'3-sister' berry Paleo dessert

I needed a dessert and I needed one FAST.

I needed something to bring to a dinner with friends (European) and I couldn't use the general 'dessert' ingredients (sugar, grains, dairy) because of the Lurong Living Challenge I'm doing. I also knew that less sweet dessert are preferred by many Europeans, so I figured a paleo dessert might just work!

So I did a quick inventory and realized I had NO eggs, NO bananas, NO apples, (NO FRESH FRUIT-it's the day BEFORE my weekly grocery store run PEOPLE!) but I had 2 bags of frozen strawberries, 1 bag of blueberries, and 1 bag of raspberries. I also had multiple bags of fresh walnuts, walnut oil, coconut nectar, korintje cinnamon, and unsweetened coconut flakes.

So I put the fruit on the stove and added 2/3 cup of coconut nectar and 1 tbs of Mexican vanilla. I cooked the fruit down until it the the consistency was jam like.

In the food processor, I coarse chopped 1-16oz bag of walnuts. I mixed the nuts with 1/3 cup of coconut nectar, and 1 tbls of cinnamon, and 1/3 cup(+/-) of walnut oil.

This crust mixture was enough for 2 dishes (and about a cup left over). I pressed it down with a fork on the bottom and partly the sides.
I scooped 3 cups of the fruit mixture into each dish.
I sprinkled on top about 1/3 cup of the crust mixture and 1/3 cup of the unsweetened coconut.

I cooked it for about 45 minutes @ 350 degrees. When I pulled it out I was nervous b/c the color darkened considerably and it was still wiggly.

After the dinner (the dessert was in the freezer still cooling), I served the others my dessert and a scoop of gelato (Tahitian vanilla and a Caribbean coconut). (Matt and I stopped by BiLO to grab the gelato on the way to the dinner party.)

The dessert was a hit with the texture and natural fruit flavor. It wasn't sweet in the conventional sense, which allowed for the gelato flavor to really be present.

I only brought 1 dish of the dessert over and I barely had enough for the 6 of us there.
I was SO grateful that my dessert experiment worked out b/c now I have a go to recipe for when I want something fruity and in the spring, when the fruit is fresh, I'll have an amazing dessert to share. :)

Only 5 crockpots???

This was my EXACT thought as I looked in despair at all the soup bones and veggies all around my kitchen Sunday afternoon.

How in the world was I going to prepare all of this in just FIVE crockpots??? I surely need another 2, for such a time as this. Right?

Anyhow, I shook that nonsense out of my mind and got to work with what I had on hand.
I had been recently blessed w/ a CSA share that no one picked up as well as veggies @ home from Aldi:
Collard greens
Kale
sweet potatoes
tomatoes
bell peppers
mushrooms
onions/garlic
carrots,
acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash
... and Matt pulled out of the freezer:
7 of the grass fed beef soup bones (there's meat around it),
2lb roast,
1lb of stew meat
So I had ALL that meat and veggies. What in the world was I going to do?

How was I going to create 5 somewhat different meals so we weren't eating what felt like the same thing all week???

Well I did create something...5 of them and now there's only 3 left!

Can't wait for the next challenge I present myself!

Blog #1 for inspiration for us NERDS

It's taken 34 yrs (out of 35) to recognize that I'm a nerd.
And I'm proud of it.

Having said that, there is a blog that was sent from above to meet my nerdy needs. ;)

It's called NERD FITNESS.http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/
And it's AMAZING.

I know you're thinking I'm overreacting, but I'm not.

If you're a:
 gamer,
fantasy reader,
LARPer,
dicehead,
or into anything nerdish...
THIS blog is for you as you journey (or continue to) from a NERD smelling like a Central Park DBL cheeseburger sitting in a closed room w/ 4 other smelly folks that can barely fit in the room playing MAGIC, to a FIT NERD, able to play WoW AND Wod with the best of them.

Steve Kamb and his crew has an amazing knack to know EXACTLY what to write about and HOW to write it that catches my nerdiness attention.

You nerds, the more you read, the more you will see how succinctly he has captured the NERD's soul and created a blog to encourage NERDS to be more than just cerebral.

Trust me, every post is a good read.

Instead of reading what latest shenanigans Kim Kardashian has gotten herself into while drinking your morning latte (hopefully skinny), check his blog out.

You won't regret it.

I can be inspirational???

Who knew?

But the bottom line is that I can be anything, when I want to be, and today I felt like a couple people needed me to push them to use today to help them have better choices to eat during the week.

I've been asked MULTIPLE times over the last month to come and teach how to cook paleo.
I shake my head, kinda chagrined, because honestly, I make it up as I go.

How do I make up delicious Paleo foods so easily?
Easy.

It's all about the choices I provide myself.
Choices.
Lots and lots of choices.

My pantry, fridge, and freezer are FULL of paleo approved ingredients. All I have to do is then think of what I want to put together and I do.

That's easy enough, right?

Wrong.

Apparently most people aren't willing to put the effort into restocking their homes with better choices NOR do they make the effort to restock their MINDS with new (or improved) recipes to go along with their new eating habits.

I've made a conscious effort to stock my house full of foods that ALLOW me to  make delicious meals in a more painless manner.

How long does it take?

For me, it's taken since Jan 1st, day 1 of our New Year's Challenge @ Crossfit Brigade to Day 1 of the August Team challenge, to get to where I am now. That's 7 months of skirting around the commitment. I hated the limbo area, always have, always will.

But no more of this gray zone, maybe I will, maybe I won't nonsense.
I've never been gray. I've always been BLACK or WHITE.

