The gut came back!

And I need to whip it into shape!
Coach Ido Portal is coming back to flux CrossFit for 4 seminars in.... 12 days!

My goals are:
- 2 consecutive static pull-ups; right now I can do 1 + 1 with leg kicks and face contortions.
- clean up my diet; Ido's workshops are though! I need the energy and stamina that a good Paleo/ Primal diet provides if I want to survive his 2 days, 5-6 hours/day classes.
- fish oil; consistant intake to help with inflammation. My arm joints (wrists, elbows, shoulders) are my weakest links and they flare up with bodyweight work.
- sleep 8 hour nights
- no alcohol
- no dairy; except for my coffee cream of course!

Really these goals are super attainable because I only have to go hard for 2 weeks.
I've become a lazy Paleo/ Primal eater in the last month or so. I haven't had any big cheats (no bread, only small amounts of whole grains), but I've been consistently having small, sneaky treats. Bad, very bad! A bit of dark chocolate a couple of times per week. Some fries at the restaurant. Way too many Paleo pancakes. Coconut milk ice cream. I even had some chips and dip! Shame.

The main thing is that I'm not feeling super good about the whole thing, but I seem to be stuck in a rut of laziness.

But right now, right this second, I am snapping out of it!

First thing: listing what I ate:

- Lunch: spinach, basil, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, tuna salad.
- Supper: leftover turkey breast, leftover wild boar roast, a carrot.

Second: organize my meals for tomorrow:

- Breakfast: eggs, leftover wild boar roast. Omelet?
- Lunch: spinach, basil, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, tuna salad (stop by the grocery store for spinach & tuna on my way to work).
Bring some oil for a dressing.
Grind flax seeds.
- Supper: pull something out of the freezer tonight! Pork?

Okay, I already feel a bit better about myself!

Going for my spoonful of fish oil now.

My wine list

I can never remember which wines I like, love, or detest; I can always only remember which ones I bought, but not what they tasted like.

Hence this post, where I will post pictures of wine bottles, and my humble opinion of their contents. For future reference.

#1: Red Bicyclette, Merlot, France: tasty (3.5 / 5)

#2: Folonari, Verona, Italy: undecided... (2 / 5)

Banrock Station, Shiraz, Australia: Not for me! (1 / 5)

Penfolds Rawson's Retreat, Shiraz Cabernet, Australia: Not Bad! (3 / 5)

^^ I tried this wine when I had a pretty bad cold and was very congested; I thought it was disgusting. Now that my sinuses have cleared up, I like it!

Trivento Reserve, Syrah, Argentina: up for review (? / 5)

Another party?

I will try my eggplant cracker recipe again, but I want to bring something else to eat... How about salsa and chips?

Salsa
6 roma tomatoes
2 bell peppers
3 jalapenos (more or less for hotness)
1/2 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lime, juiced
cayenne pepper sauce to taste
Chop veggies into medium to large chunks, coat with olive oil and roast in oven at 400 degrees until lightly roasted. Add spices. Lightly pulse in food processor until chopped.

OR: Chop veggies into small pieces by hand, mince garlic, place in a bowl and mix in olive oil, lime juice and cayenne pepper sauce.

Zucchini chips
Thinly sliced zucchini, roasted at a low heat for a long time.

First big girl rip!

I doesn't look like much anymore because I cut off the flap of skin, but I got my first CrossFit tear yesterday. Aptly enough it was in my first CrossFit Games event.
I've been "fluxing" for almost two years and have had many calluses and bruises, but never thought I would tear my hand because they are usually caused when doing kipping pull-ups, and... I am no where near close to getting one of those.

All that to say that in the first event (AMRAP 10 mins; 30 D.U., 15 Power Snatches) I ripped my hand in my third round of snatches.

The Games are in an "Open" format this year. Meaning that anyone, anywhere, can participate in the Regional selection round.

We have to submit our official scores for the WOD of the week every Sunday afternoon. This was the first week and it was way busier than the organizers anticipated. The website was flooded and they had to extend the first deadline to next week. Which means that we have time to try the first workout again!

Pecan pie part II

It was so good I forgot to take a picture before eating it!

I brought the pretty one to the potluck and kept the second for myself. Yum!

The "ugly one" after a midnight snack.

Paleo Potluck treat

I've been out sick this week; not eating much, not blogging much.
But I'm going to a flux CrossFit Paleo Potluck tonight and I'm going to try this recipe out:


Paleo Pecan Pie
Filling
6 dates
3 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1.25 cups pecans
Pie Crust
1.5 cups almond flour
1/4 cup olive oil, melted


Preheat oven to 350. Mix together crust ingredients in small bowl. Press into pie dish to form crust. Bake for 5 minutes.
Prepare filling by putting dates into a food processor. Run until dates have formed a paste (make sure to remove the pits first). Add egg, syrup, vanilla, flour, and oil. Blend in food processor into smooth and well mixed. Gently fold in pecans to the mixture. Pour filling into the pie crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pie is set.

the roast beast got the best of me

I think I trusted my meat thermometer too much... My pork loin roast is overcooked!

The spices and vegetables turned out perfectly; delicious flavour, perfectly roasted. But the roast is dry!

I am so incredibly disappointed by this... I put it in the oven before going to the gym and checked it after 1.25 hours; the thermometer wasn't even reading a temp yet!

So I put it in for longer, and longer, and longer. And I took it out 5-10 degrees short of 165F so that it could sit and settle and reach it's ideal temperature...

But alas! The trusty meat thermometer has fooled me.

I don't know if experience will get me to the point of knowing when meat is done, but I find it so frustrating to wait and wait, only to find an overcooked piece of meat in the oven.

And it looked perfect!

How does one know?

Fooled by a thermometer...

So juicy looking - not!