Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Cheating
We're in Week 2 of the "I Am CrossFit" Challenge, and for the most part, I'm doing quite well. I've lost a pound, am feeling a little tighter and even got a couple comments on my "toned" arms yesterday! YES!!!
Food wise, I haven't really cheated... unless you count the mac and cheese from Smoque I might have nibbled on at my church picnic on Sunday afternoon... But honestly? In 9 days? When you're used to eating however you want, whenever you want?? I'd say that one little mac and cheese incident isn't worth fretting about. I could have done much more damage in 9 days time.
Now, tonight I got to thinking. If I could cheat right now, if I really wanted to cheat right now, what would I cheat with? There was what seemed like a banquet table-full of food choices that came to mind, but a few things rose to the top for sure...
First up, the Quattro Staggioni pizza from Quartino. Artichokes! Roasted red pepper! Mushrooms! Zucchini! All on top of a thin, delicious crust!!!! Oh my goodness, it is so good yall. If you've had it, you know. If you haven't, go. Now. (PS, Quartino also has half-priced wine bottles when you get them to go!)
Second, strawberry cheesecake ice cream from Windy City Sweets. Now, if you recall, this was my indulgence of choice after "the incident" so apparently it's my go-to for self-pity. It has real strawberry tracks. And chunks of graham cracker crust. I think my mouth... yeah... my mouth just started watering.
Third, peanut and peanut butter M&Ms. Alternating, of course. And they count as one food since they're basically the same thing. No picture or description needed - obviously - because they're amazing.
Fourth choice, stromboli. This is a family recipe that my mom taught me to make years ago. It's pepperoni and ham rolled up in cheesy, bready goodness. It's a boyfriend-pleaser too, which is always nice. Here's a pic... not the best one, but you get the idea, and I bet you want me to make it for you.
Last, but most certainly not least, I would want a huge brownie. Nothing special, just the kind that you make from a Betty Crocker mix. It would still be a little bit gooey, and I would want ice cream piled up on top of it (specifically Edy's Slow-Churned French Silk). YUMMMM! Either that or about 3 Skillet Cookies from Gaslight.
Now if only all my favorite "Cheats" existed in some form of Paleo form, that would be awesome. If anyone has ideas on that, let me know. And feel free to share what YOU'D eat to cheat.
Food wise, I haven't really cheated... unless you count the mac and cheese from Smoque I might have nibbled on at my church picnic on Sunday afternoon... But honestly? In 9 days? When you're used to eating however you want, whenever you want?? I'd say that one little mac and cheese incident isn't worth fretting about. I could have done much more damage in 9 days time.
Now, tonight I got to thinking. If I could cheat right now, if I really wanted to cheat right now, what would I cheat with? There was what seemed like a banquet table-full of food choices that came to mind, but a few things rose to the top for sure...
First up, the Quattro Staggioni pizza from Quartino. Artichokes! Roasted red pepper! Mushrooms! Zucchini! All on top of a thin, delicious crust!!!! Oh my goodness, it is so good yall. If you've had it, you know. If you haven't, go. Now. (PS, Quartino also has half-priced wine bottles when you get them to go!)
Second, strawberry cheesecake ice cream from Windy City Sweets. Now, if you recall, this was my indulgence of choice after "the incident" so apparently it's my go-to for self-pity. It has real strawberry tracks. And chunks of graham cracker crust. I think my mouth... yeah... my mouth just started watering.
Third, peanut and peanut butter M&Ms. Alternating, of course. And they count as one food since they're basically the same thing. No picture or description needed - obviously - because they're amazing.
Fourth choice, stromboli. This is a family recipe that my mom taught me to make years ago. It's pepperoni and ham rolled up in cheesy, bready goodness. It's a boyfriend-pleaser too, which is always nice. Here's a pic... not the best one, but you get the idea, and I bet you want me to make it for you.
