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.

 

 

 

 

 

Keep it simple

This week I've been pretending it's summer outside, when in fact it's been cold and rainy.  I've realized that I've been making paleo eating really complicated by trying to pretend I enjoy putting together complex recipes and trying to pretend I enjoy cooking.

I'll be honest, I don't enjoy cooking.  My kitchen turns in to a DISASTER, I'm known for adding things here and there with no way of ever repeating a recipe and in the end I get overwhelmed at finding the perfect recipe to make each night.  So the other day, not wanting to really cook anything I asked Matt, what do you think about BBQing some steaks?  Best idea I've had in a long time.  First of all, although the BBQ is indeed an aspect of cooking, it doesn't feel like it because it's outside.  Second, grilling veggies on the BBQ makes them taster WONDERFUL and is super easy.  Third, there is no thinking about steaks, you can literally put them directly on the heated BBQ and let them cook.  Sure you can get fancy, but with a good cut of meat there is no need.  Same with burgers, chicken, sausages etc.

While the meat is cooking I open a bag of pre-mixed/pre-washed lettuce, cut up some veggies and toss it all together with some olive oil and whatever vinegar I feel like.  SO EASY!  Also, there is something about eating a huge homemade salad that makes me feel really good and healthy!  Best part is that leftovers are equally as easy, not that doubling a recipe isn't easy, I mean with the math and all :)

To me, nothing is simpler than BBQing and it has helped me get back to eating clean and healthy more often than not.  With the recipes I find myself adding things that maybe I don't really need or want because it's trying to mimic a non-paleo dish.  What is more paleo than a big piece of meat, cooked perfectly on a BBQ accompanied by veggies in all forms?!  So the lesson learned, keep it simple.  Rather than stressing about what recipe to make each night, rememeber that the BBQ is a great fall back!  Also, you can use your oven in place of the BBQ, but to me the flavor just isn't the same.

Oh also, I do have a huge umbrella that covers out patio which is up right now so I can stay dry while BBQing!

I mentioned my weight was creeping back up.  Well in 3 days I'm down 2.5 lbs, that weight that crept back is almost gone.  I've been eating paleo 90/10 rather than 80/20.  My only cheat each night is a cup of hot chocolate with light whip cream.  I am a before bed snacker and I refuse to give that up.  Hot chocolate fills me up more than eating dark chocolate and is sweet enough to curb any cravings I have to binge on something bad for me.

So seriously, rememeber to just keep it simple. If you don't like BBQ steaks/burgers/chicken then don't force yourself to eat it, but if you do, it's a great way to quickly eat paleo and not have to follow any recipes!

Looking for a 5k or 10k

Okay, so I'll be the first to admit that I really don't like running and often and quick to tell others the same.  However, my running times have made some big improvements since I started Crossfit and I really want to see what I can do.  So, I am looking for some good 5k and 10k races to participate in.  Ideally not something that is SUPER crowded like the Shamrock, but something that is well marked and had chip timing.  Let me know what runs you are planning on doing and/or which ones you would recommend!

Missing Summer

Yesterday felt like summer, well not really like summer, but as Matt was mowing the lawn I could smell summer and it made me want to eat like it was summer!  There is nothing better than BBQing, eating fresh fruits and veggies that summer brings, having back yard fires and just being outside, I love it!  The little bit of sunshine we got has taken me back to my first paleo adventures in which fresh salads and BBQ steaks/burgers/chicken were regularly eaten.  Something about a BBQ makes food taste so much better AND cooking on the BBQ is so easy (especially since Matt usually does the grilling).  We have a huge umbrella that covers the patio, so I am making a motion that we bring summer eating in to March!

I'll fully admit that when it is actually warm and sunny outside I often want to enjoy my food with a nice cold beer, but for now I'll just focus on the food! 

You know how I mentioned my weight was up a bit but I wasn't going to dwell on it?  Well it's up because I haven't been eating as clean as I should.  HOWEVER, with this feeling of summer eating, I am literally craving fresh, homemade salads with my own dressing and BBQ'd meat, so shouldn't be hard to clean things up a bit.  Also, I CAN'T wait until summer so I can go to the saturday market each week and get fresh Oregon berries! 

