meal prep

Mexican Bell Pepper Casserole

/ ktbuchs87

You know what’s no fun?  Growing out a pixie haircut.  90% of the time you just have to deal with looking stupid.  The other 10% is the two days right after you get it trimmed (because you have to get it trimmed like every other month so all your layers can catch up) when you look fairly decent.  Then day three hits and you’re back to looking stupid again.  And there are only so many ways you can hide your stupid-looking hair.  It’s too short to really do much with and the things you can do with it require 5,498 bobby pins, half of which you lose throughout the day causing you to wonder if your body is absorbing the bobby pins and if at this point you are made up of 50% bobby pins.  You could always wear hats and scarves and bandannas unless of course, you are one of those people who look stupid wearing those things so you get to pick between looking stupid in a hat or walking around with stupid-looking hair.

Mexican Bell Pepper Casserole | Life Healthfully Lived

This is my life. Every. Day.

Can you tell I’m having some emotions about growing out my pixie?  Continue reading →

Leftover Fatigue

/ ktbuchs87

TheLeftover Fatigue | Life Healthfully Lived struggle is real you guys.  Thanksgiving is the beginning of the major leftover season.  And by the time you finally get rid of all of the Thanksgiving leftovers, Christmas comes and you have even more.  For some reason, when it comes to holiday meals we think that we have to feed 5,000 people even if there are only 7 or 8.  And if there are more than that?  Might as well feed a stadium full of people.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love leftovers.  I am the queen of leftovers.  Leftovers are the only way that my husband gets lunch during the week.  Leftovers are the only thing that feeds the both of us when I’m lazy and just want to pull something out of the freezer instead of make an entirely new meal.  Leftovers are amazing.Leftover Fatigue | Life Healthfully Lived

But you can get tired of them after awhile.  Especially if you’re having a turkey sandwich for the 20th day in a row.

So I thought that I would give you a few ideas of how to use up your leftovers in new and inventive ways.  You don’t have to have the same meal over and over again.  With these ideas, you can use up all that extra food, save money, cut down on food waste, and never get bored.Leftover Fatigue | Life Healthfully Lived

I don’t have exact recipes for these meals, but I will give you a basic outline so you can be as creative as you want with these.  I’m also going to share one of my absolute favorite leftover meals, my mom’s Thanksgiving casserole.  I’ve made a few changes to make it slightly healthier, but it is an awesome way to use up a lot of leftovers.  The great thing about casseroles is that they are really hard to mess up, and you can pretty much add whatever you have on hand to your meal.

Turkey

Turkey is the main dish, but people usually focus on all the side dishes.  Which means you’re left with like 20 lbs of bird and you can only eat so many turkey sandwiches, even if you do love them like Ross Gellar.Leftover Fatigue | Life Healthfully Lived

Here are a few more ideas for your turkey:

  • Dice it up into cubes or shred it and make turkey noodle soup.
  • Season turkey shreds with your favorite taco seasoning and make turkey tacos or burritos.
  • Cut it into long strips and put it on top of your salad.
  • Make turkey salad following this recipe.
  • Use cubes or shreds in your breakfast hash.  Bonus points if you use leftover sweet potatoes or regular potatoes!
  • Make the casserole at the end of this post!

Cranberry Sauce

Many people aren’t huge fans of cranberry sauce, it’s just something that has to get made for Thanksgiving.  Those people haven’t tried my sauce or my mom’s cranberry relish.  Either way, you probably have a good amount leftover.  Try some of these ideas out:

  • This might not be a super novel idea, but use a little cranberry sauce in your turkey sandwich.  The nice tart bite really adds another layer to a boring turkey sandwich.
  • Try adding some cranberry sauce to your morning smoothie or oatmeal.
  • Use it as a topping for meatloaf or my lentil loaf.  You can also add in leftover stuffing and carrots or green beans to make it a Thanksgiving loaf.

