So, as I have mentioned to some of you, I'm gonna eat wheat for a month.
I'm doing this because my blood test for celiac's, which I took before I had given up wheat entirely, was inconclusive. The blood test looks for two antibodies which are present if you're celiac (and if you've been eating gluten). I was negative for the one that almost always comes with celiac disease, but positive for the one that usually but not always means you have celiac disease. As a result, the only way to know for sure is to have an endoscopy done, which looks for damage in the gut. Therefore, in order for the test to work correctly, I must damage my gut. Fun! No one knows exactly how much damage is required to avoid having a false negative test result (and if I'm going to go through this I'd rather be on the safe side!), but my doctor recommended that, since I've been almost completely gluten free, I should eat gluten for a month. At every meal.
People who follow the paleo lifestyle have asked me why I'm bothering with the test if I intend to be wheat free for life anyway. To be clear, I do intend to be wheat-free for life, regardless of the test results. I like myself better, physically, emotionally, mentally, when I'm not eating wheat. The strictness with which I adhere to this standard, however, will depend on these test results. I will always be wheat free in my home. I haven't purchased a glutenous product since before Christmas when I began the challenge (until today). There are two reasons I'm testing. The first is because if I have celiacs, I can't "cheat", and the second reason is related: convenience when eating out. If I have celiac's, I need to be more diligent in asking the server about every sauce, every burger (does it have filler?), every marinade (soya sauce?) or any number of other common menue items where wheat hides (like batter on sweet potato fries, be careful of this one!). If I don't have it, I will continue to order my burger without a bun and hope that there's no breadcrumbs lurking inside the patty. And I will continue to have a few of my mom's awesome tarts at christmas.
The effect that wheat has on me is not as instant, direct, or debilitating as it is for some. I don't get nauseous, start itching, get bloated, or have to run to the washroom immediately. My "symptoms" are more subtle. I feel less lean ("squishier"), slower, a little more tired, weaker, generally icky and all around less badass.
I also potentially do not absorb iron when eating wheat. I tested at the lowest possible healthy level before the challenge. After not eating wheat for 10 weeks (and not changing my intake of meat or leafy greens), my iron count went from 16 to 55, well within the healthy range. Iron=energy and alertness, which I like. I also was B12 deficient, although I took supplements for that right away (B12 is important for mental function!) so it's unclear whether it would have gone up on its own. My research suggests that deficiencies in these things can both be a symptom of celiacs, assuming you're getting enough in your diet, and my doctor agreed.
Anyway, I'm eating wheat for a month, for better or worse. I went to the grocery store this week because I realized if I was going to eat wheat in every meal I should probably have some on hand. I ventured into the inner aisles and, honestly, I couldn't find a single thing that I actually wanted to buy. I craved none of it. I finally settled on some of those rainforest crisps (gourmet crackers) for snacks, and a box of granola to add to my paleo cereal or greek yogurt for my breakfast gluten serving.
I decided that if I'm going to eat wheat, it had better be the good shit. I'm not going to just load up on lame crackers and wonderbread. So I made up a wish list, which probably includes far too many pastries, of all the things I want to have during this month, just in case I can never have them again. Grilled cheese from the Bean Bar, butter tarts, bagels from Locke St, shortbread, mom's biscuits, Nick's mom's arugula pizza, oreos.....yup, I'm gonna get temporarily fat. Which will not only be unattractive, but annoying, because I just had to buy a whole bunch of new shorts for the summer because last year's pairs all just fall completely off...
I suspect that by the end of wheat month I'm going to be very glad to be returning to paleo...the thought of having to eat wheat at EVERY meal is a bit daunting and kind of grosses me out. I've just begun eating wheat again and already I've noticed some undesirable qualities. I bought some fresh egg bread from the Dundas Market today becuase it used to be my favourite. When I ate it, it was definitely delicious, but didn't give that emotional satisfaction that I was expecting (and recalled having in the past). It was kind of hard to make myself eat the whole piece, actually. But then, somehow, five minutes later I was in the kitchen getting another piece. I have no idea why, I just needed more. It was a very strange feeling, and I was left with the familiar post wheat-binge guilt.
Since going paleo I'm rarely besieged by uncontrollable cravings except the odd occasion when a particularly wonderful dessert or the smell of something freshly baked is near. And I definitely haven't felt guilty about eating anything since I stopped eating wheat. In fact, I eat whatever I want (except wheat) and as much as I want, including fat, without ever feeling like I've over eaten (except if I have wheat). Funny, that. I welcome returning to paleo for the feeling of control over my own food intake and the feeling of satisfaction without guilt of overeating.
