How To Grocery Shop For Health

November 5, 2014 / ktbuchs87

If you are the regular grocery shopper for your family, you probably have your routine down pat. You know exactly where to go, what to get, and what aisle everything is in. I know for me, I can pretty much grocery shop on autopilot and get everything I need in less than 30 minutes. But when you decide to make a big change in the way you eat, the grocery store suddenly turns into unknown territory. You’re now hunting the aisle for foreign ingredients and wondering whether lacinato kale and curly kale are all that different from each other. It can be frustrating to try and navigate your store and have no clue what to buy. I thought that I would share a few tips from my own grocery shopping routine to help you get in and out quickly and healthfully!

Plan Meals First

I always start my grocery list with a menu. During the week, I stick to simple meals that stay generally the same, I just change the flavors/seasonings based on what I have on hand. I save my new or more complicated meals for the weekend when I have more time. Once I have a menu written out, I can add the ingredients I don’t have in my kitchen to my list. This way you aren’t left wondering what ingredients that meatloaf dish needs while your standing in the grocery aisle. Meal planning is also a great way to start eating better. When you have a plan, you can stick to what you need and steer clear of the impulse buy in the chip aisle.

Use this template to plan and write out your list. Or find another one you like better online!

Change Your Route

Speaking of the chip aisle, wave good-bye. You probably have a specific route you take through your store and probably include a few less than healthy aisles. If you want to start eating better, I suggest changing your route. I personally like to start in the produce aisle. I fill my cart with all of the fruits and vegetables I will need for the week and then I move on to the other items I need in the store. I also don’t wander up and down each aisle, I go to the specific ones I need and avoid the temptation of the less than stellar aisles. For me this includes the aisles for tea/coffee, canned goods for diced tomatoes/tomato paste/tomato sauce, dried goods like rice and beans, and the frozen foods section for fruits and vegetables. While there are healthy things in the aisles of your store, your best bet is the produce section and the frozen food aisles. However you choose to eat, make sure you are shopping for those things and try to avoid the food aisles that have nothing you need.

Consider Multiple Trips

I know this might not be a popular tip for everyone, but consider making more than one trip to your grocery store or going to multiple stores. I do this for two reasons. One, I am fairly frugal with my grocery budget and I want to make sure that I am getting the most for my money. There are some stores that have better deals on food that I buy regularly and it is worth it to me to go to a few different places. My rotation of stores right now is Jewel, Aldi, and Whole Foods. Between those three I am able to get good prices on all of my food and eat healthy on a budget. The second reason I suggest multiple trips is that stores stock their products at different times of the day/week. I try to get to the store on the days/times that they restock the produce so I can get the best pick. Also multiple trips tend to save you money because you can buy only what you need instead of overstocking because you only go once. Again, I know that some of you are too busy for multiple trips during the week, but give it a try and see if it works for you.

Just Ask

If you’re totally changing the way you eat, chances are there are going to be some food items that you are unfamiliar with. Rather than just wandering around and getting frustrated, ask a worker. I have found that most of the time they are happy to help and it cuts down on wasted time to just ask someone for help. Plus if you get a really great employee, they can help you with how to prepare and eat that ingredient. So don’t be afraid to ask!

Grocery shopping is a vital part of eating well and it is disheartening when you feel lost. It can feel easier to just give up and go back to your old habits because you know what to do. Don’t give into the temptation and slip back to your old ways, try these tips and give yourself some time to get used to your new way of eating. Soon you will be flying through the store with ease and will be on your way to eating a healthy meal!

Our Food

November 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I came across this post about a woman from Nigeria coming to the United States for school and trying to learn how to eat well. I found it fascinating because it really shows how different our food system is compared to the rest of the world. While the whole post is really good, there were a few points that stuck out that I wanted to address here on my blog.

The first was how she learned to view food in Nigeria. In her house, they called junk food simply junk because that is exactly what it was. This is a simple idea but I feel like it is really substantial. Food is meant to nourish our bodies and give us fuel. It provides necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that allow us to function properly. Therefore anything that doesn’t meet those standards shouldn’t even be called food. Just what are we teaching young kids when we call candy, chips, soda, or any packaged product food when we qualify it as junk? We are telling them that it is in some way allowing our bodies to work the way they should and that isn’t what happens with Pop-Tarts and Oreos. It should be no surprise that we are confused about what food is healthy when we teach them that packaged and processed food can be part of a “balanced” diet.