What do you love about summer?  Do you eat better or worse in the summer?  I think I eat better during the week but the weekends get me, especially when we go camping!!

So with that I am going to finish eating my salad I brought for lunch and continue pretending summer is here!

Have a happy and healthy Wednesday!

Sectional WOD #1

I'm not sure I didn't post about this right away, oh wait, yeah I do.  I got a foster puppy an hour after I completed it!

Okay, so I have talked about about goals and competing and pushing myself and I finally had an opportunity to put all of this together last week.  Last week marked the opening of the 2011 Crossfit Games.  The games start with an open sectionals that EVERYONE can compete in, super cool.  It's one workout a week (although the first week has now stretched in to 2 weeks) for six weeks.  At the end the top 60 go on to regionals.  I believe it's top 60 men and top 60 women.  I waited and waited for them to post the first WOD and as soon as I saw it  I was pumped, SOMETHING I CAN DO!  I know I'm not 100% to compete this year and there are a handful of things I can't do at all so I will likely get eliminated fairly quickly in to the 6 weeks of competition.  My only hope and goal was to be able to at least do 1 WOD to to be competitive at it.  If I was the owner of Crossfit I would do just what they did, put out a WOD that is super challenging but that a lot of people will at least be able to do.  I'd even do the same thing for the 2nd WOD.  However I'd lay the hammer down for the 3rd WOD and separate the girls from the women, the boys from the men.  I know I'll be weeded out but I would be disappointed if they didn't throw some hard challenges out to really and truly see who the fittest people in each region are. 

Anyways, back to the topic at hand, the 1st WOD.  The first WOD was a 10 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of 30 doubleunders and 15 power snatches at 55 lbs for women.  My goal was to get 6 rounds and I'll be honest, I underestimated the ass kicking this WOD would deliver!  I finished 5 full rounds, 30 doubleunders and 8 power snatches.  While I was a bit disappointed I didn't get 6 rounds, I am ranked (as of this very moment) 53 out of 407 in the region.  That is AWESOME!  I mean top 60 go on to regionals so I'm pretty excited about where I am currently sitting.  I'll fully admit I couldn't stand up straight for 3 days after that WOD, it was WAY tough!  However, since they extended the first week and added another week to finish the WOD, I'll be doing it again to see if I can get 6 rounds, maybe a little more.  I was super excited and nervous the first time going in because I REALLY wanted to do well.  Now I am nervous because I know how much it's going to hurt.  However, its all in the spirit of Crossfit and I can't wait to try it again.  I also can't wait to see what next week's WOD will be.  Fingers crossed it's something I can actually do!

Paleo Recipe and Give Away

Everytime I log on to Facebook I see so many comments about paleo, it makes me so happy!  I have one, used, copy of the Primal Blueprint that I am giving away FOR FREE!  How do you get entered to win?  Simple, you just need to follow my blog. 

How do you follow my blog?  Click on the link on the right towards the bottom that says Follow.  Simple!

I would like to say that I made the Primal Jambalaya and it turned out pretty dang good!  The recipe is below, and can also be found here.

Ingredients:

•  2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 lb andouille sausage, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped 
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced crushed 
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1.5 cups chicken stock 
• 1/2 tsp dried leaf thyme
• 1 tbsp parsley (fresh is preferable, but dried will do in a pinch!)
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1 large head of cauliflower 
• 2 cups shelled, deveined and cleaned shrimp
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and lightly cook the sausage and chicken over medium heat. Once golden, add onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until onion becomes translucent. Transfer items from the frying pan into a large pot. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, parsley and chili powder and bring to a simmer. While the mixture is simmering (you’ll want to let it go for about 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally), place the cauliflower in a food processor and shred until it becomes the consistency of rice. Add the cauliflower “rice” to the mixture and simmer for another 15 minutes until tender. Add shrimp and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust other spices as needed. Serve piping hot. Serves 6.

