Whole 30 Halfway Point - Day 15 (Recipes included)

This challenge really hasn't been all that hard.  Having such a great support group and such wonderful food choices this time of year, I haven't really been all that tempted to stray from the plan.  I will admit that walking through Costco on a Sunday while hungry was VERY difficult!  They had some kind of pie sample table RIGHT near the produce section and it smelled oh so good!  However, I snuck an apple out of my container of apples and munched on that to get me through the store. 

I've come to really enjoy black coffee, something I thought I would never say!  I crave blueberries and sweet potatoes.  And water!!! I am no longer starving by 11:00am and can easily make it until 12:00 for lunch...sometimes I have to remind myself to eat as I have a 1:00 meeting and won't have time to eat again until later in the day otherwise.  My skin is flawless (could be the Proactive, could be the diet, could be both!).  I do still want a beer or a glass of wine on a Friday after a long work week but am finding enjoyment in mango/pineapple smoothies as a treat.  I can see a noticeable difference in my legs, butt and stomach.  Mainly, less of them all! 

My post WOD recovery does not seem to have suffered at all (my shake mirrors the same grams of carbs/protein/fat I was taking in pre Whole 30 which I assume helps here).  I have felt great in the gym (aside from my back) and feel more than motivated to continue for the next 15 days!  I've also found I have no shame in eating, regardless of what people think!  On my way to go hiking on Saturday, after a great WOD, I munched on a pre-cooked sweet potato on I5.  I received several curious looks as people tried to figure out what the hell I was eating!  Also, I carry cinnamon in my purse because you never know when an apple or sweet potato might need a little cinnamon!

My food prep takes less time the more I do it.  Yesterday I hard boiled some eggs, boiled chicken to make shredded chicken for a salad and cooked peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, shrimp and scallops on the BBQ.  My prepped meals for the beginning of the week look like this:

Chicken Salad (modified a recipe I found but didn't really like)

Boil 4 chicken breasts and shred once cool
Chop 1 red bell pepper in to small pieces
1 can artichoke hearts (or about 1 cup)
1/4-1/2 cup homemade mayo
Yellow mustard to taste
Spices (onion powder, garlic powder)

Mix everything together and chill.  I plan on eating this as a small dinner while getting my hair done tonight.  You could eat this as a salad topping, by itself, as a side dish, in lettuce wraps...however you want!

BBQ Skewer Goodness

This one is simple!

Protein - pick whatever you want.  I like shrimp (with tail on) and scallops, both thawed.
Veggies - Again, pick whatever you want.  I used 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper and mini portabella mushrooms I picked up at Costco
Flavor - I added pineapple chunks to add a little sweetness.  I also marinated the shrimp and scallops in lime juice (fresh) and black pepper.
Extra - I like to use Guacamole as a dressing, for pretty much everything, but especially this salad since the fat content is very low.

For simple cooking I keep all the veggies/fruit on their own skewers and put the protein on separate skewers.  I use the metal ones as they hold up better and don't require soaking.  So good, I could eat this every day!  Well so long as the protein source changed.

My breakfast still consists of a hash of some sort, eggs and sweet potatoes mostly.  Snacks include hard boiled eggs, tuna fish, fruit.  I still struggle a bit with late night snacking urges, but not nearly as bad as I used to!  I'm honestly excited to finish these next 15 days!  Thanks to my CFLO family, and husband, for being such a great support group through this!  Not sure I would have even attempted this if it wasn't for you!

Whole 30 - Day 8

So I had more to say but didn't want everyone to miss my great lunch!  So as I admitted to everyone on Facebook, I caved and weighed myself.  the hubbs was very disappointed in me and made me promise not to step on it again until the end of the challenge.  While I wanted to argue that it was different, he was right in that me stepping on the scale would be the same thing as him drinking a diet pop.  It's a mental thing, a habit, a routine and we both are working hard to break away from our bad habits.  The temptation to step on the scale is still there every morning when I wake up.  So today, rather than step on the scale, I went back and looked at pictures from when I first started blogging and when I first started doing Crossfit.  Um...I'm buff now!  Haha, but seriously, I took some 'before pictures' and posted them and never followed up with 'after' pictures.  I just went back and looked at them and although I weighed less than I likely do now, I didn't have a lot of muscle tone. Now though?  Watch out!

Just kidding, however, it was really refreshing to look back at what my goals were, what I looked like and enjoy how far I've come. 

Next point, I have a sweet tooth and I have a problem!  I figured out how to make wonderful Whole 30 ingredient approved smoothies and find myself eating them for dinner instead of dinner.  Why?  Because they are cold and sweet and wonderful!  So I am going to work on limiting these over the next week to maybe 2-3 a week as a treat vs one every day!

My main problem is that when it's just me at home I really don't feel like making/eating dinner.  So instead I graze and snack.  I'm usually hot and sweaty after the gym and therefore tend to default to fruit and other cold/sweet things.  When Matt is home I do better because he is better at actually eating dinner!  So my other goal is to make myself eat dinner and if I'm craving something after to try to stay away from fruit as the default.  My guess is that I won't want to weigh myself as much because I know I'm doing better by not eating as much fruit.  I think my desire to weigh myself is to make sure I'm on track and when I'm not sure if I am on track or not it's a way to check in with myself.

Anyways, all that said, Whole 30 is going great!  I've come to really enjoy breakfast and lunch!  I feel good and have gotten over some digestion issues I had during the first few days.  My energy levels are great, I feel strong in the gym and love the feeling of being prepared for the day!

Whole 30 Day 8 - Best Lunch Ever (Recipe)

If you follow my blog then you already know this by now, but I am a creature of habit.  I forced myself to branch out this weekend as my husband cannot eat the same thing all time, unlike me!  So to help him stay on plan I had to think out of my standard meal list to come up with something easy and different.  Ugh, yeah right, I have no idea what I'm going to buy/make all came to mind.  I started looking through the fridge and freezer to come up with my grocery list when I came across a bag of frozen shrimp we bought a few weeks ago.  Then it came to me, a tropical seafood salad would be a great summery meal, and different than anything I've made during this challenge.  I don't have an exact recipe because I kind of just threw everything together, but here is an 'outline'

Thaw 1 bag frozen shrimp
Thaw 1 bag scallops (from Trader Joes)
1 canned pineapple chunks (in 100% juice)
1 bag of spinach
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 bunch of green onions
Homemade Guacamole (however you like it)  Mine included 4 small avocados, chopped red onion and lime juice.

I put the shrimp, scallops and pineapple on skewers and bbq'd them.  Easy and fun!  Although I bought these nice metal ones but didn't think about how hot they would be and how difficult it would be to turn them (lesson learned!).  The meat/fruit combo cooked very quickly and in the meantime I chopped and put together the salad.  You could add whatever you want to the salad that you think would taste good.

Once everything is done, combine and eat!  I used the guacamole as dressing and ate it for lunch today!

Whole 30 - Day 4

Although I was nervous going in to this challenge I honestly wasn't that scared even though I acted like it.  In fact I was excited because I wanted to feel great I wanted to see the results I have long been waiting for (hoping to see an ab muscle haha!).  My biggest challenge as I've shared each day is not stepping on the scale.  My way of knowing I've done well with my diet and exercise is to step on the scale and see a rewarding number.  I've been stepping on the scale each morning for several years now.  I step on it when I know it's going to be bad as a way to remind myself to do better.  I step on it when it's going to be good and I step on it every where in between.  I am feeling good at day 4, I feel like I've lost some of the bloat in my stomach and my energy levels seem great.  This just doesn't seem like enough though, I REALLY want to step on the scale to see if I've lost weight. 

However, I won't.  I'm already learning that one of the lessons I'll take away from this challenge is learning to tune in to what is good for my body not by what the scale says but by how my body feels and what I'm able to do with it. 

Now on to food.  My favorite go to lunch is a taco salad!  It's so tasty and SOOO easy to make!  I cook up some ground beef and spice it up.  I use cumin, chili powder and onion powder.  I don't measure, just shake and pour on, the more the better!  Once the beef is cooked I add a can of diced tomatoes and some clean salsa from Trader Joes.  For the salad I cut some green leaf lettuce and add in some cut up bell peppers.  For the dressing I make some clean guacamole.  That's it!  Takes as long as it takes for the meat to cook!

Breakfast's typically include sweet potato and eggs in a nice scramble.  I might add some ground pork as well if I have any.  Nice and filling and replaces my fruit with a more nutrient dense carb that doesn't spike my blood sugar early in the morning.  Dinner always remains the challenge because I am tired and beat when I get home from the gym.  However last night we went to Red Robin and had a Whole 30 approved meal.  Plain natural burger with avocado slices, lettuce wrap, onion and sliced melon.  It was fast and make us not hungry anymore, which is the key!

