It's Friday...time for a recipe!

I  decided that after 6 months of enjoying this new lifestyle of eating paleo and in most cases Whole30 which is CLEAN eating, I would start to look at "regular" recipes that are out there and implement the changes necessary and see what I come up with! So if all goes well this will be a weekly addition to my blog =)
I have to admit...this is SUPER fun for me! I love to cook, I love to create things and I love sharing what I find and learn with people. And paleo eating is no different, so here we go! I was inspired by a recipe that was posted on the Williams-Sonoma Facebook page. It looked so fresh and yummy I made it the very next day.
Pineapple-Melon Summer Salsa

• 1/2 small cantaloupe, about 1 1/4 lb., peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice 
• 1/2 small pineapple, about 1 lb., peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice 
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped 
• 1/2 bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped 
• 1 small cucumber, about 6 oz., peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice 
• 1/2 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro  
• 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice 
• 2 Tbs. olive oil 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 

This can be served with shrimp, chicken, salmon your choice! I choose grilled shrimp seasoned w chili powder and served on a bed of fresh spinach. YUMMY!



Why I am blogging again and why the crockpot...

About a week and a half ago Andrew asked me if I could help Canyon Crossfit but submitting blogs for the actual website. Obviously they are wanting to keep new content on the home page which I understand will help with their SEO...right? So, I figured why not. I will give it a try and see how people like it (if they do at all!) All that being said, this is a new thing for me because when I started this blog it was for the Perfomance Nutrition Challenge so I was blogging about my journey. THIS TIME I need to be more diverse with the topics. So.....PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS & IDEAS! What do you like, what do you not like, what do you want to see. I am game and I will research whatever topics you mention and find the information to get it out there so we can all grow!

Now for the crockpot! LOL

We all have busy lives but there is hope when it comes to having great tasting, Paleo meals that are made with ease...USE YOUR CROCKPOT!

Honestly it is a lifesaver for me and the recipes I have found are not "Your mother's crockpot recipes!" =) I promise you will love them...some of my favorites come from http://www.paleomg.com/. Juli Bauer is CRAZY funny and her recipes have so much creativity and flavor. I have tried at least 8 of the recipes and they have all been a success. The Honey Ginger Apple Shredded Pork even impressed my mom and she went out and got the ingredients to make it that next week.

Another great resource that is Nom Nom Paleo. Her logo alone makes me want to try her recipes and for all you iPad people, she has an app now. Impressive, right?! The great thing about her is that she inspires me because she is a mom also...you know, kind of a kindred spirit. :) http://www.nomnompaleo.com/

Each week I look at what life has in store for me on the calendar and then I make the "food schedule" for the week. Ok, I admit I am WAY too organized when it comes to these sorts of things but I LOVE lists and I love to cross things off my list when it is done so my "food schedule" is just another list for me! Sorry...I am rambling. Anyway, I make my meal list and honestly usually 2 days are crockpot. The recipes always make enough for leftovers which become lunch and I walk into the house after a WOD at Canyon Crossfit and dinner is almost ready and the house smells YUMMY!

Give it a try and tell me what recipes are your favorites!

What is the definition of a challenge?

Challenges come in all shapes and sizes. Some we create for ourselves and some just happen to us. Today is Day 2 of a challenge that we are taking on by choice...the 30 Day, 3,000 Burpee Challenge! Craziness...some may say yes, but those of us that agreed to push ourselves with this Challenge are likely to say differently when it is all said and done.

Each time we face a challenge it has the potential to be life changing. This is why we surround ourselves with people that support and encourage us. We realize that it is not meant to be taken on alone...this is why we are a part of a community and for this challenge it is the community called Canyon Crossfit. Together we say, "Bring it!"

