Roasted Pepper Vegetable Tomato Soup

January 8, 2016January 7, 2016 / ktbuchs87

Roasted Pepper Tomato Vegetable Soup | Life Healthfully Lived You guys know I’m having a thing with soup lately. Especially now that Christmas and New Year’s are over. Brothy soups chocked full of vegetables, herbs, and spices sound pretty amazing right now. Plus, winter has finally decided to come out to play and cold temperatures always make me crave warm meals like soups or stews.

This is my soup of the moment because of two reasons. 1. It is absolutely delicious and 2. It is quick and versatile. While the base always stays the same, I can change the vegetables up to whatever I have in my fridge. Sometimes that includes mushrooms or leeks, other times it’s more peppers and some corn. Roasted Pepper Vegetable Tomato Soup | Life Healthfully Lived

If you can’t or don’t want to do a certain vegetable I have in this recipe, then don’t put it in your soup. If you want to add a vegetable that I haven’t included, go for it! That is the beauty of this meal. As long as the main components are there, you can play around with the other flavors.

If you’re looking for a lighter meal that will still fill you up, give this soup, or any soup for that matter, a try!

Roasted Pepper Vegetable Tomato Soup

2-3 red or orange bell peppers
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup onion, diced
1 leek, green top cut off and white part sliced thin
8 oz package of bella mushrooms
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
6 to 8 cups vegetable broth or water
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp roasted garlic or 3 cloves minced
2 tsp Mexican oregano (regular if you can’t find Mexican)
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 and arrange the peppers on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Roast the peppers until the are slightly brown and starting to collapse. Remove and let them cool. Once they are cool, remove the skins and slice into strips.
If you would like, you can toss the mushrooms with a little oil, salt, and pepper and roast those for 15 minutes.
Heat a little olive oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Saute the carrots, onions, leeks, and celery until they are soft and starting to brown on the edges. Sprinkle with a little salt and add the roasted peppers, mushrooms, and corn. Stir everything together.
Add in both cans of roasted tomatoes and then the vegetable broth or water. Make sure all the vegetables are covered with liquid. Add all the seasonings and bring the soup to a bowl.
Once boiling, cover with a lid and lower to a simmer. Let it simmer for 20 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as needed.

DIY: Lemon-Ginger Tea

January 6, 2016January 5, 2016 / ktbuchs87

We almost escaped the holidays without getting sick. Almost. It’s tough because during the holidays you’re around so many people and eating foods that might not be the healthiest and not sticking to your normal exercise routine. It’s almost like inviting germs to take up residence in your body. DIY: Lemon-Ginger Tea | Life Healthfully Lived

The Monday after Christmas, Adam started feeling a little funny and by Tuesday was knocked out with a cough and cold. He had the works, stuffed nose, sore throat, nasty cough, and achy all over. The doctor said it was a virus, but not the flu, and only gave him a nose spray to relieve congestion. So he pretty much had to ride it out on the couch for a week.

While taking care of him and seeing his misery, I knew that I had to take action to make sure I wasn’t the next visitor to the sick couch. I upped my intake of vitamin C with oranges and lemons, made sure I got turmeric in as many dishes as possible, and tried my best to exercise and eat well to make sure that I stayed healthy. DIY: Lemon-Ginger Tea | Life Healthfully Lived

I have a little congestion, but I think I missed the worst of the virus and I’m going to chalk that up to the steps I took to ward it off. One of the things that I did was down this tea every morning first thing. You can buy lemon-ginger tea at the store, but it is so easy to make and I think that fresher ingredients make a bigger impact on your immune system.

So if you’re looking to make sure you don’t get sick this winter, try this tea in the morning and if you do feel something coming on, up your self-care routine. Take extra rest, don’t go run a marathon, but do move a little, and try to eat as much real food as possible. Your body will thank you!

Lemon-Ginger Tea- if it’s available and you can afford it, try to get organic ingredients. If not, don’t stress too much over it, this tea is still better than no tea.

