Friends

Today I was missing a good friend of mine, so I went to her blog to see if she had posted anything new. I like to read what my friend thinks about health and fitness, so I visit her blog often.

As I was scrolling through her posts, I came across her entry Show Me Your Friends and I re-read the entire post. After reading the exert, I couldn't help but agree with her logic that it is important to surround yourself with people who bring you up and encourage you to be better in a all areas of your life.

Yummy in my tummy

Almond Flour Pancakes

 

 My version of the recipe:

1 1/2 C Almond flour
1/4 C Water
3 Eggs
2 Tbs Agave in the Raw
2 Tbs Almond-butter (I used unsalted)
1/4 tsp salt
3-5 Tbs Almond/Coconut milk

Coconut oil spray

I whisked everything together with a fork, added almond/coconut milk as needed (to create the right texture) for 'regular pancakes'. 

Side note: these cakes can get a bit crumbly, but depending on how you like your batter (thick or not) you can create your own texture.

I topped these yummy cakes with a tablespoon of almond butter, a handful of pecans, a few sliced strawberries, and 100% (all organic) Maple syrup. All in all, a very filling and satisfying breakfast. 

Almond Flour Brownies

I can't take credit for the pure awesomeness of these brownies, as I got the base of this deliciousness via the Primal Food Blog; however, I did create my own version of these delicious brownies.

(My friends and husband ate all (yes, all) of the brownies before I could get a picture)

 My version:

3/4 C Almond Flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbs unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 C brown sugar (or organic coconut or cane sugar)

1 Tbs honey

3 Large eggs (beaten)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C coconut oil (or butter)

3/4 C dark chocolate chips

2 Tbs dark chocolate chips for the top

First, preheat the oven at 350.

Luckily, my husband gave me a KitchenAide mixer for my birthday, so baking has become a breeze, but if you don't have a KitchenAide, you can totally mix by hand. Paleo style (for all of my fellow CrossFitters). You got it!

Mix all of your dry ingredients together and let it 'hang out' while you take care of the liquids. 

In a medium sized bowl, melt your dark chocolate chips and coconut oil (you may also melt them separately and mix together after they're melted). Then, mix in the vanilla and eggs. 

Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Then, put the batter in an 8x8 (non-greased) baking pan. Top with the 2 Tbs (or more if you'd like) of chocolate chips. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Use the 'toothpick' or 'knife' test when testing to see if the brownies are finished.

Let the brownies cool and set aside for about 5 minutes. Then, enjoy!

Side note: I made these for a few friends who are and are not gluten free, and not one person could tell that they were gluten-free! I'd call that a win.

Thanks, Primal Food Blogger!

Turkey Meat Balls

Kale, spinach, garlic and onions blended in my Ninja.

Ground turkey that had been marinating in salt, pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, and garlic powder; also, featuring Feta cheese.

Drain the kale/spinach mixture as much as possible, then add the feta and kale/spinach mixture to ground turkey. Then, add the egg and coconut (or your choice of) flour. Mix together with your clean hands.

My little helpers, Eddie and Rogue.

Roll the meat into balls - you may choose your desired size, but know that the baking time may vary.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of ground turkey

Worcestershire Sauce

Garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

Blend (or chop):

Hand-full of Spinach

Hand-full of Kale

1-2 Garlic cloves

1/2 of an onion

*drain as much as possible*

1 C (or less) Feta

1 Egg

1/4 C (or less) of Coconut Flour (or your choice)

Preheat the oven at 350; line cookie sheet with tinfoil or parchment paper (for easier clean-up).

Mix together with your hands (yes, with your hands) roll into balls, and place on the lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15-30 minutes.

I baked mine a little too long, so they were a little dry - as I was waiting for the husband to get home for dinner - but it should only take about 15-20 minutes for them to cook; however, I would double-check them after 15 minutes to see where they're at on the cooking scale. 

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear about any changes that you made, or how you liked or didn't like the recipe.

Also, I made a 'gluten-free' beer-bread (obviously the beer isn't gluten free) for my hubby (since he's a fan of beer bread), but sadly it looks better than it tasted. 

Throwback

Siblings

The middle-child

Sibs

Our Brother

My beautiful Mother.

Mom and Dad 

Practicing hand-stands on the beach.

