Happy Sunday!

Wow - I've had a lazy blogging week, just realized I haven't posted since Tuesday...probably because up until yesterday, there wasn't much to post.

The final week of my 30 day challenge is coming to an end today and of course, I chose yesterday to have "lose ten points because you don't want your CrossFit coaches to actually know what you ate" kind of day (ya, it was THAT bad)...but I will get to that...

Rewind to Tuesday...another week with a huge lack of variety...

Monday - Friday

Post Wod: SFH Recovery
Breakfast: Breakfast Fritatta
Snack: SFH and an apple
Lunch: Salad with curry chicken
Snack: Strawberries and almonds

Dinner varied anywhere from curry chicken, spaghetti squash with meat sauce and "crack salad"

It was a crazy week full of 3 field hockey games, a lot of rain, and working like a crazy person!

On to the weekend...

I woke up WAY earlier than necessary on Saturday morning, must have been because I was SO excited to run Renegade Playground Challenge with team Don't act like you're not impressed...cool t-shirts, a hot pink tutu and MUD!?

NOT muddy enough!!

What more could a girl ask for...well, I could think of a few things:

• water stations with people working them and oh, I don't know...WATER
• Volunteers on the course incase someone got injured
• photographers along the course
• obstacles that were actually set up
• FREE water at the end of the race ($3 for water post race, really?!)
• free food (I mean, a banana, some yogurt, I don't know)
• If you're gonna make us pay, how about some more options other than hot dogs and fried chicken tenders?!

Let's just say I was hungry and not waiting to get back to Manchester to eat lunch...I'll just leave it at that. At least I started my morning right with some surprisingly yummy (although not pretty) paleo pancakes. I followed this recipe, but I didn't have the ingredients for the caramel sauce so I left that out...my pancakes didn't quite look like hers...

Off to the grocery store now to get the ingredients for Meatball Soup and Oriental Chicken Bowls. Hoping for these to be tasty so I can add a little more variety this week!

First Sunday of #SoberOctober....hmmm football without a glass of red, let's see how that goes!

#SoberOctober

So that's actually a real thing? I thought I made it up....according to Janine I am not original in my thought here!


NONE of this in October!!

With the 30 day Paleo Challenge coming to an end October 9th (I can't believe it has been THIRTY DAYS!!!), I wanted another challenge for myself for the month of October. I thought, hmmm what can I do to kick things up a notch?? Hmmmm....AHHH, yes, no wine, beer, tequila, ALCOHOL for a month! Ok - challenge accepted. The only problem I might have is on October 21st when I run the Hallo Wiener Hustle where my teammates literally can't run until I've eaten a hotdog and chugged a beer! Oh boy...what was I thinking when I signed up for this one!? So short of that one beer, that's my new personal challenge #soberoctober

Moving on...who else like coconut oil in their coffee? Let's be honest, the site of this freaked me out at first...

Don't be fooled by the oil slick, it is amazing

...but it was love at first sip! Not only does it taste good great, there are some health benefits to it as well. A friend today me that Giuliana Rancic put it in her coffee for weight loss, so that's where the thought started. More than just weight loss, coconut oil is a healthy fat, it keeps you fuller longer (I am literally making myself eat a snack between 10-11, just to keep my metabolism gong), it keeps your insides moving (if you know what I mean...), my lips are crazy soft, and it is an added energy boost. All around a win-win right there! Don't believe me? Try it out for yourself!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was pretty wonderful...I ate well, I drank well, I shopped well, I made some extra cash, I spent time with (almost) all of my favorite people, the Pats won and the Jets lost!!

Friday was a little stressful, with a major deadline at work coming to a close - but I didn't let the stress get to me and cause me to make bad choices as far as eating and drinking went. In the past, I probably would have ordered a pizza and a polished off  a 6 pack of Pumpkin Head. This time, I stayed Paleo ALL day and cooked an amazing dinner with Dan! I need to use the phrase "cooked with" loosely, because Dan did most of the work - I just operated the Magic Bullet to puree up our avocado and spinach and stuck the spaghetti squash in the microwave (and it didn't EXPLODE!!)

