Make New Year Happier, Healthier

Amid the year-end festivities, as we toast the experiences of 1998 and anticipate the adventures of 1999, most of us slow down just enough to contemplate how our priorities fit into the grand scheme of life.

For a new twist on New Year’s resolutions, I have one message: think big rocks.

In FoodTalk, a free monthly e-mail newsletter from the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension (www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/lanco/family/foodtalk.htm), Alice Henneman repeats a story that offers food for thought:

Stephen Covey’s book “First Things First” (Simon & Schuster, 1996) tells of a seminar presenter who pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar and placed it next to a pile of fist-sized rocks.

After filling the jar to the top with rocks, he asked, “Is the jar full yet?”

The group replied, “Yes.”

He then got some gravel from under the table and added it to the jar. Jiggling the jar until the gravel filled the spaces around the rocks, he asked again: “Is the jar full?”

“Probably not,” replied the group.

Adding some sand, the speaker asked again: “Is the jar full?”

“No!” shouted the group.

Finally, the speaker filled the jar to the brim with water and asked the group the point of the illustration.

Someone replied that you could always fit more things into your life “if you really work at it.”

No, countered the speaker. The point is, if you don’t put the big rocks in first, “Would you ever have gotten any of them in?”

The “big rocks” in your life are those things you can do to make the coming year a healthier and happier one for yourself and others.

Here are some “big rocks” suggested by Henneman:

Exercising more often.

Eating additional calcium-rich foods.

Trying new vegetables.

Getting more sleep.

Starting to lift weights.

Spending additional time with family and friends.

Doing volunteer work in your community.

Reading inspirational literature.

A simple question to ask yourself during the days and months of the year ahead is: “Is this a big rock?”

Here’s a wonderfully simple and delicious dinner recipe for that big rock of feeding your family a homecooked, nutritious meal.

Happy New Year!

Alfredo Salmon and Noodles

From “Fast and Healthy Cooking” by Grace Wells (Pillsbury, 1998).

1 (1-pound) package medium or wide egg noodles

1 (9-ounce) package frozen asparagus pieces

1 (7.5-ounce) can pink salmon

1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated light

Alfredo sauce

Cook egg noodles as directed, adding the frozen asparagus during the last 5 minutes. Drain and stir in the canned salmon and Alfredo sauce. Heat through and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 526 calories, 14 grams fat (24 percent fat calories), 89 grams carbohydrate, 33 grams protein, 161 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 585 milligrams sodium.