Holiday Baking

December 14, 2015December 14, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I’ve said time and time again, I am not a baker. I’m more of a create things on the fly, see if this flavor works with that one, throw a little more of this in there, wibbly-wobbly home cook.

You can’t be a wibbly-wobbly baker. Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

Baking is a science and if you put too much of one thing or not enough of the other, you end up with a pile of inedible mush. Trust me. I know from experience.

But something about Christmas time makes me put on my big girl baking pants and bust out baked good after baked good. I usually pick one day and spend the whole day making cookies, candies, bars, cakes, and even a few pies. My kitchen is a disaster afterwards, but I end up with quite the mountain of sweet treats. Which leads me to my question for the day:

What do you do with all of those baked goods? Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

The fat kid in me wants to shove them all in my mouth at once and wash it down with a big ol’ glass of eggnog. Dairy-free of course. Come on, I’m not an unhealthy beast. I can almost justify this gluttony with the fact that I make “healthy” treats. I don’t use refined sugar, I try to use real food ingredients where I can, and most of my baking is done without dairy.

But they are still treats. Desserts. Sweet things. Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

And you can overdo it even with “healthy” treats. Eating one cookie can lead to eating five cookies, can lead to eating all the desserts. Again, trust me. I know from experience. I’ve also gone to the other extreme and completely refrained from eating any treats at all. That is almost as damaging because you feel like you’re missing out and overeat on everything else.

Plus, what fun are the holidays without some Christmas cookies?

So, in my household, I try to strike a good balance. I still go on my big Christmas bake-a-thon, and I still eat a few of my favorites, but then I share the wealth. I send some with Adam to take to work. I give some to friends and family. The building supervisor and neighbors get a tin of treats and I bring some along to family gatherings. That way I’m not tempted to turn into the Christmas cookie monster and I still get to enjoy the fun of holiday baking. Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

I also make sure that the rest of my diet is in balance during this time of year. I try to get as much water as I can, eat plenty of vegetables, and keep up with my normal fitness routine.

Because Christmas doesn’t have to be an all or nothing time of year. You don’t have to feel guilty about eating a cookie and you don’t have to feel the shame of eating all the cookies. Find a balance that works for you and just enjoy the season! Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

How do you handle your sweet treats this time of year?

Italian Pasta Bake

December 11, 2015December 10, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Mozzarella Italian Pasta Bake | Life Healthfully Lived that isn’t really mozzarella. Confusing I know, but totally awesome. There are tons of recipes out there for fake cheese as well as plenty of products that you can buy. My issue with store bought “cheese” is that it’s usually full of ingredients that I would rather not ingest.

I’ve made cheese sauce before for my Fusilli N’ Cheeze, but I wanted to make a cheese that was a little thicker. My goal? To try and recreate the mostaccioli that Adam made for me when we first started dating. Italian Pasta Bake | Life Healthfully Lived

About a month or so into our relationship, Adam decided he was going to cook for me. He made me his mom’s mostaccioli and it was delicious. It was super simple, but watching him make that meal for me was one of the first times that I started to fall in love with him. When I stopped eating gluten and dairy, mostaccioli kind of went out the window. But not anymore!

Don’t be freaked out by making “cheese” that isn’t really cheese. It isn’t difficult and there really aren’t any weird ingredients unless you think tapioca starch is weird. It isn’t. It’s just a thickener and helps make this cheese stretchy. You could also use potato starch, but I like tapioca better. Once you make the cheese, this is a really fast meal and a great one to prep early and pull out for a quick weeknight meal.

Not-Mozzarella, Mozzarella

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in warm water overnight
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp roasted garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp tapioca starch (or potato starch)
1 cup hot water

Add everything to a blender and blend for 2 to 3 minutes until it is completely smooth.
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Cook while constantly stirring. After a few minutes, the mixture will start to thicken.
Turn the heat to low and keep stirring it until it is very thick and stretchy. You can use it right away or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Italian Pasta Bake

1 batch of Not-Mozzarella, Mozzarella
1 batch of my tomato sauce
1 package of gluten-free pasta, I used brown rice shells

Preheat oven to 350. Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
Get a 9 x 13 casserole dish and spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Next, put a layer of pasta and then top with tomato sauce. Spread some of the cheese on top of that.
Keep layering the pasta, sauce, and cheese until it’s gone. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and take off the foil. Cook for another 5 minutes until the cheese on top is starting to brown on the edges.
Take out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before you serve it.

DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy

December 9, 2015December 9, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived have another holiday edition of DIY Wednesday for you today: gravy. After the ganache last week, I thought we would go savory today. I know it’s a little late for Thanksgiving, but there are still plenty of meals this season that will warrant gravy. I wanted to show you how easy it is to make your own gravy because I was just as surprised when I learned.

