since I last posted. I'm sure I've mentioned before, I have no time anymore and I'm not quite sure what happened there. I also haven't been in the kitchen testing and making anything post worthy lately. Not that we haven't been eating well, but nothing has come up that I thought I needed to share. With that being said, I'm going to have to just post recipes when I can. Not sure what I was thinking when I said I would post one every week cause clearly, that ain't happenin.
Hmm, so what have I done. Well, I've added two more ladies to my list, Elizabeth and Helen. Both great wods. I could not do Liz as rx'd but came in close with 85# and 10 minutes. Helen was rx'd at 13 minutes. Most of my wods have been pretty good lately and I almost got a cool 95# on my shoulder press. I tried just for the hell of it and almost got it. Last year I struggled with 85. I will be starting The Way wods in a few weeks, probably when my little guy is finished school so I'll actually have time to get thru them. Overall been feeling good. My body has taken a beating with close to 200 kettlebell swings in 24 hours but it's all good. I feel stronger than ever, my shoulder pain is almost non existant and I'm still making good gains.
The girls are still with me in the garage gym and actually coming along quite nicely. I've decided to just have them do scaled versions of my Outlaw wods. Snicker snicker. There has been a lot of whining and complaining but overall, I think they like it. They keep coming back so I'll keep beating them up. We haven't been working on snatches or front squats yet and only briefly touched on cleans, deadlifts and overhead squats (with the stick). But as far as everything else, the girls are making some great improvements. Once school is over and things settle down we'll all have more time to devote to actual lifting which I'm looking forward too. Just last week Ali was able to back squat 2x3 @85 and do 30/ 45# thrusters. This is someone who has never done anything like this before so I think she is starting to see that this 'weightlifting thing' is no joke.
We haven't tried any new recipes lately, at least nothing to brag about. Now that it is warming up it's salad season for us. Nothing like a good hearty salad. My favs lately have been marinated artichoke hearts, radishes, olive medleys and arugula. I've been adding them to everything. Left over chicken, shrimp, tuna fish... it's all good. Recipe tip for you right there! See, I'm not a complete slacker.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The future coach K?
In my quest to do all the girls this year, I'm 5 down with 25 more to go? I don't know. A lot. Elizabeth was on the menu today. Love cleans, don't love dips but I am making progress on them. I came in at 10 minutes using 85# and doing the dips on the handles of our ghd. I can do ring dips but not 45 of them with any consistency. Last weekend I screwed my right wrist up, not sure how but it's still bothering me. Now that we have The Book in the house, I've tried the dreaded and painful floss band technique a few times hoping that would give me some relief. Unsure if it is or it's just a matter of rest and time. Neither of which I can afford.
Since the last time I've posted my training partner has made some great progress. And since then, we now have another victim, err... puppy (I'm stealing the 'puppy' term from BrandX because it is fitting) in training and possibly a third tomorrow. Not that I don't love that there is interest in all things Crossfit, but hell, I'm stretched to my max right now. Programming for 3 is challenging. Ali has been thru all the basic lifts and movements so the past week now she has been doing modified versions of either my Outlaw wod or mainsite which has been great for both of us. Everyone always needs a little competition/motivation. I don't get it that often. But Krista doesn't know most of the lifts and movements yet. Unfortunately for her I think that she's going to learn on the fly for most of it. She's pretty strong and athletic already. She has good flexibility and can actually do one unassisted pull up so honestly I think she'll be able to handle most of what I throw at her if she sticks with it. I'm hoping once summer rolls around we'll all be less pressed for time with kid stuff and I'll be able to really get them moving some decent weight and push them harder. Now if I only had more equipment.
I wil say this, even though this has been time consuming and throwing my schedule out of whack, I'm learning a little more each day. When you're explaining how to do a back squat or throw a wall ball, something that I take for granted after 3 years, you realize that A, you know more than you think you do and B, it's really hard to describe something that seems to come natural like squatting. I'm amazed at how many people physically cannot get down in that position. For me, as someone who can express more with her face than words, it's hard to watch sometimes lets be honest. But you gotta start somewhere.
Anyway, so my goal is to get these ladies in shape this summer and hopefully turn this into something worth while. Maybe if we're lucky Bob and I can get certified and really do this for real one day.
