Holy Moly Sweetness!!!

As of last night I felt I had conquered my sweet cravings enough to take me to the end of the challenge. I was more than good, I was over sweetened. I made a paleo friendly pie, click here for the recipe, I subbed cranberries for cherries-- not sure either are needed. And, just an honest FYI- the best I could find in chocolate was 65% cocoa-- better than the other options with full on sugar and other random stuff in the ingredients. Definitely lost a point for this though. :) I'm okay with it- it was Hank's birthday celebration pie!! However, today watching my co-workers eat chocolate chip cookies (really gooey delicious ones...) I kind of went back to my cravings and had another piece of pie tonight, a small one. In my defense, Hank was supposed to bring the pie to work to get it away from me!


Dinner last night was pretty delicious too, Mary's eye round roast beef with a yummy horseradish sauce that Hank's roommate James later used as a sauce on his potato! I found a vegan mayo that was as close to paleo I could get-- it did have cane juice, canola oil and apple cider vinegar, the dijon I think had one thing and the horseradish had corn oil-- but I am telling you of the choices I could find (who knows what was hiding around- I imagine there are better options at really nice farmers markets or something), I picked the best ingredients. Just FYI, you can make paleo friendly mayo-- and I imagine I could've done more of this sauce from scratch, but to quote my lil bro Matt: it would have been a good opportunity for me, but I am just not into that right now. 


Also, we had some sweet potato chips with salsa along with the meat.


Here is the recipe:

High Temperature Eye of Round Roast (allrecipes.com)

Preheat oven to 500*.  For the beef you take an eye of round roast (3# or so) and rub it with Montreal seasoning.  I checked, and Montreal seasoning has sugars in it, so I would substitute kosher salt, pepper, and maybe garlic powder or something similar.  You then put the beef in the oven (roasting pan) and lower the temperature to 475*.  Bake for 21 minutes (or 7 minutes per pound).  The turn off the oven (DO NOT OPEN) and let the roast sit in the hot oven for 2 ½ hours.  Remove from oven (internal temp should be 145*) and slice thin to serve.

But the best part (in my humble opinion) … for dipping/drizzling

Mustard Horseradish Sauce (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)

• 3/4 cup good mayonnaise (this was tough, but there are vegan mayos out there without dairy or sugars…veganaise is the one I hear about the most…can’t vouch for the taste as compared to mayo…but since you’ll be mixing in horseradish and Dijon I think you’ll have the taste thing covered)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard ( I just use all Dijon)
• 2 ½ tablespoon prepared horseradish (I put way more than this)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream (substitute w/ Greek yogurt for your diet)
• Kosher salt

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, horseradish, sour cream, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. I would start with those measurements as a base, then taste and adjust as needed. Serve at room temperature.  Yield: 1 cup

The rest of yesterday's meals: I had an egg, chicken sausage, blueberries & banana for breakfast-- bison chili, bbq chk & cauliflower for lunch, snacks = banana + almond butter. Activity was a nice hike on Stringer's Ridge- the uphill portions seemed easier!

Enter today, I was all on track to head back into point land when I was running really late this morning. I grabbed this new almond butter I bought and a banana...only to find out when I got to work that the new almond butter I bought on sale at Green Life had sugar in it! Ugh. Should of checked, didn't think about it, guess I was checking too many other things and that was just a quick buy for me. But I needed to eat breakfast, sugar or not (I don't do well without breakfast) so I did-- oh well, again, not a point for this challenge, but overall I didn't feel too too bad about it. Let me tell you, this stuff tasted like powder sugar though I could've had it by the spoonful-- I'll save that for post challenge!


Snack= larabar, lunch = turkey chili. Then came dinner...so again, thought I'd be all good, since it was Hank's b-day he went to Mojo to get a burrito and I went to Green Life not to be tempted and got some of their challenge friendly Mexican style beef and chicken with veggies, only to come home to Hank and his queso. I figured I already lost a point today-- so I DID NOT indulge in chips, I am proud to say, but I had to pour some of that queso on my food...I could've had spoonfuls of the queso too! It was sooooo good. 


Saw a bunch of the CrossFit peeps at Green Life-- thanks Ian & Lissa for cheering me on during the WOD and at Green Life!


Speaking of the WOD:

“Dae Han” Did it in 26:04 I think, or maybe 26:09...gosh I have got to write this down.

Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters with a 45 pound barbell (I did 7kg/ 15.4 pounds- I did run about 97% of the time, depending on your definition of run :)...)
15 foot Rope climb, 3 ascents (I did the outside rope- 15ft- but I did 2 ascents...think I could've done 3, but next time I know, moving from the 10ft rope to the 15 ft rope was a good start!)
135 pound Thruster, 12 reps (21 kg/ 46.2 lbs for me!)

I also did a few dead hangs to help with my pull ups.

I loved this WOD! Mainly because I love climbing the rope, it is so fun, reminds me of being a kid maybe? It is just one of those things you think you could never do and not gonna lie its pretty cool once you realize you can! 


Spiritual WOD of the day: One I need to remember every day and meditate on as worrying is a hobby of mine I am trying to quit! Have a good Tuesday all.

Spiritual WOD – 1/30/2012

Every time you are tempted to worry today, commit to thankfulness.  Count your blessings.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Angry Banana! Sad Banana.