"Paleo People"

Sounds like a Sci-Fi movie if you ask me but to some that is what we are...Paleo People! We are the perfect character in a good sci-fi movie or novel. You know what I am talking about...seen as odd, different, changing before your very eyes, things just start to "happen" to our stomachs like in the movie Aliens (except it happens to us after we eat something that we haven't had in weeks, months....). We cook coconut oil and ghee-the word ghee alone is ODD! You get the picture right?

Well, now that I have completed the 60 Day Performance Nutrition Experience, the decisions are up to  me as to what I eat daily. Honestly life and the way I am eating hasn't changed much...why? Because I LIKE THE FOOD & I LIKE THE WAY I FEEL! And, when I eat some (not all!) of the non-paleo food my stomach and body start to throw a tantrum inside me like a 2 year old that didn't get his way. Crazy! But seriously, I really...I mean REALLY like the food...we are eating so well. I am making new stuff all the time and today my daughter said, "Mom, I realized that healthy eating tastes good." Fantastic...now if we can just get her to embrace the fruits and veggies that go along with the meats! You can keep praying with me about this. =)

Tonight I made a new recipe from multiplydelicious.com! Oh my stars! Banana Cinnamon Bun Muffins...my house smells amazing and I can hardly wait to enjoy them in the morning with my coffee!!! So I guess what I am trying to say in all this is...being a seen as Paleo People works for me. And I think it works for my family and others that have come for dinner over the past several months (sometimes I don't even tell them the food is Paleo, shhhhh!). =)

The results are in but it's only the beginning...

Wrapping up the 1st Performance Nutrition Experience at Canyon Crossfit and it is time to reflect and sum it all up and of course, with the conclusion of any journey, it is also time to look to the future...

But first, the last 60 days! I titled this blog, "Healthy Living Can Be Fun and A Challenge Too, I meant it from the bottom of my heart...it is how I look at life...FUN & A CHALLENGE.

Nutrition started with Whole30...very "clean" eating that included food restrictions which eliminated all sugar, bread & grains, dairy, legumes, and processed stuff. I LOVE LOVE LOVE cooking and as I mentioned in a blog earlier, I had lost that part of me for several years. This experience has helped me find that again. But nutrition isn't only about cooking right? I realized that I needed to fully understand what the food does to my body...and my body has let me know! Ha...not only did my body welcome the clean eating, it RESENTED any time that something "unclean" slipped in!

Within a week of removing the suspicious foods and becoming a "clean eater", my skin cleared up, (TMI but my back, too) my tummy was not bloated (funny thing was, I didn't even know I was feeling bloated becasue that was the norm until it was gone and then I ate grains & dairy recently and it returned!), the puffiness under my eyes was gone (I didnt have to spend $100 on fancy eye cream-YAY), food tasted better, I didn't feel FULL after a meal but I ate PLENTY...my body was responding. So that sent me searching deeper...I found articles, blog sites, and other resources because I wanted to understand it so I could explain it to others. The sales person in me understands that there are features and benefits...people "buy" things based on the benefits but you need to be able to explain the features...oh the things that I learned from YEARS of sales training. =)

Now for my nutritional future...this is our new normal. I still have so much to learn and that excites me. And I hope that as the days, months and years progress, I can continue to make an impact in the lives of people. Give me a chance to share my story, my recipes, and what I have learned and by doing so, maybe I can inspire them to consider where they are in their own nutritional journey. My diet is FOREVER changed and I have never been more excited...it doesn't make me nervous it just makes me smile!

Performance prior to the 60 Days, I was committed to getting to Crossfit twice a week and if I made it three times I was THRILLED... with the other 4 days being left to a few chances to run because I had started to utilize the Crossfit Endurance training method for the half marathons I enjoy running. Hmmmm, well...honestly, this is where the Crossfit community hooked me during this experience! I immediately realized that 30+ of us were on this PNE ride together and although we would post encouragements on Facebook and a few people were blogging there was NOTHING like being at the "box" together and cheering each other on in person!

