Plantain Porridge Breakfast Bowl

June 20, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I love breakfast. It’s one of my favorite meals of the day and sometimes, I eat it for more than one meal of the day. Sorry, I’m not sorry. I usually have a rotation of a few different breakfast dishes that I go through depending on my mood for the day. One of my favorites is oatmeal. It’s just so hearty, plus you can put literally ANYTHING into oatmeal (meaning I put spoonfuls of peanut butter in mine) and make it taste amazing. As much as I love oatmeal, sometimes in the summer you don’t want a bowl of oatmeal. You want something a little lighter and a little cooler. Enter plantain porridge. The idea of eating porridge made from fruit might seem a little strange, but trust me it tastes really good. The best thing about this breakfast is that just like oatmeal, you can mix in an assortment of toppings. And let’s be honest, I’m all about the toppings. Give this quick and easy breakfast a whirl and tell me how you customize your bowl!

Plantain Porridge Breakfast Bowl

1 large plantain or 2 small plantains, yellow or black skinned (NOT green!)
Toppings of your choice (I like peanut butter, flax and chia seeds, raisins, goji berries, toasted buckwheat groats, and cinnamon)

1. Peel the plantain by slicing of one end and then cutting a slit down the center. Slice the plantain into smaller chunks.

2. If your plantain is soft enough you can mash the slices right in the bowl until it is a creamy almost yogurt-like texture. If it is a little firmer, place in a blender or food processor and pulse a few times until smooth.

3. Place in your bowl and top with whatever you feel like. Try almond butter or tahini. Try any type of berries like raspberry or strawberry. You could add sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, cashews, or even pistachios. Get creative and try some new combos.

In case you hadn’t noticed, (which you might need to get your eyes checked if you didn’t…) this is the “relaunch” of my blog! Welcome to Life, Healthfully Lived. This is a space that you can come and learn some simple but effective ways to start changing your health for the better. I am so excited to start sharing my thoughts and advice on this new page and can’t wait for the awesome projects I have coming your way soon! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and I’ll see you soon!

Friday Fill-In

June 6, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hello everyone!

I don’t have a recipe for you today, but I am working on creating some delicious summer recipe ideas for you. I have a chipotle sauce that is AMAZING, that I will be sharing with you soon… But more on that later!

Meet Olaf!

The big news in the Dawson household this week is the addition of a kitten to our family! One of the things that Adam promised me, was that once he got a job and we had a place that could have more than one animal, he would get me a kitten. So on Monday, he made good on his promise and we got a 2 month old orange tabby. He is energetic and playful and of course super adorable. After making a huge list of names, we finally narrowed it down to Olaf. Yes, it is partly after Olaf the snowman in the movie Frozen. It’s also a character in one of the video games that Adam plays. The name fits him perfectly, and as I pointed out he really does like warm hugs!

Hi! I’m Olaf! I like warm hugs and climbing up peoples legs!

Our other cat, Dot, is still a little hesitant about the furry ball of mischief that we have brought into her domain, but they are slowly getting to tolerate each other. Now if Olaf would just stop attacking her tail while she is eating, things would be amazing!

Olaf about to make a bad decision…

That’s all I have for today, but I will be back on Monday and I’ll talk about how I haven’t been able to run for the past month. Spoiler alert: I hate it. The whole experience has taught me some good lessons though, and hopefully you will be able to learn something from it. Have a great weekend and make sure to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Maybe he’ll be a runner like mama…

Mac N’ Greens

May 16, 2014 / ktbuchs87

In one week, Adam and I will officially live in Chicago. Technically our lease started yesterday but we won’t be moving until next Thursday. This move has come really fast and while I still have a to do list a mile long, I don’t feel as stressed as I usually do when we move. Although that could all change in an instant, talk to me next week! This will probably be my last post for a few weeks while we get everything moved and settled in our new place. Once we’re in Chicago though my blogging will be much more regular and there will be some changes happening to the site! Excited for all the new things that we are going to do and experience in the next few weeks!

