Someone’s in the Kitchen with Dinah….

February 11, 2013 / ktbuchs87

It’s probably no shock that I love to be in the kitchen, cooking and creating delicious (and healthy!) meals. For me, there is something therapeutic and fulfilling about the whole process of putting a meal on the table. I love searching through recipes, gathering the ingredients, tying my apron around my waist and getting down to business. I’ll be the first to tell you that I am not a gourmet chef by any means. I wouldn’t even claim to be an amateur chef. Just a gal who likes to cook and serve meals.

I’ve heard many times that people would love to be able to cook all their meals, but they aren’t good cooks or don’t have time, or (gasp!) hate to be in the kitchen. All of these (except for that last one!), are legitimate problems when it comes to eating healthier. One of the best ways to make sure you are getting proper nutrition, is to be the one in charge of all the food that goes into your body. Easier said than done right? I understand that not everyone will share my love of all things kitchen/cooking. I do however have a few tips that can help you navigate your way through the kitchen maze and start to take your health into your own very capable hands!

Have some confidence! My mom always told me that if you could read you could cook. At it’s very minimum, cooking is being able to read a recipe and follow the instructions. Of course there are some exceptions to this and cooking does have a lot more involved, but don’t second guess yourself. You are at the top of the food chain! You are an intelligent being (I assume!). You are more than capable of tackling that chicken noodle soup recipe!

Keep it simple. Going along with the first point, keep your cooking simple. Don’t make your kitchen debut with a fancy schmancy recipe that has hard-to-find ingredients and will chain you to the oven all day using crazy techniques like braising or caramelizing. Find simple, short recipes that have a few steps and common ingredients. You will feel so much more calm and proud of yourself when you can place a complete meal on the table as opposed to a failure when your souffle deflates half way through cooking! As you cook more and more you will get better and be able to “graduate” to more complicated meals.

Read the whole recipe BEFORE you start. It’s a rookie mistake (one that I have made at least once…) to not read through the whole recipe before you dive right in. There is nothing worse than being halfway through your cooking and realizing you need fresh basil and there is none to be found in your kitchen. By making sure you read through all the ingredients and all the steps, you will be able to make sure you have everything and save yourself a big headache later on.

Schedule out your meal. What I mean by this it make sure you time out your cooking. If you are preparing a whole meal (entree and side dishes), you’ll want to make sure everything will finish generally around the same time. I still struggle with this sometimes, and estimated cooking times aren’t always right. Create a rough time table of when you need to start preparing the food, then when you need to start cooking. I find it’s easiest to decide when you want to eat and work backwards from there.

Have fun! Yes. I know this is a cliche piece of advice. But in all seriousness, you will enjoy your time in the kitchen a lot more if you have fun. Don’t stress if something doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time you make it. You’ll have to eat again in the very near future and have your second chance at getting it right! Pick recipes with foods and ingredients you know you will like, involve your family or friends in the prep work, have music playing in the background, dance! The more fun you have while in the kitchen the more motivated you will be to keep practicing and the better you will get!

I know this is just a short list and that it probably won’t be enough to convince some of you that cooking can be simple and fun. Humor me though and give one meal a shot. This would be a great way for those of you who made the resolution to eat better to take charge of your nutrition! Trust me, I know you will feel super proud of yourself when put that plate of yummy food down on the table with the knowledge that YOU put in all the work and love it to took to create that dish. So throw on your aprons, fire of the stove, and get cookin’!

If you need some ideas for quick and healthy recipes, follow me over on Pinterest! I pin recipes pretty much everyday and they are all fairly easy to follow! Katie Buchanan http://pinterest.com/ktbuchs87/

There might be a line crossed about how much fun I have in the kitchen…. Oh well!

Baking + smiling = winning combo!

And of course the best part about cooking… EATING!!

Rules, Rules, Rules

February 4, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Don’t eat after 7 pm, space out your eating with 5 or 6 meals through out the day, don’t skip breakfast, wait maybe skip breakfast, eat egg yolks, nope don’t eat egg yolks, wait, take that back, you can eat the egg yolks.

Does it ever seem like there is a never ending list of rules and studies when it comes to eating? That’s because there is a never ending list of rules and studies all about eating. All of the information that is out there is overwhelming and often times contradicting. This confusion can really put a damper on your good effort to eat the best way possible. First, you’re presented with all of these diets from low-carb to no-fat to all-fat to everything in between. How do you know which one to choose? Then, there are what seems like daily nutritional studies released telling you the rules on how to eat. It’s enough to make your head spin and give up all of your good intentions about eating better.

