One week from today..The first WOD will be announced...feelin froggy??

7-days and COUNTING...well according to this screen shot
6 days 21 hours 12 minutes and tick tick tick.....
SO SO EXCITED!!!

 

Its been months and months in the making for some of us. A whole year I would imagine for others. The ELITE I am sure started preparing after the Games ended last year.

 

This year I tried a few new things. The most important being trying to get out of my freaking head, not being afraid of the barbell...and listening..really listening to the people around me that I love and respect. The results will have to speak for themselves.

No purpose for this pic I just found it HILARIOUS

This week has been nuts. It's funny how emotions can throw you for a loop. I had a huge WHAT IF day. Monday we did the Fran Ladder and for the life of me I can't remember what my rep count was during the open last year I could be just blocking it out. But I am certain I did not do as well on Monday. So of course yesterday-I looked back and I kind of panicked a little. I had this thought that WHAT IF (as someone put it to me what if can be a mindf#k) (Liz) all this work-all the extra lifting, Wendler, Oly Class, Comp wods, was all for nothing? what if I don't improve at all..what if I don't reach my goal. Then in the blink of an eye and with one text from my sis and my friend Jo...turned it around. Because the truth of the matter is I have gotten so strong over the past year. Not crazy jumps but enough that I know all the work..It's all for something. Not only have I gotten physically strong, I believe that mentally I have grown as well. I have gained some confidence that I really was lacking for so long. I have been a work in progress for a really long time-and honestly, I probably still am but I feel the past year has changed me. And DAMNIT...I am ready as I am ever going to be for Open. Every time I look at the little clock on the Games page..MY STOMACH CHURNS!!! And this is several times a day...shhhh don't tell anyone.



Anyway...again. So excited to see what the Open is going to bring.

FOOD STUFF!! Sad as HELL to report my oven is still not working. I am not going into details but I am finally giving in and calling a service person..Thank heavens for food prep and the fact that I had many things frozen that I could use for the week. Tonight for dinner-eggs, turkey sausage with a little avocado and watermelon..weird combo I know but absolutely delicious. BY THE WAY!!! The blueberries AND mini watermelons at Costco are CRAZY delicious right now!

Last week I kind of made my own shake-I got the idea to use coconut milk from Jo so here it goes
1/4 coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut water
handful of strawberries
handful of kale-be generous
ice
a little swirl of raw honey
I absolutely loved this and I made extra and threw it in the freezer- it took a minute to thaw when I wanted to finish it off but well worth the wait.
Nothing exciting I know.

Here is something kind of cool. So as I have said in the past I get the opportunity to train my son and daughter in law 3 nights a week. These 2 crack me up. Its fun to watch them WOD together. They are both pretty competitive. But something has happened and I want to put it out there in the universe. They took some time off and my son came back with some kind of vengeance. I can't get over how strong he is. And knowing this. I have been pushing him a little. The athlete in him desires that I am sure. So Monday his sweet wife wasn't feeling well so he had to WOD alone. I like to have them do a good mix of strength and metcons. Last week he pulled a very impressive snatch-185 or 195 can't remember exactly -mind you he hasn't been lifting like he used to. Then Monday he does this. 2 at the top of minute..every minute..for 10 minutes...yes folks that 315#...and watch as he walks off..ehh like its nothing!

 

After this-his WOD was 30-20-10 deadlifts @ 155 and burpee exchange....Poor kid...no one should have to do burpees alone!!

 

Well week is winding down. How has your eating been? Are you paying attention if you have aches and pains?? MY RULE OF THUMB..IF ITS ACHING PUT ICE ON IT..I can't stress this enough. Especially now. WE are at crunch time. Hand care and listening to your body is key to get through the open in one piece...

 

Thats it. All I have ....Next week at this time...we will know what WOD 1 is going to be!! YIIIPPPPEEEE!!!!

 

Finish the week off strong! Eat clean and train dirty!!



 

Make adjustments not excuses!! No food prep today...grrrrr

You are rarely going to read negative posts on this blog. With the exception of today. What a shit day this turned out to be. (as always sorry Mom)
My stove...uuurgggghhh this thing is less than 5 years old. The heating element pops from some meatball juice dripping on it - I go buy a replacement heating element, which might I add was NOT easy to find-and it was pricey, I change it out and the entire stove stops working. How do you food prep without a stove? I suppose instead of whining I could use my crock pot and or my grill. HOWEVER, I already did my food shopping and I am not really geared up for either other than cooking my salmon.  So here are the links to the recipes that once my stove is working I will be making and if you haven't already- and you are on FB- like the Fast Paleo FB page-2 of these come from there and the other is Marias recipe...

http://fastpaleo.com/beef-broccoli/
http://fastpaleo.com/chipotle-chicken-bowl-with-diced-avocado/
http://optimalnutrition1.blogspot.com/2013/02/lent-meatless-friday.html

So for what it is worth here is what I picked up today-strawberries and blueberries-mini melons-salmon-eggs-coconut oil-broccoli and rotisserie chicken which I am shredding to use in the chipotle chicken bowl.

So basically today you are getting what I WAS going to make for the week and maybe a deep look into my soul.

