Posts Tagged ‘CrossFit’

Quick Win

Posted: August 6, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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Alright so I really don’t have a great excuse for not posting this on time. This post is for the 4th. Although I’m off from work, I have another project that kept me busy all day. Well at least procrastinating about it kept me busy. I do feel myself dragging a lot more these days. It almost feels like the beginning of Ramadan even though I am much more rested these days, not to mention fully adjusted to the schedule. Maybe I’m resting too much? I’m not one to sit around idle so maybe being off work this long is making me lazy.

For Sahoor

This one is for you eva626. I tried your silly recipe of sweet potatoes and milk (I used almond milk). I boiled the potatoes, mashed them up and then added warm almond milk as well as some cinnamon. I don’t know if the excitement of the night and lack of sleep kept me unhungry (is that a word?) but I found it difficult to eat. It tasted good but maybe I just made too much since I used 2 sweet potatoes. I had been snacking on almonds and other things throughout the night as well. Where did I go wrong? Here is what it looked like:

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For Iftar

I had stopped procrastinating and gotten pretty busy around Iftar time so I had only a few minutes to throw something together. I had marinated salmon with sea salt and chili powder earlier. When it was almost Iftar time, I heated up a pan and cooked it with coconut oil. I added green peppers, scallions, and tomatoes to it. I cooked both sides of the fish and when it was nearly cooked, I added some raw honey to one side of the filet. I let it simmer on low heat and put a top on it.

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This was extremely easy to make as you can see. It took maybe 10 minutes with the exception of marinating the filets. Adding honey to one side of the filets left it with a great sweet/spicy combo. It was the perfect touch that made it taste like something I had put effort into.

Workout of the Day

The ab challenge has a rest day today so I did a body weight metcon workout;

5 Rounds
10 Push ups
15 Squats
10 Pull ups
15 Lunges
5 Handstand Push Ups
*Every 30 seconds do 5 burpees

I will be writing the post for the 5th right after this so I will be caught up. It’s almost over, not the time to start getting lazy!!

Hey Want a Date?

Posted: August 1, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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I realized I have left out one of the most important things I eat for Iftar. Well maybe not important but traditional? I open every fast with a date or two… or three. They are delicious, naturally grown in Saudi, and despite being a little on the higher end of sugar content, carry tons of great vitamins. They are a great source of fiber, vitamin A, and magnesium. Some studies have linked them to health benefits for your brain and heart while reducing risk of stroke and high blood pressure. If you haven’t had some before, I encourage you to try them. Like I said though, they are high in sugar so just don’t go overboard (even though it’s natural).

For some comic relief, a video I ran across a couple of weeks ago by some goofy kids in NYC:

For Sahoor

I had chicken leftovers from the night before that I had intentionally made extra of. I keep forgetting how much of a challenge eating chicken is in the morning. It tastes good but requires effort for me. Any how I finished that up and then had a protein shake.

Workout of the Day

3 rounds
15 Ring dips*
Kettlebell swings 53lb – As many reps as possible without stopping
Rest 2 minutes
15 Sumo-deadlift high pulls with KB – 53lb*
Wall balls 20lb – As many reps as possible without stopping
Rest 2 minutes

Your score is the lowest amount of reps you were able to complete for each movement
*this must be done unbroken. If you stop/pause, you must start your reps from 0

2013-08-01

I think I might be done with metabolic conditioning workouts for the remainder of Ramadan. I don’t remember feeling like this last year but I definetly require a lot more rest after finishing the workout. I don’t think I’m going any harder than I was last year. Maybe the workouts are more challenging? Maybe I’m just that out of shape? I enjoy the workouts very much but I hate that feeling afterwards of not wanting to move. I think I will stick to strength training for the remainder and maybe throw in some short met-cons.

For Iftar

Thai spiced chicken

  • 1/2 lb of boneless chicken
  • sea salt
  • chili powder
  • about two fist-fulls of lettuce
  • 1 scallion
  • 2 tsp of thai curry paste, Mae Ploy brand
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 cup of broccoli, cut into pieces
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
  1. Heat up a skillet and add in coconut oil.
  2. Marinate the chicken with the desired amount of salt and chili powder.
  3. Place the chicken into the pan and let it brown. When it starts to brown, flip it.
  4. Cook both sides of the chicken on high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add in the curry paste and mix it around a little bit.
  6. Cut up the lettuce, carrot, broccoli, scallion and add it to the skillet. Squeeze the lime onto it as well.
  7. Stir everything up and then lower the heat to low-medium. Continue to stir until the vegetables are soft and the curry paste has mixed in with everything.

