Thrilling Thursday

Its cold today...LIKE REALLY COLD!! I am thankful that I got to sleep in a little bit. I will tell you one thing, my troubles with sleeping are temporarily fixed! AMEN! I guess waking up at 4:40am makes you tired. Who would have known...Ive also been taking melatonin and it works wonderfully! HIGHLY recommend that if you have troubles sleeping. That and kava. Good stuff.

So I'm just sitting here on our new 1960's velvet couch. Its freaking awesome. Some (or most) might think its hideous, but Scott has a thing for that era and I love the retro feel to it! So yesterday we spontaneously decided to 86 the sectional to be the gym lounge couch and try this beaut at home. We already have 2 sweet rockers that match nicely. I never realized how HUGE the sectional was until it was gone. Our living room feels so empty now! Time to revamp and do some shopping! And painting....whoop! So that's whats going on in the home front.

You could say training is going pretty good. I am on week 4. Last week was a max week, I didn't perform as good as I wanted BUT I did PR on some lifts and PR match which I will take over nothing. Snatch and Clean & Jerks are HARD. Glad for this week is low percentages so I am working my tech more (much needed). Why is the jerk so hard?! I feel like its the hardest out of them all. Just gotta keep doing it. Repetition is key. As a matter of fact, today there are jerks. LETS DO THIS!!

Tomorrow is a big day for us at Eternia Athletics! We are having our Open House/Max out session with some local lifters. Its going to be a blast! We are going to have a snack table set up and mingle with people. While watching our platforms loaded with awesome people giving us a little show of snatch and c&j.  Should be a good time. I mean lets be honest, food and lifting...that's like two of my favorist things. And most of everyone else that will be there feels the same way. BaBAM!

THEN.... Saturday we are headed to Medford. Rogue Valley CrossFit is hosting the "Wishing on a WOD" event. This event benefits the Make a Wish foundation. Good things going on here people. Go check it out, and if you live in the area. GO! Here's the link to read more http://roguevalleycrossfit.com/wishing-WOD/ 

So last night I made homemade taco pizza, mainly because Scott LOVES taco pizza. But it was delicious, no doubt about that!! I bought pre-made pizza dough and pretty much built a taco on top. YUM! Then the other day I made cinnamon roll waffles. Just bought cinnamon rolls from the store (I know, I was being lazy) and put them in the waffle maker. Neither of these meals were very...um... healthy?! BUT I enjoyed them both at the time of day that my eating reggie allows. That way my body can use and burn the way it should, So what I am trying to say is I don't feel guilty, or fluffier. So its a win-win. I need to make cookies and send them to our good friend out in Utah. Next week, Johnny. Be patient.

Enough rambles for one day I would say!!! Ha. Time to go be productive. Love ya all, to the MAX! Pin It Now!

Monday ohhh sweet Monday!

First things first....

Today is the first day of our soft opening at Eternia Athletics!

Secondly....I paper cut my top lip this morning getting into my car with papers in my hand. Hows that happen? Hey paper, sure get all up on my face and cut me. NO. It hurts. Lame.

I had my first class this morning at 5:30am...it was AWESOME!! I had so much fun and have missed coaching A LOT. Glad to be back at it. My people kicked ass, and had a blast doing it! Proud of them! Surprisingly I didn't have a hard time getting out of bed. Some might have been a little worried about me and the bed/sleeping in situation. But I showed them :) On the other hand, our dogs were like WTF?! We usually snuggle in bed till 8 or 9, sometimes 10....you'd do it if you could. Anyway, we are all stoked to get back into coaching and helping people achieve their goals! If you are in the Grants Pass area, come check us out!!

Now I am sitting here with frozen fingers. Waiting for the bathroom to get installed. WAHBAM! You know whats even better? I get to be the first person to use it. OHHH YYYEAAAAH! IN YOUR FACE  BOYS! :) Haha. I kid, I kid. 

Week one in the books on the new training redge. I'm having a good time! Today's will be fun, get to do some snatching and squats...Nice little workout for me today!!