Fresh Sea-Food

Throwback to when my family came to visit me, while I was living on the east coast. I'm not sure about you, but I have had many conversations with my family about the importance of wellness, and that if my father or mother want to be around for their grandkids (someday, far down the road) and be able to hold them, run with them, or plain keep up with them, then their health should be taken seriously.

Thought this is an issue that I believe is important, it doesn't mean that the ones you love will think the same. Sadly. I feel like, whenever a family member tries to correct, point-out, or help another family member (in love, of course) to give constructive criticism,  it isn't always received in the most effective way. 

Why? 

I'm still trying to figure that out myself.

Needless to say, not long after the trip, my father went for the his annual check-up at the Doc's office  This time, the doctor told him that he had two paths to choose from: get back into shape/lose 30 pounds and start eating right, or you're going to head down the road towards diabetes, as he was standing at a crossroads. 

When my mother told me this, a part of me wanted to give my Dad a swift kick in the butt, make him cut his sugars and carbs, and hook him up with a gym that I know would help him, but that would do no good. 

Instead, I have given him the education that he needs - to at least start the weight-loss process - and a referral to a gym in his area that I feel would be good fit for him and his goals. Unfortunately, the cliche saying of, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him/her drink it," is right-on. Especially in this case.

It's hard to see your family live unhealthy lifestyles, and it's even harder when you're living thousands of miles away. I don't believe that it's a lack of wanting to change, but a lack of education, accountability, and motivation. I can only hope that one day my Dad's (and many other family members') health will take an up-hill turn, rather than moving towards a down-hill spiral.

Oly' lifters can 'twerk' it

Oly'Twerk 101

If you partake in Oly' Lifting or know of anyone who O'Lifts, then, you know exactly what is going on here. 

Pure awesomeness.

I'm back

So, it's been about 4 months since my last entry, but I have a valid excuse. Really, I promise.

What I have been up to the last 4 months:

Husband received new job orders, so we upped and moved from one coast to the next. I live an interesting and exciting life.

While moving cross-country, my man had Hand-Foot-and-Mouth disease via our nieces. 

Worst trip of my life.

Not kidding.

Snow, traffic, and mountains; no thanks to reliving that moment.

My ladies on the east coast - I can't help but miss them.

One confident man right there.

I also got a puppy-child, who we named Rogue. She's 6 months old now... Like I said, it's been awhile since I last updated my cyber life - including social media.

9 weeks

Uncle Iver and Rogue at 9 weeks

Rogue's first snowfall.

I finished up my last semester of college and graduated with a BA in Public Relations. BEST degree.

Grandma & Grandpa

Mom & Dad

My Beautiful Sisters

Went home (back to the Midwest) for Christmas - for a month. It was a long time.
 

Our family photo. And yes, it was for laughs.

Christmas Eve with my main man.

The traditional, "Christmas morning picture in our PJ's."

Finally, after 3 weeks of searching, we found a place to rent that didn't have breed, age, or some kind of dog restriction. Really not a fan of those breed restrictions.

Because, she's obviously crazy.

All the while, I have been hopping from gym to gym, workout room to workout room, and one yoga studio to the next. I am more than excited to hunker-down and get back into a routine with a consistent schedule.

Hats off to no more moving!

Recipes Of The Week

After "Boot-Camp" this week, my lady Ashley made these Almond Flour Waffles and they were A-MAZ-ING!

Topped with the choice of bananas, hand-picked picked blueberries, unsweetened coconut, maple flavored agave, and plain or maple almond butter.

Ashley's home, the common place to eat after a workout, also had an amazing Gluten Free Paleo Honey Cornbread that - especially for all of you gluten-free people - is ridiculously delicious! 

I have been gluten-free for over a year now, and it had been so long since I have had bread of this texture and taste. It was phenomenal.

I will be posting this week's "Boot-Camp" work outs tomorrow, as we will be executing tomorrow's "WOD" early in the morning, so that we will all get the chance to complete our nightly activities of church, homework, etc. Life gets busy, but you make time for what's important to you.

By the way, there has got to be a better name/title (to call whatever we're doing) than "Boot-Camp." It's just so overused, a little cliche, and in my opinion a bit cheesy. 

Oh well, it'll do for now. 

Boot-Camp // Week 1

There are a few ladies and myself whose husbands are away on business; therefore, it gave me a brilliant idea, "It's a perfect time to do a 2 week "boot-camp!" 

