Heather Balog's Blog, page 2

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

We are getting to the very end of our state food tour ; only 2 more states to go after this one. I am confidant that Illinois—the home of Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza—was by far the easiest state meal to make. And I made it perfectly. I only wish the children would have eaten it. Not that they don’t like pizza—as typical teens, pizza may be one of their major food groups. No, one is battling some upper respiratory infection and has no appetite and the other was at a school event the night I made the deep dish pizza. Ironically, they served pizza there. I sent her pictures of our delicious meal; she sent me pictures of their wimpy school pizza with the middle finger emoji.

I Can’t Even Describe How Ridiculously Easy the Deep Dish Pizza Was to Make

I almost felt like I was cheating. Well, in a way, I guess I did. I did NOT make the dough from scratch. I had leftover dough from our Super Bowl Appetizers so why reinvent the wheel? Why make things more difficult for myself when I can barely boil water sometimes without incident? Also, I did not make my own sauce or mozzarella. Yes, people make their own. I don’t know why—I barely have enough time to get to the store to buy mozzarella and sauce, let alone make it.

Actually, once upon a time, I did make my own sauce using my great-grandmother’s recipe and it was quite delicious. But the kids don’t appreciate it and they refuse sauce on their pasta most of the time. So why bother to make my own sauce when buying it is so much easier?  (I’m sure my great-grandmother is rolling around in her grave at this blasphemy, but then again, she didn’t have a full time job, a writing career, and a blog in addition to her children.)

Step By Step Instruction

I honestly could give you instructions in picture form, this deep dish pizza is that easy:

Click to view slideshow.

But for those of you who are not visual learners, I’ll describe the process:

Get a cast iron skillet—or a regular skillet that’s heat safe will do. We love our Lodge skillet. Get it HERE:

*This is an affiliate link which means if you should click on this link and make a purchase, I will receive a commission at no cost to you.

Add about 1 TBSP of olive oil. According to The Minimalist Baker, you need to run a clove of garlic around the edges for flavor.
Preheat oven to 450.
Place dough in skillet and spread out about an inch thick, pushing the dough up the sides.
Add sauce.
Then add cheese.
Finally add whatever toppings you like.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Check around the 25 minute mark to make sure it’s not burning.
Cut and enjoy!

[image error]

I KNOW I Deviated From Traditional Chicago-Style

Most Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza assembles the pizza “upside down” with the sauce on top and cheese as the first layer. This is to prevent burning of the cheese. But I don’t like my pizza that way and this is my blog so I can do what I want

Resisting Temptation (Week 2 of Getting Uncomfortable)

As I said last week when I weighed in and lost a whooping 4.5 lbs, I’m not going to get too excited just yet. Because I know how this goes. The first week of any “life change” sees big results. The second week, when your body has started to catch on to what you’re doing…not so much. So knowing this week was going to be an uphill battle, I spent much of it resisting temptation to give in to cravings and lack of desire to work out. I knew my results on the scale were going to be pitiful as it was, I didn’t want to chance gaining weight, even though last week’s results were better than I expected.

And Man…Resisting Temptation Was HARD

A lot of things came up this week that made sticking to my diet and exercise HARD. During the first week, it hadn’t been as difficult to resist temptation because it wasn’t so in my face as it was this week.

This week my daughter and I went to the city to see a play AND stayed overnight. That was two days of trying to stick to my eating plan while dining in restaurants, and two days of trying to squeeze in workouts when I had very little time (although the thirty city blocks or so that we walked and the ice skating in Rockefeller Center helped). Still, I stuck to my guns even when I saw there was nothing in the restaurant that we ate dinner in that could even remotely be classified as healthy. I ate a Ruben (I LOVE Rubens!), but I only had half. And I had NO fries and nothing to drink for 2 days but water and coffee. Which was difficult—here we were in Times Square, gorgeous view from our room—37 floors from the ground—and I couldn’t have an indulgent meal and cocktail?

And then yesterday was the Super Bowl. The Holy Grail of eating holidays in our house. For heaven’s sake, I’ve even blogged about My 5 Favorite Super Bowl Appetizers. How could I possibly enjoy the game without my favorite foods and the silly drinking games invented by the crazies on the internet???? To get through week 2 was going to be brutal—I knew this going into it. I needed some kind of strategy.

But I Thought About Later Rather Than Now

I didn’t think about that moment when the sandwich was delivered to me. Instead, I visualized the end results. I thought about what my objective was and how sometimes I have to be uncomfortable to get to my goal. A moment or two of being uncomfortable is worth it sometime if a goal is important. In the past, my goal of getting healthier hasn’t been as important as it is to me now. That’s why I’ve failed in the past. When I thought of it in those terms, then it was easier to push away the second half of that sandwich and resist buying a cocktail at the theater (the fact they were $21 apiece didn’t hurt either).

As far as the Super Bowl went, I went about my day knowing I was going to make some “not so great” food choices at dinner time. All day, I ate like I normal do, worked out like I normally do. Then I only had SOME of those “not so great” choices later on. Resisting temptation wasn’t as painful as it could have been because I only made a few foods, not a ginormous spread like usual.

My Stomach Probably Shrunk a Bit Which Helped Big Time

In fact, I was only able to stomach a handful of guac and chips before my stomach told me to stop, And as far as the drinking games went, I refrained, relying on the game instead to entertain me. I think I picked the wrong Super Bowl to not play a drinking game during. I’m pretty sure it was the most boring one I’ve ever watched. And the commercials weren’t even that great. What happened to funny commercials? Did the funny people run out of money??? If it wasn’t for Adam Levine ripping his shirt off at halftime, I think I would have fallen asleep.

I Had a Breakthrough Too

Through this difficult week, I realized that much of my eating and enjoyment of cocktails is based on routine and…comfort. It’s all mental—an emotional attachment to the food and drink that leads me to believe I can’t enjoy myself the same way I would if I let myself eat or drink whatever I wanted. I read some articles on emotional eating and they kind of opened my eyes.