Snatch - 60% x3, 65% x3, 70% x3, 75% x3x3
Snatch Pull - 95% (of SN) x3x4
Back Squat - 75% x6x5
SLDL - 3x5

For the record, I'm pretty darn sore today. I got rolfed yesterday. That Gary, he really got me this time. I feel like I got hit by a bus! I'm better for it though. So THANK YOU Gary :)

We had a taco party at the house last night. It was fun! I fried up some of our new ground beef and made cilantro lime WHITE rice, and black beans and a garlic lime slaw and of course all the taco fixings. I pretty much made a big pile on a plate and inhaled it. It was delicious. EVEN BETTER we watched the American Weightlifting documentary. It was great! Go watch it. You'll be inspired. At on point, or five, I had goosebumps. Such an amazing sport. I LOVE IT.

I want you all to have a goooooood Monday! :) 

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Oh, HIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BACK AGAIN!!!!

Ha...So I have been inspired to start writing my diary again, read it if you want. OR don't. I don't care either way. But if you don't you'll probably miss out, just saying. :)

As far as my diet/eating journey has been going, Ive played around with a couple different things. I haven't been 100% paleo.....EEEEEK. Its okay, I am still alive. Paleo isn't really realistic for my life, and I say this because I love treats. And when I say I love treats, I mean.... I LOVE TREATS!!!!!!!!!! When I say that I think of the little girl from Monsters INC when she yells "IT'S SO FLUFFY!!" Goodness, shes cute. Anyway, I eat primal most of the day. Breakfast consists of fat and maybe some fibrous vegetables. Sooo that is eggs and bacon. OR since I have a phobia against eggs lately it'll be bacon. Or maybe not even bacon but some leftovers. Sometimes just coffee. Honestly, I have been neglecting breakfast till about 10-11 so it might be lunch time already. If that's the case, its a salad with meat. I get in trouble if I don't eat breakfast. I KNOW I KNOW.... I need to do it. So far, this week has been good. So back on track, lunch. Lunch is leftovers or chicken and a homemade green salad. Lately I have been loving the crisp deliciousness of romaine lettuce/cabbage. Mmmmmm. Throughout my day I am drinking a huge jug of water. I aim to get a gallon or more in. Easy to do when theres a hefty jug that I haul around with me everywhere. Dinner is where I waiver. This is the Carb-Backloading theory. I have found that it works. But for the ladies its not as fun as it is for the gents. I cant just eat 800 donuts and a huge bowl of ice cream while having 16 cups of rice and pasta and bread and pizza and rolls and potatoes and cheese and fries and and and and..... the list goes on. ANYWAY, I do whatever it is I make for dinner with a limited amount of carbs. So like a little white rice...That way I can have a cookie. Or ice cream. But nothing too crazy. Truth is, sometimes I get crazy. Like with all this Halloween candy. OR the brownie skillet with ice cream I had last weekend...(I didn't eat it alone... Jill helped me) Shessh. Or beers, or wine. Those suck. Its just fun to celebrate life with friends. But my belly doesn't look awesome afterward. That's the scale though. Gotta live and love life, cant live in a jail cell of the diet world. I have and did, and I bet I was annoying. "Ummmm I cant eat that." What a snood. Haha. So bottom line, we all have slip ups. And its okay, tomorrow is a new day and one slip up isn't going to ruin everything. Just like one good meal isn't going to make you perfect. So take a breath and LOVE yourself. :)

Dem Quads....Seriously!?

FITNESS....I love that I found something that I am SO passionate about. I amaze myself everyday with where I am now. I watch the elitists and am inspired on a daily... and the beginners, cause that's where I started. To see the fire in their eyes to want to be better. MAN! Its great. Cross Fit is great and gives results, but I have found something that I want to be better at...and that's weightlifting. Something about it intrigues me. I want to be better. I want to prove to myself that I can be better at these technical lifts. And I will. So this drive has taken me down a different training path. I started this week. Day #4 is today. Snatch...Clean...Squat...Squat...Jerk....Squat.SQUAT. So far so good. I'm excited to be better. I am prepared for more bad days then good days. To break things down and rebuild. Needless to say, I am stoked.

