Kitchen Adventures || Gimme dat soup (Whole Life Compliant!)

Hey friends! How’s everyone doing? You guys making it through all this rain? I don’t know about you, but this rainy, cloudy weather has definitely impacted my menu. I very quickly turned from cold salads and embraced the fall recipes with all the warm feelings in my heart. Y’all….. I love soups. I love stews, crockpot meals, all the cozy stuff that gives you the warm fuzzies and a full belly. I know we’re probably not really there yet and it’ll go back to just being HOT once the rain clears, but for now, I’m in it 100%.

If you haven’t heard me blabbing or seen me posting about it for weeks, 1) Pull your head out of the sand because I don’t know how you could miss my incessant reminders, and 2)…Whole Life Challenge is starting in a couple of weeks! 🙂

I’ll save you the full explanation and let you read my info post HERE, but I do want to tell you about a couple of fun additions that we will have for this challenge!

First off, we are honored to welcome Coach Dylan’s lovely girlfriend, Erika to our WLC crew. She will be graduating in the spring with her degree in nutrition and has graciously agreed to join our team as a resource to answer questions and give some informational presentations on basic nutrition (more in depth for those interested) to help us get the most out of the nutrition portion of the challenge! She’ll be at our Kick Off Info meeting// Q&A this Saturday (Sept. 15 @ 10:15 am) so if you have any questions she’d love to answer them. She’s going to be planning her talks on the things you guys want to know most, so come help us out!

Secondly, we are SO excited to test out a new service for those folks on our Whole Life Challenge team. Tim’s bother Jon, if you don’t know, is a chef. He’s currently testing out some recipes and putting together menus to offer PREPARED MEALS as an option to WLC team members! Meal prep is something we all struggle with. Even if it’s part of your weekly routine, you can still find yourself needing a little help from time to time. This beta-test will be for Whole Life Challenge members only so if you want in on the fun (and the eats), join the team!

Ok, on to the recipe! This one is compliant for all 3 nutrition levels as long as you use an adobo sauce without sugar. If you can’t find one in

your grocery store, here is an easy compliant recipe to make your own! 

*Pro-tip! If you plan ahead, Thrive Market has a ton of amazing, compliant products that don’t include a lot of the ingredients you find in regular grocery stores. Stock up before the challenge on things you use regularly like broths, sauces, etc…. it will make life so much easier!

Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Soup Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb. boneless chicken breasts
  • 4 cups chicken stock (check for added sugar!)
  • 1 15 oz. can full-fat coconut milk (unsweetened – no guar gum for Performance)
  • 2 cups ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup white onion, chopped
  • 1 16 oz. bag of fresh spinach
  • 3 TBSP chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – more or less to taste (sauce only)
  • 2 TBSP ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • Optional Toppings: chopped cilantro, diced avocado, lime wedges, fresh jalapeno slices, green onions….

Instructions

  • Turn slow cooker to low heat setting and add chicken breasts, tomatoes, onion, chicken stock, chipotle sauce, cumin, smoked paprika and sea salt. Cover and cook 5-6 hours.
  • Remove chicken breasts and shred with 2 forks. Add chicken back to slow cooker and stir in coconut milk. Cook an additional 20 minutes, uncovered, to reduce slightly.
  • Add the spinach and allow to wilt (appx 5 minutes) before serving.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and serve with toppings of your choice and light one of those wood wick candles so you can pretend you’re sitting cozy by a fireplace 😉

We absolutely love Siete Foods tortillas and chips (found at Whole Foods, HEB, and also on Thrive Market in addition to their own site) so I served this up with some lime tortilla chips.

Kitchen Adventures || Keepin’ it easy – One pan veggies & sausage

Happy Hump Day! I hope you guys had an awesome Labor Day weekend! We spent most of the day traveling home from Arkansas (in the rain), but we got to enjoy some relaxing time at my grandmother’s ranch, fishing, doing some yard work, and chatting with her. She is going to be 98 years old next month! She still lives on her own and does a great job taking care of herself. I’m 100% certain that she’s doing so well at her age because for most of her life, she’s eaten from her own (or her neighbor’s) garden/farm and she STILL gets up every morning and moves her body. She stretches and “takes exercises” and keeps herself active physically and mentally every day. Her movements have adapted over the years, but she listens to her body and makes it a priority. She’s walking proof that longevity is achievable!

Y’all she’d kill me if she knew I was posting a picture of her in her robe, but I had to share!

 

 

Anyway, on to the recipe. This is one that’s so easy and FULL of good veggies. Because we were driving, I didn’t have my normal meal prep day, but this takes like 30 minutes to throw together and it tastes great. Even better if you can pull from your own veggie garden 😉 Enjoy!

***FOR THOSE OF YOU DOING WHOLE LIFE CHALLENGE – This is one that is SO easy to make compliant for all nutrition levels – just check the ingredients on your sausage or substitute chicken (or steak, shrimp, etc!!) if you can’t find compliant sausage.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Smoked Turkey or Chicken Sausage (You can also pre-cook raw sausage of your choice to add to this)
  • 2 cups sweet potatoes diced into 1/2” cubes
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 2 cups fresh green beans (ends trimmed)
  • 1 cup bell pepper chopped (any colors you like)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or your favorite spice blend!)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

(Other options for veggies that I’ve tried – asparagus, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onions, carrots…. you can really choose anything you like!)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
  2. Slice the smoked sausage into 1” rounds. Dice the sweet potatoes into small 1/2” cubes. Chop/prep the rest of your veggies to your liking/as needed.
  3. Add the sausage, veggies and minced garlic to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian spices or your favorite spice blend. Seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss veggies with your hands until they are fully combined and coated with olive oil and spices.
  4. Bake for appx. 20 minutes, flipping halfway. You can portion this out on it’s own or if you want to serve it over brown rice, or quinoa, even on top of a salad, it’s extremely versatile!