We are spending more money on eating out than cooking at home.

The other reason that so many of us have a hard time eating well is that we are constantly sold on food advertising. We love our buzzwords like ‘all natural’ ‘organic’ ‘gluten-free’ and ‘locally sourced’. These words mean virtually nothing when it comes to whether we should eat something or not. Yes, organic and gluten-free are regulated terms but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy. Organic candy is still candy. In the article, the author writes about being confused by all these words stating, “Wasn’t food by definition healthy? If the food wasn’t healthy, then why call it food?” Great question! It’s so simple, yet we have complicated it so much by relying on convenience foods. We need a package to tell us what is healthy to eat instead of just eating food that needs no advertising. You don’t have to wonder if a bunch of broccoli or a bushel of apples is good for you. Real food will always trump processed food.

When she came to the United States, the author was in good health. She never worried about her weight and had no other complaints. After awhile, she started to experience so many of the complications that come with a Western diet, even though she was trying to eat as close to what she grew up with as she could. After going to her doctor and doing some searching they realized all the pesticides and chemicals used to treat the food we normally eat, was causing her ailments. Her doctor stated that it was really common for immigrants to experience these problems when they come here. This made me realize two things. One, we really need to work on growing food that doesn’t need to be treated so much just to reach our tables. I won’t claim to have the answer to that problem, but I do think it starts with us as the consumer. Our money talks and by placing our money in food systems that are sustainably and thoughtfully grown, we can start to change the tides. I know that this won’t happen overnight and that it is tough to buy all organic all the time (I don’t have the money to do that either), but we have to start somewhere. The second thing it made me realize is that we shouldn’t all eat the exact same diet. I am a firm believer in what works for me might not work for you when it comes to eating. The microbes that digest our food are all different. Hence, an immigrant from Nigeria is going to have a hard time digesting the food we eat here just like I would probably have a difficult time digesting the food they regularly eat in Nigeria. It’s ok to not have a cookie cutter diet and eat what “everyone else is eating”. You need to find what works for you and stick with that no matter what your neighbor is eating. Respect your body and it will serve you well.

There are a lot of great talking/thinking points in this article, like the fact that in most other countries packaged food is way more expensive than regular food and only the really wealthy can afford to purchase it. Yet it is the exact opposite here. Packaged food is cheap and easily accessible while it costs a fortune to buy organic food. While it is still possible to eat well on a budget, it is a little more difficult. I also really like the authors simple rules to eating well here in the states. Buy food that you know where it came from, avoid packaged food as much as possible, and cook your own food. We don’t have to make being healthy a complicated process, simple steps such as these can make a huge difference in your health.

Try changing some things in your diet and see how much better you can feel. Check out some of my other posts on eating well or making small changes, and start making a difference today. You can do it!

Frosted Pumpkin “Blondies”

October 31, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I’m really making myself a hypocrite by saying I’m not a baker and then giving you two dessert recipes in a row. Oh well, I think you’ll forgive me once you try these! My biggest struggle with this recipe was what to call it. They have the texture of a fudgy brownie, but don’t have any chocolate. It’s a lot thinner than a brownie or blondie, but it’s not really a bread either. What I do know is that they taste like fall and the frosting adds a nice creamy/salty touch to the sweetness of the blondie. You can also make these into mini muffins which are great to share at your Halloween party or make a batch for me for my birthday!

Frosted Pumpkin “Blondies”

For the blondies

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp ground flaxseed (buy whole flax seeds and grind them at home)
4 tbsp water
3 tbsp brown rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

For the frosting

1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated (do NOT shake the can, just put it in the fridge)
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix 2 tbsp flaxseed and 4 tbsp water in a little bowl and place in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract.

3. Add the dry to the wet and mix well. Once everything is combined, add in the flaxseed mixture and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased 9×9 pan or mini muffin tin and place in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes.

4. While the blondie is baking make your frosting. Take your can of coconut milk and open it from the BOTTOM and scoop out only the solid parts. Add the rest of the frosting ingredients to the coconut cream and either with an immersion or hand blender, blend all the ingredients until smooth and fluffy. It will be a little runny, but just place the frosting in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up.

