What If…

June 1, 2015June 1, 2015 / ktbuchs87

You might have been asked the question, “What if you knew you couldn’t fail?” What would you do? What risks would you take? I’ve asked myself this but when I think about it, I think it’s a fairly easy question.

I’d do anything.

If I couldn’t fail, why not do anything? Invest all my money in one stock? Sure, I’m not going to fail. Go skydiving? Why not? I’m guaranteed to make it to the ground. Talk to a room full of thousands? You got it. I think there is a better question we need to ask ourselves.

What if we weren’t afraid to fail?

That’s the tougher question because the chance of failure is still there. This also makes it a more realistic question. I am going to fail. You are going to fail. Maybe not today or in a horrible way but the truth is that failure is going to happen. We all work so hard to avoid failure, it’s not a fun thing to go through.

I hate failure. I try to avoid it so much that sometimes I won’t even start something if I know there is a fair chance that I will fail. The thing I am starting to learn though is that each failure is making me stronger.

I have been trying to grow this blog and share my message with a wider audience. A lot of the things that I have done to try and make that happen have failed. At first, I let it get me down. I felt like a loser and thought that maybe I just wasn’t suppose to be a blogger. I kept trying but nothing was happening. While I was wallowing I realized that each failure taught me something. It made me think in a different way to find something that would work. I was growing and getting better even though it felt like I was one giant failure.

Working on your health can feel a lot like that. You try something new and it doesn’t work out. You don’t lose the weight you wanted or you can’t change your eating habits or exercise still feels like torture. Failure happens a lot when you work on your health and a lot of the time we let failure win. We quit and go back to our old habits because we obviously don’t have what it takes.

Don’t quit.

Let that failure teach you something. Maybe that strategy didn’t work but there is one that will work. Keep trying and realize that those failures are making you stronger. Each time you fail but keep going you are making yourself better and making progress toward your goals even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Don’t ask yourself what you would do if you couldn’t fail, ask yourself what you’re going to do when failure happens. If the answer is get back up and try again, you are already winning.

My Shopping Cart: Whole Foods Edition

May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 / ktbuchs87

This is the last part in my 3 part series of where and how I grocery shop. If you haven’t seen them yet, read the Jewel and the Aldi post. Today it’s all about Whole Foods which I am here to prove doesn’t have to be Whole Paycheck as long as you shop smart.

Full disclosure: I obviously do not do all of my grocery shopping at Whole Foods. That isn’t to say it isn’t possible to shop only at Whole Foods, I just find it works best for me and my budget to go to a few different places. You have to decide what is best for you, your budget, and your family.

I go to Whole Foods mostly for their bulk section. They have a huge bulk foods section and buying in bulk is a great way to save money on food that you eat and use often. It’s also great if you want to try something new but don’t want to buy a whole box or package. That way you can see if you like the ingredient and won’t waste money or food if you don’t.

Here is what I usually buy from the bulk section at Whole Foods:

whole wheat flour
almond flour
coconut flour
oatmeal (rolled oats, oat bran, steel cut)
buckwheat groats
cornmeal
brown rice
hazelnuts
almonds
cashews
pistachios
goji berries
prunes
chia seeds
hemp seeds
flax seeds
popcorn

Now, I don’t buy all of this every single time I go to the store, I just refill as needed. But you can see that I do purchase a lot of things in bulk. For me, buying these things in bulk is cheaper. Do your research though because sometimes (not often) it isn’t cheaper to buy things in bulk.

Whole Foods also has a bulk spice section that is awesome! I no longer have to buy a whole bottle of some spice that I am going to only use once and then forget I have. This saves so much money and your spices and herbs won’t go bad (yes spices can go bad) because you aren’t using them. I usually get:

basil
oregano
thyme
rosemary
turmeric
cumin

Because I’m obsessed with spices, I also get a lot of my spices and spice blends at The Spice House in Old Town. They have so many amazing blends and I have a hard time choosing! If you’re in the area you should check them out. Plus it’s Alton Brown recommended so you can’t go wrong!

Other than bulk food, I also get a few other things:

organic sweet potatoes (my one organic splurge because to me they taste much better than conventional)
365 brand peanut butter (the 2 lb jar is only $5.99)
grind your own almond butter
specialty ingredients like coconut cream, Asian/Indian food section things, tahini
bulk coffee (I also sometimes get coffee from Trader Joes)

Again, I don’t get these things every single trip just when I need them.