Gosh, this is going to be a million miles long...Sorry. NOT. :) Anywho, Eternia Athletics is in the works. What?! Yep, its for realsies. Our own spot. Its awesome. We are all so excited. Its been truckload or 63...of hard work, sweat, tears and stress. But the end result is that we have a place to workout that's not our garage. To have fun, to laugh, to hangout and cheer each other on. To SLAM BARS....to drink a beer, to release stress, to listen to loud music, to have community, to PR...to fail....to be BETTER then we were yesterday. And that is priceless. Stay tuned...its coming soon!

Me, practicing snatch

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Authentic Mexican Chicken Tacos

 

Just got back from Mexico on Friday. I had the MOST amazing time! We did a whole lot of eating, drinking and relaxing. It's crazy when the days start melding together. Life at no worries or responsibilities. Awesome!! Our favorite part was just walking to town from our resort and stopping at all the bars on the beach and having beers and guacamole. Boy, those guys know how to make some mean guac! So does Scott. He's obviously not native, but I have to give him a shout out on his ability to make magically delicious guacamole.

downtown Playa Del Carmen "The Portal"

Scott on one of our walks, Great view! :)

So the weekend turned out to be highly productive and filled with tons of fun! Woke up Saturday morning and headed to the gym, did a really fun team wod. I was pleasantly surprised at my performance seeing that I had consumed more booze over the past week then I do in a year probably. It was a nice concoction of every movement you could think of. Oh heck, here it is... “Choose your own WOD-venture”

This is a team WOD and will be completed in teams of 4.

At each “Choice” the team must choose which exercise they will do and then all members must complete the RX’d distance or rep scheme for the exercise chosen. Only one choice per team is allowed. e.g. A team cannot have two members choose to do handstand pushups while the other two choose squats. In between choices each member must complete each of the exercises at their “Base Station.”

At the Base Station team members must complete 15 reps of each exercise. The base station is completed once all team members have completed 15 reps of all 4 exercises. Once the base station is complete the team moves on to the next choice.

Base Station:
15 KB swings (1.5 pood/1 pood)
15 Thrusters (45lbs/35lbs)
15 Ab Mat sit-ups
15 Box Jumps (24″/20″)

WOD…

Choice 1: Relay Run or Row (Each team member must complete 400m run or 500m row)
Relay 1600m run or 2000m row

Base Station

Choice 2: Top or Bottom
15 HSPU’s or 50 Squats

Base Station

Choice 3: Push or Pull
50 Push Ups or 25 Pull Ups

Base Station

Choice 4: Up or Down
50 Jumping Squats or 25 Burpees

Base Station

Choice 5: Climb or Hang
1 Rope Climb or 25 KTEs

It's confusing, I know. Head trainer, Chris had to explain 6,000 times. But we all eventually got it. Short story long, my team finished in 28:05 and I am still walking around like a crippled woman. It's fine... Ill be okay.

So later we went to Dinner for Oliver's 12th birthday and to see Iron Man 3, which was pretty awesome besides my RLS. Sunday was full of yard and house work, planting flowers, building stones and some Dracula coffin like cement thing to carry around, pressure washing, new BBQ purchase, laundry and ended with beers and tacos with friends! Whew!

Today is day 1 of a reset on this bod, Scott is going to do this with me cause honestly...our stomachs hate us and it doesn't feel good. TMI, sorry.

So these tacos were a recreation of some tacos we ate down in Mexico. I'd say I got a A on this one.


Authentic Mexican Chicken Tacos

1 lb chicken breasts or thighs (I used both)
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Toppings
Chopped cilantro
Diced white onion
Valentino hot sauce

White corn tortillas

Combine chicken and all ingredients in a ziplock or bowl and let marinate for 4 or more hours.

Grill the chicken on your BBQ until cooked through. Chop chicken into tiny pieces.

To make the taco, heat tortilla in a hot pan on both sides and add some chicken, cilantro, onion and squeeze a lime wedge. Dash a little of the hot sauce and your finished!

Eat as many as you want, Scott had 7, Mike had 9 and Chris had 10. Me? I had 2. So however many you have, they are still yum.

Mike, enjoying his tacos!