Also, I really enjoyed the removal of the layer that was covering my abs. Probably they'll go away for a little while. See you soon, abs.
I've taken a reverse before photo and some waist measurements that I will be comparing as we go along so stay tuned. And if you have any glutenous things around the house that you want to get rid of without wasting them, I'll probably take them off your hands ;)
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Monday, 11 June 2012
Cocoa Coconut Paleo Peanut Butter Cups
I love Reece Peanut Butter Cups. A lot. They were probably my favourite candy bar, and I admit to occasonally still consuming them in a bowl icecream from Coldstone Creamery. They're just so good, and really, what's a little peanut butter (and extra sugar and dairy), right?
I digress. The point is, I discovered a way to satisfy the PB cup craving (or rather, a lovely lady named Deborah discovered it, and I discovered her recipe, and now I'm sharing it with you!) without completely falling off the paleo wagon. If you want to be strictly paleo, you can use almond butter instead of peanut butter. These delightful treats are just as tasty as the original, in my opinion, and far less sugary. For reference, the original has 12 grams of carbs per cup (11 from sugar) while these have roughly 6.6 grams of carbs (< 2 from honey and the rest from cocoa, nut butter, and coconut butter...all good things!). MMmmmm healthy fats.
Cocoa Coconut Paleo Peanut (or Almond) Butter Cups
Original recipe from Deborah at blueravenwellness.com
WARNING: This is NOT ideal for a summer picnic as the coconut butter will melt. I made them on a fairly warm day and had to keep them in the fridge before serving, and they still melted in people's hands.
SUGAR NOTE: I thought these were delightful as is, but the chocolate comes out tasting like 80-85% dark chocolate, so if you're making these for kids probably I'd add a bit more honey.
EXTRA NOTE: Carrie doesn't like peanut butter and suggested caramel might be just the thing to put in the center instead. I think this is a fine idea!
3. When coconut butter and coconut oil are well combined, add vanilla, remaining honey or maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Stir well.
4. Add cocoa powder. Remove from heat.
I digress. The point is, I discovered a way to satisfy the PB cup craving (or rather, a lovely lady named Deborah discovered it, and I discovered her recipe, and now I'm sharing it with you!) without completely falling off the paleo wagon. If you want to be strictly paleo, you can use almond butter instead of peanut butter. These delightful treats are just as tasty as the original, in my opinion, and far less sugary. For reference, the original has 12 grams of carbs per cup (11 from sugar) while these have roughly 6.6 grams of carbs (< 2 from honey and the rest from cocoa, nut butter, and coconut butter...all good things!). MMmmmm healthy fats.
Cocoa Coconut Paleo Peanut (or Almond) Butter Cups
Original recipe from Deborah at blueravenwellness.com
WARNING: This is NOT ideal for a summer picnic as the coconut butter will melt. I made them on a fairly warm day and had to keep them in the fridge before serving, and they still melted in people's hands.
SUGAR NOTE: I thought these were delightful as is, but the chocolate comes out tasting like 80-85% dark chocolate, so if you're making these for kids probably I'd add a bit more honey.
EXTRA NOTE: Carrie doesn't like peanut butter and suggested caramel might be just the thing to put in the center instead. I think this is a fine idea!
¼ cup almond butter [or peanut butter if you're a Paleo slacker like I am]
4 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, divided
3 tablespoons coconut oil
½ cup coconut butter or coconut cream [I get this stuff at Goodness Me but it isn't cheap. Deborah has a note on making your own more cheaply on her site but I haven't a proper food processor so I bought mine.]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt [I used 3-4 grinds of my mill per batch]
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
12 mini muffin papers
1 mini muffin tin
1. In a small bowl, mix the nut butter with 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup.
2. In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil over low heat, then add
the coconut butter. Gently warm the coconut butter until it can be
stirred into the coconut oil.3. When coconut butter and coconut oil are well combined, add vanilla, remaining honey or maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Stir well.
4. Add cocoa powder. Remove from heat.
5. Line each muffin tin with a mini-muffin paper. While it is still
warm, place 1 ½ teaspoons of the coconut chocolate mixture in each
paper. With the damp tip of your index finger, spread the chocolate
mixture out to the sides of the muffin paper. [My mixture was much more liquidy than this and could be plain old poured]
5b. I had to put mine in the fridge at this point for about 20 min to solidify enough that the nut butter wouldn't sink!