Since the last time I've posted my training partner has made some great progress. And since then, we now have another victim, err... puppy (I'm stealing the 'puppy' term from BrandX because it is fitting) in training and possibly a third tomorrow. Not that I don't love that there is interest in all things Crossfit, but hell, I'm stretched to my max right now. Programming for 3 is challenging. Ali has been thru all the basic lifts and movements so the past week now she has been doing modified versions of either my Outlaw wod or mainsite which has been great for both of us. Everyone always needs a little competition/motivation. I don't get it that often. But Krista doesn't know most of the lifts and movements yet. Unfortunately for her I think that she's going to learn on the fly for most of it. She's pretty strong and athletic already. She has good flexibility and can actually do one unassisted pull up so honestly I think she'll be able to handle most of what I throw at her if she sticks with it. I'm hoping once summer rolls around we'll all be less pressed for time with kid stuff and I'll be able to really get them moving some decent weight and push them harder. Now if I only had more equipment.
I wil say this, even though this has been time consuming and throwing my schedule out of whack, I'm learning a little more each day. When you're explaining how to do a back squat or throw a wall ball, something that I take for granted after 3 years, you realize that A, you know more than you think you do and B, it's really hard to describe something that seems to come natural like squatting. I'm amazed at how many people physically cannot get down in that position. For me, as someone who can express more with her face than words, it's hard to watch sometimes lets be honest. But you gotta start somewhere.
Anyway, so my goal is to get these ladies in shape this summer and hopefully turn this into something worth while. Maybe if we're lucky Bob and I can get certified and really do this for real one day.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Recipe: Kale, bacon and shallot stuffed chicken breast
This was a spur of the moment 'I have all those ingredients' meal and it came out fantastic. Chicken is boring so I'm always trying to think of new ways to serve it. Stuffing it isn't fun and it's messy, but it is worth it in the end. For you people who do a bit of dairy every so often, add some blue cheese. You'll thank me later. Not the best photo but by the time it was time to eat, I forgot. Happens sometimes.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
serves 2
What you need:
2 skinless breasts
2 good handfuls of chopped kale
1/2 medium shallot, sliced thin
3-4 pieces uncured bacon
kosher salt & pepper
couple nuggets blue cheese *optional
toothpicks or string to secure chicken
What to do:
Chop bacon into pieces, (not too small) and cook it in a cast iron or chefs pan til it's crispy but not burned. Meanwhile chop kale into bite size pieces and slice shallot. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and put aside. Cook kale and shallot in bacon fat for about 7-8 minutes on medium high heat, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
While that stuff is cooking place chicken on cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and pound the crap out of it until it's relatively thin. Salt and pepper both sides.
When kale is wilted and the onion is translucent remove from the pan with the slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with the bacon. We want any bacon fat to sear the chicken. Let kale mixture cool a bit. Once cooled place half of the mixture in the center of the chicken, almost like you're making a taco. (If you can remember how to do that) Add your blue cheese if using. Start rolling at one end, then secure closed with a few toothpicks or string. Toothpicks are way easier. Don't overstuff.
Heat cast iron on high, add a little more fat, 1-2 tbsp if needed. Your reserved bacon fat that you diligently keep in the fridge in a mason jar would be awesome at this point, but you can use whatever oil/fat you like. Add the chicken seam side down first and sear about 3 minutes. Sear all sides 2-3 min each. When browned, throw whole cast iron skillet into oven and finish cooking about 10-12 minutes. Poke test it around 10 minutes. If it springs back, it's done.
Remove skillet from oven, remove chicken from skillet and let it rest about 5 min. Done!
I served mine with roasted brussels sprouts and a sliced tomato with basil, evoo and red wine vinegar.