It is Sunday Funday-- and Sunday Funday is taking on a different meaning these days, Sunday Funday = cooking and baking paleo meals for Hank's Birthday and a massage, ha, how times have changed.

Its been a good weekend, yesterday was TOUGH on the cravings. I was craving like a mad woman. And, I was craving sweets. I had almost oatmeal last night for dinner! I guess I should share all of the last two days of meals & WODs:

Friday: 
B: 1 egg, 1 chk sausage, 1/2 banana
S post workout: 2nd best smoothie in the world- progenex, kale, 1/2 banana, frozen strawberries, 1 tbsp of greek yogurt (my first in nearly a week), a splash of coconut milk, cinnamon, water & ice
L: chorizo & spaghetti squash (my new fav thing)
S: larabar
D: ribeye, baked sweet potato & salad with bacon, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and avocado for my dressing
WOD at CFB: This one was a toughy.
Warmup: 10 Minutes to Set up & Prepare for this. Samson/Lateral Lunges/Burgener/ then we’ll dig right in (don’t worry, you’ll get ‘warm’ on your jog).
“Hidalgo”For time:Run 2 milesRest 2 minutes135 pound Squat clean, 20 reps20 Box jump, 24″ box20 Walking lunge steps with 45lb plate held overhead20 Box jump, 24″ box135 pound Squat clean, 20 repsRest 2 minutesRun 2 miles
I finished in 45:something- I forget, shoulda wrote it down. I did only one mile to begin with because of my knee/ IT band/ leg/ whatever is wrong with me that no one can figure out- but I felt great, and I felt great a 1/2 mile in on the second run, so I thought why not let's go for 2-- and for the most part it was okay but my leg started hurting with about 3/4 mile left-- its getting better...but it is oh so frustrating because I love to run, and I feel its one of the strengths I have, but its not so strong now. Oh well. Patience.

Saturday
I was still tired from Friday's WOD, and extremely lazy all day.
B: egg & bacon, fruit
L: pre made paleo turkey meatballs, spaghetti squash & broccoli
S: pecans, 1/2 larabar I split with Hank
D: almost oatmeal
Activity: 30 minutes of stretching (did I mention how lazy I was??)

Okay, back to my crazy cravings! I mean, they were just out of control. Maybe its because mentally, I knew I cheated last Saturday, no idea. I wanted cheesecake, a Julie Darling donut (the best in the world) thanks to Kevin's posting on the CFB FB members page, and everything in between. Tonight I will be baking a paleo pie for Hank, but we'll probably lose points for it because it includes dark chocolate, which I think is off limits for the challenge, but at this point I am doing good not to eat a dozen krispy kremes, so I'm standing proud that at least I found the recipe on a paleo website!

I also had a dream that Hank & I cheated by eating fried mac & cheese, but we ate around the bread crumbs because that made us feel better.

I recently came across this article, about the stages of grief and how it relates to eliminating food from the diet, its pretty right on-- Hank and I have been hitting a few of these lately. Hank has been angry, and I have been bargaining (my recent paleo dessert adventures) & sad, I was very sad last night. Doing better today-- just two weeks left! Take a look at the article-- although don't look too hard at the whole30 concept or it will make what Hank and I are doing look like nothing...this is partly what led to Hank's anger outburst.
All in all, while I push through these last two weeks-- I have learned quite a bit this past month in terms of this lifestyle moving forward. 

I've learned:
1. There are a lot of paleo friendly easy & tasty meals I can make during the week (there are also hard tasty meals that I will make on the weekend.)
2. I can survive this thing during the week, with little problem unless someone has a birthday pot luck lunch
3. That fruit truly is so, so sweet and makes the perfect dessert with just some cinnamon
4. On that note, I've learned that I need to submit to my sweet cravings every now and then so that I do not have the urge to eat an entire box of chocolate chip cookies (of course I am trying not to do this before the challenge is over)
5. That pre-made paleo is a life saver-- its like healthy microwaveable food!
6. That eating this way makes me stronger and gives me back the body of my youth, which I once thought was not possible after a certain point in life (unless you were rich and famous and had cooks and trainers galore)
7. That I am definitely going to need to keep this up at least 75% of my time so that I can fit into my wedding dress
8. That spirituality and faith can get you through a lot, whether the challenge is food, relationships, or something greater 

I think I've learned more, and hopefully I've shared that a long the way-- but there are 8 things to leave you with to start the week! I'll let you know how my adventures in baking and cooking tonight go either later or on Monday's post. Have a wonderful week.

Spiritual Weekend WOD – 1/27/2012 to 1/29/2012

Add to your knowledge…

Commit this passage to memory:  “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in his temple. ⁵ For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling;  He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. ⁶ Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4-6)

Bicep proud

Today I went swimming! Its funny because someone asked me how this whole challenge was going, if I'v lost weight, looked different, etc. and I commented that I looked how I looked in 8th grade when I was competitively swimming-- in terms of muscles. I have biceps again and I love it! I've missed that.

Swimming can be quite mundane, but I tried to switch it up- I did all of the strokes (butterfly, back, breast & free-- mostly freestyle), I did an old 5 X 50 freestyle sprint workout-- you start at the minute, then go again at the 55 sec, then the 50, down to 40 sec. I ended up swimming for about 30 minutes.