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Sesame Seared Salmon with Asparagus Slaw

Today has been a pretty good day, if I don't say so myself. Woke up (SORE AS SHIT) and headed down to the gym for Benchmark Fridays. So every Friday for the next while we are doing benchmark wods. Today's was "Barbara", I'm just going to say that I was nauseous and didn't want to move for like 30 minutes afterwards. And I did ring rows cause I have hamburger hands, don't judge me. Anywho... I didn't move. I sat in my car in the Fred Meyers parking lot for 20 minutes with my seat heaters on while I drank my protein shake.

I don't have pictures for todays post, I need to get in the habit of being a picture person again. Sorry. I will work on it.

Soooo.....Once I got my lazy bum into the store it was GO time. I got things for a gigantic delicious green salad and vegetable tray I am making for my baby sisters BABY shower tomorrow. Awwww! I'm going to be an aunty! I'm pretty excited about this. Minus a few things, like, poop, pee and vomit...oh and crying. I also bought my sister a few items off her registry list that she needed.

Once I got home I cooked up some ground turkey and cracked 3 eggs over it with a handful of baby kale and spinach! YUM! Seriously the best breakfast. I love it EVERY TIME I make it. Then it was nappy time. Or at least an attempt for a nap. The pups weren't having it. It's fine. Guess I didn't need one that bad.

So at our box, CrossFit GP, we are doing a nutrition challenge. Every week, Corrie and Anna give a recipe suggestion. I recommend you guys make it, cause obviously its going to be amazing. They are both FAB cooks. This weeks is salmon and slaw. I don't know about you guys but slaw is my favorite thing to eat in the entire world. it can be any kind of slaw too. NOM NOM NOM. I could eat slaw for breakfast, lunch and dinner and be as happy as a clam. :)

Here's the recipe friends, make it! It's delicious and nutritious. Hope all of y'all have a stupendous weekend!

Sesame Seared Salmon with Asparagus Slaw

Makes four servings

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 8 radishes, trimmed
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed
• 1 tbs. chopped fresh dill
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 salmon fillets, skin on
• 2 tbs. ghee (clarified butter)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the slaw: Slice the asparagus, radishes, carrot and fennel thinly by hand, with a mandoline, or with a fine-slicer blade in a food processor. Toss with chopped dill, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Chill the slaw while you prepare the salmon.

For the salmon: Toss the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl with the cayenne pepper (if you are using it). Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and press the side without skin into the sesame seeds to coat. Heat the ghee in a heavy ovenproof skillet over high heat and add the salmon, sesame-seed-side down. Sear the salmon until the sesame seeds are browned, about one to two minutes. Turn heat down to medium, flip the salmon fillets over, and sear the skin side for one to two minutes. Transfer the salmon to the oven to finish, about five to 10 minutes depending on how you like it. Serve with the asparagus slaw.

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It's been a while....

Oh hey there, writing a blog post? THIS IS CRAZY-NESS.

I know, I know.

I feel that I have had a nice little vacay from blogger. But it's time to get back to babbling about my life and food and training. I mean for what it's worth the "Love Languages" book says I am a babbling Brooke, so may as well roll with it, right?!

Lets see...what's new with me? Well I am sure there's a ton but its just still same ol same ol me. Always something interesting going on in my life. Like the fact that in just 8 DAYS, Scott and I will be sipping margs in MEXICO! BOOM!! I'm not excited at all...its going to suck. Just joking, Shheesh!! But really, its going to be awesome and I couldnt be more excited to be spending the time with my lover.

Holy geez! My dogs are so annoying. Oliver has a new "little man syndrome" dog attitude. He gets in my planter beds (so he's tall enough) and tries to kill the neighbor Pomeranians. Those little puff balls have such a yappy little bark. ArrghhH! Obviously this is happening at this very moment and that's why I am venting to the blog-o-sphere. :)

Soooooooooooo, I am not 100% paleo at the moment. Who am I!?? I'm trying out the whole Carb Backloading thing. Which means I get to eat sweets at night time. WHICH IS AWESOME. Like last night I ate a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie and a Reese's peanut butter cookie AND a scoop of ice cream. I made these cookies on Monday. There's probably 132 cookies in my house right now. I get excited just thinking about them. I have been sharing, don't you worry your little tummy. Although I forgot to give Beau his. I'm sorry Beau.