We had all set goals and it was SOOOO fun to be there to see everyone acheive them one by one. That being said, I adjusted my attendance goals as well, I made it a point to get to Canyon 3 days a week and if I made it there 4 times, YAY! For the past 60 days I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the 4 o'clock peeps during the week and the 8 AM crew on Saturdays. New friends and some people that I have known for years have helped me reach a new level of fitness.

And yet again, I found myself researching; this time it was movements online, and asking for additional direction from the coaches and friends. This was perfectly lived out with my goal to acheive a handstand push-up...I found a few YouTube videos and began to study the progression and practice it whenever I had an extra moment at the "box." Then one Saturday, I asked Denise to show me how she had done it recently (her first time also)...she did, then she told me to give it a shot..I tried and I DID IT! Woohoo! And I never looked back...that next week the WOD had SEVERAL rounds of them in it and I was TICKLED to be able to do it! I will never forget the feeling of having some of the people from the 5 o'clock class come in and see me mid-WOD and knowing my performance goal, they smiled and cheered me on! My performance was enhanced by the community at Crossfit.

As for the future...NEW GOALS of course! =) And so that they are out there for accountabilty they include mastering the double under (I busted out 2 consecutive the other day and was so freaking excited) and of course mastering the kipping pullup (I have barely complete 5 but still have more work to do there) and I might as well say it...I WANT TO DO A MUSCLE UP! The PNE has helped me to remember that goals are great, they only make you try harder and even when you fail, it doesn't matter there is always next time.

Love this quote...
"Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."

-Francis Chan

As I said when I started this little experience, I was not doing it to lose weight but to get healthier...on Saturday the scale said I was down 2 lbs. from the original weigh in and my body fat was down too. Don't worry peeps! I am EATING LOTS and I continue to only work out for an hour 3-4 days a week. =) I feel great!

FINALLY...Congrats to Lisa Aul Ick for winning the 1st Canyon Crossfit Performance Nutrition Challenge! She is truly an inspiration and I am proud to say that she is becoming a friend! YAY LISA!

Here are the pics...

                                                                  

 Before...                                                                    After...

Being in the kitchen and being a cheerleader...

I can't get over how much I am enjoying cooking AGAIN!

I absolutely LOVE it...I love researching the recipes, I love all the different flavors, I love how it looks on the plate and I LOVE knowing that it is clean and healthy. Sure, it takes more time and effort especially right now because I am "learning" the products and brands that we should eat but that gets easier every trip to Trader Joe's and Sprouts. 

I feel like I have found a part of me that had been misplaced! I have always enjoyed cooking BUT my cooking has become less creative and more focused on ease as well as pleasing the kids. This meant that I would cook the same 5 or 6 "go-to meals." Since the 60 Day PNE began, I have only made 3 or 4 recipes twice. Most of the recipes have been wonderful, the only reason I haven't duplicated that much is because I am enjoying the variety.This is similar to when I was first married and working at Williams-Sonoma...I loved having my own kitchen and found so much joy in making a meal. Those feelings are back! YAY!

I understand that this won't necessarily be the same feeling that everyone has...in fact, the cooking alone may be the single largest frustration for someone that would cause them to give-up on "clean eating" and nutrition. Another that is related, could be the assumption that it is too expensive to cook this way.
One encouragement...DON'T GIVE UP!

Why, you ask? Give it some time and if you are short on resources, ask! I would be more than happy to share the info that I have found. Did you know that there are literally 100's of websites/blog sites that are filled with recipes? There are! Did you know that many of them are written by college students or young adults that are on a limited budget? There are! Did you know that several of the sites are written by women that are Mom's, work either full or part time and have lives therefore don't want to spend ALL day in the kitchen? THERE ARE! And for the men that may be reading this, (I can't imagine there are more than 5 of you-haha) there are some sites written by men with recipes that will meet your masculine cooking needs as well. HA!

