• Fall/Winter 2011 Paleo Challenge Results
• Updates from Chicago
• Goodies to stuff your paleo stockings

Paleo Challenge Results

Updates from Chicago

In order of most time spent here’s what I’m up to in Chicago:

• Taking on and off my 7 layers of clothing
• Doing Baja-specific farm, real estate, business, research. Fun fact: non-Mexicans must place ownership in the trust of a Mexican financial institution to ‘own’ property in Mexico. The only way we can truly own any property we buy is if we have a kid in Mexico and transfer the property into their name. Even at #100 I’m surprised to see Wendy is a popular Mexican girl’s name.
• Learning Spanish (who was it that convinced me to take six years of French in high school/college…?)
• Doing nutrition and coaching two nights a week for CrossFit Lincoln Park
• Training at CrossFit Defined (check out the warning in red capslock on Monday’s WOD — jealous??)

Stocking stuffers your family members actually need

Screw socks and chapstick, here are some things to put in everyone’s stocking to stoke the new years resolution fires:

• For those in the gluten ‘in moderation’ denial camp Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis. Here’s the Eades’ MDs excellent review of the book.
• Find a farmer at eatwild.com and buy your favorite person a CSA or meat share (cut out a picture of an animal from a magazine, paste in a home-made card and stick it in their stocking)
• Pemmican!
• The ridiculously rad new Personal Paleo Code by Chris Kresser
• Do ivy league academics help persuade your family members? Have them check out The Ancestral Health Society, what will hopefully what will be the face of the paleo juggernaut
• For a good laugh amidst the well-structured intro to paleo gift The Paleo Solution (Wolf)
• For those that like a good plot to go with their paleo, give your family The Primal Blueprint (Sisson)
• Feeling dysfunctional after all the family interaction and sugar-ODing from the holidays? Connect the dots with Dr. Emily Deans, a psychiatrist with an ancestral bent
• For those that need to hear it from people with MD after their name, give Protein Power Life Plan (Dr’s Eades’s) or see #1
• Need a scare-tactic? Gluten: What You Don’t Know Might Kill You
• For the vegetarian? Soy = endocrine disruptor (PubMed) and The Vegetarian Myth (Keith)
• Got n=1? Whole9′s awesome Whole30 testimonials page organized A-Z by ailments reduced to a figment of the past
• Got real problems that need a really savvy doctor not one that will just whip out a prescription pad? Paleo Physician’s Network

Workout of the Day

A. 4x100m Row (Max Effort)
Advanced: Same as Above

B. For Time:
10-8-6-4-2
Power Cleans (135/85)
Box Jumps (30/24)
20m Shuttle Run

CF Fundamentals

A. Push Press
15 – 10 – 5
(incr. weight as reps decrease)

B. For time
20 Push-ups
Run 650m
30 Ball Slams
Run 400m
40 Sit-ups
Run 200m
50 Squats
Run 100m
60 sec Plank Hold

Since all of the water has been removed from the lean meat, the original recipe could be stored for up to 20 years without refrigeration. This made it excellent to use for long expeditions or to store for a time of need. You can sustain on a pemmican only diet without developing any type of condition caused by malnourishment or vitamin deficiency. It’s extremely calorie dense with about 70% of calories from fat. Don’t run screaming. Remember fat is your friend especially pastured animal fat.
I buy Pemmican from Wellness Meats (http://www.grasslandbeef.com). They have a version with honey and dried cherries, and one without. You can buy both versions with or without salt. Their pemmican bars contain 45% tallow and 55% dried jerky. An entire 3.2 oz bar contains about 380-400 calories with 20 grams of protein. The cherry/honey version contains 4 grams of carbohydrate for you carb counters.

Wellness Meats has a pemmican blog (http://blog.grasslandbeef.com/bid/40499/Pemmican). They explain that their pemmican does have a shelf life:
“We are using a Cherokee recipe but the reason we have limited shelf life is our processor is unable to grind air dry pemmican with his equipment. The processor is leaving more moisture than the Native Americans in order to grind the jerky without damage to the grinding equipment. The Native Americans removed all the moisture and their product was shelf stable. We have a test batch dated October 10, 2009 and it is still ok in December 2010. Many have asked for shelf stable pemmican, and we have encouraged our processor to update to a better grinder soon.”
Pemmican isn’t something that I can eat a lot of quickly. For me it’s a nibble food. Some people eat it with fruit. Others use it to cook their eggs. I can see melting it over veggies or a sweet potato. Time to experiment! Remy took some plain pemmican and added cinnamon. I added a dot of honey to her cinnamon, and I was eating heaven!

We'll miss you, Troy!! Come back to visit!

Pemmican is my household’s new go to snack. My husband takes a bar to work each day. My daughter and I share about half of a bar daily. It doesn’t take a lot to fill you up. We love this stuff! There is no sugar high, and no insulin spike. Your blood sugar, hormones and mood stay even keel. Your body knows what to do with almost every morsel. It will nourish, fill and satisfy you.
I recently purchased a bulk pack of the plain version and the cherry/honey version. Let me know if you want to try a bar. I have a few at the gym for sale. Nom-nom-nom!