It is totally possible to shop at Whole Foods and not spend a small fortune. If you do your homework, you can grocery shop here on a budget. If you look for coupons, buy things that are on sale, shop the bulk food section, and purchase the 365 brand products you can save a lot of money. And soon you might be able to shop at a less expensive version of Whole Foods.

This is the last post in this series and I hope it helped show you how to grocery shop as well as how it’s easy to eat healthy on a budget and at a variety of different stores. I would love to write more posts about what I do to stay healthy, so let me know what other roadblocks you face when trying to eat better. What other things would other glimpses into my life would you like to see? Let me know in the comment section!

My Shopping Cart: Jewel Edition

April 29, 2015April 29, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

For the next three weeks I am going to share my grocery shopping with you. I think it’s important to know how to grocery shop because that’s where healthy eating starts. I also think that many people have misconceptions about how and where they have to grocery shop if they want to eat better. You don’t have to go to specialty stores and you don’t have to buy all organic all the time. If you have the ability and the means to do that, awesome! But you can have a healthy lifestyle without those things too.

I have four main places that I grocery shop for our household. Jewel, Whole Foods, Walmart, and Aldi. I go to these places at least once sometimes twice a week. I do one big shopping trip on Friday morning and then supplement throughout the week with a few other trips. This helps me save money and find the best deal on food.

I’m starting with Jewel because that is where I do the bulk of my shopping. Not only are they on my block but they also have a good selection. Before I get into what I buy here are a few quick tips on making the most of any grocery shopping trip:

MAKE A LIST! A list will keep you from just wandering the aisles and throwing whatever catches your eye into your cart. Know exactly what you need for your meals and what you need to restock and stick to your list!
Shop early. I know not everyone can go to the store first thing in the morning, but if you can do it. There aren’t that many people there, the shelves are usually fully stocked, and it’s quicker to get done when there aren’t tons of people around. Nothing makes grocery shopping worse than doing it with 500 other people all trying to get the exact same bunch of kale.
Don’t be afraid to ask. In my experience people who work in grocery stores know A LOT about groceries. They know all the deals, the best time to shop produce, and a few have even given me some great tips on preparing the food I buy. If you have a question just ask!

Onto the shopping! I buy all of my fresh produce at Jewel because they have a good selection and they also tend to have really good seasonal offerings. No matter what the season though I usually always buy:

broccoli
carrots
bananas
cabbage
fresh herbs
onions
garlic
apples
oranges/pears/plums/whatever other fruit is on sale or in season

Then depending on season I sometimes have squash, summer squash, beets, parsnips, asparagus, leafy greens, or whatever else catches my eye.

I try to stay in season and choose produce that is on sale to get the most bang for my buck. I also don’t buy the organic versions of these. At this point in time I just don’t have the financial resources to buy all organic and that is totally fine! Regular broccoli is better than no broccoli at all. I do however make sure that I wash all of my produce well before I eat it.

Jewel is also where I get canned goods, eggs, and frozen vegetables. I always make sure to have canned tomatoes and tomato paste/sauce on hand and I get the Jewel brand of these. The ingredient list is short and simple which is always important and it’s the cheapest brand, also important! I buy a lot of eggs, at least 24 perhaps more a week, but again I can’t afford to buy organic or cage free at this time so I just get the best that I can afford.

Finally frozen vegetables. Jewel has a really big and inexpensive selection of frozen vegetables that I love. Frozen vegetables sometimes get a bad rap as not being as good as fresh but that is totally wrong. They are just as nutritious and are sometimes more convenient than fresh. I keep a good variety on hand to throw into stir frys, soups, stews, salads, or as a quick side. Some of my favorites right now are:

green beans
shelled edamame
sugar snap peas
3 pepper blend (red, green, and yellow peppers)
california blend (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots)
chopped spinach or kale

That’s my Jewel shopping trip. My Jewel also has a really good natural food market, a part of the store that has food you would normally find at say Whole Foods but for less money. I’ll sometimes get tea, gluten free pasta, and chickpea flour here.

Next Wednesday I will talk about what I get at Walmart and Aldi. Yes, you can find healthy food at Walmart and Aldi and save a lot of money. Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Where do you shop? What is the hardest part of grocery shopping for you?

My Breakfast

April 22, 2015April 22, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Breakfast is awesome. Sometimes as I am going to sleep at night I get a little excited to wake up because I get to eat breakfast. Brunch is a thing of beauty and a breakfast buffet? Heaven on earth my friends. I am definitely in camp eat breakfast every morning no matter what, even if it’s something small and on the go.