We had our first Whole 30 'dessert' last night thanks to some inspiration from Jean!  We mixed frozen (fresh picked in Oregon) raspberries, blueberries, canned coconut milk and a little water in the blender for a frozen treat.  After working out in the heat all I crave is something cold and this hit the spot!

Having a group that is doing this with us makes it so much easier.  I love getting ideas from others and I love having a group that is constantly supporting each other.  Go Crossfit Lake Oswego Whole 30 participants!!!!

Whole 30 - Day 1

This morning I woke up and felt excited to be starting 30 days of super clean eating.  After watching the 2011 Crossfit Games all weekend, to say I am motivated to do and be better would be an understatement!  As I made my coffee (which I drank with a spoonful of coconut milk) and my scramble I started to feel proud.  Each time I opened my fridge and saw all the meals already cooked and the drawers overflowing with fresh veggies and fruit I felt proud!  I packed my lunch and as I walked in to my building I wanted to show everyone my amazing lunch and snack that I brought for the day!

I planned out meals for a few days, definitely not the entire week but enough to get me going.  For breakfast I plan on doing scrambles for most mornings (some might just be eggs and veggies, others might be sausage, egg and sweet potato, which is what I did this morning).  Quick and easy to make. 

Lunch and Dinner - I typically make 'dinners' with more of an intention to eat them for lunch than dinner.  Dinner is the one meal I tend to skip out on if it's just me at home.  Instead I'll snack, maybe do a protein shake and then snack some more.  So the challenge is going to be to eat an actual meal for dinner each day rather than depend on snacking.  Last night I made a taco salad which I took for lunch today.  I also made up some paleo pad thai on Friday which I might have for dinner tonight if there is any left.

My uncle sent me home this weekend with a HUGE piece of Salmon, so we'll cook that for dinner tomorrow since Matt will be home.  I also bought ingredients to make chicken fajitas as well as a chicken/melon salad.  Since each are easy to make I'll likely cook/make them as dinner with plans on taking for lunch.

For snacks I'm keeping it simple.  Hard boiled eggs, apples, tuna (with homemade mayo), bell peppers.  All super easy things to make and take on the go.  My post WOD shake will be the pumpkin/applesauce 'shake' I posted awhile back.  I am a big believer in post WOD nutrition and plan on having this after most workouts.  I make it up in the morning before I leave for work, takes about 5 minutes.

The key for my success really lies in planning ahead.  I'm not that great of a cook so finding easy recipes I can follow is essential!  Honestly the most difficult thing for me to give up during this 30 day challenge will be stepping on the scale.  I'm a scaleaholic and step on it EVERY day.  I stepped on it this morning to get my before stats and then (I'm very proud of this) PUT IT AWAY!  Yupp, I took it out of my bathroom where I might be tempted and put it in the spare bedroom. 

I am excited to start feeling better.  Knowing this challenge was coming up I actually went a little off the deep end regarding cheats and ate worse than I have in a long time.  I'm paying for it now and am excited to get through this first week and start feeling strong and healthy again!

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Mexi-Salad w/Fresh Guac

I was doing so good until Friday came along.  Friday included Froyo, pizza and Katy Perry!!!  Saturday I did 2 WOD's and was feeling good about myself, however after consuming too much wine and pizza again I woke up Sunday feeling like crap!  So, I'm starting the week off with good, clean food and will be starting the W30 challenge on 8/1!!  Below is a recipe I quickly whipped up yesterday to take for lunch today.

I found this recipe here.  It took maybe 15 minutes to make and is super tasty!

Taco salad:

•2 lbs. organic, grass-fed ground beef (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
•1 can (16 oz.) of organic diced tomatoes (read ingredients!), or dice your own
•1 tsp paprika
•1/2 tsp chili powder
•1/2 tsp cinnamon
•1/2 tsp cumin
•1 head of fresh, crisp romaine lettuce, chopped
•1 each yellow, green and red pepper, diced
•1 jar of organic salsa (or make your own )

Guacamole:
•4 fresh avocado, pitted and mashed
•1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
•2 limes, squeezed for juice (squeeze them like you’re deadlifting!)
•1/4 tsp cumin
•1/4 tsp chili powder
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•fresh ground black pepper, to taste
•fresh cilantro (chopped), to taste

Instructions:
Prepare the guacamole ahead of time, and chill while you make the salad. Mash the avocado in a glass or ceramic bowl* to desired consistency. Pour the lime juice over the avocado right away to prevent browning. Use a wooden spoon* to mix in all other ingredients.

*The lime juice in this recipe is reactive with metal, so avoid metal mixing bowls and spoons. Plus, we always prefer alternatives to plastic.

Start to brown the ground beef. Add tomatoes and spices and simmer until it’s no longer pink. Drop a pile of chopped romaine on a plate, top with ground beef, sprinkle with diced pepper and cover with fresh salsa. Spoon a hearty helping of guacamole on the side.

We’d also like this topped with black olives, onion or chives, or any other fresh vegetables you can think of. You can also boost your leafy green consumption by using baby spinach as your salad base… but there’s something about the warm ground beef on top of the crispness of romaine that we really like. (A blend of both lettuce and spinach might be just the thing.)

We don’t count calories or blocks, so we’re not sure what this would work out to from a macronutrient perspective… but if you Zone, you can easily figure that out for yourself. Add or subtract fat in the form of more or less guacamole, and if you need more carbs, consider adding pineapple or making a mango salsa instead of the traditional tomato-based version. Olé!

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Grilled Burger Salad

I was a bit skeptical about grilling lettuce on the BBQ but this turned out to be a really tasty dinner and was SUPER easy to make!  Prep time (less than 5 minutes) cook time (how ever long it takes to cook your burgers, probably 10 minutes).

I used green leaf lettuce instead of romaine because I don't really like romaine.  It worked just as well.  Also, I only put olive oil on the lettuce, no spices. For my 'dressing' I mashed up two avocados, added in some lime juice and crushed red pepper and it was delish!! 

Recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

•2 grass fed beef burgers
•2 hearts of romaine cut in half & drizzled with olive oil, salt, & pepper (cut length wise so it stays together)
•2 avocados smashed
•juice of half a lime
•sliced red onion
•handful of fresh cilantro chopped
•few handful of cherry tomatoes halved

Grill the burgers on the grill until done. Put on a plate and set aside. Grill the romaine a few minutes on each side or until slightly wilted with grill marks. Remove from the grill and roughly chop and put on two plates. Mix the avocado, lime juice, fresh cilantro, and a little salt and pepper to make the “dressing”. Top the romaine and tomato with the burger, the sliced red onion, and the dressing.

Here is my salad:

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Meatloaf Muffins w/Sweet Potato Icing

This was a super simple meal with great flavors!  I made this yesterday at the same time as the Pad Thai.  The sweet potatos really became a side for me as I made them up in advance and stored them separately in the fridge.  However, simple and tasty!!

Recipe can be found here.

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb of ground beef
1 apple, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup of Almond meal
basil
nutmeg
garlic powder
21 seasoning salute

6 small sweet potatoes
nutmeg
cinnamon

The Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until tender.
Set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl add apple and red bell pepper. Mix in 2 eggs and mix well. Add ground beef and Almond meal and mix well with your hands! Add seasonings. I forgot to add tomato sauce or tomato paste but the flavor was great without.

In muffin tins add meatloaf mixture. My meat filled 12 tins exactly. Bake for 20 minutes or until meatloaf is done. While they are in the oven scoop out the center of the sweet potatoes and mash with a fork. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix a little more. Add the sweet potato mixture into a baggie and cut off one corner (just like if you were going to add icing to something) and top the meatloaf muffins with the sweet potato.

Not quite yet

So I haven't started the Whole 30 just yet.  I learned my lesson that eating super clean for even a few days and then having a cheat like frozen yogurt can have unintended consequences, yikes! I had a big break through yesterday and got 6 handstand pushups, had to kip them, but still did them!  Yes!!!  I got to check off one more item on my list of things I can't do.  Every time I get to do this I get more motivated to conquer the next thing!

I had cinnamon roll french toast for breakfast this morning and I can barely keep my eyes open right now.  Partly due to the weather, mostly due to my horrible, yet yummy breakfast!  8/1 is fast approaching and while I plan on eating as clean as possible, I'm not sure I'll give up some of my cheats until we all start the challenge.  As soon as I get the motivation to go grocery shopping I plan on making a meatloaf muffin with sweet potato icing recipe which sounds really good!  I'll post the recipe as soon as I make it.  Go to love lazy Sundays!

