Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative

March 24, 2014 / ktbuchs87

So often when we make the decision to change our lifestyles, we tend to zero in on the bad habits. This is very true when it comes to changing our health for the better. We decide that we want to eat better, exercise more, and just be healthier in general. Then we start listing all the unhealthy habits we have. We snack too much, we count walking from the refrigerator to the couch as exercise, the only cooking we do is pressing the start button on the microwave, etc. etc…. In order to be healthy we have to get rid of all those habits, and the sooner the better. Right?

Not so much. When I first decided to be healthier, I had the same mindset. I took a look at my life and immediately saw all the “bad” things that I did. I was discouraged and felt the urgent need to change everything as fast as possible. I got rid of all the junk food in my kitchen, bought new exercise DVD’s, and completely overhauled my lifestyle. All of this sounds really good and is necessary when trying to be healthier, but it shouldn’t all happen at once. Sure I had gotten rid of all the “bad” stuff, but I had no idea what to do next. I had essentially changed my whole world over night and that led to more than a few slip-ups and feeling like being healthier was impossible.

Luckily I learned from my mistakes and found a much better approach to changing my lifestyle. I slowly began to change things. I started adding healthier recipes to my weekly rotation. I experimented with a few new exercise routines to see what I liked best and I could stick with. This gradual change made it much easier to stick with a healthier lifestyle. The other thing that really helped me was to focus on the good habits that I already had before I decided to live healthier. Once I saw that I had already had some good habits, it made it feel like I could actually change for good.

If you have recently made the choice to change your lifestyle, try this approach. Instead of immediately changing every single bad habit in your life, take a look and find the good things. Maybe you’re really good at drinking a lot of water, or you have a fairly solid workout routine. Once you find your good habits, find ways to build on them. If you’re a really good cook, start incorporating healthier ingredients and recipe into your repertoire. Soon you’ll have a healthy menu and you’ll feel really accomplished and motivated to keep going. The important thing to remember is to take it slow. This increases your chances of sticking to your goal of living a healthier lifestyle. Once you see all the good things you already do and find ways to expand upon them, being healthy won’t seem like such a daunting and unattainable task. Each positive thing you do will be another step towards living and feeling great!

Simple Vegetable Millet

March 21, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

This meal was made on a Sunday night using whatever I had on hand. I literally looked in my fridge/freezer/pantry and just pulled random things out that I thought might taste good together. I never said the way I cook was glamorous, but this turned out really tasty and it was quick to put together. I used millet but you could easily use quinoa or even brown rice, although you might need to cook for a little longer to make sure the rice is done. Feel free to add whatever vegetables or leftovers you have on hand to this dish and make it your own!

Simple Vegetable Millet

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used some leftover homemade tomato sauce, but you can use store bought too)
3/4 cup uncooked millet/quinoa/brown rice

In a medium sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic with a little olive oil. Once the onions are soft, add in the cumin and coriander and mix well. Add in the broth, vegetables, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
Add in your millet/quinoa/brown rice and stir everything together. Cover your pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes (a little longer for rice) until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Try this version out first and then experiment with different flavors. I think another good one would be to use Asian inspired flavors like ginger, five spice, and soy sauce. Make sure to make enough for leftovers because this is even better the next day. Enjoy!

White Chili

March 14, 2014 / ktbuchs87

While the calendar says that spring is almost here (technically it is already meteorologically spring, but that’s a whole different post), the temperatures here in the midwest have still been frigid. True, we have escaped the “polar vortex” but it still isn’t quite t-shirt weather. So in hopes to keep you warm and cozy, I have a slow cooker chili for you. It is hearty and delicious and will make you feel a little less sad that it just snowed 4 inches in March.

White Chili

2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight (you can use canned, but the flavor and texture is better with dried)
1 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1 large green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne, more if you want a spicier chili
1-2 tsp salt

1. If you are using dried beans (which you should!), make sure to soak your beans for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. You want the beans to be soft. Once they are soaked drain and rinse them. Take about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the beans and puree them in a food processor or blender until they are nice and smooth. Add this to your crockpot

2. Saute the onions, corn, garlic, and green pepper until the onions are soft and the pepper and corn have browned, about 7-10 minutes. Add this to the crockpot.

3. Add in the rest of your beans and the vegetable broth. You want the broth to just cover the contents of the crock pot by about an inch. If you need more, you can always add liquid in at the end. Next, add in your spices and stir to combine everything. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once it’s done, check that there is enough liquid and add a little salt if needed.

