It's Hippo To Be Square

Its Monday morning yet again. The sun is shinning, the birds are chirping and I feel a good week coming on. It's my first week of summer vacation and it is much needed.I am excited to be hitting it hard in the gym and getting my diet back on point. This week I chose to go with the color purple. I love this shade because its not an obnoxious purple. Some shades of purple are just to much for me. I added some silver polka dots to my ring finger as well to add some sparkle.  Here is a tutorial on how to make your own dotting tool. I used the tip of a bobby pin for mine. It didn't turn out as neat as I would have liked. The dotting tool works a lot better. I picked up this shade from Sephora its called " It's Hippo to be square."

 LOVE IT!

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Strong [Wo]man Sunday!

Strong man Sunday was a blast! I got to work with yolks, stones, logs and sleds today. I am tired as hell now but it felt great to get it in. I hit 3 new PR's (even after all I drank this weekend). I'm excited to start hitting it hard again.

 

Workout

1-1-1-1-1
 Clean and jerk with log (worked up to 125 lbs) **PR
1-1-1-1-1
Clean with fat bar (Worked up to 120 lbs) **PR
4 rounds 
50m OH yolk carry
50m  Front Zercher Carry
2 sled pulls with 90 lbs.(100m)
Body weight stone lifts for reps
Tabata Abs: L sits, Planks, Butterfly sit ups

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Method

1 Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with wax paper

2 In large bowl, melt Coconut oil. Add Agave, beaten egg and vanilla.

3 Mix almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and all spice together in medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture. Stir in raisins and oats.

4 Spoon out dough by large tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.

5 Bake forl 7-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Then carefully remove them, using a metal spatula, to a wire rack. Cool completely. 

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Blue Agave Maple Waffles

Ingredients 

- 1 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
- ¼ Cup Almond Milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tsp. Celtic Sea Salt- 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 Tbs. Cinnamon
- 2 Tbs. Amber Agave
- 2 Tbs. Blue Maple Agave
- Coconut Oil

Step 1.) Wisk eggs until frothy

Step 2.) Mix almond flour, almond milk, salt,
baking soda, cinnamon,amber agave and
blue maple agave in blender

Step 3.) Grease waffle iron with coconut oil

Step 4.) Pour batter into waffle iron and cook for about 3 min

Step 5.) Peal waffle out with butter knife
Step 6.) Cut desired fruit and sprinkle over waffles
Step 7.) Pour blue agave maple syrup over waffles to taste

We celebrated Adams 24th birthday this Thursday so I decided to make him Paleo Waffles for his birthday breakfast (Along with a beer).It was my first time ever making waffles and they turned out pretty damn good. I modified a recipe I found online to make it "Paleo" friendly.

 Make sure your waffle Iron is greased well, otherwise it will be really hard to get the waffles out. The first few were not the prettiest. He was  a happy camper after this meal. We even made them the next morning. :D

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The Chocolate Cranberry Cookie

I hope you all will enjoy this lovely little cookie. Adam and I love these things. Its not hard at all for us to finish off a whole plate of these suckers in one sitting. WARNING: Very addictive! They are a nice healthy substitute for regular cookies. You can also use the enjoy life chocolate chips. I normally use them but Publix was out. They are gluten, wheat, dairy, nut and soy free. Just remember, just because they are a healthier substitute does not mean they are 'good' for you. Still treat them as a cookie (meaning don't eat the whole plate) ;)
Enjoy!

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Color of The Week: Pink Lace

Happy Monday everyone.

 Hope your day is magnificent!  After a rough weekend I chose a calming pink for this weeks Color of The Week. I love this color. Its one of my favorites- and of course its pink ;)

Finals are this week and instead of studying I found myself out and about with the boyfriend over the weekend. Not only did I consume to much alcohol and eat crappy foods I also managed to wreak my car. No, I was not drinking and driving. It was early Friday and an awesome way to start my weekend. No one was hurt except for my car. :( I felt crappy most of the weekend and had no motivation to study. It is now Monday.Time to get back on track. I should be stressed out because I wasted precious study time and now only have limited time, but no worries. No need to bring unnecessary stress into the new week. Hope you all had a better weekend than I did. 

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French Toast Smoothie

This is an awesome recipe. If you like a more maple-y flavor you can add more maple agave.  I don't like to use a lot of it because it is high in carbohydrates. However, the more maple agave you put in the more it taste like french toast. I would save this recipe for a post workout smoothie. Its great if you get your WODS in the morning. I hope you enjoy!

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Mashed Cauliflower

Cauliflower is low in fat and low in carbohydrates. It is also high in dietary fiber and vitamin C possessing a nutrient dense veggie. I love cauliflower because you can do so many different things with it. I don't eat plain white potatoes so I substitute cauliflower mash for mashed potatoes. Since I have switched, I really don't even notice the difference. Give it a try!!

