So about The Open…just kidding. It is over and I couldn’t be happier. I was ready to get that last workout done, now if my hands would just magically heal, I would be ecstatic. I am happy to say that I stayed at the 90th percentile worldwide, until the bitter end. I am pumped about that!
One thing I have learned through my experience at e8 CrossFit is that attitude is everything. If I am filled with self-doubt, the chances of me completing whatever the task is, is slim to none. If I dive-in head first with a positive attitude, then chances are I am going to complete the task. Having some encouragement on form and pace are definitely helpful in creating that positive attitude. Not everyone just assumes they are doing fantastic, so having your coach boost you up is a great feeling.
During The Open, we judged our peers. Sometimes I got to go first and other times I had to count reps and watch them struggle through. I think I would much rather go first. I am awful at psyching myself out. If I see my peers struggling to get the work done, I am likely going to be very antsy about it. There is something about knowing a big workout is coming, it’s like the first day of school.
Maybe I am just weird or maybe everyone feels this way? I often dreamed about The Open workouts, break movements down in my head a million times, visualize myself completing a movement…I can analyze it a million different ways and do. Yes, I am aware it is just a workout, but it is important to me. I think this is how everyone is when they are really passionate about something. You might not feel this way about working out, but maybe a big presentation, test, meeting, etc.
Either way, your attitude has a large impact on the outcome.
There are other factors that contribute to the outcome, but I believe your attitude is a large part of the output. I try to teach my students that the level of effort they put into something and their attitude determines their results. If you don’t think you are going to accomplish something, then chances are you won’t. Now, you must be realistic about your chances. If you have never gone hiking a day in your life, I would not recommend hiking Mount Everest.
Be realistic, but believe in yourself.
CrossFit is great at teaching you life lessons even when you don’t realize it. Your attitude when faced with an obstacle, like 100 wall balls for time, largely determines the outcome. If you are not 100% committed or prepared to complete this task, you are not going to get the best possible time. Working out at this capacity teaches you how to prepare yourself for success. This type of attitude has carried over in other parts of my life, not just in the gym. CrossFit has taught me to hold myself more accountable for my actions. If I am not giving my body what it needs to get through a long grueling workout, then I can’t wholeheartedly expect to do well.
CrossFit teaches you a lot about yourself on a different level. You learn your weaknesses, but also your strengths. You learn how to prepare yourself, how to be disciplined and structured, how to overcome fear, how to be proud of yourself, how to give yourself grace when you fail, how to brush off that failure and try again, how to be vulnerable, how to trust, how to support others, how it feels to be supported…working out is so much more than just working out. There are life lessons ingrained in that one hour window that you would never expect.
Embrace the process and let it change you for the better. Whether your journey is through CrossFit, running
New Food Review
Caribbean Mango Pork and Tropical Rice
Only one new dish last week, shocker. Lately, I have been a glutton for punishment and overloaded myself with too many new dishes. I was really excited about this dish but had to make a lot of changes in order for it to not blow my macros. Oh my word, I will be making this again. I am so glad that I skipped certain parts of the recipe so it would not blow my carbohydrates out of the water. It was very delicious without all the extras. I made a recipe in my app for just the sauce and black beans and then added in everything else separately. With the chicken, the macros for this dish were 413 calories, 44.3 grams of protein, 47.2 grams of carbohydrates, and 5.4 grams of fat.
To see exactly what I am eating, copy any food recipes, or custom food, follow me on the My Macros+ app. This is the app I use to track all of my food and keep tabs on other people’s nutrition. My username is
M E N U
Coconut Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup
Pork Tacos
BBQ Sandwich
Sirloin Steak + Simple Kale Salad + Strawberries
Coconut Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup
I discovered my Ninja Spiralizer this week and it has changed my life.
I was still using my manual spiralizer and it took a lot of muscle to spiralize just a few beets. Josh happened to mention my Ninja that he bought me at Christmas. (The fresh vac system is new, so I can’t vouch for it, but the rest of the system is fantastic.) He mainly bought it because I said it had all the attachments I could ever want. I tucked away all the attachments and promptly forgot about them. Let me tell you if you like to eat spiralized vegetables, invest in this! Game changer.
Enter all the spiralized vegetable dishes.
I love pasta and really love rice noodles, but my macros don’t love them. Well, let me rephrase that. I CAN eat rice noodles, I just refuse to give up my daily oatmeal and bagel to make it all fit. It is a little frustrating to have to portion myself such a small amount of pasta because I have already eaten most of my allotted carbohydrates. When I have pasta, I want to have a lot of it, not just 4 ounces. If I were to give up my bagel I would have plenty of room, but I just don’t want to.
