Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Workout of the Day:
Push Press
5-5-5
and then,
Three rounds of:
10 Strict Pull-Ups
15 Ring Rows
20 Push Press (use approximately 50% of today’s 5-RM)
25 Push-Ups
(Emphasize full range of motion and perfect mechanics over speed.)

Local, organic, natural foods available at the Little Italy Farmer's Market

Review of the Little Italy Mercato
Written by Michele Vieux

As you may or may not know, Little Italy has a wonderful farmer’s market—The Mercato—every Saturday, year round, on Date Street. If you ever attend the Saturday morning classes, you have probably seen me stroll out for about a half hour and return with a bag of wonderful goodies.

There is a plethora of fresh produce available as well as diverse ethnicities of food vendors and unique arts and crafts. There is even a woman who makes yarn from a live rabbit right there on site! She sells products made from the rabbit yarn which I find a bit disconcerting even though the hats are quite soft.

If the rabbit lady isn’t enough to get you there, I’ll tell you the major draws for me.

Basil Tops has at least twenty varieties of pesto, spreads, dips, and marinades. My favorite is a spicy hemp seed pesto that is made with completely Paleo ingredients—olive oil, basil, hemp seed, habaneras, and sea salt—and is dairy-free!

I use the pesto for everything, especially to top eggs, salads, and fresh fish which I also get at The Mercato. There is a wonderful fish monger who gives a great deal on fish that is caught and packaged the night before. He will sell you five pieces for $20 and you may mix and match varieties as you wish. Not only do you get the five fish as you wish, the monger will throw in two “extras”. You may chose from salmon spread, poke, or ceviche. I usually go with double ceviche and eat it straight out of the container when I get home or throw it on a salad or in an omelet.

If you are looking for free-range, grass fed meats, check out the butcher where you can order beef, buffalo, elk, ostrich, and more. I haven’t had the chance to try any of these goods yet but look forward to adding them to my shopping bag in the near future.

There are also a number of stands selling free-range eggs and too many nut varieties to count on one hand.

To sum it up: you can support local farmers and businesses while eating healthy and delicious food all within walking distance of Invictus! Check it out, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.