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I honestly was a little unsure how this would turn out, especially since I’ve never used curry paste without using coconut milk. It took a lot of mixing and some lemon juice but it spread out real well across all of the ingredients. I love Thai food so anything with that type of kick to it I will enjoy. Needless to say I finished it pretty quick. Feel free to add as much green to it; it will fill you up better and of course the nutrients don’t hurt.

With that said, less than a week left! Wow..

Breaking Away

Posted: July 31, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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This post is for July 29th. Yeah I’ve gotten busy/lazy, take your pick. Actually I just blame my sister for dragging me out to Richmond to help her move into her new place after Sahoor. Luckily the weather was nice that early but by the time we finished, the sun was out full blast and it fatigued us all. Note to self, research why being in the sun brings induces narcolepsy.

I finally did it! I broke away from the egg trap. I woke up with just enough time to cook up some Paleo Pancakes (minus the syrup this time), and felt great about life. I then learned that evening that Paleo Pancakes are probably not something I should eat on a day I plan on working out. I’m not sure what it was but even warming up for the workout, my stomach didn’t feel right. Once I had finished the metabolic conditioning workout, I just laid on the floor. Of course I did run outside in the heat but I do think it also had something to do with the almond flour. Another note to self, check its expiration…

For Sahoor

I made Paleo Pancakes and they tasted just as good as last time. One addition I made this time was that I added a smashed up ripe banana to the mix. Changes the taste up a bit so the taste of almonds isn’t over abundant. That taste to me does get annoying after a while. I didn’t have time to make the syrup so instead I drizzled some raw honey on it. Like I said, it tasted great and I used the same recipe but I definitely felt different throughout the day. I’ll experiment some more with this another day.

Workout of the Day

Run 1/4 mile
15 Dead lifts at 275lb
20 hand release push ups
Run 1/4 mile
30 Dead lifts at 225lb
20 hand release pushups
Run 1/4 mile
45 Dead lifts at 135lb
20 hand release pushups

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This is a chipper style workout which means you have a task list that you accomplish in order one time through to complete the workout. As you can see I had to modify it a bit so I could do it without destroying myself. I was already pretty dehydrated from moving my sister’s stuff to the point where I had been craving slurpees (gasp, I know). I didn’t want to push it by running and dead lifting (which can make you dizzy pretty fast on a normal day).

For Iftar

Since I switched things up for Sahoor in the morning, I decided to shake things up for Iftar and step away from the chicken for a little bit. I ended up making some Chili Lime Salmon. It’s extremely easy to make and doesn’t take a lot of effort. It’s great for those days you are drained from helping your sister move and craving slurpees. There are a couple of ways to make it but I chose the quick and dirty way which was to fry it up in a skillet. If you have time and are sick of coconut oil, you can bake it as well.

  • about 1/2 lb of salmon (or tilapia)
  • 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp of chaat masala (optional)
  • 2 limes
  1. Heat up a skillet and add in coconut oil.
  2. Place the fish into a bowl and cover the filets with salt and chili powder.
  3. Squeeze both limes into the bowl. Make sure all of the filets are in the lime.
  4. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so the fish can soak up the lime and spices.
  5. Place the filets in the skillet and leave them for a few minutes, moving them around occasionally. Make sure you add all of the lime juice in the bowl as well.
  6. Flip them over and cook for another few minutes.
  7. Once it starts to brown, flip one more time, lower the heat and let it simmer with a top over the pan.
  8. It’s done when it flakes easily as you poke it with a fork.

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I served it with some green and red bell peppers to make it look pretty. I also had some more functional additions like the lettuce. I think it took me about 15-20 minutes to make this after I had worked out. Oh as you can see, I had a Kill Cliff with it. It’s a recovery/energy drink. I love that stuff and the ingredients are legit. I needed one after how I was feeling post workout.

So today I got away from eggs and chicken as well as got a workout in. That sounds like a successful day for me. I pick on my sister in this post but she has been my assistant chef on many of these meals so I actually owed her! I’ll count that as part of my workout and reminder that I still need to hydrate better.