Swimming can also be a great time to reflect- and I tried to do that today. Emily has been posting this on the Crossfit Brigade facebook page, but there is a  CrossFit Faith  website. They post a goal/ verse to reflect on each day -- a spiritual WOD if you will- another great type of exercise. Without looking at today's verse, I picked my own and thought back to series our church did this time last year when I first started attending The Net--we covered the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes. Each Sunday they covered just one verse and really broke it down- I find for someone who wants things done fast and doing as many things during a day or at once- that this approach is very refreshing and applicable- helping me to comprehend all that the verses entail.

While that was a year ago, and these verses are quite complex-- the one main thing I remember from the series was that it boiled down to what truly matters in life is that we try our best. Not getting everything right and hitting obstacles is part of everyday life, but if you try to be pure of heart, if you are poor in spirit, recognize you are poor in spirit and want to do something about it or try to do something about it- you are blessed. How refreshing is this!? We don't have to have it all together.
¹ Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. 
The Beatitudes -He said:

   ³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
   for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
   for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
   for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
   for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
   for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
   for they will be called children of God.¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


So, my reflections:
With crossfit- I know I've been down on myself a little using smaller weights, and I might not have the form perfect, but I am trying! I'm there working at it, and I am trying to do my best, to beat my goals, set new ones- and a little at a time I get there and like Emily said I am truly making amazing progress. People around me may be bigger and faster and stronger- but I too am growing bigger and faster and stronger every day I step into that gym. 

And in life, among many other examples- this is most recent :), I recognize I was not very nice to the customer service guy at Amazon.com the other night because I didn't like their broken kindle policy- he was very nice, the policy he had to enforce wasn't, but that was no reason for me to be short with him. The next day, I felt bad about it- but I know to try harder next time to be nice, its just nice to be nice, but it isn't always easy. 

And at work, again, among many other examples, I know last week I should've been focused during a management training, however my mind was wandering to a situation at work that I had no control over at the present time- so I kept telling myself to be in the moment- and while its not close to perfect, I tried, and I was better off than if I ignored my will to focus and was able to pay better attention. I did my best.

Speaking of doing our best-- I read once that our best is always different depending on a lot of factors-- the situation, our age, our experiences, etc. I think that is refreshing as well. We'll never get it 100% right or we may even be lucky to get to be close to 50% right at times, but if we keep trying, we get a little closer, and we find a little more peace- and we let go a little more and get better at setting more manageable expectations of ourselves and others. 
All that to say, I just read the Crossfit Faith verse today, and interestingly enough, it lines up really well with my reflections of the day.

Spiritual WOD – 1/26/2012

Forgive yourself today.  Acknowledge something you have not let go.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

I thought that was pretty neat! So there you have it-- lots of reflections from me today- probably more than you signed up for. :) Although I hope you can find something here to help fuel your day and remind you to be good to yourself!

Okay, here are the goods: 

B: Smoothie- same as yesterday but with kale instead of spinach
S: Larabar
L: Leftover sausage, s. pot & kale soup/ stew
S: almonds
D: A lovely quick dinner-- leftover spaghetti squash with sauteed spinach with Italian seasoning and mild Italian chicken sausage.
S: paleo tart
Drinks- I always forget drinks! I haven't been drinking coffee, but today I did. I was wired last night and couldn't sleep. Been drinking all kinds of tea.

Thanks Emily and Mary for sharing recipes today! I look forward to testing and sharing.
That is it for today. Have a good one.

Dessert is approved!

I didn't blog last night because I was too busy cooking! So I'll share my culinary experiments today. I made an amazing stew/soup last night "inspired" by Blair's recipe:

SAUSAGE & KALE SOUP

Ingredients:

3 links sausage, sliced & cut in half (I used hot chicken sausage from t-joes)

6 small potatoes, cubed - (I used 1 sweet potato, in Blair's original recipe, she prefers purple ones for those of you who want to try it!)

1 large onion, chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

4 cups beef broth

healthy pinch of dried red pepper flakes

3/4 of a large bag of kale

Directions:

In a stock pot with some olive oil, heat the sausage on medium until cooked (or if already cooked, just heated through).  

Add the onion, garlic, potatoes, red pepper flakes & salt/pepper.

Stir occasionally until the potatoes are getting tender and the olive and onion are cooked.

Add the broths and de-glaze the bottom of the pot (that means scrape the dried seasoning up off the bottom of the pot with your wooden spoon)

Heat thoroughly

Add the kale, turn to low and cover

Stir occasionally for 5-10 min and you're done.

You can add more or less broth depending on your personal broth-level preferences:)

So, I used 2 links of chorizo, forgot the rest of the onion at Hank's, garlic powder (mainly cause I'm lazy), only beef broth (3 cups- I didn't have a big enough pot at my house), no red pepper flakes so I used cayenne pepper (it was a spicy soup!), and I had about a 1/2 cup or so of crushed tomatoes left so I threw those in with the broth as well. It is so yummy. Thanks Blair, I loved it and I'll make a closer version sometime soon. I love that I posed this challenge, I have a recipe waiting from Ginny & Brandy too- can't wait to try them out.

I also baked a dessert item I made up- and I am so excited about it!

