Confessions of a Food Lover

October 14, 2013 / ktbuchs87

A few weekends ago my husband, Adam, and I were watching episodes of The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food network. The show features famous chef’s and other people in the food world highlighting some of the best dishes that they have ever eaten from places around the country. Alex Guarnaschelli, a chef/restaurant owner/cookbook author/Iron Chef/all around awesome, is a regular on the show. It’s easy to see why, this woman loves food. Not just eating it, but shopping for it, preparing it, serving it, looking at it, talking about it… I told Adam that I feel like Alex really understands how I feel about food and as I was telling him this, I was lovingly cradling a banana.

Often people believe that in order to be healthy you have to stop loving food. They think that there is no way to balance healthy living with a love affair of all things food related. There are some health gurus out there who do believe this. They view food mainly as a fuel source to get their body to function properly and that’s it. While I agree that food is fuel for our bodies, I can’t deny that it is also so much more. Hi, my name is Katie Dawson, and I love food. And that’s OK.

If only….

Yes, I have had a tough relationship with food in the past. I would eat out of boredom or stress or anxiety. I would sneak food so that people wouldn’t see how much I really ate or see all the bad food I ate. I sometimes still struggle with overeating, even though it has gotten much better. But even with my strained food past, I still love food. While I do love tasting and eating food, I almost love all the other components more. Grocery shopping is better than clothes shopping to me. I love seeing all the fresh and colorful produce as I walk into the store, I love going through and picking the best bunch of broccoli or the biggest butternut squash. I’m like a kid in a candy store in the bulk food and spice section. Sometimes I just wander through the grocery store looking at food and products and reading labels and never actually buy anything.

I also love cooking food! I enjoy thinking of flavor combinations or creating brand new dishes. It thrills me to completely make a meal on the fly with just the ingredients I have in my kitchen. It gives me great joy to serve food to other people and see them enjoy eating what I have made. Sitting around with friends and family and food is my idea of a great time.

At this point, you might be thinking I’m just a little nuts about food, and you would be right. But does that make me an unhealthy person? Is it possible to love food as much as I do and still call myself a healthy individual? I think so. If I weren’t so in love with food, I don’t think that I would be as interested in eating as well as possible. I have seen how eating good and nutritious food can change your health and because I have a passion for food, I want to be able to share that with as many people as possible. I wouldn’t bother if I didn’t care about food. If food were just fuel, I wouldn’t spend so much time coming up with new and creative recipes. It wouldn’t matter if food tasted great if I were just eating it to get my body through the day.

I’m here to tell you that it is perfectly alright to be in love with food and still be healthy. Sure, the love of food can be taken too far and turn into an unhealthy obsession. I realize that overeating and unhealthy eating can damage your health and I know that is a major problem these days. Don’t be afraid to enjoy food though, don’t feel guilty if a certain dish makes you swoon or a certain ingredient takes your breath away, it doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy. I don’t think I will ever stop loving all the things that food is about, and I wouldn’t want too. If that means I lovingly cradle a banana while watching a show about food every once and awhile, that’s fine by me!

Girls Only?

October 7, 2013 / ktbuchs87

On NPR this morning (yes, I listen to NPR. Thanks hubby!) there was a news piece about how eating disorders affect men. Most people are aware that boys and men are affected by eating disorders, but they probably don’t know the extent or much about it. When people hear eating disorder, they automatically make the connection to girls or women. I certainly do. As a girl myself, we are constantly talked to about all types of disordered eating as well as body and self image issues. Sometimes it is almost like people expect girls to have some type of body problem. However, we don’t realize that the same issues that affect girls also affect boys.

Part of the problem is that the way eating disorders affect boys is different than the way it affects girls. Boys want to look lean and ripped whereas girls tend to want to look skinny and thin. Many boys can pass their problem off as just wanting to get bigger and stronger and people won’t question that as much as a girl who may look like she is wasting away. Also, because there is a stereotype that eating disorders only affect girls, some boys might not want to admit that they have a problem. They will hide it longer because they don’t want to deal with the stigma of having a “girl” problem. They’re already struggling, and they don’t want to add being teased on top of that. When they do seek help, most recovery programs are not geared towards boys. The NPR story followed a thirteen year old boy that was diagnosed with bulimia. When it was time to get treatment, he said that it was really awkward being the only boy there. He felt that his eating disorder didn’t affect him the same way that it affected the girls he went to treatment with.