One-quarter of a lemon (half of a half)
3 thick slices of ginger
8 oz hot water
Optional add-ins- honey, sprinkle of cayenne, fresh or powdered turmeric (fresh tastes a little better if you can find it because powdered might not dissolve as much and leave a gritty feeling)

Boil the water. While the water is heating up, slice and peel the ginger and put into the bottom of your mug. Slice the lemon and get any add-ins that you want.
Once the water has boiled, let it sit for a few minutes. Then, pour it over the ginger slice and squeeze in the lemon juice. I like to put the whole lemon wedge in the water after I’ve squeezed it. Add in the honey, cayenne, or turmeric if you want and stir everything together.
Let it steep for a few minutes and cool down before you drink it/

Last Minute Christmas

December 23, 2015December 22, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Two more sleeps! Two more sleeps! We are almost to the big day and I hope you are as excited as I am!

I do have to admit, though, I was a little grinchy earlier. I know, I know but I was getting bogged down under my Christmas to-do list on top of my regular to-do list and it felt like they were both growing no matter how hard I was working. Everything was starting to make me grouchy and less than Christmas-y. Last Minute Christmas | Life Healthfully Lived

Then I took these pictures for last minute Christmas recipes, and I started to feel that Christmas spirit again. I may have also been watching Elf and other Christmas movies to help put me in the mood. Either way, I’m glad I snapped myself out of it. I know this time of year can be stressful, especially if you’re the one planning everything. You want everyone else to feel the cheer of the season while you’re slowly going crazy with baking cookies, planning feasts, wrapping presents, and making hot chocolate.

While I can’t do everything on your list, I can help out with a few last minute recipes. Both these recipes take minimal effort and can be made beforehand and then brought out when your guests arrive. One is sweet and one is savory and both are delicious. So if you need a quick dessert or appetizer, try one of these out.

And remember, Christmas comes without ribbons, it comes without tags. It comes without packages, boxes or bags. Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Christmas means just a little bit more….

Creamy Cranberry Dip

1 batch of my spicy cranberry sauce
1 batch of my no mozzarella, mozzarella
crackers, chips, bread chunks, or vegetables for dipping

Make both the cranberry sauce and no mozzarella, mozzarella. You can do this a few days before you plan on serving the dip. Just store them in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 375. Oil a small glass casserole dish or another oven safe dish with a little olive oil. Pour in the mozzarella and bake for 10 minutes.
Pull out the mozzarella and pour the cranberry sauce on top. Place the dish back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve warm with whatever dipping device you have.

Christmas Blondies

1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and skins removed (don’t skip this last step!)
1/4 cup oat bran
2/3 cup date sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and oil a brownie pan with a little coconut oil.
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Pour the batter into the dish, scooping out the last bits with a spatula. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Pull out the pan and check the middle. If it is still gooey, bake for another 10 minutes.
Let the blondies cool on a rack completely before cutting and serving. You can also sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top. It is Christmas after all!

Last Minute Christmas | Life Healthfully Lived

Salted Caramel Chocolate Swirl Cookie Bars

December 18, 2015December 18, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Salted Caramel Chocolate Swirl Cookie Bars | Life Healthfully Lived Whew! Yes that is a long name, but I had to get everything in there so you can understand just how awesome these things are. I was really shocked when I came up with this recipe. I had been experimenting with making caramel out of dates and after the caramel pieces that I had planned didn’t turn out as I had hoped, I thought about making a no-bake cookie bar.

These aren’t totally no bake, you do have to cook the cookie base, but that takes less than 15 minutes. The rest you just stir together, pour, and swirl! Which makes this perfect if you realize at the last second you said you would bring a dessert to that Christmas party you’re going to. Salted Caramel Chocolate Swirl Cookie Bars | Life Healthfully Lived

I have a few other Christmas-y recipes and posts coming your way next week before the big day, so be on the lookout for those. I plan to spend the majority of my weekend in the kitchen. The only time that I will be out and about is to go see the new Star Wars movie with my husband. I have been getting a countdown for about two weeks now, so I think the man is excited. To be honest, I am too. While I might not be as passionate about Star Wars as he is, I really do enjoy the movies.

