Green Chili Turkey Burgers

Recipe from Just.like.mom.never.made

These are so delicious. Mine did not stay together very well, but taste great all the same.

I got a new George Foreman grill for Christmas (removable grill plates for easy cleaning) so I thought I would give a test drive. Being that it was the first time to use it. I should have sprayed the grill to help with the non-stick. That might of helped keep my patties together.

2 (4oz) cans diced green chilis – I used one 7 oz can. I considered that close enough
1 pound ground turkey – I used a 1.25lb package of Italian seasoned turkey meat
1 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt – I don’t like added salt so I left this out

Mix everything together and then form into patties. I got 5 patties

I topped mine with spicy guacamole and a handful of spinach and served with a side of mashed cauliflower.

Very easy and very tasty.. Just what I needed to remind myself the Paleo food can be tasty and get myself back on track

Slacker

WOD Announcment. Stop reading if you don’t want to know today’s WOD.

I really need to be better at this. I know most of everyone is bad at keeping these blogs up. I think of things all day, that I should post and then i think to myself. that isnt interesting noone wants to read about that. so I don’t do anything.

Well be prepared to be bored somedays. I plan to post more. I always have random thoughts going through my head, so might as well let others know. Plus I follow a lot of other blogs that I find very interesting. So I will share links to the post as well.

Today’s WOD
7 deadlifts (175#)
14 Box Jumps
21 Double Unders
12min AMRAP

I do believe the month long food/treat binge is catching up. I wasn’t moving too fast this morning. About a month ago, I popped/tweaked my back doing deadlifts, so I have been laying off the heavy deadlifts. It is feeling better now, but I haven’t done any strength work for deadlifts, so I don’t want to start with heavy deadlifts in a WOD. So I did today’s WOD at 135#. And surprisingly (in a bad way) that felt really heavy. Back felt fine. I do find myself thinking about it every single lift. Its like I’m waiting to fell something wrong. Thank goodness I’m not though.

Not doing a WOD as RX’d messes with my mind. I get bummed. So knowing that I was 40# off the RX’d weight, I felt like a loser. Which in turned made me not care so much about the WOD all together. Box Jumps – I did all as jumps (no steups) but there was no speed involved and then the double unders. I was taking longer breaks then needed when I would mess up.

CrossFit – always a mental battle just as much as a physical one.

Not your Starbucks, but its close and cheaper

On this Paleo Challenge the one thing I miss most is my Starbucks Lattes. All around fav is Skinny Vanilla Latte but during the Fall and Winter I love the Pumpkin Spice Latte and the Peppermint Latte. To me that brings in the season. It made me smile the other day when I saw someone carrying a Starbucks cup and it was the Christmas design. The Season is upon us.

This is a Paleo-ish substitute for the Pumpkin Spice Latte. It isn't quite as good as Starbucks, but it will cure the craving. I did use Protein powder, so if you are doing strict Paleo, this might not help you.

Coffee
2T Pumpkin (Libby's 100% Pumpkin, Not the pie filling)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I used a vanilla bean powder that was low in calories 50)
cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg to taste

The only thing that really bugs me about this is it is kind of gritty. I'm a big texture person, so this kind of gets to me when my coffee is gritty. It might be the nutmeg that makes it gritty. But all in all. I would have this again.

I got this recipe from Showout Megan Parsons

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

This was so easy to make and was delicious. I will make this again. It will be great for taking to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Sorry I didn't take a picture. And sorry for whoever I stole this recipe from. I'm trying to get better at writing them down, where I get them. But this one I didn't.

here we go:

3c Almond Flour
1/2t Salt
1t Baking Soda
1/4c Agave Nectar (I used honey instead)
1/4c Grapeseed Oil ( I used Olive Oil instead)
3 Eggs Whisked
1T Vanilla Extract
1Can Libby's Pumpkin (make sure it is not the pumpkin pie filling, just the all natural pumpkin)
1t Cinnamon ( I might of added a little extra cinnamon, you cant go wrong with that)
1t Allspice

In a large bowl, mix together almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and Allspice
In a smaller bowl, combine agave/honey, oil, eggs and vanilla - then stir in pumpkin
Mix wet ingredients into dry
Place batter in either a cake pan ot two small 7.5"X3.5" loaf pans (I just placed all the batter into a meatlof pan)
Bake at 350 for 40 min ( I cooked for about 50min. after 40min I placed a toothpick in the middle and it still can out a little wet, so cooked another 10 min)
Remove from oven and allow to cool

Mine stuck a little to the pan. Next time I will probably coat the pan with some baking soda and see if that helps.

Spicy Shrimp Salad

This recipe was only for spicy shrimp, but i need to get in my veggies also, so decided to make it a salad. Here is the original recipe and below is what I made.

In a pan saute ready to eat peeled shrimp cooked in the following for 4 min.

