You might be tired of the posts on The Open and my progress (or lack there of), but it will be over soon. The last workout was announced Thursday and I will complete it on Monday, bright and early.
I saw a meme today comparing 5:30 p.m. gym-goers to 5:30 a.m. gym-goers and it couldn’t have been more true. I love getting it over with, but man, it is just so early. I get a little antsy with these Open workouts. You know what is coming. There is the pressure of doing well, so you can maintain your position on the leader board and so your team in the gym gets a good score.
This past week had muscle-ups. I had/have a goal of getting a muscle-up. I practiced like crazy before I had Anderson. Once I got pregnant with Anderson and could no longer safely attempt a muscle-up, I stopped trying. You know, big pregnant belly hitting the bar would not have been good idea. Since then I have been in a constant cycle of pregnant, postpartum trying to get my strength back, pregnant again, still trying to get my strength back… So needless to say, I have yet to accomplish this goal.
Last year during The Open was the last time that I attempted a (ring) muscle-up. I had just had Scarlett, but I was back at the gym, so I gave it a shot. Obviously, we all know I didn’t get one or you would know it.
There would be pictures and a video, 100%.
That was a year ago. I have gone a whole year without pushing myself to work on something that is a goal of mine. That really hit me this week. I just let that goal fall to the side. Trying to get my squat back, cleans back, overhead squat back (all the squats)…get my everything back to where it was. Those “extra” goals just lost their spot on my radar. Trying to figure out life with two kids, a blog, work, social life or lack there of… All the responsibilities add up and can stand in the way of your personal goals.
To you these goals are important. You know they are, but they aren’t your priority. Life won’t stop if you don’t get a muscle-up. Life will be a lot harder if you don’t figure out how to juggle two kids in the morning that wake up while you are trying to get ready for work. Toddlers don’t understand/don’t give two hoots in hell that you still need to get dressed and pack your lunch. They care about numero uno, both of them, at the same time.
H A R D. T I M E S.
The beauty of it is though, those hard times don’t last. You know the saying ‘hard times don’t last, tough people do’? So true. Life is constantly changing and you are constantly evolving with the change, unless you are just stubborn. Don’t change your goal, just because it is hard to accomplish right now. Change your strategy. Change the way you are tackling the goal and don’t give up or lose hope. I will let you all know when I get that muscle-up. 🙂
New Food Review
Spicy Tomato Parmesan Stuffed Spaghetti SquashThe sauce for this meal was super basic and it made me a little nervous. All the cheese was a game changer too. Cheese really cuts into our macros, but spreading it out over 6 servings really helped. The sauce was delicious with fire roasted tomatoes and all the spices! I will likely be using the sauce again for an easy pasta night.
20 Minute Caribbean Shrimp Tacos I can’t adequately express to you how much I loved this recipe. It was so easy, so much flavor, and great on the macros! When I made the salsa, it was a bit liquid(y) from the tomatillos. Do yourself a favor and make the salsa, don’t go buy any. I did not want to waste any of the juices, so I decided to top my meat and salsa over rice and ditched the tortilla. I used chicken instead of shrimp and it turned out great. It was a sheet pan/bowl combination, and those are my favorites. Best choice I made this week. Josh topped his bowl off with hot sauce, but I left mine plain. I didn’t want to cover up any of the freshness of the salsa. I immediately wanted to make this again to have this week. It is just that good. Now go make it!
M E N U
Caribbean Mango Pork and Tropical Rice
Herb Crusted Salmon with Garlicky Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes
Sirloin Steak + Spicy Root Vegetable Noodle Bowl
Josh specifically requested this dish. Pasta + mushrooms = his jam. He L O V E S mushrooms, me not so much, but in this dish they are great. It is just a texture thing for me. They don’t really have a taste on their own, but with the right seasonings and in just the right dish, I can scarf them down.
This dish has quite a bit of carbohydrates, it is pasta after all. The macros, per serving, were 349 calories, 11.6 grams of protein, 39.2 grams of carbohydrates, and 5.1 grams of fat. The last time I made this, it was 10 servings. You can make your servings larger or smaller depending on your macro needs. This is without any meat. I am going to bake some chicken breasts and add them to the dish.
*Changes I make to meet my macros.
Ingredients:
16 ounces uncooked whole wheat farfalle pasta
2 tablespoons butter
*1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons oil
*Omit
24 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini and shiitake)
*680 grams
1/4 cup minced garlic or shallots, or a combination of both
a splash of white wine (about 1/3 cup)
*2.4 ounces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
*1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (as needed)
*2 cups Vegetable broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups spinach, chopped
6 ounces goat cheese
*4 ounces
Caribbean Mango Pork and Tropical Rice
I can’t help but think of our trip to Grand Cayman last summer, when I see the word Caribbean. I love to sight see, but I think my favorite thing about traveling is eating the local food. Grand Cayman and The Ritz Carlton did not disappoint, the breakfast in particular was the highlight of my day. No joke. Best breakfast buffet I have ever seen in my life! I wish I would have taken a picture, a buffet doesn’t sound fancy and delicious, but this one was.
