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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![]() Ready to get in shape, but worried you don’t have the money to invest in an exercise program? After all, gym memberships are not only pricey, but with COVID still keeping many fitness centers closed or with limited accessibility, you might want to steer away from that option. Lots of people have hopped on the Peloton bandwagon (or bike, in this case) or looked into other home fitness equipment. Again, not everyone has hundreds or thousands to drop at one time. The good news is you don’t have to spend that kind of money to get fit, even if you want a structured program to build healthier habits. Walking: Only Shoes Required Forget all the bells and whistles of machines or classes. One of the best and least expensive forms of exercise is taking good, old-fashioned walk. The only out-of-pocket spending you have to do is finding a decent pair of sneakers. Sure, you can spend hundreds of dollars on big-name brand athletic shoes. But, honestly, just go to your favorite local shoe store, try on some sneakers and get a pair that give your feet plenty of support and cushion. You’ll be putting on a lot of miles on your feet, so you don’t want to buy a flimsy shoe. Many shoe stores carry quality brands like Asics, Saucony, Nike and New Balance for under $100. Be patient, find the right fit and don’t blow a ton of cash on shoes you’ll have to replace in about six to eight months. Yes, you need to replace your shoes as they wear down from all those walks you take! Weight and Resistance Training: Building Strength While Keeping Your Savings Contrary to what you may see on late-night infomercials, you do not need a full at-home gym system to build up strength and muscle. All you need is a few free weights and maybe some resistance bands to get your sweat on and get toned. A multi-weight dumbbell set can be found for less than $40 in most stores or online. Resistance bands are even less expensive. For an initial investment of $50-$75 total, you can create your own home gym. Fitness Apps Bring Put Classes In The Palm Of Your Hand Looking to take some fitness classes, but don’t want the commitment and cost of a gym? There are numerous fitness apps out there that bring everything from cardio workouts to yoga right to your living room! FitOn is a totally free app (no in-app purchases required) that offers a wide range of cardio and strength classes from top-rated trainers from across the country. Want a dance class? It’s there! Looking for some intense interval training? No worries, FitOn has you covered. Classes are offered either on-demand or in scheduled blocks throughout the day and available for all ages and abilities! Aaptiv is another easy-to-use fitness app for smartphones or computers. When you sign up for Aaptiv, you get a one-week free trial membership. This allows you to try a range of classes before you commit to a monthly membership. Again, classes range from running, ellipitical and biking workouts, yoga, strength training, meditation and more. The monthly cost for an Aaptiv membership is $14.99 or you can do a one-time, yearly payment of $99. So, if you’ve been using your budget as an excuse for not getting out there and getting in shape, then you might want to check these options out! For the price of a couple of cups of premium coffee or smoothies a month, you can invest in your health instead. You are worth it! RECIPE SOURCE: CENTENNIAL MAGAZINE INSTANT POT RECIPES - FALL 2020 EDITION Note: I do not receive any compensation from links provided in these reviews. They are simply here as a way to cite original sources and provide the reader with necessary resources to make the dish. 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! RECIPE SOURCE: CENTENNIAL MAGAZINE INSTANT POT RECIPES - FALL 2020 EDITION Note: I do not receive any compensation from links provided in these reviews. They are simply here as a way to cite original sources and provide the reader with necessary resources to make the dish. 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! RECIPE SOURCE: CENTENNIAL MAGAZINE INSTANT POT RECIPES - FALL 2020 EDITION Note: I do not receive any compensation from links provided in these reviews. They are simply here as a way to cite original sources and provide the reader with necessary resources to make the dish. 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. A couple of hours later, these beautiful baby backs were ready to go into the Instant Pot. You'll want to use the rack in the bottom to keep the ribs from sitting in the liquid on the bottom: 1/2 cup vinegar + 2 cups of chicken stock. Note: You can also add some liquid smoke here. The recipe doesn't call for it and I forgot to add it. I didn't miss it. Wrap your ribs along the interior of the IP on top of the rack like this: Then, set your IP for 30 minutes and let them cook! That leads me to the part of the recipe I DID NOT LIKE. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THIS RECIPE At the end of the recipe, it says to allow for a Quick Release for 10 minutes. I think that was a misprint, because a Quick Release of pressure only takes a couple of minutes. So, back to the Google I went to check out other rib recipes. The verdict? I opted to allow the IP to do a natural release for 10 minutes and then did a Quick Release. The ribs were already pulling away from the bone at this point. I put them on my baking sheet—now covered with aluminum foil—and brushed some store-bought BBQ sauce on them. For the finishing touch, they went into the oven to broil on High for 3 to 5 minutes. They totally transformed in those short minutes!! Before the basting and broiling, the ribs looked like well-spiced, but boiled meat. But afterwards....WHOA BABY! WILL I ADD THIS RECIPE TO OUR MENU ROTATION?
These ribs melted in our mouths and had a perfect blend of sweet and savory flavor with a tiny kick of spice. The only reasons I wouldn't make these every damn week are
If you've felt like ribs were too intimidating to make, I highly recommend doing them in the Instant Pot. So easy and the results looked and tasted like restaurant quality--at least according to us! What's next on the 7 Days/7 Recipes Menu? Penne with Meat Sauce in the Instant Pot! |