It’s a FAB FRIDAY, y’all!

I’m almost 2/3 done with Whole30. Day NINETEEN! This is a point where I feel I could do this FOREVER. Not making any promises, but I’m definitely back on track! It’s been great cleaning up my foods.

I feel better, my workouts are better and best of all RECOVERY from workouts is at it’s best. Even though cooking can still feel like a chore, I’ve learned to just suck it and stop pouting like a 5 year old! Just do it and get it over with.

Last night, I had the best CHICKEN THIGHS I’ve ever cooked. OR maybe I was just hungry. I typically bake them in the oven. But last night I cooked them on the stove taking notes from NOM NOM Paleo. I took out the bones. I didn’t mash them down like she did but it was not easy task removing the bone. So I did enough tenderizing my hand! While I was busy with deboning the thighs, I had coconut oil heating up in a pan. I salted the skin side and laid them in the oil. Then I seasoned the meat. I let the chicken cook skin side down for probably 8 minutes. Then I flipped and let cook for about 4 minutes. It was juicy and flavorful and melted in my mouth. Nothing beats PASTURE chicken skin! So good.

1/23/14 Dinner

I missed my 5 a.m. workout today but hoping to get it in this evening. My stomach has been doing a number on me the past 3 days. And this morning it was a rumbling. So I slept in. Nothing serious, but probably finally healing up from all the damage I put it through in 2013!

READ MY REVIEW of 3 Phase Paleo and ENTER GIVEAWAY!

I’ll be on the downhill stretch for my Whole30 update on Monday. It feels so GOOD to feel GOOD again! And don’t forget TODAY is the last day to enter the 3 Phase Paleo E-book Giveaway. And if you just don’t want to take the gamble to see if you win, you can Click HERE to buy it NOW.

READ MY REVIEW of 3 Phase Paleo and ENTER GIVEAWAY!

Happy Friday! Make it great. Get your planning, prepping and organizing done. Be ready for the last week of January! Be Bullet PROOF! Just make one change if that’s all you got. But do it already! Stop dragging your feet like a 2 year old that doesn’t want to leave the toy store! And thank you all again for sticking with me for this long! 2014 is going to be FANTABULOUS!

My Bootay was Kicked

Oh man, Curtis Ps and running. Thanks Coach for trying to kill us! And the soreness is taking it’s toll on my glutes, oh my! You know when you walk in to your box and the WOD takes 20-30 minutes that you’re in for it. And although it was a beating, I actually walked away feeling great. Maybe that Tiger Blood is kicking in?!? Maybe I’m just so happy to Clean a Bar (even if it is only lightweight) that I overlooked the misery. And even though I woke up to some achy legs and a really bruised knee, I was ready to take on the morning workout as well. I think it may be Tiger Blood!

1/21/14 WOD
Sled Pull 100ft x 3 Backwards
I think I like pulling the Sled backwards more than forwards but it’s not a far distance so maybe only during short pulls. 😀

1/21/14 WOD

MetCon: 4 Rounds of 20 Curtis P’s 75/45lbs, 400m run
Ahhhh, Curtis P’s should get your butt in shape. These are no joke! You first must clean the bar, then lunge forward with right leg, then lunge forward with left leg, then press overhead. That’s 1. So we had to 20, then run X FOUR! I started off with the 25lb bar which I could clean with only a little tightness in the wrist. As I warmed up the wrist was much better. So we put 10lbs on the bar. This I could still do and Coach had me stay there just to be safe. I’m glad because I think 45lbs would have been too much for now. Soon, I will be back to normal! My first round was alright, my 2nd round was slow and I tried to push harder in the 3rd and 4th rounds. It’s the running that gets me! Time: 25:13

1/22/14 WOD
Skill: EMOM for 12 minutes of 15 ring dips odd, 20 DU even
The progress on my wrist is good. I can now hold my body weight in a plank position. I can not however push up my self without pain. So Rng Dips were not happening. Instead of Ring Dips, I did Bench Press with the Multi-Grip bar. It’s been forever since I did any sort of Bench work. So 65lbs caught up to me fast, especially the way the Multi-Grip bar is set up. I started of with sets of 10 but I was struggling so Coach T had me knock a rep off as the minutes went on. As for Double Unders, well I started off really weaksauce. It took me a while to get going. But by the end I was doing them unbroken. My legs were not cooperating. Maybe all that work from last night!