PALEO FRUIT TART

Ingredients:

crust: 2 cups of almond flour, 1 heaping tbsp of almond butter, 1 egg (I meant to add nutmeg, forgot that as well!)

fillings: 5-7 or so blueberries, 4-6 tiny slices of banana, topped with coconut milk whipped cream (click for recipe) whipped with lots of cinnamon

Directions: (Bear with me I don't know all the baking lingo, ha)

Combine the crust ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands, once mixed take a tablespoon of the crust mixture and spread it across the bottom and just a tad up the sides of a muffin liner- you should be able to make close to 15 crusts. 

Place liners with crust in a muffin baking pan, and bake for about 15 maybe 20 minutes (I just watched it and guessed), take out and let cool for a few minutes.

As far as the filling goes, you could probably mix the ingredients together if you want or do what I did, place the blueberries and bananas in the tart and top with about a tbsp of the whipped cream- add more cinnamon. You could maybe add honey to the fruit, although I don't know if its needed?? Would depend on how much of a sweet tooth you had. Sometimes they stay together and other times it helps to dump on a plate. 

I brought my creation into work to test on my co-workers-- and they loved it! (Unless they were lying, but I am pretty sure they were being honest. :)...) Hank loved it too (I can tell when he is lying, I hope.) Its actually hard not to eat a bunch of them- while its very healthy I doubt I am supposed to eat like 5 at a time (I've only had two at a time, and I've had two today but I really want the last two, trying to have willpower to save them for tomorrow.)

I also made paleo almost oatmeal for breakfast yesterday- it was good but it was actually pretty rich, had left over meatballs & spaghetti squash for lunch- snacked on a larabar and some almonds. Workout at Crossfit Brigade was the following (I'm deciding just to paste the workouts- including the warmups for y'all to see): 

Warmup: Run, Row, or Jump Rope for 2 minutes, then, as a Group, 2×10 of: Rolling V-Sits, Shoulder Dislocations, OHS, Leg Swings, Arm Circles, Lateral LungesWork: Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:--18 Box jumps, 24″ box (I did 2 at 16" cause of space- 4 rounds at 20" once there was space to jump on the tire), 15 Toes to bar (I did knees to armpits), 12 Pull-ups (assisted with band)- finished 6 rounds +25.Strength: Shoulder Press 5 @65%, 5 @ 70%, Max Reps at 75%.- I did 5 at 19kg.

Today's meals: smoothie (instead of Greek yogurt I used coconut milk, I also added a tablespoon of almond butter and a couple tbsp's of unsweetened applesauce-- all ingredients from the almost oatmeal), had a little leftover soup for a snack, then we had a celebration lunch at Taziki's and I ordered the lamb salad with no feta & no dressing. Dinner was pre-made paleo hamburger, greens & sweet potato fries. Larabar for dessert.

Today's workout:

Warmup: Run 400M, Row 500M, or practice DUs for 2 minutes. Then, 10 Rolling V-Sits on the Mats, then Spiderman to Rig for hanging stretches for a minute; Crab Walk to Mats, 20 Bridges; Bear Crawl to Rig – back stretch Holds; Toy Soldiers to Mats, 10 Scorpions, 10 Windmills, 10 Cherrypickers.Skills: Focus on technique & form for each of the lifts performed in the WOD.Work: Five rounds for time of (I used 15 kg):Deadlift, 9 repsHang power snatch, 6 repsOverhead squat, 3 repsMobility: Yoga (Down-dog, Warriors, Triangle, Pigeon)

Pretty good workout, finished in 5:10- the deadlifts were pretty easy, I just have a hard time doing those fast, even when the weight is light. Getting a little better at the snatches, ohs's were tough! I didn't get enough depth at first and the bar was too far back, but I improved. Patience- I need to remember patience and learning- embrace it! I'm relatively new at all of this lifting and I've made great strides, especially in certain lifts...so I just need to keep at it- I'll make my way to the big girl weights. 

Okay, I can't stand it- I have to have one more of my desserts. :) Goodnight!

Delicious Dinner

Okay, I experimented, with a new recipe! Paleo meatballs! You can click on the link for the recipe- I was pretty close, I may have left off the ginger and used different seasoning, but close enough. I served the meatballs and sauce over spaghetti squash. I'm so glad we found the microwave version on how to prepare spaghetti squash cause I freaked out a little when I saw 30-45 minutes in the oven and it was already 20 after 9. We ate late.

I am always nervous to try things out, but am typically (not always) glad I did. Its part of the fun. I plan to try a new recipe for breakfast tomorrow, wish me luck! And, I am kinda sorta making up a recipe for dessert-- hope to get to that sometime this week and share how it turns out. :)

So, quickly to the goods of the day, since its 10:20 and I got to start gettin ready for sleep.
B: 1 egg with spinach & 1 piece of bacon, a handful of blackberries.
S: almonds& dried fruit
L: a turkey bratwurst (little one), a little chicken, some purple veggie, and two small steak potato fries (what is leftover of pre-made).
S: more almonds & dried fruit
D: You know! Delicious meatballs on spaghetti squash, plus a handful of blueberries

Workout at Crossfit Brigade, focused on the front squat (note the first woman- she is a rock star!). Taping my wrists up helped a bunch! Was able to do 1 rep at 42kg- couldn't do the second. We also did a fast, super crazy workout. 3 RFT of bear crawl 50 ft, 3 burpees, broad jump 50 ft, 3 burpees. It was a fun one to watch too- it was kind of like a race little kids might make up. I finished in 3:17- I am not very fast at the bear crawl. I was worn out after just 3 minutes- but it was an intense 3 minutes!

