How Sweet It Is...

It's amazing to me after eating things that are not sweet (no sugar, no artificial sugar, etc etc) that my tastebuds have been a bit transformed. This morning I decided to add some banana into my breakfast to change it up a bit, and after a pretty hard workout. I couldn't get over how sweet it was. A banana? I used to eat one of these things every morning, taking it for granted that it was sweet and delicious.

After reading the blogs and chatting it up with several of my Crossfit classmates and I Am Crossfit teammates - I realized, I need to get better at setting more realistic, smaller goals for myself. Despite the fact that it is so cold that I sprinted through the deli/meat section at the grocery store this morning - I am going to get a move on with my running. It was the weak link in my workout, and as we've all learned - sitting on it isn't going to make it improve itself. I'm excited to see what these 8 weeks will bring, and how strong and awesome I can get on diet and exercise alone.

In the eye of the beholder...

My recipe blog is going to morph back into half life and half recipes as I'm working on my Crossfit/Paleo challenge.

The benchmark workout was this weekend, and I can't help but feel disappointed in myself - which I have to admit, doesn't make a ton of sense. I did this same challenge last year, but not eating Paleo, and in the beginner class (which means jumping pullups, and a 45# bar for my hang cleans). This year, I've bumped up a class into intermediate (green band pullups, and a 65# weighted bar for my hang cleans).

Saturday, I managed 2 rounds, a 200m run in the 12 minutes alotted. Instead of thinking about how I rocked the hang cleans (my husband's words there) without setting the bar down, or how I plowed through my band pullups - all I can think is those ugly three letters... DNF.

That's right. Did Not Finish. My running was definitely the hinderance in this workout, and yet it's all I can seem to see. I keep replaying the workout in my head and instead of seeing those awesome points, I'm seeing my poor running (or really, the moment when I was reasonably sure I was about to vomit in front of 40 people and possibly onto a coach. it was NOT pretty.)

So on that note, here is either a picture of the exact moment when I failed myself - or the moment when I ran 400 meters in 2:02 (my second fastest time ever). In the eye of the beholder.

Brussel Sprouts and Kale? Oh my!

As many of you know, I love bread. I don't just mean, prefer it over other things - I mean love it. Stomach hurts? It's time for bread and ginger ale! Staying in for movie night? How about a warm grilled cheese? In fact, back in the old days (read: a few years ago), if I had a bad day at work, I would stop and pick up a loaf of warm french bread from the market, come home, and eat the whole damned thing. Not a great habit.

For Crossfit, I signed up for my I Am Crossfit Challenge - the same one I did last year, but in a heavier/harder weight class. Not that I'm heavier (though now that I think about it...) but I'll be using heavier weights, and having to do band pullups instead of jumping. Running portion is still the same, though I hope to not stop to walk at all this year. That's a big goal for me in and of itself. In order to not revamp my whole eating style when this kicks off this weekend, I've been sneaking in little changes here and there since after Christmas.

Currently, I'm opting for a more paleo/zone style of eating. No bread. None. It's a little rough the first week, but now I'm rocking! :) In this quest, I have discovered that I actually like brussel sprouts. No really. I do. Same with kale! You might not want this recipe as it's got some fat going on (DELICIOUS!) but it's a good way to start expanding your circle of veggies in a delicious way.

Kale or Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta, Shallots and Garlic

• Either one bunch kale or half pound of brussel sprouts
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• One shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2-3 ounces of thickly sliced pancetta (you can sub bacon!)

If you're using kale - make sure you rip the leafy parts off and discard the stem. It's very, very bitter and doesn't cook into anything you'd want to eat. If using brussel sprouts, cut them either in half length-wise, or in quarters length-wise.

Turn your stove on medium heat, and melt the tablespoon of butter in the pan. Once this is melted, toss in your pancetta and let it cook 5-7 minutes or until they're deliciously cruchy browned bits. Add in the shallots and the garlic and stir around for a minute or so until they start to soften. Do not let the garlic burn!

Now, if you're using kale - you toss it in here and let it cook for 6-8 minutes until it's turned a deeper, electric green color and is wilted and cooked. Raw kale is not great. Make sure you're moving the pancetta and the garlic and tossing it all together. This will make sure that the garlic doesn't burn and that your leafy greens are covered in deliciousness.

If you're using brussel sprouts, toss them in the pan and leave them alone for about 5 minutes. You want to stir them once to make sure they're covered in the butter/rendered pancetta. You want to get those crispy brown spots on the brussel sprouts. If you're worried that you're going to cook them too long - you can always cook them before the garlic and shallots, and then add those last (make sure to cook the garlic for at least 2 minutes to get rid of that raw garlic taste!)

I promise, it will taste much better than you think!

Nefarious but delicious...