10 days and counting

To explain my title- MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AND NOT EXCUSES!. Here we are...this is it...it's getting close to go time for the Open, just over a week before the first WOD will be announced. With my significant other being out of town this weekend-I had so much more time to be alone with my thoughts than I really needed. I thought about last year-and my journey throughout this year. I thought about the people around me- my brother and sisters- my CF friends- and how we have been preparing for sometime for the Open.  We are all starting to feel the pain of it. For me-muscle up has gone back onto the bucket list to be attempted at a later date- I am struggling with some shoulder tightness and rather than hurt myself attempting something I am unable to do yet, I can still do pull ups and or chest to bar -I am making an adjustment. I can work with the tightness with ice and rest but jacking my arm for the sake of ONE muscle up. SO NOT WORTH IT! What I am NOT going to do is make excuses. I will approach each WOD with the open the way I approach each day of my life. Eyes wide open- head on straight. Interpret this how you want. Adjustments are good and necessary...excuses=LAME! One stupid little injury can derail you and possibly cause you to not even be able to complete the WODs in the Open. 
Think about this-what is your plan for the week? for me? this week? I am pulling back just a little. I have been doing Wendler 5-3-1 and honestly..I am making sure to keep that up but I am going to be super conscious of what I am doing in each wod and how I feel after...if I have to make adjustments I will. I refuse to miss out on my chance to give 100% when it's crunch time.

I was so frustrated and so mad and sad  today so what do I do?  GO FOR A FREAKING RUN. Uh-I don't love to run so this should be shocking to most.

Pink shoes still pink...whew! just a few mud  spots

Today I received some sad news about someone in my life passing away.. another life..ending way too soon. I am not going into details but it did prompt part of the run- the stove prompted the other part. I ran fast...not sure why because it hurt..quite a bit- I kept hearing freaking Garrett in my head DFS...DFS...DFS...stupid Garrett...and I mean that in the nicest way!
I got out there...with some super loud obnoxious music and for about 30 minutes I was able to clear my head and think only about how absolutely PISSED I was going to be if my pink shoes got super muddy and how bad my side was hurting and what the hell was I doing running so fast? I know this, for the first time in a LONG time it was GREAT to be outside in the elements breathing what I hope was some decent somewhat clean air. 

However, when I came home, my heart was heavy and I was forced to reflect on this person who passed. We were very close at one point many years ago in what I refer to as my "other life" and don't mistake this for being negative-it's just my life before who I am today.
She had so many good qualities and yet so many demons. It kind of makes you take a deep breath and step back and take a look at your own life. I am heartbroken for her kids and I pray that someday they can find peace and understanding in all the madness and craziness they have had in their lives, if anything she truly truly loved her kids. I could have been a better friend and I could have been closer to her but our lives split on a path some time ago where I was forced to make a hard decision. I am grateful that I did because my life changed and I got up out of a pit of life that was not good for me and made me so unhappy. I wished and hoped that she too could have found peace and happiness. Maybe now her soul will rest. Just so sad. RIP Lisa.  I pray that God will hold your children's hearts and hands through this grieving process. Lots of loss for this family in way too short of a time. 

I have nothing more to add really, except be smart, listen to your body- focus on what you are putting in it and what you are taking out of it. Make adjustments if you have to and even if you don't have to. Your body will thank you...and above all...hold your loved ones tight for tomorrow is never promised.

Say goodbye to the world of "what if?" and start freaking living....

It's been a crazy busy week. Haven't had much to blog about. Until last night. I had an conversation with someone that prompted this post, I have tons of respect for this person and what I think she is capable of.. I am not calling her out because honestly I know that I call so many people out but I can absolutely respect anyone who feels like doing the Open is really not for them, family matters, injuries, things like that make sense. FEAR..doesn't make sense.  Anyway, it made me think so much...about life, about work, about CrossFitting about eating..it made me think so much I started just writing down random thoughts about this subject. Now, some of this post is going to be about doing the Open..well lets be honest...most of it. Sorry in advance to any non CrossFit readers. It it what we are living right now..so here goes nothing. Let me first just add this before i move on. Stole this off someones FB page because I felt it applicable.

"WHAT IF..."   This saying is said too much. My first thought was..this was me last year. I am having a conversation very similar to one I had with someone almost a year ago only this time I am being asked advise-it's a refreshing role reversal to say the least. "what if I can't do the movement/WOD?" I remember asking this very same question and, today I look back and think...what if I had not. What if I wouldn't have tried?

Here is what happens during the Open. After you get over the initial shock that you have actually registered to do this...regret sits in. Self doubt about movements-about wods- about making the time-about getting injured. All of these crazy thoughts go through your head. Have I done enough? Is it going to be more than what I am capable of, will there be a heavy overhead squat? will there be hand stand push ups..see..I have thought way too much about all of this and this is my take. If you have wodded more than once or twice a week you are capable of doing this. I can say if I have learned ANYTHING the programming at CF22 is preparing many of us to be able to give more than we currently know we are actually capable of.
I want to recap what I went through last year.
So the first WOD comes out- 7 minutes of burpees. it sucked ALOT but what is a burpee really?? throw yourself to the floor, get back up, clap over your head, back to the floor, stand back up..clap over your head. You got this-I think there is absolutely a method to the madness of the programming for the Open. 
WOD 1 I think most people knew that as bad as it was going to suck-they embraced it because quite simply it is doable my parents who are in their 70's burpee. 

Me and my girl sweet Mandy Rose checking on me...I am the one of the floor-makes me miss Mandy and Des so BAD!

WOD 2 comes out...eh snatch...90 of them? whoa...getting progressively heavy-but starting at a weight most people can do. As it gets heavier it separates athletes somewhat but again- doable-I didn't get ANY of the last 30 snatches but I still managed to do ok overall at this WOD. 