You could easily add cooked and shredded chicken or pork to this chili and I might add that it tastes really good with cornbread and topped with sour cream or greek yogurt. You could even top it with some of my avocado cream and it would be even more amazing! Enjoy!

Playing the Blame Game

March 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Often times in life, it is so easy to blame anything and everything for things that go wrong. We are all quick to point the finger at situations, circumstances, and even other people that might have caused our problems. Very rarely ,at least for me, do we blame ourselves for our hardships. I feel that bad health is one area of life that we are very quick to play the blame game. So often it is fast food, poor medical care, various diseases and ailments, environmental factors, or a myriad of other factors that take the rap for our poor health. I am totally aware that in some cases, these factors can be totally true and can be a big contributor to bad health. However, so many times it is our own fault, we just don’t want to admit it.

I get it. Believe me. I don’t like to take the blame for things just as much as the next guy. Is there anyone that really enjoys saying they’re wrong and it’s all their fault? I don’t think so. But more and more, we are not taking responsibility for our actions when it comes to health and that is hurting us more than helping us. By constantly passing the buck, we can feel less motivated to step up and make a change. It can get easier and easier to feel like we have no power over the food we put in our mouths, the lack of movement we make throughout our day, or way to change our current circumstance. Our health no longer becomes our problem; it’s somebody else’s issue to deal with. If someone could get rid of all the fast food restaurants, then you could be healthy. If someone made fresh and organic food affordable and easily available, then you could be healthy. If someone could make getting access to health professionals easier and less expensive, then you could be healthier. If someone could get an inexpensive fitness center in your neighborhood, then you could be healthier.

That someone? It’s you. All the excuses need to stop. They waste time and they accomplish nothing. I don’t expect you to revolutionize the health world and make a change for everyone. I do expect you to revolutionize YOUR health and make a change for YOU. Accept responsibility for your actions and your choices. Will all fast food restaurants ever disappear? Not likely. Can you make the choice to eat something else? Absolutely. Will organic food become cheaper than conventional and pop up in every single grocery store across America? Maybe some day. Can you make the best possible decisions while grocery shopping and still eat a nutritious and healthy diet? Of course you can. Will you be able to workout and train like all the A-list celebrities? Perhaps if you win the lottery. Can you find free and simple ways to workout? Definitely. There are ways to make a healthy lifestyle work for every person, you just have to be willing to do the work and stop passing the blame to someone else.

Like I said before, I know that there are some situations where there is no way you can take responsibility for health problems. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or guilty. I just believe that the more you try and take control of your health, the better off you will be. When you take charge of your actions and health decisions, then your health starts to become a priority. I don’t expect you to do it all on your own either. Ask for help and guidance along the way! Find people who have successfully changed their health for the better and see how they did it. Read health blogs, articles, magazines, or books and start implementing their tips or advice. If it works, keep it. If it doesn’t, move on and try something new. The more ownership you start to take of your health, the more you want it to keep improving. Don’t get discouraged, get empowered to start taking steps in a healthier direction!

What Do You Want?

February 28, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hello Readers!

I know that I usually have a recipe for you on Friday, and I promise that I have some more coming your way soon, but I wanted to take today to try and find out what you are looking for when it comes to food. Do you want more breakfast ideas? More dinners or desserts? Snack ideas? I want to makes sure that I am putting out content and recipes that you guys find helpful and will actually use.

I don’t get much feedback on the things that I post, other than to see how many views each page gets per day. I would love to actually hear from you guys about what works for you and what doesn’t. I want my blog to actually be helpful and not just another voice in a huge crowd. Believe me, there are hundreds of health and food blogs out there and I appreciate that you choose to come and take a look at mine. To keep you engaged and coming back for more, I need to know what you guys want!

So comment on posts you like. Let me know when you try a recipe and it works out deliciously (or not). Ask for new ideas or recipes. All of these things can help me make this blog even better and give you the things that will help you on your healthy journey. My goal is to help anyone struggling to lead a healthier life. I have been in that position, just starting out and having no clue which way to turn. I hope that this blog can end that struggle for at least a few of you! Give me your opinions and I will do my best to make this blog what you need and want! Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend!

If you are also interested, you can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest as well. I post a lot of my meals on Instagram and offer little health tips on my Twitter, so check them out!