Quick Update

Work is crazy busy and adding a foster dog in to our lives has added to how busy I feel I am, even if I'm not that busy.  I had a GREAT 1st sectional WOD, although am likely going to try it again on Wednesday and see if I can improve at all.  I traveled to Minnesota last week and was able to stay paleo, except for a few beers, which was great.  My weight is up a tad which I'm not too happy about but I'm not going to dwell on that.  Today has been a super stressful day at work and I can feel the stress dragging me down.  I actually cried after getting yelled out by a client, only for about 15 second, but that tells you how stressful today has been...I don't cry at work.

I am looking forward to ending this horrible Monday and going home to my husband so  I haven't gotten to spend much time with lately and all my furry beasts, big and small!  Also looking forward to an ass kicking at the gym, no better way to deal with stress!

Shamrock Run

Well my day started off with some disappointment.  I was the team captain for our Shamrock team but somehow ended up by myself for the entire event, bummer!  However, rather than feel down, I went out and ran my heart out!  I'm pretty sure I got a 1-2 minute PR on my 5k time, I keep checking online for my time but of course it isn't posted yet :)  I probably could have ran even faster but the crowd was a bit difficult to maneuver around at times. 

My legs are super sore from the run so I know I pushed myself.  I leave for Minnesota tomorrow so I'm slowly getting in to freakish planning mode, trying to figure out what food I'm going to take, how/when I'm going to work out etc.  Sectionals starts this week and I'll be doing the first workout on Thursday, so it's really important I stay on track with eating paleo (my Yo Cream yesterday was a cheat, otherwise I've been good!) and taking care of myself.

Short post for today, but thought I'd update everyone and brag about my hopeful PR (and I didn't even train running wise, proof that Crossfit gets you in to great shape and you don't even realize it!).

Paleo Recipe - Bacon Meatloaf

I found this recipe on Health Bent's website, found here.  I plan on making it tonight, sounds WONDERFUL!  I'll likely serve it with leftover cauliflower rice and/or some broccoli. 

Seriously Tasty Paleo Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 c almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 c of tomato sauce (recipe below)
• 10 slices of bacon
• s&p

Ingredients for Tomato Sauce

• 1 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 1/2 c (about 1) roasted red pepper
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• s&p

Method

Place your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF.

In your food processor blend together all the ingredients for the tomato sauce.

In a large bowl use your hands to mix together the ground meats, eggs, almond flour, tomato sauce and salt & pepper. Separate the meatloaf mixture into two 9 inch cake pans. Fill the cake pans to the brim, as the meat loafs will shrink considerably as they cook. Top with the slices of bacon.

Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and get the bacon crispy, about 10 minutes.

While the meatloaf is baking, pour the rest of the tomato sauce into a small saucepot and simmer over medium heat.

Once cool, remove the meatloaf from the pan and slice on the opposite direction you placed the bacon–against the grain, just like meat. Top with the tomato sauce and serve immediately.

Paleo Recipe - Pizza Salad

**correction, I did NOT add 32g of cheese but rather enough cheese to get 32g of protein**

I found a recipe online for a pizza salad that looked AMAZING!  I'll be honest upfront, this doesn't take the place of pizza, however it was really good and super easy to make, which are my two ideal qualities in a good recipe.  I made a large quantity so Matt and I could both have dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow, you can scale down if you don't want to make as much.

Zone math - I eat 3 block meals, Matt eats 5 block meals.  I made 16 blocks worth of pizza salad so it would be easy to divide.  I honestly didn't count how many blocks of carbs I had because I knew I was going to come up short, but it is a paleo meal and the carbs came close so that counts for me!

What You'll Need:

• 2 packets Hormel Pepperoni (or any brand of pepperoni but the serving sizes might be off)
• 1 red onion
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 jar banana peppers (picture shown below, I found them at Winco)
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 2 bunches of green onion
• 2 packets of Boboli pizza sauce (you can buy them in 3 packs)
• 1 small bag shredded cheddar cheese
• Olive oil
• Shredded lettuce (or lettuce of choice)

How to make it:
Start by cooking the pepperoni.  This can be done in the oven or in a pan, cook until slightly crispy.  I had to cook one packet at a time.  Save the grease from the pepperoni for later, it adds great flavor to the veggies.  Once the pepperoni is crisp, set it aside. 

