How To Use The Whole Thing

September 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

We throw away a lot of stuff. It’s such a simple thing, if we don’t want then just throw it in the garbage and it magically goes away. Except that it’s really not magic at all. That garbage has to go somewhere and the outlook isn’t so good. I’m not here to lecture you on landfills and dumps and saving the environment, but I do think we can all do our part to help. One of the larger components of our trash is food. We throw away a ton of food and some of it is still edible. No, this post isn’t about eating trash. I just want to offer a few tips on how to use all of your food so that you get the most bang for your buck AND lower the amount of waste you throw away.

Make Stock

This is a really easy way to use up leftover scraps of vegetables and bones. Things like vegetables peels from carrots, potatoes, cabbage, or turnips can be turned into a homemade vegetable stock. After you’re done prepping your vegetables for dinner or whatever meal you’re making, gather all the scraps. Place all the scraps into a large stockpot, add in water, a little salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, simmer for at least an hour, longer for a stronger flavor. Turn off the heat and let the stock cool. Using a strainer, pour the stock over a container and strain out the vegetable pieces and voila, you have homemade stock. You can also make your own chicken or meat stock using the leftover bones. Follow the same process, just add in whatever bones you have on hand. Make sure to strain well so there are no leftover bones in your stock. Now you have your own healthy stock on hand whenever you need it! You can also freeze your stock and make it in big batches.

Use Up Your Greens

Many vegetables come with leafy greens attached to them. I like to think of this as a two for one deal because you can use the vegetables AND the greens. Turnips, beets, and carrots have greens that can be used for salads or added to soups and stews. You can also use them for juices and smoothies. Or you can dry out the greens and use them as seasonings for any dish that you can think of. Just make sure to wash your leafy greens really well to get rid of dirt or bugs that might be hiding.

Eat the Stalk

Most of us don’t think twice about throwing away the stalks of vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower, but those parts are edible too. You can chop them up and eat them prepared the same way you use the flowered parts. My favorite way is to eat them is to cut up the broccoli florets and stems, saute them with olive oil and season them with garlic, turmeric, pepper, and a little bit of my “Parmesan” topping. You can also grate the stalks and use them as a salad topping or as a way to add extra vegetables to soups, stews, and sauces.

Keep the Pulp

http://www.glutenfreecat.com/2012/04/raw-sun-dried-tomato-crackers/

If you like to make your own fruit and vegetable juices, you might be left with a bunch of pulp afterwards. Don’t throw that pulp away! You can use it to make crackers or add it into baked goods, such as bread or muffins, or add it into sauces. The pulp from homemade juice contains a lot of the fiber and nutrients from the fruit or vegetable and is super good for you. If you make your own nut milk, like almond milk, you can save the pulp from the nuts and use as nut meal in baked recipes. Just make sure you dry it out well first before you bake with it.

Help Your Garden Grow

Peels from fruits or vegetables that you don’t want to eat, like banana peels, orange peels, or potato peels, can be used as compost for your garden. Rather than just throwing those peels away, put them to good use helping your own fruits and vegetables grow strong and delicious.

These are just a few easy ways that you can use to help lower the amount of food that you throw away each week. It’s also a great way to stretch your dollar and get the most use out of your food. So before you toss that piece of food away, see if there is another use you can get out of it!

How To Make Your Own Snacks

August 27, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Snacks can be a very important part of a lot of people’s daily diets. They tide you over to the next meal, fuel you for your workout, or give you extra energy when you hit that late afternoon slump. While I don’t snack much myself, I am a big supporter of snacks as part of a healthy lifestyle. I’m not a supporter though of most of the snacks that we normally reach for. I’m talking about the ones you find in a vending machine or on store shelves. The pre-packaged, processed snacks that we often eat are not doing your health any good. Believe me, I get the appeal of these snacks. They’re easy, most of the time portable, and they taste good. They are just so convenient, but they are also taking a toll on our health. The good news is that it is really easy to make your own versions of most of the snacks out there, except these will be good for you, provide nutrition, cost less, and taste just as good if not better!