Workout of the Day 12/13/2011

B. 5 Rounds:
45s. Power Snatches (95/65), 15s. Rest
45s. Row for Calories (If a rower is not available, sub 1 burpee/10m rowing), 15s. Rest
45s. Wall Balls (20/16), 15s. Rest

Advanced:
3 Rounds of above

Fundamentals 12/13/2011

Cattle that are grassfed most of their lives and then sent to a feedlot to be grain-finished are not much better than 100% grainfed beef. The fatty acid profile of a grain-finished animal quickly tilts from a healthy Omega 6-Omega 3 ratio to an unhealthy one. The Omega 3’s begin to diminish immediately and continue to drop as the grain and by-products continue.
Feedlot animals are fed a mix of soy and grain. They also are given by-products such as rotting foods from food plants and bakeries, candy with or without the wrappers. Never mind the chemicals ingested due to eating packaging and wrappers. The anti-nutrients present in grains and soybeans create sick diseased animals that have to be pumped full of antibiotics and hormones to survive. Feedlot cattle are given shots of estrogen to get them to grow faster.  They also require copious amounts of antacid or they will become sick with bloating from the
hard-to-digest corn. This causes damage to their liver, but hey they are going to die anyway right?
Pastured beef is also high conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and Vitamin E. CLA can help reduce cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis and % body fat. Grainfed animals contain 3-5 times less CLA than pastured. Vitamin E is 4 times higher in pastured beef. Vitamin E helps to reduce heart disease, and acts as a powerful antioxidant.

Here is a list of a few nutrients present in grassfed over grainfed from Bestbeefever.com:
78% more beta-carotene
75% more Omega 3
300% more Vitamin E
400% more Vitamin A
500% more CLA
The price of grassfed beef is a bit higher than grainfed, but well worth the extra $$. The short and long term health benefits are enough to justify the small cost difference. The cattle live a much better life and you get a much healthier meal!

Sources: eatwild.com, bestbeefever.com

Workout of the Day 11/29/2011

A. Front Squat 5-5-5
* If you haven’t done your Back Squat 5RM from Monday, do it today instead of Part A

B. For Time:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Kettlebell Goblet Squats
Between each set, perform 20m walking lunges with KB
*Advanced: Use 2 pood or go overhead with kettlebell on lunges

Fundamentals 11/29/2011

A. Front Squats 10-10-10

B. 2 Rounds
10 Front Squats
10 Push Ups
20 Mountain Climbers

C. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
DB Thruster
Burpees

I learned how to make raw probiotic sauerkraut in Poland with just a pot and a fist and some vegetables (and you can too in paleo cooking 101!)

Doing a Paleo Challenge can be rewarding and fun. I’ve seen many a Challenge now over the last couple of years of doing this bring out the ‘beast mode’ in CrossFit newbs and break plateaus of CrossFitters of all levels. CrossFit affiliates across the world put on their own version and of a paleo/primal challenge. Doing a little googling will show you some pretty awesome before/afters and stories about the long-term results. The CFSB Paleo Challenge in the past has helped change individuals and even families for the long term and has brought CFSB members closer together through the shared learning experience, the potlucks and events spontaneously put on, and through the fitness milestones surpassed during the process.

The Paleo Challenge is an opportunity for all people at a variety of stages to accomplish a set of potential goals:

• Reap performance results and sexy results: eating paleo means faster recovery, better food conversion to lean mass, better body fat usage/loss
• Savvier use of resources: learn to utilize reliable nutrition resources, identify quality ingredients and cook quality meals
• Focus on your lifestyle: improve your food, sleep, exercise, play, recovery
• Improve insulin sensitivity: a paleo diet is inherently better for this which improves body composition and decreases your risk for a host of lifestyle diseases

The Rules

The rules of the Challenge highlight some important points. At first glance, to the average person the strict rules may seem extreme or unnecessary. The conventional wisdom on ‘everything in moderation’ challenges the ideas of the seemingly strict rules of a Paleo Challenge or a paleo lifestyle for that matter. This adage is far outgrown by modern research for certain foods and it would behoove you to learn about how.

For specifically wheat the complete elimination is recommended for everyone, not just for a subset of people, not just for a period of the time. The Challenge gives you the chance to prove to yourself why. Most people will see dramatic results when they completely remove wheat (and for some other grains, and for some people most dairy) and upon reintroduction see not so great outcomes.

For industrial grain/seed oils, omega-6-dense foods and fructose-dense foods (bars, fruits, paleo treats) a significant reduction or elimination from the diet (and the replacement with nutrient dense whole foods and the development of cooking/planning skills to support them) is highly beneficial for some for the long-term, and for most people may be necessary for many people to get the most of the Challenge experience.

With my stews and sautes and a few nuggets of paleo wisdom I can win your heart and mind... and you can win the Paleo Challenge cash kitty!

How can I be successful at the Challenge?

Attending the education and skill classes that are coming up will help you understand why and how eating a paleo diet is a good idea and help you gain a more practical understanding of how to transition your current diet/lifestyle and how to continue your own education. Paleo Nutrition 101 seminars are Sat. 11/12 and Sat. 12/3; Paleo Cooking 101 classes are Sun. 11/13 and Sun. 12/4. Check out my site for more information.

If you sign up for Category A or B of Challenge two 15 minute nutrition consults are part of the deal that you can do in person or by phone where you can come prepared with any questions you have ahead of time. Should you want more than that, you can always set up a longer consult.

Also, the amount of resources on this site should provide you with plenty of additional reading. Stay tuned on the Challenge pages for FAQs and reading lists, too.

How can I be successful after the Challenge?

In addition to the straightforward health benefits from six weeks of strict paleo eating, perhaps the biggest benefit is the learning opportunity to continue a paleo lifestyle long after the Challenge. The long-term benefits of maintaining a paleo-like diet mean better long-term health prospects, unlikely disease from what kills the majoriy of Americans (metabolic syndrome-related, nutrition-related disease), better ability to remain active and recover from illness and injury, better mental health, better fertility, and better overall quality of life.

Do I have to do the Challege or Paleo classes to benefit?

