March 2017 - Habit Check In #3

Here's March!!! I guess there are still a few more hours left in the month but my post is ready and you can read all about it!

Family Time

The weather has finally cleared up and we're really starting to explore San Diego. All 4 of our hikes this month were new to us. I'm really loving how this habit is getting us to explore new places and I have a growing list of hikes to check out. This month, we also did our first harder difficulty hike. We were going to do another but ended up taking it easy and just going on a walk around a lake we found nearby. I like that we're keeping family time flexible and we have a lot of fun together on our hikes.

I think April will be a little different in terms of Family time. I'm going to need to use my free time for studying the next few weeks which will cut into family time - however, we then go on our big trip! Even though Harley won't be with us, Dan and I will get to spend A LOT of time adventuring together. We had SUCH a good time on our honeymoon and I'm so excited that we basically get two whole weeks of "family time" even if we may have to lose some of our weekly hikes.

Stick to a Regular Fitness Schedule

My fitness schedule has been rocking. I love that this habit has led me to really stick to my classes and my muscle definition has been looking great because of it. I still have to miss sometimes for work travel and things but aside from interruptions out of my control, the gym is the priority.

I also signed up for online fitness classes by the same people who make Body Pump so that when I am traveling, I can still get my exercise on. Speaking of Body Pump - release #100 is coming to an end and I'm excited for 101. However, I am going to miss this awesome triceps track. It's my least favorite muscle group but the song is so awesome it makes me excited to do my skull crushers and tricep pullovers (I still die on the tri push ups though).

On the other hand, I've really been slacking on my walks. I'm definitely pulling myself in too many directions right now and when that happens, something has to go. This month it was walks. The weekly family hikes really helped but I need to make sure Harley and I are taking our time to take a spin around the block.

Meal Planning

This is always the one I struggle with but it's getting better. I might not be writing menus on Sundays but I'm trying to think of meals a few days out. Sometimes that thinking still takes place in the store but one thing at a time.

At the end of the month, we decided to tighten up on our eating again. Even though we don't feel like we have to eat paleo all the time, it's nice to have it in our back pocket. We've been enjoying lots of treats lately and want to make sure we don't let the treats take over our life so it's good to cleanse every now and then.

That's how this happened. It's not meals planned out into tupperware but I did take the time to pre-portion out my Costco haul so that early in the week I can thaw some fish or pork chops or sausage or whatever I plan on cooking that week.

Take an Annual Trip with My Husband

So much progress here!!!! We booked excursions and got our travel documents ready and started getting recommendations for what to do in each city! It's been great to chip away at this but now that our trip is next month I'm starting to think we should have been taking bigger chunks out earlier. 😆

As I've mentioned (and will continue to - sorry, I write these posts out of order) and planning the trip has been good procrastination for that and vice versa. I think I work better when I have two things to bounce between.

Read a Book a Week

This month, I decided to re-visit the read harder challenge. It's an annual challenge by the book site, Book Riot, that encourages people to branch out of their usual genres. I looked at it in December and didn't love how super specific some of the items were. Well, by March, I realized that on my own I'd already check off about 1/3 of the tasks (about 6 without duplicating any, 8 if I did... which IS permitted in the challenge rules).

So what have I marked off?
Read a Debut Novel - Behind Closed Doors
Read a Book by an Immigrant or With Central Immigration Narrative - The Sun is Also a Star (hits both)
Read a Book You've Read Before - The Handmaid's Tale
Read a Book Set Within 100 Miles - The Mothers
Read a Fantasy Novel - All the Birds in the Sky
Read a Book About War - The Art of War
Read a Book Frequently Challenged or Banned - The Handmaid's Tale*
Read a Book Where all Point-of-View Characters are people of Color - The Mothers*
*book used twice

Well, that made me feel really good about the challenge and I think I'll take a stab at the rest. I'm not looking forward to the non-fiction technology book, the poems, or the short stories because I really don't like those genres but I'm willing to take a stab at it. I'd also like to beat it without repeating a book so I might try some of the categories again.