So if you’re going to see the movie this weekend, enjoy! Then come home and make some hot chocolate and eat these salted caramel chocolate swirl cookie bars! If the empire, hot chocolate, and cookie bars don’t put you in the Christmas spirit… you may have already crossed over into the dark side.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Swirl Cookie Bars

Cookie Base- slightly adapted from this recipe by Plated with Style

3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup solid coconut oil (if your oil is liquid-y, put it in the freezer for a few minutes)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a blender or food processor, pulse all of the ingredients together until you have one dough ball.
Grease an 8 x 8 pan with a little more coconut oil. Don’t skip this step or you will end up with crumbled mess.
Take the dough ball and press it onto the bottom and a little up the sides of the pan. You can use a cup if you’re having a hard time rolling the dough out. Make sure you have a fairly even layer.
Bake for about 9 minutes or until it is golden brown. Remove from oven and let it cool before you pour the rest of the layers in.

Salted Caramel

10 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked in hot water for at least 20 minutes (preferably overnight if you remember)
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
6 tbsp liquid coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond butter (could use cashew or peanut butter)
1/4 tsp salt (a touch more if your nut butter isn’t salted)

While the cookie layer is baking, make the caramel and chocolate layers.
Make sure that your dates have been either soaking overnight or in boiling hot water. You want to be able to remove the skins easily.
Once your dates are done soaking, slip the skins off. Most of them will slide right off, a few might give you a little fight. As long as you get most of the skin off you should be just fine.
Put the dates and the coconut oil into a blender and blend until you have a smooth and creamy paste. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times before everything comes together.
In a bowl, combine the date paste and the rest of the ingredients. Mix until everything comes together.

Chocolate Swirl

4 oz dark chocolate (I used 100% chocolate)
2 tbsp liquid coconut oil
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (if you used 100% chocolate like I did)

In a medium bowl, grate the dark chocolate so you have little shreds.
Add the coconut oil and maple syrup and stir.
In the microwave or a double boiler, melt the chocolate until it is all melted and smooth.

Putting It All Together

Once the cookie layer has cooled, pour in the salted caramel and smooth evenly over everything.
Pour in the chocolate swirl over the top. Using a chopstick, toothpick, or butter knife, swirl the chocolate throughout the caramel layer.
Place the pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes so the caramel and chocolate harden.
To serve, Run a butter knife under hot water for a little bit and slice the bars, wiping the knife clean each time.

Ok, I know you’re panicking at this point because this does NOT look like a simple recipe. Trust me, this comes together a lot faster than it seems. I finished making this in about 30 to 40-ish minutes. And once you taste these bars, you’ll forget about this super long list. Salted Caramel Chocolate Swirl Cookie Bars | Life Healthfully Lived

Have a great weekend friends and may the force be with you!

DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust

December 16, 2015December 15, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust | Life Healthfully Lived have another holiday edition of DIY Wednesday for you guys today. Pie is eaten all year round, but I think that it’s most special around the holidays. From pumpkin to pecan to sweet potato pie, there are some pretty delicious options.

Pies are a little difficult though if you have to stay away from gluten. The store bought versions can taste a little (ok, a lot) like cardboard plus they are pretty expensive compared to the regular pie crusts. Homemade gluten-free pie crusts are better, but can sometimes call for ingredients that you might not usually have on hand. DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust | Life Healthfully Lived

I made this simple one with a pie that my mom made for Thanksgiving. It was a crustless pumpkin pie and while it was really good, it needed some type of crust. The beauty of this crust is that you can use it raw or cooked so if you have a tart or treat that you don’t need to bake but still want a crust, you can use this. It also holds up to baking and adds a nice sweet flavor to any pie.

If you’re looking for a quick crust for your baked goods, try this gluten-free pie crust!

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

10 Medjool dates, soaked in water if needed
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

If your dates aren’t, soak them in some hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain (save the water) and slice them in half removing the pits.
Pulse the dates in a food processor or blender for a few minutes until they come together in one ball
Add the rest of the ingredients to the processor and pulse until everything comes together. If it is too dry add a tablespoon or two of the date soaking water. If it’s too wet add a little more almond flour or pumpkin seeds/walnuts.
Place the date mixture into the fridge to cool for at least an hour. This makes it easier to handle when you put it into your pie tin.
Once the date mixture is cool, grease your pie tin well. Then, press the date mixture into the bottom of the tin and up the sides. Make sure there are no bare spots.

You can keep it in your fridge if you will be using it later that day, in the freezer if you are going to use it later in the week (just let it thaw a bit before you use it), or pour in your filling and use it right away! DIY Wednesday: Gluten-Free Pie Crust | Life Healthfully Lived