Hydration + Electrolytes

Posted: July 23, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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A couple of days ago I talked about hydration and it’s importance, especially if you are working out in this heat. Today I wanted to touch a little bit on electrolytes. For those that are drinking high volumes of water and/or involved in lots of physical activity, replenishing your electrolyte levels are a must. They’re essentially minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge and affect things like the amount of water in your body, the acidity of your blood, your muscle functions, etc. You lose them when you sweat or in some cases are flushed out if you over-hydrate. Good news is that it’s not hard to replenish them. My favorite fruit, watermelon is extremely rich in electrolytes. I usually have a bowl every other night or so. While there are plenty of sources for replenishing electrolytes, like sports drinks, additives, etc, stick with natural sources like fruit, leafy greens, coconut water, and sodium. I say stay away from sports drinks because their sugar content negates a lot of their benefits.

For Sahoor

Today I fried 2 eggs in extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled a bit of a sea salt and chili powder on them and ate them with a fork. I also had a protein shake mixed with water. I don’t often drink shakes post/pre workout because I don’t find them to be that effective. However, I will sometimes drink one as a meal supplement or addition when I remember I still own some. It has plenty of protein and fills you up so it’s not a bad thing to have in the morning. Is it 100% paleo compliant…eehhh.

Workout of the Day

Since I had hydrated a lot in the morning, I decided to do a met con today. To step up the challenge, the whole met con took place outdoors. It sounded like a great idea since it was super hot inside the gym. Funny how the sun works, it wasn’t much better outside once I started the workout with the sun beating down on me. Oh well, I survived and it was a fun one:

4 rounds for time
Run 400 meters
15 Wall ball shots to a 10′ target with 20lb ball
15 Toes to Bar

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The first round went smooth but after I had run about 1/2 a mile, I started to feel the fatigue and hunger kick in. After that I ended up taking a break in between the runs and breaking up the toes to bar reps. I stuck with it though and got it done, slowly. It was a great workout that involved cardio, squats, coordination, and gymnastics.

For Iftar

I tapped into my chicken and beef patties that I have pre made and frozen for busy days and made a bunless burger. The patties consists of ground meat (chicken or beef), grounded with tomatoes, chaat masala, paprika, chili powder, salt, egg, and lemon juice. I grill them and then freeze them for days if I want a quick dinner. They last for a while so you can make a lot ahead of time. Of course they don’t taste as good as when they are fresh off the grill but they get the job done.

I ripped off a bunch of a lettuce and then laid down 2 chicken patties and 2 beef patties. I cut a little bit of tomato and cucumbers to dress it. I used some Tessemae’s ranch salad dressing to give it a nice zing. If you haven’t tried Tessemae’s dressing, I highly recommend you check it out. They have a whole lineup of healthy Paleo dressings that taste great.

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Later in the evening I filled up on some electrolytes through the means of watermelon and called it a night.

Also, I didn’t realize it until someone asked but we are half way done with Ramadan already! It’s become pretty routine now but it was a nice surprise to realize how far along we are already!

Hydration FTW

Posted: July 19, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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The heat wave in DC continues but it’s ok, I was able to make it to the gym on time today after work and the heat wasn’t going to stop me. Today’s workout was mostly strength related so I didn’t expect there to be a lot of sweating (or at least as much as one would during a met con). I guess I underestimated the heat, even for 6.30pm because the pool of sweat I saw people swimming in as I walked into the gym disproved my assumptions real fast. This brings up a point I’ve mentioned in several entries now: hydration. I feel myself getting back on track with hydration and that I believe is the key to me being able to have enough energy when it’s time to workout. On days like today, had I not hydrated the night before and at Sahoor, there is no way I could have performed the workout successfully.

Now when I say hydrate, that also doesn’t mean you should be forcing a gallon of water into your body in the last 5 minutes of Sahoor. As good as water is for you, it can be damaging if it isn’t consumed properly. My 19 year old self can tell you a story about when he accepted a challenge to drink a liter of water in a minute. Clearly I wasn’t bright when I was 19 and it led to a painful rest of the day. Anyhow, the point is, know your body and use common sense. If you aren’t used to drinking a lot of water, start increasing your intake slowly. Your body will reject any sudden increase in water intake and pass it right through.

Here is a great calculator to determine how much water you need a day: http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

The results will seem like a lot, but keep in mind that the food you eat contains water as well so that goes towards your final count. Enough about water for now. Tomorrow I will get into the importance of electrolytes, especially during days like today and yesterday.

