Not Really a Lifestyle Choice: Meal Delivery/Replacement

September 23, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

I’ve been going over popular health/lifestyle choices these past few weeks, and I thought I would end up this little series with something a bit different. I know there are a million different diets that I didn’t get to, but if I were to go through every single one it would take forever and you would get really bored. Hopefully with this series you have been exposed to a lifestyle that you found interesting as well as learned how to objectively look at a diet and see if it is the right one for you.

Today I am taking a look at meal delivery/replacement services. As you can see from the title, I don’t really view this as a lifestyle choice and I will get into that a little bit later. There are numerous meal delivery services out there, including Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Freshology, and many other brands. Just a quick Google search pulled up a ton I had never even heard of. The basic premise of these programs is that they take care of all food prep for you. They send you all the meals you will eat for the day/week and all you have to do is either heat them up or some other minimal form of prep work. Many of these services also allow you to customize your program for food allergies or intolerances, such as gluten free or dairy free. These programs do all work of figuring out portion sizes and calorie counts so you don’t have to.

I’ll start with the good, which quite frankly isn’t much. I’m not a huge fan of counting calories, but that is a personal preference and I know that for some keeping tabs on how many calories you eat is the best way to stay healthy. These programs make it very easy to keep a close eye on your daily calorie intake since everything is figured out for you. They also help with portion control, which is a big problem lately. We have gotten used to gigantic portion sizes, that we have no idea how much we should actually be eating. With meal delivery programs, they have already portioned out the right amount of food. All you have to do is make sure you only eat the allotted food for each meal.

That is pretty much all I have for the good stuff. In case you couldn’t tell, I am not a huge fan of meal delivery services. My biggest concern is that the food you are receiving is not actual food, but processed food-type things. You all know how I feel about processed “food”. Many of these meals are laden with chemicals and preservatives, both things that are not beneficial to your health whether you lose weight on these systems or not. I know with some of these programs you can supplement with real food, but for the bulk of them you are eating whatever they send you. One other problem with these programs is that you aren’t really learning how to eat better or healthier. You are fully relying on whatever they “cook” or make you, and not gathering the skills to sustain a healthier eating lifestyle. Most of the time you are just giving your microwave a workout. Meal delivery systems aren’t really a sustainable lifestyle choice. Which leads me to my last dislike, these programs are NOT cheap. You are relying on one service or company to provide your food as opposed to being able to shop locally and at various different stores where you can find the best price for your food. Eating well does not have to be an expensive endeavor. I feed my husband and I on usually no more than $50/week and I know others who eat delicious, healthy meals on even less than that. I could be totally wrong, but I don’t think people join Jenny Craig thinking that they will eat their food forever, and when they do decide that they have reached their goal weight, what have they really learned? They haven’t learned how to cook better meals for themselves! They might have learned what a portion looks like, but they probably don’t know how to measure it out on their own. That’s the important part of choosing a certain lifestyle, being able to learn how to make the healthiest choices on your own and be able to sustain the lifestyle for the rest of your life.

I mentioned meal replacements in the beginning, and I just wanted to briefly touch on them. I dislike these even more than meal delivery services. Slimfast, Special K, and any other type of company that makes you swap out a full meal with what pretty much counts as a candy bar or milkshake is not the way to go to be healthier. Sure, you will lose weight. That’s what happens when you don’t eat a real meal. These “programs” are usually used for quick weight loss results (like getting ready for a wedding or wearing a bikini) and aren’t meant to be sustained indefinitely. You’re better off steering clear of these products, as you’re doing your body and your health a huge favor. Trust me.

I know that there are a ton of other lifestyles/diets that I did not cover. But I hope that these have given you some insights into different ways of eating and living and will help steer you in the right direction for your health. When you decide that you want to be healthier, make sure you do a lot of research, ask questions, talk to health professionals, and experiment until you find the best way for you and your life. That is the most important thing! I hope that you all had a fantastic weekend. Adam and I celebrated the beginning of fall by going apple picking and enjoying the fabulous weather! Have a great Monday!