Sweet Potatoes/Mashed Potatoes

Many families have multiple potatoes at their feast, so there is usually a few containers full of leftovers.  Luckily, you can try these to get a little variety out of your potatoes:

  • Try making a soup out of your potatoes.  For sweet potatoes, puree them with coconut milk and add in onions and garlic for a creamy soup.  Or make a chowder with leftover mashed potatoes, corn, carrots, coconut milk, and any other vegetables you have on hand.
  • If you have sweet potato casserole leftovers and they are on the sweeter side, add them to your smoothie or oatmeal.  It adds a nice fall/creamy flavor
  • Make a Thanksgiving shepherd’s pie.  Combine turkey, carrots, celery, onions, some stuffing, and any seasonings you like.  Put them into a pie dish and then top with mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.  Bake uncovered at 425 for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes start to brown a little.

Bread/Rolls/Stuffing

You probably have a good amount of bread left over and instead of just using them as the base of your turkey sandwich, plan ahead with a few of these ideas:

  • Let rolls or other bread dry out a little and then pulse them in a blender or food processor to make breadcrumbs.
  • Cut the bread into cubes and let them dry out and have homemade croutons on hand for salads.
  • If your bread or rolls are just a little stale, make a french toast casserole.  Cut the bread up into cubes.  Mix together milk (almond, coconut, or regular), a few eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.  Put the bread and some leftover cranberries into a casserole dish and pour the milk/egg mixture over everything.  Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes until the top is slightly brown. Top with whipped cream and maple syrup.

Leftover Turkey Casserole

  • 2 to 3 cups leftover stuffing or 2 packages cornbread stuffing mix
  • 1/2 cup diced onions
  • 1 or 2 cup turkey pieces
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup or try my homemade cream of celery soup
  • 1/2 cup broth or water
  • optional: cranberries, potatoes (we add my mom’s shredded cheesy potato casserole)
  1. Preheat oven to 350.  If you are using packaged stuffing, moisten it with a little oil, broth, and hot water until it is smooth but not overly soupy)
  2. Oil a 9 x 13 casserole dish and line the bottom with the stuffing.  Mix together the cream soup and turkey pieces and layer this over the stuffing.  Top with potatoes, cranberries, and if you want it a little crispy on top, some bread crumbs.
  3. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes until top is nicely browned.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

So there you have it.  A plethora of leftover ideas to keep you sane and well-fed all holiday season, plus a casserole to use up the rest of your Thanksgiving meal.

Oh and as for leftover dessert?  Just eat that for breakfast 🙂Leftover Fatigue | Life Healthfully Lived

What is your favorite way to use up your leftovers?

 

5 Things That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen

/ ktbuchs87

It might come as a shock to you, but sometimes I get stuck in food ruts.  I usually make the same thing for dinner during the week so that I can keep Adam and I on track with healthy meals and I can keep our food costs down.  But the other reason is that I can get lazy.  Sometimes the idea of coming up with something new and delicious just makes me tired.  So it’s easy to rely on the same old favorites in the kitchen and not venture into new territory.

While there is nothing wrong with preparing the same food that you know you like and you know is healthy and works for your body, it does get a little boring after awhile.  Boredom, as least for me, only leads to bad things in the area of food.  Soon I start eating more and more to feel satisfied because the meals I’m eating are the same old same old.  When that happens I know it’s time to switch things up and throw some new tricks into my old routine.

Here are some things that I have added to my kitchen and pantry in hopes of shaking things up and keeping my meals healthy and fun!

P.A.N- Pre-cooked White Corn Meal5 Things That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen | Life Healthfully Lived

If you follow me on Instagram (which you should, I’m fun), then you have heard me rave about this.  Actually you have heard me rave about arepas which are made from pre-cooked corn meal.  I have seen arepas on other bloggers feeds and seen them on shows like Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  Every time I see them being made, I’m like, “Those look amazing, I need to try them myself.”  So I finally got this flour to make my own arepas.  Yes, you have to use pre-cooked corn meal not regular corn meal.  This was the brand that was recommended everywhere I looked, and I found it on Amazon for like $2.  Expect an arepa recipe soon because not only is it delicious, it is way easier to make than you would think.

