BBQ Chicken Thighs and Celery Salad

Celery Salad... This was awesome! Thanks Neile and Miriam for recommending this! Recipe from Marks's Daily Apple.

Ingredients:

1 bunch (12-15 stalks) celery, plus leaves

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Chop the celery stalks and leaves into bite-sized pieces. Mix together with almonds. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Drizzle dressing on top of celery and almonds and stir well. Makes approximately 4 servings.

I served it with BBQ's chicken thighs and zucchini. Marinade chicken thighs in:

1 C white wine

3 T lemon juice

2 T chopped oregano

2 T chopped thyme

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp onion powder

Marinate for at least 4-6 hours! BBQ to your liking and served with steamed zucchini! This meal is about 3 blocks ! Take the skin off the thighs to cut the fat a little more! Enjoy!

* Zone/Paleo challenge is here! I was so pleased to see such a wonderful turnout! Congratulations to all of you... this is going to be GREAT!!!

Remember to KEEP your food log! Turn in weekly! To either myself or Michele.

Let's get lean!! :)

Start Your Day Off Strong!

I love omelets! They're so easy, and you can put just about anything in them! This omelet just has 1/2 a tomato and a few diced green onions (some fresh ground pepper on top). This is a typical 2 block morning for me. I always include an omega-3 gel capsule and an Emergen-C packet, too (I like the taste, and I figure it certainly can't hurt). I look forward to my morning meals. Absent from this picture is my "must-have" cup of coffee!! With a great start on the day, I feel ready to tackle any CrossFit WOD I happen to walk into! (Well, at least that's what I tell myself). Happy Friday!

**Don't forget the Zone/Paleo Challenge starts September 1st!!! Getting started information meeting THIS Sunday at 12:30. Please email Michele Mootz if you can attend!

Grilled Tuna Patties for Lunch!

This was our post-Helen lunch! Once I was capable of driving home, and the sick feeling in my stomach went away, I realized I was hungry! With the husband home for the day, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out these tuna patties. I thought they were really good!

Ingredients:

1 7oz can solid white albacore tuna packed in water, thoroughly drained

2 egg whites

1 cup grated zucchini

1 clove minced garlic

2 T chopped fresh parsley

pepper

celery salt (optional)

paprika

1-2 tsp. olive oil

Combine tuna, egg whites, zucchini, garlic, parsley, pepper and celery salt. Mix well and form into two patties. There will be a little liquid left over, and the patties will be kind of loose... that's okay. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Grill tuna patties on medium heat until brown. Gently flip patties to brown the other side. I added a little more oil to prevent sticking. Sprinkle with paprika for added color. I served them on a bed of romaine lettuce leaves and with a side of cantaloupe. Yummy!

*Zone/Paleo Challenge Information Meeting!!! This Sunday @ 12:30 pm. Please email Michele Mootz if you plan on attending! Get some helpful tips on getting started!!!

Primal Jambalya

We went to our friends house for dinner the other night (for the Mad Men premiere), and they served this wonderful Paleo Jambalaya dish (recipe from The Daily Apple... http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-jambalaya/). It was SO very tasty and I can't wait to make it again myself! Thanks Josh & Melissa for the great food and a great evening!!!!

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb andouille sausage, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced crushed
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1.5 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried leaf thyme
1 tbsp parsley (fresh is preferable, but dried will do in a pinch!)
1 tsp chili powder
1 large head of cauliflower
2 cups shelled, deveined and cleaned shrimp
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and lightly cook the sausage and chicken over medium heat. Once golden, add onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until onion becomes translucent. Transfer items from the frying pan into a large pot. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, parsley and chili powder and bring to a simmer. While the mixture is simmering (you’ll want to let it go for about 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally), place the cauliflower in a food processor and shred until it becomes the consistency of rice. Add the cauliflower “rice” to the mixture and simmer for another 15 minutes until tender. Add shrimp and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust other spices as needed. Serve piping hot. Serves 6.

For you zoners... as far as I can tell from the recipe information: A serving is about 1 cup... and is about 2 blocks fat & protein. Add some carbs to balance this out. Yummmy... I highly recommend! :)

Tequila Lime Shrimp

Well, my husband was at the Giants game, my kids were invited to the neighbors for pizza, so I was on my own for dinner. In this situation I always crave shrimp! It's just so easy to take the exact amount out from the freezer... it's quick... and it's delicious. I buy the 2 lb. raw, tail on, jumbo shrimp from Costco. It's a household staple!

7 shrimp

2 cloves garlic

2 T chopped cilantro

juice from 1/2 lime

splash Tequila

I sauteed garlic and chopped cilantro in olive oil, then added the shrimp and cooked until pink. Then I squeezed lime juice over the top and stirred. Just before serving, I added a splash of Tequila. This is 2 blocks protein and fat... so, I had a salad with it to balance it out. It was very tasty!

~ Zone/Paleo challenge starting soon! Check out the official Zone site for some information on getting started on the zone. Check out Robb Wolf's site for some great Paleo and gluten free information. Another great site for information on the Paleo diets is: http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

Zone/Paleo Challenge!

Are you interested in improving your performance in the gym? Do you want a better Fran time? Increase your max rep pull-ups? Push-ups? Shed some time off your 1-mile run or 2000m row? Or get that 1 ½ body weight dead lift?

CFSCC will be having a Zone Paleo challenge. This is an opportunity to apply nutritional principals to your crossfit. Why Zone? Why Paleo Zone? Because it works! You will see a decrease in body fat and an increase in lean muscle. You’ll notice increased energy levels and improved recovery. You will notice an increase in your athletic performance. You will simply… feel great!