Apple picking fun!

Taco Casserole

September 19, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 3 Comments

This recipe is a winner. Ask my husband, he is crazy about this one. I have to admit it is one of my new favorites too, it is creamy and a little spicy and fulfils that need for Mexican food without making you feel gross afterwards. Now, because I don’t eat dairy or buy processed products, I made my own nacho “cheese” sauce. It looks and sounds like it will taste really gross, but I promise you it tastes phenomenal. If you don’t want to use the sauce I used you can use store bought nacho cheese sauce, but I don’t recommend it. Also, give yourself some time to make this recipe, this is a really good weekend meal. Ok enough talking, let’s get to it!

Taco Casserole

For the Nacho “Cheese” Sauce

1/4 cup cashews
2 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1 cup nutritional yeast (do NOT use baking yeast, you will be very unhappy with the results)
1 tsp chipotle chili spice (more if you want a spicer cheese sauce)
2 tbsp tapioca starch (cornstarch or arrowroot powder would also work)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

For the filling

8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels
1 jar salsa (I make my own, but there are plenty of good store bought brands that work)
6-8 tortillas (I use corn, but flour works too)

1. About an hour or so before you want to eat, dissolve the salt for the cheese sauce in 2 cups warm water. Add in the cashews and let them soak for an hour. After an hour, place cashews and water into a blender or food processor. Add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. You want to get the consistency really smooth with no cashew chunks in it.

2. Transfer the cheese sauce to a medium saucepan and heat on medium-high until the sauce is nice and thick. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the black beans and corn kernels.

3. While cheese sauce is heating, turn oven to 400 and heat some olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms until they are a nice golden brown and have released their moisture. This takes about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms into the cheese sauce with the beans and corn.

4. Now it’s time to assemble everything. In a large casserole dish, spread a thin layer of salsa on the bottom. Layer a few tortillas on top of this. My casserole dish usually fits 3, but if yours is bigger or smaller use however many. On top of the tortillas add a layer of the cheese sauce, then another layer of salsa, then more tortillas. Keep layering until all your stuff is gone. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes. When it’s done let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes before you cut it up

Like I said, this meal takes a little more time to put together which is why it’s a good meal to make for the weekend. You can also sub in ground beef or turkey for the mushrooms, just make sure to brown the meat first. I also really like to top this with guacamole or my avocado cream sauce. This dish gets even better the next day and makes for really good lunch leftovers. Again, ask my husband 😉 Enjoy!

Lifestyle Choices: Weight Watchers

September 18, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Hello! I’m posting on Wednesday and Friday again this week. I spent the weekend with my sister in Champaign and rather than work on my blog, I decided to have fun and relax with her. So sorry for the delay, but sometimes you just need to take a break!

Last week, I looked a little bit into the Paleo lifestyle. Today I want to talk about the Weight Watchers program. Weight Watchers has been around for about 50 years. It started with a small group of women in Queens, New York who would get together to discuss the best way to lose weight. From there it grew into one of the most popular and biggest weight loss programs in the country. The concept behind Weight Watchers places an emphasis on community and group support while losing weight. There are weekly meetings where you weigh-in and get measured to track your weight loss. You also meet with other people who are losing weight as well as health professionals who offer support on your weight loss journey. Weight Watchers uses a point system to help clients track their eating. Food is given a point value and the client is allotted a certain amount of points per day based on their weight loss goals. You can eat what you want, you just make sure that you count the points and don’t go over your daily allowance. Weight Watchers also promotes daily exercise as a way to help with weight loss and offers help and support in that realm as well. The Weight Watchers program is also fairly customizable and can offer benefits to a wide range of people and all their different needs. They also offer an online program so no matter where you are you can access all the information and tools that they have.

