Workout of the Day:
“Helen”
Three rounds for time of:
400 Meter Run
21 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
12 Pull-Ups
(Compare performance to August 11, 2009.)
and then,
Practice the skill of your choice . . . muscle-ups, L-sits, freestanding handstands, etc….

Happy Birthday Jackie! No seriously, it really was Jackie's birthday yesterday. After months of anticipation and false alarms (a good ploy by Jackie to get more gifts), Jackie turned three years old yesterday.

An Almost Paleo Week – Part Two
Written by Sarah “The Human” Murray

Sunday

Sunday is a big food day. I think one of the keys to success with any lifestyle (I prefer to call it a lifestyle, since being on a “diet” implies deprivation of some sort) is planning ahead. In addition to picking up all of our groceries for the week (see yesterday’s post for a complete grocery list), I also cook breakfasts and snacks that we can enjoy throughout the week.

Mediterranean Frittata

This is a great dish to make on Sunday and keep in the fridge. You can cut pieces of it to take to the gym/work each morning (or enjoy at home if you’re lucky.) It tastes great cold or heated up!

Cook 3 pieces of bacon until done, but not super crispy (it will continue to cook in the frittata.) We use a broiler pan and put the bacon in the oven at 400*F for about 20 minutes. Place several handfuls of spinach leaves in a microwavable bowl and cook on high for about a minute, until it’s bright green and wilted. Squeeze out any water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut bacon, sundried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts (drained) into bit size pieces and arrange along with spinach in the bottom of a lightly greased (I use coconut oil) casserole or pie dish. The amount you use is up to you—a good covering of the bottom of the dish is a good rule of thumb. In a bowl, beat 10-12 eggs and mix in 2-3 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Pour egg mixture slowly over ingredients in pie dish. Bake at 375*F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cooking time will vary depending upon how much “stuff” you use and how deep the frittata is—mine took about 35 minutes, but adjust as necessary.

“Granola” Bars

These make good treats to enjoy during the week when you are craving something sweet. Heat some honey and a little water on the stove. Add a few drops of orange oil (or orange blossom water.) Mix in slivered almonds. You can also add coconut and raisins, or any other sorts of nuts, seeds, etc. This is totally a non-exact recipe. You want enough honey mixture to coat the nuts and make the mixture pretty sticky, but not so much that the pieces are swimming in liquid sugar. Grease a mini muffin tin (mini muffin size is ideal, but a regular size one would work as well.) Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups so that they are overflowing. Then use some of that CrossFit muscle to push the mixture tightly into the muffin cups. You may need to add more mixture and push down again. It should be really wedged in there. Bake at 350*F until golden brown.

Pumpkin Pie

This is a Sunday night treat that will last for the week (unless you live with someone who likes to eat multiple pieces per day…) Mix 1½ cups almond flour, ¼ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ cup oil (I used avocado), 1 tsp vanilla, 2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup. Press the crumb mixture into a lightly greased pie dish (again, I used coconut oil for the pan.) Make sure you push some of the crumbs against the side of the dish as well, but don’t have them go all the way up to the top of the dish, as that part of the crust may burn slightly if you do. Bake crust at 375*F for approximately 10 minutes, until just lightly toasted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix 2 cups canned pumpkin, 3 eggs, 1 cup coconut cream, and 5 Tbsp sweetener (I used maple syrup.) Mix in 2-3 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp ground ginger, and 1-2 tsp cloves (please note this is a guideline, I probably used a lot more than this since I like spices and didn’t actually measure so feel free to adjust as you desire.) Pour pumpkin mixture into toasted pie crust and bake at 425*F for about 30-35 minutes, or until pumpkin mixture is set (no longer jiggly).

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

This is one of my favorite dishes. It takes a while to cook but is relatively easy and tastes delicious. Wash and cut the following into slightly larger than bite sized pieces:

• Sweet potatoes
• Parsnips
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onion
• Butternut squash

There is no need to peel the potatoes, parsnips or carrots, but I do take the skin off the squash. Place the vegetables into a very large bowl and add 10-20 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic—I use a lot!) There is no need to crush/chop the garlic. Just put the peeled cloves in whole. Pour about ¼ to ½ cup olive oil over the vegetables and add several teaspoons of kosher salt (the bigger grains) and ground pepper. Add several handfuls of hazelnuts, the fresh sage (rip up into pieces) and all but 3 sprigs of rosemary (pull the needles off the stems so they can be distributed throughout the veggies). Mix well.

Place whole chicken in large roasting pan (make sure you take the bag of stuff out from the inside of the chicken.) Place several pieces of garlic and onion from the vegetable mixture and half a lemon inside the chicken and stuff several garlic cloves and remaining rosemary sprigs under the skin of the chicken (between the meat and the skin). Dump vegetable mixture around chicken, ensuring spices and olive oil get distributed around the pan. Rub several Tbsp olive oil on chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 375*F until a meat thermometer stuck in the meaty part of the chicken registers 180*F (about 1½ – 2 hours, depending on size of the chicken). Baste the chicken and vegetables often to keep them moist and flavorful.

Enjoy this good fall/winter meal, but save room for a piece of that pumpkin pie afterwards. And make sure to carve the leftover chicken and put into a Tupperware with the remaining vegetables for lunch on Monday!