Figs

5 Things That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen | Life Healthfully Lived

This is another thing that I constantly see on social media and yet I have never tried them.  Well, I have never tried fresh figs.  I have had dried figs and fig newtons if you can count those as actual figs.  But the fresh version was never on my radar. They have a very short season and I just happened to see them on sale at my Jewel so I picked some up on a whim.  They are really good!  I think I might have to try making some fig jam with them so I can enjoy them just a little bit longer.

Canned Coconut Milk5 Things That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen | Life Healthfully Lived

Ok, this isn’t a new one for me, but I had forgotten about it for awhile.  I used to get a couple of cans of coconut milk a week and use them in soups and stews and oatmeal and baked goods.  It’s really nice and creamy, so it works great as a substitute for things like heavy cream or whole milk.  My favorite thing to do with it lately is make creamy herb dressings/sauces, which I used on my pasta salad recipe last week and which leads me to the next thing….

Fresh Herbs5 Things That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen | Life Healthfully Lived

Another one that isn’t new, but that I had put on the back burner.  I usually pick up a bunch of cilantro each week, but one stand at my farmer’s market sells every fresh herb known to man.  I have started getting fresh basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, and lemon grass and using them in all the things.  Seriously, go get some fresh herbs and put them in your meals.  They enhance the flavor and bring a wonderful freshness to boring old dishes.  Throw some basil into a frittata or blend in some parsley with meat/lentil loaf.  It will up your dinner game and everyone will think you’re a culinary whiz.  You can also freeze, turn them into oil, or sauces to have them on hand for the winter months.

Trader Joes5 Things That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen | Life Healthfully Lived

We have a Trader Joes in our neighborhood, but I always forget about it because it isn’t in my usual rotation of grocery stores.  That needs to change because I went there on Friday to find shaved brussels sprouts (another Instagram phenom) and remembered why I love Trader Joes.  They have good food for a decent price.  Plus I found these dark chocolate covered espresso beans for Adam that he has become obsessed with at work.  Brussels sprouts and chocolate.  Yup, good combo.5 Things That Have Found Their Way Into My Kitchen | Life Healthfully Lived

Long story short, don’t be afraid to branch out of your food comfort zone.  It can get so easy to make the same things over and over and over… but even just a little change can add some pizzazz and flavor back into your meals.  Plus there are plenty of healthy options out there to make dinnertime tasty and nutritious.

What are some things that have turned your kitchen game around?

Big Batch Cooking

/ ktbuchs87

While I’m working on coming up with a new video series for the blog (totally open to suggestions of what YOU want to see) I thought I would use the Wednesday post to share a few of the things that I do during the week to help make eating and being healthy easier.

Big batch cooking is one of the best ways that I save time and brain power when it comes to making healthy meals.  It’s exactly what it sounds like; I cook a lot of food all at once.  That simple.  I do this with vegetables and grains/legumes. Sunday and Monday I will spend time washing, cutting, and prepping all the vegetables that I bought on Friday.

Parsnips cut and ready to be roasted

Parsnips cut and ready to be roasted

Then it’s time to cook it all.

My favorite way to cook my vegetables is to roast them.  It tastes great and it’s an easy way to cook a lot of vegetables at one time.  I roast sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, cabbage, and green beans.  I also saute a big batch of broccoli and sometimes throw a few carrots into the mix.

Broccoli cooked and ready to be added to meals!

Broccoli cooked and ready to be added to meals!

While my vegetables are roasting I cook up quinoa, brown rice, and whatever beans I have on hand like black beans or garbanzo beans.  I cook these on the stovetop.  I know a lot of people like to use canned beans for the convenience, but I like to use dried beans because it’s cheaper than buying the cans.  It takes a little bit of planning since you have to soak the beans before you cook them but other than that you just boil and simmer them on the stove for 20-40 minutes.

Once everything is done cooking, I put them into large glass containers, let them cool, and stick them in the fridge.  Now I don’t have to worry about cooking them on a busy weeknight.  I can just pull out the container warm them up, throw them into whatever dish I have planned for that night and get dinner on the table in a timely manner.