For Sahoor

I had been hydrating the night before so I continued that this morning. I had a tall glass of water before I started eating my typical 2 egg/ 4 egg white omelette. Then as I ate, I consumed another glass or two. Then when I finished I had more water. I didn’t keep a count but it was probably close to 40-50oz over the course of 45 minutes. My body is used to doing that so I had no problem with it.

Workout of the Day

Today’s workout was all about Power Cleans. Normally one would squat when doing a clean so you can get further underneath the bar which means you have to pull the bar up less. However, with the power clean, you are working on building a strong pull which will inevitably help you get stronger for squat cleans.

Warmup: Run 400 meters, inch worms, 2 rounds – 10 pull ups, 15 kettle bell swings, side straddles, 2 rounds – 10 squats, 10 ring rows, pvc pipe pass throughs

Spend 20 minutes to find a 1 rep max Power Clean.
-then-
at 90% of your one rep max weight – every minute on the minute do 1 power clean.

The workout felt great. I clearly didn’t have 100% percent of my strength as you can see in the video.  My legs did not land properly on some of the reps but it wasn’t terrible either. I was able to max at 225# and failed at 235#. It wasn’t a PR (personal record) but it will do. I attribute the success to being properly hydrated otherwise there is no way I could have maintained composure while lifting that bar.

For Iftar

For Iftar I made chili chicken. It’s another quick recipe that you can put together but it does require some prep ahead of time.

  • 1 lb of chicken breast, diced
  • 1/4 tsp of cumin
  • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp of chaat masala
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 3 scallions, diced
  • coconut oil
  • small amount of cilantro to garnish
  1. Marinate the chicken with the cumin, chili powder, chaat masala, and salt. You can either put it in a bowl and do it or you can put the ingredients into a plastic bag and shake it up.
  2. Set the chicken mixture aside, or put it in the fridge for about an hour.
  3. Heat up a pan and put in the coconut oil
  4. Add in the chicken and let it cook. Stir often.
  5. Once the chicken starts browning, add in the scallions and peppers
  6. Add in lime juice and cilantro and stir some more.
  7. Place a top on the pan and let the chicken simmer for a few minutes before you eat it

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You can serve this with guacamole and it would taste amazing. That was my plan until I went for the avocados and saw that they were spoiled. Fail. Lesson learned, Wegman’s avocados don’t last 10 days. Oh well it’s on my shopping list for this weekend. Speaking of which, it’s the weekend! If you have any recipes or dishes you want me to try out, please let me know!

Guac Cameo

Posted: July 16, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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Those of you who followed this blog last Ramadan must be wondering where the guacamole has been hiding. Honestly I’m not sure what happened to it. I still love guac but haven’t gotten around to making it the past 7 days. Well today, even though it really didn’t fit into the dish, it made its appearance. I still love the stuff and still think it’s something I could eat everyday.

For Sahoor

I had a decent amount of Thai Red Curry from last night left over so instead of making anything new, I had a healthy serving of it with the cauliflower rice. I had a peach to go with it and plenty of water. I need to start doing this more often, making enough food the night before to eat for Sahoor the next morning. It takes a lot of pressure off of you and allows you to just sit down and eat with one eye still closed (yeah you know what I mean).

For Iftaar

This was just a bunch of randomness tonight but in the end, it filled me up and tasted great. First I had even more leftovers of the Thai Red Curry (still not complaining since I love that stuff) along with cauliflower rice. I scraped what was left of it onto my plate. Second, I made a little bit of tilapia. I followed the same recipe I did last week, minus the olives, green peppers, and shallots. Last but not least, I had some guac. The recipe was the same as last years but over time I’ve reduced the amount of garlic I put in it. I guess garlic and I have grown apart recently. Here is the recipe again:

    • 2 ripe avocados, peeled
    • 1 lemon
    • 1/2 lime
    • 1/4 tsp of cumin
    • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
    • 1/2 clove of garlic (or less, or none), minced
    • 1/4 tsp of sea salt
    • 1  tomato, diced
    • 1/2 red onion, diced
    • handful of cilantro to garnish, finely chopped (how-to)

Instructions: Put everything in a 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 in tupperware and refrigerate it asap.