I was determined to get through this

WOD 3..oh sweet merciful lord..18 minute AMRAP?? really...but think about it..all again doable movements, box jumps, toes to bar, push press. Yes it was a little heavy but I remember this day MANY of our athletes pushed this weight who had never even tried before.

Sometimes all it takes is a huddle and GIRL POWER

WOD 4- Karen (150 wall balls) + 90 dubs + as many muscle ups as you can do with a 12 minute time cap. Uh programming redeemed..again I am hopeful and happy. Got through Karen and dubs with time to spare so I swung on on the rings..you know just for show.

I have my eye on the TARGET

WOD 5-We call it FRUN ish- but I think it is referred to as a FRAN ladder-with chest to bar pullups- 7 min AMRAP. 

Sadly...the Open ends...

That was it. I survived. It happened. I said WHAT IF...and then instead of not being able to find the courage to overcome the obstacles I have always let get in my way. I found it and forged forward and I  got ready and I did well. Had I not done well would I do it again? YES! absolutely in fact I am doing it again! Well for me doesn't mean I went to the games ( for those of you who don't know the masters age divisions do not have a Regionals-the top 20 athletes from each division go straight to the games) But I did finish 135th out of I believe 1100 women in my age group across the world...THE WORLD!!! 

Here is the thing. We hear all these motivational sayings about getting in the game, overcoming your fears and weaknesses and you see pintrest postings all day long that are supposed to motivate you to get out of your head and start doing.  All the amazing words in the world are not going to convince you to do something. I say so often there is only one thing standing between YOU and the YOU that you want to be, and it's YOU. So suck it up. Make that commitment that for once in your life you are going to embrace the fear, or whatever it is that is holding you back and you are going to start living your life. I don't know why this rant has ended up so long. I am super passionate about this.
I know for certain that for the people that participated last year when you talk to them about "Friday Night Lights" they literally light up-I would say this about the majority. There is something about being in surrounded by your fellow CrossFitters (and for me my amazing family) and they believe and then you believe that there is nothing you really can't do. I get chills just thinking about it. 
This year we have some amazing T-shirts as well as an amazing saying DFS!!! We all know what that means, Dont F*cking Stop. I am going to be rockin my shirt and with every single wod...iI am going into with like I am going to war and the only thing I am taking down as the enemy is my FEAR of not being able to do something. 
WHEW. How's that for a Friday Night? 
Shirts again for those of you whom are still trying to decide. Orders are being taken until Monday night. 

OH YA...my only food advice. If you have to eat out- here is a great healthy option at Chipotle- burrito bowl- no rice or beans-double veggies double chicken-add lettuce and guac!!! it's great in a pinch!

Its going to be an EGGcellent week..and why..why are there so many haters?

My menu this week is pretty much shoot from the hip AND anything goes...little did I know at the end of the day that there were going to be so many eggs.

Staples I  picked up are as follows- OH YA- I found this kale -already cut up at WalMart. I love kale and the thing with the baby kale is that you do have to kind of pull the little stems off especially when you are making shakes- I am off apples- they mess with my stomach- little cuties it is- UH COCONUT FLOUR (thanks Maria) and enjoy life chips. I also found this bag of already diced butternut squash. I will give you my review once I have tried it. Haven't decided if I am treating it up this week or not.

Remember when you were young or maybe this was last year for you and you were cautioned not to eat too many eggs because the yolks were bad for you? Do you remember that or am I just that old??? NOW I live for eggs. I eat so many lean meats-so many veggies that sometimes it could be one of the few sources of fat that I am getting in a day. Whether that is good or bad it's really a matter of opinion. I searched many sites and honestly...I am going with this.

"Eggs are an extremely healthy food source, not only do they contain quality protein but they also consist of essential vitamins, minerals and good fats. However, eggs still managed to get bad publicity and not because they are harmful to our health, but because of a misconception within the medical industry."

I took this from LivingPaleo.com. Honestly it really comes back to the one thing that I am trying to live my life by. Some things in moderation are fine. (Maria is rolling her eyes right now..sorry Maria..I know you hate this) I don't think sugar is fine...even in moderation- did I save myself?

How can you shun good fats, good carbs (hate that lame word) and protein all in the shell of one gorgeous egg??
Lets take it just one step further since I am shelling out the profound info:

"Cholesterol is needed within every cell of our body and is use as a base to create steroid hormones such as estrogen, cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, pregnenolone, and DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone). All of these hormones are essential components of the human body and shutting down healthy levels of any one of those hormones above will result in numerous health problems.
Eggs don’t contain much cholesterol in the first place and it’s actually our bodies which create around 50% of all cholesterol because it’s hard to obtain enough through dietary sources.
In addition, there is no research which shows a high consumption of eggs to harm heart health, in-fact the opposite is the case; in a 1999 study, research concluded that people who ate six or more eggs a week had a lowest risk of heart attack than people who ate one (or none) egg a week."

Ok there you have it. My egg rant is over. So this week- super simple food. Scotch Eggs,  Mini meatballs, breakfast spinach pie modified.

First order of business Scotch Eggs. I love these. If you haven't tried them and it seems weird to you- give it a chance. The thing I love about recipes like this is you  have the freedom to try whatever you want- Here is the link to Marias recipe ad I will give you my twist and mods below
http://optimalnutrition1.blogspot.com/2012/10/scotch-eggs.html

Today I used the Jennie O hot turkey sausage mixed with lean ground turkey. I seasoned with greek seasoning a VERY MODERATE amount of S & P and red pepper flakes. I like heat what can I say? There are so many good things about these-easy to pack, easy to package, easy to eat- packed full of protein!!
I baked my eggs rather than boiling them. I have found in my oven I need to pull the temp back to 330 and about 25 minutes they are ready to come out.