Below is the list of workouts we completed from last week and this weekend.

Monday:
Warm Up:
Deadlift: 3, 3, 5, 5, 7
400 meter run between each set
Workout:
4 Rounds for time
8 Frog jumps
12 Release push-ups
15 KB Swings
20 V-ups

Tuesday:
Warm Up:
3 rounds
25 Goblet squats
6 Burpees
Workout:
4 Rounds for time
12 KB lunges
6 Pull ups
25 air squats
200 meter run

Wednesday:
Active Rest Day / Church night

Thursday:
Warm Up:
200 meter run
6 Pull ups
10 One legged dead-lifts with weight
Workout:
5 Rounds for time
20 jump squats
12 side-to-side push ups
15 KB rows
10 toes to bar

Friday:
Warm Up:
4 Rounds
12 lunge twists
10 air squats
15 KB swings
Workout:

5 Rounds for time

200 meter sprint

10 burpees

10 plank jacks

10 release push-ups

15 overhead squats

Saturday:
Warm Up:
Deadlift 5,5,3,3,1 (finding one rep max)
200 meter run between sets
Workout:
800 meter run
50 burpees
50 KB Swings
50 Sit ups
800 meter run

Sunday:
Warm Up:
Back Squat: 3,3,5,5,7
200 meter run
12 lunges
Workout:
150 For Time
30 Squats
30 Release Push Ups
30 KB rows
30 Butterfly Sit-ups
30 Burpees

Ash's first callus bust! Workin' on them pull-ups.

Whiteboards are a must.

Don't be this gal

I've probably watched this more than a dozen times now, but I can't stop myself. 

It's hilarious.

Whether you CrossFit or go to the gym, I'm sure that you can find some humor in this video. 

Enjoy.

My First Nutrishop Experience

First off, I'm not much for supplements, but I will drink a protein-shake here-and-there, and also take vitamins via Shaklee daily. 

Those are considered supplements, right? 

Anyway, I found a sugar-free (a.k.a sucralose-free) protein courtesy of Nutrishop. 

Though I already ordered some protein via Shaklee, I thought that I would pick-up some protein from my local Nutrishop in the meantime - just to test it out. 

Cool thing about Nutrishop, they give you a free water bottle/protein-shaker with a FREE sample. I was pretty pumped, as you can see.

CrossFit: Beauty in Strength

This post is mainly for my fellow women out there who do CrossFit, are curious about CrossFit, or just simply like to stay fit. It's also for those who simply don't really care about staying fit, or CrossFit all together for that matter.

Nonetheless, for those of you who think that you will "bulk up like a man" if you CrossFit, lift weights, or workout - need not to worry - you won't. 

The video that I have posted below pumps me up, encourages me, and gets me excited to workout; therefore, I hope that you can enjoy this video in a similar way, and that you will be able to recognize that there is strength in beauty.

Take it from Dwight, he knows.

Work outs and progress

Sometimes, you just have to come up with your own workouts to keep it fresh, you know.

Workout:

10 Burpee Box Jumps

10 Kipping Pull-Ups

25 Butterfly Sit-Ups

15 Kettle Bell Swings

>>20 minutes AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)

I saw this meme and it made me chuckle, so I had to post it.

Lately, I have been diligently working on my different Olympic Lifting techniques - inspired by a particular injury of mine. I have been taking my form more seriously these days.

I'm basically trying to start from scratch. 

Last week, I relearned the art of the power-clean form. 

Before focusing on relearning the Power-Clean, it had been months since I had even attempted a Power-Clean. Luckily, my husband and I have a few friends who were able to work with me. One of our friends, fortunately, has an entire CrossFit set-up in his garage.

So awesome.

It's a great kind of atmosphere to learn, make mistakes, and get the personal attention that I know that I needed in order for me to perfect my lifting form. 

Now, the Power-Clean may seem like a less than complicated lift, but in my book, there's much more to it than I remembered. 

After two good, long sessions of working on my form, I was able to Power-Clean 115 lbs. That may sound like a 'weak-sauce' weight, but for someone who hasn't been 'cleaning' for more than 6 months, cleaning more than 90% of my own body weight is something that I consider to be an improvement. 

Thankfully, I have some patient and encouraging friends to work with me. 

Next week, I will see what weight I can put up, and also how well this form can improve. 