Friday Menu:

Breakfast - 2 eggs with 1 apple chicken sausagbe
Snack - Strawberries and almonds
Lunch - Cinnamon Apple Chicken
Snack - Almond butter and baby carrots
Dinner - Creamy Avocado Spinach Chicken We have made this meal before and LOVED it so much that we just couldn't resist making it again. I could eat this every day if someone would make it for me!! YUMMY!! Of course we accompanied this with some delicious red wine.

Looks like baby poop, tastes AMAZING

Desset - Paleo cookies, courtesy of  Every Day Paleo I've got to say...for a cookie with no sugar or chocolate in it, these were pretty tastey!!

Cookies!!!

Saturday was a little crazy, but again, I managed to stay right on track with what I needed to. Due to something out of my control, I didn't make it to my 8am CrossFit class - but was fortunately able to sneak in a quick run before I had to move on with my day.

Before heading out to babysit (yes, I am almost 30 and I still babysit!!! But I love these kids, so I just can't say no when their mom asks!!)  I decided to make another recipe I found on Every Day Paleo. This was one of the best ideas I have had yet...this recipe was pretty amazing! There are a few slight changes I will make next time I make it (which will be very soon) but this is the perfect make-ahead meal for my crazy life!!

Breakfast of champions!

Babysitting went well - I wasn't tempted to eat the meal I prepared for the kiddos...

Pork, corn, and cheesy noodles for the kiddos....NOT paleo!!

...or any of the snacks they had in the house. Things got a little tough at bedtime when the boys didn't want to brush their teeth - thank goodness I have a friend with a deep, scary voice who called right at bedtime and in turn became the "Phone Monster" and made my life a lot easier! Thank goodness!!

Aiden listening to the "Phone Monster"

Southwestern Frittata - Next time, instead of grating the sweet potato, I am going to dice and I will probably double the salsa! Besides that, this was so good!!

Saturday Menu:

Breakfast - Southwest Frittata
Snack - apple
Lunch - Southwest Frittata (yes, it was THAT good!)
Snack - Strawberries
Dinner - Friday night leftovers, grape tomoatoes, Paleo Cookie

It's like a Lunchable for grownups, only BETTER

Sunday Funday!

I decided to take the money I earned babysitting Saturday night and do a little shopping with my girl Melissa! Oh boy - I wanted to buy a few pairs of flats for work and came home with 3 pairs of heels, pants, a shirt, leggings, earrings and rings! OYE! Well, I worked hard for that money, so I can't be too mad!

Sunday Menu:

Breakfast - Southwest Frittata
Lunch - Grilled Chicken Salad, glass of red wine
Snack - Paleo Cookie
Dinner - Lasagna soup

Overall, a pretty damn good weekend!!

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!

Reach the Beach Update!

Team TuTu survived the race! I couldn't be more thankful to EVERYONE who supported our journey along the way - from donations, phone calls, texts, emails, facebook statuses, etc I LOVE YOU ALL!

Staying 100% Paleo during our exciting adventure was nearly impossible - but I would say I came pretty damn close!

Thursday night was probably the HARDEST time to stay on track, but I planned ahead and DID IT! 

This is what everyone else ate...

This is what I ate...

I LOVE garlic bread...not to mention, there was salad with cheese and ranch dressing (thank goodness my AWESOME teammate brought extra salad stuff from anyone who didn't want cheese) plus lots of beer and M&M cookies!! 

Holy hell that was a tough night...but I stuck with my spaghetti squash, plain salad, and glass of Merlot. The glass of Merlot was a necessity just to relax my pre race nerves! I was runner 1, which means at 9:40am I was taking off and starting this adventure for Team TuTu!!