I decided also to make a plethora of meatballs. Decided to go out on a limb and make up my own recipe. WHY? you ask? quick and easy- you can eat them alone- with salad- with sweet potato with any side really. So here is my recipe for today
2-3 turkey hot sausage links
1/2- 3/4 lb ground turkey
parsley-chopped (not a whole bunch-4-5 hefty sprigs is good)
1/4 red onion diced
1 egg whisked
almond flour to bind only
seasonings of your choice-
BACON- cut in 1.5 " squares
cook 350 for approx. 20 minutes finish on the bottom shelf so the bacon cooks
Get out that mini muffin tin- cut up that bacon- I ended up cutting up about 3 1/2 pieces

Mix the links(pushed out the casing into a bowl) turkey- seasonings parsley- egg and almond flour to bind. Roll those bad boys into little balls and fill up that muffin. Um in case you are wondering I use this as a measurement check in. I broke my food scale on accident so I am not sure the exact measurement on this but I think a lot of you know from time to time I sometimes have to check in with weighing and measuring.

 
 
Now onto breakfast

As you can see this makes quite a few meatballs an yes-they are the size of mini muffins- you can literally do anything you want from this point. At times I will do a spaghetti squash with tomato sauce. But again- the options are petty much endless.

I posted this recipe some time ago but I modified the crap out of it so here it goes
12-14 eggs
coconut milk maybe 1/4 cup or so
spinach
kale
1/2 yellow onion
seasonings of your choice
12 Jimmy Dean precooked sausage sliced

I grease up my cake pan- this sticks a little but not too bad-this time I opted to use kale and spinach- remember that when it cooks it shrinks so don't be shy

I put all my eggs in a bowl- you can use a combo whole eggs and egg whites if you would like. I whisked with 1/2 diced onion-1 can rotel tomatoes and seasoning- about 1/4 cup coconut milk and WATER. What does this do you ask?? add a little bit of water to your eggs and cook it and it honestly is creamier and fluffier..ya..fluffier.

Pour the egg goodness over the top- remember you can use pretty much anything here.

Put the sausage on top

Cook on 375 for about 45 minutes. Today this took just a little longer- not sure why if you give it a good shake you can tell if the middle is finished and that is what we are trying to accomplish- cut in squares and bag for a quick grab and go.

NOW-onto haters. I don't really know if this is ok to share or not but I deem it appropriate for now. Mindy- I hope if you didn't want this out in the Universe that you find it in your heart to forgive me.
I was kind of emotional when I read this post on the blog from the box where I WOD -Now I have known of Mindy for a long time. I do remember or I think at least maybe my sister Amy used to train her prior to CF22 opening. I remember when I used to wod at 5:30 AM that Mindy had some physical limitations. Something with her knees or something. Honestly I know there was something but I can't remember what. Because none of that really matters.
I hadn't seen Mindy for a while and I certainly hadn't seen her wodding on Saturdays.  Some months ago there she was - on a Saturday and I was impressed with how great she looked. I don't know that I said anything to her. But maybe I should have. I actually got the opportunity to judge her son during Barbells for Boobs that kind of was one of those things that validates why you became certified and the experience you get to have through other athletes. A long other story but anyway.  Meet Mindy-5:30 a.m. Mindy



Here she is at Angels for Alex- doing something that quite honestly had you asked me 2 years ago if I could predict this? nope. Absolutey not. So she looks great right? Now see this-
"the 5:30 am mindy says:

February 17, 2013 at 9:29 pm

So i dont post. I really have a hard time putting myself out there but here i go. On Wednesday night i received a phone call. The reason this lady called was to say “so we have been watching you for a couple of months and now i am just going to ask. Are you pregnant?” Seriously. Two years of crossfit and now i am being asked if i am pregnant because of watching how i look. Not quite the results i was hoping for from crossfit. I was very frustrated and darn right depressed. Had lots of time to stew over the phone call as i sit in st george at my sons soccer tourney. Then i read the above post by Joni. Guess my first thought of giving up isn’t the option i really want at all. Crossfit has taken me completely out of my comfort zone. May have made me look pregnant but o have gained some confidence. Look, i am even posting. I have tried strength class. I participated in angels for alex. I am not going to quit. I am going to prove this lady wrong and work so hard that there will be no question as to if i am pregnant. I am determined. That is why i am posting. I need to commit that this is what i am doing. Paleo, here i come. Strength class, there. I am going to be one freaking toned 40 year old lady who is damn happy not to be pregnant but even happier that no one will ever think that about me again. Sorry for the rant. Just needed to publicly commit before i chicken out, put another diet coke and quit. Here goes nothing!"

Uh Mindy. I commend you for having the courage to stand up and demand respect. And to not be afraid to shun someones very ridiculous opinon of you. I am so glad even as minimal as it might be that I get to play a hand in Mindys transformation of soul. I said some profound words and so did Maria. But I also want to share what a box owner said to Mindy.

"Mindy I absolutely love you! The change in you has been brewing even before the phone call. When you starting coming to Strength I knew you were looking for a little something more and then when you and Brandon walked into “Angels For Alex” it was confirmed. I know both were not easy for you but you did it! I am so proud of you that you didn’t let the phone call defeat you because many people would, I’ve seen it MANY times. Instead you are choosing to take control and use it as fuel to your fire….GO MINDY!!! Your time is now and I am really excited for you. Maria is amazing and what an awesome opportunity she has given you!"

