WOD, school, food, and loves… Repeat

I finally got a chance to play with our stones! It was a lot of fun. I did a 20 minute AMRAP of 10 burpees and 3 stone to shoulder with our 87# stone. I was feeling that cheat meal the last five minutes… Oh buddy! Doing this type of workout next to Megan is great for me because it makes me feel like
I move at a snails pace.

Stones <;3 forearms

I worked on my push waves at school. They are similar to finger waves but the waves are closer together and you use two combs to make the waves. I love the old school look.

Lunchtime! Grass fed organic ground beef, sautéed mixed veggies and avocado. Mmm.

Look at my sweeties. I was cooking dinner and tried to snap a picture of Tim catching some zzzs (too cute not to) but of course little Bernie had to run over and see what I was looking at. Wake up daddy!

Dinner: Egg bake (eggs, turkey, coconut milk, peppers, and onions), paleo spaghetti, roasted green beans, bakes sweet potatoes (not pictured), and sweet potato brownies (too busy pigging out to take a picture… Maybe tonight).

My loves (- Jack the kitty)!

Regionals in a nutshell

Well… one of the most exciting weekends of the year is over! What a great weekend it was. We went to McCook, Il to watch Tim and several other CrossFitters compete in the CrossFit Games Regionals. We went up on Thursday night with mister Matthew Bryant (<– follow his blog!) to prepare for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here are some photos from our trip:

I had to buy some things to help cheer… I got too excited when Tim was up for “Diane” and broke my big clapping hand.

We went to Prasino for dinner. GREAT (and green) food!

Organic Jasmine Lemontini!

Avocado Lobster appetizer…. a tiny ($16) piece of heaven!

My salad. Tasty. Fresh. Crisp. Mmm.

I love my boys.

Becky brought me a surprise… bacon dark chocolate! I know what I am opening up for dessert tonight! YUM-O!

Isn’t he cute?

Shrimp kabob and salad from a Mediterranean grill

Got the itch to WOD so a group of us went outside for a run/burpee/air squat WOD. Sharp grass = painful skin!

Prasino again for dinner on Saturday. Don’t remember the name of this cocktail but it tasted like Christmas!

I asked for a Captain and diet coke- nope. They had “organic cola” they could use instead.

Delish dinner besides that red pepper. VERY hot!

Great trip with great people. Can’t wait for next year (hopefully I’ll be blogging from the competitor’s view)!

A gooooood day.

Today started off as a Faith-full day! I went to the gym at 6am and did my lower body max day with Faith. I love having someone to train with! It makes everything better. We lifted on the Gold’s floor which was kind of fun because we attracted some funny looks (maybe that was because of my outfit…).

The 9/10 is my scoring of effort. I am still leery with my back and don’t want to push it yet. I am extremely happy excuse last time I did heavy back squats I worked up to 155# and it felt like crap-ola. I had Faith take a video of my squat so I could see what my form looked like. I learn well by evaluating my positions so I will probably have more videos getting posted.

Thanks for the push push, Faith!

This is a photo of where I spend 2 hours of hell/heaven once per month in St. Louis. I go see Mark Frank at the St. Louis Institute for Rehabilitative and Sports Massage where he performs structural integration on me.

These are tools used for “Raking” . According to Mark’s website, “Therapists can use the instruments to comb over the contours of different parts of the body – catching on, separating and breaking down scar tissue, as well as stretching tissue and muscle fibers with significantly less pressure than other therapy techniques. As a result, the benefits of the Graston Technique and SASTM often include decreased treatment time, maximum comfort to the patient and faster recovery.” In other words, ow. Shortly after all these ows comes AHHHHH….. Such a great release. I can’t wait to workout and see how I feel.

I was STARVING on my way home (after my appointment and VERY tiring shopping at Lululemon {photos coming soon} ) so I stopped at Qdoba. YUM. There was a little corn and beans in there… and it was darn worth it!

I came home to some pretty flowers looking nice and colorful today. I love spring!

Tonight was another night for “Tim’s Feast”. Pictures coming soon, recipes to follow.

Recipes!

[Pale]OMG these recipes were wonderful and easy. Especially the desserts. Wow.

Here is what I made (previous post)…

Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad from TheClothesMaketheGirl.com. How could it NOT be good? I don’t think I have ever had a bad dish of Melissa’s. This totally fixes the craving for some bar food. The heat from the chicken mixed with the cool salad was very pleasing! You must try it. It also does very well with leftovers.

Bacon Sweet Potato Poutine from PaleOMG.com tastes like a savory, old world, wintery, hearty meal. YUM. This hit the spot. I swear my insides turned into something warm and fuzzy when I ate this.

Paleo Spaghetti Breakfast Bake also from PaleOMG.com. This recipe made way more food than I expected. I have tons of leftovers which is *perfect* because I have lots of easy pre-made breakfasts now! Great for those days when I get up at 4am and can’t seem to eat until later.

Caramel Pecan Bars again from PaleOMG.com. Excuse my language please…HOLY CRAP these are soooo good. I don’t even have words to describe these… The texture of the topping with the crust, the sweetness with the slightly saltiness, the I’m almost in a coommmmaaaaa feeling. WOW. Just try them.