Let's just say I didn't sleep well Thursday night - it wasn't my bed, my team was also excited so not everyone wanted to go to bed early, and I was NERVOUS!!

I thought I would get up early enough Friday morning for a nice shower, relaxing cup of coffee and maybe some eggs and bacon...I woke up Friday morning to rush through a shower, enjoy a yummy cup of coffee, decorate our vans and shove some protein bites down my throat! Ok - so probably not the BEST pre race meal, considering I was about to run 8 miles...oh well!

Regardless of the the lack of sleep, improper hydration, and rather crappy breakfast...I survived crushed Leg 1 and still had a smile on my face when it was all said and done!

Starving was an understatement after my leg...as soon as I finished, I posed for a picture, took a phone call (ya...I know, who takes a phone call with in the first 3 minutes of running 8miles? THIS girl!) and grabbed a banana and my Justin's Almond butter and destroyed that thing, washing it down with a Vita Coco (one of our AMAZING sponsors!!)

Time to relax while my 11 AWESOME teammates did their things...throughout the afternoon, I snacked on some beef jerky and an apple until Van 1 was done and it was time for a "real" meal.

Muddy Moose here we come...while my teammates enjoyed a refreshing beer and some amazing looking pasta dishes, I opted for a glass of Merlot, a hamburger (no bun), and a side of steamed carrots (REALLY wanted the sweet potato fries!)

I was actually very happy with my choice - was still a little hungry after I was done, but glad I didn't cave! 

That beer looked really good though!!

All fueled up and ready for my big night run! And by "big" I mean 3.9 miles, in the dark, on little to no sleep - I crushed, survived my night run and was ready for some food and sleep!

I got one of the two...I gave up briefly on Paleo and made a turkey wrap, but I used an Organic Spelt Wrap - I am still not 100% what it is, but apparently it is better for you than bread or your typical wrap! I guess things could have been worse.

Can I sleep yet? No...still 5 runners to go, and unfortunately for a few of my teammates, their long runs were in the middle of the night! Those girls are so tough for hanging in and kicking some serious ass in the middle of the night to push our team along! We finally got to sleep rest our eyes and legs for a few hours around 3:00am. 

6:00am wake up call Saturday morning! I've got to run my final leg at 8:00am (4.5 miles) - time to fuel up with some coffee and food! Fortunately, the local fire department put on a breakfast for the runners - I was able to get coffee and a breakfast sandwich - another paleo "cheat" but I only ate half the English Muffin and none of the cheese.

I crushed survived barely finished my last run, it was by far my WORST - I was tired, hungry, dehydrated, and there were A LOT of hills. Who would have thought I would have run a faster pace on my 8 mile run than on my 4.5?!

Painful or not, I was DONE!!!! 

Not quite as happy and cheerful after this one...actually, as you can tell by my swollen eyes, there was actually tears! Pain and exhaustion won after this leg...

I was our team sponsor poster child during this last leg - I was rocking my Aspaeris shorts, my Bic Bands headband, Run Pretty Far arm warmers, and of course my team t-shirt designed by Chris Duhaime of Pivot Creative Management and screen printed by Blue Dolphin - everything was amazing and helped me get through this last run! Team TuTu Hot to Handle would not have had such a successful weekend had it not been for our amazing sponsors! 

This picture was taken BEFORE my final run, AFTER I had my coffee - I was still smiling at this point!

The rest of the day is honestly a bit of a blur - I know I snacked on some beef jerky and protein bites and a few carrots. We got to enjoy a much needed shower while Van 2 finished up there final legs and then we headed to meet them at the finish line.

Another Paleo cheat I couldn't resist - finish line beer! I own two t-shirts that say Will Run for Beer - I was tempted to cross it out and write Wine, but alas, my only option post race was beer, so I drank one!

Overall, it was an amazing weekend spent with amazing ladies, while we were all supported by our wonderful friends and family. I would not have changed a single thing about the weekend and am incredibly proud of myself and Team TuTu Hot to Handle!!