Either you do, or you don't.
Why torture yourself with "what if?" and "why can't I?" songs in your head. It makes no sense to add extra stress to an already VERY STRESSFUL life.

Anyways, back to ME, yes me-JAIME KATHRYN,  being inspirational. It's almost laughable, until I realize that I can be and have been for others who are considering changing how they eat and why.

Since January, I've lost 43 lbs (the last 10 lbs, I've lost 3 TIMES!!) and gone down 4 sizes. I know that's not a big number, but I also went from barely able to lift anything(the bar) to  lifting my weight in leg lifts and about 1/2 my weight in arm lifts.

Yet, I STILL GOT SMALLER.
That's HUGE deal for me.

HOW is this inspirational?
Honestly, I'm not sure.

I think that my success with eating paleo and working out hard while working full time, raising 3 kids, being happily married proves that ANYONE and EVERYONE can do this and see the necessary and beneficial results needed for longevity and a overall happier life.

You simply have to make a choice.
A choice.

Will you continue the path you're on, or will you simply just say, ENOUGH, and begin the direction you were meant to go on.

I've had a lot of help along the way and I plan to share my sources of inspiration.
I promise there will be more to come.
:)

Entry #1 of the Lurong Living Challenge

L'Shana Tova!
Did Lurong Living do this on purpose or is it coincidental that we've begun a lifestyle transformation on a New Year?

Whatever the reason, I think it's great for the competition to start on a day that many celebrate as their New Year! What a great way to solidify better habits for longevity and happiness!

My progress so far....
It's 7:28 am on day 1 and I've eaten 1/2 of my breakfast. I'm almost too nervous to finish it but I know that my time is limited before my darlings walk in and I'm on GO til 2:15.

So far I've started the challenge off well, ok, only SO-SO by Crossfit Brigade standard, since I got 6 hrs of sleep. Gonna have to work on that if I'm going to go w/o a Monster Rehab for the next 9 weeks. ;)

But I took my Carlson Fish oil, prepared breakfast, got my lunch for today and tomorrow.

So we'll see... 

Again, I hope to have a Chag Sameach and wish everyone else the same.

Lurong Living Challenge

Today's THE DAY!

Do or die!

I was on the fence for months due to my injuries, but decided last minute to just go for it when I learned I could scale the WODS.

YES!

I have another 9 weeks to solidify my Paleo eating habits. I want them to be second nature, like breathing or wanting only water.

My goal, in addition to solidifying Paleo eating, is to create a true workout desire within me. I'll be honest, I do it, but only to avoid the dreaded weight gain.
I briefly tasted that 'True Workout Desire' back in May and it was truly Euphoric, but then, I hurt myself.
Ugh.
Talk about MAJOR disappointment and disgust for oneself.

BUT, it's a new day, even a NEW YEAR (L'Shana Tova, ya'll), so let's get this party STARTED!!!

You have til midnight to join!

Sweet treat #1 that hits the spot

Treat #1
About 2 weeks ago the girls were 'acting desperate' for a sweet treat to which I replied I sure as heck wasn't going to make an unhealthy, non-challenge friendly treat. So I came up with what Emaline calls 'Banana ice cream' or 'Banana smoothie,' which in reality is more of a sorbet. ( I tried to explain to Em, but she didn't care. She's 7. It's ice cream.)

You banana haters, don't cringe. The banana flavor is subtle and the real purpose of the banana is for the smooth texture it lends to the overall product. I've made it about a dozen times now for the girls. They love it.

Ingredients you need:

1. ice
2. vanilla (real stuff, not the fake)
3. raw honey (regular if you aren't paleo/primal)
4. med-lg ripe banana (none of this green on the stem end-yuck!!!)
5.  *optional- unsweetened almond milk
6. **optional garnish-cinnamon

When I want a smaller portion (say for 2 people), I use about a cup of  crushed ice, 1/2 banana, 1 good tsp of honey, and 1/2-1 tsp of vanilla (to taste). (If you add the almond milk, add about 1/2 cup. Add more if you see the consistency isn't what you want.)**

From experience I learned to put the banana, honey, and vanilla (almond milk too) in first and give a few good chops in the blender to get it mixed. Then I add the ice. If you do it the other way around, the blender gets rather stuck and the honey gets too cold and won't mix.

The banana sorbet is rather dry (if you can call a thing w/ ice dry) w/o the almond milk but tasty nonetheless, more like an icee w/o much liquid.The kids and I prefer it w/ the almond milk. The texture is MUCH creamier and the flavor is fuller.

I've doubled the recipe and made sure to have good portions of the honey to ensure sweetness. Once I added really ripe pineapple, and it was AMAZING. It was SUPER sweet and the texture was great.

Try it out. It's virtually guilt-free and doesn't need another workout to burn the calories. :)

**Disclaimer- All amounts are guess-tamations b/c I don't use recipes and I rarely write them down. The only thing I know for certain is the honey amount (I use a spoon) and the banana size and quality.

The Grill- a modern day cavewoman's BFF

Tonight Matt and I had a couple friends over for a Memorial Day cookout b/c we certainly can't be Un-American and not grill on an ALL AMERICAN holiday. (how again is that related to honoring our veterans?)

Back to why the grill is my BFF. :)

One of the guys that came over is interested in the Paleo/Primal lifestyle (but as a pescatarian-health issues) and is actually starting this week to eat this way, going so far as to pay ME to make his meals. So I thought I'd go all out and show him what a feast we can have sans wheat, potatoes, legumes, dairy, or sugar.

As we know guys love the grill, love to be IN CHARGE of the grill, and love to eat virtually anything OFF the grill, so why not showcase meat and veggies that can be grilled up ahead of time and ready for the week?

