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!