There are many amazing comments- from other wodders and a coach who I am sure has had many opportunities to coach Mindy. 

Someone also said this to me right before Fitness Elevated...and they were right- everyone has their time. So.. Mindy- go out and prove the haters wrong. This brings me to the end of my rant- and I close with that amazing line from The Help
"You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important."

This my readers is why I love the community that CF22 provides and I that I GET to wod in. I love it. You won't find this everywhere. I can guarantee it!

 

 

Shirts for the Open...get them while they are HOT!! AND NO you dont have to be a competitor

THE DESIGN AND THEME ARE FINALIZED!!!!

Yes. That's right-a group of us crazy ones (thanks Jo Jo-Shannen and Kris) decided it would be awesome to THEME the Open this year. The Open being the 2013 CrossFit Open.

First I want to thank Kat, Liz and Andy for letting us do this. And also Garrett Smith/DFS for designing the shirt pretty much blind with just words.
For me personally-the old crazy empty nester- I have to have busy hands and that has to result in something that fills my soul and my heart.

There is something really amazing about competing but there is something amazing about spectating and being able to be support for someone else. YOU CAN HAVE THEM BOTH!! The Open allows us to compete and be a spectator, friend, judge, shoulder to cry on...etc etc. I am SO SO excited for our first time Friday Night Lighters. Trust me when I tell you (Mary Cruz) This experience will change you. It will help you to realize not only what you ARE made of and what you are capable of but also bring out some things in you - that perhaps you never knew you had...even if that one thing is puke..He he he.

No on a serious note. The theme for this year was a collaborative effort between many. The goal was to entice and or encourage people to break out of whatever is holding them back from competing, throwing caution to the wind and letting the leaves fall where they may.

So here we go

THIS YEAR....The athlete in me found the COURAGE to tell the spectator..."I AM NO LONGER CONTENT BEING ON THE SIDELINES"

It's a powerful statement right? But HEY...we are POWERFUL PEOPLE!
I love that the little flame says 2013 OPEN.

So here it is. Just one of the many things we plan on doing for and during the open. I will have the bosses post this on CF 22's blog but I have posted on FB as well. The women's tank is the fitted Bella non ribbed and the men's T is the American Apparel 50/50
COST IS ONLY 18.00 INSANE RIGHT?
I will make sure there is a sheet at CF22 on Monday- this is prepay so make sure to leave payment or you may risk not getting your shirt. You can make checks payable to me.
The timeline is approx. 2 weeks from when we order so super close to WOD 1 of the open-Deadline for orders will be Wednesday at the End of Business...or the end of the day so to speak.
Order on the sheet at the box-email me-fb me- text me-don't call me..I rarely answer my phone- but if you want one- again-let me know by Wednesday!


THE OPEN IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER....ARE YOU READY????

The MADNESS of the Muscle up ...oh have you met my niece Riley? aka badass??

MUSCLE UPS INFURIATE ME!!! 

Here is the deal. I feel like if I can get my muscle up it will give me an ever so slight advantage to get into that top 100 women. BUT AT WHAT RISK?
In my mind I am going through everything I remember about what Tiff Hendrickson (our gymnastics coach and bad ass athlete) taught us. Now...I would get up and wod at 6:30 AM just to get to her class. So that speaks volumes. She is a great coach and learning the basics was so necessary. But here is the deal. WHAT IS IT FOR?? Why do I need this and why am I obsessing  about what is functional about it. Because as  CrossFitters we know the mantra, constantly varied, high intensity, FUNCTIONAL movement. So finally today on a search for answers I turned to the CrossFit Journal. I have read this more than one time. But today. I found what I was in search of. 
"The movement gets you from under something to on them".......
There it is. The functionality of it all. Makes perfect sense. But I ask myself why do I need this. I often joke about the fact that I hope to get a muscle up on accident and then I will put it in my pocket and save it for a rainy day....
My rainy day is the open. Here is the problem I am having with the muscle up..uhh EVERYTHING..I have the transition down. The swing...no-the kip out of the bottom of the dip-no how does one get a muscle up in less than 4 weeks minus almost everything you need to get it??? A hope and a prayer. So that's it.Every time I work the muscle up even though I prep my arms before and after-my arms are jacked..I joke about how awesome it would be if my weight were reversed and I weighed 105 and not 150 ish (actually 149). I am tabling whether or not I want to focus on getting 1 or 2 muscle ups...it will be what separates the boys from the men...or get better at something else. I will keep you all posted on what in the HELL I decide. So I share this pic of my brother Matty. makes it look so simple- swing big, pull the the hips-head butt a midget ( this may not be PC but for those of you who have been to a Level 1 Cert you will understand) and get up out of that dip....I got this???

Matty just hangin around

Next- update on the food business. Ok on the Tomato Basil Soup. Here is what I did. I did NOT use a whole 15 oz can of coconut milk. I used barely half. I think if you like the creaminess and consistency it provides then milk on. Also I do not have an "immersion blender" I just poured it into my food processor and gave it some whirls until it was at a consistency I desired. One more thing. Didn't love the dried basil in it. Not sure why. I will skip it next time. But this soup is unusually hearty and delicious. It could be a good one that you can add rotisserie chicken to.

Tips on the chicken burgers. You can probably skip the onions on the top. There is 1/2 of an onion in the burger itself and with 1 pound of ground chicken that is not a whole lot. I made the burgers and skipped the onions on top altogether. They are ABSOLUTELY delicious. I used chicken thighs and just trimmed the excess fat off and I was a little liberal on the parsley- skipped the garlic powder. 