Challenge rules:

• Eat Zone or Paleo Zone (your choice) for three months. Keep following the Eat This blog for helpful information on getting started.
• Keep a daily food log. Include everything (even slip-ups)… it happens!
• Cost: $20.00 to be put into a “kitty” for the winner.
• Two before pictures (taken at the gym). Why? It’s motivation! Pictures tell it all. Remember, this is NOT about pounds lost… it’s about changing your body composition & getting lean! Your privacy will be completely respected! Photos will be a front view and a back view. Men in shorts. Women in sports bra and shorts. Pictures to be taken between Aug. 25-Sept. 01.
• Benchmark workouts. Know your stats! Within the last month, you’ll need 1 board workout (we’ve recently done Jackie, Filthy Fifty, The Chief), a run or row time, a max effort, and a 1-rep max lift (we just did back squats). These benchmark workouts will be ran again close to the end of the challenge.
• Two after pictures. These will be taken Nov. 23 & 24 (same poses, same place, same type clothing).
• CFSCC trainers, and myself will pick the top people who have had the most change in body composition, as well as the largest gains in their benchmark performances.
• Winner gets entire kitty, plus a CFSCC t-shirt, to boot!

Are you up for the challenge? Sign up now in the gym!

Now.... Here's a quick and tasty appetizer that my cousin, Paul made while he was visiting!

Bacon wrapped scallops!

Wrap scallops in a piece of bacon, secure with a toothpic. In a non-stick pan, on med. hi heat, cook scallop on all sides until bacon is browned (scallops cook quick, just get the bacon cooked). We had two scallops each for about 1 block fat & protein. I had a 4oz glass of white wine to balance it out! :) Thanks, Paul!

Stuffed Peppers & Zucchini

I finally used the Zucchini I got from a friend with a garden (thanks, Narine)! I highly recommend finding a friend with a garden! Home grown veggies are the best!!!

I've been wanting to try a recipe like this for quite awhile. So glad I did. It was really tasty. Even the kids liked it (well one kid liked it, the other thought the idea of stuffing a "vegetable" with perfectly good meat was just absurd!).

I used two small, roundish, home-grown zucchini, and two bell peppers, cut length-wise. Scoop out center of zucchini and reserve (save 1/2 from each). Clean out center of pepper, too.

Stuffing ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork sausage

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C sweet red pepper, diced

1/2 can (8 oz. diced tomatoes)

2 T chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. onion powder

zucchini reserve

I sauteed the garlic in 1 tsp garlic infused olive oil (yes, I like garlic), then added the red pepper and zucchini reserve. In a separate pan I browned ground pork sausage, and added the garlic, pepper mixture. Then I added the diced tomatoes (I haven't cracked a can of diced tomatoes since I gave up pasta!). Once everything was mixed well, I stuffed the peppers and zucchini.

This was a perfect amount of stuffing to fill the 8 halves. Each zucchini half or pepper half is about 2 blocks (fat and protein). I had one of each, plus 1 1/2 C green salad, for a substantial 4 block Paleo dinner! I am so glad there are leftovers... Have a great weekend!

QUICK Sausage Stir Fry

Dinner tonight was accompanied with a berry salad! I used strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I have some crazy chocolate mint growing wildly in my yard. Seriously, there is NO stopping it. But, it is wonderful in fruit salads!
I needed an easy and quick dinner tonight. This fit the bill perfectly!!

1 bag broccoli slaw

1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips

1 zucchini, sliced

3 chicken sausage (sweet Italian style from TJ's)

2 tsp. olive oil

2 T lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

I grilled sausages in my grill pan (for the pretty lines). In my stir fry pan I sautéed garlic in olive oil, then added all the other ingredients (including sausage, which I sliced). It cooks quick. I added lemon juice, and covered for a couple minutes to slightly steam veggies. This serves two, and is a 3 block Paleo dinner... be sure to add 1 1/2 C berry salad to balance out the blocks! This was all put together in 30 minutes...max! Hope you enjoy this quick fix! :)

Rolled Chicken Breasts

Allow some prep time for this, but it's worth it!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin (save the chicken tenders for delicious "protein bombs" later)

4 slices bacon

2 cups spinach

3 cloves garlic

1/4 C diced shallots

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin julienned strips

paprika, and fresh ground pepper

1 tsp olive oil

tooth pics

Saute garlic and shallots in olive oil, and add spinach. Set aside. After pounding chicken, season breasts with fresh ground pepper. Fill each breast with 1/4 of spinach mixture (in the center of chicken breast). Place julienned bell pepper strips on top of spinach mixture. Roll chicken breasts. Wrap 1 slice bacon around rolled chicken breast and place a tooth pic through the center to hold it in place. Sprinkle with paprika and black pepper for added color. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes (until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175). Then, broil for an additional 5 minutes to crisp the bacon. Each breast is 4 blocks protein, 1 block carbohydrate and 2 blocks fat (leftovers make great lunches, too). I served this dinner with sauteed spinach and about a cup of sliced honey dew melon (and I had room for a glass of chardonnay)!

I wish I could say it'll make you forget the "Filthy Fifty", but I'm afraid it has no such powers. Hope you enjoy!

Nothing Like a Good Burger!

Lunch today satisfied my hamburger craving and appetite!

I used extra lean ground beef (93/7), which made 4 large patties.

Combine about 1 lb. ground beef with:

1 egg

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 T dried minced onion

1 T worcestershire sauce

Fresh ground pepper

Form into patties (they will seem slightly sticky)

BBQ or grill to your liking. I used lettuce leaves instead of hamburger buns, and added sliced tomato, sliced pickle, and onion. It was juicy and delicious as it was... I felt no need for condiments! I also served with sliced peaches to balance out this very hearty 4 block lunch. Honestly this felt like some decadent splurge... But, I felt I deserved this after taking on "The Chief" this morning! :) Enjoy!