I never thought of myself as an emotional eater because I didn’t “Eat my feelings”. In the past, I never used food as a comfort when I was stressed or sad, rather, I use food as a backdrop to happiness. Food is, and always has been, the centerpiece of my experiences. Like, Hubby will ask “honey what do you want to do tonight?”. And I’ll respond, “Oh, let’s try that new restaurant!” or “I’ve been dying for a quesadilla.”

So I stepped out of my comfort zone this week and tried to enjoy doing things without those foods and drinks around me. I shifted my focus away from “how can food make this better” and onto the moment, enjoying what was going on, rather than what I was eating. Watching the play, going ice skating—not wondering about how I was going to round out the experience with food. Resisting temptation became a little easier once I reframed my mindset.

Still, the Results Were Disappointing

But I’m not going to tell you this was all wonderful and yada yada yada. I was delusional if I thought all my efforts in resisting temptation would be rewarded and I would somehow dodge the dreaded Week 2 curse. Alas, it was not to be:

[image error]

I am down 0.8 lbs from last Monday. Which I guess isn’t too bad, considering all the temptation I dodged this week. AND the fact that it’s Week 2. Still, I was slightly disappointed. Oh well, it only serves as motivation for Week 3. Until next Monday!

The post Resisting Temptation (Week 2 of Getting Uncomfortable) appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

Resisting Temptation—Week 2

As I said last week when I weighed in and lost a whooping 4.5 lbs, I’m not going to get too excited just yet. Because I know how this goes. The first week of any “life change” sees big results. The second week, when your body has started to catch on to what you’re doing…not so much. So knowing this week was going to be an uphill battle, I spent much of it resisting temptation to give in to cravings and lack of desire to work out. I knew my results on the scale were going to be pitiful as it was, I didn’t want to chance gaining weight, even though last week’s results were better than I expected.

And Man…Resisting Temptation Was HARD

A lot of things came up this week that made sticking to my diet and exercise HARD. During the first week, it hadn’t been as difficult to resist temptation because it wasn’t so in my face as it was this week.

This week my daughter and I went to the city to see a play AND stayed overnight. That was two days of trying to stick to my eating plan while dining in restaurants, and two days of trying to squeeze in workouts when I had very little time (although the thirty city blocks or so that we walked and the ice skating in Rockefeller Center helped). Still, I stuck to my guns even when I saw there was nothing in the restaurant that we ate dinner in that could even remotely be classified as healthy. I ate a Ruben (I LOVE Rubens!), but I only had half. And I had NO fries and nothing to drink for 2 days but water and coffee. Which was difficult—here we were in Times Square, gorgeous view from our room—37 floors from the ground—and I couldn’t have an indulgent meal and cocktail?

And then yesterday was the Super Bowl. The Holy Grail of eating holidays in our house. For heaven’s sake, I’ve even blogged about My 5 Favorite Super Bowl Appetizers. How could I possibly enjoy the game without my favorite foods and the silly drinking games invented by the crazies on the internet???? To get through week 2 was going to be brutal—I knew this going into it. I needed some kind of strategy.

But I Thought About Later Rather Than Now

I didn’t think about that moment when the sandwich was delivered to me. Instead, I visualized the end results. I thought about what my objective was and how sometimes I have to be uncomfortable to get to my goal. A moment or two of being uncomfortable is worth it sometime if a goal is important. In the past, my goal of getting healthier hasn’t been as important as it is to me now. That’s why I’ve failed in the past. When I thought of it in those terms, then it was easier to push away the second half of that sandwich and resist buying a cocktail at the theater (the fact they were $21 apiece didn’t hurt either).

As far as the Super Bowl went, I went about my day knowing I was going to make some “not so great” food choices at dinner time. All day, I ate like I normal do, worked out like I normally do. Then I only had SOME of those “not so great” choices later on. Resisting temptation wasn’t as painful as it could have been because I only made a few foods, not a ginormous spread like usual.

My Stomach Probably Shrunk a Bit Which Helped Big Time

In fact, I was only able to stomach a handful of guac and chips before my stomach told me to stop, And as far as the drinking games went, I refrained, relying on the game instead to entertain me. I think I picked the wrong Super Bowl to not play a drinking game during. I’m pretty sure it was the most boring one I’ve ever watched. And the commercials weren’t even that great. What happened to funny commercials? Did the funny people run out of money??? If it wasn’t for Adam Levine ripping his shirt off at halftime, I think I would have fallen asleep.

I Had a Breakthrough Too

Through this difficult week, I realized that much of my eating and enjoyment of cocktails is based on routine and…comfort. It’s all mental—an emotional attachment to the food and drink that leads me to believe I can’t enjoy myself the same way I would if I let myself eat or drink whatever I wanted. I read some articles on emotional eating and they kind of opened my eyes.

I never thought of myself as an emotional eater because I didn’t “Eat my feelings”. In the past, I never used food as a comfort when I was stressed or sad, rather, I use food as a backdrop to happiness. Food is, and always has been, the centerpiece of my experiences. Like, Hubby will ask “honey what do you want to do tonight?”. And I’ll respond, “Oh, let’s try that new restaurant!” or “I’ve been dying for a quesadilla.”

So I stepped out of my comfort zone this week and tried to enjoy doing things without those foods and drinks around me. I shifted my focus away from “how can food make this better” and onto the moment, enjoying what was going on, rather than what I was eating. Watching the play, going ice skating—not wondering about how I was going to round out the experience with food. Resisting temptation became a little easier once I reframed my mindset.

Still, the Results Were Disappointing

But I’m not going to tell you this was all wonderful and yada yada yada. I was delusional if I thought all my efforts in resisting temptation would be rewarded and I would somehow dodge the dreaded Week 2 curse. Alas, it was not to be:

[image error]

I am down 0.8 lbs from last Monday. Which I guess isn’t too bad, considering all the temptation I dodged this week. AND the fact that it’s Week 2. Still, I was slightly disappointed. Oh well, it only serves as motivation for Week 3. Until next Monday!