We (meaning Matt) grilled:
1. 2 T-bones
2. regular steak (I forget which cut)
3. 2 chicken breast (on bone)
4. salmon fillet
5. link 41 (local sausage maker) mole sausage
6. turnips
7.radishes
8. yellow squash
9. red jalapenos
10. orange bell pepper

All the veggies and meat were seasoned w/ an herb blend and evoo in a large Ziploc gallon bag. (I'm ALL about easy clean ups)

Within 1/2 hr we had a huge grilled feast accompanied by the huge salad (made w/ 4 different lettuces, sprouts (sunflower and pea), purple onion, grape tomatoes, walnuts, and a kerns' vinaigrette) and roasted brocoli w/ evoo and garlic.

Side note-I found a new favorite veggie tonight- grilled turnips. I LOVED them. They have a unique taste but it is addicting and w/ evoo and herbs...they're amazing.

Needless to say we ate like kings, had PLENTY leftovers for the rest of the week's lunch, and MINIMAL cleanup.

This, my friends,  is why the grill is my BFF.

What about you? Got any tips to share or suggestions for other foods to try on the grill? I'd love to hear from you all.

Cooking paleo

So the Spring '12 Crossfit Brigade nutritional challenge has provided Matt and I MANY opportunities to experiment with flavors and food combinations.

He's successfully created paleo BBQ sauce to go w/ his smoked meats!
I've created several DELICIOUS frozen concoctions that only have ice, vanilla, banana, and maybe another fruit.
I've learned to cook fish in a way that I can tolerate it and even enjoy eating it!
I made my own Paleo ketchup to enjoy on burgers and other meats.
I made my own Paleo mayo/aioli to be enjoyed w/ said burgers and other meats.

I attempted Primal pizza w/ a chicharrones crust....the toppings were AMAZING, the crust not so much. I need to tweak it so it's not so crumbly.

I've made some larabar'esque snacks that Matt and I gobbled up. All they had in it were, dates, prunes, almond flour, coconut flour, vanilla, a bit on honey, and organic 99% cocoa... They were amazing.

Recipes will show up soon. I've been reading my random cookbooks and websites to glean ideas for me to try.

Spring Nutritional Challenge:April 29- June 10

So we at Crossfit Brigade decided to do another nutritional challenge for several reasons, a host of new friends @ the gym, the Crossfit Regional Games, and most importantly...swimsuit season! (....I think I'm being serious here...?)

I digress.

This challenge is more difficult- There is a COMPLETE ABSENSE of cheese.

I should stop right there for a moment of silence because that in and of itself used to be a deal breaker for me.

But there's more.

There are points to calculate. There is fish oil, 7+ hours of sleep expectation, AND organic/wild/ farm raised food componont.

You're shaking your head, did you stumble upon a Weight Watchers page? No my dear, you have not. We're just getting serious and determining what we're made of and to answer-can we make that switch to eating a more healthy, mindful way?

I don't know about you, but I'm still wondering HOW in the world am I going to make it? How HAVE I made it over the last 25 + days? It's been rough, especially the cheese part. I've caved in on May11th w/ goat cheese on a spinach and strawberry salad. It was DIVINE and I had NO regrets.

The point aspect has been pretty easy. Matt has been totally supportive with me earning points, especially since he can help me 'earn' a point in the activity section...

Seriously though, he's been great with making sure my fish oil and multi vitamin are consumed right before bed, which I might add is in enough time for me to meet the 7+ hour sleep requirement.

Have I told you how much I LOVE MY BED. Because I do. Not the little love, or really like, but LOVE.  I'm like a little kid with a treat when I lay down, I get a big smile as a snuggle in. No lie.

I've cooked alot and created a lot of meals/recipes that are twists to everyday meals. I will definitely share the recipes.

I've bought more organic, grass fed/range fed proteins than ever. I've even made a point to go to the market to by fresh, local veggies and fruit on Wednesdays and Sundays.

As you can see, this challenge has been more about transforming my lifestyle, more than transforming my figure (though that has benefitted from my diligence of ensuring higher quality foods are being bought and prepared).

If you think you can't do something so radical as paleo or primal because you work or have kids, you're short changing yourself and them.  Try it for 40 days and see. You won't regret it.

Long time, no see!

My last post was the day before my 35th birthday and since then, life has been a whirlwind of cooties, shopping/cooking for the family, more bday celebrations (1 sis has a birthday 6 days AFTER mine), and a slew of school activities and changes.

I don't know about you, but when I get a cold (sinus infection) it knocks me for a loop for 2-3 days and the household goes awry. Add a sick husband, and the household came to a stop.

Thankfully I had made a large grocery trip the week before and was set, but UNFORTUNATELY I didn't cook A SINGLE thing except the chili I made for the Meal swap, the sausage balls and bacon for the kids' lunch.

SIGH. We struggled ALL week (1/23-1/27)with eating at a decent hour and the kids bought lunch several times. (@ $3.25/day for JUNK!!!) But I didn't cheat...NOT ONCE!

Not when I went to FoodWorks for my birthday (did you know they have a gluten-free menu!!), and Not even when there were literally HUNDREDS of slices of NY cheesecake ALL AROUND ME (1-26 @ a school fundraiser). I smelled a slice for a good minute but I didn't even touch it. I SO appreciated the support from my friends that I texted with my dilema. I did work out at least 3 times though in a gym.

The next weekend (Jan 28-29) was MUCH better and I had EVERY lunch and dinner ready for EVERYONE for the week, all packaged neatly. It took me about 4 hours to do. I even did a kettlebell class on Jan 28th @ the Powerhouse.