I also finished my course with a resounding super A and am excited to keep on doing some work on my own. Never stop learning! However, I once again did the bare minimum here in terms of books overall. I am part way through 3 books though. I think that along with going on vacation next month will mean a lot of books read in April.

Me Time

Usually every year, I have a resolution I know will fall by the wayside early on. This is that one. The goal of this was to really carve out pieces of time where I was making time for things I enjoy outside of any other commitments or goals I make for myself.

That's really hard.

If you're wondering how I can work and exercise and read and and cook and go on hikes with my family and take online classes and dream of a future business empire... while finding a corner of the world for me to have to myself... I can't.... but I don't feel too bad about it. I had a lot of years of having that time and I was bored or lonely and I can honestly say that I don't feel either of those things in any sort of all-encompassing way.

I still do things I like... but I multi-task. I write blog posts in my head while I exercise and I listen to books while I drive and I'm always constantly moving and doing. It may sound tiring but it's the way I've always been and if doing means not having enough extra quiet time... that's ok for now.

Mo' Money March

This one took some really unexpected turns this month. I meant it more as a way to really encourage me to drive more business to my Etsy shop and to also study for the class I was taking – to me doing these things would have been an accomplishment. Well, the Etsy shop is chugging along and I got an A in my class… but that was nothing compared to the big picture of mo’ money March.

For those who don’t know, I’ve always wanted to start my own business. Last year, I came up with two ideas (one in collaboration with Dan). I won’t say what they are but I think they’re really good. The plan was that I’d pursue one and when that did well, we could use the money to invest in the second. I’m happy that the first has made some big strides this month and it’s making me really excited that a goal I’ve worked towards for almost a year is beginning to take shape.

We also made progress on the second business idea even though it’s further out of the way. We started brainstorming and making lists. I looked up properties that would be our dream spaces just to get an idea of what would work for what we want to do. I saved links. I recommended things for Dan to read so he could start making plans. I don’t know when we’ll be able to do this awesome thing we’ve been dreaming of but I want to have a plan in place so we can jump on it at any point. During my research, it sounded like similar businesses were doing really well and it made me confident that if we’re smart and organized, we could have a real winner.

So – no, I didn’t spend a lot of time making more patterns to sell on Etsy but I think that was reaching to touch the ceiling and instead we got out a ladder, stood on the roof, and looked at the stars. They look really good.

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For next month, my goal is really clear: Unplugged April. My phone is about as attached to me as a tumor to its host and it’s probably just as bad for me. I’ve been trying to disconnect a little more – leaving my phone in another room, putting it on silent, trying not to reach for it when I’m with friends, and lastly, just being so in the moment I don’t think about it. However, I get the best refresh soon – a trip abroad where data is expensive!! Yes, next month is our Europe trip and I am really excited to not have cell service. I think I’ll get a tiny data plan just to be able to check in on my mom and try to catch a Mr. Mime but other than that I want to just really enjoy Europe. Up until then, I will also be studying for an exam and I might lose my phone for several hours at a time while I do that.

Review: Instant Pot and a Recipe for Instant Duck Confit!

There's a word going through the cooking world right now - Instant Pot!

So what is this device that everyone is so excited about? It's basically what you would get if a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and rice cooker all had a baby. Yes, it can do all of those things.

What most people are excited about though is the pressure cooking. Pressure cookers have historically been a little scary. I remember whenever my mom used hers and she told me that if I came into the kitchen, I would explode. Needless to say, I've never been excited about attempting to pressure cook anything.

...until the Instant Pot came along! I'm not going to lie, the first few times (and every time after) I still hold some residual pressure cooker fear but the Instant Pot feels so safe, that I'm slowly getting over my fear of pressure.

So what's the verdict???