Last, but most certainly not least, I would want a huge brownie. Nothing special, just the kind that you make from a Betty Crocker mix. It would still be a little bit gooey, and I would want ice cream piled up on top of it (specifically Edy's Slow-Churned French Silk). YUMMMM! Either that or about 3 Skillet Cookies from Gaslight.
Now if only all my favorite "Cheats" existed in some form of Paleo form, that would be awesome. If anyone has ideas on that, let me know. And feel free to share what YOU'D eat to cheat.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
All the single... ladies?
Someone at my old gym (Fitness Formula on Halsted St.) took this video of a dude - gay fo' sho - doing the "Single Ladies" dance mid treadmill workout. Man am I sorry I missed it.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Nutrition Lecture @ Atlas
Everyone is invited to tomorrow night's Nutrition Lecture here at Atlas, which will cover the basics of both the Paleo and Zone lifestyles. The lecture starts at 6:30 and will be led by Jen. Jen's SUPER knowledgeable when it comes to food and nutrition, and loves sharing that knowledge with people who are eager to learn. I'm a huge nerd for this stuff, and can't wait for tomorrow night!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Proof that food can be delicious AND healthy!
THIS website is one of my favorites. It's a great resource for recipes and food info, including a great little blurb on Splenda yesterday. Very timely, since Jen and I both decided (independently) to give it up.
Today's recipe caught my eye because of the drool-inducing photo. Are those lamb kabobs gorgeous or what!? I'd love to cook those up at some point this weekend... Maria (author of Dialed-In) says they're delicious, and I definitely believe her. I'm seriously licking my chops right now.
Today's recipe caught my eye because of the drool-inducing photo. Are those lamb kabobs gorgeous or what!? I'd love to cook those up at some point this weekend... Maria (author of Dialed-In) says they're delicious, and I definitely believe her. I'm seriously licking my chops right now.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Back in the Windy City
I got back from my 10-day trip yesterday afternoon, and am ready to hit the ground running. A quick recap...
The Level 1 cert was amazing. I felt like such a dork, being totally high on CrossFit and ready to conquer the world one squat at a time. The coaches/instructors were amazing, I made some great CrossFit friends from all over the world, and I learned so much more than I thought I would. Highlights include winning the team WOD (team Fran) with my six-girl powerhouse, perfecting my "active shoulders," meeting CrossFit celebs and of course, receiving my Level 1 Instructor certificate after acing my test. If any of you have the opportunity to attend a Level 1 cert, I highly recommend it.
The Kids Cert was also quite the experience. In addition to learning coaching cues for kids - like Oompa Loompa, "angry gorilla" and Superman - we got to watch Preschool, Kids and Teens classes. Those kids move better than a lot of adults I've seen; they're just so fluid, flexible and confident. Seeing a 3-year-old girl squat, a 7-year-old boy do 24" box jumps and 16-year-old dude do rep after rep of 155# squat cleans is nothing short of amazing (and entertaining). I'm so excited to recruit kids and train them up to be amazing CrossFitters. So, if you know of any kids ages 3-18, send them my way!
Wedding weekend was absolutely amazing. Action-packed and crazy, but amazing. I'm so happy for my sister... she's now married to her best friend, and I couldn't be more excited to see how her future unfolds with Patrick. I'm also a little jealous, as they're honeymooning at Zoetry in the Dominican Republic right now. I've been a bit sleep-deprived for the past 10 days, and laying on a beach sounds like heaven. Then again, it's really good to be back in Chicago and back at Atlas. I don't think I've ever said that about a job before, but I honestly love working here and spending my day with such fun, passionate and driven people.
