Lots Of Squats & A Few Cupcakes Later...

Whew it's been a quick minute since I've posted a blog! Guess I burned myself out (and probably some of the people reading) posting what I was eating day in and day out for eight stinkin days. It's been over a month so I guess maybe I can crank out a few words, recipes, what have ya. 


Let's start with cool CrossFit updates. Like...WOD GEAR TEAM SERIES! Jake & I were asked to do the series by an awesome couple at our CF gym - I'm taking the place of an awesome chica who busted up her shoulder at Regionals - sad face! I'm not sure my team knows what they're getting in to with me - but I hope at the very least I can hold my own. They, along with my hubby, pretty much rock - so I'm excited to see how we all do. I'm pretty sure I check the WOD Gear site daily, crossing my fingers for some type of description of what the Series will hold - so far, no dice. One month + left to go. 


Other CF updates... last week I hit a power clean PR of 135#, and this week I hit a squat-clean&jerk PR of 125#. This is INSANE to me, because I very clearly remember horribly struggling through 95# jerks at the gym only a couple months ago - and a disgusting attempt to power clean 115# - two times that were burned into my brain - but now signify major growths in my performance. I think I squealed with happiness after I got each of those PR's - any time I can lift any weight over my body-weight, I'm pretty excited. 


Now for more exciting things - a new recipe I want to share! This one comes from PaleOMG - if you are looking for good, healthy recipes - check Juli's site out - I love reading her daily posts. She struggles with cravings & the hard times of CF too - always nice to know I'm not alone :) . 


So the amazing dinner was Blackberry Glazed & Grilled Pork Chops - and they were fantastic. I made this because I had a huge box of blackberries from Costco - and let's face it - pineapple is always going to win out above blackberries when eating fruit solo - SO I needed to find a use for them. People - this recipe is great - and tastes like summer to me. Light, fruity, with a bang. Or rather - tang. Make it! 


And always - a pic! Thanks for reading guys and gals :) 

Paleo Day #8

Hola everyone! Yesterday was a big day of food prep for me - can't wait to share the Meatza recipe with you all (that will come tomorrow after I've had a chance to actually eat the thing!). 


Meals/food for Monday (day after cheat day aka hopping right back on that Paleo train)


Early AM: Chocolate whey protein shake blended w/berries & water


Breafkast/post workout: Large chocolate whey protein shake blended w/berries, 1/2 banana & water (needed a change!)


Morning snack: 1 Granny smith apple w/cinnamon & almond butter + 3  pcs of bacon


Lunch: Mixture of fajita chicken (from Albertsons) and leftover ZuZu's chicken kabobs w/their amazing garlic sauce + serving of pineapples (I'm on a huge pineapple kick lately)


Afternoon snack: Berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) w/cinnamon + 4 pcs of bacon (oooops!)


Dinner: Rachael Ray's Arugula Pesto Chicken (which I posted about before) - when you make this bad boy - make sure to scrape up some of that extra cooked pesto from the pan - makes it 10x better + roasted veggies + fruit

COLORS!!!

Dessert: Chocolate Casein protein shake w/water + 1 pc Ghirardelli 72% chocolate


Overall - a day to be proud of! Esp. since I got to help a lot with making dinner - living at the parents (LESS THAN A MONTH TO GO - TILL OUR HOUSE IS READY!!!) + working out in the evening makes it super hard for me to have time to cook - so I really enjoy it when I get a chance. 


After dinner I made "Meatza" - which as I said earlier, I'll share tomorrow. Fingers crossed it's good - it SMELLED good, that's for sure. Jake liked it - but let's be serious, he likes everything except bananas! 


I also want to share my result  from week 1 - mainly so I can remind myself that being this disciplined for 6+ days of the week WILL bring me results I want. And if I motivate any of you to clean up your eating and/or train harder - bonus!

Leaner tummy - esp. in belly button area... hips are more defined... and I see more definition in my shoulder/upper arm area. That could just be me though! 

Happy May - especially to me and my hubby. Less than a month. THIS month. I can't say it enough! 

