Day 2 of my nutrition blog

Breakfast:
2.5 cups my usual coffee with heavy cream and stevia
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 chicken sausage
green onion & mushroom sauteed with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil

WOD:
1-5 rep ladder
1: deadlift 205lb & muscle ups (subbed some with bar muscle ups)
2: clean & jerk 115lb & handstand pushups
3: squat snatch 75lb & burpee w/bar jump
20:26 min - then rest 5 min -
4 rounds of
50 double unders
:25 L-sit holds
25 GHD sit ups
50 yard prowler push with 135lb
I don't know what my exact finish time was

POST WOD:
1/2 of my usual protein shake
progenex recovery protein
16oz of almond milk
1.5 tbsp of almond butter
1/2 banana

Lunch:
Wahoos
Double of order of bonzi veggies with an order of steak and an order of cajon fish! Yum!!
1 12oz beer Kona Brew co forget what it's called but super yummy!

Rowed 1000m

Dinner:
7.5oz of pork chop no bone cooked in coconut milk with seasonings
1 teaspoon of coconut oil probably had about 1/4 cup of coconut milk with the pork once I ate it
huge romaine salad with 1 tomato, 3 mushrooms, 2 tbsp of yellow onion, 2 tbsp of EVOO and 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar.

Day 1 of my nutrition blog

So after the last 60 day nutrition challenge I made it through!! I took a couple of weeks off and now it's time to start journaling everything I eat again to make sure I stay on track with my paleo/primal eating, staying lean and keeping up with my training!! Not sure if I'm doing the individual NLI in September but I am doing OC Throwdown in Jan 2012 so lots of work to do!!

Today I woke up at 4am!! WTF??!! How do you people do it on a regular everyday basis??!! It wasn't bad after my first cup of coffee and a shower! Had a lot of fun training my 6 & 7am class!! Thank you OCC clients for your warm welcome and smiles so early in the morning!

Breakfast:
My usual coffee french pressed with heavy cream and stevia!
Egg white scramble at a nice cafe in Costa Mesa. Egg whites, spinach, tomato, mushrooms, bacon and ham! It was super yummy!! I had 1 piece of squaw bread with a little butter.

Snack:
1/4 avocado

Lunch:
1/2 protein shake
1 serving of progenex recovery chocolate protein mix
16 oz almond milk
1.5 tbsp almond butter
1/2 banana
1 scoop of amazing greens superfood

WOD:
Split Jerk
3,3,3,1,1,1,
105, 115,125, 135 fail, 135 fail, 135 fail :-(
then
4 Rounds for time
30 double unders
20 KB swings 35lb
10 burpees
6:46

Dinner:
Esthers
Steak fajitas w/side salad
2 tbsp of sour cream, 3 tbsp guacamole, 2 tbsp of ranch
5 chips
2 shots of patron :-) It was shaken poured over ice don't know if I actually finished 2 shots but I'm putting it down.

Recipe and Quote of the Day!

Paleo Pork Chops!

12 oz Pork Cutlet - beaten flat
1/3 Cup Pecan Pieces 
1 egg 
1 clove (2 tsp) garlic minced
Sea Salt/Pepper/ whatever
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil 
¼ Cup finely chopped chives or green onions.



Directions:
Combine chives (or green onions), pecan pieces, and garlic and chop it up real fine. Whip the egg in a bowl, dip the pork in, then coat with the pecan mixture. Coat pan with coconut oil and start pan frying the pork now (assuming the chops are beaten flat - otherwise it's gonna be longer). You should be done in 'bout 5 minutes with everything.

Quote of the Day!

"Don't let your victories go to your head, or your failures go to your heart."

Recipe and Quote of the Day!

Coconut Lime Seared Salmon

4 fillets fresh or frozen (defrosted) wild caught Alaskan salmon with skin
lemon juice
squeeze lime juice
sea salt and pepper
4 T. organic virgin coconut oil for frying

Seasonings:
sprinkle dill and lemon seasoning

Coconut Lime Sauce:1 can organic coconut milk
1/3 c. lime juice
peel of fresh lime, grated for zest
handful organic shredded coconut (extra for garnish)

Prepare your coconut sauce by combining and stirring all the lime sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Once mixed, poor roughly two-thirds of the glaze and salmon in a leak proof bag and let marinate for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.

Coat your grill with coconut oil. Grill the salmon for 2-3 minutes per side - I like my salmon rare-medium, depending on freshness. Once the salmon is done to your liking, remove it from the grill and drizzle over the remaining coconut lime sauce. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and serve hot.

Quote of the Day!

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Robert Brault

Heavy cream or half & half??

