Archive for August 2, 2012

Waking Up to a Good Day

Posted: August 2, 2012 in Challenge, Food
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After not sleeping much the past couple of days because of work and Ramadan, I managed to sneak in 7+ hours of sleep last night. I woke up feeling great and ready to tackle the day. Rest is key. Finding a way to get your rest is even key-er(?). If your rest and nutrition aren’t up to par, what you do in the gym is pointless. Last night I disconnected myself from everything, even shut my phone off at 10.30 pm (whoa what??). I prayed Isha and taraweeh at home and then it was off to bed.

Sahoor

Since I made guac last night, I was pretty excited about Sahoor! I made scrambled eggs with 2 eggs and 3 egg whites. I mixed in diced tomato, onions, sea salt, and some chili powder. Oh and of course, I placed a healthy serving of guac on my plate.  I washed it down with another 1.5 liters of water.  Breakfast of champions.

Workout

Again I was talked into doing the met-con when I had wanted to work on olympic lifting strength work. Oh well, I did ok. I modified the workout slightly to make it easier:

Row 400 meters
3 Rounds
15 Pull Ups
15 Kettle Bell Sumo Deadlift High Pull
15 Hand Release Pushups
Run 200

Originally I thought I could run 400m (1/4 mile) but my throat dried up too much so I cut that in half. The rest was fine. I didn’t feel too dizzy but I was losing my grip on the pull up bar faster than usual.  The hand release push ups are tricky. The first time I heard about them, I thought it was going to be easier than regular push ups. Turns out you lose all momentum when you touch the ground and raise your hands. They require a lot more stamina. If you have never tried them, try 15 or so right now, they’re fun. This was around a 12 minute met-con for me so it’s longer than the other ones I have done. I survived though so my body must be getting used to this! The fact that I slept well last night played a huge role in my performance today. I made a video to show the movements in case you want to try this out:

Iftar

Tonight I was able to have dinner with the whole family and we all shared some paleo food. A couple of days ago I made Steak Bites served on Carrots. I had some beef left over from that day that I had to use today so the dish resurfaced, this time enough for the family. Everyone loved it and the remarks I got (as usual when they try Paleo) were “Wow it actually tastes good”. Well, yeah! I’m not making cardboard over here. I’m proving every day on this blog that eating healthy doesn’t mean that you eat rabbit food all day. I have always been a food fanatic and don’t settle for just mediocre taste. If it’s going in my mouth, whether it’s ice cream or Paleo food, it better taste good! I have found that there are tasty alternatives for all of your favorite junk food dishes. For instance in this recipe, carrots replace rice. In doing so you have cut out tons of sugar, numerous grams of saturated fat, and countless amount of simple carbs. If I can do this, anyone can. Create that mind set, create your goals, and push your self to a healthier lifestyle. It doesn’t take long until you aren’t craving fried rice and pizza every night, trust me.

Anyhow, so my plate looked pretty similar to the other night except well, I had something left over from yesterday…. GUACAMOLE:

And with that, I am sadly out of guacamole. Time to make some more! If you have favorite foods (non-Paleo) that you want me to make using healthy stuff, comment and I will try it out. I plan on trying some unique things out this weekend!

Craving the Guac

Posted: August 2, 2012 in Food
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So I’ve been told by some that I eat a lot of guacamole.  I don’t think I eat enough! Love that stuff. If I had ripe avocados being delivered to me on a daily basis (hmm, wonder if Amazon Prime can do this), I would probably make some for every meal. I know some of you are still making faces at that word but have you tried it yet?? It will change your life. Well not really but it’s one of the best alternatives I’ve found for sugar/carb loaded sides. It has the essentials like monounsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins C and E and potassium that you need to get through these long days of Ramadan. According to the American Heart Association, monounsaturated fats from avocados can help reduce your cholesterol level, a huge contributor to heart disease. Oh so I guess it could change your life!

Guacamole can be eaten with almost anything too. Chicken, eggs, carrots, literally anything (ahem, including chips and pizza but that’s not the point of this blog). Anyhow, by popular demand and to save you from having to scrolling down too far, here is the recipe again. I’ve tweaked it a little bit:

    • 2 ripe avocados, peeled
    • 1 lemon
    • 1/2 lime 
    • 1/4 tsp of cumin
    • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
    • 1 clove of garlic (or less), minced
    • 1/4 tsp of sea salt
    • 1 diced tomato, diced
    • 1/2 red onion, diced
    • handful of cilantro to garnish, finely chopped (how-to)

Instructions: Put everything in bowl and mash it up with a fork until the avocado chunks can’t be seen anymore. Simple enough and it only takes a few minutes. It tastes best served right away. If you want to save some as leftovers, make sure you put it tupperware and refrigerate it asap.

The meals

For Sahoor I had a large omelette with tomatoes, onions, and peppers. I sprinkled some sea salt on it and added some hot sauce to it. I had a Paleo Muffin as well. I drank my usual 1.5 liters of water with it.

For Iftar, I was craving the guac so it was time to make some more. Keeping with that theme, I was craving something tangy so I made Chicken Fajitas.

    • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced up
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 1 tsp sea salt
    • 1 Tbs coconut oil
    • 1/2 red onion, sliced
    • 2 bell peppers, sliced (red makes it look nicer)
    • 1 lemon
    • 1/2 lime
    • 1/2 tomato
    • 1/2 tsp of chopped cilantro

Instructions: In a bowl, mix the cumin, oregano, chili powder, and sea salt. Toss the chicken in and coat it with the mixture. Heat a large pan and add in the coconut oil when it gets hot. Throw in the onions and let them satuee for 2-3 minute. Add in the chicken and stir it around until it’s almost done (10-15 minutes). Add in the onion, bell peppers, lemon juice, lime juice, tomato, and cilantro to the pan. Stir it up for another couple of minutes and you’re done. Serve with some guacamole, and lettuce. 

Workout

Sleep, for time. I scored 7.5 hours! This is more than I’ve slept in a while. I know I’ve taken two rest days here but sometimes it’s needed. Just make sure it doesn’t snowball. I am relaxed, energized and ready for a good workout tonight. Oh and I have guac in me so I’m sure I will be awesome!