You can basically stuff chicken with anything. If you have spinach or collard greens they work just as well. Only rule with stuffing chicken is have at least one item with a lot of flavor or punch. IE - blue cheese, feta cheese, olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes etc since chicken is mild.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
serves 2
What you need:
2 skinless breasts
2 good handfuls of chopped kale
1/2 medium shallot, sliced thin
3-4 pieces uncured bacon
kosher salt & pepper
couple nuggets blue cheese *optional
toothpicks or string to secure chicken
What to do:
Chop bacon into pieces, (not too small) and cook it in a cast iron or chefs pan til it's crispy but not burned. Meanwhile chop kale into bite size pieces and slice shallot. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and put aside. Cook kale and shallot in bacon fat for about 7-8 minutes on medium high heat, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
While that stuff is cooking place chicken on cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and pound the crap out of it until it's relatively thin. Salt and pepper both sides.
Preheat oven 350.
When kale is wilted and the onion is translucent remove from the pan with the slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with the bacon. We want any bacon fat to sear the chicken. Let kale mixture cool a bit. Once cooled place half of the mixture in the center of the chicken, almost like you're making a taco. (If you can remember how to do that) Add your blue cheese if using. Start rolling at one end, then secure closed with a few toothpicks or string. Toothpicks are way easier. Don't overstuff.
Heat cast iron on high, add a little more fat, 1-2 tbsp if needed. Your reserved bacon fat that you diligently keep in the fridge in a mason jar would be awesome at this point, but you can use whatever oil/fat you like. Add the chicken seam side down first and sear about 3 minutes. Sear all sides 2-3 min each. When browned, throw whole cast iron skillet into oven and finish cooking about 10-12 minutes. Poke test it around 10 minutes. If it springs back, it's done.
Remove skillet from oven, remove chicken from skillet and let it rest about 5 min. Done!
I served mine with roasted brussels sprouts and a sliced tomato with basil, evoo and red wine vinegar.
You can basically stuff chicken with anything. If you have spinach or collard greens they work just as well. Only rule with stuffing chicken is have at least one item with a lot of flavor or punch. IE - blue cheese, feta cheese, olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes etc since chicken is mild.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
I know I've been lame about posting
It seems like every day I just run out of time. I'm getting a lot accomplished, but it never seems to end. Spring time means tons of yard work of course. This year we planted some new shrubs, moved ornamental grass and plants and planted a new Dogwood tree. Today the 500 tons of mulch was delivered. Ok, not 500 tons but enough so I can't pull my car up all the way in the driveway. Tomorrow will be back breaking shoveling and hauling heavy loads around the house. Good thing I do Crossfit otherwise I would never be able to handle the damn wheelbarrow (wheelbarrel?) all day.
Wods have been good. Took a Crossfit mental health day yesterday. Body felt good, brain wanted no parts of a workout though. It doesn't happen very often but over the years I've learned to go with my gut and not force it. I did get the ceiling in the hallway painted so it wasn't a wasted day off thats for sure. Today was heavy back squats in which I was able to partially get 205. The first time I got stuck but the next 2 were a little better. I'm not sure if I got all the way down. I guess if I'm not sure, then I probably didn't so I'm not counting it as a new PR today. They did feel pretty good so maybe next time I'll hit it full on. The metcon was sucky today. Three rounds 400m, ttb and heavy push jerks. Yikers they were heavy at 105# but I slogged thru them. Time was slower than I would have liked but didn't really feel the need to scale. Sucking it up!
Training with A is going well. Back squats were the focus today. She actually had her best squatting form today. Weight on the back will do that and that's what I was hoping for. I had her in the cage too so I guess for her the fear of falling with the bar was gone. Slowly but surely we are making progress. Only a few more basics to get thru, wall balls, cleans, push jerks... then I'll start her on buttercup wods on BrandX. Going to jump into it head on. She has a goal in mind which is good. In 5 weeks she needs to be in a bathing suit for a carnival dunk tank. Good motivation for both of us.
Gotta a few new recipes in the bank... just a matter of tweaking and photographing.
Kids are doing well in baseball. My daughter made the first and only fly ball catch so far. So proud of her. Sure, it was probably more luck than anything but she was excited about it and it can only make her more confident in the future.