When I was younger, gravy was bought in a jar. My mom pretty much made the rest of our Thanksgiving feast from scratch, but the gravy and the jellied cranberries came from a jar and a can. So in my tiny kid mind, that is how all gravy was made. In a jar and then heated up on the stove. DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived

As I got older and started cooking for myself and reading cookbooks, I saw recipes for gravy. What?! You can make this from scratch?! Yes. Yes, you can. And it is really easy.

I’m making a mushroom gravy for those of us who don’t eat meat, but you can make gravy from pretty much any cooked meat you have following this recipe. Whichever you choose, it’s really simple and so much healthier to make your own gravy. It’s also cheaper which is a must during the holiday season!

Mushroom Gravy

8 oz mushrooms (I used baby bellas), sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
1/3 cup onion, minced finely
1 to 2 tbsp coconut aminos, liquid aminos, or soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp potato starch or tapioca starch (I used potato)
1 1/2 cup cool water
1 tsp parsley
3 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper then add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the coconut aminos or soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and the vegetable broth. Cook until the liquid has reduced by about half and the mushrooms have gotten smaller.
While the mushrooms are cooking make the starch slurry. Combine the 1 and 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon of starch and mix together with a fork. Make sure the mixture is smooth and all lumps are gone.
Pour the slurry into the skillet and stir to mix everything together. The slurry will start to thicken as it cooks. Add the parsley and rosemary. Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Once the gravy is thick enough, pour into a gravy boat or bowl and use immediately.

Gravy needs to be used right after it’s made, because unlike its store bought counterpart it doesn’t last forever. It’s much better fresh and since it’s so easy to make you can whip it up right at the end of your cooking. DIY Wednesday: Mushroom Gravy | Life Healthfully Lived

What is your favorite holiday dish to make from scratch?

Simple Gifts For The Healthy Cook

December 7, 2015December 7, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Simple Gifts For The Healthy Cook | Life Healthfully Lived It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! I am approaching Buddy the Elf levels of holiday cheer over here in Chicago and it’s awesome. I spent all yesterday putting up our Christmas decorations while of course watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music. Can I fit one more Christmas in this paragraph? Yup!

I was thinking about writing a post on how to stay healthy during the holiday season, but I feel like that gets written over and over every year. Yes, it’s hard to stay on track during this time of year when there are a thousand opportunities to eat cookies and stuff yourself with a large dinner, but it isn’t entirely impossible. And you know what? It’s ok if you go a little overboard every now and then. I like Kathy’s approach to healthy eating over at Kath Eats Real Food. Healthy is a squiggly line. Sometimes it will be up and sometimes it will be down, but overall it’s about a healthy balance.

So in lieu of the tips and tricks to eat well during your Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, I am going to tell you to buy presents. Not for me (although if you’re feeling it, I am in desperate need of this Vitamix. Yes, desperate need), but for the cook/cooks in your life. You don’t need a ton of fancy utensils to eat well, but there are a few basics that I use over and over again that can really make a difference in the kitchen. So here is a gift list for some simple tools that can make healthy eating easy and even a little fun!

Silicone Spatulas

I use a spatula pretty much every day. From scraping things out of the food processor or a bowl to making scrambled eggs, a spatula is a must in my kitchen. Plus you can find some cute ones over at Target for less than $5. These would make a great stocking stuffer!

Silpat

I’ve raved about these over and over again, but that’s because they are awesome. A Silpat is pretty much reusable parchment paper. Nothing sticks to these things so you can roast vegetables, bake cookies, roll out bread dough, and even make chocolate bark without working about half the food sticking to the pan. I have two that get used regularly and they have lasted me a long time.

Spice grinders

Not a flashy or exciting gift perhaps, but a very useful one. You can use these for more than grinding fresh pepper, which you should be doing. No one needs to use pre-ground pepper when it’s so easy to do fresh. Just ask Alton. You can use it to grind coarse sea salt into a finer powder, seeds like cumin, fennel, or grains of paradise, and you can use it to make your own spice blends. This is a super versatile gift and one that is sure to be used over and over.

Pyrex Glass Dishes

If you are a leftover junkie like me (and you should be after I gave you all of these wonderful ideas!) then these will be a must. No more plastic containers that always lose their lid, get stained or smell, and that will inevitably melt at some point. These dishes are great for leftovers, can go in the freezer, and are perfect portions to stick into your lunchbox for a healthy lunch at work or school.

Food Processor

Ok, so this might be the one splurge item on this list, but it is worth it. Actually, you don’t have to spend a ton on a food processor because I made do with a secondhand Black & Decker for many years before Adam decided to upgrade mine for our anniversary. Food processors are great for nut butters, chopping a ton of vegetables, making dough, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Even though this is pricier than the other things on the list, you will use it enough to justify the cost.

Hopefully you can find a few gifts on this list that will work for you or your favorite cook. Only 17 more days until Christmas!! Simple Gifts For The Healthy Cook | Life Healthfully Lived

What are some of your favorite cooking tools?

Leftover Fatigue

December 4, 2015December 3, 2015 / ktbuchs87

The Leftover 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)

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)
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.
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