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Coconut Crispy Chicken Salad

This salad is GREAT!  I made it yesterday and didn't end up eating it until today.  So with that said the chicken was a little less crispy than I'm sure it would have been if I ate it right after making it.  That said, it was still really good!  The recipe called for unsweetened dried cranberries and to my knowledge no such thing exists.  However, I found freeze dried cranberries and mangos at Wholefoods.  NOTHING is added to them at all and they are crunchy and tasty and delish!!!  Great as a topping to this salad or just as a snack!

Anyways,  below is the recipe.  For the dressing I just made up a small amount to use as needed because I didn't want it to get soggy.  I mixed a small amount of lime juice, spicy mustard (with no sugar added to it) and coconut milk.  SOOO Good!  Also, I used Coconut meal instead of Almond meal, figured it would give it a little more coconut taste!

I found the recipe using Chowstalker.  You can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients
1.5 lbs chicken breast (used about 1/2 for this and the rest i'll eat for lunch this week)
1/2 cup almond meal
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 head of green leaf lettuce
1/2 avocado
1/2 small red onion
1/6 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1/4 up sunflower seeds
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons mustard (spicy brown, i would have used something milder, but it was the only one I had that is paleo friendly)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


1) Cut chicken breasts into small 3 bite sized pieces, about 1/4 inch think
2) Set up 3 bowls 1 with almond meal, 1 with eggs, and 1 with coconut flakes seasoned with salt
3) Dredge all chicken pieces, first lightly in almond meal, the lightly in the eggs, then press a little bit firmer into the coconut flakes. Lay coated chicken in a single layer on a plate before cooking.
4) Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan on medium high (if you use 1.5 lbs of chicken like me, you'll probably need to use to pan) when the oil is hot place the chicken in the pan, and cook for 3 minutes
5) When chicken has browned flip over and cook for another 3 minutes
6) While the chicken is cooking prepare the salad, cut up lettuce and top with diced avocado, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and thinly sliced onion. Separate evenly into two bowls.
7) Make dressing by juicing lime in top a bowl and a mustard, whisk together and then slowly whisk in olive oil. Taste and then season with salt and pepper if desired
8) Remove chicken pieces from pan and salt to taste.
9) Top salad with chicken pieces (3-4 each) and dress with lime dressing.

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Paleo Pad Thai and Sunshine Sauce

I have to say, this recipe was pretty dang close to the real thing and was REALLY good!  Below is the recipe as stated in the Whole 30 success guide.  I made the following changes:

I used 4 chicken breasts instead of 2.  Rather than measure out the spaghetti squash I just used a whole squash.  I also don't like peas and neither does Matt so instead I added green onions in place of the peas.  I topped the dish with fresh cilantro and slivered almonds.  It ended up giving us about 4 servings.  The sauce didn't needed to be changed, was more than enough to give everything great flavor. SO GOOD!!

I would recommend cooking the squash ahead of time to save time.  

Ingredients for Pad Thai:

• Grilled chicken thigh or breast, diced (portioned for two).
• 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
• 1 cup snap peas, slivered
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP coconut aminos (I found it at Whole Foods)
• Cooking fat of choice (I used coconut oil)
• 2 batches of Sunshine Sauce (recipe at the bottom!)

Directions:
Heat some cooking fat in a pan over medium heat.  Saute the onion and snap peas until crispy-tender, not too long.  Then set aside.

Heat a little more cooking fat in the pan.  Mix the raw eggs with the coconut aminos.  Pour in the egg and let spread out into a pancake.  Cook the eggs in a flat sheet until they are set and beginning to brown, then flip to lightly brown the other side.  Cut the eggs into strips and set aside.

Heat a little more fat in the pan.  Add the spaghetti squash, snap peas/onions, eggs and chicken.  Stir fry until heated through.  Add the Sunshine Sauce and stir fry until everything is well blended and hot.

Top with any or all of these:

• Chopped Cashews, almonds or sunflower seeds
• Chopped scallions
• Chopped cilantro
• A squeeze of lime juice

Sunshine Sauce Recipe
Double the recipe below for the Pad Thai and DO NOT USE THE WATER.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP organic Sunbutter (if you are doing Whole30, be careful only the Organic Sunbutter brand doesn't have added sugar etc, I made this mistake so will have to be more careful next time!)
• 2 TBSP lime juice
• 1/2 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic paste
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• 2 tsp coconut milk
• Dried or fresh ginger, to taste
• 2 TBSP water, as needed

Directions
Blend all ingredients (except water) in a food processor or blender.  If desired, add water slowly until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.  Eat.

** I just used a fork to blend in a bowl and it worked just fine!

Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations: Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review/Giveaway

First I have to say that I LOVE the Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations blog. I stumbled upon this blog through Chow Stalker, another great PALEO site. There are tons of great recipes and information on this blog. Best part, he is offering a Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway! For all those crossfitting paleo nerds out there, this is our kind of giveaway! Visit the link below to learn how to enter the giveaway. And while your at it, if you read my blog consider following it as I plan to add recipes and lots of great informatoin regarding the Whole 30 I'm about to embark on!

Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations: Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review/Giveaway

Cleaner Eating

So I'm close to Whole30 type eating, however since I have planned cheats coming up, I've decided to wait to dive in to it completely until at least next week.  I will be going wine tasting with my dad this weekend (and other family and friends!) as a belated fathers day gift.  Who am I to deny him his father's day gift by not drinking wine with him?!  Haha, so knowing that is on Saturday I figure I'll eat as clean as I can while still enjoying heavy cream in my coffee and maybe some FroYo at some point this week too.  Since I'll be going 30 days CLEAN I figure I can have one last cheat.  You can save your comments if you don't agree with me because I'm pretty stubborn and don't plan on changing my mind anytime soon on the FroYo!

One other thing I haven't given up yet is stepping on the scale.  Now I don't do it near as often as I used to and DON'T step on it after a cheat day but have to say that I am pleased to see my numbers return to pre vacationish just after two whole days of clean eating.  I know I'm not supposed to step on the scale during the Whole 30 and I mostly promise I won't :) 

After last night's 2lb PR (hey gotta celebrate the little things) and tasty shake, I'm feeling more confident going in to this that I can continue to gain strength and improve in the gym while cleaning up my eating and *fingers crossed* losing some weight.

The food I cooked up on Monday is almost gone, enough for Matt and I to both have lunch.  That means when I get home from the gym tonight, dinner won't be ready.  I always find that either I cook too much and it goes to waste, or not enough and then I'm left scrambling.  So today when I can find a spare minute I am going to find a few new recipes, hopefully easy ones, to make tonight and tomorrow while I'm working from home.

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Post Workout Shake and a Pasta Salad!

So yesterday's shake was N A S T Y!  However, not one to give up after one failure, I decided to give it another try today!  Today's shake was T A S T Y!!!  I am feeling more confident about transitioning completely to Whole 30 now that I know I have a post workout shake that actually tastes good!

Oh also, I got a 2lb PR on my Push Press tonight!  I'm now at 120!

Recipe:
4 eggs whites (16 grams of protein, add more or less depending on what your nutritional needs are)
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut milk

I blend everything together in my blender and keep cold until I'm ready to drink it.  This one actually tasted really good!  If you add more protein than listed above be sure to add carbs too in order to get a good carb:protein ratio.

Pasta Salad
This is a SUPER simple recipe that I created on my own (well modified from one I found online but still)

Cook 1 spaghetti squash (takes about an hour in the oven so do this ahead of time)
Cut up 4 cooked chicken breasts and add to the spaghetti squash (after cooking and shredding of course)
Add 1 red pepper (or other colors or even other veggies you want)
Mix everything together.  Then add lemon and lime juice for flavor with some olive oil for desired 'wetness', since this is your dressing.  I also added some onion powder.  Otherwise, nothing to it.  Serve cold!

W30/Paleo Recipe - Paleo Casserole

So I am making an effort to clean up my eating so that when I make the 8/1 cutover the only things I'm really giving up are my occasional cheats, alcohol, my coffee creamer and sweetener, and gum.  Oh yeah, have I told you I'm freaking out about not being able to chew gum!!  I am paranoid about having bad breath and ALWAYS have gum in my purse so I can ensure I'm never THAT person.  However, on the Whole 30 I can't chew gum.  This freaks me out more than not being able to use my heavy cream and Truvia in my coffee!  Yikes!!!

I got really brave yesterday and aside from doing the workout RX (well at least the front squat, 5 rounds of 7 135# front squats) I also made my own recovery 'shake'.  It was GROSS!  I almost threw it back up about 10 times.  However, with some tweaks here and there I think I can come up with something not so nasty.  My shake yesterday consisted of 2 raw eggs, 3/4 cup pumpkin, 1/4 cup coconut milk (canned) with cinnamon and nutmeg.  I blended this up and although it was supposed to be pudding, it wasn't.  For today I'm going to try it again but I am going to add in some applesauce as well.  My carb to protein ratio was not optimal yesterday so I'm hoping that today it will be better!