There are a lot of things that I really like about the Weight Watchers program. One of the biggest things that I like is the amount of support that they offer to their clients as well as the sense of community that they build. Losing weight is a really big decision and it takes a lot of motivation. It can be really tough for some people to try to lose weight all on their own. Being able to meet with other people who are going through the same things you are can really keep you on track. You can share tips, recipes, motivation, triumphs as well as failures. Having a support system behind you when you take a big step like getting healthier can make or break some people’s success. I also like that clients have access to a wide range of health professionals. Because losing weight and finding what works best for you can be such a confusing and sometimes frustrating process, it’s great to be able to have a lot of people to help guide you along the way. The other thing I like about Weight Watchers is that you can eat real food and they don’t place an emphasis on what you can’t eat but what you can eat. It is a lot harder to stick with a program when all you are told is you can’t eat this or you can’t do this. People don’t like to feel deprived, so I like the idea that you can eat what you would like.

On the flip side to that, I think it can be a little bit of a slippery slope when you are allowed to eat anything. While Weight Watchers does tout eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats, technically you could also eat chocolate cake and cookies as long as you don’t go over your points. Obviously this will not help you lose weight, and that isn’t what Weight Watchers is about. It can be tough for someone who is just starting out to be able to have all that freedom when it comes to food. I am not promoting a deprivation diet or starving yourself just to lose weight, I just know that for me I can’t just have one cookie or a slice of cake. Other people have great willpower right from the get go and have no problem saying no to those things. It all depends on the person. One other thing that I don’t like about Weight Watchers are their food products. They don’t have required food that you have to buy from them or eat, but they do have a wide range of food products that they make and fit into their point system. I am simply against this because of my belief that we need to step away from processed food and focus on real food. I understand that it is hard to figure out what to eat when starting a new lifestyle, but you shouldn’t live on packaged food whether you are losing weight or not. The chemicals and preservatives in processed food can cause more damage to your health than having a little excess weight on your body. Luckily with Weight Watchers you can easily focus your eating on real foods, and they offer a ton of meal plans and guidance when it comes to eating better.

Overall, I really do like Weight Watchers, especially for those that are just starting out and need help and guidance. They offer a ton of information and support that will help people be as successful as possible. I personally don’t think it’s realistic to be on Weight Watchers for life, but they make sure that they give you the building blocks to being healthier. Ideally, you can start to make healthier choices and live a healthy lifestyle beyond the Weight Watchers program and continue to find what works best for your body and your health!

I hope that you are all having a fabulous week and are enjoying the fall weather that is starting to make an appearance, I know I am! I’ll see you guys on Friday with a new recipe to try out!

Love her to pieces!

Cauliflower Couscous

September 11, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Cauliflower is a very versatile vegetable. You can turn it into a ton of different things such as sauces, mashed potato substitute, and “rice”. That’s a lot for one little vegetable! I decided to use cauliflower to make a sort of couscous and it makes a really great, light summer meal that is fairly easy to put together.

Cauliflower Couscous

1 large head of cauliflower
2 tbsp olive oil
juice and zest of one lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 cup chopped, toasted almonds

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add in your chopped almonds. Stir frequently until the are lightly browned and just starting to smell fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.

2. Chop your cauliflower into florets, trying to leave as much of the stem behind as you can. Put the florets into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until the cauliflower is finely chopped and looks like couscous. Make sure not to pulverize it , you want it to have some texture

3. Using the same skillet from your almonds, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then add in your cauliflower couscous. Cook the couscous for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add in all your spices, the lemon juice and zest, and the toasted almonds. Stir to combine and let the couscous sit for about 5 minutes to let the flavors meld.

This is a really versatile recipe. You can use whatever spices you feel like adding to the couscous. You can use walnuts or cashews instead of almonds and you could even add meat to the dish. Get creative and enjoy using cauliflower in a new and fun way!

Lifestyle Choices: Paleo

September 9, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Happy Monday Readers! We’re continuing our look into the more popular diet/lifestyles that are out there. Today I am taking an in depth look into the Paleo lifestyle. Let’s get started!

