Viquez Family Paleo Dinners

Truly sorry for my last post being “I’m back!”. Technically – in terms of Paleo and CrossFit I was still always there, blogging not so much. But, I’m gonna try harder. I have been maintaining my 2-3 CrossFit WOD’s per week and eating as Paleo as humanly possible with my work schedule. I have to tell you – I haven’t been doing horribly bad. But, I could tighten it up a little – and I am!

Pictured above was an amazing Viquez Family Dinner from the other night!

Baked Pork Chops w/ Spring mix salad – which included chopped apple and nectarine, crushed cashews, and homemade dressing – olive oil, red wine vinegar, dash of pepper.

No picture of tonight’s dinner but it was equally as great.

Crock pot of Country Ribs – sitting all day in BBQ sauce, onions, and garlic (OK so the BBQ sauce admittedly is not so paleo – but a gift from my birthday so I hated to let it go to waste – it was Paula Deen brand how could I resist, Marcus!!). We also had a side of arugula salad with sliced strawberries, mushrooms, crushed walnuts, and homemade dressing – olive oil, balsamic, and dash of pepper.

Did Monday’s WOD but can’t remember my stats.

Today’s WOD was Deadlift 5×5: 103-113-123-133-143

and the cash out was 4 rounds of 10 full range lunges, 15 slam balls, and 20 KB cleans(35#): 10:05

*** CF South Bay has had some amazing informational posts these past couple months… so I encourage everyone to keep up with the reading!! Knowledge is key – esp when it comes to movement and safety.

I’m back!

I finally have made it back!! The schedule has been horribly hectic with a new job, son’s baseball still going on, preparing for a camping trip…. but enough about that.

I have still been maintaining my Paleo Challenge! Except I do owe 50 burpees for a bag of chips I scarfed down Sunday night. Couldn’t resisit – sorry!

Most of my meals have stayed pretty consistent – scrambles for breakfast (except this week has been tough with new job orientation, it’s TOO early for me), lunches are salads with meats or fish, dinners have been veggie sautees with a meat or fish. Last night was kindda fun – hubby found a Paleo Taco recipe that I just tweaked to fit whatever was in our fridge and pantry(pictured above). They were yummy!! Ground turkey with spanish seasonings, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, serrano pepper, and topped with a salsa layered in a lettuce leaf.

I’ve been seeing a lot of changes in my body size – mostly because people have commented about it. I did lose close to 10lbs in the first week or so, but that has gone back up a bit. I think it’s because my exercise frequency has changed with our CRAZY schedule. Hoping to hit the box more when orientation is over. I am still hitting some good times and MAX’s with my WOD’s though – so I am still pleased.

Free lunches at the new job have been kindda tough cuz they aren’t so Paleo friendly, but that’s ok. I’ve been making it work. Picking cheese and corn out of my salad, passing on the rice and mashed potatoes(that was hard), taking the meat and veggies out of my sandwiches. I love the look on people’s faces around me – what is she doing?! haha. I’m getting fit, People!! Pay attention!!

WOD 05/20/2009

3×5 DL 125-135-150PR

3 rounds of: 10 DL(130#), 200 single unders 11:06

Day 6

Breakfast – wanted something other than eggs today so I decided on a smoothie. Frozen berries, nuts, ice, and 1/2 water and 1/2 white grape juice (just enough liquid to keep the blender going) from baby’s stash. Don’t usually keep juice in the house for the grownups due to sugar content. Couldn’t come up with a protein source for shake so I made tuna with onion, mayo, and a small spoonful of pesto(homemade from a recipe I saw posted at the farmer’s market this weekend).

Snack – jerky, fruit, and nuts. Had this a couple times throughout the day.

Lunch – had luch with friends at Island’s ordered the Kobb Salad with grilled chicken – hold the blue cheese even though it killed me to say it and the dressing. Got lemon wedges instead. Very yummy!