The post Resisting Temptation—Week 2 appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

Oklahoma Indian Tacos

You know what the official slogan of Oklahoma is? “Oklahoma is OK.” Which reminds me of those commercials—“Just OK is not OK.” Which reminds me of my Oklahoma meal. I made Oklahoma Indian tacos. My Oklahoma Indian Tacos…were not OK.

Alright, maybe I’m exaggerating slightly. The meal was certainly edible and actually pretty tasty. But the process of making the Indian Tacos? Not so easy. I had been lulled into a false sense of security when I found this recipe on Pinterest—the author swearing that it was a cakewalk and even a monkey could do it.

Apparently, She’s Never Met Me

I can take the simplest meal, like Indian Tacos—I’m pretty sure they made these over firepits on the Oklahoma plains—and turn it into an unmitigated disaster. I mean, I burnt the crap out of salmon. (See The Salmon Calamity)

In all honesty, the actual taco meat making part was a cakewalk. It involved browning meat, garlic, and onions, and then mixing in taco seasoning, water, and Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies. I used a package of taco seasoning—if you want to make your own, check out this recipe for homemade taco seasoning. I even handled the onion chopping like a champ and only cried when I was actually sauteing them. My Pampered Chef chopper makes this so much easier. I barely have to touch the dreaded onions.

[image error]

The Fry Bread Put Me Over the Edge

When it came to making the fry bread for the tacos (this is what sets apart Indian tacos from the run of the mill tacos we normally eat at home), I lost my $hit. Making the dough for the fry bread was simple. Almost too simple. All you need to do is mix self-rising flour and buttermilk. You lay the dough (which is sticky) onto a well floured surface and make a flat round disk with a circumference of about 6 inches. (No need to break out the calculator and the ruler—just eyeball it.)

 

I heated up the oil in the cast iron skillet and that’s when things fell apart. First off, I didn’t have vegetable oil. We tend not to cook with that. So I figured olive oil would work just as well. Apparently I didn’t know about their smoke points being drastically different. (I was given a lecture on smoke points when I frantically called for Hubby to save me—more on that in a minute.)  The bread promptly began to burn. Scratch that, the bread was incinerated. The smoke detector started wailing…just as Child #1 walked through the front door and said, “I guess Mommy’s cooking tonight. I’ll being going out then.”

I Seriously Tried Before Giving Up

Since I now needed one less piece of fry bread, I gave myself a little pep talk and took out a nice clean skillet to try again. This one started browning nicely:

[image error]

It came out perfect, so buoyed by my success, I wiped out the pan and started making the second one. The pan was apparently too hot and had reached the smoke point of the olive oil…or something to that effect. Disgruntled, this is where I started muttering to myself. I had to make more dough since now I was down two fry breads.

I started over again and it seemed like the bread was doing well. It browned nicely on one side. Then I flipped it over and all hell broke loose. Within seconds the kitchen was a smoky mess and the smoke detector was screaming about my cooking incompetence again.

So this is when the tears sprang forth and I called for Hubby to save me. This is also when the lecture on smoke points occurred. And I rolled my eyes through my tears. Hubby proceeded to use peanut oil (apparently peanut oil has a MUCH higher smoke point than olive oil…eye roll, eye roll). He managed to cook one piece of fry bread without incident. Meanwhile, I finally realized that the air fryer might be just the place to make this fry bread without burning it. So while he made his piece of fry bread for the Indian tacos in the skillet, I made mine in the air fryer. Which was great because I didn’t use any oil AND it didn’t burn. After an hour of stress and tears, the fry bread was complete and I could move on to making the tacos.

Assembling the Indian Tacos

Putting together the Indian tacos only varies from regular tacos in that you pile the taco components on TOP of the bread, rather than in a taco shell or tortilla wrap. For Indian tacos, you can use anything you would normally put in a taco like olives, sour cream, lettuce, shredded cheese, or salsa:

[image error]

 

They were pretty delicious and a nice change of pace from the normal tacos we have. Now that I know the easiest way to make the fry bread is in the air fryer, I will definitely try these again. If you’re looking for a way to shake up your Taco Tuesday, try these Indian tacos this week.

Print Yum

Oklahoma Indian Tacos

Ingredients

1.5 lb of ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 package of taco seasoning
1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes and chilies
1/4 c. water
2 1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 1/4 c. buttermilk

Toppings for tacos:
shredded lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
olives
diced tomatoes
salsa0.1https://thebadmommydiaries.com/oklahoma-indian-tacos/[image error]

The post Oklahoma Indian Tacos appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

The Weigh-in (Week 1 of Getting Uncomfortable)

Last week I started my journey to losing 23 pounds in 23 weeks by Getting Uncomfortable. Well, I weighed in today and I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the results. After week 1 of getting uncomfortable, I am pleased to report that I lost 4.2 pounds.

 

I’m Not Going to Get TOO Excited

I do realize that weight loss can be largely attributed to water weight, so I’m not going to get all cocky and full of myself. I’m not going think I’m the total bomb and that I can get this done in half the time or anything. After all, I watched The Biggest Loser, too. Week 1 is a great week—all those changes shock your body into losing weight. Week 2…well that’s the notorious week, the week NO ONE loses weight.

How Am I Getting Uncomfortable?

Still, 4.2 pounds is a victory. A very nice victory. How did I do it? By getting uncomfortable, just like I promised I would. I spent the week killing it in the gym, cutting down my food consumption, and resisting temptation.

To be honest, I wasn’t really hungry. Oh sure, the first two days I thought I was going to starve to death. Even though I’m not planning on strict calorie counting for the entire duration of this project, I wanted to count calories for the first few weeks so that I could get an idea of what I was actually eating and what a moderate portion size really looked like.