If you used Hormel turkey you should have about 80g of protein (you'll need 112g to make 16 blocks).

While the pepperoni is cooking, chop up all of the veggies.  I bought already sliced mushrooms and used the following peppers, so all I had to cut was the onions (red and green) and the bell peppers.

Put everything in the pan with the saved grease from the pepperoni and let everything hang out together for a bit.  Once the veggies have caramelized a bit and have softened a tad, add back in the pepperoni (you can turn the burned off now).  Next, add the two packets of pizza sauce and some olive oil (I didn't measure but it was probably 1 tablespoon).  Stir it all together.

To get enough protein I added in 32g of shredded cheese, you can do this while it's hot so it melts or after it's cooled depending on preference, I added while it was hot.  Serve over shredded lettuce and you're done.  Or if you want, just eat it as is!

You can play around with your pizza topping ingredients as long as you stay paleo.  Enjoy!

My iPhone doesn't do a good job of taking food pictures.  It tasted WAY better than it looks!

Paleo in 2011

I always find it interesting to read through all the blogs and forums regarding the paleo lifestyle and see what people are talking about, or arguing about.  I found this blog: StevesOriginal.com (I need to get myself some Paleo kits, could probably make them myself!) and in his article about coffee he said two important things.  First: EAT. REAL. FOOD.  So simple, so important.  My breakfast had the following ingredients: Eggs, red bell pepper, onion, pepper, avocado, apple.  REAL food.

The next, and what I think so many people get hung up on: Just because it wasn't available to a CaveMan, doesn't mean it doesn't have utility in the modern diet. Just keep your head on straight about it.  Coffee is one of those things, I WILL not be giving up coffee, just won't do it.

Just some thoughts to get you going on this windy, rainy day!

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Thursday!

Blog Give Away!!

So in an effort to share my knowledge and experience with primal/paleo eating, I thought I'd give away my copy of the Primal Blueprint, by Mark Sisson (think Marksdailyapple.com).  Its a great book and helps with gaining a foundation for understanding why you should change the way you eat.  I don't take him 100% literally and I suggest you take what he says and find ways to make changes that still fit your lifestyle.  However, this book has A LOT of really good information in it and is one I highly suggest.  So, how do you win?  Well it's simple really, just follow my blog!  Click on that little link that says follow and you are entered.  On March 31st I will pick a winner (randomly, using technology...ohhh ahhh) and will either bring it to you if you live locally or ship it to you.  Below is a picture of the book.  Mine does not have the jacket but those just get in the way anyways.

So, remember, all you need to do to be entered to win this book is follow my blog.  I'll announce the winner on March 31st!

Paleo Recipe - Shrimp Stir Fry with Mango Salsa and Cauliflower Rice

Alright, I'm not one for bragging and don't think of myself as being a good cook, but tonight I'm bragging about my amazing meal!  The title says it all, I made Shrimp Stir Fry with Mango Salsa served over Cauliflower Rice.  While it sounds complicated, its actually super easy to make, cooks fast and is super filling!  As I eluded to on Facebook, the recipe will be zone based so you might need to read through some of my earlier posts to understand it.  If you have questions or need clarification, let me know!

What You Need:

• 1 jar of coconut oil (I found a reasonably priced jar at Whole Foods)
• Frozen Shrimp (as much as you want/need, I based my recipe on zone)
• 1 head cauliflower (will probably only use a half if it's just two people eating)
• Stir Fry Veggies (whatever veggies you want, I used a bag of veggies I found at Albertsons)
• 1 jar peach/mango salsa (also found at Albertsons, you can make your own if you like too)

This is more descriptive than a normal recipe, but I made it up so I can write it however I want :)

I cook my stir fry in a certain order so I can properly measure everything.  So first I thawed, peeled (because I bought the wrong shrimp) and cooked my shrimp.  I used coconut oil this time around instead of olive oil adds great flavor, makes me think I'm somewhere tropical!