I also cooked my pants off yesterday!  I made some avocado deviled eggs for a pre-workout snack.  I simply mixed the egg yolks with avocado and a little tomato paste to create a super healthy snack.  They don't taste as amazing as normal deviled eggs, but again with a few tweaks I think this will be a great snack!

I also made a paleo casserole (recipe below). I didn't use the eggs because, well lets be honest, that 'shake' I made yesterday left me a little egged out!  It turned out really good though.  I just added spices as I went and came up with a SUPER healthy, SUPER clean meal!

On top of that I made a 'pasta' salad which I'll post later today or tomorrow.  Enjoy!


Paleo Casserole:

Recipe can be found here.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground meat
• 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 Zucchinis 
• 1 Sweet Potato 
• 2 Carrots 
• Onion 
• 3 cloves Garlic
• Handful of Chopped Mushrooms
• 3 Eggs
• Oregano
• Salt n Pepper

Directions:

 

Turn on your oven to 400•. Slice your zucchini on a mandolin into thin noodles and set aside. Cook our meat on your stove top. While the meat is cooking cut up your carrots on the mandolin and grate you sweet potato with a cheese grater. I find sweet potatoes to hard to slice on my mandolin. When the meat is almost cooked add the tomato paste, onions, garlic and the mushroom. Cook for a few minutes more. Once the meat is cooked add it to a large bowl and add in the zucchini, sweet potato and carrots. Whisk the three eggs and add those to the bowl along with the spices. Mix everything together and add to an 9″x13″ dish, cover with foil and toss in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 20 minutes and you are all done. Enjoy.

**I added onion powder and chili powder to the beef and a little bit extra to the dish as well**

Preparing for W30

I did a lot of research last night and bought the Whole 30 Success Guide today.  I actually found TONS of recipes I'm excited to make and am honestly looking forward to starting this challenge.  In fact, I might start it earlier than the 8/1 date just because I'm so excited about it and try to go longer than 30 days so I'll still be doing it with everyone from the gym.  For now I'm starting to make small changes to clean up my eating.  I know they say to jump right in to it, that it's not hard.  And maybe it's not hard, but it can be really expensive to buy all new food for your house.  So for now I am going to use up some of the things sitting around the house, slowly transition from heavy cream in my coffee to coconut milk, from bacon and eggs to veggie scrambles and hopefully start feeling that much better each day!

I learned some interesting things from reading the success guide which differ a bit from other paleo websites.  First, pineapple is actually a preferred fruit, whereas apples are not.  I thought pineapple had too much sugar and was to be avoided, however I'm reading differently, which is great and awesome and I'm excited because Matt and I both LOVE pineapple!

• Preferred fruits include: blackberries, blueberries, cherries, kiwi, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple, plum, raspberries, strawberries

Also, I see green beans are included on the shopping list of what vegetables to buy, I thought green beans were off limits.  I still don't plan on adding them in, but now I'm curious.  Also, corn is technically a grain, not a vegetable...WOAH!  That changes some thinking now doesn't it!

I knew that fats were important and should come from good sources, however I always considered almonds a good source.  Turns out, they are more of an occasional type of fat source, below are the best fat sources for both monounsaturated and saturated fats:

• Avocado, avocado oil, hazelnuts/filberts, macadamia nuts, macadamia oil, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut flakes, coconut milk, animals fats

Polyunsaturated fats should be eaten occasionally and include:

• Almonds/Almond butter, brazil nuts, cashews/cashew butter, pecans, pistachio

I'm not trying to give away the Whole 30 information for free, however I think it's really important people realize that even when we choose to eat fruits, vegetables and nuts that there are better sources than others, which may differ from what we originally thought.  I am only on page 17 of 85 and have already learned that some of what I thought was a good option may only be an okay option with better ones out there.

I have to say that I am REALLY excited to go to the Sherwood farmers market this weekend, I'll be filling the dog's backpacks up with tons of fresh produce!  If anyone knows of a great place to find CHEAP farm fresh eggs please let me know.  Eggs have been an important protein source for me and will likely increase in importance since they are so easy to prepare and go well in so many different things.  However, it can be expensive to buy organic, farm fresh eggs from the store so I'd like to find a better option if possible!

Also, if you haven't already, you should check out Chow Stalker!  It's a GREAT website with tons of recipes.  It's linked on the sidebar of my blog, so check it out!

I'll be posting some recipes this week, once I try them, with my reviews and revisions if any were made!

Whole 30 Rules

More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program.  Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness  and quality of life. 

1. Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc.  Read your labels (and your Success Guide FAQ), because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
2. Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, pre-packaged snacks or meals, protein bars, milk substitutes, etc.
3.  Do not consume alcohol, in any form.  (NEW! And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
4. Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, millet, oats, corn, rice, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa.  Yes, we said corn… for the purposes of this program, corn is a grain!  This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on.  Again, read your labels.
5. Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, kidney, lima, etc.), peas, lentils, and peanuts.  No peanut butter, either.  This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, tamari and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
6. Do not eat dairy. This includes all cow, goat or sheep’s milk, cream, butter, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream.
7. Do not eat white potatoes. It’s somewhat arbitrary, but they are carbohydrate-dense and nutrient poor, and also a nightshade (refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details).
8. Most importantly… do not try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold.  This means no “Paleo-fying”  less-than-healthy recipes – no Paleo pancakes, Paleo pizza, Paleo fudge or Paleo”ice cream.  Don’t mimic poor food choices during your Whole30 program!  Those kinds of food miss the point of the program entirely.

One last and final rule.  You are not allowed to step on the scale during your Whole30 program.  This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer.   So, no weighing yourself or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30.  (NEW!  We do encourage you to weigh yourself before and after, however, so you can see one of the more tangible results of your efforts when your program is over.)

he Fine Print

A few concessions, based on our experience, and those of our clients. These are less than optimal foods that we are okay with you including during your Whole30.  Including these foods in moderation should not negatively impact the results of your Whole30 program.

1. Fruit juice as a sweetener.  Some products will use orange or apple juice as a sweetener.  We have to draw the line somewhere, so we’re okay with a small amount of fruit juice as an added ingredient during your Whole30… but this doesn’t mean a cup of fruit juice is a healthy choice!  Refer to your Shopping Guide for clarification.
2. Processed Meat.  On occasion, we are okay with organic chicken sausage (those that are nitrate, sugar, gluten and dairy-free), and high quality deli meat, packaged fish (like tuna or smoked salmon) or jerky.  Read your labels carefully, because Whole30-approved processed meats, especially jerky, are hard to find.
3. Certain legumes.  We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas.   While they’re technically a legume, these are far more “pod” than “bean”, and green plant matter is generally good for you. (Refer to the FAQ for details.)
4. Certain processed foods.  We’re okay with cans or jars of olives, coconut milk, sauces and spice mixtures like tomato sauce or curry, or vegetables like sweet potato or butternut squash, but only if the labels prove they’re “clean”.  (Refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details.)
5. Vinegar.  NEW!  All vinegar, with the exception of malt vinegar (which generally contains gluten), is allowed during your Whole30. This includes white, apple cider, balsamic, red wine, rice, and other non-malt vinegar varieties.

Count Down to the Whole 30

Read through my blog and you'll know that I know that I need to be strict about my diet.  I have been paleo for awhile now (with cheats) but it's more of a dirty paleo as I still use protein shakes, protein bars and recovery shakes which are definitely not clean, real foods. 

A girl at my gym posed the Whole 30 challenge, and since I'm not one to turn down a challenge, I told everyone that I'M IN!  I am nervous because I have a few things that I allow myself as cheats which I'll have to give up.  These are more comforts to me, habits that start my day (heavy cream in my coffee), end my workouts (recovery drinks) and end my hectic work weeks (nice cold glass of beer or a glass of wine).  I started to try to justify some cheats here and there but really, what does that say about me that I can't go 30 days without cream, recovery drinks or alcohol?  I know that I need to reset my body and get my diet back on track.  I really want to achieve some of the body weight movement goals I've had for awhile (strict pullups, handstand pushups, ring dips) and I know that if I can bring my body weight down a bit it will make it easier to achieve these!

So what is the Whole 30?  Well, it's basically 30 days of eating really clean.  Real food, no sugar, no grains, no alcohol, no legumes, no fake/processed anything.  You can read more here: Whole30

So with this challenge looming in the very near future I figured it was time to start blogging again as a way to share successes, struggles, recipes etc.  I am trying to get prepared now by slowly getting rid of the non-Whole 30 stuff in my house and transitioning to different post WOD recovery food etc.  Certainly the last thing to go will be the cream for my coffee!!