Zoodles are not rice noodles, but this dish is very similar to the coconut chicken curry rice noodle pasta I have made in the past, so I am going to give it a try!
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
*Spray with olive oil to prevent paste from sticking
2–3 tablespoons red curry paste(depending on how hot you like it)
1 teaspoon each: ground coriander and ground turmeric
3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 – 15-ounce can of coconut milk
*Low-Fat Coconut Milk
3 large zucchinis, spiralized or cut into zoodles
Optional toppings: bean sprouts, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice
This dish has very similar flavors to the previous one, but is made in the crockpot and makes life so much easier. For me, this is the kind of dish that gets you ready for all the summer feels. It is light but packed with flavor. Usually, I do not make two meals so similar in one week, but I want to compare the two and see which I prefer for future reference. Stay tuned for the ‘New Food Review’ next week.
I am going to add jasmine rice to my meal to soak up the sauce. If you are hesitant to add more carbohydrates to the meal, add cauliflower rice so you do not go over your macros for the day.
I will have to start this dish first thing in the morning, so I can use it in the afternoon for my pork butt.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
1 – 14 ounce can coconut milk,plus 1 can of water (see notes)
*Low-Fat Coconut Milk
2–4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon palm or coconut sugar
*Omit
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2–3 pieces
*Chicken Breast
1 large kabocha, cut into 1 – inch cubes
*1 small butternut squash
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1–2 chili peppers, if you like extra heat
1 large bunch of kale, torn into small pieces
Optional: cilantro, chili peppers, and lime to serve
Jasmine Rice or Cauliflower Rice
Pork Tacos
Pork tacos and BBQ Sandwiches go hand-in-hand in my household. If we buy a boston butt, chances are we will be making both meals. I never get tired of pork tacos or just your basic BBQ sandwich.
These tacos are good, meal prep friendly, macro friendly, and easy. If you are not into meal prepping, you can at least chop up the vegetables prior to cooking, to save yourself time. Roasting the vegetables in the oven versus cooking them on the stove top is another good option. I like to season my peppers and onions with cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. If you want to add a little extra heat to the dish, sautee a jalapeno with the vegetables. The salsa verde is often very mild and requires some hot sauce.
I cook the meat in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. To season, I evenly coat all sides with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, and yellow mustard. Once the meat is cooked thoroughly, let it cool and then separate the meat from the fat.
Side note: I like to weigh out meat for tacos and the sandwiches prior to mixing in the sauce for each meal. I want to make sure that I have enough meat for each recipe and weighing out the portions ahead of time will prevent me from coming up short on my macros.
Then I cover the meat with salsa verde, you can make your own if you are feeling fancy, and let the meat simmer. I always make sure I get the high fiber, low carbohydrate tortillas so I don’t
Ingredients:
1 Boston Butt
2 Green Bell Peppers
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Onion
1 jar Salsa Verde
1 Jalapeno - if you want to up the spiciness
Olive Oil Spray
Cumin
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Yellow Mustard
Onion Powder
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Hot Sauce
BBQ Sandwich
No need to buy two pork butts for sandwiches and tacos! You can easily make 8 meals out of one boston butt. We will eat tacos for supper and lunch, then BBQ sandwiches in the same manner.
The seasoning for the pork butt is very basic and does not cater to one recipe over the other. I keep my sandwiches very simple. I like to get fresh baked brioche buns (164 calories, 5 grams of protein, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of fat), my favorite sauce, and pickles. You can add slaw if you like, but I make these for the sheer simplicity and because they are delicious.
Weigh out your meat and sauce. Warm the meat and sauce. Toast your bun. Fill your bun with the meat and add pickles. Done.
I could eat BBQ sandwiches everyday. Don’t judge.
Ingredients:
1 boston butt
Salt
Pepper
Yellow Mustard
Onion Powder
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Buns
Pickles
BBQ Sauce
Sirloin Steak + Simple Kale Salad + Strawberries
We had steaks last week, but we got a great deal on sirloin so let the grilling
For some reason unknown to me, kale is not liked by many people. Some people actually prefer lettuce, which has no nutritional value. I think people just like to go against trends and be stubborn really. Kale has more texture and is a little more difficult to eat, but I love it.
I have sauteed kale every morning with my breakfast. Yum!
This simple kale salad is delicious and it really has NOTHING to do with the kale powerhouse and everything to do with the dressing. I love this dressing. It has such a good bite from the garlic and I love lemons, so it is a win for me. I am going to add strawberries to the dish, because we have some great local strawberries patches that I am planning to take the kids to.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
2 bunches kale, fibrous stems (in the middle of the leaf) removed
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
*Block of Parmigiano Reggiano
½ cup slivered almonds
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
*Omit
½ teaspoon garlic, grated
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
E N J O Y !