I am thankful for new recipes, and grateful I finished this blog in record time. Its bed time, goodnight.

The Big Cheat

So, if you've read Saturday's blog- you know Hank and I knowingly cheated last night! So, for this blog I will address the cheat.

I had 3 pieces of Lupi's pepperoni pizza- no crust though- I felt as though that made it better and a little bit of salad with vinaigrette. I also had 2 glasses of red wine.

So here is the deal, I've heard that I would feel terrible (I was kind of hoping I was), I didn't. Not at all (I think I have pizza in my blood). BUT, I also wasn't crying because I was so happy I was having pizza and wine like I thought I would. It was good, I enjoyed it. I don't feel the urge to have to have it again sometime soon, which I was afraid of. And, strangely enough I think I missed the wine more, haha. That being said, I think the wine made me have crappy sleep. Plus, I had dreams all night that I was cheating and eating all kinds of bad food. Thinking I might have felt a little bad about it.

So, here I am the day after. I think I have a good focus to finish these next 3 weeks. Breakfast = eggs with spinach, snack a larabar (my new favorite thing), lunch spinach salad at mojo with ground beef, red peppers, tomatoes, green onions & guac for my dressing. Went for a walk for the activity. Snacked on roasted salted almonds during the movie (the popcorn smelled really good-- but that's okay- although I think it may have been the first time ever Hank went to the movies without getting popcorn!). I'm boiling pre-made paleo right now for dinner, chicken, steak, some sort of white veggie puree that's not half bad, and spaghetti squash, strawberries (small portions of each- not very hungry).

I know I promised experimenting- sorry I never got around to it today -opted for going to a movie instead (we saw Haywire, it was an interesting movie). I will try to experiment some this week. I have a delicious dessert idea and a good looking recipe for paleo meatballs! Since I am cutting down on the greek yogurt and am getting tired of eggs, I do plan to make paleo oatmeal this week (after tomorrow, I need to go grocery shopping), I will let y'all know how it goes.

At church today, we discussed the parable of the mustard seed, which has a lot to do with patience. Something I'm wishing I had a little more of last night and I guess in life in general-- its easy to want things and to want them now, but oh well, we also learn and we grow a little each day. Nothing moves fast and nothing is perfect- its all about the journey, and the journey has obstacles, as Ryan said over time, your struggle becomes your ministry!

Mt 13:31-32 Here is another illustration Jesus used: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches."

I am learning to focus on having patience- with this diet, with a lot of things- at work, in wedding planning, at the gym, and more. I am grateful that I've become much more open to the concept of learning and not knowing everything and not having the answers- and having the patience for the time it takes to grow.

Week 4, here we go!

World's Best Smoothie

I made the world's best smoothie yesterday morning. I had the day off work so I went to the 9:30 WOD at the box. Therefore, I was able to use the progenex protein in my smoothie! I know it made all the difference. The stuff is chocolate flavored for goodness sakes. It tasted like a choc banana smoothie from Starbucks but even better-- and I didn't even use a banana. FYI, before the WOD I had an egg & spinach. Smoothie ingredients: fresh bluberries, frozen strawberries, a touch of spinach, cinnamon, greek yogurt (I don't think I even needed it) and spirulina...then a scoop of progenex, water and a few ice cubes. It was so creamy and delicious. Now I just need to get up early for the 6am workouts so I can have this delicious thing for breakfast....probably not gonna happen. :) Here's to dreaming. I guess I could make this for my post workout snack instead!!

I enjoyed the workout. Running Bear!  4 rounds for time: Run 800m & Bear Complex (a round of power clean, front squat, push press, back quat, back push press- bar to the ground, repeat 6 more times.) I did 26:30 something I think. I remember that I was chasing Kristy and she had a 26:10- I was chasing her- of course I remember her time, not mine! :)
Lunch wasn't as good, I ordered a chicken sandwhich (without bread of course!!) so I had grilled chicken, bacon, green leaf lettuce, tomato and provolone...kind of dissapointed with the provolne, wasn't at the time-- but now I am... get to that later.

Dinner- taco lettuce wraps- with delicious roasted pablano peppers, tomatoes and white onions with homemade Mexican seasoning, ground beef, avocado, green onion and Greek yogurt for a sour cream substitute.

Breakfast this morning was absolutely fantastic! I was pretty proud of myself. I was attempting to do something fritatta ish, ended up being more of a scramble so close enough. I made bacon, warmed the roasted veggies in the bacon grease, threw in green onions, avocado and spinach to warm along, then crumbled and threw in the bacon- and finally the eggs. Had some delicious blackberries to help with my sweet tooth.

Lunch was some chicken, steak, green beans & peppers from Green life. Activity: 1/2 mile run warm up and 21-15-9 push ups, sit ups, squats- I did it in 9:15, yes that is a little long-- BUT I did real push ups, chest touching ground everytime my friends. Ended with a few stretches.
But dinner.....dinner is going to be pizza (not paleo) and wine. That's right, Hank and I are cheating. The want and need to do so came out of no where and it came strong, and we don't want to ignore it. I've been reading a lot about incorporating cheats to keep this diet manageable, so its been on my mind. I was really praying I could go 6 weeks before introducing cheats, but 3 ain't half bad. I figure (and am hoping) we'll feel terrible and this will help us get through our next 3 weeks!!