So for today I am going to try to research some dinner ideas.  Dinner is the meal I need the most help with.  Breakfast is almost completely Whole 30 compliant so I'm going to start with the meal that isn't and work my way through all meals as part of planning for this challenge.  Matt is going to do it with me so that will be fun!

Crock Pot Pork-Stuffed Peppers

I made this tonight and it's currently cooking in the crock pot.  I have a large crock pot and wish I had bought 6 green bell peppers instead of three because I had the room and PLENTY of the meat mixture left over.  So, if you have a large crockpot, I would go with 6 instead of 4.  The recipe and pictures below can be found here. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground pork (or a combination of pork and beef)
• 4 large green peppers
• 1 large onion
• 2 carrots
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dry oregano
• 1 tablespoon dry or fresh tarragon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tops of the peppers and clean the seeds out.

Arrange peppers in the Crock-Pot standing up and make sure they fit securely.
Grate onion, carrots, garlic and cauliflower in the food processor. You can also just chop them into small pieces with a knife if you don’t have a food processor.

In a big bowl, combine ground pork, shredded vegetables, seasonings and tomato paste.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the peppers with the mixture and arrange leftover meat between the peppers. Add half a cup of water, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

If you don’t have a slow-cooker, the dish can be cooked in the oven, covered, for 1-2 hours.

BBQ Pulled Pork - To be used with the BBQ Sauce

The pulled pork recipe is SUPER simple, all you need is the following ingredients and a crock pot.  I cooked it for 8 hours...it was PERFECT!!

4 pound pork shoulder or boston butt
28 oz. of liquid (i used chicken stock)
2 bay leaves
1.5 medium onions, chopped or sliced

Put the onions and bay leaves on the bottom, put the pork shoulder on top and then pour in the liquid.  Cover, cook and shred!

Recipe can be found here.

Paleo BBQ Sauce (for the pulled pork!)

I've been looking around for paleo BBQ sauce recipes that tastes like BBQ sauce.  There is SO much sugar in conventional BBQ sauce and this one seems to be pretty close.

To start with, I made up a batch of Paleo Ketchup (recipe found here)
1 small can (384 mL/12 oz) of plain, sugar-free tomato sauce
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
a pinch of ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Let cool and transfer to container and then into fridge.
 This recipe omits the sugar/artificial sweetener. Also, this does not last as long as store bought (no preservatives) so its good for a few weeks

I then added (and doubled) the ingredients below to the sauce pan to make the BBQ sauce.  I ended up adding 5 packets of Truvia to add a little sweetness to it, can't wait to eat it with my pulled pork!


Spicy Paleo BBQ Sauce (recipe found here)

-1 c paleo ketchup (As I mentioned above, I used the whole recipe which was about 2 cups so I doubled everything below)

-4 tsp Dijon mustard

-4 tsp apple cider vinegar

-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

-2 tsp liquid smoke

-1 tsp cayenne pepper (or less, depending on your taste)

-1/2 tsp mustard powder

-1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix everything well. I imagine that doing this over low heat would allow for some nice flavor infusion, but I mixed it cold and it tasted pretty darn good.

4/27

So today, just like every Wednesday, we did the sectional WOD.  Last one!  I'd like to say I went in to it with the right mind set, but I didn't.  I knew that the chest to bar pull-ups would be a struggle and I also had  small tear in my right hand from practicing chest to bar pull-ups.  I got stuck on the first round of C2B pull-ups and that got in my head.  My hand starting ripping more and rather than push through it I started to break down.  Oh well, shrug it off.  I have another chance on Saturday and I'm hoping my hand will be better by then.  But either way, its the last workout.  I've already done 5 and I'm not going to quit now.  Suck it up, move on and get mentally right for Saturday (right coach T?!).

So today marks 4 days in a row of getting home from the gym and running the dogs.  I've only been running them about a mile as I don't have much time but it feels great!  I've started running the foster dog Nena too.  I probably ran 1.5 miles today but since I didn't measure out my run with Nena I'm only going to count my run with my dogs.  I feel good this week but a bit tired that's for sure.  I keep telling myself I will go to bed early but find ways to stay awake.  Last night it was the new show The Voice, love it!!

Okay, so on with a new day tomorrow, which also happens to be a rest day, yay!  Only walks no runs with any of the dogs!

Today's WOD
(EACH ROUND YOU +3 REPS)

3 THRUSTERS 100/65
3 CHEST TO BAR PULL UPS (I got through the 3's and then got my 6 thrusters.  Damn C2B pull-ups!)
Then...
In teams of three do 3 rounds of:
Row
Plank Hold
Run 250 meter (The run sets the pace, switch movement when runner gets back)

Weekly Miles Run: 6
Weekly Goal: 8
Weekly Meters Rowed: 2000
Weekly Goal: 4000

4/26

No running this morning.  Alarm was set, I got up and refused to run.  I am picking up a new foster dog tonight so it will be important to run my dogs at least, if not her as well (separately) to help get rid of some energy.  I'm thinking I'll run each set of dogs 1-1.5 miles which should get me some good mileage.  Hopefully the rain will hold off.

I had a good workout yesterday.  Stayed after to work on my chest to bar pullups and I think I have them.  I got a small rip in my hand so I'll have to take it easy for a day or two so my hand can heal but I'm feeling more confident about the last sectional WOD now that I can do C2B pullups!

TODAY's WOD
PUSH PRESS 10×2 (I possibly got a PR on this, haha.  I know I was doing over 100lbs but didn't do the math.  It was tough so that's what counts!)

WEIGHTED PULL UP 5/4/3/2/1 (Since I can't do deadhang pullups I worked on doing them with small bands)


THEN…


AMRAP 15 MINUTES in Teams of 4


ABMAT SIT UP
SLAM BALL
HSPU
250 Meter Run
Weekly Miles Run:5
Weekly Goal:8
Weekly Meters Rowed: 1000
Weekly Goal:4000

4/25

Okay so tracking everything every day just isn't practical.  Nope, not at all.  So how about just my training as well as general thoughts and musings.  Sounds better!

My week as far as tracking goes starts on Sunday. I took Po and Remi for a nice and slow 3 mile run yesterday.  They are out of shape so our pace was pretty slow.  Plus I'm not sure Po's pace is ever faster than a 10 minute mile!  I am running in the Cinco de Mayo 10k with my brother, which is in 14 days.  I am not really in running shape right now, at least not 10k running shape so I am going to start running as much as possible between now and then!

I planned on running before work today but lets be honest, I HATE doing anything in the morning.  I then thought I would run during lunch but my card to get in to the building with the locker room isn't working so that will have to wait. So for now, until I can confirm that my card works I guess I'll have to run in the morning.  Boo!

In other news, Team Wolfpack (Crossfit Lake Oswego's Games Team) is doing great and will likely get to compete in the Affiliate portion of regionals!  I can't wait!  Looks like a few of us girls are going to start adding in additional workouts together to start working on our overall strength.  This PROBABLY means some early morning or late evenings so I better get used to it now!

Today's WOD:
7×3 BOX SQUAT (top weight was 163)
5×3 BACK SQUATS (top weight was 163 I think)
THEN…
THREE ROUNDS,
15 SQUAT CLEANS 95/65
50 DOUBLE UNDERS

Weekly Miles Run: 4
Weekly Goal: 8
Weekly Meters Rowed: 1000
Weekly Goal: 4000

Paleo Recipe - Primal Tortillas

I made pork carnitas last night and found this recipe today, perfect timing if you ask me!  I'll try making this in the next day or two.  Primal tacos with tortillas, so excited!!

Recipe can be found here.

Primal Tex-Mex Tortillas: Makes 4 tortillas


Ingredients:
■1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
■2 eggs
■2 tablespoons olive oil
■1 teaspoon lime
■2 tablespoons coconut flour
■1/4 teaspoon baking powder
■1/2 teaspoon cumin
■1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions:
Whisk together water, eggs, olive oil and lime.

Mix together coconut flour, baking powder, cumin and chili powder.

Slowly pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking as you pour so clumps don’t form.


Heat several tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, pour 1/4 cup of batter in the pan, tilting pan so the batter spreads thinly.


Let the batter sit untouched for one minute then put a lid on the pan and cook one minute more. Flip the tortilla and fry for 2 more minutes.

Paleo Recipe: Pork Carnitas

Since I am a HUGE fan of easy meals, this one scores high on my I Would Make This Again scale.  It's super easy and tastes great!  I let it cook all night and woke up to a house that smelled great!  I shredded the pork as I got ready for work and put some in a bowl to take to work.  I plan on eating it over shredded lettuce with avocado and salsa!