Paleo day #6/7

Well readers - I wish I could say I remember everything I ate this weekend to blog it all, but as it turns out, not so much. I can tell you that 99% of it was good, Paleo friendly eating. 1% = honesty time = I had a cheat meal! After way too long of an argument with myself about whether or not I was willing to cheat, I decided to do as my hubby always tells me, and either do it or shut up about it. I didn't even feel guilty about the cheat - because I knew I had done so well and stuck to my guns for everything else during the week. No sneaky cheating and keeping my secret from everyone - I was honest and ate clean, and felt great. So I had myself a yummy cheat meal - and two hours later when it came time for the next meal - it was clean, healthy and Paleo. Yay me! That's a big part in all of this I think - let yourself have a goodie every now and then because life is too short to not ever eat cupcakes... or brownies... or pizza... or whatever your cheat of choice is. 


(I'm not going to say I didn't go for a run/sprint/shuttle run after, because I definitely did. But I didn't feel guilty about the cheat - and that's a new and welcome feeling.)


A few food things worth mentioning: I found a pancake recipe online that I LOVED - no flour or honey = no guilt. My hubby found it too banana tasting, but I liked it a lot. To each their own :) 


Pancake recipe here!

I did a blueberry/coconut milk/cinnamon topping - just to experiment - and really liked the flavoring. My brother has an entire bunch of over-ripe bananas that I can't wait to steal and make more of these. 

Last to share today - the tasty looking avocado I posted on facebook yesterday! I love avocados and I LOVE LOVE LOVE balsamic vinegar, so I was all over this easy and inexpensive snack.

Avocado recipe here!

This little guy was a great snack to have a few hours before dinner. Killed any salt craving, plus like I said, I LOVE balsamic, and eating the balsamic + olive oil brought me back to the days of eating an entire loaf of bread at Johnny Carino's or Macaroni Grill with that yummy combo... Wait. Scratch that. I NEVER did that..... ;)

Paleo day #5

Well this might look a little different because I'm posting from my phone- but I really only access a computer during the week while at work- so for the weekend- we have my phone! Friday, after the insane workout known as "Bull"- my man and I were left thinkingA why the heck did I decide to blog everything I eat? Fridays- especially after a tough workout- I LOVE to chow down on some cheat food and sweets. Dang it! But this is where it makes a difference- I can eat well Monday through Friday- and at work through Friday- but it's the weekends that get me. I'm sure not unlike some of you. So if I can stay true to my goal- this is what's going to give me the aesthetic improvement I'm looking for. So here we go! Early AM: chocolate whey protein shake blended with berries & water & 1/2 shot of espresso Breakfast: 1 HB egg white + 2 servings of pineapple + 4 pcs of bacon Morning snack: 1 banana w/cinnamon Lunch: pork chops + asparagus + mixed berries Afternoon snack: 1 granny smith apple w/ almond butter Post workout: chocolate whey protein shake with water Dinner: LUCILLE'S! Yikes. This place was tough to eat paleo at. We definitely had to study the menu and just try to make the best decision possible. I ended up with: appetizer of shrimp in some kind of spicy tomato based "BBQ" sauce with tons of garlic. This- I highly recommend. It was a nice surprise seeing that it was more tomato based than BBQ based- and it was tastyyyy. Dinner- jambalaya! I'd never had this bad boy before- but it was chicken, shrimp, sausage- in a tomato based sauce (one of the few offered without a cream sauce) over a bed of rice. Also a good surprise- totally easy to avoid the rice. Jake & I were a little worried we would have to sacrifice our Paleo goals for that meal- and we walked away pretty happy with our choices. Dessert: chocolate casein protein shake blended with strawberries & water + a couple spoonfuls of my "pudding" from the night before. I guess we haven't completely kicked that weekend dessert craving- but it was a good alternative. Plus- its gone now! Haha! No more temptation from you, you little paleo treat. Anyhow- like I said- we did Bull for our Friday WoD. Jake and I did it as a team- thank goodness for both of us. He picked up slack on the double unders- but I'm definitely making huge leaps on them- and the pull ups- and I picked up the slack on the overhead squats. They're hubby's nemesis right now- but he is definitely improving. So proud of him for going RX (135#). I unfortunately had to scale them- I got a PR in warmup at 85# (RX for girls is 95#)- but it was just too heavy for lots of reps in a workout. Here is Bull: 2 rounds 200 Double unders 50 overhead squats 50 pull ups 1 mile run (each person had to complete the runs) 45 minute cap. Proud to say I finished!!! It took a ton of hustle during that last mile and I barely made it (I'm talking less than 30 seconds before the clock hit 45:00) but I finished! I earned those pudding spoonfuls don't ya think? Hehe. Happy weekend everyone!