6. Place a scant teaspoon of
the nut butter in the center of each muffin paper.
7. Place teaspoons
full of chocolate mixture on top of almond butter. With the damp tip of
your index finger, spread chocolate out so it covers the almond butter
and connects with the edge of the chocolate bottom. [Again, mine was still warm enough to be poured]
8. Cool at room temperature [if you have very powerful air conditioning, or if it's winter and otherwise put in the fridge to cool until ready to serve].
9. Share with someone so you don't eat them all!
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Not so boring Breaded Zucchini
I've been on a bit of a Zucchini kick lately, trying to come up with ways to make the otherwise rather bland vegetable that are more exciting than roasting **note, I considerd
calling the post "Zucchini Warriors" as a shoutout to one of my
favourite childhood authors, Grodan Korman, but I figured the sample
size of those who would get it was small....but just know, I thought
about it.
First up in the "zucchini isn't boring" series is courtesy of Nick, who suggested "why don't you bread it in some of your almond stuff." He's so smart. If I'd had parmesan and tomato sauce at the time I likely would have gone even further and made Zucchini Parmesan. But I didn't. Add that to the "pending dinners" list.
"Breaded" Zucchini
These are an excellent way to get some good, filling fats into your meal while excitifying your veggies!
Ingredients
First up in the "zucchini isn't boring" series is courtesy of Nick, who suggested "why don't you bread it in some of your almond stuff." He's so smart. If I'd had parmesan and tomato sauce at the time I likely would have gone even further and made Zucchini Parmesan. But I didn't. Add that to the "pending dinners" list.
"Breaded" Zucchini
These are an excellent way to get some good, filling fats into your meal while excitifying your veggies!
Ingredients
- zucchini
- handful of almond flour
- 1 egg
- salt, pepper, and herbs if you want (I used a bit of oregano)
- olive or coconut oil
- Slice the zucchini with the slices as even in thickness as possible
- Heat your pan with olive oil or coconut oil
- Whisk the egg in a bowl
- Put the almond flour in another bowl and stir in seasonings
- Dip the zucchini slices in the egg and then in the flour mixture (both sides)
- Fry until the almond flour starts to brown and then flip, less than 5 minutes each side I'd say. Watch the almond doesn't burn. The zucchini doesn't take long to cook so you're just getting the batter to your desired toastiness.
- Serve plain or with tomato sauce (and parmesan if that's your scene)
Monday, 30 April 2012
Double Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
I know it may appear as though I've been a total slacker in the writing department, but I promise that just isn't so! I've been spending my evenings interviewing top athletes competing in the CrossFit Games Canada East Regionals and writing up their profiles (in return for actual monies!!). It's supercool to be involved and to have the chance to give some much deserved recognition to amazing athletes like the slo-mo muscleup queen Brit Holmberg. Regionals are in Toronto May 11-13 and I highly recommend checking it out, it's going to be quite a spectacle of incredible strength and stamina including 100 lb dumbell snatches with One Arm. In.Sane. I'll be the one in the MEDIA shirt standing at the finish line with a tub of icecream ;)
To make up for my absence of late, I offer you COOKIES! If you're wondering why there are only two on the plate instead of the 30 that I made, it's because I ate the rest (well, I shared the rest at a potluck, but probably ate more than my share) before realizing with two left that I should probably take a picture and consider ermeging from my blogging hibernation.
Double Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are a modification of Elana's chocolate chip cookies (notice that there were only 3 on the plate in her photo!). I subbed coconut oil for grapeseed oil in her recipe, which gives them a nice coconut flavour (you could do clarified butter instead), and I subbed honey for agave (next time I'm trying coconut sugar, I just forgot it existed this time).
Ingredients
ATTENTION: YOU ARE NOT DONE!
7. This is the most important part and turns the normal sogginess of almond flour cookies into proper cookie crispiness. Once the cookies are mostly cooled, stick them back in the oven for another 3 minutes or so. Watch them closely so they don't burn, and take them out when they start to get dark edges like in the picture. You may have a row of cookies that are already browned (if your oven is like mine, it'll be the back row). Leave these ones out.
If you're skeptical about the last part, consider the difference between toasted nuts and non-toasted. Exactly.
