All You Need is Love

I cannot believe that Week 3 of the challenge is coming to an end Sunday. This challenge seems to be FLYING by - the best part of that is that I have been loving every minute of it and I don't miss a thing...not cheese, not pasta, not bread...maybe ice cream, but it'll be too cold for that before ya know it!

The biggest challenge(s) I faced this week was going out to dinner. This is New Hampshire, I am lucky to meet someone outside of GSCF that has actually heard the word "paleo" before, never mind a restaurant that caters to the lifestyle - but for me, going out to dinner is a reality. My father is obsessed with Cactus Jacks and my god parents like to go out once a month or so to catch up.

I think I did pretty well considering I went out to dinner back to back nights...

 

Wednesday's Menu:                                  

Breakfast - 1 Apple chicken sausage with two scrambled eggs 

Snack - Strawberries and almonds 

Lunch - Chicken and apples 

Snack: almond butter and baby carrots 

Dinner - Seafood Gumbo, steamed broccoli, and a "Jamacian" margarita

Wednesday night was Cactus Jack's with Dad...I wasn't sure what to get, so I tried the Gumbo - little did I know, the Gumbo was in a thick, gravy like sauce. Fortunately, there was a TON of seafood in it and they were very accommodating and let me skip out on the rice and add a side of steamed broccoli instead. In an effort to stay as Paleo as possible, I literally ate all of the seafood out of the bowl, along with my side of broccoli and avoided whatever that "sauce" was that it was in. Of course, I had to have a "jamacian" - 1800 and lime juice! Yummy!

Moving on to night TWO of going out to eat...tonight's venue - Hooked, which happens to be one of my FAVORITE restaurants in Manchester. I get the exact same meal every time I go there because it is just so DAMN good! Their Seafood Cioppino is to die for! It's a giant bowl of seafood (scallops, shrimp, crawfish, muscles, clams, and tilapa) served with some garlic bread - I will get to that....

Thursday's Menu: 

Repeat Wednesday's breakfast, lunch, and snacks

Dinner - Seafood Cioppino and two glasses of red wine

I wish I had taken a picture of the garlic bread that comes with this meal - which in the past, I crushed. I contemplated eating the bread, like I really thought about it as it sat on my plate...then I remembered that I was in FIFTH place for points in the challenge and that bread was not worth the 5 points OR the crappy feeling that I am sure would follow from eating it!

This next picture has nothing to do with food, CrossFit, or Paleo - at all...but it has to do with life and is quite adorable, so I feel the need to share it with you all...

A friend sent me this the other day and it make me think...kind of like the Justin Bieber song says (yes, I am about to quote the Biebs) "As long as you love me, we could be starving, we could be homeless, we could be broke...as long as you love me, I'll be your platinum, I'll be your silver, I'll be your gold" I suppose a better song choice for a quote would have been, "All you need is love" as the Beatles are (were) much cooler than Justin Bieber...but I digress...

Regardless of your age, race, what you eat, where you workout, how old you are, your sexual preferences, what coast you live on...if you can find that one person who make you happy forever and always, you will be forever happy, like this amazing couple I totally creeped on at dinner Thursday night...

This picture does not show the love I saw between these two on Thursday night, but they truly seemed SO happy together. I don't know how old they are, how long they've been together, or anything else about their life....but I know one thing, this is what I want some day.

Whoops...looks like I've gone totally odd topic and have now run out of time....weekend update will come soon!

Pork Chops and Apple Sauce

In my last post, I mentioned that I had pork and spaghetti squash for dinner Sunday night...what I didn't mention was what happened when I attempted to cook the squash in the microwave...

OOPS looks like I didn't poke it with the fork quite enough...or maybe I just cooked it for too long?! Either way, it was quite the mess to clean up! I was able to salvage enough of it to get three meals from it, so all was not lost!

I wanted something easy to make, that I could throw in the crock pot before leaving to sky dive, that would essentially be ready when I got home - so I googled "paleo crockpot" and this is what I came up with...

I wish I knew how to rotate pics on here!

"Pork Chops and Apple Sauce"

1 Pork Loin
3-4 Apples (more or less if you like)
Cinnamon
Honey
Onion
Garlic
EVOO

(I chose to marinate the pork in garlic, onion, and EVOO the night before, but this was not part of the original recipe)
Dice up an apple, put it in the crock pot - drizzle some honey and sprinkle some cinnamon over it
Add the pork
Cut 4-6 slits in the pork, drizzle some honey in each slit and add a slice of apple to each slit
Slice up the rest of the apples, put them in the crock pot, drizzle some honey, sprinkle some cinnamon
Cook on high 6-8 hours - VOILA!

This meal was certainly a lifesaver, due to my lack of time and planning this weekend, for the upcoming week!

