Making a Healthier Weekend

February 16, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Everyone looks forward to the weekend. Two days to relax, destress from the work week and spend time doing the things we love. The weekend is also a great time to set yourself up for success when it comes to your health.

I have talked about meal prepping before on the blog. I believe that it is one of the most important parts of eating healthier. If you have a plan and are prepared, making better decisions become like second nature.

I’m going to share a few of the things that I do over the weekend to help my meals during the week go quickly, smoothly, and healthfully.

Make bigger meals

This might not sound like a healthy tip, but it is. On the weekends I have a little more time on my hands. What I do with that extra time is come up with new recipes for the blog as well as make big meals. I might do chili or other slow cooker meals. I might make different kinds of casseroles or soups or stews. Whatever I do, I make sure that I make extra. The leftovers then become lunch for the rest of the week. You can portion out the leftovers into individual containers that way you can just grab them in the morning and go. If you have healthy food in your fridge that is easily accessible, that’s what you’re going to eat. Spend a little extra time over the weekend and plan out a few big meals so you have your lunch ready to go!

Think about snacks

Snacks are another area that you can work on over the weekend. Healthy snacks are really easy to make and again having extra time on the weekend is the perfect opportunity to set yourself up with some tasty snacks. I like to make hard boiled eggs, spiced almonds, snack bars, and roasted seeds. These are all simple snacks that last a while and are good to grab and go. Pick out a few snacks that sound good to you and prep them over the weekend.

Cut it up

Buying whole fruits and vegetables are a lot easier on your wallet but can be a pain to prepare for eating. Set aside some time to cut up your fruit and vegetables and portion out into containers or bags. I like to cut up my broccoli and store it in big gallon zip top bags so I can just pull them out and cook them come dinner time. Again, if you have healthy food ready in your fridge that is what you’re going to eat.

Get saucey

Yeah, that was a horrible pun. Get over it! I am a huge fan of sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads. These things are simple ways to add a ton of flavor and pizzaz to your meal. Over the weekend I will make a few different sauces to use for my dinners over the week. I know that store bought can seem like the easier choice, but the “simplicity” comes at a cost to your health. It is just as easy and so much better for you to make your own sauces. Some of my favorites to make in big batches over the weekend are cashew sour cream, hummus, and tomato sauce. I also like to make a few marinades for Adam’s fish and my chickpea tofu. Think about making one or two sauces or dressing on the weekend and then use them throughout the week in your meals.

These are just a few of the things that I take the time to do over the weekend. I know it might seem like a lot of time spent in the kitchen, but it isn’t. Break it up over a few sessions and it will be done in no time. Or if you’re like me and like being in the kitchen pick one day and knock out all of your healthy prepping. Once you’re done you will feel like you have accomplished a lot and you will be ready to face the week full of healthy food!

What are some of your weekend kitchen habits? Are there any simple tips you use?

Cherry Pumpkin Seed Bars

February 13, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Yay Friday! While I like most Friday’s this one is even better because my husband, Adam, is finally coming home after a 4 week business trip. Yeah, that’s a whole month. It has been a long 4 weeks and I can’t wait to see him! Plus I haven’t cooked for one person in a really long time and have a plethora of food stocked up for him to eat. He might be more excited about that….

I have a snack recipe for you this week. Snacking makes up a large portion of a lot of people’s diets and unfortunately those snacks aren’t the healthiest part of the day. It’s so easy to grab chips from the vending machine or down 3 of those 100-calorie packaged snacks. But there is good news! You don’t have to relegate yourself to eating unhealthy snacks. With just a little planning you can make your own healthy and delicious snacks.

When I was traveling a few weekends ago I picked up a Kit’s Organics Fruit + Seed Bar. If I do buy snacks instead of making them (it happens every once in awhile) I like to make sure that there are no weird ingredients. I got the cherry and pumpkin seed bar and it was delicious. I decided to try and make my own version of this bar so I could enjoy it without having to pay almost two dollars per bar. I like the tartness of the cherries and the subtle crunch of the pumpkin seeds. These are quick to put together and will make enough to have for the whole week!

Cherry and Pumpkin Seed Bar

makes 5-6 bars depending how big you cut the bars

1 cup chopped and pitted dates
1/2 cup dried cherries (make sure there is no extra sugar added. It should be just cherries)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp almond meal (you can roughly chop up a few almonds to get the almond meal)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

1. In a blender, blend the chopped dates until a ball forms. Scrape down the sides and add in the cherries. Blend again until the cherries are incorporated.

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until everything is combined.

3. In a small glass baking dish (8×8 or 9×9 works well) press the date/cherry mixture down with a spatula. If it is really sticky you can wet the spatula.

4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and then remove and cut into bars.

There you go! This snack comes together really quickly which is great because now you have delicious snacks on hand when you get hungry! You could also roll these into little balls and then roll them in a little cocoa powder for a chocolate cherry dessert! Either way, enjoy your new healthy snacks!

Have a great Friday and Happy Valentines Day a little early!

