Feb 10th is Chinese New Year-Beef Stir Fry!

I love celebrations! I love parties and I am always looking for a reason to make something a party! =) So you now have a reason to make Chinese New Year a PAR-TAY! Oh, by the way...this is the year of the snake!

Last Saturday I made Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry-it was sooo tasty. I can't take total credit for the recipe though. I found it on thefoodee.com and then made some modifications. EverydayPaleo.com is one of those consistent chefs that has great recipes and her Ginger Beef Stir Fry inspired my Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry below.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 pounds thinly sliced steak-I used Carne Asada meat

 

 

 

Marinade

3 cloves crushed garlic

¼ cup coconut aminos

2 tablespoons sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

 

Veggies

1 large head of broccoli

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

 

In a large mixing bowl mix the sliced beef with all of the marinade ingredients, coating all pieces of the beef with the marinade. Let the beef marinate for at least one hour but overnight in the fridge will give the meat the most flavor. In a wok or large skillet, heat the coconut oil. Add the onions and cook until they start to become tender. Add the broccoli and saute for another 3 minutes then add mushrooms and saute 3 more minutes.  Add the beef and the marinade and saute for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through but still tender. Serve with a few more splashes of sesame oil on top & red pepper flakes for that extra kick that I LOVE!

Enjoy!

Whole30 & Crossfit reversed my diagnosis of osteopenia

Heck yes! Crossfit & Whole30 VICTORY!

I guess the best place to start is March 31st 2010. I was with a group of friends at church directing a skit. I got up to show them what I was thinking in terms of blocking for a certain part of the skit and...well, I am a self admitted klutz and I tripped over my purse, fell backwards, catching myself with my right hand and POP! I felt something and heard something that I knew was UGLY. Here is what I saw when I looked at my wright hand...



At the time I was 39 years old. I was considered healthy. I ran several times a week and was training to run my first half marathon that June. My doctor was surprised that I had such a severe break based on all this information. I had surgery the next day and live w 1 plate  and 6-8 screws in my wrist. NOTE: I WAS NOT A CROSSFITTER YET! I had several friends that did Xfit at Canyon Crossfit and I was definitely intrigued by it but had not taken the leap yet.

My doctor prescribed a Dexascan (bone density test) because he thought there might be a concern there. The results came back and I was diagnosed with Osteopenia. The doctor explained that this was pre-osteoporosis and that we could begin to treat it with vitamin supplements that included extra calcium as well as a multi-vitamin. He said to keep running and being active but suggested that the osteopenia could possibly get worse over time but hopefully with the supplements as well as continuing to stay active and run, we could slow down the process.

So, there I was...39 years old, I ate well (or so I thought) and I got regular exercise (cardio-only). I guess this was just going to be "my thing." I mean, we all have a thing right? And being that I was a positive person and I did what I was told, I stayed the course he prescribed and moved forward.

Fast forward to June 2011, I was able to join Canyon Crossfit! Loved it immediately! By that point I had just ran my first full marathon that February. I had ran another half and was signed up for 2 more in the coming months. Running was a place I could sort of getaway-getaway from the hustle of the day,  get time alone with God to pray, praise and worship w the songs on my iPod and when I ran I was always smiling. I was also still taking my handful of vitamins.

Then came the introduction to Whole30 in January 2012 and with that MANY changes. Whole30 said don't take vitamins or supplements (the food you would eat would give you plenty), remove dairy from your diet (the food would provide plenty of calcium, also)...so there I was committed to trying this and I am so thankful that I did. I completed my first Whole30 (actually went 45 days) and then remained eating a very clean paleo from that point on. AND I NEVER WENT BACK TO TAKING THE VITAMINS OR SUPPLEMENTS!

Several months later when the book "It Starts With Food" was released I read that Whole30 has reversed numerous health issues...INCLUDING OSTEOPENIA! I wondered...could I have those results? I wanted to know...I asked my doctor if he would order me a follow up Dexascan to see if the osteopenia had progressed and last Saturday I went in to have it done. Later that week, the call came..."Your Dexascan is normal, there is no osteopenia!" HECK YES!

I like to say that Crossfit and Whole30 have enhanced my life and in this case they have changed it!