That's it...food stuff in a nut shell.

HEY!! HAVE YOU MET MY NIECE RILEY? 

I like to refer to her as Ri. She is 15 years old. She is a sophomore in high school and the truth of the matter is. She makes me want to be a better person. I have some pretty amazing nieces and nephews and you will see their stories posted on here. I start with Riley- this kid. I don't know what to say. Talk about a truly intellectual, well rounded and grounded kid. I attribute this to maybe that she has great parents but also to the fact of who she is. 

Riley and her hair burpeeing it up at Angels for Alex..we cried together..it was a tender moment.

She is a former gymnast so yes...she can butterfly, do bar muscle ups (my hero) walk on her hands, do a one handed hand stand...you name it. BUT she also is my biggest cheerleader, when I am wodding and Riley is there, it is not unusual to hear her encouraging her old aunt to push on. She has a heart of gold. My niece Tenley adores her. She is so unassuming and I love that about her. 

I post about Riley today because I just want to say 

MY 15 YEAR OLD NIECE RX'D FIGHT GONE BAD TONIGHT!!! 

For my non CF friends who do not know what FGB is. It is 3 rounds-1 minute rounds of the following movements. Wall balls @ 14# ball for women, Sumo DL high pull @ 55#, 20" box jumps, push press @55# and row. You do all the movements with a running clock for 1 minute each and once you are done you rest 1 minute and onto the next round. For 3 rounds. Ok. I have to throw this out there, my 15 year niece rx'd this wod today, Meaning she did it "as prescribed" meaning again-14# wall ball and sdhp an pp at 55# and 20" box jumps and I need to add she had a little mishap on the box jumps and hit that shin...no blood she will be ok but I bet it's hurtin right now.

HOW MANY 15 YEAR OLDS DO YOU KNOW THAT WOULD EVEN TRY THIS??? 

Riley at Angels for Alex with her Oh so proud Dad in her face..look at him..can't stop smiling with pride!!

I talked to Riley after this- she was GLOWING. She could not stop smiling. And before she even did this WOD to me she came up to me all excited because...my 15 year old niece registered to do the open. AMAZING right? ok and on with my story. So after she rx's this wod I see her sitting around with the other athletes that just finished...just chatting it up- she is glowing..and she comes up to me and says "Next year...I am going to do Fitness Elevated!" I don't know that I need to say much more.

Hope every ones week is going well..hump day is behind us and for some of us a 3 day weekend is just around the corner...WOD or die!! finish out the week strong!!!

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, and is there a shortage of basil or what?

Oh..Duck Dynasty...happy happy happy is something they say quite often. It cracks me up. It's pretty much in reference to anything. One of the things I absolutely love about the show. Have you been curious to peek yet? Meet the Robertons. I love them. Again if you are needing a pick me up..watch one episode. I am guessing you could either love it or hate it. 

One thing I heard from more than one person this week-getting tired of breakfast stuff!
Here's the deal. I find the same thing from time to time. Probably not as often as most because honestly-I have already learned that it's not odd at all to eat breakfast for lunch, dinner for breakfast, breakfast for lunch or dinner etc etc. The way we eat there are SO many options. 
Tuesday morning last week I had a piece of leftover salmon with an egg and spinach in place of my typical chicken or turkey sausage. It's not odd to see me from time to time eating a turkey burger for breakfast and eggs for dinner. DON'T BE AFRAID TO MIX IT UP!! Especially if you are tempted to eat something that will derail you. Try it out and see how it works. Saturday morning I saw Jo eating her egg with a piece of chicken breast and I think it was kale or green beans, if you are getting bored with breakfast don't be afraid to mix it up. 

Food business is going to be a little sparse today. Here are a few staples I picked up today. I am finding more and more that as I add items in that I would not normally have when I want to try something new I have the ingredients in stock. Like a huge bag of pistachios. I watch my nuts and seeds very closely. Try not to over indulge. That is why I bought the ones with shells.

I have a good breakfast recipe and one that was posted as a possible breakfast but I am using it as a treat. 
Here is the deal on treats. I am actually going to reference a paragraph from Marias post from this recipe. It is so well written and makes absolute perfect sense - then I will add in my take-

"Even with the best of ingredients (nut flours, veggies, eggs, coconut) and lack of the worst ingredients (refined flours, industrial seed oils, added sugars), these little treats can still interfere with your health and body composition goals if consumed frequently.

Regardless of the quality of ingredients, baked goodies should not be touted as a good-for-you food. Good for the palate, yes.
Better than the processed, sugar-laden junk you buy at the bakery, yes.
But will eating these baked goods promote optimal health?
Probably not.
Having said that, indulging in these baked goods infrequently are MUCH better than choosing MANY of the purchased baked goods."