Followers of the Paleo lifestyle believe that the optimal diet is one that is based on fruits, vegetables, and meats that could be found in the Paleolithic Era, before modern agriculture came into play. They avoid grains, dairy, legumes/beans, sugar and processed foods that are results of modern agriculture. They try to eat as close to nature as possible, meaning organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed meats, unprocessed oils, tree nuts/seeds, eggs, fish and shellfish. Anything that modern man has meddled with or made in a factory is off limits. Here is a really great list of foods that are allowed in the lifestyle as well as those that should be avoided. While it sounds like there are a lot of food that they do not eat, there are a ton of foods that can be eaten within the parameters of the Paleo lifestyle. Simply put, if cavemen didn’t eat then neither should you. Paleo followers believe that many of today’s modern diseases and ailments, such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, are a result of modern food.

Just like with every lifestyle I look at, I offer my own opinions on the pros and cons of each diet. These are only MY opinions, I am not a doctor/dietician/nutritionist/health professional. If you would like more in depth information, please contact your health professional.

The big thing that I really like about the Paleo lifestyle is the belief that real food is the best for our bodies. I have made it fairly clear that I do not think that processed food has any nutritional benefit and is a cause of a lot of our health problems. When people hear about the Paleo lifestyle, many people instantly think of piles of meat and weightlifting, but this is just a stereotype. Yes, the Paleo lifestyle does endorse meat, but not processed meat and not pounds and pounds of it at every meal. They advocate for organic, free-range, and grass fed meats, which can be a very nutritional part of a diet. But they also promote eating a ton of fruits and vegetables. The other myth that you have to be a weightlifter or be a part of Crossfit if you go Paleo is just that, a myth. There is a large variety of people that follow the Paleo lifestyle. From runners, to those who practice yoga, old, young, mothers, grandparents, being Paleo is not limited to one type of person. I like this aspect as well, but I feel that those who do follow Paleo need to help propel the idea that it is not all about eating meat and doing crazy exercises.

One of the things that I don’t like about Paleo is one of the things that I don’t like about a lot of lifestyles out there, the thought that their way of living/eating is the ONLY way to be healthy. I mentioned this last week when I talked about the vegan lifestyle, but it is very off putting for someone who is still searching for the best way to be healthy to come across a hardcore Paleo follower. While these people think they are promoting their lifestyle, many of them are causing people to find other means of being healthy. Again, just like with the hard core vegans, not everyone in Paleo is like this. In fact it is a very small group, but they have unfortunately been a big force and are what many people assume all Paleo followers are like. My other concern about the Paleo lifestyle is that it can be very restrictive and if someone is just starting out they might feel so overwhelmed with all the food they are cutting out, they will just quit. This can happen with many types of diets, so it is important to ease into any new lifestyle and realize it is ok if you are not 100% perfect 100% of the time.

Overall, I think that if done properly, the Paleo diet can be a healthy lifestyle for many people. Just because I do not eat meat doesn’t mean that I think all meat is bad. I understand that every body has different nutritional needs. My body thrives without animals in my diet, but that doesn’t mean that others are exactly like me. I am a BIG advocate of finding what works for you and your health and if that just so happens to be Paleo then great! If your focus is on eating real, whole foods, whether that includes meat or not, I guarantee you will feel better and your health will improve!

In other news, this past Saturday I participated in a 5k race held by our local animal shelter, TAILS Humane Society. This was my third time running a 5k race and my fourth race overall. I went into it pretty much like every other non-professional runner out there, expecting to have a good time and not planning on winning. Apparently my body had other plans and I ran 3.1 miles in 23:23 and finished first for all females and fourth overall. I was pretty proud of myself as this is the first time that I have ever really won anything for an athletic type event, I even got a medal! I thought it would be fun to share my excitement with you guys and encourage you to go out and have some fun with any events you might be thinking about joining! Have a great week and come back next Monday for a look at the Weight Watchers diet.