I am going to substitute chicken for pork. I like to cook my chicken breast in the crock pot when I know it will be shredded up and used in a taco or bowl. I am going to add a little bit of liquid so the chicken does not dry out. For the rice I am going to omit quite a few things. I could do just plain rice, but I want the rice to have some of the flavor as well. I know if I did the rice as intended it would blow through my macros in a minute.
*Changes I make to meet my macros.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
*Omit
2 pounds pork shoulder roast
*Chicken breast
1 ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
1/3 cup ketchup preferably organic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh ginger or ground
*Fresh ginger
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon all-spice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
2 1/2 cups cooked black beans
*1 can black beans (1/4 cup per serving)
1-2 mangos peeled + chopped
TROPICAL RICE
1 cup uncooked jasmine or basmati rice
*Jasmine rice
1 cup canned coconut milk
*Non-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup coconut water
*Water
3 tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut
*Omit
1 tablespoon coconut oil
*Omit
juice + zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup grated carrots
2 green onions chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper
Herb Crusted Salmon with Garlicky Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes
I have yet to make this recipe with the salmon. I made it with chicken the first time, because I had three chicken breasts left over from a pack and used those instead of buying more meat. I still used the herb crust with the chicken and it was delicious. I added rice to the meal, just to give it a bit more calories so I would stay full longer. I love these low calorie meals, but I find myself hunting for a snack two hours later, so in comes some good old rice to save the day!
This meal was so simple and tasty. I love a sheet pan dinner when I am meal prepping. This dish is even perfect for counting macros. I can count everything on it’s own and I don’t have to make a recipe and weigh out servings. I love being able to make a recipe, because it is easy to go back in and change numbers when I make that same dish again. If you haven’t started using an app to track your food, you really should. It makes things so much easier.
Ingredients:
1 LARGE FILET WILD CAUGHT SALMON (OR 4 INDIVIDUAL FILETS) WITH SKIN-ON AND DE-BONED
FRESH GREEN BEANS, WHOLE
2 PINTS HEIRLOOM CHERRY TOMATOES
2 SHALLOTS, SLICED
3 GARLIC CLOVES, ROUGH CHOPPED
SALT AND PEPPER, TO TASTE
4 TBS+ OLIVE OIL
*Spray olive oil
2-3 TBS. BALSAMIC VINEGAR
HERB MIXTURE*
1 SHEET PARCHMENT PAPER
*FOR HERB MIXTURE
8 CLOVES OF GARLIC
HANDFUL PARSLEY, THYME, OREGANO, BASIL AND A LITTLE ROSEMARY, CHOPPED
1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
*Spray olive oil
SALT & PEPPER
Before it gets too hot and while I need some easy quick meals, I am going to camake chili. The recipe calls for turkey, but I always use ground venison or 80/20. Keep in mind when you look at my changes that I am making enough for my kids to take to school during the week and for Josh and I to have for supper and lunch. Typically this makes around 7 servings for us. Each serving is 391 calories, 35.6 grams of protein, 25.2 grams of carbohydrates, and 16.5 grams of fat.
Ingredients:
1 lb. extra lean ground turkey
*2-3 pounds 80/20 or ground venison
1 bell pepper -red, green, yellow or orange (I used red and yellow – half each)
*6-7 ounces of green bell pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
*4 cans fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
*2 cans black beans
1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Garnish (optional)
shredded, low fat cheddar cheese
*Omit
fresh parsley
Sirloin Steak + Spicy Root Vegetable Noodle Bowl
I loved this salad so much a couple of weeks ago. I messed up on the dressing. Well, I made the dressing then accidentally tossed it out. I came up with a different dressing, with what I had on hand it turned out great (apple cider vinegar, honey, whole grain mustard). This time I am going to try and not throw away the original dressing. (hand-over face emoji)
We like to use a particular seasoning on our steaks, but use whatever you like! The weather is supposed to be pretty decent most of the week, so I am going to “let” Josh grill those one afternoon, while the kids ride around and play outside. I love when we can grill during the week and it doesn’t complicate things. I am not stuck inside cooking, we are all outside hanging out and playing while Josh cooks the meat. The salad will already be made, so it will be an easy afternoon.
Ingredients:
1 Red Beet peeled and spiralized
2 Large Carrots peeled and spiralized
1 Daikon Radish peeled and spiralized
*1 bunch of radishes
The Dressing:
1/4 Cup Tahini
2 Tbs Miso
*Omit add more lime juice
4 Tbs Water
1 1/2 Tbs Sriracha
Juice from 1 Lime or more, to taste
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Pepper
To Serve:
Fresh Cilantro
Sesame Seeds
E N J O Y !
