Monday, February 6, 2012

Paleo Super Bowl

Hello Friends,

I am so excited to report our super bowl food! We did not have a party, just some family relaxing time. But you have to have a smorgasbord of food for a big football game! The Menu:

Stuffed Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon
8 large jalapenos
8 slices of nitrate free bacon
1LB of ground meat 100% grass fed
1/2 cup of chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced
1TBL of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp of cumin

Saute garlic and onions in coconut oil
add in meat and brown it until complete
add in spices

Slice the tip of the Jalapenos off, then cut the top of it off so you can remove the veins and seeds. Once complete stuff each jalapeno with the meat, wrap with a piece of bacon and place in a casserole dish. Bake them in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes, then broil them on the top shelf of the oven to make the bacon extra crispy. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Guacamole and Crispy Kale Chips and diced Bell peppers
Layer Kale on a baking sheet
drizzle olive oil and garlic salt
Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes

Bacon Wrapped Dates
remove pit from 12 dates
stuff each one with an almond
wrap with a slice of bacon
Bake in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes

Hot Chicken Tenders
Bake Chicken in oven at 350 for 30 minutes

Sauce:
In a sauce pan add in 2 tbls of hot sauce
1/4 cup of pasture butter or butter ghee
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of chilli powder
S&P to taste
Cook until sauce is mixed well
Pour over cooked chicken and bake for another 15 minutes

It was a bit of grazing for me while cooking and for my dinner plate I put the Kale chips down first, layered guacamole, chopped up bell peppers and the chicken and ate it like a salad :) I wanted a beer; however, I resisted the temptation! I totally cheated when I went to Yvette's house......her mom brought tamales. I had 2 and they were delicious. Cheers and Happy Monday to all!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Crossfit Trains you For Anything!

I meant to write this the other day and just have not found the time to do it. Many of you that know me well know that I set out with the intentions to train for a race, then I never get around to it! Due to the fact that I signed up, I am committed. The 3M 1/2 Marathon was on Sunday and the most I had run was 2 miles one day with Chris and the Friday before about 3.5 miles. Guess the excitement was not there to train. All that being said, I have been doing crossfit 3-4 times a week and our daily warm ups consist of a small 400 meter run. Some of our WODS have 800 meter runs in them....OH and one of them had us run 400 Meters holding a 35Lb weight.

So I guess you could say that Crossfit was my training. I was committed so I woke up at 5:20 Sunday morning and headed up North to 183 and Mopac.

Took off around 6:50am with my music blaring and focused. I did doubt myself for a split second, then I just took off and was determined. The first time I saw a sign I felt like I was at 3 miles (forgot to hit start on micoach app) and the sign said 5miles :) I thought wow almost half way there. I walked 30 seconds at the next water station then kept going. Finally got hot at 10miles and had to remove my jacket. That was quite the trek..... Had to stop to take off iPod, remove jacket and tie it around my waste and put iPod back on. Probably wasted a good 2 minutes on that project :). then ran the rest of the way in!!! Oh one more 30 sec water break. Overall I am happy with it because I did it. My phone rang at mile 10 and it was my husband telling me that he was there at the finish line with Grace. That gave me an extra push to get there fast and make them proud! I was surprised that during the run my endurance was good, the only thing that ever got tired were my feet. They hurt like hell!!! Overall I finished in 2:10, my goal was 2hours but I will take the 2:10 and be happy with that. Finished and felt great!

Also I got these compression socks and WOW from my ankles up to my knees, not one bit of soreness. Thighs and hamstrings were sore for a day.

Got up Monday and did Crossfit. Strength portion was dead lifts and I did up to 190lbs and then our WOD consisted of 12 min AMRAP (as many reps as possible)
4 hand stand push ups, 8 135lb dead lifts and 100m farmers walk with 60lbs. I finished 5 full rounds plus the hand stand push ups and dead lifts. All that to say, I'm pretty confident that Crossfit trains you for anything.

This week has been amazing and I feel great! 1/2 marathon, 4 days of Crossfit, selling real estate, cooking amazing food for my family and ensuring my kids are getting through all their activities, homework and family time!

I will leave you with my favorite recipe of this week:
Pork Tenderloin PB&J from my favorite Comfort Cook book. Side prosciutto wrapped asparagus.
Cut the tenderloin in half and pound out so it is flat
Make your stuffing:
Peel and Core 2 green apples
Place in food processor with: 1sp of cinnamon, 1tsp of lemon zest, 1 tbl spook of raw organic honey. Process until it is chunky like applesauce.
Spread the apple mixture on the pork tenderloin, roll it up and place it on a cooking sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

While baking, place 1 1.2 cups of cashews and 1 cup of pecans in the food processor for 10 minutes. This will turn into a nice smooth nut butter. add in 1/2 cup of water, 3 garlic cloves, S&P to taste. Once complete and tenderloin is baked pour the nut butter sauce on top and enjoy!

Side Dish:
Simply wrap individual pieces of asparagus with a slice of prosciutto. Layer them on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Once out of the oven, sprinkle balsamic vinegar over the asparagus and serve!