Pros:

• SPEED - My biggest gripe about slow cooking has always been time. If something takes 8-10 hours to cook and I forget to put it in on time I'm either SOL or we are eating dinner at 10pm. Not fun. The Instant Pot does everything a slow cooker can do in a fraction of the time. Need to slow cook something for 8 hours? Put it in the Instant Pot for an hour. 
• Flavor - I'm pretty sure the pressure helps get more flavor out of the meals. This isn't an opinion - like I think there's some science behind it.
• Quick buttons - Every now and then I'll wing it but it's still hard to know how long something needs to be under pressure. Luckily there are some preset buttons like meat, poultry, beans/chili, etc so you can push one of those and the pot will set itself to the ideal time for what you're making.
• 7-in-1 - it's a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, saute dish, yogurt maker, and warmer. While you probably won't use all of these functions at once, having a multi-use appliance is great because many slow/pressure cooked dishes are best when you brown the meat first. No one wants to dirty an extra pan but have no fear - you can saute right in the Instant Pot! Then you get your pressure on and afterwards it will keep it warm for you. BAM 3 of the uses right there.

Cons:

• BUTTONS - seriously, there are about 20 buttons on this thing. A very advanced slow cooker has about 4. There's a much steeper learning curve and you will need to read the instructions. Don't like instructions? Read above where I talk about pressure cookers historically exploding. Bet you're reading the instructions now!
• Sealing valve - The pressure cooker has a little valve that seals in the pressure. When your cooking time is up, you can either let the pressure decrease on it's own or you can release the pressure valve and a rush of steam will shoot out. Obviously, this is terrifying. I usually poke it from across the room with the longest spoon I have. Dan has frequently asked that I warn him when I do this because even though he doesn't know the worries about pressure cookers, releasing the valve sounds like an explosion. My other issue with the sealing valve - unless the recipe says, I'm not usually sure when to release it and when to let the pressure go down on its own. I think letting the pressure release has the benefit of longer cooking (more tender, more flavor) and being safer. However, it will lead to an extra build up of moisture since the steam is not escaping - for some recipes, this will not be ideal.
• Low heat sauteing - I've been using the saute function to brown meats before pressure cooking but it doesn't feel like the heat gets high enough to really get a good brown sear on there. If you really want a good hard sear, I would recommend using a frying pan first. It still works fine for pre-cooking things like onions or ground meat. 

All in all, it's an amazing small appliance. Yes, there is a learning curve but luckily a lot of people are paving the way. Most of the food bloggers that I follow have already been testing our recipes and there are a lot of cookbooks. I got Paleo Cooking with Your Instant Pot a couple of months ago and pre-ordered another Instant Pot cookbook for this summer. 

So my verdict - get one but do your research. Don't be afraid of your machine but use the internet, Pinterst, and cookbooks to get some guidance for your first few recipes. Once you get the hang of the buttons, don't be afraid to experiment! A few times, I've definitely thrown in some slow cooking meat and put it under pressure instead and it totally worked.

Like... that time I made Duck Confit! Duck confit is one of my favorite dishes but is notoriously very time consuming. I've made it in the slow cooker before but it misses the sear it needs and takes a long time to cook.... which makes it sound perfect for the instant pot.

The first step is break down your duck. You might be able to get one broken down from a butcher shop but in stores, I always see a whole duck for sale. Duck confit is usually just the thighs but I use the breasts as well as to not waste. 

The biggest thing here - SAVE ALL THE EXTRA SKIN AND FAT. Duck Confit has to be slow cooked in duck fat. You can buy some but it's really expensive and your duck comes with lots! I cut off all the extra skin and fat and cook it on low to make my own fat. 

Here are my little duck skin pieces frying. Just make sure your temperature doesn't get too high because it will crackle. Also be sure to watch them and make sure they're cooking evenly so you can get as much fat as possible. 

While you are rendering your fat, you can start to get a sear on your duck thighs and breast skin. To do this, set the Instant Pot to saute mode. I actually found that this didn't get them hot enough so it might be better to sear them off in a frying pan. You only need to do the skin side.