Olive Oil

Tabasco Sauce

Worcestershire

Cayenne Pepper

Salt

Pepper

Lemon

That was the original recipe as I found. Sorry I didn't write down where I found it. THe original didn't come with measurements so I just used what I thought was best. Seemed to work for the single portion I was going for.

In a skillet I sauted the following for about 5-8 mins. It took a little longer since I used frozen shrimp

1t Walnut Oil

2 1/2 oz Squash

1 1/4 oz Zuchini

2 5/8 oz Bell Peppers (Red, Yellow, Orange and Green)

5 3/4 oz Peeled with tails off Cocktail Shrimp (weighted Frozen)

Once the shrimp were cooked I placed all the above on top of:

2oz baby Spinach

1 small Avacado

2oz Red Onion

4oz Homemade Salsa (as my dressing)

The salsa itself has a kick to it, so I really was drinking the water while eating this. I love my spicy food.

Enjoy

Are you going on Vacation and thinking of relaxing your diet?

This is a great post from Melissa that went to Prague and decided to relax her diet and take a small break from CrossFit while on vacation. See how that turns out for her.


http://theclothesmakethegirl.blogspot.com/2010/10/valuable-lessons-learned.html

Egg Cupcakes

These were fun and something different for breakfast, but mine didn't have much flavor. There wasn't much more room to add more veggies. Just making an egg scramble seems easier and your able to add more veggies or whatever you would like. Either way here is the recipe below.

Ingredients:
(I had a 12 cup cupcake tray)
12 slices black forest ham (I used cajun turkey)
10 eggs
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, diced ( I didn't find these and left it out)
2-3 TBSP Diced Chives
2-3 TBSP Diced Parsley (I probably messed up here also. I realize now this was suppose to be fresh Parsley, I used dried Parsley)
Salt and Pepper

Grease your muffin cups and line each cup with one slice of ham. Beat 10 eggs and add remaining ingredients. Measure about 1/4 cup of mixture into each of the ham lined muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 375.

That is it. Let me know if you try them with different ingredients and they come out yummy.

Not so pretty, but de-lic-ious

Well they are suppose to be meatballs.. They didn't hold together very well. Like most thing Paleo I cook. It doesnt look all that great but it taste good. When cooking Paleo seasoning is your best friend.

With the remainder of this meat, i just decided to go with a meatloaf pan instead of meatballs. Will serve with sauted veggies.

The recipe is below. I made a few adjustments. Recipe recommends cooking in crockpot but I just baked in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 min on the meatballs and then for the meatloaf I backed for 45 min. Also I used jalepeno sausage which I think made these for me. They have just a nice kick to them.

1 lb ground beef ( i used lamb)
1 lb turkey sausage ( i used jalapeno sausage, I cut the sausage out of te casing and then cubed it)
1/2c Onion, diced
1/4c Almond MEal
1 egg
1T Itilian Seasoning
1T Basil
1T garlic,minced
1/2 t onion salt ( i didnt find this at the store, so i skipped it)
28oz crushed tomatoes

Mix all ingrediants together. (If I was to do again. I would mix everything together except the tomoatoes and then pour those on top) Shape into golf ball sized meatballs. Place in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.

Recipe from: Dialed-In Nutrition Blog

Let's Salsa

I'm from Texas and I don't like dry food, and ranch and ketchup are out of the question for Paleo. So here is a easy salsa recipe. Great with my eggs in the morning.

Hand full of cilantro
2 Jalapenos
2 Serrano Peppers
1 tsp Garlic
1 Large can Tomatoes
1 can Ro-tel
1 small onion

mix all in a blender and ta-da that's it.

Enjoy

Chili

I know it isn't Winter and chili sounds funny when it is so warm outside, but this is the first week of our new 60-day Paleo challange and it was easy to make and easy to eat on for the week.



The receipt called for ground bison, but lamb was on sale so I went with that.

Ingredients:

1T Coconut Oil

1 3/4 lbs Ground Lamb

1/2 Onion, Chopped

2 1/2 C Celery, Chopped

2 Cloves Garlic

12oz salsa

8oz Can of Tomatoes

2t Cumin

2t Chili Powder

2t Thyme Leaves

2t Sea Salt

Dircetions:

1. Saute over medium heat the Onions, Celery and Garlic until onions are translucent

2. The add the meat, cumin, thyme and chili powder. Stir while this cooks for about 5-6 mins.

3. Pour in salsa, tomatoes and salt
4. Let simmer for about an hout and then enjoy.

Very easy to make and great for left overs.