DIY Snacks

Trail Mix- This is a tricky snack item in stores. They seem like they are good for you with all their claims of organic and natural, but most of the time they are filled with sugar and other not so healthy ingredients. It is much better to make your own, plus the DIY version will cost you a lot less. Buy things like nuts (peanuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts), seeds (sunflower or pumpkin), dried fruits with no extra sugar (cranberries, raisins, cherries), and dark chocolate chips. Then just dup everything into a big bowl, mix it together, and portion it out into snack sizes. Now you have a quick and healthy snack that you can grab and go! If you can, buy all your components in bulk and that help keep the cost down.

Granola Bars- These are another one of those sneaky snacks that can seem healthy but in the end are not much better than candy bars. Luckily, it is really easy to make your own and there are a ton of recipes out there on the internet. You can make your own Nutragrain bars, Larabars, or chewy granola bars. Make them in big batches and freeze them so that you have a bunch ready to go
Chips & Dip- Chips are a popular snack because no one can resist the crunchy and salty taste! But those chips can quickly add up and soon you’re downing a whole bag along with dip. You can make your own simple potato chips using my recipe here. You can also make your own tortilla chips. Just buy some corn tortillas (I like the El Milagro brand because of the price and short ingredient list), cut them into triangles, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, spray with a little olive oil and salt, then bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes. Dips are also really easy and much healthier to make on your own. Try my avocado cream, some salsa, or another one of my favorites, hummus!
Roasted Chickpeas- I have seen a few versions of these in stores, and while some of them aren’t too bad, I’ve always found it easier to just make my own. It is a lot cheaper and you can choose whatever flavors you want! You can find my recipe here.

Don’t forget about things like fruit or vegetables as a snack too! It is really easy to buy things like celery, carrots, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes, then cut them up and portion them out at home for a quick snack. Fruits like bananas, oranges, or clementines are really easy to transport because of their skins. And who can resist one of my favorite snacks, sliced apples and peanut or almond butter. Hard boiled eggs are also a great snack that travels well.

There are a ton of simple and healthy snack ideas that you can make yourself. You don’t have to rely on store bought snacks to get you through the day. Take a little bit of time to plan and make your snacks for the week and when it come time to rush out the door in the morning, you can feel good that your snack will help you stick to your healthy eating plan!

How To Repurpose Leftovers

August 20, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I am a big believer in leftovers. I think that they play a big role in eating good, healthy meals all week long, as well as helping keep food costs down. I only cook for two people, but I tend to cook like there are four of us and make extras to have for lunches throughout the week. One thing that I have noticed though is that people tend to get bored of eating the same thing over and over again. If you get bored with having the same food, you might be more likely to switch back to your unhealthy eating habits. Because we don’t want that, I wanted to share just a few ways that you can repurpose your leftovers and make a whole different meal with just a few minor adjustments.

Meats

This might be one of the easiest things to turn into a different meal. Summer time is the perfect time to pull out the grill and BBQ some meat. When you do this, make sure to throw a few extra pieces of whatever you’re making onto the grill. Now you have some extra meat to turn into lunches or dinners for the week.

Shred chicken or pork and make a stir fry by adding it to some vegetables, brown rice, and soy sauce.
Slice up steak or chicken and add to a salad
Use fish to make some simple fish tacos. Just add some salsa or corn, cilantro, and squeeze a little lime juice over everything
Make a chicken salad with shredded chicken, celery, avocado and mustard
Add any kind of meat to a frittata

Vegetables

If you do your meal prep over the weekend, make sure that you cook up some extra vegetables however you like. Grill, roast, or saute them and you can use them for meals throughout the week. Summer time also means the garden is full and your farmers market is in full swing, so you might be loaded up with extra vegetables. Here are some ways you can repurpose your vegetables for leftovers.

Roasted root vegetables, like sweet potatoes or parsnips, can be added to salads or cooked grains for a simple lunch
Root vegetables are also really good pureed into soup or a sauce for pasta. Add almond milk (or whatever milk you like) for an extra creamy texture
Grilled eggplant can be made into a simple baba ganush
Grilled zucchini or summer squash can be added to tomato sauce for extra texture and flavor
Cooked vegetables can be added to stir frys, soups, frittatas, or sandwiches
If you have an overabundance of cooked vegetables, you can also freeze them to be used later

Grains

Grains are a great thing to cook in big batches and then just add to meals throughout the week.