Some people prefer a different approach than a Challenge. Many people prefer private one-on-one consultation or just keeping a Challenge Log and having intermittent feedback. If the dates of the scheduled education or cooking classes don’t work for you, setting up your own private consult or private or group cooking class is easy to do. Many people after the Challenge have chosen to continue it on with other friends on their own, with further consultations and feedback from me via their Google Docs Challenge Log, in-person meetings or phone consults.

I’ve officially been teaching and consulting under the Hunt, Gather, Saute name for a year now. Check out a collage of photos and clips from the first ever Paleo Cooking 101 below, plus updates to the class offerings.

Updated classes!

The nutrition education events will give you everything you’ll need to know to get started, motivated, and equipped to succeed during and beyond the Challenge. Several people have asked whether they should or could attend a nutrition seminar or cooking class for a second time (yes, they’re that fun!). The answer is hell yes! Here are some changes to the classes:

Recommended listening/reading for all classes (including On-Ramp): A few recent podcasts by some of the paleosphere pioneers have been so thorough, interesting, or inspiring that I’m making them recommended listening prior to attending my classes. One of these is an interview by Robb Wolf with Dr. William Davis (from Heart Scan blog and author of the new book Wheat Belly) and another is an interview by Chris Kresser with Chris Masterjohn, along with a short list of articles.

Emphasis in Paleo Nutrition 101 seminar: Time will be split equally between nutrition science and food quality implementation (more time spent on food sourcing, planning, budgeting).

Emphasis in Paleo Cooking 101: More emphasis will be placed on discussion of food quality during the class. Check out the HGS 101 page for the general outline and menu for the classes (detailed menus will be up soon; check HGS Facebook page to see when it’s updated!)

So, sign up for the Paleo Challenge, the nutrition events, and get crackin’ on your motivation whether it’s through digging and research, or by taking some before pictures, talk to your coaches, plan to have some fun with it. Contact Remy with questions!

Workout of the Day 10/24/2011

A. This is your focus for the day, Part B is optional

Know 5RM: 5-5-5-5-5 @ 90% of 5RM

B. Optional (Unscored, For Form)

GHD Situps: 10-10-10
Tabata Double KB Rack Walk
Tabata Hollow Hold

FUNdamentals

A. Killer Core: 2 Rounds
10 Toes/Knees to Bar
Big Wheel (partner)
60 sec Side Plank Holds (adv. raise top leg and arm)
Rotational Side Pillars (foam roller)

B. For Time:
10 Front Squats
20m Walking Lunges (optional OH)
9 Front squats
20m Walking Lunges
8 Front squats
20m Walking Lunges
7 Front squats
20M Walking Lunges
6 Front Squats
20m Walking Lunges
5 Front Squats
20m Walking Lunges
cont…
1 Front Squat

Lovin' every minute of it

I want to share with you some of my favorite recipes as of late. All are stolen and/or adapted, and most are pretty easy. I love ground beef. It’s easy to flavor and easy to make into a bunch of different dishes. One of my favorites is just plain old burgers especially with meat from Best Beef Ever. Since the munchkin started eating solids I haven’t been using much salt, and have been keeping spicy seasonings to a minimum. Opening a pack of ground, forming it into burgers and cooking on medium heat in a pan with a little fat takes 10-15 minutes start to finish. You also have leftover quality protein for more meals and/or snacks. I usually top some wilted greens (cooked in the burger drippings) or raw spinach with a freshly cooked warm burger. Add some cherry tomatoes, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon or lime or both for fast lunch or snack.
If you want to season up your burgers Lebanese style, try adding the following recipe:

Lebanese Burger
1 small onion, chopped small
2 garlic cloves, chopped small
½-1 Tbl coconut oil, tallow, grapeseed oil
1 lb ground
Pinch of salt, more to taste (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
Cook the onion and garlic in the fat on med-low heat until translucent. Once the onions are ready mix them into the ground and add the rest of the ingredients. Either form into burgers or just throw it all into the pan. Cook on med heat until it reaches your desired doneness.
Tips:
• If you have babies, throw all the ingredients in a food processor, then make into burgers. Once cooked the burgers stay together nicely, but are soft enough for the kids to hold and eat themselves. This is a prime opportunity to sneak in some spinach or kale.
• To make this even faster, skip the fresh onion and garlic. Use dried onion or onion powder and garlic powder.
• Add 10 or more chopped fresh mint leaves for extra green and yumminess.
• I stole these ingredients from The Paleo Gourmet’s recipe.

If you decide to make the burger(s) into a salad or lettuce wraps, try the following quick tahini sauce/dressing.

Tahini Dressing/Dip/Sauce
2 Tbl tahini
Juice of half a lemon
A couple of shakes of garlic powder
Salt to taste
2 Tbl of water
Mix all ingredients. Drip on salads, burgers or wraps.
Tips:
• Add more water to make a runnier dressing
• Add ground pepper to taste
• Use freshly minced garlic instead of garlic powder
• Use as dip for fresh veggies

Baked Chicken Legs

6-8 whole chicken legs (leg and thighs), skin on

Rosemary fresh or dried

Apple cider vinegar

Garlic powder

Oregano

Parley

Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle dried rosemary (very thin layer) or lay 3-5 fresh sprigs on a baking dish. Lay chicken legs on top of the rosemary. Sprinkle legs with apple cider vinegar. Sprinkle legs with garlic powder, oregano and parsley. Bake for 1 hour. The skin should be crispie and delightful.

Tips:

• Sprinkle legs with salt and pepper as well as other herbs.
• Try other herb combos.
• Make it as herby or as lightly flavored as you desire.
• Use leftovers for lunch, dinner, snacks.
• Don’t forget to enjoy the crispies in the bottom of the dish.
• I started with a whole chicken and apple recipe from Elana’s pantry, and adapted. The apples had to go, and I tried it with just legs. I then spoke with Remy, and adapted further by removing the oil and trying different herb combos.