This meal is a quick and easy meal to throw together and it makes a lot of leftovers. It’s kind of the perfect meal to make when you’re moving to a new city…

Mac N’ Greens

1 package of pasta (I used brown rice pasta to keep it gluten free. Whole wheat would be good too)
1 bag of frozen kale or spinach, thawed (could also use fresh and whatever green you want like collard or mustard)
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 1/2 cup cooked cannellini beans (or 1 can)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp brown mustard

1. If you’re using dried beans, soak them overnight, then drain and rinse them and cook them on the stove for about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Make sure your greens are completely thawed. If you are using fresh, chop them up and set aside. Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.

3. In a medium skillet saute the onions in olive oil for about 5 to 7 minutes until they are soft. Add in the garlic and saute for another minute or two.

4. In a blender or food processor, grind the cashews until they are a fine powder. Add in about 1 cup of the broth or water and blend until smooth. Add in the onions and garlic, beans, lemon juice, and mustard. Combine until smooth and add in salt and pepper to taste.

5. In a large pot, combine the pasta and greens until fully mixed together. Pour the sauce into the pot and heat over medium heat until everything is warmed through.

Enjoy your delicious and nutritious pasta dish, and I’ll see you in Chicago!

“Parmesan” Topping

May 9, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Growing up, my sister and I topped many a meal with the green container of “shake-y cheese”. Thats what we called it in our house, because you could shake cheesy goodness on to anything. Clever I know. I also know that shake-y cheese isn’t really cheese at all, but that didn’t stop it from tasting delicious sprinkled on top of a big ol’ plate of spaghetti. There are a variety of different healthier and dairy free versions of this topping out there, but I think this one comes closest to the salty and slightly buttery taste of my beloved shake-y cheese. Plus it is really simple to make a bunch and then store it in a container in the fridge. Make this and get to shakin’!

“Parmesan” Topping

1 cup walnut pieces
3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, depending on how cheesy you want the flavor to be
2-3 tsp salt, depending on taste

1. Preheat oven to 250. In a blender or food processor, pulse the walnuts a few times until coarsely chopped. Add in nutritional yeast and salt and process everything until it has a fine breadcrumb like texture.

2. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or a silpat. Spread the walnut mixture evenly over the pan and place in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes in 10 minute increments. After each 10 minutes move the mixture around so it doesn’t burn. It will be done when it has a nice golden brown color.

3. Let the topping cool and then transfer to a container. You can store this in your fridge for up to a month.

Simple and easy way to add flavor to any of your meals! This is great on vegetables, lasagna, spaghetti, casseroles, or anything else your little heart desires. Enjoy!

Dairy Free Lasagna

May 2, 2014February 19, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I don’t eat dairy anymore, and for the most part, I really haven’t missed it all that much. But every once in awhile, I get a hankering for something gooey, cheesy, and delicious. Those hankerings usually lead to creative and tasty recipes. This one is no different. You might be thinking to yourself, “There is no way that you can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta cheese.” And I say to you, nay nay. You can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta. Just ask my husband who has no problem with dairy and would love it if there were more of it in the house (there’s none). He loved this meal and devoured second helpings. I may have too…

Dairy Free Lasagna

1 batch of my tomato sauce, or store bought sauce (just make sure to read the ingredients!)
1 package of lasagna noodles (I used brown rice to keep it gluten free but whole wheat would work well too)
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 to 2 tsp italian seasoning
1 to 2 cloves garlic

*If you’re using my tomato sauce, you can prepare it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. That way you can just assemble everything.

1. Cook noodles according to instructions on the package. Once cooked drain and set aside to cool a little bit. You might want to undercook your noodles just a little so they won’t turn to mush when you cook them in the oven.

2. While the noodles are cooling, drain soaked cashews and place into a blender or food processor. Add in water, lemon, salt, rice vinegar, italian seasoning, and garlic. Pulse to combine everything and then let it run to smooth everything out. You can leave it a little chunky or totally smooth, it’s your preference.

3. Preheat oven to 375 and get out a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Line up the tomato sauce, noodles, and cashew cheese for easy assembly. Pour a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan so the noodles don’t burn. Then put a layer of noodles down, then a layer of cheese, and finally a layer of tomato sauce. Keep layering everything until you run out of noodles. You might have a little cheese and sauce leftover, that’s fine You can use it to dress up another dish!

4. Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and take of the aluminum foil. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Take lasagna out of the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes (this helps it set so when you cut it, it doesn’t fall apart). Cut into squares and eat up!