So for the week of Jan 30th-Feb 3rd, we were set. I was feeling less puny but mentally and emotionally overwhelmed w/ a new task @ work. I only exercised 2x though - a WOD on Monday the 30th and 1 kettlebell class on the 4th. :( My heart wasn't there or maybe it was b/c nature came and tried to rip me a part for a few days. ;)

Over the last month I have found that exercising is alot harder for me to be consistent between the illnesses, after school functions, and other duties, than it is to eat Primal.

My children have been 75% clean this whole time. I chose about 3 weeks in to allow the weekends to be more lax b/c with kid parties, slumber parties, etc.... I think this has helped them cope with the meal changes in the week. My 16yr old has been the MOST resistant to this change.

I actually just informed him that when we start a 40-day church fast, the family would be back on this eating pattern. I'm hoping that this additional time will help me work out the kinks in grocery shopping and meal planning... I've hardly thrown anything away for spoilage, I just haven't branched out as much as I would have preferred.

One day soon, I will get back on with my shopping comparisons...right now they feel too tedious.

I wish I knew about other posts talking about families, eating primal, and going non-stop. :)

'Opa' chicken and squash

Saturday is the day I start to make the week's meals, but after spending 3hrs on making 2 batches of my 10-2cup serving chili I was WORN out.

So I wanted an easy meal with little prep time. I took a moment to take stock of what I had and would go well together. I got an idea!

All I needed was:

1. chicken
2. evoo
3. Wildtree Opa Greek Seasoning
4. salt
5. 3 yellow squash
6. finely grated Parmesan

I pulled out the 4 lg boneless, skinless chicken breast I had and pan fried them in evoo and Wildtree's Opa Greek seasoning. While that was happening I sliced up the squash and put them 3-layer deep in a square Pampered Chef stone baker and between each layer sprinkling the same seasoning. At the top layer I sprinkled the parm liberally and then drizzled evoo also rather liberally. I cooked it in the oven for about 20 minutes. About that time the VERY thick chicken breasts were finally finished. I cut them into large slices and layered them on top.

The family has been very happy with this dish with it's simplicity and very obvious ingredients. :)

Cheese crisps

So I was looking up a recipe for something crunchy I could eat w/ the chili I made. I remembered vaguely that there was a recipe for a cheese straw/crisp out there.

And so I found several how-to's online. They all pretty much said to get shredded cheese (your choice-though soft whites don't do well) and to make them either:

1. in the oven @ 350
2. in the microwave for a minute 3o sec
3. or on the stovetop

I chose to try it #2 and #3 with sharp cheddar bought pre-shredded. I also added a PINCH of Wildtree's ADOBE Seasonsing for added flavor.

I felt that the microwave produced better results and more consistent results. They were definitely tasty, though not as crunchy as I was having a craving for.

So I'm going to experiment with some hard white cheese and see what happens.

Beanless Beef Chilli with 'invisible' veggies

For the 10 servings of 2 cups, I used:

3lbs of ground beef

2 white onions

1 green bell pepper

4 pkgs of button mushrooms

5 cups of squash and zucchini

1/2 cup or more of minced garlic

2 jars of basic medium salsa (no sugar)

6 cans of tomatoes in a various forms (all no sugar, 2 had green chilis)

1/4 cup (or more) of cumin

salt

pepper

(I forgot the carrots)

How I made it:

I browned the meat with salt and pepper.

I softened the onions and bell pepper (in a skillet).

I used the food processer to make the veggies disappear. I added garlic and the beef grease to give them flavor.

I put all the ingredients into a large pot and cooked for about an hour on medium heat. (I was making another batch for the family)

Then I divy'ed it up into my 3 pot crock pot system and let it cook overnight until about noon.

Eating & Exercising Journal since 1/12/12

1-15-12

Today I wasn't hungry, just tired and thirsty. I took a 3-3.5 hr nap.

Br-strawberry/banana coconut smoothie (8oz)

Lun- 2oz cheese, 3 sausge balls

Din- 2 steaks (sorry, but that's all I wanted and could think about)

EX: CB

1-14-12

I was recovering from having a party for a bunch of 16yr olds (for Jonah who recently turned 16). I had cooked much of the evening before and just tried to keep mayhem from occurring in the house. I am proud to say that I didn't cheat, in fact, had no desire to.

Br-banana and recovery shake

Lun- 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon

Din-spinach salad w/ walnuts, dried, unsweetened pineapple, 2 figs, and 2oz cheese and my vinagrette I made

EX- WOD Rx'd it just under 13 min...not my best but consider the dizziness I dealing w/... not to bad.

1-13-12

2-hr delays @ school I love but HATE b/c it messes up our schedules... I had every intention of going to the 6am workout but that flew out the window w/ the delay. I had a SUPER busy afternoon doing last minute preps for jonah's bday party.

BR- turkey/apple hash from meal swap

LU- Shepard's pie (from meal swap)

DIN- 4 tostones fried in lard and guac

snack- more tostones

EX-CB

1-12-12

Busy day cleaning and getting ready for Jonah's party. Had a good workout, beating my supposed 1rep max in deads... was psyched about that and finding out I had lost 10 lbs since the start of the challenge!

BR-egg muffin

LU- collards and pork (from swap)

DIN-Chicken and mushroom stew

EX-WOD

Grocery Bill

So I've kept all my receipts since the Challenge began and have spent about $450 since the 1st. That's what I generally spend in a month. :( That's got me freaking out a bit.

I will say that we've been eating all 3 meals (and snacks) from what I've purchased.

I honestly only have another $150 at most from the budget to last til the end of the month.