01/22/14 WOD

MetCon: 12 min AMRAP of 8 Shoulder TOH 115/75, 8 C2B, 4 Forward Rolls. DU Practice if time remains.
Coach T had us move DU practice to before the AMRAP which was nice. I don’t think I would have had it in my shoulders to do any DU work.
I continued to use the Multi-Grip bar for my STOH. It’s only 65lbs but that’s all I could handle with my upper body still getting back on track. For once I could string almost all 8 C2B (banded of course) without crying or dying! That’s Tiger Blood, ladies and gents. And then Forward Rolls came. Now I’m not gymnast but I can do some rolls. I have not however done them in quite some time and I learned that they made me really really dizzy. Holy Crap. That sucked. I took too much time between rolls and really slowed my pace on the STOH. Thus leaving me with only 4 rounds + 8 STOH + 1 C2B.

Day SEVENTEEN!

Yaaaaaa! I’m here and killing it. I feel better during my workouts, I’m recovering faster and I’m totally not bloated on a daily basis. I still have some weight to lose but I am feeling great and seeing a difference in how my clothes are fitting me. I still haven’t found my happy place with preparing my meals. I dread getting started but once I start I do find peace in prepping and cooking. So now if I could just look forward to the process! Overall I would say that the Tiger Blood is slowly creeping in. I feel good. I sleep good. And I am not feeling miserable watching other people stuff crap into their bodies. Woooo!

1/21/14 Lunch

I also, finally made some handy dandy Cauli Fried Faux Rice. Yummo! Sliced up a steak really thin, cooked with an Asian flair and DINNER was served. So good. I could eat this every day I think. Now I’m not going to tell you it’s just like RICE cause I love rice and rice it is not. But, it’s seriously tasty. And really does a good job in getting that Asian food craving I get. Plus veggies as my base instead of filler rice! Score.

I took the following recipe from Paleo Cupboard and slightly modified it for me. I used Avocado Oil instead of lard or tallow. As I have none. I almost used Ghee but realized my Ghee had expired and I wasn’t going to test the waters on if it could be good still. I also used green beans instead of peas. I used to eat at this one Hibachi place that put green beans in their fried rice. LOVED it. So ya. And for the cauliflower. I have a shredder disc on my Food Processor, so it makes a nice rice consistency. But a hand grater or just pulse on your food processor is just as good!

1/21/14 Dinner

Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Servings: 6

Ingredients:
– 1 head of cauliflower
– 2 Tbsp. + 2 more Tbsp. lard/bacon fat or tallow
– 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
– 1 small onion, chopped
– 2 Tbsp. garlic, chopped
– 1 cup green peas
– 4 eggs, whisked
– 6 Tbsp. coconut aminos
– 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
– 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
– Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Equipment:
– Kitchen knife
– Cutting board
– Vegetable peeler
– Cheese grater or food processor
– Paper towels (optional)
– Large skillet or large Wok
– Large bowl
– Measuring spoons
– Stirring spoon

Directions:
1. Prepare your vegetables and whisk eggs. Grate the cauliflower on the larger side of a cheese grater, or pulse pieces in a food processor until they are rice sized. I like to wrap the riced cauliflower in a couple paper towels and squeeze it to remove any excess moisture, which helps make sure you get the crispier texture you are looking for.
2. Heat your skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. of lard/bacon fat or tallow to the pan and allow it to melt. Add your onions, garlic and carrots and cook for about 2-3 minutes. If using peas, add them and cook 1 additional minute. Remove from pan and set aside in a large bowl.
3. Next add your whisked eggs to the pan and scramble them until they are lightly browned. Add a little sea salt and pepper, remove from pan and add them to the large bowl with the vegetables.
4. Next add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of lard/bacon fat or tallow to the pan and allow it to get very hot. Add the riced cauliflower to the pan and toss it in the oil. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, only stirring every couple minutes so that it allows some pieces on the bottom to fry and get brown and crispy.
5. Add the vegetable and rice mixture back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce and some additional sea salt and pepper to taste.
6. Scarf this down and smile.

That’s a WRAP!
Whew. HUMP DAY! You know how people say they get a Runner’s High? Well me personally, I’ve never experienced such things. I DESPISE running. But I feel like I could truly say I’m on a Whole30 High. LOL. I know, I see the eye rolls and hear the “ya whatevers” but it’s true. The Tiger Blood. But not in that Charlie Sheen, Winning, kind of Tiger Blood. Just the kind that makes you feel AWESOME!

