A Quick and Easy Primal Meal

I LOVE my Crockpot. The words "Fix it and Forget it" make my heart sing. So when I found this Primal Pot Roast recipe from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook, I decided to give it a try.


Back in the Day, I used to make Roast with Lipton's Onion Soup Mix, white potatoes, carrots, and...... homemade biscuits...mmmmm..... ok, that's a No-Go these days. My Gluten-sensitive stomach would hate me for that meal! 


This Roast is mouth-wateringly delicious and so easy it's ridiculous! Here's the recipe:


Primal Pot Roast
Combine the following in a small bowl and rub it on both sides of the gigantic piece of meat (3-4lbs of beef or bison chuck).
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed Rosemary
1 TBSP Paprika
1 TBSP Sea Salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper


****Here's the super important trick for cooking meat in the Crockpot: 
Brown it for a few minutes on each side. I swear it makes it moister (is that a word?)


Place meat into Crockpot, top with an onion cut into slivers, 5 minced garlic cloves, and pour a cup of water, beef, or Chicken stock (my fave) over the top.


Set the timer for 6-7 hours on LOW.


Walk away!


Come back about 30 minutes till dinnertime, and make some kind of yummy side dish. Here is my all time fave. I buy a huge package of Brussel Sprouts at Costco and eat them all week. Can't get enough!

Wow! So that's how they grow!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts:
Cut the ends off of each Sprout and cut in half.
Get out a Cookie sheet and throw enough Olive oil in it so when you tip it all directions it covers it with a thin layer of oil.
Place the Sprouts flat side down on the Sheet.
Bake at 375 for about 15 min.
Take out Sheet and turn them all over to face up.
Put back in oven for about 6-7 min.
Take out, sprinkle with Sea Salt.
Try not to eat them all in one sitting.


I make this Roast and Sprouts on Mondays, my busiest day, and I eat on it for the rest of the week. Perf!

Do you have Issues?!

Who needs taco shells?! Use Romaine hearts!

Gotcha! I'm not talking psychotherapy. I'm talking FOOD!


Most people only think they have an issue if they have a food "allergy". There are so many terms out there:

Allergy

Sensitivity

Intolerance

What does it all mean?!  A true food allergy is when your body actually releases histamines and you have a true allergic reaction- hives, trouble breathing, etc. A true food allergy is usually life-threatening. Think of people with nut or shellfish allergies. They usually carry Epi-pens with them!


A Food Intolerance is more of a discomfort such as a Lactose Intolerance- gas, bloating, stomach cramping, diarrhea. While not life-threatening, a food intolerance can plain HURT! I experience this with dairy. It is awful, but it goes away in a few hours. What doesn't go away is the persistent inflammation in your gut caused by constantly ingesting the dairy or whatever you are sensitive to. This can eventually lead to a host of other problems with autoimmunity like cancer, diabetes, infertility, etc. (read more here)


Tonight, one of my bootcampers, Cassie, told us that her daughter recently cut out dairy and gluten since seeing the amazing results Cassie had with going Paleo. Here is her daughter's direct quote:


"In only 3 days I feel soooo much better! I can't believe how good I feel. I have no digestive problems and much more energy"


In only 3 days!!!


So if you've been wondering if Paleo is right for you, give it a try- you never know what you'll discover!

Travel WODs

Balance, coordination, agility....

It's Spring Break, and some of you out there are traveling (lucky!) and looking for some WODs to do in your hotel room or maybe in your parents' garage. Here are some ideas for you- have fun!

• Run 1/2 mile 50 air squats - 3 rounds.
• 10 push-ups 10 sit ups 10 squats - 10 rounds.
• 200 air squats for time.
• "Susan" Run 200m 10 squats 10 push ups 5 rounds.
• Sprint 200m and do 25 push ups, 3 rounds.
• 10 Handstand push ups and a 200m run 3 rounds.
• Tabata squats and tabata pushups.
• 5 push ups 5 squats 5 sit ups, 20 rounds.
• Walk 100 meters on your hands, even if it is 2 meters at a time.
• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sets of sit-ups and a 100 meter sprint between each set.
• Invisible Fran...21-15-9 of air squats and push ups for time.
• Spend a total of 5 minutes in a handstand, or headstand. If you are using the headstand do not stay over a minute at a time.
• Run 1 mile for time.
• 10 push ups 10 air squats and 10 sit ups, 6 rounds for time.
• Do one air squat and take one breath, ( you can breath all you want while you do the squat or squats) do 2 and take 2 breaths etc...up to 10, and then come back down to one.
• 3 vertical jumps 3 squats 3 long jumps - 5 rounds.
• Handstand 30 seconds and 10 squats, 8 rounds.
• 10 push-ups 100M dash 10x.