I got this stuff at Whole Foods, comes as a solid but heats up nice and adds great flavor!

After the shrimp was cooked I measured out 8 blocks of protein from the shrimp.  1.5 oz of shrimp equals one block so I measured out 12 ounces (the rest got saved for another day).

Next I sauteed my cauliflower rice.  This was SOOO simple to make.  Take 1 head of cauliflower, cut off the green stem part and then pull apart the individual stocks.  If you have a food processor with a grating plate then you'll want to use it, otherwise you can use a grater.  I put the whole head of cauliflower (cut in small enough pieces) through my food processor.  The end product looked like this:

Looks like rice!  Has a texture like cous cous, very good!

I then sauteed 4 cups of the 'rice' with some coconut oil for a few minutes.  You can microwave as well.  Once again I measured it out.  After it was cooked it ended up being a little over 14 ounces.  So I divided that by 8, which gave me about 5.25 ounces and the rest was Matt's portion.  It takes on whatever flavor your cook it with, definitely will be a staple in my cooking!

Last I sauteed my veggies, which I bought in a nice little fresh pack.  I used once again, coconut oil and water to steam them in the pan.  Finally I put everything together and topped with with store bought peach mango salsa.  1/2 cup for me, 1 cup for Matt.  It's so simple, so healthy and SO GOOD!!

You would never know that wasn't rice underneath!

 I hope everyone enjoys, we did!

PALEO 101

I'm not an expert, by no means, and I don't have any formal education around nutrition, nor do I have a rock solid body which would be evidence that I have a solid understanding of, and ability to stay on track with, a good nutrition program.  What I do have is experience with trying different ways of eating and over a year of researching and learning about the paleo diet, which has left me with a lot of resources.

When I first went Paleo almost everyone around me made comments such as: wow, good job but there is no way I could give up bread.  So, what can you actually eat?  If you don't eat grains how do you get carbs?  I felt mostly alone in my adventure as no one around me seemed to care about this new, crazy way of eating.  That was before Crossfit.  Now, many member of my crossfit family are starting to learn more about the Paleo diet and are starting to make significant diet changes, YAY!  So to help everyone making the transition, here are some thoughts as well as helpful links with TONS of great information!

Tips

1. Ease in to it.  If you're anything like me, you're an all or nothing kind of person.  If you slip once then you'll slip again because like I said, all or nothing.  The key to switching from the traditional/conventional way of eating/living is to take it easy.  Try switching out one meal for a few days.  For me dinner is the easiest, and most important meal, to make paleo since I work out in the evening and eat dinner afterwards.  Once you've adjusted to thinking about dinner differently, switch out breakfast.  Then lunch.  I recommend lunch last as it takes the most planning (for most of us) because we're not at home. 
2. Allow yourself a few cheats.  Trying to be perfect all of the time is VERY tiring.  I wouldn't know, because I'm perfect, but that's what I hear :)  I talked a lot about this idea of striving for perfect in my blog last year.  I think a healthy target to aim for, and something I am borrowing from Mark's Daily Apple, is the 80:20 rule.  In short, aim to eat and live the paleo lifestyle 100% of the time, knowing that 80% is okay and life isn't predictable so 80% is great.  Allow yourself a few cheats, it makes sticking to your chosen lifestyle a little easier and more enjoyable.  My cheats when I'm fully paleo?  Dark Chocolate (over 70%), red wine, coconut milk ice cream!
3. Plan Ahead!  I can't say how important planning is when eating paleo.  Since the goal is to not eat processed foods, you would have to assume that a lot of what you're going to eat will need preparation, so plan ahead.  Cook extra servings whenever you do cook.  Cut up all your veggies when you get home so you can easily make meals when you get home.  I used to go shopping every Sunday and then spend the evening cutting up all my veggies, cooking meat and generally getting things ready so that I could put together a quick salad for lunch every day.  It makes ALL the difference regarding sticking to this lifestyle.
4. Crock pot - if you don't have one, get one.  There are tons of recipes where you can just throw meat and veggies in a crockpot and leave for work.  Its a big lifesaver and it tied to number 3, planning ahead and making extra whenever you cook!
5. Have fun!  The point is to try something new and feel good!  Don't beat yourself up when you slip, eat things you like to eat (just no grains!) and allow yourself flexibility and slips, its okay.