I added some green onions and paired it with a steak. Yum :D You can add anything you would to regular mashed potatoes. I am addicted to these now and the great thing is i'm guilt free!

Step 1: Steam cauliflower on med heat for about 30 min
Step 2: Chop up steamed cauliflower and place into food processor (I used my ninja)
Step 3: Add salt and pepper and any other spices you prefer. I also pour some clarified butter into the mix.
Step 4: Blend until the consistency of mashed potatoes. If you like them really smooth just keep blending them until they are the way you like it.

YUMMY!! :D

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Cinnamon Swirl Protein Shake

 Protein shakes are the best! This recipe (along with many others- I will post them soon) helped me get through my "protein shake challenge". For 2 weeks I was only consuming protein shakes and 1 meal per day. I was taking in 21g of protein 6 times a day in form of shakes. I was also taking in about 30g of carbs on rest days and 50g on workout days. My one meal was very low carb and high in fats, usually consisting of a burger patty and green beans. It helped keep me full throughout the night. It was a good challenge and I had good results from it. I like to do mental challenges every once in a while. I wouldn't even really call this one a challenge because it was like having dessert everyday!

P.S
(I used the Elite Gourmet protein which has 4g of carbs. Check out all their yummy flavors!)  

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Weekend at the Playground

My Hash-brown's Powerlifting meet.

(A.K.A The BF)

This past weekend Adam and I went down to Fort Lauderdale for his Powerlifting meet at The Playground gym. Most of the drive down he could only eat boiled chicken we packed and distilled water. JOY! When he gets hungry its best if I just keep to myself, if you know what I mean. But to my surprise he did very well. Towards the end of the night Adam and his buddy were no longer able to take in anything. Not even water! Trying to cut weight quick-looks like fun. In the end it was worth it. He got 1st place in his weight class and 3rd overall with a 1600 lb. total. NICE! This was my first time ever watching him compete and I had a great time. It made me want to compete. When you have something to train for it makes your workouts mean something. Even if its something small like a 5k race. Competition is good for the soul. I will be finding something to compete in. Maybe I will host a potato sack race...

What keeps you motivated? Competition or something else?



Back in the gym:

3x3 Box squats (175 lbs)
3x5 Sumo deadlifts (175 lbs)
3x5 Strict press (65 lbs)

3x3 weighted chin ups @ 35 lbs.
(I got 2 at 55 lbs. HELLS YEAH)

3x3 weighted dips @ 35 lbs.
3x 15 RDLS (2 55 lb Kettle bells)

WOD:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
KBS
Burpees

8:46- not very impressive. BOO!

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Color of the week: Hot Pink

Color of the week:

Its Monday morning, the beginning of a new week. My hands are cracked, dry and my nails are left with specks of mint green. No worries though, because it is Monday-Mani Monday ;).

Its always funny to see the manicurist's reaction to my hands. I have calluses on my hands an inch thick, my skin is dry from the cornucopia amounts of chalk I use during my WODs. They pick at my skin like WTF does this girl do. Being a female CrossFitter its hard to keep your hands "girly".  Lets just say by Monday, my hands are begging for some love.

So I sit in the chair as they wash away the remains of the previous week. My hands are shaved down, my cuticles cut and my nails are left with a new shiny color for the start a new week. Whats your color for this week?

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Kelp Noodles

I have been eating Paleo for about a year and a half now. Anyone living this lifestyle knows that finding something that is similar to noodles is a challenge. Spaghetti squash does the job but the texture is not quite the same. I recently discovered Kelp noodles, and they are  just like real noodles! They are great because they are very low in carbs and calories. They are also nearly flavorless so they work well in salads, hot soups, etc. You can eat them raw or boiled. I usually boil them to make them soft and moist because the texture is more crunchy raw.Kelp noodles are made of only kelp (a sea vegetable), sodium alginate (sodium salt extract from a brown seaweed), and water. They are fat-free, gluten-free and a great alternative to pasta and rice noodles. So next time you are craving any kind of pasta, just grab some guilt free kelp noodles and enjoy!! :D

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Yes, I will have my breakfast stacked!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I love eggs and bacon and sausage and spinach and tomatoes and pancakes and well, you get the idea. Sometimes i'm in a hurry and I don't feel like getting very creative. Im not a big fan of plain eggs. I like stuff scrambled into them or baked into them. The other morning we were out of bacon and I didn't have all the ingredients I normally use for my scrambled eggs. So I cooked up organic sausage patties (pork and salt), over hard eggs, and spinach, cut up some small tomatoes, cracked salt and pepper and stacked it. Not only did it taste great, it looked nice too. :D This is a really simple, and easy meal. You can add other ingredients too and just keep staking!