This is what all of this randomness looked on my plate:

2013-07-16

Workout of the Day

I was actually able to refrain from doing the metcon today and stuck with strength training. Ok fine it wasn’t that hard to stay away. The metcon was for one of my coach’s birthday and was 35 minutes long in this heat wave. No thank you (sorry Sara, I’ll make it after Ramadan!). This workout involves olympic lifting and then a sprint metcon.

7 rounds: 1 Snatch then 3 snatch grip push presses
*heaviest weight possible
-then-
50 Burpees for time

This is what a snatch + snatch grip push press looks like:

Today overall was a good day. I didn’t have to worry about preparing much food since a lot of it was already done ahead of time. It allowed me to relax a little in the morning and get my workout on in the evening.  8 days done folks!

Counting More Sheeps

Posted: July 13, 2013 in Challenge
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It’s the weekend! That means one thing. SLEEP IN! Well that’s usually the plan but my insomniac self who is now used to just basically napping in between Iftar and Sahoor only managed to sleep for an extra hour or two. Still worth it. My plan is to take advantage of that tomorrow as well before the work grind starts again. Not a lot to talk about today but I do have a real treat for Iftar. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

For Sahoor

Speaking of sleep, I slept too much and barely woke up with enough time to make something quick and eat it this morning. Luckily, like I had said in my last post, I had omelette stuff cut up already so I just had my standard 2 egg yoke/4egg white dish. I really didn’t drink a lot of water but I had been hydrating the night before. Oh and yeah that caused me an extra bathroom trip. Anyways, that’s all I had plus an apple.

For Iftar

This dish is called Meatza…pizza but just meat. It’s a combo of ground beef and chicken with various spices. My apologies go out to the vegan community for this recipe. The directions below make about 1.5-2 servings.

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb ground chicken
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 small tomato
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 3 -4 stems of parsley
  • 1/2 tsp ground cilantro
  • 1 sweet potato, skinned and diced
  • 3/4 tsp oregano
  • 2 tbsp of hot sauce (If you aren’t great with spices I would lower this mount)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a food processor, drop in the onion, tomato, salt, chili powder, green pepper, cumin, parsley, and cilantro. Put aside 1/4 of the mixture for the chicken. The rest will be used for the beef.
  3. Place the beef into a bowl and mix in the processed items. Then move it to a baking dish and place into the oven. Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
  4. While that bakes, heat up a pan and add in the coconut oil. Add in the sweet potato and then place a cover over it to steam. Cook it for about 5 minutes or until it is soft.
  5. When the sweet potato begins to soften, add in the chicken and remaining mixture and stir. Add in the hot sauce as well. Cover it until it’s cooked.
  6. Once the beef is done, add the chicken/sweet potato mixture to the baking dish.
  7. Bake it for a few more minutes and you are done. I dressed it with a banana pepper but that’s optional.

2013-07-13

WOD

AMRAP 12 minutes
50 Double Unders
10 Burpess
20 Squats

Stay tuned… Next Sahoor will be Paleo Pancakes with syrup! Iftar will be something fun as well. Also, I’m going to attempt some Paleo desserts. I’m excited, you should be too.

Pardon the Egg Roll and Snacking

Posted: August 15, 2012 in Challenge, Food
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So last night was another situation where I had Iftar at a friend’s house. I talked about this a few posts ago about creating a game plan when you are on foreign turf. I stuck with the same principles last night and I was able to get a great Paleo meal in. Much thanks to my friend and his family for great food!

Workout

This workout was 2 short workouts put together. There was a little bit of a break in between them to recover but there is only so much recovery when you haven’t eaten or drank all day. I got through it though and even ran!

3 Rounds
15 Hang Power Cleans 135lbs
15 Burpees
–10 Minute rest–
5 Rounds
35 Double Unders
Run 200 M

My stamina is building up and my body is adjusting to this so I will be curious to see how my body performs when it’s fully hydrated next week. If I’m starting to perform decent now, I should be a killer next week right??

Iftar

There you see some meat, some greens, a broiled tomato, and a unique lemon with spinach dish that I have to find the recipe for. I made sure to empty a jug of water.