Wow, Was I Shocked

Turns out, I was consuming between 2,600 and 3,000 calories a day. 2,000 is the recommended daily allowance, however…that can range higher or lower based on your activity level. Since I’m pretty active anyway, I can probably use about 2,400 calories a day. At least that’s what my FitBit says I’m burning. Obviously I realize that’s not gospel truth, but it at least gives me a better idea of my caloric needs.

So basically, I was eating about 200-600 more calories a day than I need. Over the course of a month that’s somewhere between a 1.5 pound and 5 pound weight gain!!! No wonder why I was gaining weight so fast. By cutting out 500 calories a day, I can lose 1 pound a week (roughly). Which wasn’t really that difficult once I got past the initial shock of not finishing everything on my plate. (Honestly, I was being a bit of a baby—I truly was eating WAY too much).

How Did I Fill Up and Not Feel Hungry?

I added more veggies to my diet—fiber fills you up as well. I lowered my carb intake. Carbs are my kryptonite—I could eat them all day. And eating lots of carbs makes you want to eat MORE carbs as well. I made a point to eat slower and drink water with my food. I started spreading my calories out—3 snacks a day so I was eating every 3 hours or so. That stabilizes your blood sugar so it’s not spiking all day, making you less likely to grab that sugary snack.

Planning also helped me tremendously in week 1 of getting uncomfortable. I made sure I had a snack with me and I ate before I could get too hungry. Hubby mocked me for bringing a banana to my nephew’s birthday party, but guess what? I didn’t reach for those giant cookies that were staring at me. In fact, I was shocked to find that they didn’t even tempt me. I did end up having a drink (or two) on Saturday night, but other than that, I didn’t even touch any processed foods or snack foods. No chocolate, cookies, or ice cream passed these lips. And I truly and honestly did not even want them.

Getting Uncomfortable in the Gym

So week 1 of getting uncomfortable in the gym felt painful and fabulous all at once. I had forgotten how a workout that makes you sweat and feel like you might puke creates that amazing runner’s high that I’ve been missing. The first day that I cranked up the treadmill to 6 mph, I wanted to cry for the first 15 minutes of the workout. Okay, I lie—it was more like the first 28 minutes of the workout. But those last 2 minutes? Holy crap I felt amazing. And once I stopped (and the desire to puke subsided) it was even better.

Picking up the weights again was a bit daunting, though. I hate, hate, HATE weight training. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because I don’t sweat as much and it takes much longer to see results. Plus, I always feel like I’m doing it wrong or something and I don’t want to hurt myself. Running I can do confidently—I’ve been doing it forever. Weights, though—yikes—they terrify me.

For the past few years or so, I’ve been arbitrarily throwing in a weight workout here and there. Alright, I lie—I’ve been using the 5 lb weights when I walk on the treadmill. I used to lift 15 lb weights at one point in time. I was totally phoning it in for the last few years, doing the simplest workout I could get away with. This week, I made myself incorporate weights into my workout THREE times. And I used the 8 lbs weight. Not 15 lbs yet, but an improvement from what I’ve done. And boy am I sore. I haven’t felt sore after a workout in ages (other than my foot pain, but you know what I mean).

What’s In Store For Week 2?

More getting uncomfortable. Dialing it up even more in my workouts. Continuing to resist temptation and plan my meals so I am not hungry. Drink more water—I hit my water goal every day this week, but I am hoping to drink just a little bit more to prevent feelings of dehydration and to continue to help me feel full. And I’m going to cut out all the alcohol this week in attempts to stave off that big fat ZERO pound loss that might be staring up at me from the scale this week in the big, bad Week 2.

Are you trying to get healthier and drop a few pounds? Comment and let me know what YOU’RE doing to be successful!

The post The Weigh-in (Week 1 of Getting Uncomfortable) appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

The Weigh-in—Week 1

Last week I started my journey to losing 23 pounds in 23 weeks by Getting Uncomfortable. Well, I weighed in today and I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the results. After week 1 of getting uncomfortable, I am pleased to report that I lost 4.2 pounds.

 

I’m Not Going to Get TOO Excited

I do realize that weight loss can be largely attributed to water weight, so I’m not going to get all cocky and full of myself. I’m not going think I’m the total bomb and that I can get this done in half the time or anything. After all, I watched The Biggest Loser, too. Week 1 is a great week—all those changes shock your body into losing weight. Week 2…well that’s the notorious week, the week NO ONE loses weight.

How Am I Getting Uncomfortable?

Still, 4.2 pounds is a victory. A very nice victory. How did I do it? By getting uncomfortable, just like I promised I would. I spent the week killing it in the gym, cutting down my food consumption, and resisting temptation.

To be honest, I wasn’t really hungry. Oh sure, the first two days I thought I was going to starve to death. Even though I’m not planning on strict calorie counting for the entire duration of this project, I wanted to count calories for the first few weeks so that I could get an idea of what I was actually eating and what a moderate portion size really looked like.

Wow, Was I Shocked

Turns out, I was consuming between 2,600 and 3,000 calories a day. 2,000 is the recommended daily allowance, however…that can range higher or lower based on your activity level. Since I’m pretty active anyway, I can probably use about 2,400 calories a day. At least that’s what my FitBit says I’m burning. Obviously I realize that’s not gospel truth, but it at least gives me a better idea of my caloric needs.

So basically, I was eating about 200-600 more calories a day than I need. Over the course of a month that’s somewhere between a 1.5 pound and 5 pound weight gain!!! No wonder why I was gaining weight so fast. By cutting out 500 calories a day, I can lose 1 pound a week (roughly). Which wasn’t really that difficult once I got past the initial shock of not finishing everything on my plate. (Honestly, I was being a bit of a baby—I truly was eating WAY too much).

How Did I Fill Up and Not Feel Hungry?

I added more veggies to my diet—fiber fills you up as well. I lowered my carb intake. Carbs are my kryptonite—I could eat them all day. And eating lots of carbs makes you want to eat MORE carbs as well. I made a point to eat slower and drink water with my food. I started spreading my calories out—3 snacks a day so I was eating every 3 hours or so. That stabilizes your blood sugar so it’s not spiking all day, making you less likely to grab that sugary snack.

