small portions of food to start with and as you feel confident you can start a physical activity and take your resolution to a next level.
My advice is to try one new fruit or vegetable every week to 10 days. Go for grocery shopping to a different hypermarket than your usual one as the change in place will ensure you look carefully to find your usual items. And in that pursuit you will definitely will come across a humble and healthy food item that you constantly missed during your visits to your regular store. Experiment with what you have and try to mix and match to make your own signature healthy recipes.
While referring to online recipes, one golden rule that I always suggest to all my readers is to go through at least 2 or 3 different websites for a similar recipe. Doing this will give you a better idea about what you are going to cook and also will give you ideas on how to play around and come up with a better recipe to suit your taste, while still being easy on the calorie count.
The below recipe is one such example, where I have combined a fruit and a vegetable into a new simple yet healthy recipe. Hope you will try it and will start your new year with a healthy meal.

Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients
Baby spinach leaves 150gm
Fresh strawberries 150gm
Pistachio 50gm
Chicken breast 2 no
(Remove chicken from recipe for the vegetarian version)
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Salt To taste
Ginger juice ½ tsp

Dressing
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Honey 1 tbsp
Mint leaves Few sprigs
Salt To taste

Method
Wash and spin the baby spinach leaves to remove excess moisture.
Slice the strawberries and keep them with the spinach leaves.
Toast the pistachio and allow to cool down, and crush them coarsely and keep aside.
Pat dry the chicken breast and using the back of a knife beat it gently to tenderise the meat.
Marinate the chicken breast with olive oil, salt and ginger juice and keep refrigerated for 30 minutes.
Cook on a hot plate or non stick pan from both sides to cook evenly from both sides (or you can poach the chicken to make it healthier).
Once cooked, place the chicken on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch thick fingers and place at the base of a salad bowl.
In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, honey, finely chopped mint leaves, salt and sugar and whisk well to combine into a smooth dressing.
Drizzle the prepared dressing on top of the salad mixture and toss the bowl to combine the ingredients and to coat the dressing evenly.
Place the prepared salad greens on top of the chicken fingers and sprinkle with crushed pistachio and serve immediately.