Sweet Potato Brownies from… you guessed it, PaleOMG.com! Okay here is a small disclaimer: the recipe calls for some (dairy free, grain free) chocolate chips. I cut the amount in half which is a little better. If you are doing strict Whole9 you may want to cut these out. This is the first baked paleo dessert I have tried that doesn’t require the gargantuan amount of a nut flour (or any for that matter) so I was a little skeptical. Well have I been missing out! these are ultra cake like and fulfilling. Usually I really overeat paleo desserts but this one I didn’t because it is so satisfying. Thanks for introducing me to these Lauryn!

ENJOY!!

Home Made Larabars

Mix dried dates, cherries and cranberries (unsweetened) with walnuts, pecans and a touch of honey in a food processor until it clumps together like dough. Press into nonstick cookie sheet, refrigerate, cut, and enjoy!

Another Good One!

Melissa never fails to please. I tried another recipe from TheClothesMaketheGirl.com, “Comfort Noodles” (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/08/18/comfort-noodles/). Let me tell you, buy her recipe book when it comes out this winter!

This is easy to make, makes wonderful leftovers, AND is Paleo/Zone/Whole9! What more could you ask for?!

Please take advantage of me…

I think sometimes people forget I am not just a coach, I am their personal trainer. Any one who is a part of CFI is paying to have us as their own coach/trainer. That being said, you should never hesitate to ask for favors such as nutrition help, mobility help, training and technique questions, etc.  I get excited when people ask for help! It is my passion to spread the love of CrossFit and the lifestyle that comes with it.

One of our members who has been trying to do Whole9/Paleo, says she just needs some structure, like a meal plan, to help her do well with her eating. I told her I would write her up an example of a couple of days for her to start following. I decided I would share this with the rest of you who may have been thinking the same thing.

So, here it is; meals, pre and post WOD, recipes, and links (this is made for a SMALL female, so adjust portions as needed).

Day 1

Meal 1:
Half large bag frozen mixed veggies cooked in coconut oil
2 whole eggs
Water/Coffee/Tea

Meal 2 (pre wod):
1 tbs nuts
1-2 oz meat (any kind will work)

Meal 3 (post wod):
1/2 sweet potato or 1 jar baby food
2 hardboiled eggs

Meal 4:
4”x4” piece of Meatza*
4+ cups spring greens or spinach salad with dressing*
(add in any veggies to salad)
Meal 5:
Paleo Pad Thai*

Bonus treat:
1 serving of fruit

Day 2

Meal 1:
Breakfast Frittata*
1 cup carrot sticks

Meal 2 (pre wod):
1/2 avacado
1-2oz meat

Meal 3 (post wod):
Same as above- alternate protein sources if desired

Meal 4:
2 cups sauteed zucchini (cook in coconut oil, add garlic, salt and pepper)
1 Almond crusted chicken breast*

Meal 5:
Choice of leftover meal
Add veggies or salad
Bonus treat:
1 serving of fruit

*= See recipe link

Meatza  This recipe can be made even simpler. It’s not necessary to follow the recipe exactly. Super tasty and great leftovers!

Dressing- I usually mix a dark olive oil (oils with basil, rosemary and other herbs in it are great) with lemon juice, onion flakes/powder, garlic, and whatever else I have around.

Paleo Pad Thai I have already written about this but I’ll say it again… This one is GOOD! MMmm.

Breakfast Frittata Thanks Angie “Nez” for the sample of this dish! This did not taste Paleo. It was TOO good!

Almond Crusted Chicken An easy, yummy go to of mine.
Note: Almond Flour can be made by grinding up almonds.

ENJOY!

Another good one…

This is a great dish when you need to get in some nutrients!

Easy, tasty, healthy, with lots of leftovers!

Another one from Melissa‘s The Clothes Make the Girl.com.

Check out my video on prepping the dish!

Yum, YUM!

Tonight I made three different dishes and they all came out great, so I wanted to share.

Here is the food I will be using in my cooking:

Some of it prepped…

Below is a Paleo Pad Thai from The Clothes Make the Girl.

I HIGHLY recommend this! It tastes just like Pad Thai… nutty, creamy and satisfying. I quadrupled the recipe so I have plenty left over to get me through the week.

This is a Red Cabbage and Leek dish (with a bit of added bacon – bacon I found at food fantasies with NO sugar!). This is a great side to some steak. It has a nice crunch and a bit of sweetness. The bacon give it a nice salty/sweet contrast.

Finally, I made another type of chicken, breaded with pork rinds. Not the best nutritionally, but it helps keep me on track when I have cravings. Very tasty! Be careful of the high sodium.

The finished product:

Enjoy!

Fast and easy lunch plus more

I normally don’t have much time to cook, so I am used to whipping up something healthy, quick and easy. Today I didn’t have much in the fridge and didn’t feel like cooking. People always ask what I eat and what I do for meals, so I thought I’d share a typical meal for me. Whole9 approved, minimal salt and easy enough to get other things done at the same time!

I had some organic chicken strips and green beans in the frigde, so I seasoned both and put them in the oven for 30ish minutes at 375.

While the chicken and beans were cooking, I make a tomato sauce to go on my chicken. Sauce makes everything better! Normally I just throw a bunch of things together and adjust as I go, but today I decided to write it down.

Pickle relish?! Yes. It added a nice tang to it. Sorry for the lack of measurements. Again, I just throw things in.

The finished product! A healthy, easy, fast, Whole9, satisfying, tasty lunch plus leftovers!