And, because I am doing this- I am taking out feta and goat cheese moving forward-- any cheese for that matter moving forward, I'll make myself lose points if I have it. I'm going to keep Greek yogurt-- but I'm not allowing myself to eat it every day like I have been, I at least have to skip a day. Hey you cheat and there are consequences!

So there you have it. Just hours from 3 weeks in (Hank and I started New Years Day), and we are cheating, I struggle with the choice a little, but I am okay- I want to see what happens really. Here is the scoop about 1/2 way through:
21 days for us- challenge is 20- so that is where the points are stemming from:
Total points to be had: 40
Total points I've subtracted due to sneaky sugar (which will be considered at the end of this competition-- again, don't feel like these are 'real cheats' like we are doing tonight): 6
Total points I gave back when I realize NOT all packages have sugar: 2
Pizza & red wine (first real cheat): - 1 point
Total three weeks in: 35 out of 40 points

What I've learned today- I can go three weeks without eating pizza or drinking wine, but that's about my limit. (FYI I used to have pizza 2-3, sometimes 4 times a week)
What I'm grateful for- the discipline I've had for three weeks, and hope to have for three more.

Happy Saturday!

Workin for the weekend

 SERENITY NOW!- George from Seinfeld (says Hank, I don't watch it enough...)

It's hard to believe I am closing in on the tail end of week three! Close to half way through the challenge. Its a weird really, because of course part of me is counting down to the end of this thing-- but I hate wishing days and weeks away!


Its funny how often we do that, who's working for the weekend out there? Who is happier at work when its Friday? This girl is! Who is ready for August to be here? :) But its about all of the stuff and experiences that get us to our destinations- that's the good stuff. What do they say--- life is what happens when you're busy planning- or something like that?


I've been trying to do my best to focus on really living every day. Looking forward to big things- and little things from going to the box for a workout and camaraderie or cozy-ing up with Hank for a movie. (Even though we didn't get to watch last night cause Hank forgot he had a basketball game--- rain check. :)...) While food has always played a big part of what I've looked forward to throughout the week, going out to a new place for dinner, etc.-- I find that there is a lot more to look forward to, in addition to food, and its good to recognize the diverse things that make us happy and make life good!

I was introduced to this prayer about a year and a half ago, it helped me live in the moment more and let go of the control I so desire to have-- bu tto be honest I had forgotten about it until I just googled it. I really like it and hope you find it helpful too.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr 

Okay, now to the food and activities the past two days-- food hasn't been too exciting I am going to try and spice it up this weekend and do some experimenting-- look for some pictures Sunday/ Monday. Speaking od jazzing stuff up-- Blair is still the only one to accept my challenge! Its cool, feel free to share if you come up with something. :)

Breakfast: (Wed) 2 eggs scrambled with a heaping tbsp of greek yogurt & blueberries (Thur) same thing but one egg -- I think I need the most ideas on breakfast
Lunch: (Wed) turkey bratwurst, sweet potato fries, some veg I don't remember? (Thur) pork, leftover brussel sprouts & sweet potato "fries"
Dinner: (Wed) red pepper chk, brussel sprouts spaghetti squash (Hank's new fav) (Thur) Greenlife hot bar-- they've expanded-- some kinda chicken, sauteed veggies, spinach salad with cucumbers & olives, blackberries & strawberries, and you guessed it, sweet potato "fries." I'm pretty sure you are not supposed to eat that many sweet potatoes (they are to be eaten in moderation on this diet) but oh well, I don't lose points!!

Activities: (Wed) yoga/ stretching (Thur) "Annie" 50-40-30-20-10 reps of double unders (I did half real- got 14 in a row again and half attempts) and sit ups! I finished in 11:39- I was hoping for less, but those double unders are tricky. What I like about double unders though, is that the whole process of learning and improving has been something thats just clicked. Then we did bench presses I bench pressed 30 kilos.

That's the story going into Friday- hope everyone enjoys their day- and hey its almost the weekend!

Hank's beautiful colorful breakfast plate! My breakfast wasn't this beautiful- but it was pretty decent. I had one egg, bananas and blueberries mixed with some Greek yogurt. Same old same old-- I need to switch it up. :)

Lunch was spinach with chicken, feta and a little salsa (sugar free- watch those packages!), pretty simple but pretty delicious.

Dinner was pre-made paleo, thank goodness for it since I didn't get home till 8:30! Beef, turnip puree and greens.

Since my meals are getting a little boring (besides my weekend adventures in paleo cooking)- I am posing a challenge! To crossfitters and non-crossfitters alike (Blair, I know you've already accepted.)-- share some recipes, whether they are favorites or you are coming up with recipes from scratch, post them in the comments area! The easier, the better! Refresher- no sugar (unless its from fruit or vegetables), no grains, no alcohol. I'll give them a try and share how it goes here.

Workout at Box 626 tonight was a good one. I rxed the run- 1000m, rxed the reps of the push ups 100 (but not the actual pushups, since I did them on my knees) and did the beginner level snatches (note the video does not show a beginner snatch, its quite advanced.) with 17 kilos- 10 reps. :) Finished in 16:30. I have to say the snatch is another one I need to work on, but I was excited that I was able to get the bar closer to my body- one thing at a time right? Next I'll work on a better landing. I need to land like I mean it! Had a post workout shake.