To make up for my absence of late, I offer you COOKIES! If you're wondering why there are only two on the plate instead of the 30 that I made, it's because I ate the rest (well, I shared the rest at a potluck, but probably ate more than my share) before realizing with two left that I should probably take a picture and consider ermeging from my blogging hibernation.
Double Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are a modification of Elana's chocolate chip cookies (notice that there were only 3 on the plate in her photo!). I subbed coconut oil for grapeseed oil in her recipe, which gives them a nice coconut flavour (you could do clarified butter instead), and I subbed honey for agave (next time I'm trying coconut sugar, I just forgot it existed this time).
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup honey (I use raw! But not as much as called for, roughly 1/3 cup)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (I used half enjoy life chocolate chips, and half chopped up dark chocolate bar)
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
- Mix wet ingredients into dry
- Form 1-inch balls and press onto a parchment paper
lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
- Cool
and serve
ATTENTION: YOU ARE NOT DONE!
7. This is the most important part and turns the normal sogginess of almond flour cookies into proper cookie crispiness. Once the cookies are mostly cooled, stick them back in the oven for another 3 minutes or so. Watch them closely so they don't burn, and take them out when they start to get dark edges like in the picture. You may have a row of cookies that are already browned (if your oven is like mine, it'll be the back row). Leave these ones out.
If you're skeptical about the last part, consider the difference between toasted nuts and non-toasted. Exactly.
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Learning to love your leafy greens
 |
| Chicken thighs with kale |
Holy crap I love kale. But before I get to the leafy greens...
I went to a stats course this week for work, and lunch was provided. I made the mistake of checking "gluten free" as a dietary restriction when I registered, and was presented with a platter of "sanwiches" made with gluten free bread. It. Is. Terrible. It has the taste and texture of styrofoam, the stuff doesn't even bend. If you've been scared away from trying to make your own paleo bread because of a traumatic experience with this sort of stuff, I urge you to give it a try. The recipes from Elana's Pantry are much, much better.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the gluten free sandwiches were also vegetarian. Us paleo folk ended up ravaging the regular sandwiches and gutting them for their protein-filled innards. Next time, I'm going to click "other" and ask them to bring me a plate of meat.
So I haven't posted in a while, because I've been occupied writing profiles for the CrossFit Games mainsite! It is MUCH harder to write about someone else and try to accurately convey their thoughts; I'm used to writing about myself, and spewing my stream of concoiusness, uncensored. But it's been a neat experience so far, I've had the chance to talk to some pretty neat-o crossfitters. I'll probably post some sort of sum up of the Games Open at some point when I'm feeling more profound.
 |
| Pecan and coconut crusted tilapia with chard and bacon |
Greens. I used to hate them with a burning passion (except lettuce, which I now think is a bit of a snore. Except arugula...arugula is a badass lettuce). But now, I eat some sort of leafy green probably twice/week, and since I've sort of figured out the preparation process, I actually enjoy them! So this is a compliation of my process with various tips and options based on the green of choice.
I will preface with a link of why leafy greens are worth learning to love
Oh So Good Leafy Greens
It took me 2 or 3 tries with each kind of green to make them actually tasty and not just edible. Probably you'll just have to give it a try yourself, and probably it will be too squishy or too tough or otherwise not quite right the first time, but here's a place to start. If you don't love them right away, don't give up. I had to force myself through several iterations of greens at first, but now I actually look forward to them!
1. Pick a green! Kale is my most favouritest. I also often make collard greens and sometimes chard. Chard is more bitter than the rest, and requires bacon to help with that (Nick's mom's idea!).
2. Heat up your pan with olive and/or coconut oil (for kale or collards). Chard option: chop up a package of bacon and fry up the pieces until crispy. Set aside the bacon and leave enough fat for your chard.
3. Meanwhile, tear the leaves from the stems (kale or collard) or chop up the whole thing (chard) into a strainer and rinse. Don't shake off too much water, the water will help steam the greens.
4. Dump the greens into the pan. It will seem like they won't fit, just pile them in anyway.
5. Stir (or really it's more of a toss) the leaves to coat with oil. When they've cooked down enough that you can fit the lid on the pan, put the lid on. Let steam for 2 or 3 minutes.