Paleo day #4

Here we go again guys! Thursday was a pretty easy Paleo day - except for a minute while giving nutrition advice - mentioning toast with peanut butter - and craving toast with peanut butter for hours after. Easy... yeah right. But made it through regardless. I did do what I said I wasn't going to and made a "treat" - just because I wanted to mess around with sweet ingredients. The "pudding" concoction turned out quite tasty, and I kept the hubby and I to just one spoonful each, and saved the rest. Discipline? Eh. Shouldn't have made it to begin with, but shoulda coulda woulda!


Early AM: Chocolate protein shake blended with berries + water + 1/2 shot of espresso

Breakfast: 2 Hard boiled egg whites + 1 serving pineapple chunks + 3 pieces of bacon


Morning snack: 1 Banana w/cinnamon


Lunch: Balsamic roast (crock pot) + large serving of berries w/cinnamon


Afternoon snack: 1 Granny Smith apple w/almond butter


Post workout: Chocolate Whey protein shake with water


Dinner: "Bistro Chicken" + asparagus


Dessert: "Chocolate pudding" + 1 square 72% Ghirardelli chocolate + Casein protein shake blended with berries & water




Now, here's the important part of this. "Bistro Chicken". A semi healthy meal, recipe from my lovely mother, chicken breasts, french onion soup broth, tons of tomatoes & onions, topped with a crazy amount of cheese. Normally - I LOVE this meal. For Paleo - still totally do-able, and tasty - just had her leave the cheese off Jake & my portion of the dish. Easy peasy =) It's just great to know that you can take your normal recipes and transform  (most of them) to Paleo dishes. 


For the "chocolate pudding". I'm not one to sit there and experiment with sweets - I can follow a recipe, but throwing together ingredients is not my thing. For this - I had seen a recipe and thought I'd give it a shot, and just went from memory. My pudding was made up of: raw organic honey, unsweetened cocoa powder, almond butter, coconut milk & casein protein. It was actually quite tasty. Thick like pudding thanks to the protein. Just took some work to stir it all up! 


After making the pudding however, I was reminded of why Jake and I started this to begin with. To curb our ever growing sweet tooths. Teeth. Tooths? I don't know. But they're growing. And even by eating a Paleo treat, it still was a sweet to us, and we wanted more. So for the rest of these weeks, I'll probably stay away from any treats like that. If eating Paleo becomes more standard with us, I'm sure I'll throw a few in there. But eating pudding isn't exactly going to help my six pack come out of hiding any quicker is it?


Yesterday's workout: Ryan. 
Those hero workouts are seriously, seriously tough. But I love em. 


Ryan: 5 rounds for time: 7 muscle ups + 21 burpees


So proud of Jake - he got 1 full round, and 5 muscle ups into his 2nd round. So much progress for him. 


Me - I haven't gotten 1 muscle up yet - so it was to the ring dips I went. I had a little hit on my pride when one of the coaches suggested I use a purple band - the lightest one - but still, a band. I'd always been really proud that I was at a level where I didn't need them - but I told myself, suck it up - she's just trying to help you get better, and you obviously have an area to work on! **sucking in** 


24:28 = 5 rounds: 21 ring dips + 21 burpees
YUCK! 


It was a toughie. But a goodie. They all are. Jake and I followed that up by hitting squats - I went heavy weight - I'm struggling to get GOOD reps at 185# and I really am anxious to get there. Practice practice practice!


I don't know that I've heard one word more consistently than "practice" after joining CFCH. But practice makes perfect, right? There must be something to that saying. 


So. For now. I PRACTICE. =) 

Paleo day #3

Day #3 was a small challenge - I cooked dinner for my entire family and provided them with a cheddar cheese topping for garnishing the peppers - O.M.G. Making it through a dinner without picking at cheddar cheese? Absolutely unheard of for me. But shoot - I hadn't made it through almost three whole days to lose on a stinkin' piece of shredded cheese. 


So here's what I ate yesterday guys!


