Simple Vegetable Millet

March 21, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

This meal was made on a Sunday night using whatever I had on hand. I literally looked in my fridge/freezer/pantry and just pulled random things out that I thought might taste good together. I never said the way I cook was glamorous, but this turned out really tasty and it was quick to put together. I used millet but you could easily use quinoa or even brown rice, although you might need to cook for a little longer to make sure the rice is done. Feel free to add whatever vegetables or leftovers you have on hand to this dish and make it your own!

Simple Vegetable Millet

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used some leftover homemade tomato sauce, but you can use store bought too)
3/4 cup uncooked millet/quinoa/brown rice

In a medium sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic with a little olive oil. Once the onions are soft, add in the cumin and coriander and mix well. Add in the broth, vegetables, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
Add in your millet/quinoa/brown rice and stir everything together. Cover your pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes (a little longer for rice) until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Try this version out first and then experiment with different flavors. I think another good one would be to use Asian inspired flavors like ginger, five spice, and soy sauce. Make sure to make enough for leftovers because this is even better the next day. Enjoy!

White Chili

March 14, 2014 / ktbuchs87

While the calendar says that spring is almost here (technically it is already meteorologically spring, but that’s a whole different post), the temperatures here in the midwest have still been frigid. True, we have escaped the “polar vortex” but it still isn’t quite t-shirt weather. So in hopes to keep you warm and cozy, I have a slow cooker chili for you. It is hearty and delicious and will make you feel a little less sad that it just snowed 4 inches in March.

White Chili

2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight (you can use canned, but the flavor and texture is better with dried)
1 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1 large green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne, more if you want a spicier chili
1-2 tsp salt

1. If you are using dried beans (which you should!), make sure to soak your beans for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. You want the beans to be soft. Once they are soaked drain and rinse them. Take about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the beans and puree them in a food processor or blender until they are nice and smooth. Add this to your crockpot

2. Saute the onions, corn, garlic, and green pepper until the onions are soft and the pepper and corn have browned, about 7-10 minutes. Add this to the crockpot.

3. Add in the rest of your beans and the vegetable broth. You want the broth to just cover the contents of the crock pot by about an inch. If you need more, you can always add liquid in at the end. Next, add in your spices and stir to combine everything. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once it’s done, check that there is enough liquid and add a little salt if needed.

You could easily add cooked and shredded chicken or pork to this chili and I might add that it tastes really good with cornbread and topped with sour cream or greek yogurt. You could even top it with some of my avocado cream and it would be even more amazing! Enjoy!

Changes; They are a-coming

March 11, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 3 Comments

I know this post is a day late, I’m sorry. But as you are about to learn, it has been a busy weekend for us and things are about to get busier.

My husband, Adam, has been searching for a job since about last November. He has applied to any and everything that is within his skill set and all over the US. All of that searching finally paid off and he was offered a job with Aon Benfield as a Catastrophe Risk Analyst. He happily accepted and will start with them in June. Now the changes start happening. His new job is in downtown Chicago, he will literally work right across the street from Millenium Park. From where we are now, the commute would be over 2 hours each way. Not really the ideal situation, so after much talking and debating we decided that it would be best for us to move closer to his job. What would spring be without the Dawson’s looking for and moving to a new place? While the idea of moving is not the most appealing to me (I’ve moved every single year for the past 5 years), we are both excited to start this next chapter of our lives.

Yes I made my husband take a picture in front of his new building. Isn’t he cute?

Needless to say, I have had many emotions about this whole situation. I am so happy and proud of Adam for getting an amazing job that will both challenge him and allow him to excel. I am excited to move to the more “adult” phase of life, complete with “real” jobs (will we ever really feel like adults or qualify our jobs as real people jobs? Eh, maybe). I’m also scared to leave the comfort of our town and routine. We have lived in this area for 7+ years. I know everything here, I’m familiar with it’s rhythms and motions. I like it here, this area has been so good to us. I’m sad to leave my job. While I knew going in that it wasn’t a long term job, they have become like a second family. Sure there have been days when dealing with a 2 year old and a 9 month old have been challenging and tiring, but it has been fun to see those two grow up. I’m also nervous about pursuing my passions, specifically in the health realm. I have so many doubts about myself and I’m worried about failure, yet I know that it is time to go after what I want to do. As you can see, I have run the full gamut of emotions, and I am sure that there will be more to come as we get closer to the move and Adam’s start date.

But the most important thing is that even though I might be scared or nervous or stressed or anxious, I know that we can do this. I know that I can do this. So often in the past I have fought and resisted change and it has only caused more hardship. While I can’t promise that I will full embrace all the change that is about to happen or not occasionally have a breakdown, I can say that I am going to do my best to be flexible and understanding with this process. I’m not afraid to ask for help or communicate when I have too much on my plate anymore. I have such an amazing support system, with Adam as well as with my family and friends. I know they will offer as much help as they can and in any way they can. I am blessed to have all of them in my life.