6. Add stuff. For kale and collards I add raisins and sesame seeds, and a little bit of sesame oil. I also sometimes put a bit of salt and garlic powder, depending on my mood and the saltiness/garlicness of the rest of my meal. For chard I put the bacon back in (I leave some of the bacon out for breakfasts the rest of the week!), and add garlic powder.
7. Assess your greens. They will turn bright green as they start to cook, then get darker. After I've added stuff, I check how squishy they look. If they look a bit too squishy (too much water) I leave the lid off, and if they look a bit dry I leave it on to keep in the moisture. Cook some more.
8. Taste for doneness as you go along, stirring regularly. Kale and collards will take 10-15 minutes for the whole process. Chard takes longer.
 |
| Sausage and roasted sweet potato chips with collard greens |
1. All greens are better fresh. If you leave them in the fridge for too long before cooking they will end up chewy.
2. Don't try to eat the stems of kale. The stems of chard are good though and get a bit mushy like rhubarb.
3. Sometimes I let the kale overcook and it ends up kind of crispy like kale chips.
4. The raisins really balance the flavour, I think, and steaming them with the greens makes them all plump. You can also add pinenuts or almond slivers, among other things (as a garnish, so they don't get soggy).
(5. Sometimes, when feeling indulgent, I fry some diced potatoes to add back in with the chard and bacon. But don't tell the person who write's this blog, as it would be a bit contradictory, given the title)
Monday, 12 March 2012
Lessons from the games open: On disappointment and (not) meeting goals
WOD 3:
18 minutes of
15 boxjumps (24", 20")
12 pushpress (115/75 lbs)
9 toes to bar.
I finished the rather gruelling 18 minutes not feeling terribly happy, and very disappointed with my score. I went in expecting that I should be able to get at least 6 rounds, and was pushing myself to hit 7. Alas, the workout contained toes to bar......my conquered nemisis from last year came back to haunt me, and I found myself failing to complete reps (within an inch of the bar!) many (many, many) times in a row. I wasted at leats a minute trying to get one rep, and ended up 9 toes to bar short of 6 rounds. Displeased. And as I spoke to others who had completed the workout, it seemed like more of us were disappointed than were satisfied. So, I'm writing this post in an effort to turn the whole debacle into something positive, and hopefully by the end I'll have reminded myself of what's really important.
Sometimes there's an obvious explanation for why you haven't met your goal. Insufficient sleep/food/water/recovery, for instance. Sometimes you're just not feeling strong that day, and sometimes the atmosphere isn't right. But what do you do when all of these things seem to be lined up properly and you still don't manage what you expected of yourself? Here's some things I've been pondering:
Was your goal reasonable for you?
More specifically, did you set your goal based on where you are now in your training, and what you should reasonably be able to accomplish, or did you set your goal based on someone else's goal or score. Comparing myself to someone else is something I struggle with a lot. While I do find it motivating during a daily WOD to pick someone near to my level to "race" (it keeps me from slacking), it's easy to find yourself becoming frustrated when you don't beat that person. This frustration can prevent you from recognizing whatever improvements you've made since last time. Maybe you knocked a minute off of your fran time, or maybe you just completed 2 extra reps without putting down the bar. Either way, as long as you're beating your previous self, you've achieved something.
Look at the bigger picture
First of all, I'm grateful that I am able to compete. There are many of our members dealing with injuries and unable to do even that, which is certainly more frustrating than me missing 9 toes to bar. Second, if you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else, consider that it's much more satisfying (and productive!) to compare yourself to you. How far have you come? Look back in your journal (if you don't keep one, go get one right now, and start using it!) and remind yourself of where you were last year, last month, or even just last week. While I was disappointed with my score, everyone else's reaction was "That's awesome, you couldn't do toes to bar at all last year, and you just did 5 rounds of them!" And they were completely right. I've achieved a million and one goals over the last year, most of which I had never even thought to set for myself because they seemed so unatainable (I never even fathomed that I'd be one of those people whose thighs don't rub together when they walk. Seriously cool).
Don't define yourself in terms of what you aren't
I often catch myself referring to all of the things I can't do, or didn't do, and I often hear others speak of themselves in this way as well. Whenever this happens I try to remind myself of what I can do (as per the previous point), and think of everything else as things I just haven't mastered yet. Which brings us to the next point...
Learn from your weaknesses
One thing that can be said about the open is that it reveals your weaknesses. You can't skip going that day because you don't like burpees, and you can't "just pretend" you did the rep properly. Instead of being discouraged, make a list of stuff you suck at, and practice it. Do something measurable now, and test yourself again in a month to hold yourself accountable. I learned from this workout that I need to practice not putting down / letting go of the bar so often. That and I need to link toes to bar....they're obnoxiously slow with that extra swing in between...