So what do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news? 

Whenever someone asks me that question, I usually choose to hear the bad news first, in hopes that the good news outweighs the bad and just erases it from my mind!

So here it goes...I had a major cheat day on Monday!!! Let me introduce you to my friend...

Being the WONDERFUL teacher that I am, I decided to bring some candy in for the kids - well, clearly I was buying it just as much for myself as I was for them, because I ate THREE of these bad boys for lunch - yes, I said it - for LUNCH!

This is what happens when you don't plan ahead and have no groceries on hand and no microwave at work for leftovers! 

Monday's Menu:

Breakfast: Leftover pork

Lunch: KitKats

Dinner: Leftove pork

WOW - what a great eating day!!

I suppose you want the good news now?

I paid a visit to the nutritionist on Tuesday and was weighed for the first time since I have started this challenge...I am DOWN 4 lbs and 3% body fat! I've got to say, for only being at CrossFit for 3 weeks and doing Paleo for 2, I'd say this is quite the accomplishment! Would I have loved for her to say - WOW, you've lost 8lbs in the last 2 weeks?! Well, of course - but I keep up a steady 2lbs a week, I will be at my goal in NO TIME!

Big thanks to one of my favorite people in the world, Dan Beaulieu for getting my lazy butt back in gear and over to Granite State CrossFit and encouraging me to become "Fierce Sara" - without his constant nagging to "just come check out the box - you'll love it there, everyone is so awesome" and getting me out for drinks to meet Mat, where I was again encouraged to come join the GSCF family, I would not be where I'm at right now....and you wouldn't have the joy of reading this LOVELY little blog of mine :)

Tuesday's Menu:

Breakfast - 3 scrambled eggs

Snack - beef jerky and cucumbers

Lunch - leftover pork and spaghetti squash

Dinner - Cinnamon Chicken and Apples

Off to meet my Dad for dinner...wonder what I can find that's "Paleo" over at Cactus Jacks!!

Oh - I almost forget...our team picture was available for download today, check  us out! Gotta love my perfect T-Rex pose 

Week 2 COMPLETE!

WOAH - what a busy end to the week/weekend...a field trip, a wedding, and SKYDIVING!!!

Thursday and Friday were standard days with nothing exciting to report on.

Thursday Menu
Breakfast - 2 eggs cooked with coconut oil
Snack - Strawberries and almonds
Lunch - Salad with "taco chicken"
Snack - Celery with almond butter
Dinner - Spaghetti squash with turkey tenderloins and veggies

 Thursday dinner

I thought taking my kiddos on a field trip Friday would be hard - my boss brought donuts for everyone ...

...a weakness of mine in the past, I managed to avoid them, and very easily I must say. On top of that, the only food served at the field trip was PIZZA. Fortunately, I knew this ahead of time and brought snacks of turkey and veggies, as well as an apple and almonds with me, so I wasn't tempted at all!

I was nervous for Friday's dinner, as I was going out in Boston - but I must say, I kicked some Paleo ASS! Oysters, grilled shrimp and salmon, ONE glass of red wine and ONE tequila and soda water! Sheer exhaustion from the crazy, early morning WOD and my general lack of sleep probably helped out, because I was in no mood to stay out late drinking!

I think Friday's crazy hard WOD helped me stay focused with my eating...who wants to work THIS HARD and then throw it all away on donuts and pizza??

Friday Menu

Breakfast - Banana with almond butter, strawberries

Snack - Turkey, grape tomatoes

Lunch - Grilled chicken salad

Snack - Apple, almonds

Dinner - Oysters, grilled shrimp and salmon, green beans, 1 glass of red wine, 1 glass of tequila and soda water

I showed up for my first every Saturday WOD this weekend and, not gonna lie, I was nervous. 5am WODs are like my comfort zone...it's usually just me, maybe 1 or 2 other people that are newer to CF than I am, and Mat. I've never worked out with the other Matt or with a bigger group of people, so I had NO clue what to expect. Damn, there was NOTHING to be scared of - Matt was just as helpful and encouraging as Mat is, plus Dan was there - the other 3 people WOD'ing were super nice and I am glad I sucked it up and showed up! 

I'm so glad I went! Going to do my best to make Saturday WODs a regular thing for me!

Wedding time...I was running around like a crazy person all day but managed to get a decent breakfast and lunch in - I wasn't sure what dinner was going to be like, so I didn't want to take my chances! Fortunately, along with the Chicken Cordon Bleu, two types of rolls, potatoes and rice - there was was also pot roast and salad...guess what I had??

HOLY hunk of beef!!

I must admit, I took a cupcake to go...but after ONE bite, I threw it out. If you know me, cupcakes are my FAVORITE thing...I used to feel that if I never saw another cookie, pie, or bag of chips again, but had cupcakes, I'd be happy...I didn't want it, had no desire to eat it and wasn't mad about throwing it out! 