I know that in reality feeding a family of 5 all their meals and snacks for $600 is decent, a bargain even, but for us, that's basically one of our take home paychecks....

So, I'm trying to figure out the best way to stretch what I've bought (since the 1st and through today) and only supplement with a few things til the end of the month.

What I tend to do is double what we eat for supper to cover our lunches (except Em's b/c she can't microwave). I add to their lunch fresh fruit, nuts/seeds, and maybe carrots/broc. They all drink h20. I also keep apples, tangerines and tangelos for snacks after dinner.

I try to have 10 bananas and enough milk for banana smoothies (that's all they like, unless I add stevia or sugar w/ strawberries) for the girls and at least a dz eggs and more bananas for Jonah @ breakfast for the week. Matt just likes grapefruit.

*I was blessed last week to eat from my stores of pre-made meals from the Meal swap Crossfit Brigade hosted last Sunday.

What do I have currently stocked in my fridge/freezer?

Protein- I currently have enough meat for the next 7-10 days:

6+lbs of hamburger,

2pkgs of bacon, (no sugar)

5 pkgs of sausage, (no sugar....do you know HOW HARD it is to find this???? Bob Evans)

3 dz eggs,

1 bag of IQF (frozen) salmon,

2 bags of IQF tilapia,

2 bags of frozen chicken breasts,

1 chuck roast,

and 2 other roasts.

Fruit/Veggies-

4-cantaloupes

3-bunches of bananas (1 is from dehydrating, 1 for smoothies, 1 for lunch)

2 -mini boxes of blueberries (lunch)

2-pints of strawberries (lunch)

1/2 bag left of frozen strawberries

1 bag of frozen mixed fruit-

4 bags of McIntosh apples ( my ABSOLUTE favorite in THE WORLD- and @ ALDI currently)

1 dz tangelos

1/2 dz grapefruit

1/2 dz tangerines

1 box of raisins, prunes, dates

4-pkgs of mushrooms

1- bag of carrots

1- bag baby carrots

2-spaghetti squash

1-acorn squash

3-zucchini

3-squash

2-bags of white onions

2- green bell peppers

3- yellow, red bell peppers

2 lbs of sweet potatoes

2 heads of cauliflower

4 small heads of broccoli

1 small cabbage

4-6 bags of frozen veggies

unlimited supply of collards (in garden)

I primarily shop @ Aldi for ALL our fruit/veggie, milk, and egg needs. I spent $64 today and get more than 1/2 of the fruits/veggies listed. Last week I spent $184 and got the other fruits/veggies, fish, and the chicken and fruit/veggies we ate this week.

Last week (Jan 6th) I bought 3 roasts, walnut oil, avocado oil, and sunflower oil (and 2 nice Spanish cheeses) @ Greenlife for $115.

In the last 2 weeks, I've spent about $150 @ BiLo getting the hamburger meat, the frozen chicken, eggs, some fruit and some veggies that Aldi didn't carry.

After reading through my list, I think I've definitely enough meat to last til next Sunday. I also have enough veggies. My fruit I may have to augment since bananas are a hot commodity at this house as are tangerines.

If there's anyone w/ a suggestion on how to improve this bill, let me know...I'm open for suggestions. :)

Exercise Journal update

I've been mentally blogging this, so you all should know what I've done, right? Wrong. I am so much in my head, that I often forget what I actually say, do, or share.

If you have ADHD, you understand my plight. My mind is constantly thinking, and generally with more than one strand going at once.... like what I'm considering, planning, preparing for, etc... in the next few moments to the next few years. I can and will overwhelm you if I relax my filter b/c I will jump around topics, start mid thought, lose my thought process, forget key words, etc...

Anyways, back to my exercise blog.

I will start with today.

Day 10- Crossfit WOD, CB

Day 9- none (I won't count the long treks all over the school multiple times, nor the 2hr cooking frenzy last night)

Day 8- Crossfit WOD

Day 7- none (too busy cooking...6hrs!)

Day 6-Walk

Day 5- Moved furniture and boxes...1hr+

Day 4- CB

Day 3-Crossfit WOD

Day 2-Crossfit WOD

Day 1- Crossfit WOD, CB

My dietary diary....

is blank b/c I've been SO busy planning for an VERY unexpected twist in my job duties. Not that I'm complaining b/c I love the new subject matter, but it is so out of my comfort zone, I'm on level 10 almost ALL day and am mentally exhausted by the time I get to sit down (after 9:30pm).

I will assure anyone that's actually reading that I've not 'cheated' or gone off the challenge regulations. I have made it a point to eat 3 solid meals a day and atleast 2 snacks.

I will say that I am failing MISERABLY at getting my quota of h20 intake. I've only managed 32oz the last 4 days...which explains much of my dizziness and low blood pressure. But there's not much I can do about it other than forcing myself to drink what is there by a certain time. I've learned that I need a deadline in order to complete things...yes, I am a procrastinator.

Since I can't drink 1/2 hour before or after eating, nor can I drink more than 6oz @ one sitting, that limits when I can drink and how much I can consume at once. (Gone are the days of drinking my h20 allotment w/ Mason jars...all at once 2-3x a day. :) I KNOW I'm not the only person who did that. )

Also subtract about 45 min for every hour (from 7-4) while I'm at work b/c I'm walkin around and talking, coaching (still talking), mentoring students (and even more talking). I don't think about my h20 bottle in plain sight on my desk.

I determined last night, as I was planning for today, to drink my required h20 allotment while @ work (completed no later than workout). In order to do so, I have to have 2 bottles, one while @ my morning school and the other at my afternoon school. I need this visual reminder of what I have to accomplish.