Side note: Hank found some packaged chicken sausage at Green life that didn't have sugar as an ingredient...so that got me thinking- the sausage I had at the beginning of this challenge may have been sugar free as well-- and guess what it was! So I get some points back (not sure how many yet- need to go back and count, too tired to do that right now)! Woohoo!

Today, I've learned I've been going non-stop for a while, so I am grateful that I've giving myself a day off tomorrow from after-work activities (not a day off from the diet and I'll have to do some sort of activity- I can't lose points- but it will be something I enjoy). So no blog, no WOD (although I'll miss it), no wedding planning, and no cooking- yay for pre-made paleo. Hank and I are going to watch a movie. Sometimes, you just gotta take a break!

Hope everyone can find a time to take a break for themselves at some point this week, of course after sharing your recipes. :)

It's Monday

Overall its been a pretty good Monday, nothing too eventful, just a good old fashioned Monday. Not feeling very talkative or creative tonight either so I'm just gonna give you the goods...and hope to come back strong bloggin tomorrow! :)

Meals: Breakfast was a smoothie & some almonds, lunch was spinach, veggies & chicken sausage-- piece of advice, don't let your chicken sausage get cold after heating it, or make sure you can cook it in a skillet before eating, or bake it-- cause this chicken sausage was delicious on the pizza Saturday night, but it reminded me of a hot dog today and I pretty much gagged while eating lunch. Dinner was pre-made paleo again, delicious pork & some cauliflower - I always have to force feed myself veggies unless its sauteed spinach, with blueberries. Snacks throughout the day= almonds & apple (together, no carb can be left alone!).

Workout at the Brigade: I liked the workout tonight even though it was cleans, not so good at those clean things. Another 21-15-9 cleans and sit ups (holding a wall ball) Started in between the beginner & intermediate level with 22 kilos because I know I'm not great at these things but I like to think I've surpassed the beginner level-- but 18 into the 21 I switched to the beginner level of 17 kilos-- its all good, at least I tried to push! Finished in 7:15. We also did back squats 5@ 40%, 5@ 50%, max @ 60%- did 10 (max) at 35kilos.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Here is to celebrating without wine!

Lots of updates! Big day yesterday-- and today actually.

Yesterday

Feeling better! My attempt at paleo pizza. Attempt 1= okay, more attempts to come! I made the crust way too thick, but the toppings were delicious.

Quick snapshot on the day's meals before I get to pizza:
B: greek yogurt with strawberries & a scrambled egg, coffee
S: almonds

L: mojo spinach salad with ground beef, red peppers, green onion, gauc

S: beef with peppers & onions (small amt- we ate late)

S after dinner (we ate alot yesterday, but I got appetite back so that is exciting!): a little greek yogurt mixed with a banana & cinnamon

And then, pizza!!! Paleo style. (Lissa's recipe- close to it)
Crust: 16oz almond meal/flour, 2 eggs, 4 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp butter-- if you attempt this-- make the crust thin!!! I blame my mom for making it thick-- just kidding mom, we needed a rolling pin. :)
Toppings: homemade tomato sauce (5 roma tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, 2 pieces of bacon, tomato paste, simmered for about 40 minutes or so-- it was chunky), chicken sausage, red onion, mixed bell peppers & feta!

Not too bad, almond meal crust is an aqcuired taste I believe, I think its going to make a wonderful pie crust and I have a paleo recipe in mind I hope to make next weekend, and a primal recipe in mind when I can add honey/ agave nectar! :)

Workout: 4 rounds of the following ( 2 before dinner & 2 after) 20 sit ups, 20 squats, 30 second plank.

Big Life news: I found my dress! First place we visited, and actually the first dress I tried on-- I did try on an additional 10 dresses or so and it came within three dresses --- the first dress won.  I can't believe it. And while I told the lady I was at my smallest and I wanted to go 2 sizes larger on the dress, she wouldn't let me. So my 6 week diet is probably now my 6 month diet (with some scheduled cheats and red wine allowed). AND, that is not all, Hank and I picked our place: Tennessee River Place. We really contemplated getting a bottle of wine to celebrate, but in the end, we said no. For me, and I think even more so for Hank-- a lot of this challenge is about proving we have the willpower to pass up our cravings. Two weeks in, we've been able to do so. Let's see what the next 4 bring. :) I'm looking forward to it- in a weird way.

Today
Meals:
B: 1 egg & 1 bacon
L: burger patty from Blue Plate with goat cheese, avocado, lettuce & tomato, a few green beans and a few pieces of fruit
S: almonds
D: chicken, green onion, red onion, bell peppers, spinach & an apple

Workout:
Took it easy again, 3 rounds of 20 lunges, 20 push ups (on knees- last 10 real), 20 supermans

Big Life News:

Our pastor Ryan agreed to officiate our wedding! Another great message at The Net today, my mom really enjoyed it-- her, Hank and I definitely could relate. We discissed the parable of the wheat & the weeds in Matthew 13. Basically, long story short (I recommend you watch the message online to get the full more powerful story & message if you are interested- http://www.netchurch.cc/), weeds grow among the wheat and you cannot tell which ones are the weeds until the very end of the wheat's life-- when the wheat folds over because its produced its fruit (I'm telling ya!) and the weed stands tall but has nothing to show. Basically, we need to learn to live with what we think are the weeds in life (All the "why me" and "why not them" moments we have along with the "this isn't fair" and more) because its part of something greater in our lives that will help us produce our fruit (and in the end could be wheat!). Again, Ryan does a better job explaining! :)

And on a lighter and less important but still newsworthy note, I bought a pair of jeans today. The size jeans I bought were 3 sizes smaller than the size jeans I wore to the store! 3 sizes-- a size I haven't worn since middle school-- this stuff does work. Now I know I need to fit in these jeans to be able to fit into my dress. :)

Here's to another week down in the challenge! Have a great week everyone.