Planning also helped me tremendously in week 1 of getting uncomfortable. I made sure I had a snack with me and I ate before I could get too hungry. Hubby mocked me for bringing a banana to my nephew’s birthday party, but guess what? I didn’t reach for those giant cookies that were staring at me. In fact, I was shocked to find that they didn’t even tempt me. I did end up having a drink (or two) on Saturday night, but other than that, I didn’t even touch any processed foods or snack foods. No chocolate, cookies, or ice cream passed these lips. And I truly and honestly did not even want them.

Getting Uncomfortable in the Gym

So week 1 of getting uncomfortable in the gym felt painful and fabulous all at once. I had forgotten how a workout that makes you sweat and feel like you might puke creates that amazing runner’s high that I’ve been missing. The first day that I cranked up the treadmill to 6 mph, I wanted to cry for the first 15 minutes of the workout. Okay, I lie—it was more like the first 28 minutes of the workout. But those last 2 minutes? Holy crap I felt amazing. And once I stopped (and the desire to puke subsided) it was even better.

Picking up the weights again was a bit daunting, though. I hate, hate, HATE weight training. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because I don’t sweat as much and it takes much longer to see results. Plus, I always feel like I’m doing it wrong or something and I don’t want to hurt myself. Running I can do confidently—I’ve been doing it forever. Weights, though—yikes—they terrify me.

For the past few years or so, I’ve been arbitrarily throwing in a weight workout here and there. Alright, I lie—I’ve been using the 5 lb weights when I walk on the treadmill. I used to lift 15 lb weights at one point in time. I was totally phoning it in for the last few years, doing the simplest workout I could get away with. This week, I made myself incorporate weights into my workout THREE times. And I used the 8 lbs weight. Not 15 lbs yet, but an improvement from what I’ve done. And boy am I sore. I haven’t felt sore after a workout in ages (other than my foot pain, but you know what I mean).

What’s In Store For Week 2?

More getting uncomfortable. Dialing it up even more in my workouts. Continuing to resist temptation and plan my meals so I am not hungry. Drink more water—I hit my water goal every day this week, but I am hoping to drink just a little bit more to prevent feelings of dehydration and to continue to help me feel full. And I’m going to cut out all the alcohol this week in attempts to stave off that big fat ZERO pound loss that might be staring up at me from the scale this week in the big, bad Week 2.

Are you trying to get healthier and drop a few pounds? Comment and let me know what YOU’RE doing to be successful!

The post The Weigh-in—Week 1 appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

Week 1 of Getting Uncomfortable (The Weigh-in)

Last week I started my journey to losing 23 pounds in 23 weeks by Getting Uncomfortable. Well, I weighed in today and I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the results. After week 1 of getting uncomfortable, I am pleased to report that I lost 4.2 pounds.

 

I’m Not Going to Get TOO Excited

I do realize that weight loss can be largely attributed to water weight, so I’m not going to get all cocky and full of myself. I’m not going think I’m the total bomb and that I can get this done in half the time or anything. After all, I watched The Biggest Loser, too. Week 1 is a great week—all those changes shock your body into losing weight. Week 2…well that’s the notorious week, the week NO ONE loses weight.

How Am I Getting Uncomfortable?

Still, 4.2 pounds is a victory. A very nice victory. How did I do it? By getting uncomfortable, just like I promised I would. I spent the week killing it in the gym, cutting down my food consumption, and resisting temptation.

To be honest, I wasn’t really hungry. Oh sure, the first two days I thought I was going to starve to death. Even though I’m not planning on strict calorie counting for the entire duration of this project, I wanted to count calories for the first few weeks so that I could get an idea of what I was actually eating and what a moderate portion size really looked like.

Wow, Was I Shocked

Turns out, I was consuming between 2,600 and 3,000 calories a day. 2,000 is the recommended daily allowance, however…that can range higher or lower based on your activity level. Since I’m pretty active anyway, I can probably use about 2,400 calories a day. At least that’s what my FitBit says I’m burning. Obviously I realize that’s not gospel truth, but it at least gives me a better idea of my caloric needs.

So basically, I was eating about 200-600 more calories a day than I need. Over the course of a month that’s somewhere between a 1.5 pound and 5 pound weight gain!!! No wonder why I was gaining weight so fast. By cutting out 500 calories a day, I can lose 1 pound a week (roughly). Which wasn’t really that difficult once I got past the initial shock of not finishing everything on my plate. (Honestly, I was being a bit of a baby—I truly was eating WAY too much).

How Did I Fill Up and Not Feel Hungry?

I added more veggies to my diet—fiber fills you up as well. I lowered my carb intake. Carbs are my kryptonite—I could eat them all day. And eating lots of carbs makes you want to eat MORE carbs as well. I made a point to eat slower and drink water with my food. I started spreading my calories out—3 snacks a day so I was eating every 3 hours or so. That stabilizes your blood sugar so it’s not spiking all day, making you less likely to grab that sugary snack.

Planning also helped me tremendously in week 1 of getting uncomfortable. I made sure I had a snack with me and I ate before I could get too hungry. Hubby mocked me for bringing a banana to my nephew’s birthday party, but guess what? I didn’t reach for those giant cookies that were staring at me. In fact, I was shocked to find that they didn’t even tempt me. I did end up having a drink (or two) on Saturday night, but other than that, I didn’t even touch any processed foods or snack foods. No chocolate, cookies, or ice cream passed these lips. And I truly and honestly did not even want them.

Getting Uncomfortable in the Gym

So week 1 of getting uncomfortable in the gym felt painful and fabulous all at once. I had forgotten how a workout that makes you sweat and feel like you might puke creates that amazing runner’s high that I’ve been missing. The first day that I cranked up the treadmill to 6 mph, I wanted to cry for the first 15 minutes of the workout. Okay, I lie—it was more like the first 28 minutes of the workout. But those last 2 minutes? Holy crap I felt amazing. And once I stopped (and the desire to puke subsided) it was even better.

