Home Improvements: Dawson Update

September 15, 2014September 15, 2014 / ktbuchs87

This was a busy weekend! Adam and I have lived in Chicago now for about four months and he has been working at his new job at Aon for about three months. We have slowly been making this place our home and these past few weekends we have been working on some home improvements. Staining shelves, painting furniture, and painting the dining room and kitchen. It’s been really exciting! I remember as a kid HATING going to hardware store or sitting around for what seemed like HOURS while my parents debated wall colors or new furniture. It was pure torture. But now I find that it’s exciting to debate wall colors and new furniture and I don’t mind spending time at the hardware store. Guess I’m getting old! Oh well, I thought that I would share some pictures of some of the things that we have been doing around here and share some exciting news about what I have been doing for the past few weeks!

Ikea shelf before and after

Last weekend we stained this Ikea shelf that we have been using as a pantry in our dining room. It’s actually a very dark brown, not black like it looks in the picture.

Dining room before

Dining room after!

This weekend we painted our dining room and I absolutely LOVE it. We went with red (torch red if you want to use the fancy name!) and I think it looks awesome. It’s nice to finally have some color in the apartment instead of a bunch of white. I was a little worried that we went too bold with the red, but it works so well. We also added some of this same red in the kitchen….

Kitchen cabinets before

Before

Kitchen cabinets after!

We didn’t want to have two rooms painted the exact same color but we wanted to add a little something to the kitchen. I really REALLY don’t like having an all white kitchen. Not only is it a little boring, you can see every speck of dirt and grease which drives me bonkers! Painting the cabinets with a little bit of the red made the kitchen just a little less boring. I love it!

Kitchen island Adam built me.

Last weekend I also painted this kitchen island Adam built me from an old vanity. It used to be plain white and now it is a light grey. Kind of hard to tell the difference, but it looks much better.

In other “home improvement” news, these past few weeks I have been taking an online course to become certified as an Advanced Sports Nutritional Advisor. I finished on Friday and got my certificate. I am really excited to finally be taking steps towards some of my career goals. This upcoming week I am going to be getting myself organized and ready to start working with clients. I will let you know more details once I have those ironed out, but I hope to work with not only athletes looking to improve their performance with nutrition, but others who just want to have a healthier lifestyle for life. I promise to keep you updated with all of those developments!

I hope that you all had an amazing weekend and are enjoying to fall weather that is starting to work it’s way into the midwest. Anyone else been doing some home improvements lately? Let me know in the comments. Have a great Monday!

Eggplant Lasagna

September 12, 2014January 29, 2016 / ktbuchs87

Just fair warning, this recipe will take some time to assemble. But it is VERY worth it. While it might not be a quick weeknight meal, you can make it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven when you’re ready to eat. It’s got a lot of flavor and a great way to get in some healthy vegetables.

Eggplant Lasagna

For the “noodles”

2 medium eggplants, washed and sliced lengthwise

For the tomato sauce

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

For the ricotta “cheese”

1 cup white beans, soaked and rinsed (or one can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin noodle-like slices. Lay out onto a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and cover with another paper towel. Let rest for 15 minutes. If you’re cooking your own beans, cover with water bring to a boil, and then cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the beans are soft.

2. Preheat oven to 350, brush the salt off the eggplant and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

3. In a medium saucepan, saute the onion until soft. Add in the garlic, oregano, basil, and fennel seeds. Stir to combine then add in both cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce. If you want a thinner sauce, add in the vegetable broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes.

4. While the sauce is simmering, place the cooked white beans into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times. Add in the rest of the cheese ingredients and blend until smooth.

5. Now it’s time to put everything together. In a 9 x 13 casserole dish place a thin layer of the tomato sauce, then a layer of eggplant noodles, then a layer of cheese, and then a layer of tomato sauce. Keep layering until you run out of ingredients. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Let it rest uncovered for 5 minutes, then cut and serve!

Whew! I know it seems like this is a lot of work, but it is really worth it. Make this over the weekend when you have a little more time and then have delicious leftovers for lunch during the week. To save more time you can use jarred marinara sauce, just make sure to read the ingredient list. Or make a few batches of these, put them in the freezer and then pull them out when you need a quick meal. Enjoy!

How To Stay Hydrated

September 10, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Water is important. Not to be Captain Obvious here, but without water you and your body do not function. Your body needs an adequate supply of water to carry out it’s everyday normal functions. Water helps move your blood through your system, which in turn helps your organs function, which then make you function. Water helps you perform at your best, not just with normal things like breathing but also with tougher things such as exercising. Being dehydrated even just 1% decreases your performance by 5%. Water also helps to keep your metabolism going, your skin glowing, your hair shiny, and your appetite in check. Just to make things even tougher, you’re constantly losing water. Not just through sweat, but even things like exhaling cause you to lose water. So you NEED to make sure you’re replacing all that water loss.