So go ahead, go make a change. Do something new and healthy for you!

Tiger Blood…not just yet

It’s Day SIXTEEN of Whole30! Yayaya. Made it through the halfway point and holding strong. By now I should be feeling like I have the blood of tigers. That’s what they say on the Whole30 timeline. While I’m not ready to take on the world I sure as heck feels tons better. So it’s coming along. This past weekend though seemed to be the hardest on me as far as wanting to stick with it. I was ready to throw in the towel and just go out to eat. Have some tasty food and beverages.

But I just sucked it up and stuck with my compliant foods. Saturday, however, was probably too much snacking for me. Boredom struck. And I found myself eating too much trail mix and too much fruit. I didn’t really feel any ramifications from it, but I KNEW I should have held back and think things through better.

I’ve been really bad at taking pics of my food. I have a couple here but nothing too exciting! As far as following Weeknight Paleo, I opted out for week 3. There was some tasty dishes but they included honey. And I just can’t imagine the recipes tasting the same if I eliminated some key ingredients. I wasn’t prepared ahead enough for other weeks either. So I just bought enough staples that I know I will eat for this week.

1/17/14 Lunch

1/20/14 Lunch

Boom Box 1/17/14
Skill: Bar Muscle Ups
I was able to work on some of the progressions but I could only do so much. The wrist still needs work. A lot of the pain is gone, now it’s mobility and getting back on track. I still can’t hold my body weight, but I’m getting closer.

1/17/14 WOD

MetCon: 12 min AMRAP of 15 Wall Balls, 3 Bar MU, 6 T2B
Ya, so I showed up for the 5pm class and whaddya know. Badasses show up. I’m the only on there who can’t do MUs or T2B. It’s depressing and motivating all at the same time. I was able to drop the ball for Wall Balls since catching the ball puts a lot of strain on the wrist. Still wishing I could carry on this modification, but I know I will have to go back to catching that darn ball. I did banded pull ups instead of Bar MUs. I was, however, stringing more reps together. Yay! And for the T2B, my hands didn’t hurt nearly as much for my Knees to Elbows. I can only attribute Whole30 and eating clean. Because a couple of weeks ago, I was way more of a baby. Final: 3 rounds + 5 Wall Balls.

1/20/14
Midline: 50 Hollow Rocks and 50 Superman Rocks
We ended up doing these at the end of class and I’m so much better at Superman Rocks than Hollow Rocks. Why is that?

Strength: OH squats 2-2-2-2 Tempo 10/4/x/1
O M GEEEE. This tempo negative stuff is killing me. Last week it was Front Squats, now it’s Overhead Squats! Doh! I was just happy that I could do them! Wooooo! Told you my wrist is getting better. I started off with 55lbs and felt good. 10 seconds to go down, hold for 4 seconds, pop up fast and repeat. I felt good, so I jumped to 65lbs… TOO MUCH TOO SOON! My weak right forearm was not prepared and fatigued fast. So I dropped to 55lbs, but I was done. So I continued with the bar. Baby steps I know. But I’m so ready to do work. And the wrist is so close to feeling better!

1/20/14 WOD

MetCon: 6 min Ladder of 1 Push-up HR, 1 HSPU, 2 Push-ups HR 2 HSPU …. The mod for HSPU is box step overs. get as high as possible!
Uh ya, I had higher hopes for this MetCon but I did the best I could. I totally forgot to wrap my knuckles with tape before we started. And they got beat down pretty fast. I always feel like I’m going to tear. And I’m a big baby. So it didn’t add up for fast reps. Not sure if I had been doing regular push ups that I would have done better, but it HURTED and again, total cry baby here! Final: 9 rounds + 3 Push Ups.

This weekend is a COMMUNITY WOD at 9am and Yoga at 10am and Ladies Night at 6pm! Not sure if I’ll make the morning classes or not but I will be at Ladies Night. If you are in the DFW area and want to check out CrossFit and see what our box is about, YOU ARE INVITED.

That’s a Wrap!
Just want to remind you I’m hosting a giveaway. It’s for an e-book by Paleo Parents called 3 Phase Paleo. If you’re not ready to go COLD TURKEY into Paleo living then this is the book for you. Even if you’re already Paleo, there are still 75 recipes, along with nifty tips and links to keep you on the right track.

READ MY REVIEW of 3 Phase Paleo and ENTER GIVEAWAY!