Picking up the weights again was a bit daunting, though. I hate, hate, HATE weight training. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because I don’t sweat as much and it takes much longer to see results. Plus, I always feel like I’m doing it wrong or something and I don’t want to hurt myself. Running I can do confidently—I’ve been doing it forever. Weights, though—yikes—they terrify me.

For the past few years or so, I’ve been arbitrarily throwing in a weight workout here and there. Alright, I lie—I’ve been using the 5 lb weights when I walk on the treadmill. I used to lift 15 lb weights at one point in time. I was totally phoning it in for the last few years, doing the simplest workout I could get away with. This week, I made myself incorporate weights into my workout THREE times. And I used the 8 lbs weight. Not 15 lbs yet, but an improvement from what I’ve done. And boy am I sore. I haven’t felt sore after a workout in ages (other than my foot pain, but you know what I mean).

What’s In Store For Week 2?

More getting uncomfortable. Dialing it up even more in my workouts. Continuing to resist temptation and plan my meals so I am not hungry. Drink more water—I hit my water goal every day this week, but I am hoping to drink just a little bit more to prevent feelings of dehydration and to continue to help me feel full. And I’m going to cut out all the alcohol this week in attempts to stave off that big fat ZERO pound loss that might be staring up at me from the scale this week in the big, bad Week 2.

Are you trying to get healthier and drop a few pounds? Comment and let me know what YOU’RE doing to be successful!

The post Week 1 of Getting Uncomfortable (The Weigh-in) appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

Week 1 of Getting Uncomfortable (Losing 23 lbs in 23 Weeks)

Last week I started my journey to losing 23 pounds in 23 weeks by Getting Uncomfortable. Well, I weighed in today and I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the results. After week 1 of getting uncomfortable, I am pleased to report that I lost 4.2 pounds.

 

I’m Not Going to Get TOO Excited

I do realize that weight loss can be largely attributed to water weight, so I’m not going to get all cocky and full of myself. I’m not going think I’m the total bomb and that I can get this done in half the time or anything. After all, I watched The Biggest Loser, too. Week 1 is a great week—all those changes shock your body into losing weight. Week 2…well that’s the notorious week, the week NO ONE loses weight.

How Am I Getting Uncomfortable?

Still, 4.2 pounds is a victory. A very nice victory. How did I do it? By getting uncomfortable, just like I promised I would. I spent the week killing it in the gym, cutting down my food consumption, and resisting temptation.

To be honest, I wasn’t really hungry. Oh sure, the first two days I thought I was going to starve to death. Even though I’m not planning on strict calorie counting for the entire duration of this project, I wanted to count calories for the first few weeks so that I could get an idea of what I was actually eating and what a moderate portion size really looked like.

Wow, Was I Shocked

Turns out, I was consuming between 2,600 and 3,000 calories a day. 2,000 is the recommended daily allowance, however…that can range higher or lower based on your activity level. Since I’m pretty active anyway, I can probably use about 2,400 calories a day. At least that’s what my FitBit says I’m burning. Obviously I realize that’s not gospel truth, but it at least gives me a better idea of my caloric needs.

So basically, I was eating about 200-600 more calories a day than I need. Over the course of a month that’s somewhere between a 1.5 pound and 5 pound weight gain!!! No wonder why I was gaining weight so fast. By cutting out 500 calories a day, I can lose 1 pound a week (roughly). Which wasn’t really that difficult once I got past the initial shock of not finishing everything on my plate. (Honestly, I was being a bit of a baby—I truly was eating WAY too much).

How Did I Fill Up and Not Feel Hungry?

I added more veggies to my diet—fiber fills you up as well. I lowered my carb intake. Carbs are my kryptonite—I could eat them all day. And eating lots of carbs makes you want to eat MORE carbs as well. I made a point to eat slower and drink water with my food. I started spreading my calories out—3 snacks a day so I was eating every 3 hours or so. That stabilizes your blood sugar so it’s not spiking all day, making you less likely to grab that sugary snack.

Planning also helped me tremendously in week 1 of getting uncomfortable. I made sure I had a snack with me and I ate before I could get too hungry. Hubby mocked me for bringing a banana to my nephew’s birthday party, but guess what? I didn’t reach for those giant cookies that were staring at me. In fact, I was shocked to find that they didn’t even tempt me. I did end up having a drink (or two) on Saturday night, but other than that, I didn’t even touch any processed foods or snack foods. No chocolate, cookies, or ice cream passed these lips. And I truly and honestly did not even want them.

Getting Uncomfortable in the Gym

So week 1 of getting uncomfortable in the gym felt painful and fabulous all at once. I had forgotten how a workout that makes you sweat and feel like you might puke creates that amazing runner’s high that I’ve been missing. The first day that I cranked up the treadmill to 6 mph, I wanted to cry for the first 15 minutes of the workout. Okay, I lie—it was more like the first 28 minutes of the workout. But those last 2 minutes? Holy crap I felt amazing. And once I stopped (and the desire to puke subsided) it was even better.

Picking up the weights again was a bit daunting, though. I hate, hate, HATE weight training. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because I don’t sweat as much and it takes much longer to see results. Plus, I always feel like I’m doing it wrong or something and I don’t want to hurt myself. Running I can do confidently—I’ve been doing it forever. Weights, though—yikes—they terrify me.

For the past few years or so, I’ve been arbitrarily throwing in a weight workout here and there. Alright, I lie—I’ve been using the 5 lb weights when I walk on the treadmill. I used to lift 15 lb weights at one point in time. I was totally phoning it in for the last few years, doing the simplest workout I could get away with. This week, I made myself incorporate weights into my workout THREE times. And I used the 8 lbs weight. Not 15 lbs yet, but an improvement from what I’ve done. And boy am I sore. I haven’t felt sore after a workout in ages (other than my foot pain, but you know what I mean).

What’s In Store For Week 2?