Tossed salads & scrambled eggs

Happy Friday!

This cold virus is kicking me in the butt- zapping my energy & supressing my appetite. Hoping it doesn't linger too long!

I'm nervous again going into the weekend, that's when Hank and I indulge in our favorite mexican, order a pizza, share a bottle of wine, etc. During the week, I've always done better-- its more structured-- and I've always splurged on the weekend. The cold may actually help me out, although all I want now is some chicken noodle soup! I'd say I'd skip the noodles, but its canned food and I don't have energy to make from scratch right now! Maybe I'll give that a try on Sunday. Really hoping I have the energy and the appetite to make paleo pizza tomorrow!! If I do, I'll be sure to share.

Breakfast was a smoothie, same as yesterday, with some almonds. Lunch was delicious: beef filet, oven burst tomatoes and greens (pre-made paleo to the rescue). Although I've been eating it throughout the day, a little at noon, a little at 3-- and now I'll finish the meat for dinner along with sweet potatoes and an apple.

Worked out at the box 626 again today- don't know how smart that was giving how I'm feeling, but I don't want to lose my muscle! I'll take it easy this weekend. Did 4 rounds of the workout in 26:37 (rx was 5 rounds): 20 pulls ups (straight leg in the black band), 30 KB swings 12kg/ 26lbs KB (rx was 16kg/ 35lb I believe- could be wrong), and 40 double unders-- I counted attempts with these too, which made up close to 1/3-1/2 of my du's depending on the round. But I will say, during the workout, I set a record for double unders in a row (something that is new to me- when I started early November I couldn't even do a double under) 14!!

Today, I've learned that I am tired and when I'm tired I really enjoy watching hours of tv in bed! I'm thankful for re-runs of How I met your mother and Frasier (that's right- Frasier, I don't know why I love it, but I do.)

Goodnight now! I need to rest up because mom is coming in town to go wedding dress shopping with me! This was totally last minute as we realized it could take up to 6 months to get a dress and that this was a good holiday weekend for her to come-- it would've been at least three more weeks before she could come again. Wish us luck tomorrow!

Producing delicious fruit.

Feeling a little under the weather today...kind of like a nasty cold is trying to sneak up on me! ADD moment: speaking of weather I got snowed on today, yaaay- but no yay for the 50mph wind gusts of like 10 degrees (I may be exaggerating a little- but I think I am close).

My appetite is off with this thing too, I'm hungry- but I'm not hungry and the thought of eating gags me, but then I'm hungry again? Started off not hungry and had a smoothie for breakfast (spinach, greek yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, cinnamon, spirulina) and some almonds, been doing black tea and no coffee (but that's cause I'm waking up at 8am).

Lunch was more pre-made paleo (woohoo- I'm still so excited), which was coconut milk soup with veggies I can't remember, chicken, some sort of root that tasted very close to a potato (my co-workers knew the name, I can't remember that either-- why am I so forgetful today!!?) I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous for it, but it was actually pretty tasty- unique flavor. I also brought a pre-made paleo meat loaf with me just in case, which I ended up eating at 4ish. I think it was too much food.

I am just getting around to eating dinner! Just going to do some turkey and stuffing since its bland, pre-made paleo once again.

Workout at Chattanooga's Crossfit Brigade was tons of deadlifts! Kind of nice since I was feeling icky. I started out at 35kg for my warm up and ended my last 5 at 65kg. (I think including the warm up round I did 6- maybe 7 rounds). I stuck around for yoga- great class focused on shoulders, which I need!

At times during the week I've had tough moments, between the workout on Tuesday that made me want to joust people, intense strategy planning at work that makes me want to bang my head against a wall at times, realizing I haven't been 100% compliant in the challenge (although I have been paleo for the most part-- thanks Emily for the support and encouragement), and feeling as though Hank and I have 100 things to do for our wedding- I am exhausted, no wonder I'm feeling run down! But the truth is, all of those things are not that bad- a bad or tough week is much worse than this.

The way I am looking at all of the things listed above could be easily be turned around! The workout proved that why difficult, I could do several TGU's with a KB (before I used a weight plate) and by doing so my body was changing and I will continue to push my limits. Work has been tedious this week, but we are all working as a team to improve and streamline several processes (I feel like processes isn't a real word?) and to have a measurable and meaningful impact on our programs and the patients and community we serve. Luckily, I've learned early on in this challenge what I need to do to earn full points and what I need to do to completely cleanse my body during this period. And finally, and most exciting-- I am planning a wedding and I am going to marry the love of my life!!!! How awesome is that? Bring on the crazy checklists. :)

Most importantly, when we trust in God every day and look to Jesus and His word to help us through both the trivial and the turbulent times in our lives, we can find peace and joy in every day. I am grateful for that!

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

Again- fruit is referenced. :)

Life is good! Go produce some delicious fruit.