Seconds can't tick by fast enough!

I stole this yummy quick dark leafy green recipe from Remy and adapted.

DLGs
½-1 Tbl tallow or coconut or grapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 Bunch of kale, destemmed
1 Bunch of basil, destemmed
½ cup of beef broth
Sprinkle balsamic vinegar to taste
Heat up the fat on med heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until translucent. Add kale, basil and broth. Simmer until wilted. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar and cook for a few more minutes to reduce the liquid. Serve and savor.
Tips:
• My crock pot is always going, so I dip in a measuring cup and use when cooking veggies. If you use your crock pot once in a while, grab an old ice tray and freeze the left over broth. Once frozen store them in a plastic bag in your freezer. You can always buy stock from Best Beef Ever at the Torrance Farmers Market Tues/Sat. Beef broth/stock makes a world of difference when cooking greens.
• Generally, garlic, onion make greens yummy. Vinegar helps too.
• For quickness use dried onion and garlic powder instead of chopping fresh. You can also add about a Tbl of dried oregano or thyme.
• If you don’t want to chop basil, add 2 Tbl of dried basil.

Roasted Radishes

4 bunches of radishes, greens removed and chopped in 3rds or quarters

Grapeseed oil

Sea salt

Dill

Garlic powder

Heat the oven to 475. Thoroughly oil the radishes, and make one layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with dill and garlic powder. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20 minutes.

Tips:

• Try other herb combinations.
• Sprinkle with lemon juice
• This is a great sub for potatoes
• I stole and adapted this recipe from Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint Cookbook.

HSPU progression

Desserts are my favorite!! I’m a dark chocoholic. No, that is not true paleo due to the sugar, but that’s my vice. I will list an easy chocolate mousse recipe, and a wonderful chocolate cake recipe. For some fruity goodness, see my new favorite popsicles below.
Chocolate Mocha Mousse- YUM! I adapted this recipe from Elana’s Pantry.
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup dark chocolate chips
¼ cup hot water
1 Tbl finely ground decaf coffee
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl honey
Melt chocolate chips in the coconut milk in a small sauce pan over low heat. Stir often. Place the coffee grounds in a teabag and soak in the water or pour water over the grounds in a coffee filter. Dispose of the grounds. Stir coffee into chocolate mixture. Stir in vanilla and honey. Divide into small bowls and place in the fridge to set. It takes about 2-3 hours. Top with fresh berries or orange zest, or eat as is. See the original recipe.

Front to Back

Ever since Elana’s Pantry started adding desserts using coconut flour, I started paying attention. This is my new favorite cake with an icing recipe attached. The icing isn’t necessary as the cake is incredibly moist and yummy. The only thing I changed was the use of honey instead of agave nectar. Oh, and I didn’t sift the coconut flour.

Chocolate Cake
¾ cup coconut flour, sifted
¼ cup cacao powder
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 eggs
1 cup grapeseed oil
1 ½ cups honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon orange zest
1. In a small bowl combine flour, cacao, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, blend eggs, oil, honey, vanilla and orange zest
3. Add dry ingredients into large bowl and continue to blend
4. Oil (2) 9 inch round cake pans and dust with coconut flour
5. Pour batter into pans and bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes
6. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely then remove from pans
7. Frost and serve

Frosting
1 cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch celtic sea salt
1. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and grapeseed oil
2. Stir in honey, vanilla and salt
3. Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to cool
4. Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy
5. Frost over cake
6. Serve!
This was the first time I have ever made a layer cake, zested citrus or made frosting. The cake was a little of work, but so worth the effort. See the original recipe.

Ashley is responsible for my new favorite homemade popsicles. I copied her recipe verbatim, and love them! My little pumpkin and I “share” a watermelon popsicle once in a while. She ends up eating most of it…correction: most of it drips off of her elbows and chin… ; and she makes the funniest faces because it’s so cold. I have to fight to get a few bites.

Watermelon Lime Popsicles
Appx. 6 cups of seedless watermelon (6 big slices, maybe 1/4 of a whole watermelon)
1 lime, juiced
Puree the watermelon in your blender until smooth, then add in the lime juice and mix well. Pour into your popsicle molds and let freeze for 4-5 hours – be patient!!

I hope some of these help make your week a bit easier. As a general rule I try to make enough to have leftovers to get more than one meal out of my time spent in the kitchen. Please post your favorite recipe(s) to comments, so we can share the wealth.

Workout of the Day 8/2/2011

“30 Drops of Blood”
In honor of the 30 American soldiers that died in the helicopter crash on 8/6/2011
Choose 2 of 4:
A. “Grace” 30 C&J 135/95 for time
B. “Isabel” 30 Snatches 135/95 for time
C. “30 Muscle-Ups” for time
D. “30 Bodyweight Back Squats” for time

Scale Appropriately, advanced athletes, perform back to back

*          *          *

CFSB Spring Paleo Challenge Winner!!!

March 7th, about seven weeks ago, 21 people joined the fourth ever CFSB Paleo Challenge. Fifteen of these paid into a kitty that goes to the winner of the Challenge. This Challenge, by far had the highest participation and retention. I’d say it also had the greatest number of creative chefs, comedy writers, and supportive camaraderie. Check out the last post on the Challenge to see what I mean. What was new about this challenge was two things: the duration (six weeks instead of eight) and that people signed up for special feedback from me each week in their food logs and a consult in person.

The decision came down to three: Ash, Danielle, and Lauren. These three had this all in common: beautiful food logs, before & afters, and PR’s on their benchmarks.