Recipe can be found here.



What You'll Need:

• few slices of bacon chopped
• pork shoulder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2- whole can of chipotle peppers (depending on your heat preferences)
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cans of chicken stock or water (about 28oz)

 Here is what you do:

First, cook the bacon.  Cut it up in to small pieces and if possible cook it in a deep enough pan that you can use for browning the pork shoulder as well.  Once the bacon is cooked remove from the pan (keeping the bacon fat).  Turn up the heat and brown the pork shoulder on all sides (should only take a few minutes).  Once browned, put everything in the crock pot including the bacon (I didn't add the bacon fat).  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Once done, shred the meat and put back in the liquid until ready to serve.  Simple as that!

4/21/11

I decided to start tracking what I'm eating and what I'm doing to train mostly so I can analyze and tweak/fix but also just to share in case anyone is actually interested.

Today is a rest day so I plan on taking the dogs on a 1 mile run just to move (assuming the rain holds off and/or isn't too bad).  I also plan on working on my Power Clean with an empty bar just to continue working on better form.  Otherwise no other activitiy, I am pretty beat up from this week so far and need a day of rest so I can kick WOD #5's ass tomorrow!!

Breakfast
 - 3 farm fresh eggs from the farm scramble with onions, baby bell peppers, mushrooms, green onions, turkey pepperoni and avocado, so good! 1 apple, 1 cup of coffee at the house and a splurge on a grande sugar free caramle machiatto (with regular milk since it has less sugar than fat free milk).  I know I know but I had to take Jojo to the vet early this morning out on 82nd and needed some liquid courage both to take her in for the spay (means I'm one day closer to her going to her forever home) and, um..the location was kind of sketch!
Lunch
2 all natural chicken sausages with vegan/paleo ketchup (no sugar!) and avocado
Snack - None, yay!
Dinner
Protein shake
Snack
Applesauce and almonds

How I moved - I didn't run the dogs and worked on my clean catch with no bar, so basically I took a total rest day and it felt great!

4/20/11

Two days no whip cream!!  I did still have a late night snack of applesauce and almonds but it wasn't whip cream.  I need to get myself out of this late night snacking habit but for now being able to move away from things with NO nutritional value is a step in the right direction.

The sectional WOD's for this week and next week have been released.  The good news, I can do both of them!  My goal was to be able to do all 6 workouts as prescribed and I will be able to say I did that.  My secondary goal is to try to stay in the top 1/4 or 1/3 of the region which is also still in reach.  I will be doing sectional WOD 5 on Friday and tonight will likely do a partial version of it (10 minutes instead of 20) as well as working on clean technique and a few other things. Tomorrow is a rest day which I am looking forward too as I'm tired!  The Crossfit Lake Oswego team is close to being able to qualify for regionals as a team so I want to do my very best to help the team make it!

Here is what I ate:
Breakfast
2 pieces of bacon, 3 eggs and an apple (plus 2 cups of coffee with a little half/half and truvia)
Lunch
Leftover steak and a huge salad with tons of veggies, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Snack
Cut up strawberries and almonds
Post Workout Shake (ARM)
Dinner
Protein shake with almond milk, protein powder and almond butter with 3/4 cup applesauce
Snack
Applesauce (yes more, needed something a little sweet) and some almonds
Here is how I moved:
I ate some dark chocolate covered almonds at work that I ordered for my co-worker's daughters fundraiser. I felt guilty about eating these so I counted how many I ate (7) and how many calories I need to burn to negate them and went on a 2.2 mile walk during lunch, haha! My co-workers thought I was crazy! It was so nice outside that the walk felt great either way!

WOD
Warm-up these days seems to include a 1k run for time..hmm :)
THEN
Technique work on Press, Push Press, Push Jerk and Split Jerk with PVC
Split Jerk Technique work at #65
THEN
8 rounds
Sprint to the road and back (about 100m)
10 pull-ups
15 push-ups
Situps for the rest round (2:30min rounds)
THEN
I rowed 1k to make sure I keep making progress towards my 4k goal per week
THEN
When I got home I ran all 3 dogs for 1 mile
Weekly Run Total: 3.25
Weekly Row Total: 2k

4/19/11

Day one of giving up whip cream cold turkey.  Also Day two of the run/row/extra WOD personal challenge. 

I set my alarm to get up early and run the dogs.  That didn't happen.  I have a few excuses ready to throw at you, but it just didn't happen.  So that means I have to run tonight. 

Here is what I ate:
Breakfast
2 pieces of bacon, 3 eggs and an apple (plus 1 1/2 cups of coffee with a little half/half and truvia)
Lunch
Hamburger patty with some ketchup, huge salad full of veggies with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Snack
Cut up strawberries and almonds
Post Workout Shake (ARM)
Dinner
Two all natural sundried tomato and basil chicken sausages
3/4 cup applesauce
Snack
Handful of almonds
Here is how I moved
WOD
ATLAS STONE 5×3 (Lap to shoulder)
I started with 70 lbs and was able to work up to 100 lbs!  Super fun and something that makes me feel like a strongman :)

We then did a little gasser before the actual WOD:
3 Rounds
3 atlas stone lap to shoulder (3 on each shoulder)
6 burpees
Sprint to the street and back
AMRAP 12 MINUTES (I did 7 rounds plus 5 K2E, 5 HSPU and 3 G2O)
5 Strict Knee to Elbows
5 HSPU (I did them on the box)
10 Ground to Overhead (75/55)
THEN….
1 MINUTE MAX DOUBLE UNDERS (I got 70)
Followed by that many four count flutter kicks. (We only did 50, so 200 total flutter kicks because I can't do 4 counts that high)

THEN....
When I got home I took all three dogs on a 1.25 mile run. Whew, I was TIRED when all was said and done!

I didn't row when means I need to row tonight...ugh!  And run tonight...ugh!

I know what I need to do, I just don't always do it

I get paleo, I get healthy eating, I get working out and training.  I do, I get it.  However, I don't always do what I should, or shouldn't do.  For example, I follow the paleo diet.  But do I REALLY follow the paleo diet?  I'm pretty sure whip cream in a can is not paleo, yet I eat it every day.  You could say I'm addicted to it.  Weird, I know.  But the can says only 15 calories in a serving (which is only 2 tbsp but who's counting) so I figure it's better than say, an entire bar of dark chocolate.  However, I eat way more than the serving and don't really pay attention.  I eat WAY too many almonds, I need to back to the ones that don't taste as good (the raw, unsalted kind).  That will help!  Anyways, I recently switched to CFLO and really want to take my training to the next level.  I am in LOVE with the Crossfit games and love looking at the amazing achievements everyone is making each week.  My goal is to be able to do the workout each week as prescribed, to at least get one point.  Last week I couldn't do all three movements, but in all honesty, I didn't even have time to try for the muscle up.  Everyone comes in to the gym on Saturday and does the WOD as a team, man is that motivating!  To have so many people working so hard pushes you to a level you might not have known was there!

Participating in the games open has been such an eye opener for me, more on what is possible to achieve instead of what I am lacking.  I have many weaknesses, but knowing that I've only been training for 6 months, and that for a few of those months I couldn't even do workouts as prescribed in only motivation to train harder to see what I can achieve!

Matt and I made a promise to row an extra 4k each week for 4 weeks.  We both hate rowing so the goal is to force ourselves to do something we don't like and also to push our endurance and abilities by doing a little extra after most workouts.  I also am getting back in to running.  I took the dogs out for 1 mile yesterday and it felt great, well at least for me, Po wanted to quit.  So my goal is to add in more running, rowing as well as a few extra workouts either at the gym or at home to really step things up.  I always say what I need to do and usually do for awhile before I slip back to my old ways.  So, not only is it time to get back on track with running and extra workouts, it's time to give up the whip cream.  Yupp, quitting cold turkey today!  Haha, so stupid I know.  I just need to work through my late night snack cravings.  I used to eat dark chocolate every night and gave that up for hot chocolate (25 calorie packs in almond milk) but then I added the whip cream in, which isn't measured at all!  So now I'm quitting whip cream cold turkey.  I'll still allow the hot chocolate because it is measured and controlled, but that's it. 

I'm going to try for 8 miles a week, 4k on the rower and 2-3 extra workouts (running can be part of the workout but not the whole workout).  So far this week I've run 1 mile, rowed 1k and did 1 extra workout. 

Goals (non are weight related):  Be able to do handstand pushups with only one ab mat, be able to do 5 unassisted ring dips, squat clean 125, be able to do 5 strict pullups.  I'm not sure my timeline for these goals as some will come faster than others, but there you have it.  My extra workouts will definitely be focused on achieving these goals.  Once I mark one off, I'll add in another, because lets me honest, I have A LOT to improve upon but you have to start somewhere!