What stands out to me the most that grabbed my undivided attention-is the statement they they can still interfere with your health and body composition. I personally experienced an issue with treats that I am happy to say I finally have under control. It cost me 8# meaning I gained 8#-now granted this was during the holidays and I did indulge in some other things I should not have. AND yes, I had to get on a scale to know this. I preach not getting on a scale but there are times you are just going to have to. I would recommend you just don't do it obsessively. Saturday morning I decided to finally weigh again and FINALLY, almost 2 months later..buh bye you nasty 8#. I have a weight I like to be at and I am there. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY. With baked goods, treats-whatever you want to call them I find the same thing I find when I overdo it on my starches, I feel bloated and yuck. So I have a goal to not go completely without some goodness-I feel you need a treat from time to time, I am just going to be really smart about it. With all of that being said. YES! I made this. From Marias blog of course Optimal Nutrition. Urging you again if you haven't ready her post on adrenal health..take the time to read it. So much good info!!! 

http://optimalnutrition1.blogspot.com/#!/2013/01/adrenal-health.html

Carrot Pistachio Breakfast Loaf

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond flour

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs 1/2 vanilla extract
4 tblsp coconut oil, melted
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (1/2 c)
7 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 c carrots, grated
1/4 unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c pistachios, chopped
1/4 c unsweetened cranberries
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly grease loaf pan w/ some coconut oil or line with parchment paper.
In large bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda and cinnamon.
In another bowl, whisk eggs, stir in vanilla, coconut oil and mashed bananas.
Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Fold in dates, carrots, coconut, cranberries and pistachios.
Dump into loaf pan.
Bake about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of loaf comes out clean.

Link is below

http://optimalnutrition1.blogspot.com/#!/2013/02/carrot-pistachio-breakfast-loaf.html

Ingredients-again- had most of them on hand. Had a really hard time finding unsweetened cranberries, I am sure you can get them at Whole Foods but I wasn't driving there for 1 ingredient so I had to settle for getting the bag marked "less sugar" eh not super happy, this older lady at the store was getting a complete kick of me reading all the cranberry bags out loud and whining about why everything has to have sugar added and I was getting so MAD. She just chuckled at me..as she wheeled away on her assisted cart with her chocolate chips..I am not judging her..nope. Notice the shredded carrots? awesome..bags of shredded carrots. Best snack ever. Anyway this recipe is great. My home was filled with the most amazing smell. It's not complicated and it is delicious-I had one little corner and then I portioned them all and right into the freezer they went. I will keep you posted as to how it goes this week with treats in the freezer.

This was still steaming not a great pic wish you could see the deliciousness

All bagged up for freezer time.

The only other recipe I have for you with pics today is ....breakfast quiche. I remembered that I saw this one on PaleOmg. I am not sick of breakfast but again- I like to switch it up from time to time. 

I normally will make a recipe exactly the way it is written the first time then tweak it from there but with this one I was comfortable tweaking it out of the gate. I need to make sure I have enough breakfast to get me through the week so I made just a little extra. I used a combo of regular turkey sausage and hot turkey sausage. With the leftover I made little sausage meatballs which will be my quick source of protein post WOD this week. I also added 2 additional eggs as well as more spinach. I opted to keep my sweet potatoes chunky-AND, I did not salt it at all. This is one thing I am learning I really have to watch. I have noticed when I follow the salt, with the garlic powder that some of the recipes call for, it's just to salty for my taste and if you need salt you can always add it. I always crack up so bad when I read Julies blog. She is a nut! 

As Julie states in her recipe this will shrink

Add caption

Meat Crust Quiche

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 1 pound breakfast pork sausage (or italian sausage)
• 1 small sweet potato, diced
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon ground paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons bacon fat (or other kind of fat)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Now you gotta make your meat into a crust. So pull out a pie plate and begin to press your meat into the pan until it is even all around and pressed up to the rim of the plate.
3. Place the pan on a baking sheet (in case of any spills) and in the oven, and bake for 18-20 minutes until meat presses back when you poke it. It doesn’t need to be completely cooked through, but pretty close.
4. While your crust is baking, place 2 tablespoons of fat into a saucepan over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic.
5. Add in the chopped onions and sweet potatoes to the pan and mix to cover with garlic. Once the onions begin to become translucent, sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on top and cover to help steam the potatoes and cook quicker.
6. Once potatoes are tender after about 4-5 minutes, toss in the spinach and cover once more to help the spinach wilt.
7. After a minute or two, once the spinach is wilted, remove your mixture from the pan and place in a bowl to let cool.
8. When mixtures is cooled, add in the eggs, garlic powder, ground paprika and a bit more salt. Mix well.
9. After the crust is done baking, remove the excess oil that may be left behind, then pour your egg mixture on top of the meat crust. It’s just fine if some leaks over into the pan because the meat will shrink just a bit.
10. Place the pan back into the oven and bake for 23-25 minutes. My quiche took quite some time to completely cook through because the pan wasn’t very deep, so be sure to just poke at the middle. Once the middle pushes back when you poke it, it’s all good to go.
11. Let cool, cut and serve. Avocado on top was perfect
12. I tested just a corner of this DELICIOUS!!

I have 2 other recipes I am doing this week. The soup is in the pot so I will let you know how this goes. This is why the question is there a shortage of basil? Why is it so hard to find a good healthy handful of basil in your basic grocery store? There are times dried basil is fine but not in a Tomato BASIL soup right? I was so frustrated today and I don't think I ended up with as much basil as I needed but I bought out what was left at WalMart and then the last one at Target as well. That was it..my rant about basil. Again I am sure I could find plenty at Whole Foods but again-already had been to 3 stores. Lame

http://www.freerangecrossfit.com/2012/tomato-basil-soup/

I am saving this one for Wednesday. I still have 3 turkey patties from Friday night and a delicious portabello mushroom that will more than likely be my lunch tomorrow.  And Wednesday I do not train the kiddos so I actually have time that night to cook something different if I need a little break. If I don't make this Wednesday its for SURE on the menu for next food prep day.

http://paleomg.com/herb-spinach-chicken-burgers/

SPEAKING OF FOOD PREP DAY!!! Just to show you what your fridge SHOULD look like after food prep. I get excited when people get excited about being prepared!! Thanks Jo for the photo..Safe to say she is ready for the week eh?

