I'll take you in my backpack

4/6/12 It's been almost 3 weeks now of doing the Paleo zone diet and I can honestly say that it works! I was a complete non believer, I even said the words "I'll never do that, I don't have time, who weighs and measures their food?!". This girl does now...and this girl also has dropped some weight (fat) as a result. I feel much better and definitely feel stronger. Within the first week of zoning I was able to get a kipping pull up, something that I've struggled with for 5 months. I also was able to hold myself in the rings when before I jumped up there and my arms flew in every direction, but certainly didn't maintain any stability or hold me up. I can pull myself up on the rings to about armpit level, again, something I definitely couldn't do before. Perhaps this is all coincidence, but I tend to think that a tuned in diet is more to credit for these small successes in my CrossFit journey. Here is an example of my 3 block breakfast. Breakfast is a...

3/31/12-4/1/12 March was a crazy month, I went home for a week, came back and the the next weekend was in Ft Worth, then this weekend I went to my CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certification course in Tomball (outside of Houston) TX. I can't say enough positive things about the whole experience. It really was amazing. A lot of information and movement tied into two days, but at the end of it you really were left feeling good about the task at hand. I learned more than I ever imagined I would, and I had the opportunity to meet and work with some really fantastic people. This week I add Matt Chan to my CrossFitter collection that I have unintentionally started in the last two weeks! I look forward to many more opportunities like this, it really is amazing learning from some of the best in the industry! The training consisted of two days of classroom lecture, small breakout groups, large breakout groups, some WOD's (Fran and a partner WOD), and the final piece a test that wa...

3/24/12 So things have gotten a little behind and my dear blog has suffered as a result. The long weekend is a perfect time to catch up on all of the things that I have neglected! Including my sleep! So the CrossFit Tour. I feel pretty fortunate to have been able to attend such a rad event with some of the coolest people I know! Coach Glassman was there to give a speech, he made a lot of great points, and also some disappointing comments with regards to the military community and focusing his attentions on children outside of the US rather than the millions within the US who also need and deserve the help from those willing to give it. Aside from there there were definitely some highlights...Great company, being among people who eat breath and sleep the same crazy life that you do, and Rich Froning and Dan Bailey The evening was spent at Billy Bob's in the Stockyards listening to some country artist who people seemed to enjoy. I have no idea who he was! All in all a fa...

2/25/12 This is how we crossed the finish line! So in true bad ass spirit, this weekend was jam packed with bruises, burpees, and most importantly my CFBL family who I love dearly! A group of us went to Austin to do the Metro Dash. Metro it was not, perhaps suburban dash or park dash would have been better names for the event. Regardless it was a blast and I wouldn't have traded that time for anything! We competed in groups of 2, Teresa, my fellow fierce b*tch, and teammate, Jess and Stephanie, Eric, Becky and Adriana, Jack and Cody (who won the Heros heat!), and our huge support team Ben, Ashley, Baby B, Chad, Anthony, and Jack's wife! After already doing the Crossfit Open 12.1 WOD twice, I was not looking forward to any burpee penalties (10 burpees per obstacle that you could not complete), so T and I decided that we would make it our mission to get through the course. We almost made it! A couple of obstacles got the best of us and we gave in to the burpees! Next up...

2/26/12 It's everyone's favorite...taco night! Super easy (and quick) recipe for tacos...paleo style. I used grass fed bison because that's what I had but any meat would work. Paleo (bison) tacos: Ingredients two pounds grass fed bison (I used one pound because I'm cooking for myself, it left plenty for leftovers!) 1/2 onion 3 TBSP paprika (I used slightly less) 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp crushed red pepper 1 tsp fresh cilantro Romaine lettuce hearts salsa/pico/avocado/bacon/whatever taco toppings you want! Directions cook up the onions and the meat separately. When the onions are finished cooking, put them aside When the meat is browned add the spices Stir in the cooked onions Assemble and enjoy!

2/19/12 Reason 239402394802 why Paleo isn't that hard...you can make modifications and make just about anything that you used to eat before :) Being a bit of a fat kid at heart, paleo pizza is right up my ally! I choose to subscribe to the paleo school of thought that lets me eat bacon and pepperoni (I could read the few ingredients listed on the label, knew what they were, meat, so bam, paleo!). If you do not subscribe to this thinking...I'm sorry. Your loss. Just don't add it to the pizza! Dough before cooking Pizza w/toppings before baking Finished Product. Yum! Paleo Pizza Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut flour (crust) 1 cup almond flour (crust) 1 tsp baking powder (crust) 4 eggs 3 TBSP oil (I used coconut) 1/2 cup coconut milk (the stuff in the can) pesto or your favorite tomato sauce (topping) Other topping ingredients (I used onions (lots!), peppers, and pepperoni) Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Start by making the dough. In a...