Last night was also Laylatul Qadr, or night of power. It’s the 27th night of Ramadan and is a very special occasion. During the nights of Ramadan, there is a special prayer called Taraweeh every night. During these prayers, the Quran is recited in it’s entirety over the span of 27 days. Last night was when the last bit was read. The turn out was phenomenal. There had to have been over 2,000 people in the mosque. This was the case at mosques around the world. After that is done, people spend most of the night praying, reading the Quran, and worshiping in other ways. It’s said that worshiping in this night contains more reward than 1000 months. I’m all about good deals and that sounds like a good one to me. So I spent the night back and forth from the mosque. Now, dinner was around 8 pm, I didn’t sleep till 6 am. I had to have gotten hungry, so how did I snack?

I tried to stay healthy while snacking most of the night. I did indulge on a few Doritos (booo yeah I know), but I contained it. I had some mashed sweet potatoes left over from the other night so I ate that. I ate some watermelon to satisfy the sweet tooth, the almond butter came in handy as well. What was missing was guac… I need to fix that. Anyhow, I also snacked on gluten free hummus and drank lot’s of water.

Sahoor

This took me right into Sahoor and I made Chicken Stir Fry with eggs:

    • 3 eggs
    • 1 Tbs of water
    • 1/8 tsp of sea salt
    • 1/4 tsp of chili powder
    • 1/4 onion, chopped
    • 1 small tomato, chopped
    • 2 Tbs of coconut oil
    • 2 Scallions, cut in to 1 inch pieces
    • 1 bell pepper, chopped
    • 1 clove of garlic, minced
    • 2 chapli kabobs, diced or 1/2 lb of cooked chicken breast, diced

Beat the eggs in a bowl with the water, salt, chili powder, tomato, and onion. Heat up a pan and add the coconut oil. Add in the scallion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute for a few minutes until they are tender. Add in the egg mixture along with the chicken and start mixing it around. Keep mixing and scrambling until it’s done.

Serve it on a plate with some slivered almonds. A sliced avocado would go great with it too. I had some sweet potato remaining so I ate that with it. I drank 1.5 liters of water and was full.

This is it, less thanb 3 days left! Stay focused and let’s get through it.

Power of a Good Breakfast

Posted: August 10, 2012 in Challenge, Food
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Hey, did you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Snore. Duh, we’ve all been hearing this since we were little. Oh but do we really spend the time and effort every morning to eat a nutritional breakfast? By that I don’t mean pouring a bowl of sugar packed cereal or grabbing some toaster pastries as you are leaving the house. I mean actually budget time in the mornings to prepare a breakfast that contains protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. What you have for breakfast will affect the rest of your day every single time. Not only will it decide if you will have a sluggish or energetic day, it can greatly affect your workout. Today I was able to have a great meal for Sahoor and it resonated throughout my day, all the way to my CrossFit workout in the evening.

Sahoor

For starters, I had scrambled eggs, 2 eggs/2 egg whites (I ran out), mixed with onions and peppers. Going back to being prepared, I made guacamole the night before because I knew I wouldn’t have the energy nor time to make it in the morning. I added a generous amount to my plate. I even scooped some up with my fork and ate it afterwards by itself. I followed this with a protein shake and 1.5+ liters of water. I felt great already and knew it would be a good day!

The Workout

Today’s workout consisted of a strength portion followed by a met-con.

Every Minute on the Minute for 7 Minutes
1 Clean and Jerk – 185 lb
 
3 Rounds for Time
7 Front Squats – 185 lb
21 Kettle Bell Swings – 53 lb
Run 200 meters

The only thing I modified was the run. The rest of the athletes ran 400 meters. Other than that, I was able to do all of the Clean and Jerks at that weight with no issue. The 7th one was challenging to maintain form but it didn’t feel heavy! For the met-con, in order to do your Front Squats, you have to Clean the bar to your shoulders and then squat. So the key is to do them unbroken. As soon as you drop that bar, you have to spend a decent amount of energy to pick that 185 lbs up to your shoulders. I was pretty good at doing those unbroken until the very last Front Squat in the very last round! Picking that bar up took some time since your quads are getting destroyed by the KB swings as well as the run. Nonetheless, I was excited that I was able to finish it in a good time, WITHOUT feeling dizzy!! I honestly feel that my nutrient filled breakfast attributed to my successful workout.

Iftar

For tonight’s Iftar, I decided to make another bunless burger. This time around I used Chicken Chapli Kabobs.