Dinner – Tomato soup with seafood mix and bell pepper mix. (Both frozen from Trader Joe’s) Yummy – Even my 12 yr old loved it!

Snack – blackberries and a spoonful of macadamia nut butter.

Pretty boring post today, but I finally got it in at least. Can’t wait to get back in the gym tomorrow!!! I love it there – the people, the energy, and the support is just INCREDIBLE!!

Day 5 – I’m liking this Paleo stuff!

I did it – I got my butt up and made a decent AM meal before 11AM.

Breakfast – coffee! Uncured bacon, wiped out most of bacon grease from pan – sauteed quartered brussel sprouts, onions, and crushed garlic in remaining, then threw in 2 omega 3 eggs to scramble in. Topped off with bacon semi-crumbled. It was very yummy!! Although, since I’ve just started reading the Paleo diet book I started questioning the bacon. But, have been reassured by fellow Paleo Pals that uncured, non-sugar is alright on occassion.

Any thoughts on the bacon?

Snack – fruit, buffalo jerky from Trader Joe’s, and some nuts.

PM meal – had a busy afternoon combined lunch and dinner. Broccoli salad with lemon juice and small amount of olive oil for dressing, quarter of a rotisserie chicken.

Snack – 1/2 apple dipped in macadamia nut butter, 1 hard boiled egg

Drank lots of WATER all day!! Yum! The NO ALCOHOL has not been too bad for me yet surprisingly. I’m usually a seeker of wine – but maybe just pretty determined.

**Need to eat more tomorrow! Need to eat more protein!!

No WOD today – son had baseball practice. Probably no WOD for me tomorrow due to baseball game. We’ll see.

Other news -although I’m not measuring till next week I did weigh myself and I’ve magically lost 9lbs in these past 5 days!! I couldn’t believe it. Was 135# last Friday and was 126# today. I haven’t seen under 130# in nearly 4 years. Yay, ME!!

Day 4 of 100

AM – The morning totally got past me so I was only able to squeeze in 1/2 a mug of coffee and a hard boiled egg. Shame on me!! I need to get up earlier.

Snack – didn’t have one was running around and forgot to pack stuff with me.

Lunch – this was the best one so far. Hopefully, my pics and descriptions will help with your meal ideas too. So, I made a Salmon Salad (canned wild salmon from Costco, mayo, chopped onion, chopped 1/2 apple) next to a spring mix salad topped with tomato, hard boiled egg, and crushed walnuts. Olive oil, balsamic, and lime juice for dressing.

Post WOD Snack – blackberries, 1/2 apple, nuts

Dinner – Ground turkey seasoned with cumin, crushed garlic, and pepper browned in a pan and drained, olive oil added to pan with onions, more garlic(we love it), bellpeppers, and broccoli (bag of frozen peppers and broccoli from TJ’s). Put meat back in pan when veggies were warm, added tomato sauce with Italian seasoning! Very yummy!!! Almost like an Italian chili.

Snack – I needed this since I hadn’t had much in the AM. Macadamia nut butter with Strawberries.

*I would like to emphasize again WATER is very important!! Here I’ve linked a little article outlining water and exercise. I don’t drink juice as it usually contains sugar and I will have tea occasionally, which is Paleo approved.

WOD

Shoulder Press 3×5 @ 53#

AMRAP 10 of 10boxjumps, 10burpees: 6 rounds exact

Day 3 of 100

Breakfast – 2 fried eggs, bacon, arugula sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and onions. Side of strawberries. Water.

Snack – nuts

Lunch – sping mix salad topped with tomatos and can of anchovies in olive oil. Water.

Snack – almond butter and blackberries

Dinner – chicken browned in olive oil and mixed in with red chard, chinese broccoli, and small amount of chicken stock. 1/2 an orange. split an artichoke with Eman, dipped in mayo with lemon juice. Water. (I was super hungry – could you tell?)

