That’s Not Such A Good Idea

March 21, 2016March 20, 2016 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

You might think it would be a good idea to eat a bunch of broccoli while you’re feeling nauseated because “Broccoli is good for you, it can only make you feel better.”

That's Not Such A Good Idea | Life Healthfully Lived

I don’t eat broccoli anymore, I just wear it.

You would be wrong. That’s not such a good idea.

You might think it would be a good idea to workout ONE DAY after laying on the couch the whole day before due to feeling like death.

Totally ready for this workout guys…

You would be wrong. That’s not such a good idea.

You might think it would be a good idea to try and work at your standing desk right after being knocked out by some stomach virus for a few days.

Bed desk > Standing desk

You would be wrong. That’s not such a good idea.

You might think it would be a good idea to buy a bunch of vegetables with the hopes of eating it in the next day or two even though you can still barely stomach brown rice cakes and baby carrots.

Immediately regret all the vegetables!

You would be wrong. That’s not such a good idea.

The moral of the story? I didn’t have many good ideas in the past few days and I’m still trying to listen to what my body is telling me. It’s ok if I can’t eat as many green things or exercise as much as I’m used to when my health clearly isn’t at 100%. I shouldn’t feel bad or like a failure. When you’re sick you need to forget all your reason and do what feels best because that will get you healthier faster.

And for goodness sake, DON’T take a walk down to the lake just to “get some fresh air” when there isn’t a bathroom in the near vicinity.

At least I got a workout sprinting back to my apartment….

That’s not such a good idea.

Asian-Style Green Beans

March 18, 2016March 17, 2016 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Are Chinese buffets still a big thing? I haven’t been to one in many years, but for a while when I was younger my family and I would go often. It was just easier because everyone could get what they wanted and it was good for my notoriously picky sister because there were always a few things like pizza and chicken nuggets. Which of course are Chinese. Asian-Style Green Beans | Life Healthfully Lived

One of my favorite things at the buffet were the green beans. They were crispy, crunchy, green, sweet, and salty. They had those huge granules of salt and garlic and they balanced so well with the other flavors. I would always get numerous helpings and could have easily made a meal of them.

Of course, they were probably SUPER high in sodium and flavorings that might not have been the best but when compared to the other offerings at the buffet (I’m looking at you General Tso’s chicken and crab rangoon) they were a pretty good choice. The other day I had a hankering for those green beans and decided to make my own healthier version and I’m pleased to say I think I got pretty close! Asian-Style Green Beans | Life Healthfully Lived

Fresh green beans are making their way back into grocery stores so you should be able to find them pretty easily. But if you can’t don’t worry, you can use frozen green beans too. Give these green beans a try at your next meal and I guarantee your family will polish them off. At least, my husband did….

Asian-Style Green Beans

2 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed (if using frozen make sure to thaw them first)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 to 2 tsp coarse sea salt (if you don’t have coarse that’s fine just adjust the amount so it’s not too salty)
2 tbsp coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce or liquid aminos too)

Heat a little oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and swirl everything around the pan a few times.
Add the green beans to the pan and then add the onion flakes, ginger, and salt. Stir so everything is mixed together. Saute for 5 minutes.
Pour the coconut aminos over the green beans, stir everything together, and cover. Lower the heat to low and cook for another 2 minutes.

DIY Wednesday: Roasted Salsa Verde

March 16, 2016March 15, 2016 / ktbuchs87

After 2 years of Spanish in Jr. High, three years in high school, and two semesters in college I can say this with certainty: verde means green. Therefore, that means salsa verde is green salsa. Mind-blowing things revealed on my blog today, I know. DIY Wednesday: Roasted Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

In my brain I understood that salsa verde had to be made with some kind of green vegetable but I never really thought about it. I just ate my regular salsa and left my green dip needs to guacamole. Then I saw a sale on tomatillos at my grocery store, bought a few on a whim, and then headed home to figure out what to do with them. After a little research AKA Google search, I realized tomatillos are what make salsa verde, well, verde.

I also found out that roasting them was common and helped bring out their flavor. Since I am the Queen of roasting any and everything, I roasted them up, blended them up, and then ate them up.

That’s how simple this recipe is. If you’ve never worked with or had tomatillos before, don’t be intimidated. They come in a papery husk and kind of look like a giant green berry. Like this: DIY Wednesday: Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

All you have to do is peel away the husk, like this: DIY Wednesday: Roasted Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

Rinse it off and you’re good to go! I kept this really simple but you could add other things like jalapeno peppers if you want a kick, roasted apples if you want a little bit of sweet, or stir a little salsa verde into your guac for a delicious twist.

Roasted Salsa Verde:

3 to 4 medium-sized tomatillos
1 small onion, about 1/2 a cup cut into quarters
3 to 4 whole cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Peel the husk off the tomatillos and rinse with cool water. Dry completely.
Place the tomatillos, quartered onion, and garlic cloves into a large bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil and toss until everything is coated. Sprinkle with salt and pour everything out onto the baking sheet.
Roast everything for about 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatillos are a little brown around the edges and soft. It’s ok if they explode a little while roasting.
Remove from the oven and let everything cool for about 10 minutes. Then, pour the whole pan into a blender, add the chili powder and blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

This salsa is awesome on tacos, with homemade tortilla chips, and even as a dip for plantain chips! DIY Wednesday: Roasted Salsa Verde | Life Healthfully Lived

Self-Affirmations & Feeling Silly

March 14, 2016March 14, 2016 / ktbuchs87

We have all probably heard at some point in our life that we should think positively, especially about ourselves. Browse around on Pinterest and you will see thousands of pins that have sayings like “BeYOUtiful” and “You are your harshest critic” and “Hey, stop being mean to yourself”. Ok, maybe not the last one but you get the idea. Self Affirmations & Feeling Silly | Life Healthfully Lived

The thing is we know we should be kind to ourselves, we just have a really hard time doing it. It’s easy to critique our own body’s, habits, and personalities. We’re used to being kind to others but don’t really know what to do when it comes to us.

