Holiday Bliss

December 30, 2013 / ktbuchs87

I’m still in the middle of all my holiday fun and still don’t have a “regular” post for you, but I still wanted to stop in and say hey! I hope that you are all enjoying this time of year and had a great Christmas.

With the new year right around the corner (seriously, where did 2013 go?), I wanted to talk really quickly about resolutions. New Year, new you. That seems to be the theme right around this time of year, and sometimes that is a good thing. Maybe you are resolving to change a bad habit, learn something new, or volunteer more. Many times though, people enter the new year with the idea that they need to completely overhaul their lives and personalities to be the best person they can be. I don’t know about you, but not only does that seem exhausting, it seems a little depressing. Most of us are pretty awesome people already and it seems like a bummer to put yourself down. I have struggled with self hate for a long time. I was never good enough, I always made mistakes, and I needed to do better. I would often vow to change everything about me to become the person I thought I needed to be. Slowly but surely, I have started to see myself in a different light (thanks to my husband and family) and I have started to realize that there are so many things about me that are really great and should be celebrated.

Instead of making resolutions to completely change everything about me, I have started to make goals to improve on the assets I already have. I want to continue to be as healthy as possible as well as help others reach that goal. I want to keep learning how to make more delicious and nutritious meals that can be available to as many people as possible. I want to keep letting the little things go that I have no control over. I urge you to make loving resolutions this year instead of beating yourself up for not being a super human. Do that and I promise you that 2014 will be a great year!

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

December 20, 2013 / ktbuchs87

I know, I know. The title of this post might be enough to make a lot of you turn right around and run away screaming. Brussels sprouts are not a very popular vegetable, but I think they get a bad rap because they aren’t prepared properly. I think that most of the people who don’t like brussels sprouts have been served bland, over-boiled, and mushy sprouts. Anyone would push that mess away from them. Enter my brussels sprouts. Now I’m not going to say that these will instantly convert you to a sprout lover, but it is a step in the right direction. By roasting these in the oven, you add a delicious flavor without overcooking them. The seasonings add even more flavor and can be customized to your tastes. This is a great side dish for any holiday meal, and a great way to get in a delicious serving of vegetables. So disregard your thoughts about stinky, gross brussels sprouts and give these a try. You might just find a new favorite!

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb brussels sprouts
Extra virgin Olive Oil
1-2 cloves garlic minced
fresh black pepper
1-2 tsp smoked paprika (I highly suggest smoked paprika instead of sweet. It adds an awesome smoky flavor to the sprouts)

1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Cut the ends off of the brussels sprouts and remove any loose or discolored leaves. If some of the greener leaves come off, that’s fine Keep those and you can roast those as well.

3. Place your brussels sprouts in a bowl and drizzle a little EVOO over them. Coat them and then spread them on the baking sheet. Add in your garlic cloves and sprinkle everything with the smoked paprika and pepper.

4. Place the sheet in the oven and roast for about 15 to 25 minutes. The sprouts will be done when they have a nice golden brown color.

That’s it! A very simple way to prepare a great dish. Like I said you can experiment with the seasonings and find one that is your favorite. Eat up and enjoy!

Holiday Night Snacking

December 9, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years and all the holidays in between. This is the season of good cheer…. and food. So much food. I love food and this is the time of year that some of my favorite dishes are made (sweet potato casserole anyone?). Having all this delicious food around used to be very difficult for me and would usually end in a late night binging fest. Thankfully I have been able to control that unhealthy habit and my holiday eating is much better than it used to be.

Our pretty little Christmas tree!

These past few weeks though I have noticed that after dinner I have been going back to the kitchen to look for something else to eat. I have no problem with having a little dessert or snack after my dinner, but this snacking is happening even if I am full from dinner. Before I started to eat healthier I would never have thought twice about why I was eating when I wasn’t even hungry, but now I know to stop and figure out why I am wandering to the fridge after a full meal.

In this case, I know it’s because there is just food there. After two Thanksgivings (one with Adam’s family and one with mine), there were plenty of leftovers that we were sent home with, including an apple cranberry crisp that I made and tahini brownie bites. I am not one to waste food, so I eat it. I know this habit can lead to binging on food so I have thought of a few tips that can help curb this “extra” eating. If you know that this is a problem for you, you can use some or all of these ideas to help your snacking.

House in our neighborhood with a CRAZY amount of lights. Pretty sure you could see this house from outer space!

Make sure you eat enough throughout the day. This is fairly self explanatory, but make sure that you are getting enough food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eating enough throughout the day helps curb that nagging feeling after dinner that you didn’t get enough food and you need to eat something more.

Wait 20 minutes after dinner. Before heading straight for dessert the minute you finish your dinner, wait just 20 minutes. Most times just waiting that 20 minutes will give your dinner time to start digesting and you won’t even want to eat anything more. If you do still feel like having something extra, go ahead but make it a small portion.

Plan for a dessert. If you are someone that needs to have a little something extra after dinner, that is totally fine. My husband always wants just a little dessert after his dinner and he makes it work with his eating throughout the day. I don’t really count calories (and neither does he) but if I know that I am going to want to have a piece of that crisp after my dinner, I factor it into my other meals and eat just a little less at lunch or dinner.

Take up a hobby. If you have the habit of always eating at night, think about taking up a hobby to occupy your time. I like to read, and I have recently taken up cross stitching (yes I realize I am like a 65 year old woman). Keeping my mind as well as my hands busy makes it harder to eat brownie bites. If reading or cross stitching isn’t your thing, try yoga or crossword puzzles or jigsaw puzzles, or whatever interests you!