So we will see how that goes. I still have 8oz left and need to head to my 2nd school. But in my defense, I did just eat one of the yummy egg muffins from the CrossFit Meal Swap.

Coconut Curry Chicken dinner, Spaghetti lunch, and Pot Roast dinner

So Sunday was BUSY!!!

I literally cooked for 6hrs! Granted 4 of those hours were for the meal swap we @ Crossfit Brigade had to help jump start our challenge.

Spaghetti with a bolognese sauce and julienned veggies

Anyways, my cooking spree began with lunch right after church. I wanted something quick-ish, so I decided to do spaghetti...with a twist. My daughter set out browning the 4+lbs of hamburger meat (w/ garlic, salt, and pepper) for the bolognese sauce (for us southerners, spaghetti sauce w/ meat). I set out to julienne a squash and zucchini to go along with the carrots.

Why julienned veggies? Well, I figured it would be a healthy substitute to the noodles that are currently a 'banned' substance in the household. Oh there were complaints as I was julienning (sp?) the veggies but once everything was put together, everyone ate their food WITHOUT complaint. I will say that I didn't cook the julienned veggies since they are so thin and rather tender. It was kinda like eating al dente noodles.

Back to the sauce. We had 2 choices for the bolognese sauce since I split the meat into 2 pots. Cherith used for her sauce, the Earthfare Tomato and Basil Sauce we had purchased (b/c there was a tasting- that sales trick never fails!) and I made my own from 3 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 tomato paste, 1 onion, garlic, and WILDTREE perfect pizza blend. (was in a hurry and knew this blend tasted good)

There was enough left overs for the kids to take a portion to school and 2 additional portions.

Coconut Curry Chicken

That night, after the Crossfit meal swap, I got home to a RAVENOUS family. I thought surely they would've eaten leftovers...but no, they did not. They did do some chores however. :)

So I opened the fridge and started thinking what I wanted to eat and was in the mood for and thought...didn't Michelle from the gym make a curry dish? That's right, she did and I've got all the ingredients!! Su-WEET!! :)

I pulled out the 3 large chicken breasts (about 2lbs), cilantro, can of coconut milk, coconut oil, medium onion, garlic, and the prepared veggies (2 cups each of diced carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, cabbage).

The chicken was cubed and browned with the onions, garlic, and coconut oil.

I then added the veggies for a few minutes before adding the can of coconut milk. At this point I added WILDTREE Thai Red Curry Paste to the mix (about 1/2 a jar). -I was out of my other mild curry blends.

Once it cooked down for about 7 minutes, I took it off the heat and added the diced cabbage and topped it with fresh cilantro leaves. There was plenty for all 5 of us and enough for me to eat for BOTH breakfast AND lunch yesterday @ work. (I forgot the yummy breakfast portions from the meal swap, darn it all!)

Pot Roast

Right before bed, I was talking to Matt and trying to out what would be the best meal for tomorrow(Monday). After making 24 servings form the meal swap and 2 full meals for the family, I was done with cooking AND I think he was done with me making a sink full of dishes and being my Sous chef but hadn't prepared for the next day.. :)

So we decided to use the beef we bought @ Greenlife during their 3-day sale. It was for a good price (comparable to BiLo or Walmart), so we bought 3 -4lb portions. I was excited b/c we got to finally use my new crockpot (that locks) that my in-laws gifted me for XMAS. Matt got the recipe and agreed to start it up before he left for work.

Monday rolled around and the game changed... Cherith had a physical therapy appt late so my workout time moved to 5:30 and had us getting home around 6:45. (Boo hiss)

Matt didn't add any veggies to the roast, so I popped 5 small (4-6 in long and 3-4 in diameter) sweet potatoes into the microwave and got the asparagus out.

We sat down about 20 minutes later and ate the food in shifts. (The girls wanted bowls for the broth.)

1st course- 'Baked' sweet potatoes w/ coconut butter and cajun spice

Let me just tell you, Artisana coconut butter is FREAKING AMAZING on sweet potatoes, especially if you add a cajun spice blend on top of it. Even Cherith and Matt thought so. (Emaline and Jonah weren't brave enough). I even had a spoon of straight up coconut butter I was so hungry and it tasted SO good.

2nd course- Beef pot roast

Everyone got a nice portion (hunk of meat) with yummy broth. I don't need to explain how it was done...everyone knows about pot roast. Why Matt didn't add veggies, I don't know, but it still tasted good and we literally drank the broth from the bowls.

3rd course-Asparagus with evoo and salt

For whatever reason, this came last. I think it was because we 'meatatarians' wanted the meat sooner than later. I loved steamed asparagus, actually we all do, with evoo drizzled on and a bit of salt.

Dessert- About an 1/2hr later everyone wanted a snack and since I was preparing the lunches and had washed the strawberries and blueberries...they just ate some of them. I made myself a strawberry, pineapple, and coconut smoothie.

Brocoli Salad

During my cooking frenzy last Monday night, I decided to make brocoli salad for something I could munch on during the week.

My brocoli salad was adapted to be challenge friendly as well as utilize parts of fresh brocoli that aren't eaten by the kids-the stalks.

I also chose to use my EVSO (extra virgin sunflower oil) because I WAS OUT OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS! Oh the horror!!! :)

The ingredients I used:

minced brocoli stalks (from 3 crown bunches)

minced carrots

golden raisins

cranberries

for the sauce/aioli:

sunflower oil

white vinegar

salt

minced garlic

I'm so glad I had it on hand for something to crunchy to eat as a side and being so portable to take back to work. Though I will mention that everyone at work called it cole slaw..... so maybe I should rename this dish Brocoli slaw? What do you think?