Part of my new workout plan includes fattening up all my coworkers so I look smaller. Nefarious, but at least they'll die happy. I've been working all week on the secret Marco-family-recipe chocolate bark, my famous 81-calorie cookies, and finally, Peanut Butter Kiss cookies. These last lovelies are not even remotely healthy, unless you'd like to make the argument that peanut butter contains a lot of healthy fats and proteins. :)

The recipe below is for a triple batch (36 or so cookies) but you can by all means split it into one dozen each and enjoy that way... but your coworkers will never get fat off only a dozen. ;)

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
- 3 cups Smooth Peanut Butter (I've used Jif reduced fat with good results)
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 bag dark chocolate or milk chocolate Hershey kisses

That's right. This has no flour. None at all. Trust me, it'll be okay. I use the confectioner's sugar to stiffen the batter up a bit, the brown sugar for some depth of flavor and the white sugar for some pure sweetness. Now, bust out your hand mixer and beat it to death (1-2 minutes generally works). I refrigerate my dough for about 20-30 minutes just to make it easier to scoop out and less sticky. Place on a greased or lined cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes (you can tell when they're done) in an oven set to 350. When they're done, pull them out and immediately press hershey kiss into the middle. I leave them on the cookie sheet for another 3-5 minutes just to let them settle a bit more.

Without Darkness, You'd Never See the Stars...

As I'm emerging from my weird three-month cocoon of work, grief, love, and life itself - I'm having a hard time "getting back to normal". It occurred to me this morning, that this is my new normal. My husband and I lost a very good friend in Ben, but thank you to Ben for giving me Kate-E, her sister Laura, and so many of his very good friends who have all come together to bond in our grief and in the loss of such an amazing human being. You were never a stranger to Ben, within 5 minutes - you were his friend. We should all be so lucky to have been one.

I am finally halfway through my first month of being uninjured at Crossfit and I have to admit, my thirty year old body is a little rougher around the edges and slower to heal than my twenty year old body. However, I have a beautiful thirty year old soul - and even on the days when my jeans are snug, and running hurts so badly that I want to just stop - I am thankful for it.

The end of the year and the holidays always brings to mind changes and the resolutions of a new year. I've made a few already - I want to run a mile 5 times a week to get over my utter and complete hatred of running. Most importantly, I want to be kind, and warm. I've been working on this one for awhile (thank you again, Ben). I make cookies for my trash guys and package them up and put them out with the cans every Wednesday. Because they are helpful to me, and I want to thank them for it. Some might argue - they're just doing their job. I remember saying when I worked at Dell that you never got kudos for "just doing your job"- but maybe you should. My lovely friend Dana is a stay-at-home mom of two. I give her mental kudos every day, as someone who gets super irritated when my dog gets needy - I absolutely could not do her job. She deserves the kudos and the cookies too. Maybe sometimes we just need to tell people that we admire what they do - or give them a big thank you for making your life better, no matter how they do it.

I've already decided to sign back up for the I Am Crossfit challenge again this year. I was injured halfway through it last year, and though I limped my way through it - I am determined to emerge victorious this year. I will be running, and finish with my arms in the air and my head held high - proud of DOING something I wasn't even sure i THOUGHT I could do.

A lesson for life - half of it is just showing up and being there.

One year, already?

It's hard to believe that Aaron and I have been married for a year already! We were lucky enough to spend our anniversary in Las Vegas and while my husband won first place in a national shooting competition - I won first place in the "best wife ever" category for sharing our anniversary with a national shooting competition. ;)

My best friend in the whole, wide world lives in Las Vegas and we were lucky enough to have a beautiful dinner with Deb and her awesome boyfriend, Barry at Mon Ami Gabi. My husband and I ignored our pledge to eat well, and instead - just ate like total gluttons. One of my favorites was the apple tarte tatin dessert, which I attempted to replicate with decent success below. I cheated a bit and used a store-bought Pillsbury pie crust, which worked like a charm and saved me the time of making my own!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 medium Golden Delicious apples, cut into thin 1/8" slices
• Ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter and sugar together in a 12" ovenproof skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add your thin apple slices and stir to coat them with the melted butter mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cook them until the apples have softened slightly and start to take on a light brownish color - 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle them with a bit more cinnamon (depending on how much you like) and arrange them into one layer on the bottom of the pan. Try to make it pretty, this will be the top of your tarte!

Layer your pie crust over the top of the skillet and crimp the sides with a fork. Poke a few 'steam holes' in it and brush with the lightly beaten egg. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pie crust is golden brown!

A little note..

Trying to get back into my blog, but for some reason - the heart hasn't been in it lately. I've been having some health problems and combined with the hole in my world where Ben used to be - it's been difficult to get motivated but I'm getting back.

I've been in the kitchen lately cooking some old favorites, so maybe I'll decide to make a few new ones to post here soon.

Instead, I'll post a 'loldog' in honor of German Shepherd Week and my beloved Mr. Travis... (and yes my beloved Dana, I do see the spelling error in the loldog -they're on purpose in these, I promise!)