2/19/12 So today I've lived in my kitchen...technically the truth since I live in a hotel and it's one big room, hard not to live in the kitchen with these accommodations. I digress. I whipped up a batch of Paleo Banana Walnut Chocolate Muffins. Given the chance to re-do this recipe I would probably reduce the amount of walnuts, and add another banana, they are really dense and I think another banana would help that. Paleo Banana Walnut Chocolate Muffins: Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups almond flour 2 ripe bananas (I suggest adding a third) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 TBSP cinnamon 4 TBSP coconut oil 3 eggs 1-2 tsp vanilla 1 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts (I would use less) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees In a large bowl mash bananas with a fork add eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla, mix whisk to get rid of any large chunks In a smaller bowl combine the dry ingredients (almond flour, baking soda, and cinnamon) Slowly stir dry ingredien...

2/19/12 Before even starting to make my breakfast I was getting this heap of deliciousness ready! It does have to cook all day in the crock pot after all! Really how do you go wrong with beef (grass fed of course), coffee, and cooked onions?! You don't, that's the answer! Paleo Coffee Pot Roast: Ingredients: 3-5 lbs of chuck roast (I used 3.5 and it fit just right in my 4qt crock pot with the other stuff) onion sliced (I used two, I really like cooked onion!) garlic cloves peeled and smashed (I used 6-8, I will NOT be eating these, they are just for flavor!) Sea salt, pepper, and any other seasoning that you want to use for the meat brewed coffee (I used Starbucks VIA because it was what I had, I added 4 small coffee cups of it, it almost came to the top) 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar Directions: put sliced onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock pot. Season the meat (sea salt, pepper, and anything else) put the meat in the crock pot pour the coffee on t...

2/19/12 So it's Sunday again, the designated cooking/baking day for the week! Today I was really ambitious and had a list (way too long) of things to make! I decided that I needed some variety in my meals this week rather than eating the same thing every day for lunch! So for this blog entry I'll start with breakfast (my most favorite meal of the day, no questions asked!)...paleo pancakes! Amazeballs Paleo Pancakes: Ingredients: 3 ripe bananas 1/4 cup of creamy almond butter 3 eggs coconut flour (I added some to thicken up the mix, if you don't need/want it, don't add it! Directions: in a food processor/blender (or by hand if you're really ambitious) mix ingredients (sans coconut flour) if the mix is really watery than add some coconut flour to thicken it up (I didn't measure, just poured a small amount at a time) add any desired fruits to the batter for really tasty pancakes (I used blueberries!) Enjoy! I recommend doubling this recipe, ...

2/17/12 So it's really no secret among my family that I am a complete choco-holic. I love chocolate! So it should come as no surprise that I have been trying to find ways to incorporate paleo approved chocolate into my life! Tonight's recipe was a huge success (despite the major possibility for culinary failure!). Now, before I even include the recipe, just trust me. What sounds gross, and looks gross as you're putting it all together, actually all works really well together and makes a nice little cave-lady dessert! So, here it goes Choco Paleo Pudding: Ingredients: Avocados (I used 2 large) 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/2 cup honey (buy local!) 1 tsp. vanilla 2 TBSP coconut oil Directions: Put all of the ingredients into a food processor (or if you're living on the road and in suitcases, a magic bullet or similar device (I have a Cuisinart version of this that actually has a blender sized canister that fits on it, yes I travel with this thing!). Blend t...

2/12/12 So today turned into an utter day of domestication. I'm not sure how it happened since I'm probably the least domestic person in existence. But, it at least gives me hope that I'm not a complete and utter failure in the kitchen (or in my case very small kitchenette with zero cooking utensils!) Here's what was on today's menu (I cook/bake on Sundays for the rest of the week since I have NO time during the week to do these things!): - Paleo Mocha Muffins - Paleo Spaghetti (squash) and sausage - Homemade sweet potato chips I have been craving a nice hearty dish so the spaghetti squash and sausage seemed like a perfect fit. I should note that I try not to use spaghetti squash often because in the Paleo world it's kind of a naughty food, found on the high-glycemic end of the spectrum. So, it's more of a treat than a staple! So, as promised, here are the recipes for today's culinary masterpieces! I should preface this by saying all of these we...