Most of us who follow the paleo lifestyle or do a combo of paleo and primal know that dairy is not necessarily acceptable.  It's taken me a while to limit or remove dairy from my diet but I still do indulge in borderline good sources of dairy. One in particular is heavy cream. I've contemplated giving it up and dabbled in other sources to see if it could suit me. Coconut milk is okay but doesn't taste as well with my coffee or have the same consistency. I've attempted to just drink black coffee but that doesn't do it for me either. So after playing around with half and half and heavy cream, the winner is heavy cream.

So what's the difference between heavy cream and 1/2 & 1/2?? Heavy cream is full fat cream at approximately 36% of fat, if you can buy it organic yay! Half & Half is 1/2 full milk and half cream. Half & Half is lower in fat but higher in carbs because of the milk. Depending on your insulin response and lactose response half & half can have a negative response in your body versus heavy cream.  Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson use heavy cream in their morning coffee so why not me??!!  The primary reasons why I use heavy cream vs. half & half is because I need the fat in my diet in the morning and if I am going to have some carbs I know that milk's response to my body causes a higher insulin response then will some veggies I mix with my eggs in the morning.  I used to be to be a flavored creamer junkie but now I can't even stomach them. Heavy cream is rich makes my coffee taste amazing and doesn't have any added oils or fake sugars! No insulin response for me! Just pure caffeine!

Now lets talk sugar alternatives!!! Splenda, Sweet-n-low, Equal are all bad for you we know this!! I've actually done a science project for school to see how sugar, splenda, sweet-n-low, equal and stevia react in your body. How you do this is add yeast, water and the sugar to see how much CO2 is created, this basically shows how the sugar spikes in your body. (If you really wanted, I can show you the test results) In any case, with the exception of Stevia, the sugar and sugar alternatives created almost the same amount of CO2. Basically what this says is that your sugar high responds the same way in your body. Stevia did not create CO2 which explains you don't have that sugar high response. This is why I use stevia in my coffee. After trying powder versus liquid form of stevia. Liquid by far is better, it doesn't have any after taste and is pure. Just like any changes in anything you eat or drink, you have to get used to it. But give this a try and I'm pretty sure you'll fall in love with it!

Agave nectar is not bad for you its a natural sweetener you do have some insulin spike similar to honey but it's better for you. The reason why I don't use Agave or honey is because it does spike my insulin but more because there are calories involved and I'd rather eat some fruit or veggies!

I'll admit I still enjoy a diet coke or coke zero - it's my crack, but I try to limit it only on days that I'm fasting because I need a little sugar high to get me through the 18-24hr fasting period!

Quote of the Day!

"Losing is a learning experience. It teaches you humility. It teaches you to work harder. It's also a powerful motivator."

Yogi Berra

Recipe and Quote of the Day!

I went to the fair this past weekend. Of course you have to eat some amazing food but it's also not that healthy for you. One thing I got was a bbq pulled pork sandwich. It was good so I figured I'd look up a recipe paleo friendly.

Pulled Pork Wrap

RECIPE:
Serves 4

2 lbs organic/grass fed pork loin
1 head of Bibb/Butter lettuce

PORK RUB RECIPE:

1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried mustard
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp fresh parsley – chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary – chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

BRAISING LIQUID:
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
1 quart water

SLAW RECIPE:
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup jicama – peeled, sliced, cut into thin strips
1 cup red apple – cut into thin strips

VINAIGRETTE:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
squeeze honey
pinch S&P

Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a small container and close the lid. Give it a good ol’ shake. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all rub ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add pork and coat evenly massaging marinade into meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Remove pork from fridge 1 hour before cooking so as to let return to room temp. Place loin in an oven proof dish along with braising liquid. Cover and cook for 2 hours or until meat falls apart.
Once cooked, using 2 forks, shred the pork apart.
Mix the shredded meat into the braising liquid and hold until ready to chow. Using the inner leaves of the lettuce as cups assemble just like the photo.

Quote of the Day!

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Recipe and Quote of the Day

Going with the summer and lighter meals theme. Here's an easy recipe I like to throw together!

Easy Rosemary Chicken

2 pounds of skin on chicken pieces (I prefer thigh pieces but use whatever you like most, I say the darker the better!)

2 tablespoons coconut oil

4 rosemary sprigs

1 yellow onion, sliced into rings and halved

5-6 garlic cloves,minced

Juice from ½ a lemon

½ cup organic chicken broth

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. Make sure the oil is nice and hot!! Season both sides of the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper. Place the chicken into your hot pan skin side down and sear for five minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Using tongs, turn the chicken over and add on top of the chicken the garlic, onions, and rosemary sprigs. Squeeze in the lemon and pour in the chicken broth, cover and turn down to medium low heat. Cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Serve with some spinach, broccoli or whatever veggie you prefer.

Quote of the Day!

Reality is the mirror of your thoughts. Choose well what you put in front of the mirror.