Congrats ladies! Looking forward to doing it with you all again in the near future!! 

Day 4

No early morning WOD = happy, refreshed tired, extra hungry Sara

I took this morning off from GSCF because my back was tight from Tuesday's WOD and I figured a good night's sleep would be best, with my Reach The Beach advendute beginning tonight!

I expected to be refreshed, less hungry, more energized, and ready to take the day head on...SO not the case! I was extra tired this morning and have felt like a bottomless pit ALL day today

This is literally what I feel like deep down inside...

And to top it off, I have been CRAZY thirsty all day! I drank 48oz of water before I left home this morning and just finished another 2 liters! What's up with that?!

Finishing this post from the van...we are officially on our way!!

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and an apple

Snack: 3 slices of turkey and some baby carrots

Lunch: lettuce wraps with chicken and tomato

Snack(s): beef jerky...shortly after some paleo protein bites

Planned dinner: Salad and some paleo "spaghetti"

Hoping for a good night of sleep before the big weekend...but I fear that's not going to happen!

Updates will be posted as often as possible!

Day 3

I learned one thing this morning...I have ZERO (and I mean ZERO) upper body strength! I always knew I had more lower body strength than upper body, but DAMN - today's WOD was pathetic!

I maxed out at 85 on my Push Jerk and took just under 9 minutes to complete "JT" - but my HSPUs were VERY modified, I used to green band for ring dips and I couldn't manage to do more than 3 regular push ups before I had to move to modified! UGH - I swear, if this had been my first CF workout ever, I might have never gone back! But - alas, I survived it and I will return again!

MmmmmMmmm Gooooood....
I live on a street with about 10 restaurants within a mile and at 6am, one of them was cooking up a mean breakfast...smelled like pancakes or french toast, something very "un" Paleo - it had my mouth watering and stomach growling!

6:45am
Breakfast - one of my favorite breakfasts from a local breakfast spot near here is this breakfast skillet, where they top home fries with eggs and gravy! mmmm I would eat that every day if I could!
This morning I made my own, Paleo version of this breakfast....

Left over sweet potatoes from last night with two eggs, over easy, on top! Perfect breakfast - it was no Chez Skillet, but it was delish!

9:45am
SUPER hungry right now! I honestly thought my amazing breakfast would hold me off a little longer, but no such luck. Snack time came a littel bit earlier than planned.
Today's snack: three slices of turkey rolled up and a cup of strawberries! Very delicious! Hopefully this hold me off until at least 1 o'clock - I forgot to bring my afternoon snack with me, so I want to push lunch back as far as possible!

I made it until 1...1:15 actually, before I got hungry! Lunch was standard, nothing special...salad with grilled chicken, evoo, and some balsamic vinegar! 

GOOD NEWS!!! No moody, cranky, emotional Sara today!! 

Woo hooooooo! Maybe instead of two WEEKS of feeling crummy, I will only have two DAYS! I hope that's the case, because Team TuTu Hot to Handle leaves tomorrow night for Reach the Beach NH and the last thing anyone needs is a cranky, moody Sara!

Nothing exciting to report for this afternoon...

3:00pm
Beef Jerky

5:00pm
Almonds and an apple

8:30pm
Final serving of my Curry Chicken



I had such late dinner because we had a field hockey game tonight - both JV and Varsity beat Concord! 

I am so happy that today was such a good day physically...minus the shitty WOD this morning! If this is what I have to look forward to, then this Paleo challenge will be easier than I thought!

I am nervous for Reach the Beach this weekend - as far as eating goes....there's going to be  a lot of pasta, bread, granola bars, and Gatorade going around! I need to remember my goals, remember the awful sight of my "before" pictures, and just continue to "do me", which has been my goal of late!

Not sure if any posts will be made here tomorrow - Saturday, but I will try my best! I will be trying my best to update on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well! 

Wish us luck!!!