My Word: Passion

January 12, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Last week I talked about my goals for 2015. I like having something to work towards and I’m a list person, so I love crossing things off my list once I have accomplished them. I think it’s important to have something that you want to do so that you can organize your efforts and get where you want to be.

I have seen a few posts in the blog world about choosing one word to help focus the entire year. After reading a few of these posts (here, here, and here) I really started to like the idea of taking one word and using that to fuel my goals. It’s a simple concept and it’s easy to follow through. Two things that make for a lasting habit. So I’ve chosen my word for 2015.

Passion.

For a few years now, I have struggled with my true passion. The main problem is, I didn’t have a clue what it was. Since college, I have had a few ideas of what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to channel my passion, but nothing ever seemed to fit. I loved music and thought that was going to be my life. That changed quite a few times since college and this summer I was left wondering what it was that I was suppose to be doing. I had a lot of ideas but no clear cut path. Once Adam started his new job, I decided to take that time and really figure out what I wanted to contribute to society.

After a lot of soul searching and a few tears, the one thing that I found was that my big passion is to help people with their health. I knew what it was like to go through getting healthier. I knew what it was like to want to quit. I knew how confusing it all was. I want to make the path easier for those who are just starting out. That’s what a lot of my goals for 2015 are focused on and I want to use passion to pursue them full throttle.

So I’m going to put passion behind every choice and move that I make this year to help make my goals and dreams come true. I might not have a clear title for what I want to do with my life, but I do have passion for helping others and I want that to shine through everything I do.

How about you? Pick a word that you want to use to focus and propel you through 2015. Share it here and then make it happen! Have a great Monday!

Keep It Simple: A New Blog Series

January 7, 2015January 7, 2015 / ktbuchs87

For those of you who read my blog regularly (Hi mom and dad!), you may have noticed that each Wednesday I put up a “How To” post. I’ve been offering tips and tricks on being healthier as well as other little life lessons. I want to continue on in that vein, but I am going to change the format up a little.

I mentioned the other day that I wanted to keep expanding my blog and help reach more readers. One of the ways I want to do this is to start filming and adding videos to my blog. I think this is just another way that I can reach out to people and offer the knowledge that I have gained from my own healthy journey. It’s also going to be a challenge for me to step out of my comfort zone and do something new. I am perfectly comfortable writing on my blog, but being on camera is going to be a whole new beast. Even though I am a little nervous about this new venture I know that it’s good to keep pushing myself, especially if I want to grow my readership.

I don’t have a video for today but I am working behind the scenes to start filming. But I don’t want to leave you without some helpful advice for your first Wednesday of the year!

If there is one thing that you take away from my blog it should be that being healthy doesn’t have to be hard. I want to drive home how simple it can be. I think that media and advertising makes it seem like you have to complicate everything to be as healthy as you want to be and that in turn has confused so many of us at to what is actually. The truth is that you don’t need to do anything crazy to make your life better. When I first started out I bought into the whole more is more theory and thought that I had to do the latest fad diet or exercise routine to get the results that I wanted. Nope! The habits and routines that have stuck with me all these years and are the most successful are the simple changes that I made over time.

If you are just starting out this new year with the mindset of a new you, take this advice to heart. The simpler the better. It will be easier to change your unhealthy lifestyle this way as well as make it last.

With this key idea in mind, that’s what these Wednesday videos are going to be all about. Simple meals, simple exercises, simple tips and advice. These are the things that I do everyday to help keep myself healthy. I have a lot of great things planned and I’m sure that they will help you realize just how easy it is to live a healthier life!

Check back next week to see the beginning of my simple health series and get ready to live your healthiest year yet!

My 2015 Goals

January 5, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Happy New Year! I hope that all of you have had a great holiday season and you are ready to get going on 2015! I was able to spend some quality time with family this week and enjoyed having my husband around while he was on break from work. Now it’s time to get back to our regularly scheduled program and I have so many things to share with you!

I’ve never really been one to make resolutions, but I do like having goals that I am working to achieve. I wanted to share some of my goals here on the blog because it’s helpful to have a place where you can be kept accountable as well as stating your goals out loud. So here are my 2015 goals.