How are you supposed to navigate through the plethora of information out there? You won’t like my answer because it isn’t an easy solution. You’ve heard me say it before, but you will have to spend time learning how different foods and eating techniques (not the fine art of chewing. Think more along the lines of what time of day to eat). Because I can’t tell you exactly what you need to do for your body, I’ll give you a general outline of how to figure out what you need.

Define your nutritional goals. Decide what it is exactly that you want to fix/work on. Make it a very clear goal such as: “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to have more energy.” If you know exactly what you want from your daily diet, you can eliminate anything that does not pertain to your specific goal

Research what diets that will help accomplish your goal. There are so many resources out today that can really help you find exactly what you need for better nutrition. Books, blogs, articles, doctors, dieticians. The list goes on and on. Even starting with a quick google search can get you started. Just make sure you are only looking at things that will help you further your goal. If you want to have more energy, but are researching the diets of super bodybuilders, you will probably NOT meet your goal and get really discouraged or confused.

Dive in and experiment. Once you find one or two methods that will help you meet your goals and are realistic (and not dangerous, like eating only through a feeding tube once a day), start experimenting and see how your body reacts. Do certain foods effect you negatively? Or do they give you the exact result you want? Does eating at a certain time in the day or in a specific way hurt or help your goal? As you go along you will be able to really fine tune what and the way you eat to maximize your personal goal.

Don’t get worried or sidetracked by new studies. When a new study comes out that says it has been shown that you will lose more weight if you eat while walking in concentric circles, don’t get flustered because you have been eating while walking in an oval. If what you are doing is working for you, i.e. you are achieving your goal, then don’t worry so much about every single little study that is released. I’m not bashing the scientific process here, I know that research studies are an important part of life and they do help us discover new and better things. BUT, you will drive yourself crazy if you try to adhere to every single “rule” or diet that comes out, and stress isn’t good for anyone.

All in all, the most important thing is that you do what is best for YOU. There is no one perfect way to eat for every human being. Some people will have different dietary needs than others and that is OK! We are all unique and we shouldn’t expect one quick fix for every person. I used to think that I had to follow every single piece of diet advice out there or that if I wasn’t following the newest diet people were judging me. Now that I have grown up and matured a little (not much, but a little), I have stopped worrying so much about following the crowds and care more about what works best for me. I’m the one who has to live with this body, and I should treat it the way it needs to be treated! With all the love and care I can!

Hopefully I was able to sort a few things out for you and give you some helpful tips on how to navigate through the nutrition jungle! I hope that you all have the best week and if you’re here in the Midwest, I hope you stay warm!

Your amazing body

January 21, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Do you really know how intelligent and efficient your body truly is? Sure, you know that it is an amazing vessel that can do hundreds of tasks (often at the same time) and on top of that it sustains life. Pretty impressive. But did you also know that your body can actually tell you when something is not totally right? Yup, your awesome body has plenty of warning signs to let you know when something is amiss. Unfortunately most of us don’t pay attention/don’t know how to interpret these signals. I believe that part of a healthy lifestyle, besides eating well and exercising is being able to tune in and really listen to what your body is telling you.

I ran across this article the other day and I was amazed at some of the warning signs that your body will give you to clue you in to what’s going on. It wasn’t until recently (the past six months or so) that I really started to try and listen to what my body needed. Before that I pretty much only listened to the “normal” signals i.e. Go to the bathroom fool! Get some food, you’re getting hangry (hungry + angry = not a pleasant Katie), Maybe you should go to bed since you’re falling asleep while studying! I think that most of us are pretty aware of those basic signals, but we all really need to work on some of the more subtle hints that our bodies are dropping.

Because I am interested in health, I am fascinated with all the ways that my body lets me know what I need to do nutritionally. Who knew that cracks around the corner of your mouth could be sign of a vitamin B-deficiency? Or that cold you can’t seem to shake indicates a lack of good bacteria in your gut? Most of us wouldn’t think much of these things, but they are important keys to your best health.