Right now I am cooking up a storm. I'm making chicken soup for my sicky friend, Corrie. Some delicious sweet basil and oregano chicken with plum tomatoes for lunch and I need to get dinner started. Not totally sure what that will be....Maybe steak and broccoli. BORING. But I love broccoli. Its my #1 favorite vegetable.

As far as my training has been going, I have been doing a strength training program on top of my regular training for about 2 months now. Its been great! I feel like I am getting alot stronger, and not to mention muscles popping out is an added bonus! WINNING! I have made a goal to myself to try and do the programmed wods as RX. Now I don't do them ALL RX, but I get as close as possible. If I tell Scott the night before that I want to he does a pretty good job at holding me accountable for it the next day when i try to be a sissy pants. Thanks babe! Like yesterday, CFGP did this wod....


10 minute AMRAP
15 Burpees
10 Power Cleans 135/95
Rest 2 minutes
5 Minute AMRAP
20 Toes to Bar
5 Box Jumps 30/24

I did it RX and got 96 reps on the first 10 minutes! That's a pretty big landmark for me considering the open wod that had power cleans in it I had a not so easy time. So needless to say, I am excited. But NEED to say that my power cleans are ugly. I'm definitely going to have to work on those. I cried about it last night. Someone videoed my wod and well, I didn't really want to see that. But now that I have calmed down from my pitty party its time to work on them and overcome my weaknesses right? RIGHT!


No recipe today, just wanted to say ELLO! (in a British accent at a volume of 12 out of 10)

Have a happy, happy, happy day!
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Apple Upside Down Cakes

So it's okay to take a month plus 2 weeks or so off right? Well whether it is, or isn't. I did. So sorry to the ones who hate me now for not feeding you. But I am also, not sorry. Sometimes you just need a break. Enough of the guilt trip I am giving myself.

How was every ones holidays? Mine were awesome! I am now another year older and probably 5 lbs heavier. Only because of all the sweet treats...and drinking. Damn you alcohol. Why do you tempt me so....But on a good note that's not going to be sticking to my ribs for long!

This week is test week at the box. First off let me just tell you that I GOT MY FIRST KIPPING PULL UP EVER IN MY LIFE!! Which resulted in ripping my thumbs off because I did Cindy the morning prior...I know first glance it looks like something it shouldn't...

PR-ed by 40# on my dead lift, 7# on my strict press, and 20# on my back squat. BOOM! Pretty excited about that. Not to mention everyone else in the gym hitting awesome numbers and killing it! My man, Scott, has been making some huge gains this week too! I just have to tell you guys one thing, this guy named Jon, he's pretty much a large muscle. Any who, today is his birthday (besides the point) and he got a 430# back squat this morning. WHAT IN THE....are you kidding me? "That means he can probably lift cars off of people and shit" (quoted from Corrie) So I hope he doesn't mind, but I am changing him as my emergency contact, in case a car falls on me. Genius.

Something else AMAZINGLY exciting is...our head trainer, Chris Dunkin is competing in the Masters division at the OC Throwdown this weekend. Here's the link if you want to see how cool it is....OC THROWDOWN. We are all going to be cheering him on from Grants Pass, OR. GO CHRIS!!! If you guys don't know this, the OC Throwdown is like one of the biggest competitions next to the Reebok Crossfit Games. Pretty cool kids, pretty cool.

So I made these cause Scott wanted something like apple pie...NOM!

Apple Upside Down Cakes

For the Cakes
1 1/4 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

For the Topping
1 Tbsp grassfed butter or coconut oil
2-3 apples skinned and diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut sugar

Preheat oven to 350F

First off, skin and dice your apples. Stir apples with cinnamon, coconut sugar and coconut oil. Set aside till your done making the batter.

For the cake batter, combine eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Whip together. In a small bowl combine salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and the almond flour. Mix the wet with the dry and stir until well incorporated.

You could do this recipe as one large cake, or mini cakes. I did mini cakes. They are cuter! So, spoon apple mixture into oiled pan and fill about 3/4 of the way. Spoon cake batter over the top and cook for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the cake part. I got 12 mini cakes out of this recipe.

| Prep time 20 minutes | Cook time 20-30 minutes | Serves 8-12 |

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