Girl talk...& Rutabagas

I am increasingly thankful for the amazing women in my life! God has truly blessed me! I know with certainty that I can turn to them for love & encouragement, advice & accountability, laughter & tears, hugs & a strong shoulder. And they are women that touch different parts of my life...my heart & my walk with God, my family, my work, my hobbies (insert cooking and Crossfit here to just name a few) and of course the friends that just are GREAT at making me relax and are so fun to have lunch with, go out for a quick dinner or drink, run to the mall or just chat any way that we can! You know those women in your life? And girls, this is a public THANK YOU for being my friends! XO

Well today I had a great day connecting with a few of these women-lunch plans for next week with one, coffee planned with another, checking in via text message with several, a good chat with my Mom and then there was the talk you can only have with a girlfriend after Crossfit! As I was having this conversation I was thinking..."I need to blog about this...this is too good not to share...too important. BUT, the friend will remain nameless"

So after a great WOD, I was practicing my double-unders while my sweet potato cooked in the microwave (ask me about that later if you are curious). Our chat quickly made me realize something-there are certain things that only women can talk to other women about! And thank goodness she did because we quickly realized that we were in the same boat and until then we both thought we were the only ones! Friend...you know who you are and I am so glad we get to workout together a few days a week! You are so genuine, so strong and REAL! I am glad we stumbled into that lil' talk! WE AREN'T ALONE! Thank goodness! I drove home and thanked God for the women in my life!

OK, that is the personal story for the blog...now for the recipe. The other morning I came home from Crossfit and embarked on trying a new vegetable...the RUTABAGA! Yes, I had never had one in my almost 42 years of life and after seeing Juli from PaleOMG use them in a few recipes recently I decided I needed to do that same! This is what I came up with...

Rutabaga Breakfast Patties

 

 

2 rutabagas-shredded in food processor or grated

5 eggs-whisked

2 T fresh basil-chopped

1/8 c sun dried tomatoes-sliced

salt & pepper to taste

2-3 T ghee/clarified butter

 

Combine all the ingredients except ghee in a bowl. Mix with your hands.

 

Heat nonstick skillet on med-high heat and melt ghee/clarified butter. Using 1/2 c measuring cup scoop mixture and place in prepared skillet. Honestly I used my hand to do this but measuring cup sounds more professional. =) Cook for 3 minutes then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Recipe will make 5-6 patties. Serve with fruit and breakfast sausage or bacon. Also, you could do the same recipe but substitute the rutabaga with a sweet potato or yam but I would you to TRY the rutabaga. =)

 



Keeping it simple because sometimes life isn't!

You will notice that most of the recipes I post and make are actually relatively simple. Why? Several reasons-I am busy...I am busy...oh, I am busy! And trust me when I say this-I love my life and I feel totally blessed. I have a family that I love and adore, a job that is busy and teaching me things all the time, friends that I treasure and love spending time with, activities and hobbies that include church, working out at Crossfit, wedding planning...like I said I am busy.

So it is important that my recipes are simple but FULL of flavor and an added bonus is when they can morph into several different meals without being the "same" thing.

Today was a normal day-San Diego in the morning for our monthly C21 Award leader/department meeting, back to get Halle from school and get her to dance, stopped by a ribbon cutting for a fun new store in Downtown Fullerton called Kismet to encourage a gal I know from Crossfit, took Zach to an appointment, then home to make dinner for the family. Now considering that I walked in the door at 6:15 PM, I needed something that we could be eating by 7 or soon thereafter, so I did a variation on what my Mom used to make for us on busy days we called it "Quick Spaghetti" (different then Spaghetti and Meatballs) and made it Whole30 and made it SIMPLE!

Tonight I had the meat sauce over fresh spinach and spaghetti squash, Zach had it over a baked yam and tomorrow morning it will be consumed with eggs I am certain in some way shape or form. And maybe there will be enough left to bake in a portabello mushroom for lunch.

Heather's Quick Spaghetti Sauce

2 lbs ground beef (lean)
2 T coconut oil
1/2 onion-chopped
1/2 yellow pepper-chopped
1/2 orange pepper-chopped
1 T Italian Seasoning
1 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder 1 t ground pepper
1 large can crushed tomatoes
Red pepper flakes (you can put these on after for those that like the added "kick")

Heat coconut oil in saute pan on medium heat. Add chopped onions and peppers and saute until tender. Add ground beef and seasoning, salt & pepper. Break up meat with back of spoon & cook on medium high heat until meat is done. Add can of crushed tomatoes and simmer 10-15 minutes. Serve as you like it.

Performance Nutrition Experience Starts Tomorrow!

