Sweet Potato Hash

January 15, 2016January 15, 2016 / ktbuchs87

Sweet Potato Hash | Life Healthfully Lived The time has come to share the sweet potato hash that won the hearts of my family over Christmas. And they have promised me that they really do like it, not just because it was made by me and they have to pretend to like everything that I make. It’s actually good.

Plus Adam keeps asking for me to make it which is a good indication that he really likes something. Although the boy did use to but corn syrup on his pancakes and didn’t like mac n’ cheese as a kid. Seriously, what kind of psycho doesn’t like cheese and noodles as a child? My husband apparently.

Anyway, back to this sweet potato hash. I was trying to think of something to make for a crowd for Christmas brunch that tasted good but was still a little healthy. Gotta balance out those cookies! I had a bunch of sweet potatoes lying around and instead of just roasting them up like I usually do, I decided to fancy them up a bit. Ok, not that much but I added some bell peppers, onions, and cilantro and was amazed at how just a few ingredients made such a big difference.

So if you’re looking to change up your normal breakfast hash, give this sweet potato version a whirl. Promise you won’t be disappointed!

Sweet Potato Hash

2-3 large sweet potatoes, washed and dried
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 cup onions, diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
handful of fresh cilantro, stems removed and chopped

Once your potatoes are washed and dried, dice into small cubes. You want to make sure they are fairly small and uniform inside so they cook properly.
In a large skillet that has a lid, heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes until a little soft. Add the bell peppers and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sweet potato cubes and half the minced garlic and mix everything together.
Sprinkle everything with the Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and a little salt and then cover with the lid. Let the everything cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom.
Once the potatoes are fork tender remove the lid and add the rest of the garlic and seasonings. Cook for another five minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cilantro and stir to combine.

This hash is awesome served with a poached or fried egg on top. But then again, most dishes are better with an egg on top. Tomorrow is Adam’s birthday so we plan to spend some time eating good food downtown and probably going to see Star Wars again.

What does your weekend look like?

DIY Wednesday: Better For You Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

January 13, 2016January 12, 2016 / ktbuchs87

DIY Wednesday: Better For You Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins I was watching Friends the other day, a normal happening in my house and the two random episodes that I watched mentioned mini muffins. This then made me think of the little packages of Hostess mini muffins that were all the rage in middle school. You were someone if you had mini muffins.

Yeah, it was weird.

I usually did not have mini muffins because they were expensive and my mom wasn’t going to waste money on junk food. Because let’s face it, muffins, even in mini form, are generally not a health food. Especially when they’re made by Hostess. DIY Wednesday: Better For You Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

But boy are they delicious. And something about them being mini made them even better. Little food is always better. That’s just science. I decided to attempt to make a better for you mini muffin that would still taste good but wouldn’t be full of all this stuff. That’s what’s in those little bites of happiness. Yum….

My favorite muffin was always banana walnut but I decided to switch the walnuts for chocolate because duh, chocolate. My version uses dark chocolate, but you can use whatever you have on hand. I also decided to add just a few chips to the top rather than mix them throughout because I thought they would be just a little too big for mini muffins. But you do you. And you should do these mini-muffins.

Banana Chocolate Mini Muffins- gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free. I promise there is something in there!

1 1/2 cup almond meal
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed and 5 tbsp water mixed together)
1 large banana, very ripe
4 tbsp almond milk
3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
handful of dark chocolate chips, optional

Preheat your oven to 350 and mix together your flax egg and set aside. Line a mini muffin tin with muffin cups or grease with a little coconut oil.
Put all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together so there are no clumps.
In another bowl, mash the banana so it is fairly smooth. Add in the rest of the wet ingredients, including the flax eggs, and whisk with a fork to combine and smooth.
Pour the wet into the dry and use a spatula to combine everything. Drop about a tablespoon of dough into each well. These won’t rise a ton, so you don’t have to worry about them spilling over. If you’re using chocolate chips, press about 3 or 4 into the top of each muffin.
Bake the muffins for about 10 minutes and pull them out to check. If they are brown around the edges and fairly firm in the middle you’re good. If not, bake for another 2 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes and then place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

These will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or you can make a bunch and put them in the freezer to pull out whenever you need a mini muffin!

What were some of your favorite middle school snacks?

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.

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