DAY 2 of 100

Breakfast – 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage links, salsa (tomato, onion, serrano pepper, juice of lime). Coffee and water.

Snack – handful of almonds

Lunch – left over from dinner last night (lettuce, pepperoncinis, slice of pineapple, 1/3 of beef patty, half slice of bacon). Water.

Snack – couple spoons of almond butter and blackberries.

Snack – apple during Eman’s baseball game to counter the craving for anything at the snack shack, and some almonds.

Dinner – went to a party and had a couple beef kabobs, but couldn’t find anything else paleo so I snacked on some almonds I’d brought with me. I did however stop at in-n-out on the way home and got a double meat, no cheese, protein style burger. Very yummy!!

*Please feel free to comment. I’d love some input on what and how to get a better balanced diet going. I’m feeling pretty good right now, not too cranky (I think, ask my hubby he may have a different answer). Although I have been consistently hungry towards the afternoon. Granted it is only day 2. I’d also love some simple recipe ideas!

 

No WOD today – but did help out at our CFSB monthly beach WOD. I supervised – haha!

I’m in!

Okay – so I’ve been invited by a dear friend to join this 100 day six-pack challenge that CF Virtuosity has put together. You commit to a diet, choose a work out plan, and log your intake (food), output (WOD), and measurements regularly for 100 days. I’m in! Here it goes….

1. I’m going Paleo, with the exception of my morning cup of black coffee. No alcohol.

2. I’m commiting to 3 CrossFit WODs per week, more if the kids schedules permit.

3. Here are my measurements today:

Bust 34″ Chest 28.5″ Waist 32″ Hips 36″ Midway(waist-hips) 34.5″

Thighs 22.5″ Knees 16.5″ Calves 13.5″ Upper arm 10.5″ Forearm 9.5″

*I’ll probably due f/u measurements on Monday, May 11th since it’s already Friday and measuring this coming Monday would not make much sense.

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DAY 1

I’m not much of a breakfast person, my hubby can vouch for that, so it’s gonna be a challenge for me to eat more than a couple meals per day. But, for the next hundred days I’m gonna make a conscious effort to eat smaller meals more frequently.

AM – 2 farm-fresh cage-free eggs fried in a bit of olive oil, 1 small tomato, left over steak, small handful of cashews, and fresh strawberries (pictured above). Water to wash it all down. I love water!!

Snack – fresh almond butter and some fruit.

PM – Counter Burger in a bowl. 1/3 lb. beef on a mixed lettuce bed with grilled pineapple, bacon, grilled onion, and garlic aioli dressing. Glass of water.

Snack – a few blackberries.

WOD- Task Priority FGB

26:54 (first time Rx’d- killer!)

3 rounds of

20 wallball 14#
20 SDHP 55#
20 boxjumps
20 pushpress 55#
20 calorie row
* 1 min. rest between rounds

Use it or lose it!

Seniors from Crossfit Troy

When I first began my nursing career I started out in an Alzheimer’s/Dementia unit. What a shocker!! I was somewhat unaware of this population of retirees. I spent a couple years there really learning about this difficult disease and how to manage care for these residents. Some days I spent being nearly beat up and drug up and down the halls by elderly men thinking they were still at war. Oddly enough, I loved every minute of it. I’d grown very fond of my patients.

Through this experience I learned one very key factor in life – USE IT OR LOSE IT! I’d read this phrase in a few nursing journals and actually heard a doctor say it once. So, in my own research I’ve come to agree with the saying. I preach it to patients, their families, and even my own friends and family. I encourage everyone to do crossword puzzles, sudoku, and board games. I’ve been asked plenty of times – do you really think it works? Well – even if it doesn’t – isn’t it worth the effort? I just so happen to love sudoku and crossword puzzles – so it’s been an added benefit for me.

This definitely does not only apply to brain exercises. The same ‘use it or lose it’ mentality also is very important in matters of physical independence. Maintaining a certain level of physical activity is key in preventing muscle weakness and deterioration as we age. Here is an article from the CrossFit Journal related to Seniors and CrossFit.