Remember why you're actually here
At the end of the day, I do crossfit to feel good, to improve my health, and to look good naked (let's be honest). I love crossfit because it helps me achieve all these things while atually having fun (once the WOD is over, at least!) with really cool people. When I was feeling disappointed this weekend my manfriend reminded me that I'd appealed to you all to sign up for the games, regardless of skill or fitness level, to have fun, and to challenge yourself to achieve new things. Sulking about my score is not fun. So I'm going to stop doing that. I plan for WODs 4 and 5 to worry a little less, to allow myself to enjoy the experience, and try my best to compare myself to me only.
Sunday GAMES WOD day at our gym is an electric atmosphere full of effort, achievement, and unconditional support from all of our peers. I'm super excited for all of the milestones that I see my friends achieving (in particular, I can now pass my "first toes to bar during the games" crown to Carrie!). It would be a shame to miss out on the excitement over a few missed reps. After all, it's just a workout!
18 minutes of
15 boxjumps (24", 20")
12 pushpress (115/75 lbs)
9 toes to bar.
I finished the rather gruelling 18 minutes not feeling terribly happy, and very disappointed with my score. I went in expecting that I should be able to get at least 6 rounds, and was pushing myself to hit 7. Alas, the workout contained toes to bar......my conquered nemisis from last year came back to haunt me, and I found myself failing to complete reps (within an inch of the bar!) many (many, many) times in a row. I wasted at leats a minute trying to get one rep, and ended up 9 toes to bar short of 6 rounds. Displeased. And as I spoke to others who had completed the workout, it seemed like more of us were disappointed than were satisfied. So, I'm writing this post in an effort to turn the whole debacle into something positive, and hopefully by the end I'll have reminded myself of what's really important.
Sometimes there's an obvious explanation for why you haven't met your goal. Insufficient sleep/food/water/recovery, for instance. Sometimes you're just not feeling strong that day, and sometimes the atmosphere isn't right. But what do you do when all of these things seem to be lined up properly and you still don't manage what you expected of yourself? Here's some things I've been pondering:
Was your goal reasonable for you?
More specifically, did you set your goal based on where you are now in your training, and what you should reasonably be able to accomplish, or did you set your goal based on someone else's goal or score. Comparing myself to someone else is something I struggle with a lot. While I do find it motivating during a daily WOD to pick someone near to my level to "race" (it keeps me from slacking), it's easy to find yourself becoming frustrated when you don't beat that person. This frustration can prevent you from recognizing whatever improvements you've made since last time. Maybe you knocked a minute off of your fran time, or maybe you just completed 2 extra reps without putting down the bar. Either way, as long as you're beating your previous self, you've achieved something.
Look at the bigger picture
First of all, I'm grateful that I am able to compete. There are many of our members dealing with injuries and unable to do even that, which is certainly more frustrating than me missing 9 toes to bar. Second, if you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else, consider that it's much more satisfying (and productive!) to compare yourself to you. How far have you come? Look back in your journal (if you don't keep one, go get one right now, and start using it!) and remind yourself of where you were last year, last month, or even just last week. While I was disappointed with my score, everyone else's reaction was "That's awesome, you couldn't do toes to bar at all last year, and you just did 5 rounds of them!" And they were completely right. I've achieved a million and one goals over the last year, most of which I had never even thought to set for myself because they seemed so unatainable (I never even fathomed that I'd be one of those people whose thighs don't rub together when they walk. Seriously cool).
Don't define yourself in terms of what you aren't
I often catch myself referring to all of the things I can't do, or didn't do, and I often hear others speak of themselves in this way as well. Whenever this happens I try to remind myself of what I can do (as per the previous point), and think of everything else as things I just haven't mastered yet. Which brings us to the next point...
Learn from your weaknesses
One thing that can be said about the open is that it reveals your weaknesses. You can't skip going that day because you don't like burpees, and you can't "just pretend" you did the rep properly. Instead of being discouraged, make a list of stuff you suck at, and practice it. Do something measurable now, and test yourself again in a month to hold yourself accountable. I learned from this workout that I need to practice not putting down / letting go of the bar so often. That and I need to link toes to bar....they're obnoxiously slow with that extra swing in between...
