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 :) 

Paleo - Day #1

Done and done! Woo! Wasn't so hard :) Well - my girlfriend has decided to do her own Paleo challenge with her hubby as well - and she asked if I would post what I'm eating daily - as a guide and to share recipes. Talk more about myself? Gladly! So here goes for day 1 (plus if I'm having to post everything on here - makes it less likely I'll cheat riiiiight?)


Early AM: Chocolate Whey protein shake (Optimum Nutrition is the brand we use) - blended with strawberries, blueberries and water (this is an every day thing for us - feels great to get something in your system right away, especially if I'm working out early)


Breakfast: 1 Banana w/cinnamon + 4 pieces of bacon + 1 broccoli muffin (recipe in previous post)


Morning Snack: 2 Paleo Breakfast Sausage (I skipped out on the Bison as I'm about to be a new homeowner on a budget - but these kind of lacked flavor, so maybe next time I will bite the bullet) + handful of strawberries & blueberries w/cinnamon


Lunch: Chicken with fajita veggies (from Albertsons - they have a pretty fantastic "mix & match" "buy one get one free" case by the Service Meat cases in the back - healthy and already seasoned? We love easy!) + 1 Granny Smith apple w/almond butter (Trader Joes - Creamy w/Sea Salt- best we've found so far)


Afternoon snack: Asparagus w/toasted garlic & toasted almonds + 1/2 banana w/cinnamon + 1 broccoli muffin


Post workout: Chocolate protein shake mixed with water


Dinner: 1 piece grilled tilapia w/ grilled lemon + asparagus w/toasted garlic & toasted almonds


Dessert: Large slice of pineapple (cut up into chunks) + chocolate Casein protein shake (this is also a standard for us at night: Casein protein + Whey protein + strawberries + cinnamon + water. Less water than the shake in the morning - it's a little thicker and more "dessert" like. We've grown to love and look forward to these. It's great because the Casein protein stays with you throughout the night and we don't really ever wake up starving)


Well there you are ladies and gents. Turns out when I write it all out - I eat quite a bit of food don't I? Hehe. 


I'll also post the workout from yesterday - it was a lot of fun and thanks to my own progress and the support of the people there last night - I pushed myself pretty dang hard and felt really good about my result.


WOD: Jack (Hero WOD week at CFCH - I don't hate that, being married to a Marine)


20 Minute AMRAP
10 Push Presses 75#
10 KB Swings 1Pood
10 Box Jumps 20"


9 rounds + 8 box jumps. 


Next time - TEN! :) Until tomorrow guys!

Broccoli muffins & the "2 week Paleo Challenge"

So - check these guys out! 
Broccoli muffins! I know right? Gross. Haha! But no - really - I can't believe how yummy they are. I snatched the recipe up on a site I just recently stumbled across Little B's Healthy Habits. Such a great site for recipes - I love being able to try different things and have them still be healthy. 






Please make these! Easy peasy - and cheap! (who doesn't love that!)


2 cups of broccoli
8 egg whites
Whatever spices you like - I've only tried garlic salt & pepper so far


Blend together - pour mixture into pre-nonstick sprayed wells of muffin pan - and bake @ 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 


And done! Easy, right? =) You're welcome! They do sink into a funky shape when you take them out - don't be alarmed - it gives 'em a little character!




This recipe comes from my "I just started today, here's hoping I get through it in one piece, Paleo Challenge". Normally it's called a 30 day (or more) Paleo Challenge -but let's not get crazy! I just need a quick clean up as I've been a little more "relaxed" in my eating habits! And let's face it - I work far too hard in the gym to let all of my work go to waste. 


What does Paleo mean? Well in the wise words of my hubby - to make it to where I could understand and wouldn't follow up with a million examples - if it came from the ground or had a face at some point - you can eat it. (Excluding legumes and potatoes - save for sweet potatoes). Great description right? Anyway - point is to clean up your eating! It's not easy - just takes a LOT of preparation. Luckily I'm used to food prepping for the week anyway - now I just need to be a bit more strict with it. 