Sip some tea. Tea is a really great way to feel like you are getting a dessert without actually eating a dessert. There are so many different flavors out there like pumpkin spice, cranberry, and even chocolate tea! I love sitting down after dinner with a good book and a mug of hot tea. It’s a great way to wind down before bed and keeps me from eating when I really don’t need to eat.

These are the tips that help me from mindlessly eating after dinner. I am not trying to bash dessert or night snacking at all, I don’t think that they are bad things. I am saying that eating when you aren’t hungry or just because food is there is not a healthy habit to have. Mindlessly eating is never a good thing and can lead to binge eating or eating too much. There is no reason that you can’t enjoy your favorite dishes this holiday season. Don’t feel guilty for making a conscious decision to eat any food. If you do find yourself indulging when you don’t need to, find out why you did, make the choice to not do that again, and then move on. Beating yourself up or falling into a downward spiral of unhealthy eating because of one slip-up is not good. Getting right back on track at the next meal is the best way to stay on your healthy journey!

We got snow yesterday! Yay!!

What are some ways that you avoid mindless or needless night snacking? I would love to hear your tips and be able to share them with all my readers!

Not Your Typical Thanksgiving

November 25, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Thanksgiving. Not counting Halloween, this is pretty much the beginning of the holiday season. Soon you will be surrounded by friends, family, and of course food. This is also the time of year that everyone is offering their best “how to avoid holiday weight gain” tips and millions of different ways to make your favorite holiday meals healthy. I thought about writing a post like that, because you don’t have to enter the holiday season throwing all healthy habits to the wind, but I felt like what I had to say would be just repeating a lot of what you already know or will read in the coming days. Honestly, most of you know that eating fifteen pieces of pumpkin pie isn’t doing you or your health any good no matter how delicious it may be.

I know that a lot of you might be anxious about the upcoming smorgasbord that is Thanksgiving, especially if you just started to eat better or adopt healthier habits. Many of you might be worried about undoing all the hard work that you have put into your health journey and you’re thinking of how you are going to navigate your way through the sea of food that is about to come your way. I know exactly how you feel, I’ve been there too. I’ve stressed over how to eat well during the holidays. I’ve fretted about family asking questions about my weight and why I won’t eat this or that. I’ve felt hopeless and alone and not exactly sure how to deal with it all. It has taken me awhile to get to this realization: don’t let food control your life. Food has so much power over many of us so that we let it ruin or dictate our holidays. A time where we should be visiting friends, spending quality time with family, decking the halls and singing fa la la la la, we spend stressing over food.

Yes, food is important. It fuels us, nourishes us, and (sometimes) tastes amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I love food and I truly believe that it is a key factor in a healthy life. But it isn’t everything. I’ve wasted too many holiday gatherings focusing on food and missing out on all the other things that go on. The inside jokes between cousins or finding the best spot to hang my favorite ornament or the quality time that I get to spend with my mom talking about our lives while we make the ever famous pumpkin muffins (blue wrappers have nuts!). I’m sad to say I’ve probably missed some really great moments because I was worrying about what I would eat or that other people were worrying about what I would eat.

Don’t let food take over your life this holiday season. There are other things that are so much better than thinking about how many potatoes you can eat without feeling guilty. It will be difficult for some of you to totally let go of your food worry, me included, but by holding on to all that stress, you’re letting something silly like food take control of your life and happiness. So do me a favor this Thanksgiving. Take a deep breath, release all your anxiety over food, and throw yourself fully into all the other much more fun things about the day. Enjoy the parade, play a game of football in your backyard, give Grandma a big hug, and be thankful for all of the amazing things you have in your life. I promise you, that is a much better way to spend your holiday! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Government and Health

November 19, 2013 / ktbuchs87

If you haven’t heard, soon the FDA is going to place a ban on trans-fat in food products. My husband and I were talking about this over dinner the other night and it led to an interesting question. What role should the government play in our health?

At first I thought I had a fairly straight forward answer, but the more I thought about it I realized it was a little trickier. My first reaction was that the government shouldn’t necessarily tell me what I could and could not eat. I wasn’t a huge fan of Mayor Bloomberg and his attempt to ban soda in NYC. As an adult and an American I’m lucky enough to have the choice to decide what and how much I want to eat. I understand that there is an obesity and health epidemic and I understand that Bloomberg and others are not trying to maniacally control the population by banning certain foods. They genuinely want to fight a major problem in the United States. I just believe that the choice of what to put into my body should be mine and mine alone.

Then I started thinking more about the approaching ban on trans fat. I realized I was more supportive of that, but how is it really any different than the soda ban? Yes, trans fats are not healthy. In no way do they improve your quality of health or nourish your body, but neither does soda. If I believe that people should have the right to choose to eat or drink whatever they want, but also choose to support the trans fat ban, I would contradicting myself. I tried to figure out a legitimate reason that I was fine with the trans fat ban but not the soda ban, and I really couldn’t come up with a strong argument.

What I did figure out was that I fully support the government educating people about better health and nutrition. I truly believe that the more we can get the message out about better health practices and learning how to properly feed ourselves, the better off (and healthier) the American population will be. Let’s teach people how to shop in grocery stores, how to cook in their own kitchens, how to prepare healthy meals. and how to move more and sit less. Let’s make it easier for people to get access to good information and good food. That is an initiative the government can take that I can fully get behind.

While I might not have a solid stance on how much meddling the government should have with what we eat, I am glad that they are trying to figure out how to improve the health of the nation. Any little step forward is one step closer to everyone being able to live the healthiest life possible!

What role do you think the government should play in our health? I would love to hear your opinions! Have a great week everyone!