I thought I would share the breakfast I have been enjoying for a while now and maybe give you some breakfast inspiration. I tend to get stuck on one breakfast for like 6 months and then decide to change things up. What can I say? I really am a creature of habit. This breakfast is in month 3, so sometime mid-summer expect something new.

Oat grains are made up of three different parts, the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Usually the outer husk or bran is removed and most people enjoy the steel cut or rolled form of oatmeal. Oat bran is mostly used for baking and adding to breads and muffins to boost the fiber content. I have been using oat bran to make my morning oatmeal. I like that it cooks super fast (less than five minutes), it has a nice creamy texture, and it is a great base for the most important part of oatmeal. The toppings.

Oat bran also boasts a pretty decent nutrition profile. 1 ounce or about 28 grams has 69 calories, 4 grams of dietary fiber, and 5 grams of protein. It’s also high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium. All good things. You can check out some more of its benefits here and here.

My oatmeal never looks this fancy. This is just for you!

But let’s get to those toppings! This is one of the big reasons I love oatmeal in any form. You can mix in any thing and customize it to your tastes. I have been cooking my oat bran in about a cup of coconut milk for an extra creamy texture and then my toppings of choice lately have been:

dried prunes
goji berries
chopped hazelnuts
flax meal
chia seeds
pureed pumpkin
toasted buckwheat groats
hemp seeds
cinnamon
peanut butter

As you can see I like to shove in as many toppings as possible. The sky is really the limit to what you can put into your oatmeal bowl. Try things like:

any nut (almonds/walnuts/pecans)
any seed (sunflower/pumpkin)
cocoa powder
homemade granola
any dried fruit, no sugar added (cranberries/raisins/figs/apricots)
fresh fruit, especially berries
maple syrup
nut or seed butter

Homemade almond milk. Easy to make and delicious to add to oats!

These are just a few toppings. If it fits in your bowl and you enjoy it, go for it! Oatmeal and breakfast in general doesn’t have to be boring or tasteless just to be healthy. Go make a custom and delicious bowl of your own and see just how awesome a healthy breakfast can be!

How to make Oat Bran

1/4 cup oat bran
1 cup water or non-dairy milk like almond or coconut

Add oat bran and water or milk to a small saucepan. Bring oats to a boil and then lower the heat to low and cover.
Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and pour into a bowl and add all the toppings!

Big Batch Cooking

April 8, 2015April 8, 2015 / ktbuchs87

While I’m working on coming up with a new video series for the blog (totally open to suggestions of what YOU want to see) I thought I would use the Wednesday post to share a few of the things that I do during the week to help make eating and being healthy easier.

Big batch cooking is one of the best ways that I save time and brain power when it comes to making healthy meals. It’s exactly what it sounds like; I cook a lot of food all at once. That simple. I do this with vegetables and grains/legumes. Sunday and Monday I will spend time washing, cutting, and prepping all the vegetables that I bought on Friday.

Parsnips cut and ready to be roasted

Then it’s time to cook it all.

My favorite way to cook my vegetables is to roast them. It tastes great and it’s an easy way to cook a lot of vegetables at one time. I roast sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, cabbage, and green beans. I also saute a big batch of broccoli and sometimes throw a few carrots into the mix.

Broccoli cooked and ready to be added to meals!

While my vegetables are roasting I cook up quinoa, brown rice, and whatever beans I have on hand like black beans or garbanzo beans. I cook these on the stovetop. I know a lot of people like to use canned beans for the convenience, but I like to use dried beans because it’s cheaper than buying the cans. It takes a little bit of planning since you have to soak the beans before you cook them but other than that you just boil and simmer them on the stove for 20-40 minutes.

Once everything is done cooking, I put them into large glass containers, let them cool, and stick them in the fridge. Now I don’t have to worry about cooking them on a busy weeknight. I can just pull out the container warm them up, throw them into whatever dish I have planned for that night and get dinner on the table in a timely manner.

You can do this with other things as well. You can cook up big batches of chicken or pork, you can hard boil a bunch of eggs, or you can wash, dry and cut up leafy greens to be used for salads throughout the week.

Batch of my chickpea tofu ready to be added to stir fry

Cooking a whole lot of things all at once and having them ready when you want to eat takes the work out of planning a healthy meal. How many times have you come home from a long day at work and realized if you want to eat a healthy dinner you’re going to have to spend at least 40 minutes in the kitchen getting it ready? At that points it becomes much more tempting to just grab something at a drive through or get a frozen dinner from the grocery store, neither of which are that healthy of an option.

Do yourself a favor and give big batch cooking a try. I bet you’ll find that it saves you a bunch of time and helps you stick to your healthy lifestyle!