That’s why self-affirmations were made.

Ok, that’s also probably not true but someone along the way that in order to be kinder to ourselves we should actually talk positively to ourselves. Like actually out loud say nice things about us. Stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom and say things like, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” By doing this every day, you’ll learn to love yourself and be kinder to your body. Those of you rolling your eyes at me right now, don’t worry I’m with you. Self Affirmations & Feeling Silly | Life Healthfully Lived

Or, at least, I was.

Self-affirmations sounded like a load of self-help hogwash. Something that sounds good on paper and in books but doesn’t really work. How is standing in front of the mirror every day (something I already don’t like doing) and talking out loud like a lunatic going to really help me like myself more? But I also thought what have I got to lose? If it doesn’t work no skin off my nose. It’s not like I had to make these affirmations out loud in front of a crowd so I started talking nice to myself. Self Affirmations & Feeling Silly | Life Healthfully Lived

I didn’t choose hokey phrases that meant nothing to me, but rather I would look at myself and make a conscious effort to say something I truly liked about my body/life/personality.

“Good morning Katie, your eyes look really green and bright today. Lots of people would really like to have your green eyes.”

“Hey there Kate, you just squatted more weight than you have before and I can tell your legs are stronger than ever. Nice work!”

“That dinner you made from scratch last night really hit the spot and it’s awesome that you can come up with flavor combinations like that all on your own now. Keep up the good work!”

Sure, I felt silly at first but then a funny thing started happening. I started to believe my affirmations. I was getting stronger, my recipes were coming to me easier, there are certain features of my face and body that are absolutely beautiful. And these feelings started to flow into other parts of my life. I felt more confident and believed I could do anything I wanted. I started complimenting other people because I knew just like me they were awesome. Self Affirmations & Feeling Silly | Life Healthfully Lived

Moral of the story? Sometimes things that sound silly and hokey can really help you out. If you’ve never tried self-affirmations, give it a go. Will it feel awkward and weird? You bet. Especially if your husband knocks on the bathroom door and asks if you’re talking to one of the cats and you tell him no, just yourself…. but as time goes on it will fell less and less weird and more natural. It will start to show that you think highly of yourself and you should always think highly of yourself.

Because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!

Slow Cooker Cauliflower Pesto Mac N’ Cheese

March 11, 2016March 10, 2016 / ktbuchs87

I’m having a bit of a thing with cauliflower right now. I buy at least three big heads of it per week and have been experimenting putting it into different dishes. I pretty much look at any recipe and wonder, “Could I do this with cauliflower instead?” Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s kind of how life goes right?

Look, life lessons while making yummy food. Can’t get any better than that. Slow Cooker Cauliflower Pesto Mac N' Cheese | Life Healthfully Lived

Last week I had delicious taquitos (which you should definitely make immediately… after today’s recipe) that had a cauliflower filling and this week I’m doing a little bit of a twist on macaroni and cheese. Spoiler alert: there is no macaroni. Or cheese. There is, however, cauliflower, a delicious cheese-esque sauce, and a slow cooker.

Now, before you Mac N’ Cheese purists come at me with pitchforks and torches this recipe isn’t meant to taste exactly like Mc N’ Cheese it just uses a similar process. And if we’re on the subject of tasting like Mac N’ Cheese, apparently Kraft rolled out it’s new less artificial Mac N’ Cheese and told NO ONE and there were literally no complaints about it. So if we want to get technical, no one really knows what Mac N’ Cheese tastes like so who’s to say my version isn’t right?

Ok, that took a weird little turn but back to this recipe. I love the pesto-cheesy sauce on this and I like that I made it in my slow-cooker so there was minimal effort. You could easily prepare the sauce stuff before hand and then throw everything together in the slow cooker when it’s time to make dinner. It all tastes rich, creamy, and decadent yet you’re still getting a lot of nutrients and a big dose of vegetables. Talk about a win!

Cauliflower Pesto Mac N’ Cheese

1 large head of cauliflower, about 5 to 6 cups, cut into florets
1 batch of No Mozzarella Mozzarella
1 batch of Spinach Pesto
3/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk or any other non-dairy milk you like
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp smoked paprika

Cut up your cauliflower and set aside. Make the No Mozzarella Mozzarella and the Spinach Pesto. You can do this the night before if you want or right before.
Lightly oil your slow cooker with a little olive oil and place cauliflower florets into your slow cooker. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the mozzarella and pesto. It will be really thick but don’t worry.
Add the coconut milk slowly and keep whisking until you have a smooth and pourable sauce. You might not use all the milk and you might need a little more just adjust until you have the right consistency.
Pour the pesto sauce over the cauliflower, making sure to coat everything. Sprinkle the top with smoked paprika, cover, and cook on high for 3 hours or a little longer if you want super soft cauliflower.

Serve up and enjoy the goodness! Slow Cooker Cauliflower Pesto Mac N' Cheese | Life Healthfully Lived