My favorite site, so far is www.paleOMG.com! Juli Bauer is hilarious (OK, she cusses like a sailor) and shares not only great recipes but shares her own struggles with food addictions, reactions and how this all fits into the real world. Let's face it...as with most anything, there is no ALWAYS & NEVER...life happens and let's make the most of it when we can. Her "Simple Blueberry Muffins" are SIMPLY YUMMY!Another site that has proven to be good is www.everydaypaleo.com. And just today, I found one called www.multiplydelicious.com (warning on this one, not ALL the recipes are paleo). Oh, and one more that I have tried and liked is www.theclothesmakethegirl.com.

Once again, my encouragement is DON'T GIVE UP! If you give it 60 days like I did, you may even surprise yourself...I know I did! And remember I am here to be a cheerleader for you if you want one. =) The way I see it, I wasn't a cheerleader in high school and always wanted to be one...now is my chance to cheer! And honestly, cheering for a high school football game would have been a BLAST but cheering for people to make a difference in their lives that would be AMAZING!

Night friends!

Whole30 & Paleo in the Big Easy isn't EASY!

Oh my goodness...New Orleans is not a place for a person that is in the midst of a Performance Nutrition Experience...LOL or working to embrace a new lifestyle, in my case Paleo. For over 40 days I have changed the way I eat, I have been trying new recipes and I have watched my body respond. It has been overall a GREAT thing. So this past Thursday I headed to New Orleans with a realistic understanding that 80/20 (80 % good for you and no more than 20% not good) would be the focus. I mean honestly, I had heard that the food in NOLA (New Orleans, LA-yes I am a geek and love to sound like I know what I am talking about by using abbreviated terms that locals use, LOL) was let's just say HEAVY but I was not at all prepared for what I encountered.

Arrived on Thursday and actually ordered and ate relatively well. Salad, etc and no Hurricanes ordered either. Same for Friday nite even while attending the Commercial Reception and celebrating receiving #5 office and my business partner, Jim receiving #5 producer in the nation....again, I made good choices and no cocktails. Heck, I was even able to visit Crossfit NOLA with a few other Crossfitters from C21 and had a GREAT workout that morning! AND WHILE THERE I DID MY FIRST PULL UP!! All good so far....then Saturday hit! And although it was't a true hurricane that came thru the city, it felt like one came thru my world! UGH!

After a long day at the convention center in sessions, working the C21 Commercial opportunity station, talking and networking with dozens of professionals and realizing that I had 2 of the ugliest blisters on my feet because I wear heels, I was DONE!! On the recommendation of several people we headed to a favorite spot for locals called Jacqi-mos for dinner with a group...after a 2 hour wait, yep 2 HOURS the hurricane of food gluttony began...alligator cheesecake w gravy appetizer, carpetbagger steak with collard greens and sweet potato mash was consumed. It was OK but honestly not great. The first wave of the hurricane didn't sustain too much damage but the next morning was brunch at Brennan's hosted by the President of our company...this is where the winds really picked up! I lacked discipline, I lacked self control but dang...IT WAS AMAZING! The best darn Bloody Mary I have EVER had! Seriously it was YUMMY! And then came the 3 course brunch-Appetizer: Fresh Strawberries w Double Cream, Eggs Ellen (Grilled filet of salmon topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce) and then breakfast dessert, yes I said BREAKFAST DESSERT....Chocolate Pecan Pie!

No more ugly details are necessary just imagine the rest of the meals were New Orleans classics and ended with this...

Thankfully I can say that I only had one bite of the fries and somehow common sense came back and I determined it wasn't worth it. But the spicy hot dog sure was TASTY! AND I need to let say that my body revolted with every one of these foods and let me know with headaches, stomach cramps and bloating that it didn't like what I was doing to it!

So all things considered, I met New Orleans somewhat prepared but the harsh reality is that when you are in the "eye of the storm" you are going to get struck and the best thing you can do is hang on and then clean up the aftermath! Which I am doing now...back home, back to Sprouts, back to my kitchen, back to my favorite recipes on PaleOMG.com and back to the support system that I have at Canyon Crossfit with all of you! Thanks for "listening"...