Summer time is usually when we really keep tabs on our hydration. Nothing like 90 degree weather to help remind you to drink water. But as we start to enter into fall and the colder months you still need to keep tabs on your hydration, maybe even more so than in the summer. During the winter (I know, I know, you don’t want to even be thinking about winter, but it’s coming) it is so easy to forget to drink water throughout the day. You’re not sweating profusely, the sun isn’t blazing down on you, and let’s face it, snuggling in front of the fireplace with a big glass of water doesn’t sound too cozy. But the colder months tend to be drier which can suck moisture out of your body. And because your body needs all that water, you have to make sure you replace it.

If you find it hard to get enough water into your day, or you need some ideas on how to make water a little more fun (it can be a little boring sometimes), here are a few tips to help keep you hydrated and healthy!

Carry a refillable water bottle with you all the time. If you have water with you at all times it makes it easier to remember to drink water throughout the day
Find a fun water bottle. It might sound silly, but having a cool or new water bottle might make you drink more water. A while back I bought this camelbak water bottle and the straw was so cool that I found myself downing about three full bottles a day. While I didn’t enjoy running to the bathroom every 2 minutes, I did get adequate water intake!
Add fruit. If you’re one of those people who hates the taste of water or thinks it’s so boring, try adding some fruit. Think beyond lemon or lime and try fresh berries, watermelon, or even things like mint leaves. Having a little natural flavor can help you to drink more water
Try some ice. For me, the idea of a room temperature glass of water is not appealing. Adding ice cubes to your water can help make it more palatable, plus ice cold water may rev up your metabolism and help burn more calories.
Eat high water content foods. While you still need to make sure you are drinking water, you can also eat your water. Foods that have a high water content can help to contribute to your overall water intake. Eat things like celery, lettuce, leafy greens, or melons (especially watermelon!) to help your water.
Set a schedule. If you’re really busy throughout the day and just forget to drink water, set a reminder on your phone to have a glass or so every hour. Or you could do this and make sure that you’re drinking a certain amount by certain times during the day.

Making sure that you get enough water is a really important part of being healthy. The rule for a long time has been eight 8 oz glasses a day, but don’t focus on a certain number of glasses or ounces. As long as you drink water throughout the day, you should be properly hydrated. If you workout, make sure you replace the extra water lost through sweating. Unless you’re an Olympic athlete, just stick with plain water. You don’t need any fancy rehydration drink full of vitamins and electrolytes. A healthy and balanced diet along with enough regular water will help you function just fine! Long story short, go drink some water!

Body Image

September 8, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Body image. I’ve written about it before and I will probably write about it again. It is something that I know many people out there struggle with. It is something that I struggle with daily. If my own struggles and experience can help even one person, then I count that worth it. That being said, if you don’t feel like reading another post about this topic that is totally fine. Check back Wednesday and Friday for more healthy recipes and tips. Otherwise, read on.

I had done it. I had made the decision to get healthier and I had stuck with it this time. Things just clicked and I ate better, found exercise that I loved, and I lost weight. Clothes started to fit better, I felt healthier and had more energy than I had before. It was like a Cinderella story, if Cinderella was overweight and ate junk food and then magically changed. I thought that because all of these things were happening, I would be happy. I would finally feel like I looked like I should. I would be self confident, I wouldn’t talk negatively about my body, and I would finally have a good body image. I was wrong. The magic Cinderella story didn’t happen like I thought it would.

I was shocked to realize that even though I had lost weight, I still had problems with my body image. At the beginning, I had trouble matching the image in the mirror with what I saw in my head. I was still the bigger girl in my mind and I just couldn’t see the new girl who had finally lost the weight. Over time, I was able to finally see what was really there. Through the help and support of friends and family, I realized that I looked different than I thought I did. It also helped that I could wear smaller sizes and do things physically that I couldn’t before, like run a 5k race. I started to feel better about the way I looked, and I was relieved that it felt like my body image issues were starting to get better.

Imagine my surprise now where I find myself struggling again. It’s been about three years since I dealt with those first weight loss body image issues, but those challenges are starting to creep back into my life. This time though it isn’t problems with matching my mirror image to my mental image. I find myself playing the comparison game and I really hate that I’m doing that. I tell others never to compare themselves to anyone else because they are their own unique selves. No one is like you or can ever be like you so you should celebrate your awesome self. And all the while I can say those things to others, I can’t seem to get myself to believe those sentiments.

The thoughts and questions that run through my mind are so hypocritical of what I want others to think. Shouldn’t I have six-pack abs with all the core exercises I do? Why can that person eat more than me and still have muscles? Am I eating too much? Am I eating too little? Am I not eating the right things? Why can’t I do a full push-up without struggling the whole time? Shouldn’t 5 miles feel like a breeze to me by now? And on and on and on…. I feel like that insecure, high school girl, worried that everyone is staring at me and judging me, all over again. Why am I doing this to myself? Why do I have to go through this AGAIN?