Wods have been good. Took a Crossfit mental health day yesterday. Body felt good, brain wanted no parts of a workout though. It doesn't happen very often but over the years I've learned to go with my gut and not force it. I did get the ceiling in the hallway painted so it wasn't a wasted day off thats for sure. Today was heavy back squats in which I was able to partially get 205. The first time I got stuck but the next 2 were a little better. I'm not sure if I got all the way down. I guess if I'm not sure, then I probably didn't so I'm not counting it as a new PR today. They did feel pretty good so maybe next time I'll hit it full on. The metcon was sucky today. Three rounds 400m, ttb and heavy push jerks. Yikers they were heavy at 105# but I slogged thru them. Time was slower than I would have liked but didn't really feel the need to scale. Sucking it up!
Training with A is going well. Back squats were the focus today. She actually had her best squatting form today. Weight on the back will do that and that's what I was hoping for. I had her in the cage too so I guess for her the fear of falling with the bar was gone. Slowly but surely we are making progress. Only a few more basics to get thru, wall balls, cleans, push jerks... then I'll start her on buttercup wods on BrandX. Going to jump into it head on. She has a goal in mind which is good. In 5 weeks she needs to be in a bathing suit for a carnival dunk tank. Good motivation for both of us.
Gotta a few new recipes in the bank... just a matter of tweaking and photographing.
Kids are doing well in baseball. My daughter made the first and only fly ball catch so far. So proud of her. Sure, it was probably more luck than anything but she was excited about it and it can only make her more confident in the future.
Recipe: Babaganosh
If you know anything about me you'll know I love hummus so I decided to make my own. I personally don't think there is any harm in the chic pea but the paleo police would disagree. This is my recipe for Babaganosh, traditional hummus made with eggplant.
I've made it a few times, with and without roasting the eggplant and garlic. Trust me, it's worth the extra time and effort to roast. Raw eggplant tastes like dirt. Dirt with seeds. Tahini already tastes like dirt so you need something sweet to balance it out. Maybe I should call this Babagadirt since I'm not making it sound very appetizing right now even though it really is.
Babaganosh
makes about 2 cups
1 egglplant - halved
1 whole head garlic
1/3 cup tahini
1-2 tsp cumin
2-3 tbsp lemon juice (approx)
olive oil
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 375. While oven is preheating wrap whole head of garlic in foil, making sure to seal completely. Cut the eggplant lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place face down on baking sheet along with wrapped garlic head and roast for about 20-25 minutes. Once the egglplant is soft and browned remove from the oven and let cool. At this point, turn the oven off but leave the garlic in there.
Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle scoop out flesh into the food processor. Add tahini, salt and pepper, cumin and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
Remove garlic from oven and unwrap foil. The best way to get the garlic out is to cut the tips off the top with scissors then flip it over and squeeze it out from the bottom. Add the garlic to the blended eggplant and blend all until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Done.
I served mine with gluten free organic blue chips since I didn't have any homemade crackers.
I've made it a few times, with and without roasting the eggplant and garlic. Trust me, it's worth the extra time and effort to roast. Raw eggplant tastes like dirt. Dirt with seeds. Tahini already tastes like dirt so you need something sweet to balance it out. Maybe I should call this Babagadirt since I'm not making it sound very appetizing right now even though it really is.
Babaganosh
makes about 2 cups
1 egglplant - halved
1 whole head garlic
1/3 cup tahini
1-2 tsp cumin
2-3 tbsp lemon juice (approx)
olive oil
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 375. While oven is preheating wrap whole head of garlic in foil, making sure to seal completely. Cut the eggplant lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place face down on baking sheet along with wrapped garlic head and roast for about 20-25 minutes. Once the egglplant is soft and browned remove from the oven and let cool. At this point, turn the oven off but leave the garlic in there.
Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle scoop out flesh into the food processor. Add tahini, salt and pepper, cumin and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
Remove garlic from oven and unwrap foil. The best way to get the garlic out is to cut the tips off the top with scissors then flip it over and squeeze it out from the bottom. Add the garlic to the blended eggplant and blend all until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Done.
I served mine with gluten free organic blue chips since I didn't have any homemade crackers.
