Category: Instant Pot

Humor, Instant Pot, Planet Fitness, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

Alive and Cooking

Cruz2Lose

The last few days have been quite busy and although I failed to get any writing in, life just sometimes happens, I did manage to slip in a few workouts. Since I began strength training, I am learning to live with waking up feeling like I have been hit by a truck full of cement going at top speed.  Some days I find myself waking energized and refreshed, other days I wake up wondering if I should be cast into a zombie role on the Walking Dead. I think I need to increase my water intake, work out a little earlier or layout in the beach somewhere in the Caribbean for a month or five. Since the latter is probably not a realistic option at this moment, I will start with increasing my water.

As far a nutrition goes, I am always looking for creative ways to cook chicken in my Instant Pot.  I tend to reach for chicken as my “go to” meat and after a while I find that I am eating the same things over and over. The other night, while stalking my spice cupboard for something different, I noticed a few packets of Lipton Onion Soup mix. Hmmm…I opened up a packet, dumped it on a plate, and rolled boneless chicken thighs in dry the soup mix. I added a cup of water to my IP, put the chicken thighs on the trivet, and then set the time for 13 minutes.  After my IP finished its natural release, I opened up the lid to find absolutely perfect boneless thighs. Fabulous!

Time to hit the gym!

 

 

Humor, Instant Pot, Planet Fitness, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

Wine and Pizza – No Regrets

Cruz2Lose

Yesterday I went on an IP cooking rampage.  I got up in the morning and made pork chops for daily lunches and then I went on to make my first pot roast along with carrots, onions, parsnips and potatoes.  The roast recipe called for cooking the roast for 45 minutes, and then allowing it to naturally pressure release.  Once that process is finished you can toss in your veggies.  Well, I had cut up quite a bit of vegetables and I was determined to stick all of them in the pot.  I closed the lid and reset the IP to cook an additional 9 minutes. I waited for what seemed like eternity for the IP to come to pressure again and it was taking longer than I could ever imagine was acceptable.  I decided to do a quick release so I could get into the pot and perhaps empty it out a bit; I was certain I ruined dinner.  When I opened the pot everything was cooked to perfection!  I don’t even know or understand how that happened.  I will just go with it and assume that there was some sort of miracle that took place inside my Instant Pot.

I did not go to the gym today, however, I used hand weights at home and hoped for the best.  This evening I watched Wedding Crashers, I drank wine, and ate thin crust pizza in celebration of some excellent news that I received this afternoon; hopefully I can share this next week.  I do not live my life with regrets.  This weekend I will work a little harder and eat much better but no apologies for partaking in wine and food in celebration.  Back on track tomorrow.

Have a wonderful evening!

Humor, Instant Pot, Planet Fitness, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

Squash The Guilt

Cruz2Lose

Since I have cut carbs I am always looking for healthy options so I don’t get stuck in a rut of eating the same things over and over.  Last night I cut a spaghetti squash in half (not lengthwise), cleaned out the seeds, put the two halves in my 6 quart Instant Pot and moved them around a few different ways until they fit, added a cup of water to my pot and set it on manual for 7 minutes. Once the timer went off, I finished up with a quick release.  This was a cooked spaghetti squash  game changer, the squash nearly pealed itself.  I shredded some left over chicken that I had from the day before and topped it off with healthy spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti squash makes for a fantastic substitute for spaghetti noodles.

Yesterday I was consuming low carb noodles.  Today I found myself in a movie theater watching Black Panther and eating buttered popcorn like there was no tomorrow.  It was absolutely fantastic, so was the movie!  When I came home, I felt a little pang of guilt and so I decided to look up the carbs and fat content in a bucket of Regal buttered popcorn. Depending on which site you go to, this information varies and ranges from you made a big mistake to oh my gosh you are going to die.  I ate well over a half of a bucket of buttered popcorn which has so much fat that it is likely my arteries are hardening like rigor mortis as I type.

After performing a Picard facepalm I decided to focus on the positive changes that I have made like….spaghetti squash noodles.

Time to hit the gym!

Humor, Instant Pot, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

Please Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself…

Cruz2Lose

A few weeks ago someone on Facebook told me that my writing style reminded them of Erma Bombeck.  Wow! What an incredible compliment.  It had been years since I had even heard her name and I found myself downloading a few of her books onto my Kindle. While reading through some of her work, I began laughing out loud as I recognized my own voice and way of thinking in her written words.  Erma Bombeck was a humorist, a storyteller.  Up until that very moment, it had never once dawned on me what my writing style was, I had never categorized it, nor had I labeled it.  I have no formal training in writing, I simply have a passion for writing and the ability to tell a story in such a way that it makes others smile.  I now recognize that I am also a humorist, a storyteller and I appreciate that being brought to my attention.

I sat for several hours today thinking of my blog and my return to a healthier lifestyle. I hope that I am able to motivate others who are struggling or simply wish to better themselves in some way. I hold the belief that in order to understand how you arrived at a moment in your life, you have to know where you have been, without allowing your past to define you. With that being said, on a tab, at the top of my blog I have attached a story titled “My Ugly Truth – The Making Of A Fat Girl And The Birth Of a Humorist.”  Those who know me have read this story before, however, if you haven’t read it, this is my own personal story about how I arrived at being overweight, written in 2011. When I edited my blog today and attached my story, I found myself reading it and recognizing that the storyline has continued on, almost unchanged, through these past 7 years since it was written. This was a soul-shaking moment. Seven years have passed and very little is different about my life.

That was yesterday, this is today:

MINDSET

I do not want this blog to be solely about weight loss or my lifestyle change, although, that is certainly the stage of my life that I am at right now.  I want it to circle, morph, evolve, much like life; whatever strikes my fancy as a humorist, as a storyteller.

You may or may not have noticed a change in my icon from an Instant Pot to a painted picture of a woman.  The picture is more of a representation of my character, whimsical,  and one that I personally painted. I have also changed my tag line. There will still be cooking in my Instant Pot, Planet Fitness adventures and my continued lifestyle change.  Moving forward, I will weave in elements of my daily life that you will hopefully find amusing and keep you entertained and motivated.

Welcome once again to my blog.

cropped-img_1949
Cruz2Lose