Their food was squeaky fricken clean paleo, and I might add amazingly creative. Anyone not acquainted with paleo could read the descriptions and salivate, not realize they were doing a challenge of any sort. In fact, one might guess they were tracking their participation in a hedonistic culinary pleasure-fest what with comments about sucking fat out of bacon and marrow from bones, roasting things in tallow, sauteing in coconut oil, and enjoying guacamole almost every day.

All three had smokin’ hot ‘after’ pictures and their PR’s were inspiring. Ash hit a 20 lb one rep max shoulder press PR and the pastured beef farmer, John, complemented him on his physique at the Torrance farmer’s market saying he ‘could tell he was from CrossFit’. Lauren and Danielle PR’d in all the lifts and Lauren shaved two minutes off her benchmark WOD.

The decision was really tough since the food logs were comparable, but came down to the biggest change seen in the other areas: benchmarks and before and after pictures. The choice was clear: Lauren Rieger. I got to spend a fair amount of time at CFSB with Lauren when she first started doing her Elements sessions, teaching her to squat, talking about the big picture and the long ‘process’ of fitness. I remember explaining to her that she had a unique set of starting points joining CF with a unique athletic background, unique present circumstances. We discovered some limitations due to the very-common issues around glute activation and midline stabilization that all the coaches have helped her chip away at. I told her she would need to focus diligently on the heirarchy of form/technique, consistency and then intensity. She sure did she listen and the rewards have been large. Lauren asked plenty of good questions all along and followed my advice pretty well. Check out her summary here. Lauren’s learning and trial and error process is captured well and sets the stage for ongoing improvement.

Congratulations to all three of these finalists — you guys did an amazing job!!!

Danielle cooking a quiche for breakfast for the week

Honorable mentions

The following are participants who finished the majority of their logs and benchmarks and all were remarkably savvy at picking up and getting creative with eating, exercising, even sleeping and living the way they evolved to.

• Lisa and Louis for outstanding and creative paleo cuisine. If you didn’t see the post on Lisa’s paleo trip to Kaua’i, check it out.
• Ashley V. for feeding both you and Forrest amazing meals from the Everyday Paleo blog. Forrest’s picture texts to me of your meals several nights a week actually caused a variety of emotions in me: mostly jealousy.
• Angy for doing the challenge from South Africa, giving her family the gift of health by getting them all aboard and loving paleo and CrossFit. A member (who shall remain nameless) who hadn’t met Angy before she left said to me quietly when she couldn’t hear: “Who is that?…[staring] She’s friggen built.”
• Rebeca for going outside her comfort zone of chicken and almonds, adding all kinds of new meats and veggies to her diet.
• Jon F for the most diverse food log with organ meats from liver to heart, adventures in rendering fat and all kinds of beautiful-sounding paleo dishes.
• Kelly and Amanda for battling it out eating paleo on the road for work in the face of peer pressure and stress.

Thanks to Lauren & D who cooked all their meals together during the challenge and took pictures which they burned onto a CD for me! Check out the whole set here!

A Lauren & D paleo creation

Announcements

Nutrition Events

The latest grads from HGS paleo nutrition 101 and paleo cooking 101 were truly a delight to teach and cook with. There were a great mix of recent on-rampers, experienced CFSBers, their family members, people from other gyms and friends of friends. Thanks to everyone that came. Check out the photos and video.

• The next paleo nutrition 101 will be Saturday May 5th. Sign up soon!
• The next Hunt, Gather, Saute: paleo cooking 101 will be Sunday May 15th. Sign up soon!

Quality Fat+Pro

Pastured Beef: there are still quite a few prime cuts of DeyDey’s best beef ever, as well as liver and kidney that needs to go to make way for the next shipment of pig, chicken and rabbit! This meat is by far the tastiest beef I’ve ever had (and others agree), plus, the benefits of organ meat are unrivaled by even the darkest of leafy green vegetables. Buy from me (Remy) when I’m in the gym (MWF 9-1, T/Th 5-8 or whenever else you can find me there).

Pastured chicken, pig, rabbit, Pemmican, tallow & more…

I’ll be ordering a large quantity of 100% pastured animals from US Wellness Meats. Check out their site. If you’re interested in any of these specifically, contact me with a specific amount and I’ll add it to the order to save on buying in bulk (plus a fraction of the shipping). Contact me by Saturday evening to get in on the first order!

Coconut

There is still plenty of coconut oil available since I ordered a big load. The coconut cream and chips were a huge hit so I’ll be ordering more of those. If you’re interested in any other Tropical Traditions products, and want to avoid the shipping, let me know!

Weekend fun

This weekend is my bday and there’s some good stuff planned, Sunday Bday Beach WOD: Cody granted my wish for a slip’n'slide WOD! Check out the details at the bottom of this post. Open invite to join me at Jump Sky High in Costa Mesa at 3p on Sunday.

Workout of the Day 3/31/2011

*Rest as long as needed between each mini WOD. Static hold time can be broken up as long as it totals up to the total time. Use individual stopwatches and score is total time to complete all three timed pieces of the WOD. Static hold form must be PERFECT (yes, perfect).

*          *          *

Wanna Get Away?

By Lisa Austin

I must first acknowledge all the brilliant posts I’ve ever read from CFSB, and am honored to be able to share mine with you all.

After 8 months of consistent Crossfit training, 6+ months of Paleo eating, and one gnarly Crossfit competition, I finally decided to take a Hawaiian vacation.  My new love and I decided to venture into the island of Kauai. Although I was looking forward to the relaxation and romance, the other thing on my mind was how am I going to keep up my consistent healthy eating habits and workouts while away? I mean, isn’t that what we all  ponder before the onset of a vacation?