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Keep calm and blame it on PMS

“That time of the month” can be a frustrating time when going strict on a diet plan. Most women crave chocolate or something to satisfy a sweet tooth, but eating these foods can offset your major goals. Knowing what your body actually needs vs. what your body wants can be very helpful. Researchers at Flinders University in Australia determined that food cravings are partially psychological, but also a result of your body demanding nutrients. Your craving for chocolate may be your bodies’ reaction to low serotonin levels or a magnesium and/or zinc deficiency. PMS symptoms have been linked to low serotonin, zinc and magnesium levels. Chocolate is high in tryptophan which is an essential amino acid the body uses to synthesize proteins.  Your brain produces serotonin from tryptophan resulting in relaxation and a pleasant mood. Chocolate is also high in zinc, which increases serotonin production, and regulates hormone secretion. Chocolate contains high amounts of magnesium as well. The principal function of magnesium is that it enables the muscles to relax. Inadequate amounts of magnesium can cause the muscles to cramp. Make sense why we crave chocolate? Now that you know why your body is craving chocolate you can make smarter decisions during “that time of the month”.  You can feel satisfied without setting yourself back and stay on the right path to reach your goals. Here is a list of tryptophan, zinc and magnesium rich foods:

Tryptophan: Raisins, sweet potato, spinach
Zinc: Red meats, seafood and green leafy veggies
Magnesium: Raw nuts and fruit 


For other healthy substitutes for food cravings click here 

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Mani Mondays

 Sunday is traditionally regarded as the first day of the week.

Most people agree Monday is the start of the week.

I use Sunday as my day to get ready for the upcoming week. I clean my house, make sure all my laundry is done, run any last minute errands, then relax the rest of the day. As Monday makes its way to me everything is ready to start the week smoothly. But there is one thing I leave out...

What do I do for myself?

Sure all my laundry is done and I am showered so I can wake up and go. But am I ready?

  I think the more time you spend pampering yourself the better you feel, and the better you feel, the more confident you are, and the more confident you are you are more likely you are to have a positive and successful day. So why not choose something small and pamper yourself.

Monday is your day!

Go ahead pamper yourself!
Start the week  fresh and new.
Color coat your week.
Take a moment for yourself.
Learn new things.
Start Monday with a fresh new manicure.
Feel good about yourself.

After all they are just nails...

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Re-posted WOD

• STRENGTH
• 5 x 3 Weighted Chin-ups
  25-35-40-40(x2)-35(x1)
• 5 x 3 Weighted Dips
  20-25-30-35-45
• 100 walking lunges with barbell (45 lb.)
• METCON

• 2 x 15 Stiff Leg Dead Lift (two 55lb. Kettle bells) from Deficit (12" box)       
  
  

• 3 RFT (Rounds for time)
  20 "2 for 1" GHD sit ups (10 lb. ball)
  20 Jump overs (12" box)
  (6:17)
  
  (This is an old post from my old blog. I liked the detail about this WOD so I decided to re-post it)
  I hit a new PR (personal record) on my weighted chin ups and dips today. :D
  If you are not at the point to add weight to your pull ups you can substitute  5 x 3 strict body weight pull ups. Really focus on pulling hard and try to keep from kipping. If you are still not able to add weights to dips you can sub. 2 sets of "Dip Death". This is simple, do as many reps as you can with your body weight, then move on to using the least assistance band, then move up one level of assistance. Its killer and its a great way to improve strength. Make sure to rest in between sets not in between band changes.
  The lunges are a great for your glutes and hamstrings. You want to make sure your taking a long enough step so your really pulling from your hamstrings and stepping right into the next lunge. You can scale the weight to just your bodyweight  if it is too challenging. Just focus on really reaching your steps so your feet are under your knees or slightly in front of.
  The stiff leg dead lift is one of my favorite movements. I love to hate it. :) Get two 12" boxes and put your feet on each box. Pick up your kettle bells so your standing in a dead lift position on top of the boxes. While focusing on keeping your legs straight with a slight bend in the knee lower the kettle bells until they are in between the boxes and raise your body back into a standing position, just like a dead lift. You can scale this by using lighter kettle bells.  Remember though,you want it to be challenging.;)
  If you don't have access to a GHD for the metcon you can substitute straight leg sit-ups. Just keep both legs straight out in front of you and come up all the way to a full sit-up position and touch your toes. This is a scale so make sure your moving quickly. If you do have access to a GHD do 1 rep with your hands touching the ground, then one rep with a medball touching the floor. Remember to pull your knees toward your body on the way down and extend them on your way back up. Using a medball is a great way to improve your GHD sit-ups. It may feel like its slowing you down, but when you take the ball away you will notice the difference.
  The box jump overs are simply jumping over a box. You want to start with both feet on the floor and land with both feet on the floor.
  Enjoy and kick ass! :)

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