Workout (from yesterday):

3 Dead-hang pull-ups (no kipping allowed)

10 Kettle-bell swing

10 kettle bell snatch (each arm)

16 Kettle-bell lunges

100 Jump Rope

>>>5 Rounds(cannot exceed 25 minutes)

Workout courtesy of my loving husband...

Then, Power-Clean form until I reached 115 lbs.

Tomorrow, is a different story. 

Bring it on.

My first CrossFit challenge

If you haven't had the chance to get to a "box," (what 'CrossFitters' call a 'gym') you should. It's a very different atmosphere when comparing to a traditional gym.

One year ago, the man pictured above (my husband) encouraged me to try this so called "CrossFit." Since I played high-school and college sports, I thought that this wouldn't be anything too different. I was both right and wrong.

Anyhow, one morning we decided to stop by a local CrossFit box (after we had just ate pancakes for breakfast)to just get a 'feel' for the place. Since my husband had already been CrossFitting for awhile  he didn't seem to be out of his element - at all. Me, on the other hand... I saw a few weight sets and I said to myself, "Ah yeah, I can do this!" since I had been weight-lifting (traditionally) for 3 years. Because, you know, running track in college they make you lift a lot. 

Right?

*crickets*

Definitely different.

As we continued to enter into the forsaken box, we were greeted by a short, bald, kind of awkward man, who just so happened to be the owner and head coach of the box. 

He was short, but he looked strong. 

My husband shook his hand, then this man began to explain CossFit all the more. Then, he said something that I had wished he would have kept to himself; coming from his bearded mouth he said,"Well, how about you do a trial work out right now to get the feel for what we do around here."

I looked at my husband, as if I was trying to telepathically communicate to him that, "We just ate pancakes and I am so not in the mood to do this right now!" 

Naturally, my husband completely disregarded my attempt to finagle my way out of this workout. Then, he nonchalantly answered the CrossFit man, "Yeah, why not."

Fail.

So, the guy set up two bars and two ab mats. It was X Rounds of back squats and butterfly sit-ups. 

Now, this wouldn't have been as bad if I hadn't eaten so many pancakes before this "trial workout." It definitely sucked, nonetheless. Granted, I was not in the most optimal shape of my life, so of course that didn't help my case. However, I did finish the workout in one piece.

After I caught my breath, my husband looked at me and said, "Well, what do you think?" 

I shrugged my shoulders with a less than confident reply, "I liked it..." 

I mean really did like it, but how is one supposed to reply in regards to something so painful, yet enjoyable? Also, it didn't help that owner was standing right there. 

Then, before I knew it, I was signing up for a membership.

As I began my first week of full-on CrossFit, I learned how weak my body was and not to mention how out of shape I had let myself become. I continued with CrossFit for 5 straight months until I was diagnosed with 2 separated shoulders. Note to all who lift weights, form is very, very important. I cannot emphasized that enough.

Anyhow, throughout those 5 months of intense CrossFit, I gained a great appreciation for CrossFit, learned more about how my body can transform and improve through hard work, and also the importance of accountability and encouragement from those around you. 

What I also enjoyed about CrossFit was that it reminded me of running track in college. Through both track and CrossFit, you not only competed against other people, but you're mainly competing against yourself. You are your biggest competitor. 

Six months after I began my shoulder recovery, I moved back to my home state of Minnesota for 6 months. During my time in Minnesota, I did a lot of recovery work and retrained my body. I also began to take an even greater interest in nutrition.

Nonetheless, I am now back on the East Coast and slowly making my way back to CrossFit. My husband, and a few of his "CrossFit friends" are nourishing me back to CrossFit health. 

I'm not sure where I will go with CrossFit, but it has become more than a workout or sport. CrossFit (in my definition) is a challenge of the mind, body, and soul. This alone, is beneficial for all aspects of life. Implementing mental toughness by strengthening a person's will to persevere, overcome through both physical and mental challenges.

That is why I CrossFit.

I owe much of my CrossFit experience to my supportive, encouraging, and loving husband. If it weren't for him, I'm not so sure that I would have found or had the gumption to experience CrossFit all together. I guess it pays to marry your best friend, especially when they push you beyond your own expectations.

I am thankful for the encouragement and challenge that this guy brings to me daily. One year down, and many more to come. 

"Accountability in friendship is the equivalent of love without strategy."
Anita Brookner