Time to enjoy the sunset

Ok, maybe not all of us, but it might save lots of heartache of getting back on the wagon when we return. As one of the “older athletes in the gym, I have taken my nutrition and recovery bit more serious mainly because, I really like this Crossfit shit, and I want to do it as long as I can. Most vacations I would, relax so much, consuming quantities and types of food that I would never eat at home. Even Remy’s post over her holiday vacation made us well aware that even the “Paleo /Guru/Queen/Nutrtition/Expert” can even succomb to being human.

Since returning to the type of structured physical regime that CFSB offers along with eating right, I’ve produced results in my strength that I had 15 years ago, when I was a nationally ranked triple jumper as well as drop 20 lbs in the process.  I really must acknowledge this because I don’t want to ever go back to where I was 8 months ago. So this old gal thought, I’d better find a way on vacation to not fall completely of the wagon.

A nice pic of us enjoying all the benefits that being Paleo healthy has to offer!!

Now, vacation week is here I get to spend a week in bliss with my boyfriend Dean. He has also in the time of us getting to know each other, started on the Paleo Diet and had dropped 14 lbs and 5% bodyfat since ditching the dairy, sugar and grains etc. (I’m sure it had nothing to do with trying to impress me). I said to him, that we should take some food with us to stay on track. So, we packed our suitcases full of not only swimsuits and hiking gear, but a variety of Paleo friendly snacks to get us by during the week.

• 12 Pack Coconut water (incase the island ran out)
• 4 cans of coconut Milk
• 1/2 pan of leftover Paleo Quiche
• 21/2 packs of cooked bacon
• 2 bags of cashews
• 1 bag of almonds
• 8 Lara Bars
• 8 apples
• 4 oranges
• 30 tea bags of different varieties

Now I forgot to mention we were staying at the swanky St. Regis in Princeville…( cuz I’m “fancy”……and got a “hook up.”)  I assumed no cooking for the week, no place to have kale or greens that I’m aware of. The first day on a whim I asked if we could have a fridge and a microwave in our room, and they swiftly brought one right up to our room. So Dean and I ventured out to the market and found some green kale and bacon and avocados. I thought, we should see if the hotel will make this for us. Dean said they probably wouldn’t, but I asked anyway, and sure enough, all they said was yeah, just sign this waiver, and that will be 10 bucks please…plus tip of course.  We gave them the ingredients and I jotted down the instructions to the recipe and within 45 min they brought us the Remy’s famous bacon kale avocado salad! We were too happy to have a  Paleo comfort from home!

Our Bacon Kale salad the hotel prepared for us!!

As the week went on we did great, only eating out a total of 4 times during our week stay. Twice, we ate at a restaurant cafe called the “Common Grounds”. This was a beautiful outdoor cafe where they grow all varieties of greens, herbs and some of the fruits and other vegetables in the food they serve. They also have wild caught fish and grass-fed beef. It was amazing!! The other 2 times we were hosted by a friend of my uncles who owns a tapas restaurant in Hanalei called Bar Acuda. Other than that, we ate wild boar plates from a nearby grilling stand where the guys hunt the boar themselves. It was yummy added to the rest of our Kale salad leftovers!

Wild boar from the grilling stand

Our time in Kauai was great for relaxation but also adventure. We still remained physical completing 2 amazing Na Pali coast hikes, one 12 miles and the second 8 miles to a beautiful waterfall.  I felt my CF training kick in to gear on those slippery hikes, they were no joke. We also managed to tweek 2 of the workouts from the CFSB site to work within the hotel gym. All together, we came out pretty good without spending too much money on food or drinks (yes that means no alcohol either). We managed to stay within our Paleo routine the entire time. We thoroughly enjoyed our time away and   happily came back home without missing a beat.

Hanakapiai Water falls 8 mile hike

Dean and I together can support each other and it does make it a lot easier sticking to healthy eating habits. I love that. This was a test because I haven’t been out of my training element for 8 months. I learned a few resourceful things and saved some money in the process. I know exactly what I would need to do on future road trips and vacations. Plan ahead, just like at home.

Thanks again for all the imparted knowledge from the entire CFSB team and thank you for letting me share my story. My motivation has never been higher to stay on top of my progress. Mainly because of the groundwork that has been laid and the support from everyone around me.

Get Smart: Nutrition Edu

Want to get smart on how and why nutrition is the foundation of your fitness, and learn all you need to put your knowledge work in the kitchen and life? Sign up soon!

• Paleo nutrition 101 – read more about it here, sign up here!
• Hunt, Gather, Saute: paleo cooking 101 — read more here, sign up here!

Pastured Cow & Coconut

Another cow has arrived as well as a shipment of coconut — buy online and bring a receipt for the coconut or for the meat, buy when Remy’s in the gym!

Workout of the Day (Deload Week) 3/17/2011

*Hop on the slide board and do 4-5 rounds of about 15-20 slides. If that is easy have someone throw a medicine ball to you in the middle of the slide and you throw it back at the end of the slide

If time permits, try for max distance standing broad jump. Record distance. Use the chalk to mark it.

B. 6 Rounds:
20M high/low Prowler Sled Push (load a weight that is relatively heavy for you. Don’t burn yourself out.)
250M Row (Try to use the least amount of pulls possible. Record pulls for each round)
10 Overhead squats (use the keg and/or slosh pipe or something awkward)
5 Rolling Pistols (each leg)

Rolling Pistol

Cody getting after a PR

Many people I meet pronounce Paleo as ‘puh-lay-oh’. Don’t feel bad if this was you. Perhaps without realizing the context (Paleolithic Era), it might seem a likely name for a diet, especially a seemingly elitist one. People that would eat ‘puh-lay-oh’ might also park their Prii in the ‘gair-ahge’ and eat their grass-finished filet ‘ming-yohn’ with some cacao nibs and home-made vanilla-bean coconut ice cream, right? By now, you’re better acquainted with what it’s all about and it’s far from a fad, it’s not about elitism, it’s about much more than how it affects you on the outside (how you look). Whether you notice the cumulative internal effects of eating grains or processed sugar or low-quality fats or not, you know there’s something more complex at work that’s affecting you long-term. Food is powerful, and that is catching on.

