Holiday Challenge - Day 39 and Go Gluten-Free for January! It's super-easy! Shoot me an email if you need help or recipes...
Wishing all of you the happiest of holidays and a prosperous and better you 2012! We'll see you bright and early on January 2, 2012!
Melissa Joulwan hosts the blog, The Clothes Make The Girl, where you can find all sorts of great recipes and inspiration...Check it out! Here is her recipe for her yummy chili...
Mel’s Favorite Chili:
Ingredients:
the base:
2 tablespoons of your favorite fat: olive oil, coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lbs. ground meat (lean beef, pork, turkey, veal, bison, or a mix)
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spices:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
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liquids:
14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes (I like Muir Glen fire-roasted.)
6 oz. tomato paste
14.5 oz. can beef broth
12 oz. water
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and saute ’til soft. Add garlic and let heat ’til fragrant, about 2 minutes. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC. Add the meat and sauté until browned and crumbled.
2. Blend all the spices in a small bowl. Add to pot and stir well, about 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and water to the pot. Stir well.
4. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low so the pot has a gentle simmer. SIMMER FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS. Do not skimp on the simmer. Just as rest time is the magic time when you build your strength, simmering is the magic time when the flavors meld.
Variations:
Add additional quality fats with some chopped black olives, green olives, or avocado slices (or all three!).
Add more veggies by serving over a bed of cooked spaghetti squash, grated zucchini, or baby spinach leaves.
Remember, we're closed next week, and on 1/2/12 there will only be a 9 AM class.
We are challenging YOU to spend one month living completely gluten-free. That’s it, it’s that simple. We have created a “Gluten Free January” Facebook page that will help keep you connected with everyone who is participating in the Challenge. You can also look forward to tips, videos, recipes, and general motivation to help YOU succeed! If you’re in, sign-up on the Event page and get vocal and stay active as we help support each other in the constant pursuit of a healthier lifestyle!
So, what exactly does gluten-free mean? It means excluding all food AND drink items that contain gluten. What's on the list? Some of the obvious ones are
wheat
rye
barley
bulgur
Some of the sneaky ones are
malt vinegar
soy and teriyaki sauce
most gravies
most prepared meats
seitan
Go here to see a complete list. While it might seem difficult, it really isn't all that hard. I know you can do it!
The Big Man died this year...."you better be good for goodness sake!"
60 Day Challenge - Day 37 - yet again, I sure do have a lot of burpees to catch up on!
Schedule Reminder - we'll be closed next week, between Christmas and New Years. We are having class on Christmas Eve at 9 AM. On January 2nd, we'll have only one class at 9 AM. Tuesday January 3 we'll resume our regular schedule, minus mobility and supplemental classes.
While this has absolutely nothing to do with health, fitness, or nutrition, I just keep laughing at this. Thanks Dawn for sending it my way!
I realize that change is difficult. No one likes it, and it’s hard.
However, if something is going on in your life that you don’t like, why not figure out a fix and CHANGE IT?
We have people come to us all the time with a problem. That problem might be an achin’ back, it might be carrying an extra 10, or 20, or 30, or 50 pounds, or it might be the inability to keep up with your kids or carry a load of laundry up the steps. We have the solution, yet many won’t accept it. And when that happens, here’s what goes through my mind …
What I’d like to say is that obviously what you’ve been doing for the last 10, 15, 20 … years isn’t working for you. Try something different, something that thousands of people have had great success with, something that I, as your coach with 20 years of experience, strongly suggest that you try. What do you have to lose? Just that 30, or whatever pounds, and the thing that’s preventing you from doing what you want.
“I can’t do that.” “That’s too hard.” “I can’t give up X.” Well, I guess you’re going to keep wallowing in your problem. You’re like the 3 year old who is willing to sit in his dirty diaper just because he’s too lazy (and the parents are too) to learn how to use the potty. This doesn’t apply only to nutrition and fitness. Dave Ramsey, a financial guru, often says that it takes a good amount of disgust in yourself to make a change.
If this gets you thinking, do something about it. First step for many is going to be eliminating sugar. It’s one step among many. Do it. Now.
Have any questions? Just ask. But be prepared to hear the honest truth.
The CrossFit Blacksburg Friends and Family Gift Baskets have been selling like hot cakes! We can still make one up for you to give to that friend who's interested in trying out CrossFit. Talk about quick and easy shopping!
The gift basket includes a CrossFit Blacksburg water bottle, a CFBB T-shirt, a nice Again Faster jump rope, and a month's worth of training 3x/week. That's over a $150 value, and we're selling it for only $50!!
Woopie!!! (Erin added that)
If you're interested, just shoot us an email, tell us what size T-shirt and the name of the recipient, and we'll get it all set for you.
In case you didn't know, we have a CrossFit Kids program at CrossFit Blacksburg. We provide the opportunity for kids, from age 3 to 17, to train at an appropriate skill level. No, we don't have 3 year olds exercising with seniors in high school. There are 4 different programs which allows each age group to train at their abilities.
There's more to CrossFit Kids Blacksburg than dumbed down CrossFit. Kids aren't little adults, and their needs and goals are very different from our own. Their classes are structured to maximize their learning potential, while packing in a big dose of fun!
While these kids are training, even while finishing up their hour, please do not drift on to the floor. Their hour is theirs, just as your hour on the floor is yours. Refrain from getting on the black floor, even if one of your kids is training. There are enough distractions as it is for the kids ... adults barging in on their time doesn't help!
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Pecans
From Mo Vealey
6 sweet potatoes
1 c. coconut milk
3 eggs (beaten)
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. 100% pure grade A maple syrup
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1-2 c. raw pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a fork, drizzle with olive oil, then wrap individually in tin foil. Place wrapped potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour or until soft. Once baked, remove skins and mash potatoes in a large bowl. With the oven still on, place pecans on a separate baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes (you can also drizzle 1-2 Tbsp. maple syrup over pecans to create a "candied" pecan topping).
In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut milk, beaten eggs, vanilla, syrup, nutmeg, salt and cinnamon. Fold this mixture into the mashed sweet potatoes. Once combined, taste to ensure adequate seasoning. Transfer mashed sweet potatoes to a baking dish and top with toasted/candied pecans. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until completely heated through at 375 degrees. Enjoy!!
60 Day Challenge - Day 28 - I know that I have a LOT of burpees to do!!
What's the best way to make yourself better? Is it to train the things you're good at? Of course not! It's the things that are your biggest weaknesses, or goats, that have the biggest room for improvement. Yeah, it's easy to do the things you like, and the things at which you excel. But that doesn't make you a better athlete, or a better person.
If you're not working towards making yourself better, either at the box, or in life in general, then you're either stagnant, or even worse, regressing. That's not good! Work to make yourself better.
You'll be glad you did!
Jialeou has definitely been working her weaknesses ... and it shows!!