5. Once the blondies are completely cool spread a decent amount of frosting on top. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Keep the leftovers, if there are any, in the refrigerator. I really like the combination of the salty/sweet frosting and the spicy fall-like flavor of the blondie. It’s a great treat for your Halloween party or even for Thanksgiving. I hope you have a spooktacular Halloween and an excellent weekend. Now I’m going to go enjoy these pumpkin blondies and my birthday!

How To Keep Moving Forward

October 30, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Since we have moved to Chicago and Adam started working at Aon, I haven’t had a “real” job. It was a conscious decision on both our parts and it is working well for the moment. I knew with all this new found free time, I would need to make sure that I had things to keep me occupied and moving forward on my goals and dreams. It could have been so easy to just waste the day away and not do much at all, but I didn’t want to be complacent.

I think that the idea of moving forward and reaching goals can be applied to pretty much any area of life. Whether it be losing weight, completing a home project, getting a promotion at work, or getting into the college of your choice. I don’t have all the answers on how to achieve those goals but I do have a few tips on how to keep moving towards those goals. These are some things that I have used to help from keeping me sitting on the couch all day eating bon bons. Does anyone actually eat bon-bons all day?

Create a vision board

Have you ever heard of Pinterest? If you haven’t, it’s like a giant cork board on the internet You can save all the recipes, workouts, outfits, etc you find on the internet in one place. You can create different boards to sort all your pins. Having a visual representation is a great way to keep your goals at the front of your mind. You don’t have to use Pinterest (even though it’s awesome) you can just use a regular pinboard. Find images that embody your goal and hang them where you can see them everyday. You can add or subtract as you reach your goals or they change.

Tell someone

Share your goals with another person, preferably someone that you trust. It’s really helpful to have another person know exactly what you want to accomplish. That way you have someone that can support you and keep you accountable. Ask them to check in with you every once and awhile to see your progress. While you might think you’re really independent and can do everything on your own, it’s really important to have someone there to support your dreams. You will be much more likely to reach those goals with that little extra oomph.

Do something everyday

It doesn’t have to be a huge or monumental task but do something everyday to propel you towards your goal. If you want to lose weight, try keeping a food journal each day to see where you can make changes. If you want to write a book, try writing a chapter or paragraph everyday. Little steps like this will get you closer to your goal and before you know it you’ll be there. Also little steps can lead to bigger steps and you can reach your goal even faster. This is also another great way to keep yourself from stalling. If you actually do something you’ll feel more motivated to keep working hard.

Be kind to yourself

This one is tough for me. I often get down on myself for not reaching my goals sooner or I keep beating myself up for not doing more. Don’t worry if you aren’t going at the rate you think you should be. You will reach your goals at your own pace. Don’t compare yourself to others or give up because it isn’t happening as soon as you want. As long as you are continually working towards something, you don’t need to beat yourself up. Be kind and keep going.

Like I said, I don’t have all the answers and maybe these tips will not help you in any way at all, but give them a try. They might be a good starting point if you are at the beginning of your journey. No matter what you decide to do, start making decisions and steps to accomplish your dreams.

Just A Thought

October 27, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I had a great weekend spending time with my in-laws, watching marching bands, and celebrating my upcoming birthday. It was nice to relax with my family and spend time together.

With all of my relaxing this weekend (there may have been a few glasses of wine), I don’t have a very long post for you today but I do have a thought. I have noticed that with all the social media out there, we have become people who are constantly comparing. I didn’t realize how much it was affecting me until I would find myself looking at pictures on Instagram and comparing my life to them. I didn’t just compare my health or body or food but my clothes, my apartment, essentially my life. Somehow there was always someone who had something bigger or better or seemingly more perfect. My life just didn’t seem to meet their standards and it was making me grumpy. I took a step back and realized how silly it is to want my life to meet OTHER people’s standards.

How often do you try and compare yourself to others, fall short, and then feel inadequate? Probably more than you know. It’s impossible to totally isolate yourself from social media, but even if you could there are still opportunities to compare. There will always be other people who seem to have everything in life and you wish you could be just like them, but that will never make you happy. You will end up always reaching for things and never have time to enjoy all the great things you already have. I stopped caring what my life looked like next to the person standing next to me and what do you know, I’m a lot happier. My life is amazing and it’s my life so the only person that needs to set the standard is me. It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing, as long as I’m achieving my goals and satisfied with things, it’s all good. Take one day to stop comparing and see how much better your life and all the things you do really are. Because you are a very awesome person.