Rather than sit here and wallow in my returning body image issues, I’m going to tackle them head on. There are things that I can do to stop the comparing game and start being proud of myself. I need to stop looking at all the Pinterest images and health magazine models with bodies that aren’t attainable to the majority of the population. Nothing good ever comes from trying to compare myself to them and wonder why I can’t look like them. I’m not them, I’m me and that is just fine. I don’t have a six pack, but I can hold a plank for seven minutes and I know that my core is strong. That’s good enough. I can stop worrying about all the things I might not be doing perfectly for my health. I am a human being and I will never be perfect. That is good enough. I won’t compare the way I eat or how much I eat to other people’s diets. My body needs to be nourished in it’s own way and as long as I feel healthy and am getting adequate nutrition, I shouldn’t worry. That is good enough. I should be proud of all that I can do physically. So what if I can’t clean and jerk an 85 pound barbell or run a marathon in 3 hours? I can do a whole heck of a lot. I should be grateful that I have a body that can do so much. That is good enough.

My overall message for this post is that I, and you, are good enough. Yes, it’s tiring and a little frustrating that I still have to deal with body image issues. I wish that I didn’t have to deal with them and that like the weight I lost, they would just go away. But that’s not the reality of the situation. The reality is I will continue to work on my self image and I will continue to try and help others do the same. One day I know that I can get to the place of feeling totally comfortable in my beautiful skin. Until I reach that point, I will continue being positive and working hard. And that is good enough.

How To Use The Whole Thing

September 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

We throw away a lot of stuff. It’s such a simple thing, if we don’t want then just throw it in the garbage and it magically goes away. Except that it’s really not magic at all. That garbage has to go somewhere and the outlook isn’t so good. I’m not here to lecture you on landfills and dumps and saving the environment, but I do think we can all do our part to help. One of the larger components of our trash is food. We throw away a ton of food and some of it is still edible. No, this post isn’t about eating trash. I just want to offer a few tips on how to use all of your food so that you get the most bang for your buck AND lower the amount of waste you throw away.

Make Stock

This is a really easy way to use up leftover scraps of vegetables and bones. Things like vegetables peels from carrots, potatoes, cabbage, or turnips can be turned into a homemade vegetable stock. After you’re done prepping your vegetables for dinner or whatever meal you’re making, gather all the scraps. Place all the scraps into a large stockpot, add in water, a little salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, simmer for at least an hour, longer for a stronger flavor. Turn off the heat and let the stock cool. Using a strainer, pour the stock over a container and strain out the vegetable pieces and voila, you have homemade stock. You can also make your own chicken or meat stock using the leftover bones. Follow the same process, just add in whatever bones you have on hand. Make sure to strain well so there are no leftover bones in your stock. Now you have your own healthy stock on hand whenever you need it! You can also freeze your stock and make it in big batches.

Use Up Your Greens

Many vegetables come with leafy greens attached to them. I like to think of this as a two for one deal because you can use the vegetables AND the greens. Turnips, beets, and carrots have greens that can be used for salads or added to soups and stews. You can also use them for juices and smoothies. Or you can dry out the greens and use them as seasonings for any dish that you can think of. Just make sure to wash your leafy greens really well to get rid of dirt or bugs that might be hiding.

Eat the Stalk

Most of us don’t think twice about throwing away the stalks of vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower, but those parts are edible too. You can chop them up and eat them prepared the same way you use the flowered parts. My favorite way is to eat them is to cut up the broccoli florets and stems, saute them with olive oil and season them with garlic, turmeric, pepper, and a little bit of my “Parmesan” topping. You can also grate the stalks and use them as a salad topping or as a way to add extra vegetables to soups, stews, and sauces.

Keep the Pulp

http://www.glutenfreecat.com/2012/04/raw-sun-dried-tomato-crackers/

If you like to make your own fruit and vegetable juices, you might be left with a bunch of pulp afterwards. Don’t throw that pulp away! You can use it to make crackers or add it into baked goods, such as bread or muffins, or add it into sauces. The pulp from homemade juice contains a lot of the fiber and nutrients from the fruit or vegetable and is super good for you. If you make your own nut milk, like almond milk, you can save the pulp from the nuts and use as nut meal in baked recipes. Just make sure you dry it out well first before you bake with it.

Help Your Garden Grow

Peels from fruits or vegetables that you don’t want to eat, like banana peels, orange peels, or potato peels, can be used as compost for your garden. Rather than just throwing those peels away, put them to good use helping your own fruits and vegetables grow strong and delicious.

These are just a few easy ways that you can use to help lower the amount of food that you throw away each week. It’s also a great way to stretch your dollar and get the most use out of your food. So before you toss that piece of food away, see if there is another use you can get out of it!