You can do this with other things as well.  You can cook up big batches of chicken or pork, you can hard boil a bunch of eggs, or you can wash, dry and cut up leafy greens to be used for salads throughout the week.

Batch of my chickpea tofu ready to be added to stir fry

Batch of my chickpea tofu ready to be added to stir fry

Cooking a whole lot of things all at once and having them ready when you want to eat takes the work out of planning a healthy meal.  How many times have you come home from a long day at work and realized if you want to eat a healthy dinner you’re going to have to spend at least 40 minutes in the kitchen getting it ready?  At that points it becomes much more tempting to just grab something at a drive through or get a frozen dinner from the grocery store, neither of which are that healthy of an option.

Do yourself a favor and give big batch cooking a try.  I bet you’ll find that it saves you a bunch of time and helps you stick to your healthy lifestyle!

How To Repurpose Leftovers

/ ktbuchs87

FoodStorage_tip

I am a big believer in leftovers.  I think that they play a big role in eating good, healthy meals all week long, as well as helping keep food costs down.  I only cook for two people, but I tend to cook like there are four of us and make extras to have for lunches throughout the week.  One thing that I have noticed though is that people tend to get bored of eating the same thing over and over again.  If you get bored with having the same food, you might be more likely to switch back to your unhealthy eating habits.  Because we don’t want that, I wanted to share just a few ways that you can repurpose your leftovers and make a whole different meal with just a few minor adjustments.

 

 

Meats 

This might be one of the easiest things to turn into a different meal.  Summer time is the perfect time to pull out the grill and BBQ some meat.  When you do this, make sure to throw a few extra pieces of whatever you’re making onto the grill.  Now you have some extra meat to turn into lunches or dinners for the week.

  • Shred chicken or pork and make a stir fry by adding it to some vegetables, brown rice, and soy sauce.
  • Slice up steak or chicken and add to a salad
  • Use fish to make some simple fish tacos.  Just add some salsa or corn, cilantro, and squeeze a little lime juice over everything
  • Make a chicken salad with shredded chicken, celery, avocado and mustard
  • Add any kind of meat to a frittata

Vegetables

If you do your meal prep over the weekend, make sure that you cook up some extra vegetables however you like.  Grill, roast, or saute them and you can use them for meals throughout the week.  Summer time also means the garden is full and your farmers market is in full swing, so you might be loaded up with extra vegetables.  Here are some ways you can repurpose your vegetables for leftovers.

  • Roasted root vegetables, like sweet potatoes or parsnips, can be added to salads or cooked grains for a simple lunch
  • Root vegetables are also really good pureed into soup or a sauce for pasta.  Add almond milk (or whatever milk you like) for an extra creamy texture
  • Grilled eggplant can be made into a simple baba ganush
  • Grilled zucchini or summer squash can be added to tomato sauce for extra texture and flavor
  • Cooked vegetables can be added to stir frys, soups, frittatas, or sandwiches
  • If you have an overabundance of cooked vegetables, you can also freeze them to be used later

 

Grains

Grains are a great thing to cook in big batches and then just add to meals throughout the week.

  • Grains make a really good bed for stir fry, vegetables with sauce, or cooked meat
  • Add your favorite grain to a leafy salad for a new variation
  • Leftover pasta?  Use it up by making cold pasta salad.  Toss your favorite pasta with some olive oil, seasonings, and vegetables like cherry tomatoes or avocados for a delicious summer meal
  • Try adding cooked grains to your lettuce wrap for extra texture and oomph

 

Fruit

Fruit is also pretty abundant this time of year and you can make it into a few different meals throughout the week.

  • Use leftover fruit salad as a cereal, granola, or yogurt topper for breakfast
  • Freeze leftover fruit and use in smoothies or added to water for extra flavor
  • Make a quick toast topping by mashing up leftover berries and adding a little honey/cinnamon
  • Turn frozen leftover fruit into sorbets by blending them in a high powered blender or food processor

 

There are a ton of ways that you can vary your leftovers so that you don’t eat the exact same meal every single day of the week.  With just a little bit of prep work, you can have the makings of a healthy and new meal each day.  Get creative and see what you can make out of the meals in your fridge!