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Questions???

In NUTRITION BLOG by CrossFit Admin / October 4, 2012 / 0 Comments

We have arrived at the mid-point of the Challenge! Do you have any questions that you’d like answered? Any comments or personal experience you’d like to share about the Challenge so far? Or maybe you just want to check in for some additional accountability…

If any of those things sound helpful, I (Marissa) will be at the gym on Saturday from 9:00-Noon and, with the exception of the workout at 10:00, I will be happy to answer your questions or talk one-on-one during that time if you need some specific advise.

Also, I will be collecting recipes from anyone who wants to share a good one! I know you must have tried some new things as you’ve been cooking paleo, so if you have anything that you love and want to share it, please email the recipe to mszukala@gmail.com and I will feature it in a post! Food pictures are encouraged if you have them for your recipe 🙂

Paleo

 

Eat More Kale

In NUTRITION BLOG by CrossFit Admin / October 3, 2012 / 0 Comments

Hi Challengers!

We’re in the middle of Week 3! For those of you I’ve seen around the gym, you’re doing AWESOME! I’m so proud of the effort I’m seeing and hearing about. Keep it up!

Are you eating a variety of vegetables each day? Trying new ones and new ways of preparing them? To give you some food inspiration, I thought I would spotlight one of my favorite vegetables: Kale.

Kale is known as a “nutritional powerhouse” and an excellent source of fiber, calcium and Vitamins A, C and K. Another great thing about Kale, especially since we live in a midwestern climate, is that it still thrives in cooler months so we can eat it for all its nutritional goodness into the Fall and Winter. When purchasing, look for the freshest kale that will have firm and deeply colored leaves and hardy stems. It’s versatile for cooking and can be added to a number of dishes such as soups, stews, baked dishes, salads and egg scrambles. You could also use it as a substitute, or as an addition, in any recipe that calls for spinach or leafy greens.

Below are a few pictures of how I fit Kale into my weekly, and sometimes daily, menu!

Recipe: Stuffed Acorn Squash

In NUTRITION BLOG by CrossFit Admin / September 24, 2012 / 0 Comments

Welcome to Fall… and welcome to Week 3 of the Challenge! I just tried this recipe over the weekend and not only was it delicious but it helped me celebrate the first official weekend of Autumn!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

(from Paleo Comfort Foods)

1 acorn squash (if it’s big, if you can only find small ones go for 2)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 onion, chopped small

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 red pepper, chopped small

1 pound ground meat of choice (I used ground beef but you could use anything… venison, turkey, etc.)

2 tablespoons chili powder

3 teaspoons cumin

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

Pre-heat oven to 400. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Add about 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of the baking dish/pan that you will use for the oven and place each squash half facedown in a baking dish/pan. I had a large enough squash that I used 2 baking dishes – one for each half. Bake the squash for 30-45 minutes or until it’s soft (mind took 40 minutes). For the “stuffing” – heat a large skillet over medium heat, add coconut oil and when hot, stir in the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and be careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in the peppers and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Add in your ground meat of choice and the spices and cook until the meat is done. Strain any excess liquid from the mixture, place it back on the stove and stir in the tomatoes until they’re heated through. Place squash on a plate and fill with the meat mixture – serve with salsa or guacamole (I made my own guacamole with two avocados, garlic, pepper, onion, tomatoes and lemon juice – use each ingredient to your taste). My serving size was about 1/4 of the squash and 1 heaping scoop of the stuffing. Enjoy!

What is a paleo snack?!

In NUTRITION BLOG by CrossFit Admin / September 18, 2012 / 1 Comment

Frequently Asked Paleo Questions

What is a good Paleo snack?!

Welcome to the first in a series of answers to some very “frequently asked paleo questions!” I’ve talked with a couple of you about  this question – and my general guidelines would be to think of snacks as just smaller meals and try to eat one of each macronutrient. For example: a protein, a healthy fat and a carb. Or for an example in terms of real food: chopped chicken breast, avocado and chopped tomatoes (yum). As you get further into the challenge, you might notice that your snack cravings are few and far between because you are eating nutrient-dense meals full of real food that keeps you satisfied longer!