Chai Green Tea Granola

February 6, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I love cereal. When I was younger, it was breakfast every single morning. I loved the crunch of the cereal mixed with icy cold milk. If I was hungry for a snack I would have some cereal. If I was feeling lazy, cereal became an easy lunch or dinner. Saturday mornings were full of cartoons and sugary cereal. And despite the fact that my mom made the rule of only one bowl of “junk” cereal on Saturday’s, my sister and I definitely had more than one. Sorry mom.

Once I started eating better, I dropped boxed cereal. Most cereal is full of sugar and other not so pleasant ingredients, even the so-called “healthy” ones. There are a few good cereals out there, but they are few and far between as well as very expensive. I decided that I could make my own cereal for half the cost and less ingredients.

Mission accomplished. I love this cereal and it hits the spot when I am craving the crunchy goodness of cereal and milk. It is also a great topping for oatmeal or just grab a handful as a snack! It isn’t overly sweet, but the chai seasonings make this granola full of flavor. You probably have most of these ingredients on hand, so make some delicious granola!

Chai Green Tea Granola

2 cups thick rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (you can use raw, I just happened to have roasted on hand)
2 tbsp hemp seeds
3 chai green tea bags
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup maple syrup (you can also use honey)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1. Preheat oven to 250. In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients, not including the tea and cinnamon.

2. In a smaller bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. Cut open the tea bags and add into the wet mix. Add in the cinnamon and whisk everything together until completely combined.

3. Pour the wet mix over the dry mix and stir everything to coat it well. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Spread the granola out on the baking sheet in a single layer.

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Take out the granola and stir. Bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. If the granola is still a little wet, bake for another 5 minutes.

5. Take out of the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire rack to dry. Once fully cooled place in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

There you go! Granola that isn’t full of a ton of sugar or unpronounceable ingredients or a small fortune. I like to eat this with almond milk as well as sprinkled on top of cooked steel cut oats. It doesn’t last long around here, so make sure that you have plenty to go around!

Chocolate Covered PB Balls

January 16, 2015 / ktbuchs87

When I was younger, my sister, mom, and I would spend most of our summer days at the park district pool. My sister and I would play in the pool all day while my mom would read by the side of the pool. Our park district pool was actually really awesome. It had slides, diving boards, drop slides, waterfalls, sprinklers, and a sand pit. Needless to say it was hours of fun and we would play to exhaustion. Like most pools there was a mandatory break every hour where everyone had to get out of the pool for 15 minutes. During this time we would eat the snacks that my mom brought along. She had frozen grapes, pretzels, and peanut butter balls. Those peanut butter balls were awesome. They were sweet, bite size, and provided more energy to play in the sun all day long.

I haven’t had those peanut butter balls in a really long time, but I thought about turning them into a dessert for the holidays. All I did was tweak a few of the ingredients and then obviously I had to dip them in chocolate to make them even better than before.

These were a hit and they are a great little treat to keep on hand for when you need something a little sweet. While the ingredients are healthier than say a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, this is still a treat. So try not to shove five in your face at once. Not like I’ve done that….

Chocolate Covered PB Balls

Peanut Butter Balls

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup oat flour (grind regular oats until you have a fine powder)
1/4 tsp salt (less if your peanut butter has salt)

Chocolate Covering

1 bar of 100% Cacao baking chocolate
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. In a large bowl mix together peanut butter, maple syrup, salt and honey. Slowly add in the oat flour until you have a dough. You might not use the full 1/2 cup or you might need more.

2. Using a tablespoon, scoop out some peanut butter dough and roll into balls. Place onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Once you have used all the dough, place the baking sheet into the freezer.

3. Either using a double broiler or a microwaveable bowl, melt the baking chocolate. Before adding the maple syrup, make sure it is room temperature. If you add it in cold, the chocolate will seize up and you will have a clumpy mess (trust me, not fun). Add in room temperature syrup and oil and stir to combine.

4. Remove peanut butter balls from the freezer. Using a fork, dunk the balls into the chocolate covering and place back on the baking sheet. If you want to make them fancy, you can sprinkle with sea salt, crushed peanuts or other nut. Once you are done place the peanut butter balls back into the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Keep these in a container in either the freezer or refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. If you’re a huge fan of the pb/chocolate combo then these are going to be your new favorite thing. I think that I might have to keep them on hand at all times…..

What is your favorite flavor combo?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Keep It Simple Series: Building Your Healthy Pantry

January 14, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Hello and welcome to the first part in my keep it simple series! Also welcome to my very first video. I won’t lie and say that I’m not nervous about this whole endeavor, but I am excited to add a new dimension to my blog. I hope that is able to connect me better with my readers.

Today’s video is about building up your healthy pantry/freezer. I’ve talked about this before, but I wanted to give everyone a little reminder as well as inform any new readers that I might have. This video is going to be a little longer than the rest of my videos in this series, but I wanted to make sure that I hit all the important parts.

So without further adieu, here is the debut of the Keep It Simple series!