Paleo Recipe - Curried Shrimp and Spinach

I found this DELISH and super simple dish that I'd eating right now!  You can find the original recipe here.

I used frozen chopped spinach (way easier than actually chopping it myself).  Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and served it over cauliflower rice. So good!!

Ingredients


•2 lbs shrimps, peeled and deveined;

•2 tbsp ghee, butter or coconut oil;

•1 onion, chopped;

•2 tsp curry powder;

•2 tsp tomato paste;

•1/2 cup homemade chicken stock;

•1 cup full-fat coconut milk;

•2 tightly packed cups shredded spinach;

•Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1.Heat a large skillet over a medium-low heat and cook the onion in the ghee, butter or coconut oil until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes.

2.Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir in the curry powder and continue cooking for a minute.

3.Place mixture in a blender or a food processor, add the tomato paste as well as the chicken stock and coconut milk. Process or blend until smooth.

4.Pour the mixture back in the skillet and bring to a simmer.

5.Add the shrimps and spinach and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the shrimps are just cooked.

One handstand pushup at a time

It's really easy, at least for me, to get caught up on what I can't do, what I need to work on and what I hope to achieve in a very short amount of time.  Yes, I'm referring to Crossfit here and in general my physical abilities.  I don't like not being able to do something and I don't like failure.  I've come to terms with where my current abilities are and I've embraced my strengths and 'goats'.  But every now and then my ego gets the best of me.  I did sectional WOD #1 and I was in the top 60!  I'm not going to lie, this went to my head a little bit and I already started imaging what if...what if I actually could place in the top 60.

Sectional WOD #2 came around and I was quickly humbled.  I fell down to 88th place (top 60 go on to regionals).  Then sectional WOD #3 came and I made no progress towards the top 60.  This quickly humbled me and I honestly felt like saying, well, maybe next year. 

We took a mini vacation this weekend, and I did some major diet damage.  Upon returning home we decided we needed to workout.  I looked online and found a WOD I really wanted to do.  It included handstand pushups, something I haven't been able to do at all.  Something I've been working on.  So I picked that WOD and decided, you know what, I'm going to do this!  And I did!  I modified by having the pad for my head higher than it should be, but I did it!  I achieved one of my goals, just one, but it felt great!  I am stronger now that I was last month and this was something I achieved on my own.  I've been practicing and working on building the strength and confidence to do handstand pushups.

So this got me thinking, first of all, why did I ever expect I would be in the top 60?  I should, and am, be super happy to be in the top 100!  I will be super happy to finish in the top 1/4 or 1/3 in our region and I need to focus on that.  This is a time to push myself and enjoy being able to compete at all!  Being able to do this WOD helped me gain perspective on what I've achieved.  The fact that I am currently sitting at 100 out of 404 is amazing and I am really proud of myself for achieving this. 

So, one handstand pushup at a time, I am getting stronger and achieving goals.  It isn't going to come overnight and I need to always remember to focus on my achievements rather than dwell on my weaknesses.  Each day I am humbled by what I can't do, but I am learning to focus each of these experiences on becoming a better athlete and competitor.  The point of this journey is to push myself to see what I am capable of.  This may or may not ever take me to regionals, but one handstand pushup at a time, I am pushing myself to new limits and it makes me feel great!

Paleo Recipe - Apple Crunches

Another simple recipe that I found on the CFLO site (don't know who to give credit to but you should know by now they aren't my orignal recipes!).  This sounds like a super quick and fun snack to make!

Apple Crunches

• 1 granny smith
• 3 oz crushed cashews
• 6 oz coconut milk
• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg

 

Remove core and slice apples. Beat the egg and add the milk and juice in one bowl. In another put cashews and cinnamon and mix. Dredge the apple slice in milk then dip it in cashews, coat it. The coating will be sticky. You only have to coat one side. Line a pan with aluminum foil and grease with coconut oil or use parchment paper. Place the apples on the pan and bake at 350 until golden brown.

 

 

I haven't tried it yet but plan to try it and will provide an updated post with a review when I do.

Paleo Recipe - Pizza Crust

I was browsing through CFLO's website today and found a simple recipe for pizza crust, um YUM!  I've been wanting to make a paleo pizza but the recipes I've found have been complicated as far as what goes in the crust.  If you notice, I tend to only make simple recipes with minimal ingredients/prep time.  I think I'll make this sometime this week once I run out of my curry roast, which I can't wait to eat tonight!!

Pizza Crust

• 2 cups almond meal
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt.

Mix all ingredients together to form the dough and roll out on a non-stick pan as thin as possible. Bake crust at 350 for about 15 mins or until slightly browned. Once baked cover with tomato sauce of your choice and any from a million of pizza toppings. You can use goat cheese or real mozzarella, sticking to the 80/20 rule.

 

 

 

Affordable Paleo

Just a quick post here.  I braved the Sunday crowds today and went to Costco, Winco and Whole Foods.  Quite the opposites on the spectrum of costs and paleo options (Winco vs. Whole Foods).  For example, this is the type of people you run in to at Winco:

Anyways, back to my point here.  Following a true paleo diet, in which everything you eat is locally grown, grass fed, additive free can be very expensive.  So just like I use the 80/20 rule when decided when I'm going to eat paleo and when I might cheat, I follow the same rule, or similar rule, when buying my groceries each week.  While it's closer to 50/50, I still try to invest on the things I think are worth the money and save on other areas to make up for it.

So for example, today I went to Winco and bought some of the dairy products we add in (cottage cheese, whip cream) as well as bulk almonds and some veggies.  Now I know that organic veggies are better than normal, however to my next point.  I then went to Whole Foods where I bought all of the meat we would be eating (except the ground Turkey).  I ended up spending more money at Whole Foods for half the amount of items as I did at Winco, however at the end of the day splitting my groceries between the two places ended up costing the same as if I had gone to Safeway.  However I ended up with grass fed beef, uncured bacon, ketchup that literally has no sugar and a few other items that will be staples to the meals I make this week.

Had I done all my shopping at Whole Foods I'd need a second job.  So I decided what was worth the higher costs and what wasn't and split my grocery list accordingly.  Just one way to help make paleo eating more affordable.

Paleo Recipe - Slow Cooker Curry Pot Roast w/ Lime Cilantro C-Rice

Not my recipe - this is a repost from Feasting on Fitness.  Recipe can be found here.

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Pot RoastLip-smacking delicious--this is juicy, tender, shred-able beef fit for a feast!

Prep Time: 5-10min
Cooking Time: 6hrs on Low (or according to your own slow cooker's directions)

Ingredients:
1 can of coconut milk (NOT light)
1/2 bunch of washed, chopped cilantro
1-2 limes, juiced
2T Thai red curry paste (make sure the ingredients fit the bill, I used Thai Kitchen brand)
3 packets (more or less, your choice) of garlic (or about 20+ cloves)
3-4 (or more) -lb grass-fed beef roast (sirloin and chuck have worked well), deeply scored for more surface area
NOTE: despite being a curry, this one is very mild on the spiciness--if you want to liven it up, try adding some heat yourself (more/hotter curry paste, hot peppers, cayenne, etc.).

Method:
After you have the ingredients prepped, make a paste of the curry and lime juice so you can smear it over the roast (nooks and crannies too!).  Add the garlic and insert into the deep cuts in the roast (it'll melt like but-tah--oh yeah!).  Sprinkle on the cilantro and shove some in the pockets of the roast.  Now pour on the coconut milk.  Lid.  Walk away for six hours and return to deliciousness!

Note: most slow cookers change to warm after their cook time, so it's best to make this right before you go to bed.  Then, when you wake up, you can turn it off and cool it on the counter before whacking it in the refrigerator before you leave for work.  When you return home, the sauce will have congealed a bit, but some heat will melt it all back into a savory, deliciously rich sauce and warm that meat for shred-able delight.  Serve with a spoon as a stew or over Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice (recipe below) to sop up that flavor.  Yum!

Leftovers will last covered/sealed in the refrigerator for a week.

Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
I was trying to replicate Chipotle's cilantro-lime rice and it works--quite tasty and a great accompaniment to the roast for sopping up the delicious curry sauce!

Prep Time: 15min (or less)
Cook Time: 15min (or less)

Ingredients:
1 lime (or more to taste)
1/2 bunch washed, chopped cilantro
1 small head of cauliflower / half a large head per diner (more or less depending upon taste)
salt to taste

Method:
For my basic recipe, check out Kristy's Cauliflower Rice.  Here is a derivative:

Wash the cauliflower and break into small florets. Food process them in small batches, looking for the cauliflower to stick to the sides and the blade to spin freely (it tells you when it's done!).  Once done with all the batches, you can either cook with the cilantro, lime, and salt in a skillet or microwave in a covered container until softer and less smelly (cauliflower smells strongly once cut--try to cook it or freeze it at once, seal it up tight, and eat it quickly or your entire house will smell pretty sulfurous). The time it takes depends on your preference for doneness and how much you are trying to cook at once, but it's usually no more than 15min max for large batches.  Stir periodically during the cooking.