2/11/12 After a weekend of tough WODs for the RokFit Cyber Series! So this post is about a week late, but I required some recovery time...and it took forever to upload the approximately 1 million photos that I took! The competition was my first and it was a blast! I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to have by my side through the experience! I placed 42nd overall and 16th in the scaled. I am currently wrapping up my third week of the Paleo Challenge and to be honest I don't feel any different than when I was doing my modified paleo (incorporating limited amounts of dairy, usually in the form of a Greek Yogurt). I've been told that I am slimming/toning but it's hard to tell when you see yourself daily. It's also hard to know if that's attributed to diet or hard work, or both. I'm certainly working out more here in Texas than I ever have, largely due to the Crossfit Box that I belong to, it's become family. Rather than dreading going...

1/30/12 Current Crossfit Shoes So I've been crossfitting for about 4 months now...I'm in no way any kind of expert on the subject matter that I'm about to discuss, just thought that I would give my honest opinion on some of the shoes that I have used/currently use for Crossfit in the hopes that it will help others when making such important decisions. With that being said, the important decision shouldn't be which pair of shoes should I get, it should be how many pairs of shoes should I get?! I should also say that I have had a lot of problems in the past finding good shoes for exercise (not just Crossfit) because I have really high arches and often get plantar fasciitis. None of the shoes that I currently have have resulted in any plantar fasciitis. When I first started Crossfitting I was using Vibram Five Fingers (Komodo Sports). As much as I like these shoes, I found them to be my least favorite of all of the shoes that I have/have used. There is absolutel...

1/22/12 Ok, so tomorrow is the big day, the start of the 2 month Paleo Challenge Crossfit Beyond Limits (best place on earth). I'm going to utilize my blog to keep track of my progress, meals, recipes, and other Paleo/Crossfit related stuff (since I haven't been doing much travel related blogging lately...my apologies!) I'm super excited for the challenge and definitely look forward to watching myself progress through the 2 months. The diet portion of this isn't too difficult for me since I already eat (mostly) Paleo...just have to cut out the Greek Yogurts that I have been eating as part of breakfast (a matter of convenience) and reduce some fruit intake...Let the games begin :) In preparation for the start tomorrow I spent today cooking/preparing for the week. Because I go in and do the WOD at 5am, I have almost no time to prepare/eat breakfast before leaving for work so I made a nice batch of Bacon Wrapped Eggs (I added spinach and onions to the mix) Bacon ...

1/7/12 It couldn't have been a more perfect day for a little trip to Austin! The sun was shining, there was some good shopping to be done, oh and let's not forget the eating! One of the greatest things about being in Killeen is being so close to one of my favorite cities...Austin! It's only an hour away! After making my necessary stops (REI, Lululemon, and Book People) I ventured to the mecca of all of Austin...South Congress St. A stop at my favorite Coffee place (Jo's) for a Turbo and then some really great window shopping before meeting up with some fantastic company (thanks Owen and Kat!) Graffiti on the wall of Jo's...my favorite, it's kind of famous! Owen, Kat and I went to Hopdoddy for lunch. Great place, hip atmosphere. They use local ingredients, local meats...very delicious and very Austin! Based on the recommendation of Owen and Kat I was adventurous and went for the special "The Chupacabra" a goat burger (their friend is a goat...

12/24/11 So I've avoided this post for a couple of weeks, mainly because I've been in denial about the whole thing. I went from being pretty excited about going to Hawaii for 5 months, to being much less excited about losing that and ending up in Killeen TX for 6 months (with a week/two week break in the middle). So, rather than focusing on the fact that it's Killeeen TX, I'm going with the glass half full approach, it's 70 miles from Austin. The only acceptable city in Texas Although this is not a foreign country like I'm used to, I'm not fully convinced that you don't need a passport to enter TX. I'm also not fully convinced that some of the experiences that I'm about to embark on will be more foreign than anything I've seen in Asia. So with a tip of my hat (no cowboy hat) and a kick of my boots, I bit you all farewell, or yeehaw, however they do things in this part of the world!