Remember why you're actually here
At the end of the day, I do crossfit to feel good, to improve my health, and to look good naked (let's be honest). I love crossfit because it helps me achieve all these things while atually having fun (once the WOD is over, at least!) with really cool people. When I was feeling disappointed this weekend my manfriend reminded me that I'd appealed to you all to sign up for the games, regardless of skill or fitness level, to have fun, and to challenge yourself to achieve new things. Sulking about my score is not fun. So I'm going to stop doing that. I plan for WODs 4 and 5 to worry a little less, to allow myself to enjoy the experience, and try my best to compare myself to me only.
Sunday GAMES WOD day at our gym is an electric atmosphere full of effort, achievement, and unconditional support from all of our peers. I'm super excited for all of the milestones that I see my friends achieving (in particular, I can now pass my "first toes to bar during the games" crown to Carrie!). It would be a shame to miss out on the excitement over a few missed reps. After all, it's just a workout!
Monday, 5 March 2012
Super simple "cream" of mushroom soup (with Chicken!)
As a brief aside before the food part, I don't have anything particularly wise to say about games wod #2. I do however wish to point out all of the most excellent efforts that went on at my gym. The plethora of people getting new max snatches under pressure was amazing. This was just the reason I was encouraging everyone to participate! so many people ended up surpassing their own expectations and, as usual, the support from everyone was outstanding. The atmosphere on games day is my favourite thing about the whole process :) Now if only someone could give me a cure for my compulsion to check the leaderboard constantly. Also, if someone could maybe go back in time and tell me to go to olympic lifting classes a bit more regularly so I could do a 100 lb snatch that would be super.
So food.
My mom used to make this tasty dish where she threw rice, porkchops, and cream of mushroom soup in a casserole dish in the oven. I had a craving for it last week and decided to try my own version. I didn't have a recipe so there was a large risk of wasting a can of coconut milk and two chicken breasts, not to mention being left without edible dinner, but it turned out splendidly. The coconut milk as a substitute for cream was not too coconutty, as I'd feared it might be, and the mushroom flavour was lovely.
"Cream" of mushroom soup with Chicken (and possibly "rice")
The prep for this is really quick, but you do have to leave it in the oven for a while. If I'd had more prep time I would have added cauliflower rice to the casserole but I was in a hurry.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless (I think porkchops would also be yummy)
1 can coconut milk (and equal part water)
lots of mushrooms (I used cremini)
green pepper (or red, or some other vegetable you think might taste good)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic and onion powder, also to taste
green onions (would have added them if I'd had any)
cauliflower, riced (optional)
1. In a casserole dish, mix the coconut milk and water (less or more water depending how thick you like your soup). Use a dish of a size that the chicken/chops will be covered by liquid.
2. Chop up the mushrooms and green peppers and add to the casserole
3. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir it up and add the chicken breasts.
4. If you want "rice", mulch up your cauliflower and add it too. I haven't made the dish with the cauliflower rice before, so I'm not sure about how much to add to keep the liquid ratio optimal. I think it would taste lovely though. Let me know if you try it!
5. Bake at about 350 for 30-40 minutes depending how thick your meat pieces are.
6. I think some green onions would garnish the dish nicely, but I had none.
So food.
"Cream" of mushroom soup with Chicken (and possibly "rice")
The prep for this is really quick, but you do have to leave it in the oven for a while. If I'd had more prep time I would have added cauliflower rice to the casserole but I was in a hurry.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless (I think porkchops would also be yummy)
1 can coconut milk (and equal part water)
lots of mushrooms (I used cremini)
green pepper (or red, or some other vegetable you think might taste good)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic and onion powder, also to taste
green onions (would have added them if I'd had any)
cauliflower, riced (optional)
1. In a casserole dish, mix the coconut milk and water (less or more water depending how thick you like your soup). Use a dish of a size that the chicken/chops will be covered by liquid.
2. Chop up the mushrooms and green peppers and add to the casserole
3. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir it up and add the chicken breasts.
4. If you want "rice", mulch up your cauliflower and add it too. I haven't made the dish with the cauliflower rice before, so I'm not sure about how much to add to keep the liquid ratio optimal. I think it would taste lovely though. Let me know if you try it!
5. Bake at about 350 for 30-40 minutes depending how thick your meat pieces are.
6. I think some green onions would garnish the dish nicely, but I had none.
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