More getting uncomfortable. Dialing it up even more in my workouts. Continuing to resist temptation and plan my meals so I am not hungry. Drink more water—I hit my water goal every day this week, but I am hoping to drink just a little bit more to prevent feelings of dehydration and to continue to help me feel full. And I’m going to cut out all the alcohol this week in attempts to stave off that big fat ZERO pound loss that might be staring up at me from the scale this week in the big, bad Week 2.

Are you trying to get healthier and drop a few pounds? Comment and let me know what YOU’RE doing to be successful!

The post Week 1 of Getting Uncomfortable (Losing 23 lbs in 23 Weeks) appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

My 5 Favorite Super Bowl Appetizers

Whether or not you watch football during the regular season, chances are, if you’re in the United States, you’ll be tuning in to the big game in a couple of weeks. According to studies, the Super Bowl is the most viewed television event of the year, easily beating out the Oscars and Rockin’ New Years Eve. A lot of people watch it with the hopes their numbers come up on their office Super Bowl pool. Some people watch for the commercials and the halftime show. And others actually watch it for the game. In our house, it’s a combo of all of the above. AND the Super Bowl appetizers we have with the game.

Holy Guacamole

I find myself saying that a lot during football games…especially the Super Bowl. I usually miss winning my boxes because of twos safeties or something else completely statistically unlikely. One of my favorite appetizers (and not JUST a Super Bowl appetizer), is guacamole.

I would have never even tried guacamole if it wasn’t for Hubby’s cooking classes. Although I loved tortilla chips, I would usually dip them in that jar cheese sauce that’s probably horrible for you. Okay, I know it’s horrible for you. But guacamole has too many ingredients I never thought I could eat—red onions and that dreaded cilantro. But the way Hubby makes it nice and smooth, I barely notice those things that I don’t like. However, this recipe tastes best chilled so I would make it a few hours before.

You’ll need 3 avocados, 1/2 c. red onion (chopped), 3 cloves of garlic (minced), a jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced), 1 TBSP of cilantro (chopped), 2 limes(juiced), 2 plum tomatoes (chopped), and salt and pepper.

Scoop the avocados out of their skins and discard the pits. With a fork or potato masher, mash to desired consistency. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Juice the two limes into the mix and stir. Add cilantro, 1/2 tsp of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper to taste. Serve with chips.

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Philly Cheese Steak Sliders

These are one of my favorite Super Bowl appetizers. I made them last year for Super Bowl 52. Hubby was mad at me for the better part of a year because the Eagles won that Super Bowl and he felt it was my fault because I somehow sent them some good juju by making these sliders. I redeemed myself when I made them again last weekend and the Eagles lost. Apparently, my cooking actually has NO bearing on the outcome of a football game. Who would have thunk?

Anyway, this recipe is so SUPER easy that I can basically just show you what to do with pictures:

 

Slice King’s Hawaiian buns in half. Place bottom half in square baker.

Add cheese to bottom buns (The first time I made these, I didn’t do this and it made the bottom buns soggy—adding cheese to the bottom buns definitely helped with the soggy factor:

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Saute a chopped onion in 2 TBSP of butter:

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Then cook the cheese steak (I used the whole box of Quaker Maid). Top the buns with the cheese steak:

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Then add the onion. I only put onion on half because half of us wanted onion and the other did not. If you do this, make sure you make it clear what half has onions (I didn’t do this and it was a little difficult to tell once it’s all cooked.):

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Add another layer of cheese:

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Put bun tops back on, brush with a little melted butter, and bake on 400 for about 10 minutes or until provolone is completely melted.

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There is one more step…grab some napkins because these Super Bowl Appetizers are messy…but DELISH!

Loaded Potato Skins

So every recipe I’ve ever tried for loaded potatoes in the past…sucks. The potatoes are never cooked right and end up being too hard. Well, for these Super Bowl appetizers, I decided to try a combination of potato chips in the air fryer and loaded potatoes.

I sliced the potatoes THIN and air fried them for 5 minutes (just until they began to curl up on the ends and brown). Then I added the cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles and cooked for another 5 minutes. These ended up PERFECT—perfectly cooked and not greasy at all! They were gone in minutes:

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SUPER Spicy Wings

Hubby made these for the Championship game weekend. It’s a good thing these wings were so good—it helped distract him from the fact he accidentally bet on the wrong game. Oops. (He would have lost his bet anyway.)

He first rubbed the wings down with a dry rub of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, paprika, and chipotle pepper powder. He then baked them in the convection oven for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile he made the sauce using a TBSP of Sriracha sauce and 1/2 c. sweet chili sauce, and 1/2 c. honey BBQ sauce. (Double the sauce if you need more.) He brushed the wings with the sauce and finished them off in the air fryer for about 5 minutes. So simple, yet this Super Bowl Appetizer was the best thing about the games this weekend.

If you’re a fan of boneless wings, like I am, you can whip up the sauce to dip your boneless wings in, too!

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Stromboli

This is one of my favorite things to make, period. Not just as a Super Bowl appetizer, but in general, for any time we need a quick and fail-proof appetizer—Christmas Eve, New Years, Tuesday…whatever. This is usually gone in less than 10 minutes. Actually on Christmas Eve this year, my two loaves of Stromboli were gone within 7 minutes of cutting them. My kids and nephews are animals when it comes to this simple, yet tasty appetizer.

Start off by rolling out the dough. If you don’t want to make your own, your local pizzeria can sell you a ball of dough. (Seriously, don’t make this harder on yourself. Just get a ball of dough from them.) Add shredded mozzarella and then pepperoni. Roll it up (by the longer side), and brush with olive oil and pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for about 25 minutes. Then remove foil cover and bake until golden brown and cheese is melted (about another 20 minutes).

Hope You Enjoy MY Favorite Super Bowl Appetizers!

Let me know in the comments…what are YOUR favorite Super Bowl Appetizers? I’d love to try something different next year!

