When I lose all the weight, I’ll be confident.

When I get that raise, I’ll be happy.

When I cross that half marathon finish line, I’ll feel like a real runner.

Choose your “when I” and your how you’ll feel after you get there. We all have them.

The problem with these beliefs, though, is how they skip those six inches of real estate between our ears. Everything happens in that tiny space! It’s kind of amazing when you stop and think about it. We get so wrapped up in “the finish line,” we don’t see how the road to get us there is where the magic happens. 

The biggest question I’ve heard since I started to change my life in July 2017 is: “How did you do it?”

But, is that what they really want to know? I’m not so sure.

Many times, the questions revolve about what “diet” I’m using or what “training plan” I follow. Do I count macros or carbs? Do I do intermittent fasting? Keto? Paleo? 

If I had a specific prescription that was a no-fail guarantee, I wouldn’t still be 100 pounds or so from my goal.

But, that’s what we all want: quick answers to our problems. When you have a lot of weight to lose, or a lot of debt to pay off, or a 13.1-mile race course laid out in front of you, there are no easy ways to get it done. You cannot get around your head, because that’s where most of the issues are coming from. 

I’m not saying we’re all crazy, although I sometimes wonder about that. But, most of us have an uncanny ability to get in our own way, even when it looks like we’re succeeding. It has taken me three years to scratch the surface that my number goals are not the be-all, end-all. 

For years, I put limitations on myself because my excess weight and my health took away my self-esteem and my energy. I convinced myself that “fat people cannot or should not do certain things.”

But here’s a revelation I discovered in a rare moment of clarity during this journey:

Goals are not size-dependent.

When I stopped judging my goals as not suitable for my size, that’s when things starting looking up. They don’t care if I’m a size 26 or size 16.  Goals don’t care about anything, because they don’t have thoughts or feelings. 

Some goals may be harder than others because of my size. But, to constantly measure my ability to try something or dream about a goal based on what the scale says or the size of my pants is ridiculous. 

A nearly 300-pound woman CAN finish a half marathon. I've proven it.

What else can I do? Who knows? But, my weight isn't holding me back. Just my brain.

​How is your brain holding you back? 

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slThis Instant Pot recipe looked so simple in the magazine. And, anything that resembles something like a beef stew, especially this time of year, has me willing to give the dish a shot.
So far, the recipes I've tried for this challenge from the Centennial Magazine Instant Pot 2020 Edition have not failed me, so I was feeling super-confident.

Perhaps that over-confidence was the downfall here.

This recipe threw a few challenges at me. So, I'm going to start with.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

Get comfy, gang. This will take a while. 

First, was finding the sirloin tips required for the recipe. I could not track down anything called sirloin tips at Kroger. I admit I used Clicklist (which I like about 85% of the time I use it), but I couldn't find it on the website and I did not go in to the butcher to ask. I got some sort of sirloin cut and it tenderized fine, so no real issue there.

The biggest snafu I hit in the recipe was what happened after I followed step 1 and coated the raw beef tips in flour before putting it into the 2 tablespoons of heated oil in my Instant Pot. I get the concept. The flour helps to brown the meat as well as thicken the gravy. That's a great idea when it works, but right away I noticed things were getting--shall we say--pasty very quickly. Bits and pieces got stuck and started to burn. And, if you've ever used an IP, you know burning on the bottom of the pot is BAD NEWS BEARS.

Things happened so quickly, I could not take pictures. I scraped the bottom of the pan over and over again and salvaged what I could. 

After averting that crisis, I added the rest of the ingredients: sautéed it with onion and garlic, then added beef broth and a can of Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup. The recipe also called for a dry red wine. I didn't have any so I added a little extra beef broth to make up the difference.

I closed the lid and set it to manual to pressure cook for 25 minutes, as directed, and prayed.

My prayers were heard, but not answered the way I wanted. 

The pot never sealed and therefore I essentially boiled my dinner instead of pressure cooking it. I'm betting it's because so much of the roux (flour, oil mixture) stuck the bottom, the pot couldn't get hot enough. 

In the end, because I browned the meat, it tasted fine. But, the rich flavor we were expecting didn't come through.

I swapped out the recommended rice for some refrigerated mashed potatoes because I was so flustered at the recipe. I was not interested in "cooking" anything else that night. I also paired it with some of the leftover Naan bread from my Buttered Chicken and Naan Bread meal! 

It didn't look like the most appetizing dish in the world, but...let me get to the good news.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS RECIPE

Despite all the hassle, the meal tasted pretty good and what little of the roux I saved managed to thicken the gravy enough for it not to be a soup.  

WILL I ADD THIS TO OUR MENU ROTATION?