Perhaps you’ve noticed the coconut oil, coconut creme and coconut flour arrive at the gym. The cow purchase was our first group buying experiment and it was a huge success! This is another effort to make it affordable and more convenient for you to get high-quality fat. If you wanted some of those products but didn’t sign up, email Remy. If you want in on the next cowpool, put your name on the clipboards by the bathroom and help me gauge our next order by filling this out. If I can’t get enough for a quarter or half cow, I’ll probably be ordering next from US Wellness Meats (who also have a great website for recipes and learning your cuts). In the freezers, all we have left from our last purchase is beef kidney (don’t make that face) which you can still purchase. Check out this recipe from Louis P.’s Paleo Challenge food log that he liked.

In an effort to keep you stocked with high-quality information, the next nutrition seminar and cooking class have been scheduled, too!

• Paleo Nutrition 101 - Saturday March 26 at 1 p.m.
• Hunt, Gather, Saute: Paleo Cooking 101 – Sunday March 27 at 12 p.m.
• Looking for something else? Check out my new website for more education and events to come!

The CFSB Spring Paleo Challenge is in Week 4 and the Challengers this time around are truly inspiring and the ranks of CFSBers taking control of their nutrition are growing, too. I’m inspired regularly. Take Gus who made girlfriend Linsday the most organized and awesome paleo binder ever to keep their notes, my blog posts, and their favorite recipes, or Challengers Danielle and Lauren who cook delicious meals together, Jon Markovich who’s doing his second paleo challenge and his food log looks completely different (in a good way), or Jon F. whose meals make my mouth water, and the many of you who create some amazing dishes and get creative while on the road for work and life.

Here are some great quotes from the last couple months of paleo events:

Gus & Lindsay are organized (and legit: check out the bacon water bottle in the fore and crock pot in the background)

Workout of the Day 03/03/2011

A. Power Snatch 3-3-3

B. 21-15-9
Wall Ball (20/16)
Toes to bar

*Advanced must perform this unbroken. Every time you drop the wall ball or come off the bar, you must perform 10 burpees.

This is what our garbage can looks like at the end of every other day — filled to the brim with kale, chard, beet greens, cauliflower, and other stems, heavy with avocado seeds and emptied marrow bones, peels from onions, sweet potatoes, squash, and beets. You won’t find any fatty ends from meat since we eat pastured animals and covet every savory drop of that silky slow-cooked bliss.

If you didn’t catch the reference, the title refers to the Simpsons episode “Lisa the Tree Hugger” where she idolizes Jesse, a vegan activist:

Lisa: Oh, the earth is the best! That’s why I’m a vegetarian.
Jesse: Heh. Well, that’s a start.
Lisa: Uh, well, I was thinking of going vegan.
Jesse: I’m a level 5 vegan — I won’t eat anything that casts a shadow

I think eating an ancestral diet is a far more intuitive, demonstrably more effective diet than veganism for promoting both the health of the individual and, if carried out right, the health of anything that casts a shadow. Like veganism however, eating ‘paleo’ can take on a hue of illogical cultishness if you don’t have a grasp on why a paleo diet is optimal.

The Paleo Challenge kicked off Monday and over the weekend several of the Challengers got that firm grasp through my nutrition seminar at CFSB (if you want to attend one this Sunday, contact me!).

Paleo Nutrition 101 @ CFSB - get your think on!

Some basic guidelines for the Challenge can be found on the Paleo Challenge page, but here’s a quick summary:

• Animals (and animal fats) and plants (especially nutrient dense dark leafy ones) should form the basis of your meals and should fill you up.
• Planning is required: eating plants and animals requires some preparation and forethought.
• Clearing out your cupboards of crap and buying a crockpot will save you hours and many stressful moments of oh-shit-all-I-have-in-the-pantry-is-cereal-and-beans. Keep the good stuff on hand and stocked!
• Some neolithic/modern/non-paleo food items’ outcome in your body may range from counter-productive to ‘toxic’ in tiny, sometimes microscopic amounts: lectins/anti-nutrients from grains, beans, dairy. Then you’ve got reactive oxygen species (free radicals) from processed and hydrogenated oils such as canola/corn/peanut/soy/cottonseed/safflower/vegetable (found in packaged goods and restaurants) worsening inflammation and stalling fat loss. Hence: remove them from your diet.
• When eating out, realize that you’ll likely have contamination and your food will be cooked in low-quality oils. Do your best by talking to the chef and mentioning you have a food allergy — most chefs are well-versed in substitution and love a challenge, “I’ve got many food sensitivities. If possible, I’d like some kind of good cut of meat and some vegetables, both made using just herbs spices. I’ll take olive oil on the side if you’ve got it.” (Olive oil for extra fat since the meat will probably be lean and neither cooked in quality fat).
• Some paleo/paleoesque food items ther foods require ingestion of just larger, visible amounts to cause a negative outcome: fructose and other simple sugars worsening insulin sensitivity from too much fruit; omega-6 fatty acids from too much nuts, nut/seed productsworsening inflammation and stalling fat loss. Hence, limit fruits and nuts.