Snack on the way to work (honesty remember!) - to keep my sanity because I'm definitely susceptible to "chick" moments - 1 piece of 72% Ghirardelli dark chocolate


Breakfast: 2 Hard boiled eggs + 4 pieces of bacon


Morning snack: 1 Banana w/cinnamon + handful of almonds


Lunch: Serving of crock pot balsamic roast (recipe in previous post) + serving of pineapple chunks


Afternoon snack: 1 Granny smith apple w/almond butter + handful of almonds


Dinner: 1 Cannibal Pasilla Pepper (I did use olive oil instead of "lime avocado oil" - I haven't been able to make a trip to Sprouts yet and our Vons is barely even considered a grocery store!) + serving of broccoli & carrots + pineapple & strawberries


Dessert: 1 square 72% Ghirardelli dark chocolate + chocolate Casein protein shake blended with water and strawberries


So day 3 done and gone - I took a picture for myself this morning and my stomach is definitely leaning out. Nothing will help me stick to these eating habits through the weekend like that. 


And as for a workout - yesterday was definitely a rest day. The previous day's rope climbs just absolutely took me OUT. My shoulders, the bruises on my legs. I loved it and can't wait to try again, but dang I was hurting yesterday. So I headed to the gym and foam rolled the bejeezus out of my shoulders and back, and stretched up a storm. Today - my grip is a little sore - I'm sure it's from hanging for dear life onto those ropes - but I can't wait to hit up the WOD today at CFCH. It's still Hero week - and I love it! Those workouts are INSANE. 


As always - here's a pic of my dinner creation! (Ooh - helpful hint - this is NOT an "after work throw together dinner" - it's definitely more of a "I have more than an hour to spend slowly cooking dinner on a Sunday" meal) (And no I have no idea why the picture of the pepper on the Civilized Caveman cooking site has red peppers and mine doesn't. I am pretty sure Serrano chilies are green? Hmm? Let me know if you have any ideas!)

Paleo Day #2

I'm all about honesty here - because I sure as heck am not perfect, and know most of you aren't either - so full disclosure always - I finished my crazy workout yesterday ("RJ" - 5 rounds **yeah right** of: 800M run + 5 rope climbs **for me - 10 1/2 climbs/attempts and LOTS of failed climbs** + 50 pushups - with a 45 minute cap. My result - 3 rounds + 800 M run. Super challenging.) - and called my husband on the drive home - and said: "you have NO idea how LITTLE I want to eat Paleo right now". Had he said - let's go get a cupcake - chances are I would have jumped at it. See why it helps to have a support system? He just laughed and said "oh, wifey" - because he knew he wasn't going to let me off the hook that easy. Dang him. Anyway, so here's what I ate yesterday! 


Early AM: Chocolate protein shake mixed with water & berries & 1/2 shot of espresso (we've started doing this on mornings we don't work out, so we don't lose out on the energy level we're used to)


Breakfast: 3 Scrambled eggs + tapatio; 4 pieces of bacon


Morning snack: 2 Broccoli muffins; 1 Banana w/cinnamon


Lunch: Serving of Balsamic Roast - the crock pot meal I made the night before; 1 Granny Smith apple with almond butter. 


Before (in the crock pot) and After (shredded and ready to EAT) pic here!! 
Doesn't it look tasty. Not even that many ingredients to prep which I love - and I got to learn how to "de-glaze a pan". Awesome!

Afternoon snack: Leftover from lunch balsamic roast (I only ate enough at lunch to get full); 1 tupperware of mixed berries with cinnamon


Dinner: LA VILLA! Gasp! I know. (La Villa - hometown Mexican restaurant) This is important - it's completely possible to eat Paleo when you go out or get takeout - it's just all about making the right choice and paying attention to what ingredients are in what. I ordered a shredded chicken burrito - no cheese (a little part of me cried at this point - as most of you know how I love cheese), with a side of guacamole. The guacamole was a perfect side to the chicken, especially when I added salsa. Guacamole = avocado & veggies - can't go wrong there. I opened up the burrito and just ate the chicken with my side of guac., and a serving of pineapple & strawberries. Yum!


Dessert: Chocolate casein protein shake mixed with berries; one square Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate! Turns out - thanks to my amazing hubby who did the research - chocolate above 70% is Paleo. Sign. Me. Up. I was a happy girl.


So today I start day 3. Feeling good so far :) My tummy has leaned out a bit - the muscles show a bit more - but that's standard any time I eat well for a couple days. I'm really interested to see how it affects me after a week. 


Happy Wednesday everyone. Almost to the weekend :)