Here are a few of my favorite links with TONS of good information:

Mark's Daily Apple
The Foodee Blog
Primal Kitchen Chaos
Health-Bent
Crossfit Journal ($25 subscription, tons of good info although not all diet based!)

Also some things to think about:  it's not a one size fits all approach.  Mark's Daily Apple/Primal Blueprint suggests you shouldn't eat dairy, but there are people who eat paleo + dairy, nothing wrong with that.  In fact I'll likely include cheese and cottage cheese in my diet as I slowly make the transition back.  Additionally, The Primal Blueprint suggests you shouldn't do a lot of cardio and shouldn't need to work out all the time.  Crossfit is a good way of being more primal with your workouts, but if you enjoy doing something, I mean really enjoy it, then by all means figure out a way to make it fit.  There are so many resources out there on how to eat primal/paleo while continuing the lifestyle you enjoy.

At the end of the day it's all about being healthy and happy.  Happiness is part of being healthy, so think about what makes you happy, what you enjoy and figure out ways to add those things in to your life!

I hope this was helpful for those starting to switch over.  I'm not an expert and am always looking for new recipes, blogs and information, so please share, ask questions and let me know how it's going!

Have a healthy and happy Tuesday!

Transitioning Back to Paleo

When I first switched over to the paleo diet I was mostly by myself and people thought I was a bit crazy.  Now several people at CFA are switching over and its helping me get motivated again to switch back over, all the way (not just one meal a day!).  So in honor of starting to make that transition back, here is a recipe that was posted on a few other Paleo blogs that looks WONDERFUL!  I plan on serving it with chicken...or shrimp!

Chicken/Mango Avocado Salsa/Spanish-ish Cauliflower Rice

Mango-Avocado Salsa

 

1 ripe mango, diced

 

1 tomato, diced

 

2 green onions, finely sliced

 

1/4 c. lime juice (about 2 1/2 limes)

 

1 jalapeno, mince

 

1 avocado, peeled, seeded, diced

 

• Combine first 5 ingredients in bowl. (Can be made 3 hours ahead; refrigerate.)
• Closer to serving time, stir in diced avocado and season to taste with salt and pepper. *Salt is not Paleo, so if you choose to use it here, be conservative.
• The second recipe is my own creation, inspired from different recipes on the web: Spanish Cauliflower Rice. Cauliflower rice is just cauliflower chopped up in a food processor, the end product looking very much like, well, rice.

Spanish-ish Cauliflower Rice

 

1/4 c. olive oil

 

1 1/2 small Vidalia onions, chopped

 

1 red bell pepper, chopped

 

1 poblano pepper, chopped (you can just use standard green bell pepper if you want)

 

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (more if you want it spicy)

 

2 stalks of celery

 

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

 

2 cups of cauliflower rice

 

1/4 teas. ground black pepper

 

1 T cumin

 

1/2 teas. oregano

 

Salt to taste

 

• Heat olive oil over medium heat, then add onions, peppers, and celery. Saute until soft, about 3 mins.
• Add garlic, and cook for another minute while stirring, then add cauliflower and pepper, cumin, and oregano.  
• Cook until cauliflower rice is tender

 

1 cup of cauliflower rice is approximately 81 calories, 7g carb, 4g of fiber, not to mention 119% of your daily recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C (as opposed to 1 cup of white rice, which is 212 calories, 44g carbs, and less than 1g of fiber..oh. And 0% Vitamin C).

Odds and Ends

So my proud week of accomplishments was squashed when I redid my baseline workout (last done on 12/3) and was 5 seconds slower than before.  However, I moved right on to a 2nd workout, which I requested since I won't be able to workout this weekend. 