8 is Enough!

Working on Turkish Get-ups

I'm so proud of my Ladies at Barton Hills! They are dedicated, hard working, and always up for a challenge!  Here is the workout we did yesterday:

8 is Enough

You have 2 minutes to complete the following. 

Every 2 minutes starts a new round for (12 minutes).

The faster you go, the more rest time you have!

8 pushups

8 situps

8 burpees

8 mountain climbers

Spring has sprung! Come join us at Barton Hills Elementary on Tue/Thurs from 6-7pm

For more info on how to sign-up, go here!

4 Things Women Should be Doing

I found this article on Yahoo this morning. Finally the mainstream press is catching on! Yay Crossfit!!

If your workouts consist of doing light weights and steady-state cardio, you might be in for some bad news: These things alone won’t likely get you the results you’re after, say experts. To increase your fitness level, burn fat, and improve muscle tone, you’ve got to step up your game.

Here are four things women tend to skip that can deliver serious results.

1. High-intensity training.

All that time coasting on the elliptical at a comfortable pace probably hasn’t done much for your body, says Panama-based trainer Belinda Benn, creator of the Breakthrough Physique home fitness system. In fact, the biggest mistake women make in their training is not exercising with enough intensity, she says.

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is typically a 10- to 20-minute workout that alternates short, intense bursts of activity with moderate-exertion recovery periods. “High-intensity interval training  is the best way to improve your overall fitness, burn fat, and stimulate your hormones for a stronger body,” says Benn.

How to tell if you’re training hard enough? Look to your body for clues, Benn says. Good indicators are sweating, increased heart rate, and lactic acid production (i.e., feeling the “burn”) during exercise. Moderate muscle soreness for up to a few days post-workout is also a good sign. “If you feel nothing,” Benn says, “you probably didn’t work out hard enough.”

2. Heavier lifting.

For most women, a typical weight-training session equals light dumbbell exercises, says Toronto-based strength and conditioning specialist Craig Ballantyne, creator of the Turbulence Training Program. But doing fewer reps with more weight—say, 8 reps per set with a 15-pound dumbbell, instead of 15 reps with an 8-pound one—will burn more fat, he says. Lifting heavier will also increase your strength and muscle definition.

Start by swapping out your normal weights for slightly heavier ones, and gradually work your way up.

3. Upper body workouts.

Women tend to store body fat around the waist, hips, and thighs, so that’s where they typically focus their exercise efforts—neglecting their upper bodies, Benn says.

But you can’t spot-reduce fat, and sticking with what’s easy can stunt your progress, says Benn. Because you may feel weak while attempting pull-ups for the first time, Benn suggests doing the hard stuff at the start of your workout, “when you’re freshest and feeling mentally strong.”

“Focusing on underdeveloped muscles will improve the contours of your body,” Benn says.

4. Training with a barbell.

Think barbells are synonymous with back-breaking chest presses? Not so. “You can do a tremendous workout just with a barbell,” Benn says. “If you’re holding a bar rather than using two separate weights, it forces you to get your body  in sync.”

Barbells are great for both upper- and lower-body exercises. Balancing one across your shoulders while doing squats, lunges, or walking lunges helps develop posture and balance, Benn says.

If you’re flirting with a barbell for the first time, go as light as you need to. Even 10 pounds is a good start.

Bonus tip:

If you’re worried you’ll bulk up with any of these exercises, consider your body type. Benn says women generally fall into two categories: those who build muscle easily, and those who don’t. If you build muscle easily, she suggests emphasizing high-intensity exercises. If you develop muscle slowly, you’ll benefit from spending more time on heavy lifting.