Grains make a really good bed for stir fry, vegetables with sauce, or cooked meat
Add your favorite grain to a leafy salad for a new variation
Leftover pasta? Use it up by making cold pasta salad. Toss your favorite pasta with some olive oil, seasonings, and vegetables like cherry tomatoes or avocados for a delicious summer meal
Try adding cooked grains to your lettuce wrap for extra texture and oomph

Fruit

Fruit is also pretty abundant this time of year and you can make it into a few different meals throughout the week.

Use leftover fruit salad as a cereal, granola, or yogurt topper for breakfast
Freeze leftover fruit and use in smoothies or added to water for extra flavor
Make a quick toast topping by mashing up leftover berries and adding a little honey/cinnamon
Turn frozen leftover fruit into sorbets by blending them in a high powered blender or food processor

There are a ton of ways that you can vary your leftovers so that you don’t eat the exact same meal every single day of the week. With just a little bit of prep work, you can have the makings of a healthy and new meal each day. Get creative and see what you can make out of the meals in your fridge!

How To Cook With Eggs

August 13, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Ah, the humble egg. At first glance it doesn’t really seem all that spectacular. Most of the time we just relegate it to breakfast foods or as an ingredient for delicious baked goods. Sure, it has gotten some press over the years. Yolks, good or bad? How many should you eat a day? Are egg whites really a health food? What came first, the chicken or the egg? I’m not here to debate any of those things with you, as intriguing as they may be. What I do want to talk about is how versatile and awesome the egg can be. I love eggs. I love all the things that you can do with them. I make them every day and sometimes for multiple meals. They are relatively inexpensive, and they can do so many delicious things. Eggs are a huge part of my healthy diet and I wanted to share some of the ways I use them. I know some of you don’t consume eggs for various reasons, and that is totally fine. I have never had a problem with eggs and if you are looking for some quick and tasty meals to eat during the week then keep reading.

I’ll start with the very obvious choice for egg based meals, breakfast. I have one every morning and it’s one of my favorite breakfast foods, after waffles/pancakes of course! If you want something super simple, try a poached or fried egg. I know that you might think poaching an egg is difficult and for awhile I was intimidated too. But it is actually quite easy. In a small saucepan, bring about an inch or two of water to a simmer (NOT boiling). Add a tsp or two of apple cider vinegar or just plain vinegar (this adds a little flavor and helps keep the whites together). Crack open your egg and drop it into a small bowl or ramekin, not directly into the water. Slowly pour your egg into the simmering water and cover with a lid. Cook for 3-5 minutes depending on how runny you want your yolk. Uncover and using a slotted spoon lift the egg out of the water and onto your plate. It might take you a few tries to get it just right, but once you do it’s really easy. Poached eggs are delicious on their own, but they can add so much more to other meals. Try them on top of hashed browns, cooked greens (like kale or collard), over pasta, or even on top of tortilla shells. One of Adam and I’s favorite meals is shakshuka, which is basically eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce.

Eggs are also good scrambled or in an omelette and these meals allow you to be really creative. Add in vegetables like green peppers or mushrooms, leftover meat like shredded pork or rotisserie chicken, beans or other grains like millet. Experiment with different seasonings too like fresh basil or cilantro. Smoked paprika adds a nice meaty touch to eggs and italian herbs go well too. Don’t worry if you aren’t a pro at making omelettes, if you mess up they just turn into scrambled eggs!

Another meal that I like to make, and Adam loves to eat, is a frittata. This is like an egg pie and you can add whatever you would like to it. I’ve posted a recipe for a potato frittata before. One of my new favorite ways to make this meal is to take a few potatoes, peel them and cut the into bite sized chunks. Place them in a pot and cover with water, bring them to a boil and then cover with a lid and let them simmer for about 30 minutes. Once you can easily pierce them with a fork, drain the water move them to a bowl and lightly mash them. You don’t want mashed potatoes, but you want them to be broken up. Place that aside to cool and crack 5 to 6 eggs into a separate bowl. Add a splash of unsweetened almond milk (or whatever milk you drink) and whatever herbs or spices you like (I usually do salt and pepper and then basil and oregano). I sometimes also add in pumpkin puree or tomatoes. Whisk the eggs until they are light and fluffy. Heat the oven to 400 and then heat an oven safe skillet, like cast iron, over medium heat, pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and then pour into the heated pan. Cook on the stovetop for a few minutes and then transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes and then slice it up like pie. You can eat it plain or serve it with salsa or guacamole or hummus or whatever other toppings you would like. It’s an easy peasy meal that fills you up and keeps you going!