So please forgive me in advance if I’m not posting as regularly. We have a lot to get done in these next few months and I’ll be putting most of my energy into that. I’ll keep you all updated as much as I can along the way! On another note, any of you who live in Chicago have any advice about where to live there? If you have any tips, advice, or info PLEASE send it my way! Have a great week everyone!

Love this man!

Simple Potato Chips

March 7, 2014 / ktbuchs87

There are a plethora of healthy chip recipes out on the internet. I have tried probably about half of them and usually end up with a soggy pile of potatoes that no one could even generously call potato chips. I set out to try and figure out what the secret trick was to make crispy and yummy chips. I think that I got pretty close, not exactly like a bag of Lays, but pretty close. I will say that you might want a few special tools to make sure you get as close to a store bought potato chip as possible. These two tools are a Silpat and a mandoline. The Silpat really helps so that your potato slices don’t stick to the pan while you are cooking them, but if you don’t have one parchment paper can work as well. The mandoline helps to slice the potato very thin, which is uber important to a crispy chip. If you don’t have a mandoline, you can use a regular knife. Just make sure to cut the potatoes as thin as possible. Alright enough talking, let’s make some chips!

Simple Potato Chips

3-4 medium potatoes (I used red potatoes because that’s what I had on hand. Russet also works really well)
1 big pot of boiling water
1 big bowl of cold water
Olive oil
sea salt
pepper or garlic powder or any other seasoning you want, optional

1. Bring your pot of water to a boil. Wash and dry your potatoes. With either a mandoline or a knife, slice the potatoes into thin rounds.

2. Bring your bowl of cold water over to the boiling water and place your potatoes into the boiling water. Cook for 2-5 minutes and then immediately put them into the cold water. Drain the potatoes and pat dry as best as possible.

3. Preheat oven to 450 and line a large baking sheet with either a Silpat or parchment paper. Lay your potato rounds in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure they aren’t touching or overlapping. You may have to make them in batches.

4. Lightly brush or spray the potatoes with olive oil (you don’t need a ton), and then sprinkle with sea salt and any other seasonings you want.

5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and flip over the slices and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Keep checking to make sure your chips don’t burn. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. This also helps them to crisp up a little as the cool.

You can experiment with seasonings as well as cook time to make the perfectly crispy chip. This is just what worked best for me and my oven. Now go enjoy your tasty snack!

Playing the Blame Game

March 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Often times in life, it is so easy to blame anything and everything for things that go wrong. We are all quick to point the finger at situations, circumstances, and even other people that might have caused our problems. Very rarely ,at least for me, do we blame ourselves for our hardships. I feel that bad health is one area of life that we are very quick to play the blame game. So often it is fast food, poor medical care, various diseases and ailments, environmental factors, or a myriad of other factors that take the rap for our poor health. I am totally aware that in some cases, these factors can be totally true and can be a big contributor to bad health. However, so many times it is our own fault, we just don’t want to admit it.

I get it. Believe me. I don’t like to take the blame for things just as much as the next guy. Is there anyone that really enjoys saying they’re wrong and it’s all their fault? I don’t think so. But more and more, we are not taking responsibility for our actions when it comes to health and that is hurting us more than helping us. By constantly passing the buck, we can feel less motivated to step up and make a change. It can get easier and easier to feel like we have no power over the food we put in our mouths, the lack of movement we make throughout our day, or way to change our current circumstance. Our health no longer becomes our problem; it’s somebody else’s issue to deal with. If someone could get rid of all the fast food restaurants, then you could be healthy. If someone made fresh and organic food affordable and easily available, then you could be healthy. If someone could make getting access to health professionals easier and less expensive, then you could be healthier. If someone could get an inexpensive fitness center in your neighborhood, then you could be healthier.

That someone? It’s you. All the excuses need to stop. They waste time and they accomplish nothing. I don’t expect you to revolutionize the health world and make a change for everyone. I do expect you to revolutionize YOUR health and make a change for YOU. Accept responsibility for your actions and your choices. Will all fast food restaurants ever disappear? Not likely. Can you make the choice to eat something else? Absolutely. Will organic food become cheaper than conventional and pop up in every single grocery store across America? Maybe some day. Can you make the best possible decisions while grocery shopping and still eat a nutritious and healthy diet? Of course you can. Will you be able to workout and train like all the A-list celebrities? Perhaps if you win the lottery. Can you find free and simple ways to workout? Definitely. There are ways to make a healthy lifestyle work for every person, you just have to be willing to do the work and stop passing the blame to someone else.

Like I said before, I know that there are some situations where there is no way you can take responsibility for health problems. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or guilty. I just believe that the more you try and take control of your health, the better off you will be. When you take charge of your actions and health decisions, then your health starts to become a priority. I don’t expect you to do it all on your own either. Ask for help and guidance along the way! Find people who have successfully changed their health for the better and see how they did it. Read health blogs, articles, magazines, or books and start implementing their tips or advice. If it works, keep it. If it doesn’t, move on and try something new. The more ownership you start to take of your health, the more you want it to keep improving. Don’t get discouraged, get empowered to start taking steps in a healthier direction!