Once your duck is seared and the duck fat is ready, you can turn off the Instant Pot and strain your fat into it.

Once that's done, you're ready to pressure cook! Close off your Instant Pot and make sure the valve is on the sealing mode. I wasn't sure how long to cook it, so I just hit the poultry button. The default was 15 min but I increased it to 30 so it really would get tender.

I also wasn't sure if I should release the pressure at the end or let it naturally go down. I went for a mix of both and released the pressure after about 15 minutes. I think not releasing the pressure creates a lot of steam though and that doesn't work as well for duck confit.

When I took it out, the sear had lost it's crisp. I decided to heat them up on the stove (in the same pan I rendered the fat in). This re-crisped them up and added a lot of flavor.

In the end, it turned out really well and I saved all of my duck fat for further cooking as well as making a duck stock from the bones. 

The recipe worked out really well but it definitely wasn't quite a one-pot meal. I liked the way it turned out by re-searing the duck after the pressure cooking. 

February 2017 - Habit Check In #2

I'm really loving how this structure for my goals has given me more to write about! I've been trying to throw out some other posts in between as well but obviously that has to work around time and well, having something to write about. I have a few adventures next month that should give some more blog fodder and I also want to review more of the kitchen and wine gadgets that I use every day.

Anyways, here's how February went!

Family Time

This has easily become the highlight of my week. We've started really planning our weekends around when we can get our family walk in and this month, it wasn't easy. Each of the weeks, we had some big conflict trying to keep us from our walk but we made it anyways.

Week 1, we were out of town for my work. I have to work Superbowl every year and we usually make it into a little weekend getaway to LA. We usually walk on Saturdays but had gone to Universal Studios instead. While the quantity of walking would probably count it, the spirit wasn't there. Instead, we planned to go Sunday morning before work. It ended up being really hectic between eat breakfast, packing, and making sure I got to work on time - but we did it. It was a short mile-ish loop around the parcourse near my parent's house but it was something.

Weeks 2-3 we were dealing with busy weekends and bad weather. We had a hardcore workout one week and race the next and both weekends it was supposed to be rainy on the day we could do our hike. Hiking isn't quite as fun if it's super muddy, especially with a dog, so we timed our walks to breaks in the weather and just found paved trails - usually waterfront. While not a true hike, it gave us some awesome views and helped us find some new paths.

Week 4 should have just been a disaster. We went back and forth on where to go - the weather was finally nice enough for a real hike, but we had plans that we'd be late for if we did something too intensive. We'd been loving the water so we decided to do Torrey Pines - but when we parked we saw lots of "no dogs" signs. I didn't want to drive around looking for something else since we'd already lost so much time so we decided just to take the dog to a nearby dog beach. We had so much fun playing and splashing around and got the bonus of finding a new fun beach. We'll have to circle back to Torrey Pines another day but it always sucks to leave the dog at home when we go on an adventure.

Stick to a Regular Fitness Schedule

I don't really have much to say on this one. I've definitely been working out a lot and mostly sticking to the schedule I set myself but I'm not perfect and I missed a lot of days as well. For some reason, every Monday this month, something came up to keep my climbing partners and myself out of the gym. I also missed a lot of Body Pump classes either because I had another workout or just something fun came up... like free beer tasting. All these things totally happen but for March I'd like to pull it in and try to really hit my weekly schedule.

On the plus side - while I've missed a bunch of gym time, I've been walking a whole lot more with the dog. Usually, they're just little short walks around the block but they've been a nice way for both of us to get a little sunshine and exercise. We've also tried to do work around the garden whenever it's been sunny out and it's nice putting those muscles to some functional use.

The 2017 kilometer challenge is going well too! Extra walks mean extra chipping away at it, even if they're on the short side. At the end of last month, I had 64km and this month I had 119. That means I'm being consistent (giving myself a break on the 3 shorter days this month) which is great for me and great for the dog. Also, last year, I had 244 km for the whole year. That means that in 2 months, I've gone half as far as I did.. IN A YEAR. It's crazy and I'm so proud at how we've made something as simple as going on more walks, runs, and hikes into such a regular habit.