I donated blood this morning and feel good about that.  I'm a universal donor, so you're welcome :)  I personally think I should have waited to weigh myself for my challenge until after I gave blood, just kidding, kind of.

I had to do box jumps holding 16lb kettlebells in each hand, that was difficult.

I have to work over the weekend and stay at the Hilton in downtown for an off-site, I am less than thrilled.  One, because the Hilton in downtown Portland is a pretty crappy upscale hotel.  Two, because Matt actually has this weekend off and I have to work.  Three because I just feel like be crabby about having to stay at the Hilton and work over the weekend.

Yesterday we had our homecheck for fostering dogs, which was awesome!  I finally met two people who know and understand what I do, that RARELY happens!  Also, they seem like awesome people and I can't wait to start fostering, especially because our first foster dog will likely be a puppy, even though I'll be happy with any dog, but most happy with a puppy!

Matt is slowly building a crossfit gym in our garage and I love it!  When I work from home I can get in a quick lunchtime workout, its great!

Yesterday was my Dad's birthday, 1 year away from the big 60!  Sunday is my Brother's birthday, the big 25 and his last birthday as a single man (well by single I mean not married).

I found a blog yesterday that posts a new paleo recipe everyday, check it out under my Health and Fitness Favs section, its the Foodee Blog. 

That's it, and possibly until next week.  I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Friday and weekend as well!

The results are in

Quick post because I'm swamped today, but my 60 day challenge is over and I wanted to report my results.

Weight Lost
Since starting this 60 day challenge I have lost 6.8 lbs, which should be rounded to 7.  I wanted more but I slipped here and there and haven't been as strict as I should have been.  But I am still celebrating this progress!  I also don't have a way to measure body fat lost, but I'm sure that would have been a great number to see!

What I've Gained (in a good way)
The challenge was 60 days to a better me and part of that was weight loss, but the other part was getting stronger, fitter, faster, better.  I've done that and I'm proud of that!  The first way I can measure this is my Crossfit Total scores, which in a previous post I noted corresponded with my challenge.  When I started my deadlift was 245 lbs, on Monday I did 275!  My started backsquat was 175lbs, on Monday I did 200!  My press didn't change and is still 80lbs, which means I have something to work on for next time around!

Also, I ran a 6:30 mile, my fastest mile ever I think!  I can also now do 1 unassisted ring dip, I want plenty more but 1 is an accomplishment!  I feel great, my times are down, my strength is up and that's all I can ask of myself!

So Whats Next
I think another challenge is in order, and this time I have some very specific goals.

Goal #1 - Lose another 7 lbs
Goal #2 - Be able to do 5 unassisted ring dips
Goal #3 - Be able to do 5 unassisted handstand pushups
Goal #4 - Be able to do 1 muscle up
Goal #5 - Get my deadlift to 285 minimum, 300 ideally
Goal #6 - Get my backsquat to 225
Goal #7 - Be able to do #95 thrusters and overhead squats in a workout
Goal #8 - Be able to powerclean #130

So those are my goals, not sure of the timeline I'll put around them yet, I'll probably outline that in my next post.  There are a lot of goals there which require me to focus on different things.  I'm thinking I'll set aside 4 weeks to focus on certain areas at a time strength wise and hopefully by May I'll be able to report that I have achieved several if not all of my goals!

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Thursday!

March

How is it already March?!  Also, why is it so cold outside?!  Yesterday I started day dreaming of the sunny Caribbean vacation we are going to take next May (yes more than a year from now) when Matt gets off probation.  I want to go here:

Turks and Caicos

 So, I've been debating, one big reveal on Thursday of overall progress, including my Crossfit Total results, or do I share now?  Why Thursday you ask and not tomorrow?  Well its my 60 day challenge so I make the rules.  I gave myself 60 days to make some self improvements, so on day 61 I will report the results. 

I'll be honest, I'm hoping these next two days will get me down one more total pound :)  So, I have decided to wait.  I will post on Thursday how much strength I have gained as well as how much weight I have lost on Thursday.  For now, I'm dreaming about my Caribbean vacation!

Cozumel 2010