OK, tomorrow is Day 1 of the Performance Nutrition Experience at Canyon Crossfit...the very thing that started this blog, enhanced my life, built friendships and changed the lives of so many people. I can hardly wait to be a part of this one. I am not participating as a competitor this time but rather as a cheerleader, partner, buddy, etc! I will be following the same structure as the newbies-30 days of Whole30 which is SUPER CLEAN EATING. Then 30 days of Paleo. I am setting performance goals for myself (those will be shared soon). And finally I will be sharing about my experience via this blog, Instagram, Facebook and just plain ole telling people face to face!

As far as what I have been doing after the last PNE in January 2012 (it ended March 2012)-I have continued my workouts at Canyon Crossfit and continued to see growth there. I have continued to eat Paleo and still feel so good. And basically I am living life...that includes good days and bad days in every area of life and I am so thankful for every day!

Tonight I was looking for a snack to share and this is what came to me...PS, I have no name for this so let's just call it-ENJOY!

Enjoy

Whole30

1 Banana-sliced
1/4 cup blueberries
Sliced almonds
Coconut flakes
Enough Coconut milk to drizzle over all the above
Sprinkle cinnamon

Chicken Chile Colorado and Healthy Living

Have you figured out that I love to cook. It makes me happy to cook for people and see them enjoy it. I put a part of myself in the making of it too...part of my heart. Oh and yes, I am sentimental! I LOVE to see people be successful at what they do...I love to see the positive in any outcome...I love for people to dream...I love the PROCESS! And honestly that is what this all is...we are all in the process of discovering our journey and each destination along the way.

Healthy living encompasses that self discovery and this is a quote from A.W. Tozer, a pastor and theologian, he was a man that always seemed to hit the nail on the head.

“Rules for Self Discovery:
1. What we want most;
2. What we think about most;
3. How we use our money;
4. What we do with our leisure time;
5. The company we enjoy;
6. Who and what we admire;
7. What we laugh at.” 

Just something to think about because honestly food is just one aspect of living a healthy life. =)

Now for the latest recipe...I have to say that I am making A LOT of things that are pretty spicy lately so if spicy isn't your "thing" well you need to let me know so I can try to shift my focus. Otherwise, I can try to give you some pointers to adjust the ingredients. BUT this is darn good! So if you like spicy, ENJOY!

Chicken Chile Colorado

Whole30

2 lbs chicken tender/strips
1 onion-thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper-thinly sliced
1 pasilla chile pepper-thinly sliced
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t chile powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1 bay leaf
2 small can El Pato tomato-
(Mexican Style)
Salt to taste

Layer 1/2 of the onion in the bottom of crock pot, place chicken tenders on top and add remaining onion and rest of ingredients. If you wanted to make it less spicy, you could use 2 cans of regular tomato sauce and use only half a pasilla chile.

Set crock pot to low heat and go on your merry way! Come back and dinner is ready!

Missing my Halle, Lemon Cauli-Rice Pilaf & Club 13

OK I forgot to mention the new Performance Nutrition Experience (PNE) is starting but actually it would have made for a REALLY long title and it was already too long! I am sooooo excited about this next PNE at Canyon Crossfit. I was able to sit in on one of the introduction seminars and share a little with some of the newbies...thank you Coach Andrew for asking me to help. Like I told them-the first PNE enhanced my life and was life changing for so many! Starts this Saturday!

Miss Halle is at Outdoor Ed and I MISS HER! She left on Monday and comes home Friday but WOW, so weird having her gone. I asked Zach if he missed her and he just noted that it was quieter! Oh I love that boy so much-says it like he sees it!

Club 13!!! Seriously this is going to be FUN! 13 movements created by our coaches with levels and goals to hit during the year. I made myself very happy today and I also almost threw up...I did the 500 m row in 1:57 and that was WAY better then my last time of 2:22 back in August! Woo Hoo! Yay! OK, thanks for indulging me and my excitement.

Now for the recipe! Almost 15 years ago I went to a cooking class before Easter and they made an super tasty rice pilaf...today I made it not only paleo but Whole30! And is was delish. I decided to serve it with shrimp (just had a craving for it) but it is PERFECT with salmon or your favorite fish. Enjoy....

Lemon Cauli-Rice Pilaf

Whole30

3-4 cups cauliflower finely chopped in food processor
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic-minced
1/2 onion-chopped
1/4 yellow bell pepper-chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh basil-thinly sliced
Salt to taste

Prepare cauliflower either in food processor or FINELY chop with knife.

Melt coconut oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic and yellow pepper until onions are lightly brown. Make sure to not rush this because you don't want to burn the onions or the garlic. Add cauliflower and saute about 5 minutes. Finally, add lemon juice and pine nuts & cook for another 8 minutes. Just before serving add fresh basil& salt. Serve!