Posts Tagged ‘Rest’

Restless

Posted: July 24, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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Sorry I didn’t get a chance to post last night. I came down with a slight fever and the lack of sleep the night before didn’t help the fatigue. We are half way through and I still haven’t figured out a good sleeping pattern. I’m pretty sure there isn’t one that’s possible unless I skip out on things. On another note, more than half way through and everything (outside of sleep) has become a solid routine.

For Sahoor

Same 2 egg/4 egg white omelette. I had a large peach as well which helps with replenishing electrolytes. Also, since I found that protein powder the other day, I had another protein shake. I had about 32oz of additional water. This breakfast seems to hold me up real well throughout the day. I really don’t feel hungry at all now. If anything, the heat makes you thirsty, especially while working out but other than that it’s great. I’m still experimenting different ways to hydrate enough so I can make it to Iftar time without over doing it and having my body pass the water right through.

For Iftar

I made some Paleo Tacos by making some almond flour tortillas and ground chicken (beef can be used as well). It’s fairly easy to make with the challenge being in your flipmanship with the tortillas. Here is how it’s done:

  • 1/2 lb of ground chicken or beef
  • olive oil
  • 1 banana pepper
  • 1/4 tsp of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed ginger
  • 1/2 tsp of crushed garlic
  • 1/2 tsp of chili powder
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/2 tsp paprika

For the tortillas, I used the same recipe as I did when I made the enchiladas.

  1. Add the olive oil to a hot pot.
  2. Once it’s warm, add in the beef, garlic, and giger. Stir it up occasionally until it starts to brown, about 10-15 minutes
  3. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir.
  4. Cook for another couple of minutes and then let it simmer for a few minutes after that on low heat.
  5. Serve on tortillas

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The third tortilla might have been a bit much. It was a lot of food but it tasted great. I sprinkled some lime juice on top of them and added a little bit of Cholula hot sauce. The tortillas were a little thick but other than it was fine. I had some fruit a little bit later in the evening and crashed early since the fever was kicking in stronger.

I guess I can complain about sleep but I stop when I think about the purpose of this month. It’s a month to sacrafice and to put yourself in the shoes of those who are less fortunate. I have a bed to sleep on and the ability to make any meal I want. That’s a lot more than what others around the world have. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I wake up fussy because I’m tired!

Away from the Kitchen

Posted: July 18, 2013 in Challenge, Food, Ramadan
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So today I had one of those situations that everyone faces during Ramadan, having to eat away from your kitchen. This usually involves going to someone’s house for Iftar and being force fed fried egg rolls and samosas before the rest of the carb and sugar loaded dinner is served. When you think it’s almost over, a tray of kulfis are busted out and well, how can one say no to that.

I’m here to say you can say NO! It may get you some weird looks and you may deeply insult the aunty who cooked but sometimes it needs to be done because at the end of the day, it’s your body. Become comfortable saying no and picking out what you want to eat rather than feeling pressured into having to try everything.

This was my first experience having to go out for Iftar this year but it wasn’t as bad as they usually are. It was an interfaith dinner at the local mosque and a commission that I serve on along with other elected officials in the county were invited to it. It’s an annual tradition and one that I really enjoy. You get to break your fast with neighbors in your community, many of which may never have known what Ramadan is. Everyone has a good time enjoying the food while sharing what Ramadan is about and also learning about cleansing, purifying, and fasting in other religions. If you don’t have one of these in your community but have some pull with the mosque leadership, I highly recommend you look into organizing one and invited local elected leaders, pastors, rabbis, etc to it. If you need help or advice on organizing this, feel free to contact me. A little (paleo) bread breaking with the community goes a long way.

For Sahoor

Before I talk about Sahoor, I do want to mention that I did start hydrating better. The night before I had some watermelon which has tons of water and then I paced myself in drinking about 32oz of water in between Iftar and when I went to sleep.

For Sahoor, I started hydrating while I made my eggs. It was the typical 2 egg/4 egg white omelette with onions, green peppers, sea salt, and tomatoes. I had everything cut up already the night before so in the morning I just threw everything together to make it in coconut oil. I added half an avocado to the plate as well and had about a handful of almonds. I finished up with probably 40-50 oz of water consumed. That’s a lot of water and not the best idea for someone who’s decided that today is the day they are going to start drinking water.