Eating disorders are on the rise among boys. It’s estimated that 10 million men will be affected by an eating disorder sometime in their life and about 43% are dissatisfied with their bodies. Just as woman are constantly bombarded with what their bodies should look like, men get the same treatment from the media. Male models are ripped, and Photoshop can enhance abs just like it can whittle a waist. Boys are taught that to be “real” men they need to be big and strong, and that can affect their relationship with their body and food. We need to start paying more attention to the way society tries to dictate the way men should look, just like we are hyper aware of how it affects women. Boys need to know as well that their body is just great the way it is. Girls hear this all the time from entire campaigns that are run based on this idea. The more that people are made aware of how these things affect boys, more research and better treatment can be made available. It’s important for every single person to feel amazing in their own skin, no matter their gender.

I hope that you all had an awesome weekend, I know we did here in the Midwest! Fall weather FINALLY arrived on Sunday and now it’s nice and crisp outside! My favorite season has begun! Have a fabulous week!

Trust and Foodie Penpal Reveal Day

September 30, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Today you get a double post! Aren’t you just the luckiest! Since it is the end of the month, that means that it is Foodie Penpal reveal day. Foodie Penpal was started by Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean and is a fun way to try new and delicious things with others across the country. If you would like to participate or just want some more info, you can head over to Lindsay’s blog and check out all the official guidelines. This month my pen pal was Lauren and she did a fabulous job with my box! Included was:

1. Spicy Moroccan Sauce- GREAT in soups and stews, which I am now making more of with the cooler weather

2. Rosemary and Black Pepper almonds- My husband really enjoys these as a tasty snack

3. Four Fruit Spread- I haven’t had a chance to try this yet but I am sure it will be fantastic

4. Almond Butter- I love any and all nut butters, so this of course was a favorite

5. Gluten-free Cinnamon Raisin Bread- This was made and devoured immediately!

6. Various spices- I love my herbs and spices and these new ones have been fun to try out!

Thanks again Lauren, this was a great box!

On one of my daily blog readings, I came across a piece of advice that struck me. I don’t remember which blog it was or even the main point of that particular post (I read a LOT of blogs). The author stated, “Trust your body, it knows exactly what it needs and it will let you know too”. When I first read it, I really didn’t pay much attention. I have heard this advice many times before. In fact, I often tell you to listen to your own body and to pay attention to the signals it sends you. But as the day went on, I really started thinking about that advice and the word that really got me was trust. Trust your body. I realized that I don’t know if I fully trust my own body, at least not yet.

Let me explain. It is one thing to listen to your body, your stomach growls, you know you’re hungry, you put food into your body. That is fairly simple. But do you trust your body to choose the right food? Do you trust your body to eat the right amount of food? Do you ultimately trust that your own body is telling you that it needs? I have had a very tug-of-war like relationship with my own body and food over the years. Many times I would just eat anything at anytime because I was bored or just wanted the taste of food. This whole cycle of overindulging and eating food that wasn’t good for me created a very strained relationship between me and my body. When I decided to finally start eating better and improve my health, I honestly did not trust myself or my body to make smart decisions food wise. I literally had to throw out all the processed junk food in my pantry and refrigerator because I knew that I would not be able to trust myself around those things.

It has gotten easier over time to say no to the food that does nothing to keep me healthy. I avoid certain aisles in the grocery store, I don’t make certain foods, and if I go out to eat, I don’t even look at certain parts of the menu. Sure, that sounds like I trust my body, but in reality, I’m still a little nervous that I will go back to my unhealthy days if I fully trusted in my body to tell me what it needed. What if I misinterpret the signals? What if I think my body is telling me it needs something that I don’t want to eat? This may sound confusing and silly, but because of my past, I have a hard time with these things. But I’m also starting to realize that my body is smarter than I give it credit for. Because I have been feeding it the best possible food and treating it as healthfully as possible, my body knows that it doesn’t need nor want any of the food that I used to crave in the past. I’ve also learned so much these past few years when it comes to nutrition and health, which also contributes to continuing to eat well and live healthfully.

I’m learning more and more to really trust in my body to tell me what it needs. Some days are better/easier than others, but it is all a part of the process. Being healthy isn’t a sprint to the finish, it is a longer and slower journey, one that you have to make mistakes and learn from them. Will I ever be perfect? No! Obviously that is impossible and not expected of anyone. But I will get better and continue to be as healthy as possible. If you’re going through the same trust issue I am, just remember: be patient with yourself, give yourself time, and don’t be too hard on yourself. You will get there, I promise!

Have a fantastic Monday and a great rest of the week!

My cousin got married this weekend. The family cleans up pretty well!

Buchanan cousins and the new Mrs. Wills!

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!