Meal Planning

This one continues to challenge me. I did add a section for planning out dinners in my daily planner but I'm still not being consistent. To help get on track though, I did a few stocking up dinners. What are those? That's when I cook something really big that I know will last a few nights and then we just have to find sides to go with them (usually making tacos). Examples are pulled pork, brisket, and chili. The added benefit is that they're made in the slow cooker or pressure cooker so I can prep them and let them cook while doing other things!

Brisket!!!!!

Slow cooked pork!!!!

Take an Annual Trip with my Husband

Not much progress here which is bad because our trip is coming up really fast. What I really need to do is get our taxes together so we can see if we have a bigger budget for excursions and things.... Obviously next month there needs to be a lot of work here, but I did try to get an idea of the budget and things.

Read a Book a Week

In January, I read way over the book/week goal which was awesome. For February, I was right on track, and that was ok too. I knew that some months would be harder to meet the goal and February was one of those - but I met it anyways! Just barely!

In addition to being pressed for time, I also read a couple of longer books - like over 500 pages. All four of my books this month were really fast reads that I hated putting down and that was probably the real driver behind finishing this month.

All in all, I read 4 books in 4 weeks coming in exactly at my goal.

Edit: these screenshots come from Goodreads. A book social media site I use to track my reading. I also usually write reviews of all the books I read in case you're interesting in the reasons behind my scores.

Me Time

This month I learned that me time can come in a lot of shapes and sizes. Sometimes it's just listening to my body or my needs. Earlier in the month, Dan and I went to a free bootcamp workout and it kicked our butts. The next day, I was so sore and instead of pushing myself, I just took a day off. I cancelled my gym plans, I made a really simple dinner, and then I just soaked in the tub for an hour. It felt so good, and the next day I felt better... but the next day was Valentine's Day and I had another dilemma. I could go to the gym, but then I'd be home late and be rushing to make dinner and get things done and wouldn't be able to just enjoy the night and spend time with Dan so I decided to take another day off from the gym. I love working out and I'm so happy with what's happening with my fitness but I think finding the balance and knowing when to take some time off so that I don't overdo it or stress myself out is important too.

I'm also learning that I don't want me time to be lazy time. I could totally veg out in front of the TV all day but I'm trying to make my free time work for me. Lately I've been doing a lot of gardening when I have down time or making more time to make sure I eat solid meals while I work from home. While I'm still moving - I feel a lot better in general when I'm being productive.

Fabulous February

but hey - this outfit was pretty cute
so not a total fail?

This was basically a fail. I mean, it's not like I dress terrible or anything. The few times I did go out, I styled my hair and picked a cute outfit. I just think that, in general, my style is fitness chic and I'm totally ok with that. I like dressing up when I get the chance but I'm still going to be rocking yoga pants and tank tops most of the time. I don't need to force cuteness or dress up to run errands - that's just not my thing.

This probably ended up being more of a "Feel Good February." I think I've come a long way from some of the things that caused me to be more self-conscious. All of the habits above are leading me to feel great, have more energy, and most importantly, have a sound mind. I've tried to treat myself better day to day including little things like eating a good breakfast each morning and trying to get some sunshine each day. Working out more has also coincided with drinking a lot less and getting better sleep. All of the habits together are having the effect of making me feel really good and that's awesome.

My monthly goal for next month was going to be Mo' Money March - in attempt to save more money. However, we're going to need to do a lot of spending in related to the last bit of planning for our trip so I think I might take this the other direction and work on ways to make mo' money. I still have an Etsy shop and despite awesome sales in January, February was really slow. I want to find ways to connect with potential buyers more and try to naturally grow interest in my shop.

I also will be wrapping up my class which means I have some open time to study for a certification that will open up some moonlighting possibilities for me. I should also try spending less money but I like the idea of focusing on ways I can make more money as well... it seems more sustainable long term.