Here are some pieces of advice and posts that address some major areas of how/what/why from above:

• Planning, shopping, cooking: Buy enough meat and vegetables to last 2-3 days. For one person 2lbs uncooked will yield probably enough for one meal plus 1 leftover meal + 1 snack. One bunch dark greens will last 2 servings. Keep staples on hand: cooking fats and goodies (tallow, ghee, coconut oil, coconut milk) and herbs and spices. Tupperware your meals after cooking for easy to-go food. How to shop, plan, spice, and cook a paleo meal
• When thinking of what to snack on, think fat+protein, not sugar. Paleo snacks look a lot like paleo meals. Paleo snacking. Great glove box items: coconut flakes, emergency can of sardines+fork+mustard packet, packet of nuts. Keep a clean tupperware in your car. On the road? For portable food, just find a Trader Joe’s (sardines, nuts, jerky, avocados) or Whole Foods (read ingredients at the hot bar though! They love to use crappy oils).
• All about: Fat, Protein, Carbohydrate
• Interested in participating in the next Cowpool? Contact Remy!
• Vegetables: eat a lot of them! Vegetables = your multivitamin. Eat fats with your veggies to improve absorption of vitamins/minerals.
• Get inspired by the last Paleo Challenge winner, Louie.

Post Paleo Challenge progress to comments!

Workout of the Day 02/10/2011

A. Missy Ab Work

B. “Princess”
50 Double unders
10 Handstand push-ups
40 Double unders
8 Handstand push-ups
30 Double unders
6 Handstand push-ups
20 Double unders
4 Handstand push-ups
10 Double unders
2 Handstand push-ups

O'Bone grass-fed chuck à la Remy -- that's paleo for "f*%(ing delicious"

Yesterday, I bought a cow. To be specific, I put a deposit down on a large, healthy steer that grew up grazing and living a healthy life in sunny Santa Barbara County. Ten rather smart and beef-loving people are going to be enjoying discounted grass-fed beef chock-full of nutrients and amazing flavor over the next few months. Next week while the Paleo Challengers do their benchmark lift and WOD, I will be distributing this amazing gift of nature, so come and ogle at what 350 lbs of steer looks like and be inspired to take part in the next round of cowpooling.

And now… the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

This is it party people (and the three to five non-party-people out there), the six weeks you’ve all be awaiting or dreading — The Paleo Challenge — is almost here. It begins this Monday 2/7, just hours after you’ve blind-sided your pancreas, thrashed your gut lining and rocked your immune system celebrating or bereaving your favorite team Sunday (not condoning, just foreshadowing). Six weeks later, abs emerging, deadlifts trending upward, WODs a-smokin’, you’ll emerge with your paleo girl or boyscout patch, and better prospects for health for the rest of your life.

HGS-ers getting schooled in efficient gourmet paleo meals

Some Challengers started practicing early at this weekend’s Hunt-Gather-Saute cooking class with me and 24 other hungry marrow and kale-lovers. It was a huge success — thirteen amazing dishes, brains leaking knowledge and bellies full’o'meat+veggies — check out the menu here and the photos here. The class filled up quick and many didn’t make it in; if you were one of those people, the next HGS has been scheduled for Saturday 2/19 1-5p. Read more and sign up quick here!

If you think you’ve got change to make (that’s pretty much everyone), you should join in. There are abundant resources on our blog, lots of help from coaches, the camaraderie of the groups doing the Challenge, and the accountability factors in place to help you stick with it. There are still a few spots in Nutrition 101 this Saturday 11a-2p if you need more convincing that eating real food will change your life for the better or send a loved one that needs some lecturing. If you can’t make the seminar, you can always schedule a private session with me, or if your company’s cool like that, maybe a group seminar of your own!

If you want to participate, check out the Paleo Challenge page. Read carefully and if you have any gastroinestinal issues, autoimmune issues, or other special needs, you will need some extra guidelines for the challenge to make it totally fair, so get in touch with me before Monday if this is the case.

Paleo spaghetti & meatballs

Category A people signed up for the whole package: cooking class, nutrition seminar and Paleo Challenge with $25 toward the cash kitty prize and 15 minutes per week nutrition counseling and food log commenting included. Category B people signed up (this Category is still open) with $25 toward the cash kitty, 15 mins per week nutrition counseling and food log commenting included. Category C people can still sign up with no shot at the cash prize, but can still participate in the Google Group, food logging, and follow along.

I have heard whispers that the likes of our biggest paleo-felons-yet-gifted-athletes are going to join the challenge — the likes of Dane, Sergio, Moffet, Jon, Matty, and Jerry. Could it be true? If it is true, who will make sure the rumored Doritos in Dane’s bedside stand get trashed? Will Sergio get his 6x BW squat or his 900 on the slopes? Who will ensure the Hawkpack participants won’t be sneaking ice cream sandwiches and Smirnoff Ice? Oh, wait, all that gets published to Facebook in real-time so I guess there’s no worry there.

Seriously though, eating real food, sleeping, and doing CrossFit changes, saves, improves, turbo-charges, (any hyperbolic awesome verb here), lives. I see it day in and day out… Get some!

Results from Challenges past…

• Summer 2010 Paleo Challenge: August 16th – October 11th – Results
• Spring 2010 Paleo Challenge: Monday April 12th – June 7th – Results

Summer '10 Paleo Challenge winner. Louie rocks.

Spikey hair and sweet boardies included in Paleo Challenge.

Workout of the Day 2/3/2011

A. Bear Complex 2-2-2

B.
4 Rounds of Bear Complex
400M Run
3 Rounds of Bear Complex
300M Run
2 Rounds of Bear Complex
200M Run
1 Round of Bear Complex
100M Run

*There is no Rx weight today. Choose a weight that you can do Bear unbroken. Do part A and build up to a pretty heavy weight and then strip off the weight for the WOD.

Bear Complex:
1 Power Clean
1 Front Squat
1 Press or Jerk (Or you can thruster)
1 Back Squat
1 Back Rack Press or Jerk (Or you can thruster)