The post My 5 Favorite Super Bowl Appetizers appeared first on Author Heather Balog.

Getting Uncomfortable (Losing 23 lbs in 23 Weeks)

I just filmed a video (Click link at the bottom of this post or go to You Tube). For those of you who know me well, you realize what an insane concept that is. I hate taking pictures, recording my voice, and most of all, I LOATHE making videos. I worry too much about how I look or how I sound. Having to be on video makes me SO uncomfortable and zaps my confidence—especially if I’m trying to express myself eloquently. I feel like I can get very disorganized in a video and start babbling, missing key talking points and basically looking like a moron. (Which I’m sure I do in this video, but sometimes, getting uncomfortable with yourself is a necessary evil.)

I love writing because I can express myself without worrying about any of those things. I can be in my pajamas with messy hair and no make-up. If I make a mistake, I just erase those words and fix it. I can organize my thoughts and come across as a coherent human being. Hence, this blog and everything else I do. But I made this video today for a variety of reasons. If you watch the video, you’ll hear them, but for those of you who prefer to read, I’ll try to outline my points for you. It can be like one of those books you read along with. I’ll make a dinging noise when you need to turn the page. I’m just kidding. There are no pages to turn.

So, I got a shock today. It’s been about 3 weeks since the holidays have been over and I figured it would be safe to weigh myself. After all, I’m not drinking eggnog every night and saying to hell with calories, the holidays once a year anymore. Too be honest, my “holidays” started back around Halloween. I mean, is there really any point in trying to be good once the giant bags of Reese’s are in the grocery store? Well, anyway, this is what I saw when I got on the scale:

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And before you say, “Well that’s not that bad” or “Hey, I weigh more than that”, let me explain. I am less than 5 feet tall. I’m 4′ 11″ and shrinking rapidly. Yes, I know muscle weighs more than fat, but this ain’t muscle, baby. You know how I know that? The weight I am at today is actually 25 pounds MORE than I was 5 years ago when I ran my first half marathon. Back when I was in the best shape of my life—I had endurance AND strength. THAT was muscle weight. In addition,  I weigh 10 pounds more than I did when I stopped weighing myself, probably around the middle of the summer last year. If I’m going to be completely honest, I weigh only 5 pounds LESS than I did when I had my first child in 2001. Yikes.

I know it’s just a number and the number isn’t as important as how you feel, but I’ve got to be real. I don’t feel all that great. And I don’t look my best either. I can’t run for more than five minutes without stopping. I can’t go up two flights of stairs without getting winded. My stomach hurts all the time. My fat jeans don’t fit. Hell, my underwear doesn’t even fit anymore. Everything is getting uncomfortable.

Bottom line? Telling myself that the number wasn’t important was one of the many EXCUSES that I was making. Along with blaming my stress fracture, heel spurs, and plantar fasciitis. The fact that I told myself that I was just trying to live my life and enjoy it to the fullest after a family tragedy that we experienced in 2015 was just an excuse as well. Or the excuse that I was concentrating on my writing career, and I couldn’t dedicate the same amount of time as I used to to being in shape because I didn’t have the time. In fact, I even used the excuse that I didn’t want to work out too hard because I didn’t want to wash my hair every day!

I threw on scrubs to go to work so I didn’t have to think about all the weight I was gaining, and practically lived in sweat pants outside of work. I told myself I was happy the way I was and life was fine.

But it wasn’t fine. Sure, I was happy, but I was still getting uncomfortable with myself. The reality was that I knew it was going to be TOO HARD to get back into the shape I was 5 years ago. I’ve done it before—in 2008, I lost 15 pounds in 4 months and it was PAINFUL. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. I had to get really uncomfortable to do it and that’s what I was avoiding. I did not want to think about getting uncomfortable like that again.

But who WANTS to get uncomfortable? No one. But sometime, like right now, we have to. I have to. This is a slippery slope I’m on. Yes, I’m not obese, but I feel like I woke up in this body I don’t know any more. And it’s a slippery slope—I could end up 20, 30, 40 pounds more than this—when does it stop?

Sure, I’m okay with not having a perfect body. I CAN love myself. I don’t need the perky boobs and the butt you can bounce a quarter off of and I don’t need to be a size 2 or even 4 or 6. But I can still strive to be the best version of myself, which ultimately includes being in better shape and at a much more manageable weight.

So how will I do this? Well, it’s not going to be some gimmicky diet thing. I know what I should be doing, I just don’t…because it’s about getting uncomfortable.

First off, I’m going to stop “dialing it in” during my exercise. Instead, I’m going to start dialing it UP. No more walking at a zero incline while watching TV. No more 3 lb weights. I won’t give up when my calves burn after five minutes of running. Hardcore, balls to the wall, sweating buckets, puking your guts up exercise.

Next, I’m going to make better food choices. This means less eating out at restaurants and getting take out. This also means eating in moderation—I don’t need to eat everything on my plate. I don’t need to deprive myself, but I need to be reasonable. I’ll have pieces of cheese instead of um, 8 (or 12). The calories in have to be less than calories out—it’s simple math. (Even though I’m horrible at math.)

Finally, no more EMOTIONAL eating. Otherwise known in my brain as REWARDING MYSELF FOR A JOB WELL DONE WITH FOOD OR A DRINK. I need to stop the food using food to soothe myself or making myself feel better. I can’t use the excuse of “enjoying myself” anymore. Put the cookies down and step away from the sangria.

How will I hold myself accountable? That’s where the video comes in. I am going to video my progress, including my weigh in. Yeah, talk about getting uncomfortable. Every Monday I will check in. It will hold me accountable because I tend to slide on the weekends, rewarding myself for working hard all week (ahem, emotional eating). I will be less likely to do that if I weigh in Mondays. And I will have you all to hold me accountable. I will have to face you AND the scale. It will give me the motivation to do this.

I hope.

Until next Monday.

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The post Getting Uncomfortable (Losing 23 lbs in 23 Weeks) appeared first on Author Heather Balog.