So what should you do with this information? Become a body detective (preferably of your own body… some situations could get awkward otherwise…)! Take a few minutes each day to really assess your body. Does it feel different than yesterday? Do you notice something a little off or have a funny feeling? It will take time to really be able to interpret your bodies signals and know exactly what to do. But with a little dedication and some research, you should be able to really know your own body That is so important for your health because you only get this one body to work with. Now it goes without saying, that if you think something is terribly wrong go and see your doctor. I am not advocating self-diagnosis when it comes to serious illness, I just think that being able to interpret your bodies own unique signals is a healthy and helpful skill to have.

I hope that you all have a fantastic week and you are able to maybe tune into your amazing body and learn what it truly needs. Next week I am going to talk a little about SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder and different ways to cope. See you all next Monday!

How I’ve benefited from Mindful Eating

January 14, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Hello Readers! I hope that everyone had a fabulous week! I know I did but that might have something to do with the fact that I spent it in Jamaica on my honeymoon… Not bragging… ok I am. Both Adam and I had the best time ever in Montego Bay and were able to spend some quality time resting and relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Ok, as much as I know you would all love to hear more about my honeymoon, I’ll get on with today’s post!

I talked last time about some easy ways that you could start to eat more mindfully. Even if you incorporate one or two of those techniques into your eating habits, you can start to reap the benefits of mindful eating. But what exactly are the benefits to mindful eating? Why should you care about the way you eat? Glad you asked and happy to answer! Now keep in mind, this is the way that I personally have benefited from mindful eating. While it will probably be similar, you may experience different results. That is totally cool, because we are all different!

1) More aware of the food that I eat By slowing myself down and really taking the time to consider the food that I am about to eat I have noticed that I am able to really see how different foods affect me. For example, over the past few months I have noticed that whenever I eat wheat I feel bloated and my skin tends to break out. Or when I have an egg and some type of nut butter for breakfast I am able to feel fuller for longer. Mindful eating has really allowed me to hone my diet so that I can feel and look as good as possible. The practice of slowing down and savoring every bit of my food has also helped to train me to tap into what my body is trying to tell me.

2) New appreciation for food Now that I try to use all of my senses while eating, I have really come to love different aspects of food. For instance, I have come to love the sound of garlic sizzling in a cast iron skillet. I love the smell of sweet potatoes roasting in the oven with Italian spices. I really like the look of roasted beats next to a pile of broccoli. While it might seem silly to feel this way about food, this has allowed me to really appreciate all the ways that healthy food nourishes my body, not just with nutrients but also with sounds, smells, and visuals.

3) Allows me to know when I’m full Before I started to eat mindfully, I could finish a meal in about 5 to 10 minutes flat if I had to. The problem with that (besides indigestion) was that I never knew when I was truly full and would end up eating way more than my body needed in that short time frame. Now that I take at LEAST 20 minutes to eat a meal (most of the time, longer than that) I can feel when I am approaching full. Let me tell you, it takes a lot less food than you would think to fill you up. Plus because I am savoring every bite, I feel much more satisfied after I am done eating.

4) Helped me to connect with others around me While this might not seem like a health benefit at first glance, it really is. Taking the time to sit down and turn off all distractions has allowed me to connect and bond with whomever I am sharing a meal with. Adam and I try to at least eat one meal together and sitting at the kitchen table and it has really opened up a new way to connect. We talk about each other’s day, interesting things we read, or movies/books we are looking forward too. Some of my best memories are family meals where we all would take the time to prepare delicious foods, turn off our phones, and sit at the table and chat. Mindful eating not only is good for the body, it is good for the relationships around you.

These are just a few of the bigger impacts that mindful eating has had on my eating habits. There are others, such as an excitement/eagerness to create new dishes just to experience a new sensation food-wise. Or just the simple fact that I know that I am doing something really healthy for my body and that is always a good thing!

If you have any questions or comments about mindful eating, I would really love to hear from you! Let me know how it has helped you or if you have any questions as how to get started, give me a shout! Also, check out this website for more tips and history on mindful eating. Next week, I want to talk about how our bodies are really great at letting us know exactly what we need nutrition wise. So have a fantastic week and I’ll see you soon!

Such delicious food in Jamaica! I may or may have not eaten my weight in their delicious smoked salmon and callaloo…

Mindful eating: How to get started

December 31, 2012 / ktbuchs87

I hope that everyone had a FABULOUS Christmas! I know that I was doubly blessed this year and got to celebrate twice! Once on Christmas with my family and then Adam and I celebrated our very first Christmas as husband and wife yesterday. It was a great day filled with cheer, board games, presents, delicious food, and Christmas shows. I could not have asked for a better day. Now on to today’s topic!