Update on the Zone... I was really good and strict until I got to Memphis. Then it was time for a bachelorette party, bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal dinner, reception and celebratory brunch, all of which included amazing food that definitely exceeded my daily block allowance. My favorite foods of the weekend were: the rehearsal dinner steak that melted in my mouth, a veggie salad that we had at the bridesmaid luncheon (pretty sure I can make this recipe Zone-friendly) and of course, wedding cake. Allie had a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting that was A-MA-ZING. We had the leftover cake at my parents house, so I might have had a little for breakfast Sunday, snack Sunday and breakfast Monday. I have a weakness for sweets, especially cake. I am admitting this only to stay accountable to my readers (which is probably just Jen at this point), and to show you that it's okay to cheat. I knew that I had a big food weekend coming up, so in preparation, I was very strict and stuck to my block plan. And now that the weekend is over, I'm back on that plan, and anxious to feel as good as I felt before the wedding.
Pictures from California and the wedding to come...
The Level 1 cert was amazing. I felt like such a dork, being totally high on CrossFit and ready to conquer the world one squat at a time. The coaches/instructors were amazing, I made some great CrossFit friends from all over the world, and I learned so much more than I thought I would. Highlights include winning the team WOD (team Fran) with my six-girl powerhouse, perfecting my "active shoulders," meeting CrossFit celebs and of course, receiving my Level 1 Instructor certificate after acing my test. If any of you have the opportunity to attend a Level 1 cert, I highly recommend it.
The Kids Cert was also quite the experience. In addition to learning coaching cues for kids - like Oompa Loompa, "angry gorilla" and Superman - we got to watch Preschool, Kids and Teens classes. Those kids move better than a lot of adults I've seen; they're just so fluid, flexible and confident. Seeing a 3-year-old girl squat, a 7-year-old boy do 24" box jumps and 16-year-old dude do rep after rep of 155# squat cleans is nothing short of amazing (and entertaining). I'm so excited to recruit kids and train them up to be amazing CrossFitters. So, if you know of any kids ages 3-18, send them my way!
Wedding weekend was absolutely amazing. Action-packed and crazy, but amazing. I'm so happy for my sister... she's now married to her best friend, and I couldn't be more excited to see how her future unfolds with Patrick. I'm also a little jealous, as they're honeymooning at Zoetry in the Dominican Republic right now. I've been a bit sleep-deprived for the past 10 days, and laying on a beach sounds like heaven. Then again, it's really good to be back in Chicago and back at Atlas. I don't think I've ever said that about a job before, but I honestly love working here and spending my day with such fun, passionate and driven people.
Update on the Zone... I was really good and strict until I got to Memphis. Then it was time for a bachelorette party, bridesmaid luncheon, rehearsal dinner, reception and celebratory brunch, all of which included amazing food that definitely exceeded my daily block allowance. My favorite foods of the weekend were: the rehearsal dinner steak that melted in my mouth, a veggie salad that we had at the bridesmaid luncheon (pretty sure I can make this recipe Zone-friendly) and of course, wedding cake. Allie had a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting that was A-MA-ZING. We had the leftover cake at my parents house, so I might have had a little for breakfast Sunday, snack Sunday and breakfast Monday. I have a weakness for sweets, especially cake. I am admitting this only to stay accountable to my readers (which is probably just Jen at this point), and to show you that it's okay to cheat. I knew that I had a big food weekend coming up, so in preparation, I was very strict and stuck to my block plan. And now that the weekend is over, I'm back on that plan, and anxious to feel as good as I felt before the wedding.
Pictures from California and the wedding to come...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Getting Cert'd
I'm in southern Cali until Wednesday getting my Level 1 and CFKids certs. I'm so excited! Today is day 1 (of 4), though I got in yesterday morning and was able to spend some time cruisin around the San Diego area and laying on the beach in La Jolla. I also found a couple houses that I'd like to have. Not buy - because I probably can't afford them yet - but if someone wants to give them to me, that would be perfect.
My certifications are at CrossFit Brand X in Ramona, about 45 minutes west, so I've got a nice little drive ahead of me. Then it's off to Corona Del Mar to hook up with Jen for a relaxing night in our house on the beach!
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