I'm never going to say never, but I make a similar dish to this on the stovetop that uses mushrooms and noodles. I learned it from my mom and it's better. So, it's unlikely this recipe will become a regular for us. Not every one can be a winner. And, that's ok! 

What's next on the 7 Days/7 Recipes Menu? Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup! 

​

​Pasta is one of my favorite foods in the world—other than pizza and chocolate. There was a time (before I started being more mindful about what I put in my face) that I'd make it a couple of times a week for my family. I'd grab a jar of Ragu, boil some water and boom, dinner was done. 

This recipe, as originally written in Centennial Magazine's Instant Pot Recipes 2020 edition, actually lists jarred sauce as an ingredient. So, I'm not casting judgement on anyone who uses store-bought. I use many items in my cooking that are pre-made. 

However, I no longer use jarred sauce very often. When I was dealing with Type 2 Diabetes, I discovered many of the jarred sauces have a high sugar content. Then, when I started taking a closer look at my calorie intake, I noticed that some of them ate up quite a bit of my daily allotment. 

Now, I make my own simple tomato sauce using either canned, crushed tomatoes or whole San Marzano tomatoes (if I'm feeling like doing some mashing!). So, I used that with this recipe. But, I'll stay true to the original when listing ingredients below.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

IT'S A ONE-POT RECIPE! 

I admit I was skeptical about cooking the pasta IN the instant pot! What is this witchcraft? I've always cooked my pasta separate from the sauce. I've seen Instant Pot recipes that include pasta, but my skeptic brain was convinced it would just be mush when it was done. 

I was wrong. 

The pasta not only had a nice texture, but it was so much more flavorful because it cooked in the sauce and the meat. It really tasted like a sauce my mom used to make that would take all day. (Sorry, Mom!)

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

No complaints from me about this meal at all! A one pot meal, done in less than 30 minutes, that tastes great and makes enough for leftovers? Um, yes and I need to find more of these recipes!

OK, SO HOW DO YOU MAKE IT?

If you've been following along in this series of posts, you know I don't typically post full recipes.

I have a thing about copyrights and making sure that the people who create content get their full credit. I provide links to where you can find the recipes and give general ingredients and prep information.

This recipe did come from a book, but I've changed it enough to make it my own, which makes me comfortable to share it with all of you! 

So, here you go! If you're short on time, this is the perfect meal to throw together! I hope you enjoy!

I have a confession. I jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon later than most. I know it's been a few years since this speed demon cooking gadget came on the scene. I didn't get my IP until Christmas 2018 and even then, I was hesitant to use it. Why? I don't know. Remember, the whole reason I'm doing this 7 Days/7 Recipes challenge is that I easily get into meal prep ruts!

When I did finally start to use it, it was mostly for cooking chicken or chicken and dumplings. See what I mean about rut??

I was flipping through the pages of the Instant Pot Recipes Fall 2020 Edition by Centennial Magazine and saw their recipe for Baby Back Ribs, I handed my money over to the cashier.

By the way, I found the magazine at Walmart, but you can also order it from Amazon. I think you can find anything on Amazon, though, if you look long enough.

I haven't had ribs in so long. Normally, cooking them takes a long time, which is one reason why I haven't done it very often. So, I was excited to try out this recipe!

But first, I had to overcome the biggest challenge of baby back ribs: removing the membrane on the back of the rack (a.k.a silver skin).

THE HARDEST PART OF THIS RECIPE

When you flip over the rack of ribs, you'll notice a membrane. This is called the silverskin. It needs to be removed before cooking, otherwise your ribs won't be tender and flavorful. 

It's not the most difficult thing to do in the world, but since I wasn't familiar, I headed to YouTube and found a helpful how-to video from e-How's Cooking Guide.

It's not as challenging as this guy makes it sound, but it is pretty slippery. Grab those paper towels. You'll thank yourself, trust me.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This recipe is pretty darn easy. You mix up spices to rub on the ribs before you cook them. There are quite a few, but nothing out there or crazy. I had most of them on hand before I went grocery shopping.

​They included dark brown sugar, cumin, chili pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, oregano, dry mustard, thyme, onion powder, and garlic powder. 
​

Just dump all of these spices into a bowl and give them a good stir. Warning, inhaling this mixture can leave you a little teary-eyed and sneezing. Again, just trust me on this.
​

Once the spices are mixed up, rub them all over your slab of ribs. It may be called a dry rub, but your hands are gonna get messy.

Then, pop them in the fridge to sit and absorb all that yumminess. The recipe said for up to an hour. I left them in for about two hours. It's not going to hurt them to sit in those spices for longer.

​Tip: I put some parchment paper under the meat to prevent a sticky mess on my baking sheet, which I'd use later in the prep.