That felt GOOD 

Saturday Menu:

Breakfast - 2 eggs + 1 white scrambled with pepper and onion - two cups of black coffee

Lunch - Leftover spaghetti squash/turkey/veggies

Dinner: Salad, pot roast, 1 bite of a cupcake, red wine (4 glass - TWO too many)

Up bright and early Sunday morning to jump out of a plane...yes, that's right, jump out of a perfectly good plane for fun! It almost didn't happen - when we got there at 8am and it was WINDY!! At 10:30 they announced that no one would be jumping anytime soon and said we could hang out and wait or reschedule. We decided to take a chance and hope for the best. Back to Manchester for breakfast (brunch) and before we knew it, the call was made and we were back and jumping by 1:30! 

It was the most amazing experience of my life and I literally can't wait to do it again! If I was rich, I would be back at it next week!

Sunday Menu:

Breakfast - Banana with almond butter, coffee

Brunch - Western omelet and coffee

Dinner - pork loin and spaghetti squash

Game time...Let's Go Pats!!!

The Paleo gods are watching down on me!

Wednesday is officially my new rest day for the next 10 weeks - class keeps me up way past my bedtime and 4-5 hours of sleep just isn't enough for a decent WOD at 5am. Not to worry, I'll be back at it tomorrow - pulling a double, possibly triple workout day (5am WOD, 6pm MRSC run, 7:30pm yoga and mobility at the box). I always make sure to stretch and foam roll on my days off, well everyday for that matter, but extra time on my off days.

Grand Slam Pizza has what I refer to as the "Crack" salad...which is essentially a grilled chicken salad with feta, house dressing, and pita bread - a weekly occurrence for me prior to this challenge. Tonight I was craving something "bad" so I figured I'd order the salad without the cheese, use my own dressing and take the 5 point loss on the pita bread...well, those Paleo gods have some major powers, because guess what DIDN'T come with my salad?!

THE PITA BREAD!!!!

It wasn't quite the "crack" salad that I know and love, but in the end, I am glad that I didn't get the bread - because really, it isn't worth the 5 points and I'm in a close second (points wise) after week 1!

As I mentioned yesterday, there has been ZERO variety in my week! I need to do better planning next week because I am starting to get bored. Lucky for me Janine and my good friend Dan both posted new Paleo recipes on Twitter and Facebook, so next weeks shopping list will include the ingredients to make something yummy for breakfast other than eggs! Still looking for more ideas for snacks too...I need to do some serious research if I want to last these 30 days and more importantly take this past the 30 day challenge and make it a life style.

Today's menu:

Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs

Snack - strawberries and almonds

Lunch - Gazpacho and lettuce wraps

Snack - celery and almond butter

Dinner - "Not so crack" salad

Off to bed - looking forward to getting back to the box in the morning. It is crazy how quickly you get addicted to it and actually miss going on your days off. 

Have you ever said that about the place you workout??

Tuesday is officially my least favorite day

Up and at it BRIGHT and early and off to GSCF, where I was the ONLY one that showed up for the 5am class. Don't get me wrong, essentially having one-on-one personal training isn't a bad thing - but sometimes, especially when I am really tired at 5am, having someone to WOD with helps me do better and go faster. Nonetheless, Mat encouraged me all the same and I lifted heavier than I thought I would!

Push Press 65/75/80/85/90

WOD 24:30 (115lb) 

(I wasn't able to do my toes to bar, so I had to modify and do knee raises)

Notice my nasty man hands - I bought gloves and hated them, so bring on the calluses

A new challenge on top of a challenge...Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday...leave the house at 4:45am and don't get home until 9:30pm. What does that mean...taking lunch, two snacks and dinner with my when I leave the house...along with a change of clothes for field hockey and my laptop and books (which cost me a small fortune) for class at night.

So even with all of my planning ahead, I didn't think about variety! I have essentially eaten the same food for two days in a row...and will probably eat the same thing tomorrow!

Today's menu:
Breakfast: 2 eggs, +1 white with some leftovers from last night.
Snack: strawberries and almonds, coconut water
Lunch: Gazpacho and lettuce wraps
Dinner: Salad with "taco chicken", apple
Snack: Jerky and cucumbers, coconut water

I was STARVING after class, but chugged some water before settling in to do some homework. This new class might make me lose my 4.0, but I won't go down without a fight! Was up way past my bed time, so tomorrow is my new off day this week!

Week 2 - Day 8

Wasn't sure it was going to happen, but I got my ass up and to CrossFit this morning at 5am! Luckily for me, today's WOD wasn't a crazy strength workout and didn't involve lots of running or rowing. I survived it with no problems and felt pretty good when it was over. I really think that jumping right back into my normal routine was better than taking a day off to recoup!

