My Month of No Running… A Year Later

April 20, 2015 / ktbuchs87

This past Thursday, I came back home after housesitting in Sycamore for two and a half weeks. Other than seeing my husband and my cats, I was most excited to run along the lake again. It’s an awesome experience. To one side you have the lake and the beaches, and (if you run as early as I do) the beautiful sunset. On the other side you have lake shore drive and all the early morning commuters zooming by.

It’s the perfect balance of zen and chaos. I love it.

Friday morning rolled around and I popped right out of bed when my alarm went off at 5:30 am. Yes folks, I wake up that early on weekdays. It was the perfect day for a run. Not too hot but not too cold. There was a slight breeze, not the winter gale force wind I had been experiencing for months and there was a gorgeous sunrise. It was one of those runs where you don’t even realize you’re running because everything is just perfect.

As I was blissing out over this run, I started to think back to last year. About this time last year as I was on one of my runs my left knee started to hurt. Then it started to really hurt. Then I had to stop running and walk and then sit down in the middle of a country road and wonder how I was going to get back home. It was the first time that I had a real running injury. I had gotten my share of blisters and chafing and other running maladies but I had never had a full-blown, can’t run it hurts so bad injury.

I was devastated.

Not because I was hurt or because it was really painful but because I could NOT run. I tried to trick myself and took a few days off thinking I would be fine after the weekend. Yeah, no dice. There was no way I was going to be able to keep my regular running schedule with that knee.

It was a really hard month. I was mopey and crabby and pouty. Adam should get a medal for being around me because I was not a pleasant person to be around. Running felt like the only thing that defined me as far as physical activity. I had fallen in love with running and it had helped changed me inside and out and to suddenly have it ripped away really took it’s toll on me.

It sounds dramatic, but I know other runners will feel me on this one.

But here I am a year later, running along Lake Shore Trail despite my dark moments of despair when I would cry and ask Adam if I would ever run again. That month of no running taught me a lot of things and they have stuck.

1. I am not just a runner. I have so many other things going for me

2. I don’t have to run every single day to be physically fit, in fact I shouldn’t run every single day

3. Running isn’t the only form of exercise that I enjoy. I actually like lifting heavy weights and want to lift even heavier

4. I can handle adversity, but I need to learn how to do it with a little more grace.

5. I need to be thankful every run that I can do because sometimes I can’t

Sometimes things happen in life that knock you down so that you can pick yourself up and be stronger.

I think experiencing a month of no running helped me to get to where I am right now. And where I am right now is pretty awesome. I am truly blessed to be living the life I am and I love being able to do things that I believe in and help others. I have an amazing support system and I learn new things each day. I have pushed my limits more than I thought I could and I am ready to go even further past my comfort zone. Running has given me so much but not running gave me more than I thought possible.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Chickpea Pizza Bites

April 17, 2015April 17, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I don’t know about where you live, but today we are enjoying some GORGEOUS weather! The sun is shining, it’s warm, there is a light breeze, and I am one happy camper. I am going to try and soak in as much as possible because living in Chicago on the lakefront you never know when the weather will turn.

Today’s recipe was kind of a spur of the moment idea. I was trying to think of something different to do with my chickpea tofu and somehow pizza popped into my head. It was easy to put together and makes a really great snack or appetizer. I made some with regular cheese for Adam and used nutritional yeast for mine. We devoured these as we watched the season premier of Game of Thrones. Because I was still housesitting at that point, we were able to watch on a big screen with surround sound and it was amazing. It was also the first time that we were able to watch the season premier on the actual day that it premiered. It was quite the night and these little bites made it even better.

So put some of these for your next get together or make some for your next movie/netflix binge. You won’t be sorry!

Chickpea Pizza Bites

1 batch of chickpea tofu, poured into a bread loaf pan instead of a casserole dish or brownie pan.
1 8 oz can of plain tomato sauce
2-3 tsp pizza seasoning OR
1 tsp each of basil, oregano, garlic powder, and marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
handful of shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella) OR nutritional yeast to keep it vegan

1. Preheat oven to 375. Make the chickpea tofu and pour it into a bread loaf pan to set.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Once the tofu has completely cooled, remove from pan and cut into bite size pieces. Place on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

3. In a small bowl mix together the tomato sauce, pizza seasonings, and salt. Taste to see if you need to adjust the flavor.

4. Remove the tofu from the oven and top each slice with tomato sauce and either a sprinkle of cheese or nutritional yeast. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

If you have any extra tomato sauce you can use that to dunk your bites into! I’m working on making some more snack/appetizer type foods that are simple to put together, taste delicious, and are of course healthy! Are there any of your favorite appetizers or snacks that you would like to see made healthier?

Oh and quick sidenote I have started a Facebook page, Life Healthfully Lived. You can find all my posts, pictures that I take, and other articles/recipes that I find and think you would enjoy. If you haven’t seen it, go check it out and click like. If I get to 100 likes by the end of the month, two of my followers will win a $10 gift card of their choice!

Have a great Friday and enjoy your weekend everyone!

The Food I Eat

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I’m not a vegan, I eat eggs and honey.

I’m not paleo, I eat grains and legumes.

I’m not a raw foodist, I cook a lot of my food.

I’m Katie and I am so much more than the way I eat.

Delicious omelet at our favorite breakfast place

I think that the health world can get too caught up in labels. We all want to know what diet you’re following or what workout craze is holding your attention. We want to tout the benefits of a certain lifestyle over another. Sometimes we want to spend all our energy bashing other lifestyles that don’t fit our mold. Either way it can seem that instead of a person all we see is a label.

An entire meal of yummy vegetables

I understand the necessity of labels. I use them myself, on my blog, on Instagram and Facebook and Twitter. It is helpful when sharing recipes to let people know what is or isn’t in the ingredients. But I don’t want to feel tied to a name that only describes one thing about me.

Creamy dairy free and gluten free spring pasta

Yes, I eat mostly plant-based. Yes, I don’t eat dairy. Yes, I limit the amount of gluten I eat. I do all these things because that way of eating is what works best for me. The foods I eat are what fuel me in the best way, satisfies my hunger in the best way, and tastes good to me. It’s ok to not have a specific name for the way you eat.

All the good fats in pistachios

Eat real food, as close to their natural state as possible.

Try to avoid processed or man made food products.

Don’t worry about what is on your neighbors plate.

Let them eat for them and you eat for you.

We’ll all be a lot happier and healthier if we keep those things in mind.

I’m not just the food I eat. I’m wonderfully weird, witty, and wacky too!

All In The Family

April 13, 2015April 13, 2015 / ktbuchs87

One of the biggest things that has helped me as I’ve started this blog and continued with my healthy lifestyle is the support of my family. My husband, Adam, has been one of the biggest driving forces. He has pushed me to do more, think bigger, and to truly believe in myself and this blog. I wouldn’t have tried some of things or expanded this blog without his support.