So here we go - me, two weeks; Jake, 30 days. He's crazy. I know. But gotta respect the discipline!


On a completely unrelated note - what the business is up with this So Cal weather today? I was NOT prepared! Either rain or don't Cali - none of this in between stuff!

Recipe to share!

Just wanted to pop in quickly today - happy Thursday! - and share the new recipe I made last night - thanks to Rachel Ray. I recommend making sure you scrape up some of the pesto sauce that sticks to the pan - that helps the chicken be extra tasty. 

Grilled Chicken with Arugula Pesto - Rachael Ray

(And heck no - no pasta! Not in this low carb house! You can do it! I believe in you! :) )

Today's workout:

800m run

10 rounds of:

10 toes to bar (yuck! yet another weakness)

10 box jumps (20")

800m run

I hate my weaknesses - but grateful for all the opportunities I have to work on them, and see my progress - EVENTUALLY... *cough cough* double unders! 

My next baking adventure! And other updates..

Well hello there! It's been a quick minute since I've written - I guess competing in the Crossfit Games Open took more energy out of me than I realized. Last time I blogged, I had just made the decision to take part in the Open, and was quite nervous about it. Well - the nerves definitely never went away, but I couldn't be happier that I competed. I had such a fun time, met many new friends, and pushed myself past places I thought possible. And on top of it all - I got to do every Open workout with my hubby - how can you ask for more? I placed #458 out of the girls in Southern California - not bad, but I can't wait to see where I'm at next year. My favorite workout? 12.5. The only workout I completed twice. All the others I never felt like I could make a big improvement by re-doing it, and let's face it - I wasn't looking at moving on to Regionals - so I felt it was in my best interest to keep on practicing and getting better at everything - not just that workout. 12.5 was an exception. The workout: Thrusters (65#) + Chest to Bar Pull-Ups - starting at 3 repetitions each, increasing by 3 every round - AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) for seven minutes. My first attempt: 57 reps. Which meant I was 9 pull-ups into my round of 12 reps. It was decent - and similar to the results I'd been getting throughout the entire Open. Yet, after talking over the workout with my hubby later that night - I decided I could do better. I waited two days, and hit it again. This time I had my hubby scoring me (which might sound like it's unfair because he'll be easier on me - far from it! As he proudly told everyone at the gym - "I'll no rep the sh*t out of her!" That's why I love him - he pushes me harder than anyone because he knows I can always improve)- and some of the girls I admire from our new gym there to cheer me on... a.k.a. scream at me to not let go of the bar! Sounds crazy - but I love it. Anyway - that workout was intense. I couldn't have done it without the help of Jake and the other girls - sometimes you need that extra push. My goal had been getting into my 15th round of thrusters - which meant finishing that round of 12 pull-ups. I was confident I could do the thrusters - but the pull-ups were the tough area. So where did all that extra pushing get me? 79 reps! Four pull-ups into my 15th round! I was ecstatic! Once I was able to peel myself off of the floor that is. I love that I have a workout in the Open where I can say I truly pushed myself past my original limits, and am without a doubt proud of how I did.  


Here's a pic of my standing in the Open, and my scores on the workouts. 

The numbers in the parentheses under each workout are my results per workout - and the number next to it is my rank in Southern California. I know I've already said it - but I can't wait until next year!

Now on to my next baking adventure! I'll let the picture speak for itself...

Peanut Butter Bacon Chocolate Cookies - YoungMarriedChic.Com

Yep - you read that right. PEANUT. BUTTER. BACON. CHOCOLATE. COOKIES. 

I think my hubby about fainted when he read that. And has now been hinting at me nonstop to make them. I'm hoping to get to them this week - but I know I'll have to get two workouts in that day to make up for the large amount of cookies I'm sure to eat. How could you eat just one? It'd be unfair to the bacon! And the chocolate! And the peanut butter!!!

Have a wonderful week everyone - and go make these cookies! Yum!