This e-book provides helpful strategy to transition you and your family over to the Paleo lifestyle. Here is the post. At the bottom of the post you will find directions to enter the giveaway. Go enter now for a chance to win a copy. If you’re ready to just buy buy buy, then Click HERE. Or find the link in my menu on the right hand side.

Other than that, let’s get through this week STRONG! Are you staying hydrated? Eating enough Veggies? How about that Healthy FAT? Let’s do this folks. Chime in on how you are doing so far. February will be here before we know it!

E-Book Review and Giveway – 3 Phase Paleo

Alright boys and girls I told you I would have a giveaway and I do! This is my first book review so cut me some slack. And it’s an e-book to boot.

Stacy and Matt over at Paleo Parents have come out with another fantastic book. If you are not familiar with them please go check them out at http://www.paleoparents.com. Their story is amazing and the Paleo lifestyle has transformed their lives completely. They also have a great blog, podcast and 2 other books out there for the Paleo life that’s not only for you, but for your kiddos too.

When I saw/heard they were coming out with their latest book 3 Phase Paleo, I thought PERFECT! There are so many people that ask me so many questions and I don’t always feel like I’ve hit the mark when I tell people what they need to do to become Paleo. Granted most of my conversations are surface only and people rarely want to dig deeper and maybe that’s my fault and poor delivery. But now that I’ve read 3 Phase Paleo, I wish I had this when I made the switch. A simple but effective guide to not only taking charge of you personally but your whole family.

Even though I’ve been Paleo (off and on) for the past 2 years, there are still things I have yet to fully put into practice for my entire family. Reading this e-book has given me a new perspective and insight on Paleo living.

And for those of you without kiddos, have no fear, don’t let the Parents part of the name steer you away. You don’t have to be a parent to enjoy what this e-book has to offer. I feel EVERYONE can learn from this e-book. They do however make it practical to integrate your whole family.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Can you really transform your eating lifestyle in 3 simple phases? Sure you can! In the e-book you will find the 3 phases clearly outlined. Whether you are on the SAD (standard American diet) or even if you are “paleo-ish” already these phases will help you transform to a full Paleo lifestyle.

SWAP, REMOVE and HEAL.

You will find a plenty of information, live links and helpful hints to get you going through steps easily. There are useful shopping guides for shopping online and in stores. And best of all there is a Food Swap Guide that shows you how to start switching out the foods you are accustomed to and replacing them with better choices.

Once you’ve learned to swap out foods and become excited about making better choices you move into the REMOVE stage. Eliminate all Grains, Dairy, Processed Oils and Legumes. This may be hard for some folks as we’ve learned as a society to consume all the grains and that beans are awesome for you. But with elimination, you and your family will find unique and creative ways to eat other foods. In this section of the book, they provide you with helpful ways to keep your kitchen stocked with the right ingredients to keep you successful in your transition.

Now it’s time to HEAL. You’ve reached the point of finding a happy place in how you eat. But now you need to introduce nutrient dense foods. Even for me some of this is still a struggle but they explain nicely why it’s important. They recommend and focus on 4 essential foods: organ meats, broth and gelatin, fermented foods and seafood. You will also learn that it’s not just the foods that Heal, but it’s being active, getting proper sleep and enjoying your loved ones.

Sounds like a winner right? Like I mentioned, there are helpful links and tips throughout the entire e-book. And you also get 75 recipes to help you get started. They are even marked with the phase they belong in to help you get through each phase. And don’t worry if you have an allergy to eggs or nuts, there are still several recipes that fall into one or both categories so that you can still enjoy your new Paleo adventure.

Are you still not sure you want to jump in and go out and purchase the e-book? Well, I’ve teamed up with Paleo Parents so that you have a chance to win your own copy! But if you can’t wait, by all means, Click HERE or take a look on my menu bar to the right and you can go right ahead and purchase your own copy today! But if you do want to enter, then I’d like for you to follow a few steps.

First: Subscribe to Paleo Parents newsletter
Second: Like “idrankthecfkoolaid” on Facebook
Third: Find the Rafflecopter Widget on my GIVEAWAYS on idrankthecfkoolaid Facebook page and follow those instructions.
Fourth: Comment on this post to let me know you did all of the above.

All images and references are credited to Paleo Parents and 3Phase Paleo by Stacy Toth and Matthew McCarry. This giveaway will end January 24th. at 11:59 CST time.

I hope this was helpful to you all. I look forward to your entries.

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