Here's we go..the Open is 24 days away. Are you doing everything you can to be ready? For those of you preparing just for life, have you done everything you can to prep for the week? Always have a plan-even if you have to travel, or you have a really busy schedule. The key to getting and staying on track is simply that you have to put the work in. Easier said than done sometimes but it's truly the most basic thing you can do. Put the work in. 
Have a great week everyone- lift heavy and dirty and always eat clean!!

Croni...Out. (my family will appreciate that)

Some end of the week food stuff..And OH FRAN..WHY??

Food stuff first before I get into the dirty details of Fran.

I remade the twice baked cauliflower. I do this from time to time. I will find recipes I think are going to be amazing and I end up either just never making it again or tweaking it. I loved this. I love to substitute cauliflower for the potatoes I used to love so much ( not sure why) I still have not figured out a substitute for the yogurt and I pulled WAY back on the cheese. I omitted the salt and garlic powder. I used chopped garlic and pepper no salt at all. SO MUCH BETTER!! Here is my 2nd attempt. Very pretty. Freezes and heats up well!! Here is the link just for a reminder. So again- omit the salt and garlic powder and sub chopped garlic and sub coconut milk for the whole milk. DELICIOUS!!
http://paleospirit.com/2011/twice-baked-cauliflower/

Go easy on the cheese and pile on the green onion and bacon!!

Next matter of food business. Thanks Liz for sharing this tasty little morsel with me. Portabello mushroom, turkey burger with spinach, a little tiny bit of goats cheese and topped with my homemade guacamole.

So basically-if you have to do this indoors-this is how it goes-

Remove stems from mushrooms rub down with olive oil

put a small amount of o/o in a pan and place mushrooms smooth side down cover and cook approx oh i don't know...20 minutes or so on med low. (this is just how I did it I was completely winging it)

While my shrooms were cooking I seasoned and cooked my turkey burgers-you can be free here, I used a very little amount of S & P, greek seasoning and of course fresh parsley some chopped red onion and chopped garlic-once they are done layer as follows:

Mushroom on the bottom, a little tiny bit of goat cheese-some spinach or kale, burger, then top it off with some guacamole or sliced avocado. I managed to only get through half of this goodness. I have added a protein within 15 minutes of each wod (NO not protein powder...actual real food that contains protein) and when I get home to eat dinner, I am just not as famished as I usually would be. This was over the top delicious. Again thanks to my sis Liz for this amazing recipe. 

FRAN....21-15-9 THRUSTERS....PULLUPS...95/65

For those of us that CrossFit, you hear FRAN...and I can only speak for myself but I think most will agree, there is this sudden sinking feeling...FRAN....how ..why...who...what is the point???

Fran is that bitch that will take even the strongest, most nimble, most athletic etc etc CrossFitter DOWN! She is so very deceiving. You look at the rep scheme and you are like..eh..ok 21-15-9..DO NOT EVER EVER BE FOOLED BY THIS. This WOD is brutal...it makes you do crazy things. The combo of the thruster and pull up is pure and complete evil. 

So today..this WOD comes up. I wanted to puke.

Yesterdays comp/snatch wod was pretty taxing, 80 snatches, 50 knees to elbows, with a cash out of 300 dubs (double unders jump rope) and 75 GHD situps. I was feeling toasted today. My hands were tender even though I ice bathed them and I had a pretty bad headache all day..not sure why. So when I approached the box tonight...my stomach was churning, I was nervous...it was like that saying..like a moth to a flame. I could have rested today, last night when I peeked at the WOD I was convinced I would rest, yet there I was at the front door of CF22 almost excited to give this girl another go around. I pr'd this in October at a whopping 5:51. My only hope for today was to simply not do worse. When we do Fran we go in waves, meaning you count for someone and someone counts for you. This is appropriate and you should NEVER be allowed to count your own Fran reps...the delirium this girl causes will cause you to miscount. So last time, Jo and I partnered up and I went first. She rx'd this wod for the first time that day and her time was 8+ minutes. So today-being the kind person that I am-I let Jo go first. I knew she was going to kill her last time. Even though she has been modifying-she is completely UNAWARE of what she was capable of. It cracks me up and infuriates me all at the same time. Anyway she shaved well over a minute off her time. Then it was my turn. I knew I could do the first 21 thrusters unbroken, I have to because I suck at pullups. I was slower than I wanted to be and honestly this WOD as short as it can be feels like a freaking eternity when are doing it, Kat had given me a tip to try and breathe...I was trying...Liz and Jo were in my ear telling me to push...I pushed as well as I could today...5:50 rx..pr. Yes it's 1 second. But I didn't do worse, I did better and I will take a 1 second PR. It was a fun class tonight, Amanda PR'd, Jen Perry PR'd, we had 2 new girls that had never done Fran before- it was just good clean fun..

With another Fran behind me..and a mystery WOD tomorrow (this can never be good) I am going to watch one more episode of Duck Dynasty and call it a night. Trying really hard to get my 8 hours in. DUCK DYNASTY YOU ASK?? you can have the WORST DAY.. a complete shit day yet if you watch this show..you can't help but laugh and smile. Too good. I recommend it. I may be referencing this more in the future. 

I want to close with this. Stole this from Garrett. Loved it too much to pass it by. 

OWN IT!!!