    • ground chicken meat
    • onions
    • green peppers
    • tomatoes
    • chili powder
    • eggs
    • olive oil

Add the onions, peppers, tomatoes, and chili powder to a food processor. Blend it up and then add the mixture along with the eggs and oil to the ground chicken. Use your hands to mix it up real well. Grab a meatball sized amount of meat into your hands and then form it into a circular pattie. Slap it onto a grill and let it cook. I usually use a George Foreman grill and make a large batch at one time. I then freeze them for future use. They are great to pull out for a quick meal when you don’t have time to cook.

I added a layer of lettuce to my plate, added on 4 or 5 chicken patties, topped with some sliced onions, cucumbers, organic Dijon mustard and the remaining guac. You can really add whatever you would normally enjoy on a burger (as long as it’s not processed and loaded with junk!) I had a protein shake and some fish oil as well. Great way to end the day.

To recap, breakfast = very important. Breakfast….=….very important. Note what you eat in the mornings and you will find a direct correlation to the function of your day. Make that meal count!

Go Upside Down

Posted: August 6, 2012 in Challenge, Food
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Gymnastics isn’t something that the average gym goer incorporates into their training but it definitely should be. Gymnastic movements will help you build balance, coordination, and crazy core strength. When I first started CrossFit, I was afraid of Olympic lifting and didn’t have much respect for gymnastics. It didn’t take long after I scored my first oly lift and then was able to do a handstand to fall in love with these sports. Now these two elements are what I look forward to in a workout. My lack of respect for gymnastics was just ignorance. I had seen it on TV and the professionals made it look SO easy. I mean these guys pull themselves up on rings with such ease and do an Iron Cross as if it was as easy as standing up. My first time trying to pull myself up on rings was enough to give me a lifetime worth of respect for that sport. Some of the strongest and fittest people I have met have a background in gymnastics. Leaves me wishing I had taken on gymnastics when I was little instead of thinking I had a career as a Pro Wrestler. Oh well.

The Workout – Today’s workout was a couplet consisting of Olympic lifting and gymnastics.

5 Rounds
10 Handstand Push Ups
10 Power Cleans 155#
 

This was my first workout being upside down during Ramadan. It didn’t help with the dizziness I feel during workouts these days but I’m not sure how much of  it was from not eating vs a surgery I had a few months back. Every since then, I seem to get a head rush a lot faster. I spoke with a fellow CrossFitter who recently had a surgery in the same area and he is experiencing something similar. I’ll have to consult with Dr. Google on this.

I was able to do the handstand push ups unbroken first couple of rounds and then broke them into 5s after that. The weight on the Power Cleans didn’t feel too bad. I was able to string them together as I normally do with that amount of weight.

Food

Sahoor –  I had a scrambled eggs made in olive oil (2 eggs 3 whites).  I added some green peppers, chili sauce, onions and tomatoes to it. I had one Paleo muffin left over from last week so I had that as well. I drank 1.5 liters of water. Looking back I should have had some meat in the morning to have some more energy for the workout.

Iftar – Today was a fish night and I made Peppered Lemon Tilapia. Fish has all of the nutrients an athlete needs plus more. It’s a great source of protein, it has the all of the healthy fats you need, vitamin D, calcium, etc. Who needs pasteurized milk when you have good fish?? This does require a little more time than the other dishes so plan ahead. It’s completely worth it. Also, tonight I made enough for two meals so I could have this for Sahoor as well. This recipe is for 2 servings:

      • 4 Tbs of coconut oil
      • 1 lemon
      • 4 fillets of tilapia (or catfish, salmon, etc)
      • 1 tsp of chaat masala
      • 1 tsp of crushed pepper
      • 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
      • sea salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while you prepare the fish. In an OVEN PROOF skillet (not repeating yesterday’s fiasco), heat up the coconut oil and lemon juice. Season the fish with sea salt and pepper and place into the skillet. Coat both sides and lay them side by side. Mix the chaat masala, crushed peppers, and garlic powder up and sprinkle on to the top side of the fillets. Place the fish into oven and bake it for about 30 minutes. You’ll see the pan starting to blacken but that’s ok. The liquid from the oil and lemon will keep the fish nice and moist.

I pulled out two of the fillets for dinner and added some salad to the plate. Maybe I just got lucky but the fish melted in my mouth every time I took a bite and the lemon juice that was sponged up inside would gush out. It was purely amazing and it will be making a repeat appearance. Oh since I made extra, I guess it will be making an appearance in the morning, YES! For dessert, I had a bowl of watermelon after taraweeh prayer. Perfect end to a good day for me.

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