What I ate today 1-4-12 and yesterday 1-3-12

So today was an ok day. I didn't do a good breakfast but it had protein and a fruit atleast. :)

The girls and I went with our friends Emilea, Oliviah, and Katelynn to see "Puss in Boots" and we had a blast for only $3....not to mention that I totally brought our lunch in and ate in while watching it!

Breakfast- banana and recovery shake (remember, can't do more than 6-8 oz in a 1/2 hour)

Snack- rest of recovery shake

Lunch- 3-4oz of lemon pepper grilled chicken and greens (3-4oz)

Snack- 2-3oz of sunflower seeds,almonds, and raisins

Dinner- 1/2 turkey leg and 3oz of 'dressing' (see my post on the recipe if interested)

Cherith is being good with following the meals...but not Emaline...nor my husband.

She's had pop tarts both days. And he didn't eat until supper tonight! Argh!

Yesterday was kinda hairy. I'm the only one the followed the nutritional guidelines. You see, we had an excuse. A GOOD one...we celebrated Jonah's 16th birthday at Genghis Grill. Yes, a person can eat on this challenge even THERE. Just ask for the starch on the side...and give it to someone else. :)

I know I had 2 eggs, a banana, a tangerine, 2oz of a pomegranate, almonds, and raisins, 1 cup of my brocoli salad, my kiddie size meal from Genghis Grill. (beef, pepper medley veggies, squash/zucchini, spinach, cilantro, brocoli, salt/pepper/garlic and curry.)

You don't know how hard it was to pass up what apparently was a DELICIOUS, mouth WATERING Reeces Peanut Butter Cake I made AND served for my SON'S 16th birthday....

No WAY am I losing a point. I'm on a mission!!!! :)

Turkey and 'dressing'

So the other day when I went to get my groceries for this week I went to Wal-Mart (boo hiss). I went over to the meat section to see what they had marked down and I found 4 packages of 3 turkey legs. So being the penny pincher I snatched them up figuring I could figure something out.

I decided to try making turkey and 'dressing' to see if one could prepare a traditional meal w/o bread.

To my delight, the 'dressing' tasted DELISH, the turkey legs....not so much. SIGH.

I will try again.

I think by pulling the skin off (per my older daughter's demand for NO SKIN), I did a disservice to the meat. I will not heed her next time.

So my 'dressing' consisted of:

minced carrots (1-2cups)

minced onions(1 cup)

minced celery (1 cup)

minced mushrooms (3+ cups)

finely chopped walnuts (1 cup)

minced garlic (1tblsp-but I LOVE garlic)

parsley (1-2 tblsp)

sage (1-2 tblsp)

salt/pepper (to taste)

EV sunflower oil (1 cup)

1. I prepared the carrots, onions, celery by lightly sauteing them in sunflower oil. I added the mushrooms once I turned off the heat and just mixed them in.

2. I combined the walnuts, garlic, parsley, sage, salt, pepper, and more EVSO to make a pesto consistency goo (for a lack of better terms).

I 'dressed' my 6-skinned and lightly salted/peppered turkey legs with the ingredients above by putting 1. down and around the legs then dolloping 2. (atleast) 2 spoons the walnut 'pesto' goo onto each leg.

I used the smaller container to get a little water(1/2-3/4cup) to pour around the dish.

Then I cooked it for an hour @ 350 (325 convection). It probably could have been less time. I just forgot about it. :)

Any suggestions on making the legs taste better, please let me know...the only way I think a turkey should be cooked is SMOKED. So traditional style...is not as familiar.

Workouts for Monday-Wednesday (Sorry I forgot!)

Monday, I found myself unwilling to wake up until 11am!! (talk about messing up food/water schedule!)

But I was ready to go for the baseline WOD. I did mediocre @ best. :( I know now to REALLY warm up prior to. I need a good solid round in to get really warm. Is anyone else like this?

Tuesday, I woke up late AGAIN and didn't have time to eat breakfast prior to the gym since I chose to drink h2o. (I have to choose... it's a bummer most of the time)

I didn't do the WOD, or much of anything b/c I felt like !!!! after rowing 500m, 10 pullups, 30 situps 2x...I was done.

I had to get out of there but determined to do better the next day.

Wednesday, I did better @ the WOD. (combination of more sleep, more water, and taking B12) For the life of me I can't get a good clean @ a weight that's challenging!!!(I'm complaining here.) And there's NO WAY I can do a handstand yet-give me 20lbs and we'll talk.

I was whining about it to Jennifer (a sister who's a crossfitter up in PA) and she said it was most likely my grip strength since her's was crappy too (in comparison to her upper arm strength). I was like yeah right. She Rx's most of her WODs. But a light bulb went off in my head. It made sense b/c I remembered getting physical therapy as a 4-5yr b/c I apparently had underdeveloped/immature grip and forearm strength and coordination. (Go figure)

So I've decided that I'm going to work on this every time I'm at the gym. And @ home once I can 'borrow' one of Jennifer's toys for that...you know for climbers, it's a ball in this thing and you have to shake it to get it to spin?? I can never remember words when I need them. :)

Spinach and Meatball Soup

I struck gold with this "throw what ya got in a pot" mentality in making a meal!

This is a soup that I came up with one evening with my friend Aimee when I looked in her WELL STOCKED fridge and saw several things that needed to be used ASAP. We had just made lasagnas (which were delicious) for a business client of hers and I thought I can make something with this!

It must be the Cuban in me hating to see food going to waste because I thought about what she had and quickly realized I could make an Italian inspired soup with all the fresh ingredients she had on hand.