BUT I know that sometimes it’s not that easy to just pull together a snack of real food so here are some paleo snack ideas that I use sometimes. These will also come in very handy when you need to travel or be away from your home (and kitchen) for a long period of time!

  • Chopped, raw vegetables with guacamole and/or salsa – any veggies! My favorites are carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, celery, tomatoes…
  • Avocado – with anything 🙂 One of my favorite avocado meals/snacks is a recipe from Everyday Paleo:

Stuffed Avocados
3 -4 ripe avocados
4 cans of Trader Joe’s tuna packed in water
3 green onions
3 celery stalks
1 palm full of dried dill
1 tbsp garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper to taste
grape tomatoes halved
Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove the stone – leave the peel on.  In a large mixing bowl mix together the tuna, celery, onions, and spices.

To make about 1 cup of:

Olive Oil Mayo– 1egg, 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, pinch of sea salt, few shakes of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 1 cup olive oil. In a food processor, process for 5 seconds the egg, vinegar, mustard, cayenne pepper, and sea salt. After another 5 seconds of blending slowly add the olive oil until it makes mayo. Then add the mayo mixture to the tuna, mix well, and scoop onto halved avocados and top with tomatoes. And then EAT!

More snack ideas:

  • Kale Chips – make your own! Separate 1 bunch of fresh Kale, evenly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder and pepper (and any other seasonings you want). Spread the seasoned Kale pieces on a foilded baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes at 300 degress – checking often and turning if needed. These can burn easily but if you watch them carefully and take them out just when they get crispy, they will be delicious!
  • Shredded Coconut Flakes – you can find the Let’s Do Organic brand at Whole Foods and the Hyvee Health Market.
  • Coconut Butter – this is almost too good to be Paleo 🙂 but it is. It’s good as a dip for carrots or berries or just from a spoon to your mouth. You can get the Artisana 100% Organic Raw Coconut Butter at Whole Foods.
  • Hard-boiled eggs – add some guac or avocado and you just made them even more awesome.
  • Beef jerky – BE CAREFUL about the store-bought versions because most all have additives like sodium, sugar, soy and wheat… look for a home-made jerky recipe to be posted on the blog soon.
  • Olives
  • Leftovers – whatever you made for dinner last night is excellent as an afternoon snack too.
What’s your go-to paleo snack?!

This is a sample snack I brought to work the other day – 1 small piece of salmon, half of an avocado and about 1/2 cup of cooked kale.

Summer Steak! (by Marissa)

In NUTRITION BLOG by CrossFit Admin / June 5, 2012 / 0 Comments

It doesn’t get much simpler… Since I don’t own a grill, I have to get creative with my meat preparation sometimes. I used this recipe as a guide for cooking steak without a real grill. Follow these steps for 30 minutes to delicious!

INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES:

approximately 1-pound of steak, 1 to 1.5 inches thick

melted coconut oil, about 2 tablespoons (you will definitely want to use a high heat oil like coconut oil rather than olive oil due to the high temps you’ll be working with)

sea salt (enough to coat on both sides of the steak)

ground black pepper (same as the sea salt)

cast iron skillet, or grill pan if you have one

tongs

a very thick, well-padded oven mitt

DIRECTIONS:

Allow the steak to come to room temperature and pat it dry with paper towels. Heat your oven to broil and place the skillet in the oven to heat up with the oven (try to allow for at least 15 minutes of pre-heating). Brush both sides of the steak with the melted coconut oil and coat generously with the sea salt and pepper – pat it into the steak so it sticks. Turn on a stove burner to high heat, pull the skillet out of the oven (this is where the thick oven mitt comes in handy) and place it on the stove burner. Use your tongs to put the steak on the hot pan and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Transfer the skillet back into the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side(depending on your desired done-ness) and then flip and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Don’t forget to turn the stove burner off. When the cook time is up, remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the steak to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 5 mintues. Slice and serve immediately… with a side of vegetables, of course!