One of the many cookbooks I got, but I was REALLY excited for this one! Love root veggies!

Cooking my first Christmas feast. Yup I smile like that most of the time

I talked last week about mindful eating and what that means. Simply put, it is experiencing your food with ALL your senses and taking the time to fully savor your meal. So often we are distracted while eating a meal and this leads to you inhaling your food and not really remembering what you ate. This then leads to more (read: over) eating because you do not feel like you got a full meal. Clearly this is a problem and can lead to weight gain and numerous health problems. My humble opinion is that we all need to practice a little mindful eating.

But how exactly do you eat mindfully? It is actually very simple, although I will warn you that it does take practice and patience. When you are used to eating one way for so long it becomes a habit and habits can be tough to break/change. Here are some of the steps that I personally have taken to eat mindfully and they have really helped.

Eliminate all distractions while eating. Turn off your TV, log off your laptop, put away your cellphone/tablet/whatever electronic device you have in your clutches. When you are eating you should be totally focused on the plate in front of you. Distractions while eating cause you to over eat and not pay attention (hence the name distractions… like I said most of this advice is pretty simple). The one thing that I do have while I am eating a meal is music. I like to have the radio on in the background and it is usually tuned to the classical radio station (unless it is Christmas time and then you best believe Bing Crosby is singing to me about a White Christmas). I understand that music could be a distraction for some, but might enhance the eating experience for others.

When possible, sit at a table for your meal. Another simple but effective tool of mindful eating is having a designated area to sit and eat all of your meals. This allows your body to know that it is about to receive food and it can adjust accordingly. I know that a lot of you are eating on the go because you have super busy lives and I understand that sitting down at the kitchen table for every meal might not be possible. But try to make at least one meal a sit down meal. Once you start this habit, you will really notice how just sitting at a table helps to put your focus on the delicious meal you are about to eat.

Try to be involved in the process of putting a meal together. I totally get that not everyone loves to cook or be in the kitchen making a meal. Some people find it a chore or too hard or have the tendency to burn water whenever they are trying to make food. However, you do not have to make the whole meal by yourself to be involved in the process. Help cut veggies, make the sauce, pick a wine to go with dinner, set the table or even just spend time in the kitchen observing the meal being put together. Getting involved in the whole process really allows you, the eater of food, to be more connected to the food and get more out of the act of eating. When you are more aware of your meal, you are better able to appreciate eating that food. Which leads into the next step…

Use all your senses when eating. Don’t just limit your eating to your sense of taste. Yes that is one of the most important senses, but you really miss out on a lot if you are just shoveling food in your mouth barely tasting anything. Smell all the wonderful aromas of your meal before you take a bite, or look at the bright colors of the veggies on your plate. Really listen to the sizzle of that hot steak as it comes your way to the table. Touching your food might be frowned upon in some situations, but notice the texture of that pasta as you eat or feel how creamy your mashed potatoes are. All of these actions make eating so much more than the simple act of putting a fork to your lips. It will also allow you to feel more satisfied with less food. And finally…

SLOW DOWN. It is surprising how fast some folks eat a meal. I kid you not, I have seen a family sit down to dinner and finish in 7 minutes flat. A meal should not be along the lines of a hotdog eating competition. It takes your body at least 20 minutes to register that it has eaten something, so try to make your meal last at least that long. If possible try to stretch it out even longer. Take the time to savor your food and take note that you are eating. Also with this last tip, try to eat just one helping and not go back for seconds. The longer you take to eat, the more you feel satisfied with just that one helping of food.

These are just some guidelines for mindful eating and there are a lot more. There are actually whole classes and seminars dedicated to teaching the “art” of mindful eating. But you don’t need a class to start incorporating these steps into your daily eating. Try one or two and don’t get discouraged. You may feel silly taking at least 20 minutes to eat or that it is ridiculous to smell your food, but these things WILL help you to eat mindfully and in the long run eat better and find more satisfaction with less food.

I will be taking a short break after this post because Adam and I are leaving for our honeymoon on Sunday! I am super excited to head to Jamaica with him and can’t wait to tell you all about it! So enjoy your New Year and I pray that it is a wonderful year for all of you!