Aimee gave me her blessing to give it a try and just stepped back and let my do my thing! What a good friend to be a guinea pig. :)

These are the ingredients I used:

onion

garlic

bell pepper

celery

carrots

spinach

oregano

evoo

stock (chicken- b/c that's what she had)

meatballs (she had some frozen, so that's what I went with)

I began with making a standard soup stock. In a pan I softened/lightly browned diced onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic with some evoo. Once softened, I added the liquid stock and brought it to a rolling boil. I then added the diced carrots, oregano, and a bit of black pepper. Several minutes later I added the meatballs. After 10-15 minutes I added the rough chopped spinach to the soup. I gave it another 5 minutes or so and tasted it. I added a dash of salt and it was good to go!

Give it a whirl and let me know how it turned out.

I want to try it with homemade meatballs and beef stock.

Buen provecho!

It's all in the preparation

Tonight as I made the Spinach and Meatball soup and brocoli salad for supper, I used similar ingredients to make 2 other dishes, Turkey and 'dressing' and a Ham-n-Cabbage for tomorrow and Wednesday's meals. Thanks to Sous chefs Matt and Cherith, I even have enough carrots, bell pepper, onions, mushrooms prepped to make the Egg Muffin recipe I found in "Everyday Paleo".

What we ate today 1/2/2012

Be warned!!! Today's meals aren't reflective of a normal day since we're still on Christmas break and we woke up LATE. I also allowing the girls to drink milk since I feel it's the best for them. (and we still have a gallon left in the fridge)

For me:

1. Breakfast: 1/2 cup almonds and an apple
2. Post WOD: recovery shake
3. Lunch- tuna steak and 1/2 avocado in Basalmic Vinegar
4. Dinner- 1 cup Spinach and Meatball soup, 1 cup Ham, Cabbage and veggies sauteed
5. Snack- 2/3 cup brocoli salad (with carrots, almonds, sunflower seed oil, golden raisins, cranberries, and figs)

For Cherith:

1. Breakfast-Glass of milk
2. Lunch-?
3. Dinner-2 cups Spinach and Meatball soup
4. Snack- fresh carrots

For Emaline:

1. Breakfast- Milk, tangerine
2. Lunch- 2 tangelos, ?
3. Dinner- 2 cups Spinach and Meatball soup
4. Snack-?

For Matt: (he forgot about today)

1. Breakfast- skipped it
2. Lunch- McDonald's meal
3. Dinner-2 cups Spinach and Meatball soup, 1 cup Ham, Cabbage and veggies sauteed
4. Snack- fresh carrots and brocoli

For Jonah: (not with us today)

And so it began...

Below is my attempt to share with you in a nutshell how a busy, southern family switched their eating habits to paleo/primal.

I am No writer, in fact always hated it, but I LOVE to talk and share with others what I learn and works for me and my own... So here goes nothin'. :)

About 2 months ago, after a workout @ Crossfit Brigade, I was presented with a challenge, more specifically, a NUTRITIONAL CHALLENGE...with PRIZES, set to start in the new year.

My ADHD brain went into overdrive!!!!! I was thinking so many things at once, I could barely concentrate.

First thought: Sweet! A competition! I feel my best when I take on a challenge to BE the best, or at least DO more than those around me. ;) Second thought: Awesome! I need a reason to get the whole family eating right again. We've gotten SO offtrack this semester. (my fault mostly) Third thought: Yes! I get to cook more again! We get to try new things. Fourth thought: Maybe this will take off the last 20 lbs I've been nearly bursting with frustration to get off before my foot surgery in March.

So then I forced myself to pay attention. I absorbed everything that was being said, written on the whiteboard, and the tidbits people were saying. I NEEDED to know more!!!

So I went home, told the family what I was planning on for the new year, and was ready for the onslaught of complaints. They didn't disappoint me. :)

But I wasn't to be deterred.

So began my quest for knowledge for this, this Paleo/Primal style of eating. I spent hours researching online for meal ideas, others ideas, etc...I had to arm myself with facts and a slew of positively slanted meal plans that satisfied even the pickiest member...ahem...Jonah.

And I found my first obstacle was neatly taken down, albeit grudgingly so, with little blood or tears shed, I am grateful to admit. So then, I set out to tackle the next easiest, cleaning out the cabinets of foods that didn't go with the new eating style.

I began talking to the kids more about what meals would look like for us during the challenge. What ideas did they have? What about lunch? I enjoyed sharing ideas with them but what I liked more was how their attitude became less of what they were going to be deprived of and more, what combinations of their favorite foods can they bring for lunch.

My cabinets had been stocked for the last 8 months with the steals and deals I had gotten from couponing. The problem was that I had picked up the bad habit of getting the cheap, processed foods that were easy to cook or transport because I now justified that I could afford them and we were so much busier this semester. I had become a food HOARDER.

(Thankfully Thanksgiving was coming up and I knew the schools would be asking for dry goods' donations for the Food Bank. That took care of one large cabinet of cereals, chicken helpers, instant potatoes, etc...)

I determined to ONLY buy the basics at the store with the lowest overall prices for the next several weeks-ALDI. Eggs, milk, bread, fresh fruit, sandwich stuff... Our grocery bill dropped down to about $40 a week thanks to the food hoarding from the previous months.

My once full cabinets are more or less bare of 'contraband' foods. My justification for holding on to them are for church supper on Wednesday nights and my monthly dessert making for older two's school. (They're ALWAYS having one function or another.)

So my story in a nutshell happens to be not that at all. If you're southern, you know how we tend to tell stories...or directions for the matter. So this is to be continued at another time.