Alternatively, you can pre-cook halfway and freeze until you need it.  Then, just defrost, squeeze out some accumulated water or drain, and add the seasonings and cook briefly.  Since cauliflower rice is so messy (those little bits get EVERYWHERE), I like to make a whole bunch and freeze what I don't immediately need.  Timesaver!

Paleo Recipe - Meatloaf Muffins

**Update - I made these last night and although they were easy to make and tasted good, I would change a few things about the recipe.  The turkey combined with the salsa made for a liquidy mixture that had a little too much water in it.  In my experience ground turkey has a high water content.  Next time I make this I plan to use a low fat ground beef to reduce the excess liquids (fats too).  The zuccihini, while it adds veggies to the meal, also has a high water content.  I would suggest using a veggie with a lower water content.  Otherwise it tasted great and was super easy to make!**

Recipe found here. 

Turkey meatloaf muffins

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup salsa (I recommend using Trader Joes Salsa Athentica. It contains no sugar and is quite delicious!)
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 zucchini shredded, about 1 cup
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup coconut flour or almond meal
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the turkey, egg, salsa, red bell pepper, zucchini, onion, coconut flour and pepper. Mix well with hands until blended.

  

Line muffin pan with muffin cups. Fill cups with rounded handfuls of the meat mixture. I filled 12 muffin cups with this recipe.

  

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Top with salsa.

Enjoy!

And the winner is...

Karinya Moisan!  Congratulations, you get one free, slightly used copy of the Primal Blueprint!  I'll bring it by when I return your heaters!

Change is in the air

So my reason for not posting much lately is that there has been some change underway that has been really hard for me to make and I've kept it a bit of a secret until things were finalized and handled properly.  Part of why it is so hard is that it's not easy to be selfish and put myself first.  The other is that it is hard to say goodbye to a family I've come to be really close with.  So what is this change?  I'm moving to a different Crossfit gym.  Some of you out there are like, really, that's it?  However, for those of you that are Crossfitters, you know how stressful and hard something like this can be.  You get to be so close to the people you work out with every day, they become a family.  Making this decision has been very difficult, with the most difficult part being actually telling everyone.  Man I feel guitly and sad and a bit nervous about all of this.

CFA has been my family for 6 months now and is how I got my start with Crossfit.  As I've said before, Crossfit is what I was missing in my life.  Never before have I found something I love doing so much, well at least since soccer.  Its the team aspect, the competitive aspect, the work your ass off until you think you're going to pass out and then push yourself harder aspect. 

I believe it's time to take my training to the next level and really feel that I have the potential to compete at a higher level.  Wow, that's hard to say.  Sounds conceited and overly confident.  When I was in middle school I used to think I was going to be an Olympic athlete, that I was going to be the best.  Somewhere in high school I lost that feeling that I could be the best and was okay with being one of the better players, but not the best.  Crossfit humbles me every day, but it got me thinking.  Why can't I push myself harder and try to find some of that middle school pride in myself?  There really is no reason why I can't, so that's what I'm going to do.  I am going to invest in myself and see what I can do.  There is no better time than now and although that means I've had to make a hard decision about leaving, I know it's the best decision for me.

I thank everyone at CFA for becoming part of my family and pushing me to where I am right now.  I hope everyone can understand my reason for leaving and support me in my journey to see what I am capable of. 

If anyone would like to know more about my choices for leaving feel free to email me bsasser7@yahoo.com or Facebook message me. 

I will continue to post on my blog about my health and fitness journey, however will likely take a break for a week or two while I adjust to my new gym.  This blog is about me and my journey and no one should read anything else in to it than that.  Love you all, thanks again for getting me where I am right now.  This should be a wild ride!

Paleo Recipe - Chipotle Meatballs and Guac

This was a recipe success and was super easy to make!  I had it with a salad, you could serve it over cauliflower rice, with grilled veggies, with anything you want!  I definitely recommend this although it is a bit spicy, you could only use one pepper in the sauce which would make it not so spicy.

Also, I recommend putting the meatballs on an edged cookie sheet/baking pan for the broiling part.  This way you don't need to worry about ruining any dishes (I learned that pyrex cannot go under a broiler, neither can corningware).  Once the meatballs are done broiling, place them in over safe bowl so you can pour the sauce in.  It filled up my corningware dish so you'll want a decent sized one.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Meatballs and Guac

Meatball Ingredients 

• 1 lb. 94% ground turkey (any ground meat will do)
• 1/4 c almond meal
• 4 T bacon fat or butter (not melted)
• 2 eggs
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 t + 2 t oregano
• 1 c chicken stock
• 15 oz. diced tomatoes
• S & P

Guacamole Ingredients 

• 2 avocados
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 t chili garlic sauce
• S & P

Method
Preheat the oven to broil.
Place the ground turkey in a large bowl. In the large bowl of your food processor combine the eggs, almond meal, bacon fat or butter, 1 t oregano, 1 chipotle pepper and some S & P. Process until smooth and add to the turkey. Mix with your hands until combined. The mixture will be wet, don’t fret. Form the mixture into balls and place in an oven safe dish. Broil until browned, about 10 minutes.

While the meatballs are browning, add the diced tomatoes, 2 chipotle peppers, chicken stock and 2 t oregano to the same bowl of your food processor and pulse until smooth. Once the meatballs have browned, turn to oven to Bake at 450°F. Add the sauce to your oven safe dish and continue to bake until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 15 more minutes.

Now for the guacamole, place all the ingredients into the smallest bowl of your food processor. Pulse until it’s the consistency you like.

Pumpkin Pancake Failure

Paleo pancakes are not like traditional pancakes but usually can satisfy a craving for the card loaded deliciousness.  I tried to make paleo pumpkin pancakes this morning, but ended up with something that was closer to pumpkin pie filling than pancake...somewhere in between.  I tried adding more coconut milk like the recipe said...didn't help.  I tried adding in some almond flour because what the hell, it might help. It did, a little but the whole point was to not use flour, to keep these low in carbs. 

Needless to say my 'pancakes' did taste good and I ate them, but this is not a recipe I'd try again.  Now please note, I used canned pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes.  It's possible using a sweet potato (that you cook and mash yourself) would result in a much better pancake.  The biggest problem with these is flipping them, as soon as I would lift to flip, whatever wasn't on the spatula would fall off.  So tips, keep them small, maybe add some almond flour to help them keep some form, and have patience as it takes awhile to get anything that resembles a pancake.  Or maybe that's just me.  As I mentioned I'm not a good cook :)  Also I just used sugar free maple syrup instead of making the butter.

Sweet Potato Pancakes (I substituted canned pumpkin instead)

Ingredients 

• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ c sweet potato (about 1 large)
• ½ c almond butter
• ½ c carton unsweetened coconut milk (we used So Delicious brand)
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• ½ t nutmeg
• ½ t salt
• coconut oil

 

For the Maple, Pecan Coconut Butter (I didn't make this)

• 3 T coconut butter* (or use butter if you eat dairy)
• 3 T toasted pecans, chopped
• 2 T maple syrup
• 1 t cinnamon

 

Method

 

Peel, chop into small pieces, and boil your sweet potato until it’s fork tender.
Once the sweet potato is cooked and cooled, add all ingredients to blender and blend thoroughly.
Your batter should be pretty liquid-y thin. If it wouldn’t run off a spoon, it’s too thick…add a little more coconut milk until you get the right consistency.
Heat your griddle/cast iron/non-stick skillet over medium heat. Melt a generous bit of coconut oil and pour in the batter, in whatever shape or size you’d like. When the pancake begins to have surface bubbles near the center flip and cook other side (each side 2-3 minutes). Add more coconut oil to cook surface as needed between batches.
Getting your heat right is the key to cooking these babies. If it’s too hot you’ll burn your pancakes before they’re cooked through. Try a small dollop of batter as a “tester” to see if the temp is just right before committing the entire batch. If your oil is smoking at any point it’s probably too hot. So adjust your heat accordingly during cooking. It can be a little tricky, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Let your pancakes rest in the oven on “warm” on a paper towel lined plate until all batches are complete.

 

For the butter

 

Mix all the ingredients together and spoon on top of the pancakes.

*Coconut butter is a puree of coconut meat, it’s that simple. You can buy it at many health food stores or on Amazon.com. If you can’t find it, try coconut oil and let me know how it turns out.