For Iftar

So while standing in the buffet line to get my food, I did my snooping to see what was being served so I could develop a game plan. First up salad, check. Second, fried rice. Yum… I mean no, pass. Next, tandoori chicken, don’t mind if do. That station will always get me looks because I will pile on for a while. Usually it’s the most Paleo thing there so I have to take advantage. Then there was a spinach dish; paleo-ness was questionable because of the type of oil I tasted in it but I had some anyways. Lastly, grilled beef kabobs, check.

Like I said, I’m not shy with the tandoori chicken. I should have gotten some more greens but other than that, it was solid. Paleo (for the most part) while being away from my kitchen so I didn’t have to worry about cooking, check, check, and check.

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Lastly, I’m not sure how many more of these rest days I have left before you guys write me off about this being a workout blog as well. It’s been a rough, long week but it’s almost over. Have I blamed traffic yet? If not I would like to blame that for not letting me make it to the gym in time so that I could get home in time after that to cook. For those that are wondering why I don’t workout after Iftar, here is my (attempted) schedule in the evenings:

6:30-7:30 – Workout. This means I have to make it to the gym before 6.30 from work.

7:30-8:30 – Getting home from gym, clean up, and cooking my Iftar meal.

8:30-9.30 – Break the fast, pray Maghrib prayer, and then dinner

9:30-9:45 – Do a couple of things for work

9:45-11:30 – Drive to mosque, pray taraweeh, drive back.

11:30 – sleep – Write this blog and prep for sahoor. Oh and then be up by 3:30 to make Sahoor.

So basically, if I don’t make it to the gym by 6.30, everything else will be thrown off if I do decide to stick around for a workout. Oh well, I’ve had 10 days to adjust to this schedule. I should be good after this weekend!

Heat Wave

Posted: July 17, 2013 in Food, Ramadan
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For those that have lived in the DC area know what kind of messed up weather we get. It’s either super cold or super hot and occasionally those conditions happen in the wrong time of the year. On days like the one today and yesterday I can’t iterate enough the importance of hydration. I am the biggest hypocrite regarding this recently and am paying for it. My genius self went for a walk in todays Code Orange, humid, scorching weather and it really took a toll. A few days ago I mentioned that I would be hydrating the night before. Well I have done that a few times but not as consistently as I should be. Also this morning I barely hit 32oz of water. Epic fail on my part so as I type this, I’m chugging on water. God willing I will make sure I follow my own advice in the morning. I had planned on WODing today but have not been feeling good, probably because of the lack of water in my system. Lesson for the day, hydrate hydrate hydrate!

For Sahoor

Nothing special this morning. I fried two eggs in olive oil and added some spices to it. I wasn’t in the mood to eat a lot so I didn’t have any extra egg whites. I had some left over guacamole from the night before that I added to the plate. If you haven’t had guac with eggs, you  don’t know what you are missing out on! I recommend you try it the next time you make an omelette.

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For Iftar

Today I got to enjoy momma’s cooking. Like I said I wasn’t feeling well but I was fortunate enough to have Iftar with my family and it turned out to be a Paleo meal. Well, at least the parts I chose to eat. The recipe below is for baked chicken. Extremely easy to make but it does require some time in between the prep and actual baking.

  • chicken, any part with bone-in
  • sea salt
  • ground black pepper
  • chaat masala
  • coriander
  • lemon juice

All of the ingredients are done to taste. Just make sure there is enough to cover the chicken.

  1. Mix the salt, pepper, chaat masala, coriander, and lemon juice into a bowl.
  2. Marinate the chicken in the mixture and leave out for 2-3 hours
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  4. Bake the chicken in the oven until it’s done. Check on it every 10 minutes or so and turn over if necessary

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I added some salad to the plate and ate a bowl of fruit salad. The fruit salad contains apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes,  chaat masala, and a little bit of pure orange juice. Although this meal requires some time to complete, it’s super simple to make when you have a busy schedule. You can even marinate the chicken in the morning or the night before and then bake it when you are ready.

Workout of the Day

Went for a walk….forgot to avoid the sun. Fail.

 

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.

Being Ready for the Audible

Posted: July 12, 2013 in Challenge, Food
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Well there was audible called in my plan for the day hence why this post is so late. I came home early from work thinking I was going to relax for a little bit, come up with an awesome Iftaar recipe, go to the gym and then of course write this post. Let’s just say I got the relaxing part done…  2 1/2 hours later I realized I had fallen asleep on the couch and had about 30 minutes before it was time to eat. Oops. So with 30 minutes to make an iftaar meal you’ll see what I did.