Friday, April 19, 2013
No Mr Heavy Back Squat, I do not like you
today. Don't you hate it when your back squats feel like your trying to lift a car... or a house? Ok, mobile home. Thats how mine felt today. As soon as I got under the 165 I thought, ut oh. Normally I'm able to squash those thoughts pretty quickly. Not today for some reason. After the third set of 3 I moved the bar into the cage, juuuust incase. At that point I think just having the safety pin as backup, I was able to get the rest (175, 185) with no real issues. Other than it just sucking. Past 2 wods have beat me up for sure but overall, happy with the progress and the ability to finally do most of Outlaw's wods as rx'd (over 2 months now) and recover relatively well from them. That only solidifies my decision to move on to The Way's programming this summer. I'm pretty sure May/June will be a year with Outlaw and I've seen some pretty terrific progress with them so I'm hoping with the increase in workload with The Way, I'll hit some new pr's this summer.
My mom friend is coming along pretty well with her workouts. Still with me after 5 wods so that's a plus. Today was intro to the deadlift and burpee. No real issues so far other than full rom on squats, which we are working on. And surprisingly I'm finding that I'm a pretty decent coach, at least with the easy stuff so far. We'll see what happens when I really have to motivate later when wods get harder and heavier. I'm pretty good at telling people what to do so I should be able to handle it effectively. I may have one less friend, but it's a chance I'll take. Kidding of course. Actually I may have 2 more moms by next week. A is the guinea pig. If she survives I'm sure the other 2 moms will give in. Fear of the unknown I guess. And I noticed today that she noticed those ring rows today were a tiny bit easier. That makes me happy. She even pointed it out, 'hey did you notice I leaned back farther?' Yes I did.
Nothing new on the recipe front. Grilling up some grassfed rib eyes tonight with some grilled raddichio, blue cheese and balsamic (if it comes out as yummy as I hope I'll post it), and some sweet pots. Tomorrow or Sunday will probably be Bob's bison chili. Other than that, baseball and yardwork on the menu again this weekend. Fun fun.
My mom friend is coming along pretty well with her workouts. Still with me after 5 wods so that's a plus. Today was intro to the deadlift and burpee. No real issues so far other than full rom on squats, which we are working on. And surprisingly I'm finding that I'm a pretty decent coach, at least with the easy stuff so far. We'll see what happens when I really have to motivate later when wods get harder and heavier. I'm pretty good at telling people what to do so I should be able to handle it effectively. I may have one less friend, but it's a chance I'll take. Kidding of course. Actually I may have 2 more moms by next week. A is the guinea pig. If she survives I'm sure the other 2 moms will give in. Fear of the unknown I guess. And I noticed today that she noticed those ring rows today were a tiny bit easier. That makes me happy. She even pointed it out, 'hey did you notice I leaned back farther?' Yes I did.
Nothing new on the recipe front. Grilling up some grassfed rib eyes tonight with some grilled raddichio, blue cheese and balsamic (if it comes out as yummy as I hope I'll post it), and some sweet pots. Tomorrow or Sunday will probably be Bob's bison chili. Other than that, baseball and yardwork on the menu again this weekend. Fun fun.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Not really a recipe per se
It's not rocket science when it comes to making good bacon and eggs. Or is it? Want a little twist, stir fry some chopped green beans (they are cheap and plentiful in the summer months) and kale in the bacon grease you get from the pan and add a little fresh or dried thyme to your fried eggies. Phoning it in today friends.
Been super busy lately between training my friend, getting the yard in order, planting the veggie garden, kids practices and games, getting my own wods and the normal household stuff done. The days are flying by with what seems like nothing to show. How does that happen?
The training sessions are going well with A. Still in basics mode. Later today will be introduction to the kettlebell, jump rope and more work on squatting form and push ups.
I was able to get my full wod in today so that is a plus. Clean and jerks which I love and am making some great progress on, 7 sets of 2 @ 95# and hspu and pull ups. Pull ups still slow me down but I'm still seeing slow progress each time on them too. I also practiced something new today. Behind the neck snatch grip squat press. Yeah. It's as challenging as it sounds. I'm sure I'm not labeling it right but that's what it was. Man, they are tough. I only used the stick then the 16# bar. That was enough. Funny just when you think your form is improving, theres always another humbling movement. It was in a journal article the other day. Thought it sounded interesting and that it would help my squat snatch since I suck at them.
Anyway, off to get some stuff done and take care of my daughter who is home with a cold today.
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