Keep working on balance.

I started this a few months ago, but it is something that I am still working on. I want to be more balanced in my life. For so long when it came to my health I was super strict. I had to be or else I would have gone right back to my old habits. Now that I have gotten to a place in my life that I am happy with my health, I don’t have to be as rigid in my habits. If I don’t run every day, I won’t lose any ground. If I decide to eat more than I normally do, I won’t immediately gain weight. If I take a few days of rest, I won’t slip back into my old habits. Life happens and I want to be able to enjoy it and roll with the punches and not feel like I am losing everything that I have worked for. I’m doing better but I want to improve throughout the year.

Make a fitness goal.

Looking back I have never really made a fitness goal other than work out. So this year I want to make a fitness goal and then work towards achieving it. There are two things that I want to do this year. The first is to run a race with a family member. For me running has been a very solitary sport, and in some aspects I really like that. I like the peace that I find out on the trail early in the morning. I can sort out my thoughts and just enjoy the quiet. But I would love to be able to share my passion for running with people who are close to me. My second fitness goal is to run a half marathon. Ultimately I want to run a marathon, but I think a half would be a good place to start. I’m aiming for the Chicago Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon in July, so check back to see how I’m doing on that!

Expand the blog

This summer I did a relaunch of my blog and made it a little more user friendly. I want to keep growing though and be able to reach more people and help them towards their health goals. I’m going to add more recipes and simple tips that I use for being healthier. I’m also going to start adding short videos that show how to make some delicious and healthy meals. My ultimate goal for this blog is to help show people that it doesn’t have to be hard/complicated/expensive to be healthy. By adding more tips and videos that can showcase this, I think that I will be better able to serve my readers.

Grow my knowledge

I haven’t been in a formal classroom setting for about four years now and while I’m not jumping up and down to return, I am finding myself wanting to learn more about things I love. A few months ago I became certified in sports nutrition and I really enjoyed that. I want to expand on that and better educate myself so that I can better help others. I am looking into becoming certified in nutritional therapy as well as getting a plant-based nutrition certification. The more I know the more I can share and help you!

Share the wealth

One of my final and biggest goals for 2015 is to start working one on one with people. Of all the aspects of being healthier, cooking and food are definitely my passion. I want to start working with people to help teach them how to cook healthier for their everyday lives. I’ve been teaching myself and honing my own kitchen skills over the years and I think that it’s time for me to share that with you! I will be working on this for the next few weeks and once I have a solid plan ironed out I will make sure that you are the first to know!

So that’s what my 2015 is going to entail. I have a lot of big goals and dreams that I want to accomplish and I am excited to start working on making those happen. I hope that by making these all public it will help me stay accountable and get things done!

How about you? Do you have any goals for your year that you want to share?

How To Stay Active In Winter

December 17, 2014December 17, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Winter is the perfect combination of situations to keep you from being active. It’s cold and possibly snowy where you live, the days are shorter and it gets dark by 4 pm. Plus there are a slew of holidays that take up your time and energy leaving you feeling exhausted by the end of the day. It’s so easy to abandon your normal healthy activities and do what you can to keep up with everything. Even once the holidays are over, the weather makes you want to wrap up in a blanket and never leave your couch.

While it is so tempting to put your workouts on hold during these months, it’s really important to keep up with your exercise during this time. Taking too long of a break will make it that much harder to jump back on the wagon come spring time. The winter months are a good time to switch your exercises routine up and keep up with your health. Here are a few tips to keep you moving during the cold and dreary months of winter.

Change it up

If you have been running outside or doing other outdoor activities, it might be a little more difficult to keep up with them during the winter. While you still can workout outside (I might have been the crazy person running in sub-zero temps last winter….) this is a great time to try something new. Many gyms are offering new classes as well as discounted deals at this time of year. Some gyms even allow you to try out a new class for a low price so you can check out a few and see what you like before spending a lot of money. If you don’t want to spend any money, check out online workouts. I am a huge fan of Fitness Blender. They are a husband and wife team that offer hundreds of free workouts on YouTube. They have all different types of workouts for all fitness levels. Either way, there are plenty of indoor activities you can do to keep you out of the harsh weather.

