At the beginning of 2016 I decided my New Year’s resolution was to “be more fun.”

I think I was moderately successful. I was definitely more fun than I had been in 2015, but that probably had more to do with finishing grad school and having some money more than an actual change in personality.

This year I went with an even more vague resolution: positivity.

My first step in this was to remove certain individuals from my social media thread that I tend to “hate follow,” meaning that their feed is so insanely annoying that I can’t look away but it makes my blood boil. I highly recommend removing them- it has done wonders for my psyche.

My second phase of this is trying to assume positive intent. So the other day when a girl told me in the yoga locker room that she loved my leggings because “they probably really camouflage your cellulite!” I ignored the second part and just thanked her and said they’re also really comfortable.

The third phase is going to be the big one and the toughest, which is trying not to stress myself out over all the possible bad things that MIGHT happen in any given situation, and focus on the opportunities. Thinking this might take more than a year.

So in the spirit of trying to give you a recipe that won’t add to your cellulite, here it is:

Pork Tenderloin w/ Pears and Shallots

2 lb pork tenderloin

2 large shallots

1 Bosc pear

2-3 cloves minced garlic

chopped fresh thyme, for serving (optional)

red potatoes, for serving

Pork tenderloin was BOGO at the store last week so I texted the GS and said “I’m getting pork, how should I prepare it??”

I was expecting “pulled pork” or “with bacon” or “I don’t care.”

Instead he responded “with pears and shallots!”

Okay then.

Pat the pork dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet (I had to use my big soup pot because I don’t have a big enough frying pan) and sear the pork on all sides.

While the pork starts to cook, chop up your shallots and garlic. Add them to the pork pan and let them cook down a little.

Remove the pork, shallots, and garlic from the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake at 425 for about 15-20 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

Slice your pears and add them to the pan with the pork drippings and shallot remnants. Let them cook on medium-low while the pork is in the oven until they’ve softened a little and browned.

While all this business was happening, I also chopped up and boiled some red potatoes so that we could have mashed potatoes on the side. You could also do rice, polenta, or serve this over a spinach salad!

I’ll admit I was very hesitant about the pears here but they were actually great! Not overly sweet and a nice texture element. They actually look more like thick cut french fries, which you can do instead.

But only if you have your camouflage pants on.