I feel like a bottomless pit! It's like that game I played as a kid, Hungry Hungry Hippo...

...I just eat and eat and eat...my cranky mood swings are gone, but I'd almost take them back over this non stop hungry feeling! Mat (with one T) specifically told us that we would be most likely eating more (portion size-wise) while on Paleo, then we used to eat. This is because things like bread and pasta and rice fill up your stomach fast and just sit there, where as fruits and veggies are lighter and don't sit like a cement brick in your belly!

As soon as I got home from GSCF I made myself three scrambled eggs - I never eat 3 eggs...usually 1 egg, plus 2 whites or just 2 eggs, but like I said, I was STARVING! Holy shit!

Because I managed to be somewhat productive yesterday, getting my meals ready for the day was easy....

Today's Menu:

Snack: 1/4 c almonds and some strawberries
Lunch: 2 cups Gazpacho and some lettuce wraps with taco chicken
Snack: beef jerky and cucumber slices

I'm so happy I planned ahead because with my the small animal living in my gut today, all bets would have been off and I would have caved if I didn't have good food, ready to go!

For dinner I decided to try and recreate my accidental yummy dinner from the other night of ground beef with veggies and sweet potato. Today I used tomato, onion, garlic, mushroom, and celery for my veggies with the rest of the grass fed beef from A-Market and half a sweet potato. SO YUMMY! Even yummier when paired with a glass of red wine!

It is 7:41pm and I am actually contemplating going to be right now. I think I might be forced to stay up until at least 8pm for fear of being called "grandma"

Day 7

Exhausted is an understatement....my goal was to sleep through breakfast and wake up just in time to watch the Pat's kick some Arizona ass lose to Arizona!

No such luck, so instead I made a trip to the grocery store to prepare myself for week 2 of my 30 day challenge! I was incredibly sore from Reach the Beach, so it took me a little while to get motivated.

Before the store, I NEEDED food - I am starving after the weekend of very little food and a lot of burned calories. Lucky for me, I have some leftover sweet potato from last week and two eggs in the fridge. I cooked those up with some tomato, onion and mushroom and VOILA! breakfast was served...thank god, because I thought I might chew my own arm off and was very tempted to hit up the Bagel Cafe for a very non Paleo breakfast!

My belly is finally full and I'm off to the grocery store! Before I left, I looked up some new Paleo recipes and I will be making a Gazpacho and some Taco Chicken to get me through the week. I am so super busy, that I need to prepare all my meals ahead of time or I end up eating something bad - like pizza or a burger. Preparation is KEY for me!!!

Here's what my Gazpacho looked like when I was done whipping it together

This was SO easy to make! All I did was dice up 4 big tomatoes, 2 green peppers, 2 medium cucumbers, 1 red onion, a few stalks of celery, juice of 3 lemons and 3 limes and some garlic - I added some curry because, well I just love curry! Mix it all together with 64oz of organic tomato juice and BAM! You've got yourself some Gazpacho! I haven't tried it yet - it needs to be in the fridge over night and is supposedly even better 2-3 days later! I can't wait to try it out!! It smells yummy!

Next up, Taco Chicken! I chose this one because I could throw it in the crock pot and forget about it for three hours...

I found a recipe and made some tweaks....this is two large chicken breasts, some chipotle chili powder, some curry, some fresh cilantro, an onion, juice of one lime, garlic and a jalapeño! That's it, leave it in there on high for 3-5 hours and shred away! This was very spicy but very yummy! Can't wait to throw it on a salad or make a lettuce wrap!

Last up, some "Apple Chicken" - I don't know what it's actually called or the real recipe, but I tried it at our Paleo Challege Information meeting, so I thought I would attempt to make it myself. I diced up two chicken breasts, sauteed them in some EVOO and onion, added a diced apple, some cinnamon and the juice of one lime. That's it!

Since I'm not going to be eating my favorite, overnight oats for awhile, I figured I would make good use of some of my mason jars and portion out my apple chicken! Let me tell you, one two of those jars were empty before I knew it! Lunch was served!

Depressing Pat's game officially over - time to shower and get ready to meet my long lost friend out for a drink. We used to work together and then he had to run off and be a grown up and get married and have kids! How dare he?! It has been over a year since I last saw him, but it felt like no time had passed at all! I love friendships like those, they truly are the best.

While he drank his beer and a hurricane...I stuck with my very Paleo and very delicious Patron and soda water with extra limes! I really wanted that beer though...

Got home and was once again STARVING, so ate that last serving of my Apple Chicken....so glad I made that today!

Back to CrossFit in the morning, so time for bed!