Grab a buddy

Look at how happy winter and working out with a friend makes you!

One of the most popular resolutions at this time of year is to be healthier. If you have a friend who made this resolution, invite them along to your workouts. This not only helps them with their goals, but it can keep you accountable as well. Now you have someone relying on you and that makes you much more likely to go and do your workout. Plus it’s more fun to have someone working out with you!

Have winter fun

There are a lot of winter activities that are great workouts. Sledding, skating, skiing, even building a snowman! Instead of fighting the elements, get out there and enjoy them. These are some fun ways to burn some calories, keep up your fitness level, and try some new things.

Schedule it

This isn’t just a winter time tip, I think you should do this all year long. This is one of my number one pieces of advice when it comes to getting yourself to a workout. Schedule it and put it on your calendar. You are more likely to do your workout if it’s already in your plans like anything else during your day.

It isn’t impossible to keep working out during the winter, you just have to be conscious to make the effort. Yes, it can be a little tougher to leave your warm bed when the weather is frightful, but exercise offers so many benefits that can help you get through these long months. It boosts your mood and energy, keeps you fit, and makes you feel better overall. Those are all great reasons to get out there and get active!

Spicy Cranberry Sauce

December 12, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I think cranberry sauce might be one of the most debated dishes at holiday meals. Do you make it from scratch or get in the can? Leave it tart or add copious amounts of sugar? Eat it on it’s own or use it as a turkey topping? Each family has their own preference and it’s usually steeped in tradition. We’ve always done it this way so we’re going to keep doing it this way.

Delicious canned cranberries. Look at those rings!

Well my cranberry palate has changed over the years. When I was younger, I was all about the canned cranberries. Nothing was better than opening the can and shaking it back and forth until the glob of cranberries, shaped exactly like the can rings and all, slid out onto the plate. I loved slicing rings off of that glob and gobbling them up. I’m sure the crazy amounts of high fructose syrup had nothing to do with that… Then as I got older I really started to like the cranberry relish that my mom made every year. It was a mix of cranberries, apples, oranges, and spices. I liked the tartness of the cranberries with the sweet of the apple and I liked the simplicity of the dish.

Then my mother in law brought a new cranberry sauce to Thanksgiving this year and it was amazing. It was a Guy Fieri recipe and it was a sweet and spicy sauce that was just awesome. I had to control myself so I didn’t eat the whole container! Luckily, I was able to snag some leftovers and got to enjoy the cranberries for a little longer. But once they were gone, I knew that I needed to make some more. So I looked up the recipe and realized that I had none of the ingredients other than the cranberries. Since I didn’t want to make a trip to the store just to get the ingredients for one dish, I decided to see if I could make my own version.

With a minimal amount of ingredients, I was able to recreate the sweet and spicy sauce that I had fallen in love with. This is a really easy dish to make and you can use this sauce for numerous other dishes. I’ve mixed it into oatmeal, used it as a topping for fish, tried it on some cookies, and even just eaten it with a spoon. It’s that versatile. Ok, enough talking about cranberry sauce time to go make some!

Spicy Cranberry Sauce

*adapted from Guy Fieri’s Red Devil Cranberries

1 cup whole cranberries
1 cup water
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (less if you don’t want it as spicy)
1/4 tsp salt

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water and 2 tbsp honey to a boil and then immediately lower to a simmer. Add in the cranberries and stir occasionally. Keep stirring until the cranberries start to burst.

2. Add in all the seasonings and stir to combine. Keep the heat on low and cook until the sauce has reduced and started to thicken.

3. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool. As it cools it will thicken even more. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

That’s it! It’s a fairly simple process and the sauce keeps for awhile in the fridge. Because cranberries are so abundant and cheap right now, you can make big batches and then freeze so you can have a delicious sauce for weeks to come. I hope that you enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you on Monday!