You can also hard boil eggs and make a few other meals with them. I like plain hard boiled eggs as a quick snack and Adam likes to mash them up with dill and mustard for a little egg salad. I’ve made healthy deviled eggs in the past by hard boiling eggs, cutting them in half and mashing the yolks up with avocado and paprika before spooning back into the egg halves. That is a quick and easy appetizer that will keep people happy! You can also put hard boiled eggs in your salad or over pasta for a little something extra.

Eggs can even be used to make condiments! One of the easiest is to make your own mayonnaise. Now I am not a mayo fan, never have been, but Juli over at PaleOMG has a really easy 30 second mayo that looks pretty tasty.

As you can see, eggs are a SUPER versatile food that can be used for so many different things. Next time you are scrambling (ha, see what I did there?) for a quick and healthy meal that will satisfy your hunger, try eggs. Get creative and see what delicious things you can come up with!

How To Travel Healthy

August 6, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Summer is the season of trips. Day trips, road trips, long trips, short trips. We like to travel during these three months out of the year and who could blame us? The weather is great, people have more leisure time, and there are so many fun things to do! There is a downside to all this travel though. People don’t tend to eat their best on their vacations. Between loading up on all the snack foods at gas station stops and the decadent meals out, you might find it hard to stay healthy. It can be frustrating to be doing so well and then all of the sudden feel like you’ve taken five steps backwards after a two week vacation. It doesn’t have to end up like that though, and I thought that I would share some of my traveling tips with you to help you stay on target with eating well.

Plan Ahead. This is my best tip when it comes to traveling healthy. It seems like kind of a no brainer, like you shouldn’t even consider it a tip. But you would be surprised how so many people plan every single detail of their trip and totally forget to plan anything food wise. Not having even a basic eating plan for your vacation can have you grabbing whatever food you can find, more often than not something void of any nutrition. By just taking a few minutes to plan out where you can eat, what you might eat, and snacks here and there, you can save yourself (and your health) a lot of frustration. You don’t have to be super specific, just make a basic plan of where you can get your meals or what food will be available to you.

Pack Snacks. What good is a road trip without any snacks? While I know the typical car fare is candy, chips, and soda, try packing your own healthy snacks. Make your own trail mix, or granola bars, roast some chickpeas, cut up some fruit or vegetables, air pop some popcorn, or make your own tortilla chips. Portion out these snacks so that you have some for the trip there and the trip back. Snacks are also good to bring on day trips to help tide you over between meals. Another bonus, you won’t waste a ton of money at the gas station by loading up on junk food!

Pre-check Restaurants. The internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to trying to eat well while out and about. Most restaurants put their menu online so you can go check it out before you even get there. If you go out to eat while on your vacation, check the menu first and pick what you are going to have before hand. That way when you get there you don’t have to be tempted by any of their less than healthy meals and can order right away. If there doesn’t seem to be anything you feel comfortable eating, try making your own meal out of sides or call the restaurant and see if they would be willing to help accommodate one of their meals to your needs. Many times restaurants are happy to help their patrons, especially if you take care of it in advance. Never be afraid to ask!

Prepare Your Own Meals. If you’re really good at planning ahead and are going on a short trip, you can even make your own meals. Try dishes that will hold up with travel and won’t spoil easily like salads with beans or whole grains. Invest in a cooler and you can load it up with portioned meals for your trip. Or you can check the area where you will be staying and see if there are any extended stay hotels. These hotels generally have a small kitchen area where you can make your own meals. Then when you get there you can find the local grocery store and make your own meals. This is also a good way to save some money because buying and making your own food, even for just a few of your meals on vacation, is cheaper than eating out the whole time.

Pick Up Some Water. This is another tip that seems pretty simple, but make sure you stay hydrated. Travel tends to dehydrate the body, especially if you’re flying, and with all your vacation activities it’s easy to forget to drink some water. Invest in a good water bottle and make sure that you’re drinking and refilling it throughout the day.

In the end, try not to stress out too much about food on your trip. Yes, it is important to try and plan ahead and do what you can to make sure that you’re eating well. But it isn’t the end of the world if a few things slip through the cracks. Do the best that you can with what you have and make sure that instead of stressing over food you’re enjoying your time off! With a little bit of preparation, you can make your next trip both fun and healthy!