I’ve also attached the following interesting links related to exercise and dementia.

Treatments for Dementia: exercise program

Four pillars of Alzheimer’s prevention

Reclaim you brain

This is why I CrossFit

T/TH/S WOD (during oldest son’s little league game)

AMRAP in 2hrs (yes, games last 2hrs)

sprints around bleachers chasing Diego and friend

lunges to save toys from flying into parents

toddler deadlifts to keep son out of puddles around water fountain

*any mother’s out there have any other good mommy WOD’s?!

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I never thought I could CrossFit because it’s for ‘fit’ people. Was I serious?! I always considered myself athletic and capable of trying anything. Heck, I’m a wife, mother, nurse, and whatever else falls into specialties of those roles… housekeeper, cook, driver, counselor, and cheer leader. What made me think I couldn’t CrossFit?

First off, as a youngster I competed in various youth sports programs – volleyball, basketball, softball, and golf mainly. I even went on to coach high school JV softball at one time. But as time went on and careers, family, and life responsibilities took over I set that part of my life aside. I began my life as a nurse focusing on elderly care and raising 2 sons. I was very content with going to work and being a part of all my residents daily routines, feeling like my job and my time made them feel better and helped them in some way. I love shuffling kids around from school, to baseball games, to jiu jitsu practice, and then going home and talking, eating, and cleaning together. Honestly, life couldn’t be any better – right?!

Wrong! I could hardly keep up with myself. My second child was starting to run (forget walking). My hubby was on this CrossFit road and looking and feeling great and I was not. I just couldn’t get myself together. Then reality set in. My diabetic mother was diagnosed with breast cancer (that dreaded C word), my grandmother’s dementia progressing, I had just lost another pregnancy and had no good reason to be in maternity jeans anymore, other than the fact that they were SOOO comfy (little one just turned a year old at this point). I was the largest I’d ever been, and I was just generally not feeling good. It was tougher getting started in the morning – both physically and emotionally. But, I didn’t know where to start. I did the weight loss challenge at work with a bunch of girls – and all that encouraged me to do was eat less and walk a little more. I had very little results but I still won – the other ladies had no luck with that one either. I decided I needed a bigger and better challenge! I need to work out hard, fast, and get the new me going. I found in CrossFit the same excitement I loved as a young athlete, the same desire to be the best me. I started to come into CFSB slowly (about twice a week). I wasn’t sure I’d ever be as strong or fast as the other girls in my gym, but all I knew was it felt good trying. Okay – maybe not good, I felt pain and sore in places I never knew existed. But, it was a good hurt. I’d never started to feel more energetic and more inner/outer strength in my life. Who knew working out could or would make you feel this good about yourself. Not just because i’m stronger and can lift heavier weights, but because life throws you horrible curve balls and I can not just dodge them but I can hit them out of this park!! I’ve become this better, stronger, more confident version of myself. As a bonus, all those clothes I hid in the back of the closet that I swore I’d get into one day did finally start to fit. I feel great and my kids know it. I not only chauffeur my kids around – but I can hang out and learn new dance moves with them, I can do a workout with my husband now (and sometimes beat him), I can use the motivation I’ve gained from CrossFit to encourage adults and children alike to stay strong both physically and mentally.

I want to share this gift of health and well-being with others. I want every person that feels like they don’t have time, or they’re not strong enough to participate in a particular activity or gym to just do it. There’s no reason to wait. Health is not one of those things that will just be there tomorrow. We don’t know when tragedy, disease, and illness will strike or when a simple fall can set you back months or years of independence and a good quality of life.

I’m telling you from my own experience – You CAN CrossFit!!

*I found this article titled CrossFit for Every Body by Jonathan Sabar of DEFY that lays out great points about why CrossFit does benefit all.

So why do you CrossFit? Post comments – I love reading other’s stories as well.