From: Paleoplan

Top 10 excuses I use NOT to exercise

I loved this post so much I thought it needed to be reposted. Original post from girlgetstrong.com

I did tweek the lines some to fit me better. Ihave a dog not a cat, and it seems she has kids and I don't


Top 10 Workout Excuses:
1.My DVR is getting too full and I need to free up some space for tonight’s shows.
2.I would rather get my PJ’s on and snuggle with the dog
3.Way too busy with the laundry
4.Don’t want girls to be jealous of me and men to eye me up and down
5.Makes me all wet with sweat – yuck!
6.I will never look like Angelina Jolie
7.They have made some breakthroughs in plus-size clothing
8.Don’t want to die too healthy and besides doctors need the money
9.My book is just starting to get good
10.No pain is no pain- perfect!
Let’s get serious now as I overcome the above list with…


The Top 10 reasons why we should all exercise:
1.To sleep better-don’t want to be a cranky”Girl”!
2.To reduce stress-we are all superwomen doing too much
3.To own a pair of skinny jeans before they go out of style
4.To get the endorphins going; our ‘natural feel good drug’.
5.The cardiovascular benefits-no huffing and puffing up the stairs
6.Toning muscles-more muscles=more calories burned
7.To increase energy
8.Good for the bones, posture and back-especially for those of us almost halfway to 70 years old
9.To live a long, healthy life- and those doctors have enough money anyway!

Motivating, Inspirational, Overwhelming, Fantastic, Emotional

These are the words I use to describe the 2010 CrossFit Games in Carson, CA.

A group, otherwise known as THE Vic Zachary entourage, flew to Long Beach CA to push our very own hometown hero. In the process of cheering him on and watching the other heats you get connected with others on the field. You start pushing people you have never heard of and become connected in each WOD they participate in. You see something in them and you want to push them and motivate them to keep moving.
Last year when I went to the Games to spectate I had been doing CrossFit for 9 months. I had read every article on the Journal and most blogs written by athletes. I was a CrossFit stalker and when seeing everyone at the Games it felt like I was seeing celebrities just passing right by me.

Somewhere between last year’s Game and this year’s I lost the pizzazz of it all. I was going fully to support Vic (and to watch Annie T. kick those muscle-up asses this year). I hadn’t kept up with anything or anybody. Even in my own CrossFit I had went from 5 days a week to 2. I was losing focus but yet knew I still enjoyed it and didn’t want to quit.

2010 Games comes along and I’m back. Those WODs were intense. I never wished I was the one doing them but I loved watching every minute. When closing ceremonies were over and we were walking out of the Home Depot Center, I was sad it was all over. I wanted more.

I’m ready for 2011 Games. I’m ready to get back into my own workouts. I’m excited, motivated, inspired. I will be back in 12 months supporting our favorite CrossFitter, Vic Zachary along with a few more that I hope make it along with him. Bring it Bayou City CrossFit and Bring it Houston, Lets represent.

MS150 - 2010

Another item checked of the life list. Techniqually this wasn’t on my life list, but it should have been. This was an amazing ride. BP did a great job at supporting this event.
I really never got into training for this event. I kept putting it off, finding other things to do and before I knew it the ride was here. Wow, how time flies. I hadn’t riden my road bike since the Wurstride in October, 6 months prior and probably had been a while before that ride. So to say the least I was a little worried about the long distance (in my mind) up hill ride. Before the MS150 the longest ride I had ever done was 40miles for the Tour de Houston and that was probably 2 or 3 years ago. Other then that its been 10-12 miles rides here and there. I really thought I would check out mentally long before this ride was going to be over.
Event day had come upon us and no turning back now. My family, friends and co-workers had sponsored me and I couldn’t let them down. They gave me their hard earn money so I could make the minimum donation to be able to this event.

We meet our group out in Katy and we sattled up and headed West. It was drizzling on us, but nothing to bad. There was never a moment along this ride when you are alone. There was at minimum no less than 75 other riders around me at all times. We took off and I never saw most of my team again. They are much faster than me. Karla and I rode together for the most part we would separate during the ride and catch back up and check in with eachother at the break points. These breakpoints every 6-14 miles were a saver for me on this ride. When I was over sitting on this saddle and just pedaling away for and hour or so, it wasjust the need break to get off the saddle and wiggle my toes and get some gatorade and maybe a snack of some sorts. The volunteers that work all the breakpoints were great. They were passing cutting pouring and surving all day long and they did amazing at always being prepared.

Camping – have to say not my favorite part of the trip. It rained all night and then the tent started leaking, I was worried by my clothes getting wet that I needed to wear the next day. JP was snoring in the tent next to me and you would have thought he was in our tent he was so loud.

Day 2 – getting back on that saddle for the first time was not fun. Getting the day started, I was having a mental rough time. My ass hurt and I didn’t sleep well and it was drizzling on us. Not a happy camper (haha). But as the day moved on, you get in the grove just start your pedaling and always looking for the next breakpoint and soon enough you are at the finish in Austin.

I never thought I would do this ride, but super glad my company sponsored a team and that I joined. It was a great experience.