For Sahoor

I stuck with eggs because, same amount 2 egg yolk 4 egg whites. I did however switch from omelette style to making them sunny side up. You can say I wasn’t in the mood for onions or tomatoes in the morning. I cooked them in extra virgin olive oil. Once on the plate, I sprinkled a bit of sea salt and chili powder on them and went to town with a fork. I added half of an avocado to the plate as well.

For Iftaar

1/2 lb of chicken breast, diced
1/2 tsp of chaat masala
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 onion, diced
1/2 tomato, sliced
mixed vegetables (how ever much you want)
1 Tbsp of coconut oil

Heat up a pan and add in the coconut oil. I marinated chicken with the chaat masala and sea salt. If you are wondering what masala is, click the link in the ingredients and you can see what its made up of. Add the chicken to the pan and stir it around until it’s nearly done. While the chicken is cooking, heat up a pot with water and add in mixed vegetables. Broil them until they are done. When the chicken is nearly done, add in the onion and tomato. Stir until the tomatoes become soft and the onions are crisp.

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This was super simple to make and it tasted just fine. I sprinkled some lemon juice on the plate to add some tang. This isn’t orthodox, but if you are a spice nut like me, you can sprinkle some chili powder onto the vegetables for an extra kick.

One thing that I will say is that because this month is so busy, you have to be prepared ahead of time for situations like this because they will come up. The chicken I’m using was skinned and diced well ahead of time and frozen. When I get home from work, I make sure to take the meat out and let it thaw. This way, if I do get delayed at the gym or in a nap, I can still prepare something decent to eat. I do the same thing with my omelette mix. I try to cut the onions, peppers, etc ahead of time so in the morning I can just quickly prepare the meal. Do what you can ahead of time this month! You may sacrifice a little bit of freshness but I barely notice it and prefer that over having to do all of the work while racing against the clock.

WOD

Nap for time

Am I disappointed I didn’t get a workout in? A little bit but that’s ok. My body needed the rest and that’s one of the 3 points of the fitness triangle. I will have no excuse for the next day!

Craving the Curry

Posted: August 7, 2012 in Food
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So let’s be honest, I’m from a Pakistani family and I love Thai food. It was only a matter of time before I would crave some curry based dish. I had some extra time today so I decided to make something curry-ish for Iftar that was Paleo friendly.

First though, for Sahoor I had scrambled eggs (2 eggs, 3 egg white) mixed with onions and tomatoes. I had some tilapia left over from last night that I added to it. I’m not sure if I have ever had fish and eggs before but it was a good combo. The lemon juice was still sponged in the fish, even after sitting in the fridge all night and then being heated up. It was spicy so no need for spices on the eggs. I drank about a liter of water as well.

Iftar

The curry dish I made was Chicken and Vegetables curry. It takes a little longer and requires more attention to make than my normal chicken dishes but it’s probably because it required several things going on at one time. I’ll try to make the instructions as clear as possible.

    • 1/2 lb of skinless chicken thigh, diced
    • 1/4 can of coconut milk
    • 1/4 onion, sliced
    • handful of broccoli, chopped up
    • 1 carrot, shaved
    • 1 tsp of garlic, minced
    • 1 tsp of ginger, minced
    • 1 tsp of curry powder
    • 3-4 plum tomatoes
    • sea salt and black pepper
    • 4 Tbs of coconut oil

Add 2 Tbs of coconut oil in to a hot pan and add in the chicken. Let the chicken brown, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt and black pepper on it. While the chicken cooks, add 2 Tbs of coconut oil to a hot skillet and drop in the onions. Saute the onions for about 5-10 of minutes until they show signs of browning.

While the onions are being done, place the the broccolli and carrot shavings into a pot full of water and put it on the stove to steam. Mix it up once in a while until they get tender.

Now back to the onions. Add in the curry powder, garlic, and ginger to the skillet and saute it for a couple of minutes. Add in the coconut milk and let it simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken. Add in the steamed vegetables and chicken to the skillet. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender and chicken looks done. Pour it on to a plate and serve with some chopped tomatoes.

It took some effort and caused a mess in the kitchen but it was so worth it. Another great Paleo meal in the books! Only thing I would have changed is that I let the coconut milk simmer too long so it evaporated a bit. Great, now I’m hungry again..

The Workout

Today was a rest day. Tomorrow will be an interesting day because I will be doing a weigh in and strength check. I don’t expect to be making any strength gains this month but the goal was to try to maintain as much as possible. Will I match my existing PRs? Will I hit a new PR?? Tune in tomorrow!

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.

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!