And…. just because I still can’t stop watching it – Here’s the friend we made this weekend  😆

Kitchen Adventures || Bell Peppers for Breakfast

 

Let me begin by saying, I love stuffed peppers. I’ve tried several recipes for stuffed peppers in thepast, but they’ve definitely catered more toward lunch/dinner options. The first time I made these breakfast peppers, I was hooked! This is another recipe that is so easy, you guys won’t believe it. The best part is that you can put any combo of meat/veggies you like to make it exactly how you want it.

I portioned these guys out into meal prep containers with some kale sauteed in coconut oil with a touch of sea salt. Enjoy!

 

  • Pro-Tip – LEAVE THE STEM ON THE PEPPER… The first time I did this, I cut it out…. and all my stuff fell out…. By leaving it intact, it turns the pepper into a perfect little “bowl” and keeps all your stuff in place 😉

Other helpful notes:

  • Try to choose peppers that will be relatively when you lay them in the dish – Less likely to spill!
  • Mix up your veggies, meats and cheeses as you desire — or make several different versions in the same dish and just pour the whisked eggs right over top!
  • These stuffed peppers keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days but aren’t great from the freezer — unless you are okay with your peppers being totally soft and mushy!

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 bell peppers halved and seeded (leave those stems on!)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp chopped green onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh spinach
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheese divided
  • cooked meat of your choice – I used sausage *I went ahead and made the whole pound. I had a little left over, but it depends on the size of your peppers…

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Brown your sausage in a pan just until it is no longer pink.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt until combined
  4. Lay your peppers in a lightly greased baking dish (whatever size works — you want them to be a little snug so they don’t move too much and spill).
  5. Begin filling your peppers with your cooked meat, layering in your cheese, onions, and spinach (or whatever you decide to fill them with) Reserve some cheese to layer on the top to achieve a nice golden crust!
  6. Divide your egg mixture between your peppers and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until eggs are set.

 

Night Of Champions || Back To School!

Night of Champions is our in house partner competition that offers our members a chance to compete, have some fun, and help the gym all in one night! Partners join together to give their all in this two part competition in hopes of snagging a podium spot! Don’t have a partner? Post in the members page and make a new friend! This NOC theme is “Back to School!” Grab your partner and hit the books (or the training floor 😉 )!

Teams of 2 – Male/Male or Female/Female
Rx & Scaled Divisions available!
Night of Champions will consist of 2 WODs
PART 1 – A test of skill & strength

PART 2 – A test of teamwork and conditioningMovements will be announced 2 weeks out and final workouts announced 1 week out. Stay tuned!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14
6:30 pm – Athlete Check-In
7:00 pm – PART 1 Start Time

REGISTER HERE

$50 per Team (this includes registration for both team mates) Only 20 spots available!

(Only 1 registration per team needed – We’ll send an email to get division and partner name)

***Proceeds from Night of Champions will go toward new equipment for the gym!***

 

JOIN US AFTERWARD AT AVIATOR PIZZA TO CELEBRATE OUR SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS!

Kitchen Adventures || Fresh & light lunch bowls

Image may contain: 1 person, sitting

 

Wow! As many of you know, Tim and I took a trip out to San Diego last week to see my best friend and meet her amazing little baby. Juliette was born on May 26 at only 23 weeks gestation and let me tell you guys, she is a WARRIOR. This amazing girl is growing and developing like crazy. She’s now breathing without assistance, regulating her own body temp, and gaining weight every day. When we were there, she was just over 4 lbs. That may sound like nothing (and let’s be honest, she’s tiny!) but she was 1 lb 5.9 oz when she was born so that 4 lbs is incredible. Ok, ok… I’ll get to the recipe, but I HAD to share how awesome it was to get to meet this girl. <3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok… so because of our trip, my Sunday meal prep day was non-existent, but I was still able to whip up several things on Monday afternoon after work. Any time I travel or if my nutrition gets off track a bit, I crave GREEN. The recipe I’m sharing today is SO easy, full of green, and has awesome flavor. Give it a go!

Ingredients – This recipe will make 4 “bowls” 
2 c. cooked jasmine rice
1 tbsp. oil
1.5 lb. ground turkey
.5 tsp or to taste – red chili flakes
cloves garlic, finely chopped
small jalapeno (seeded if desired), finely chopped
2 tbsp. plus 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
4 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
English cucumber, thinly sliced
scallions, thinly sliced
1 c. fresh cilantro
1/2 c. fresh mint
Directions
  1. Heat your oil in a skillet and brown the ground turkey. Be careful not to overcook and dry it out. Add more oil as needed. Toss with garlic, red chili flakes, and 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger. Remove from heat and toss with 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (adding 1/4 cup water if dry).
  2. Whisk 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger and brown sugar.  If eating immediately, toss with cucumber and scallions; fold with cilantro and mint. Serve with turkey over rice. Add sliced avocado for some good fats!
  3. If packing for meals, pack 4 (3) cup bowls with rice on the bottom and turkey mixture layered on top. Keep vegetable mixture and sauce in separate containers. When ready to eat, heat rice and meat, then add veggies and sauce. Add sliced avocado for some good fats!

 

As always, shoot me a message with any questions and let me know if you make it! Enjoy!

-G

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen Adventures || Chimichurri Meatballs and putting a meal together!

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone’s week is going well so far. My apologies on missing a post last week. I was still kind of fighting some illness, but I’m back! This week I have an easy meatball recipe for you, but also just a quick tidbit on packing for the week. So far I’ve pretty much just posted single recipes, but that’s not how we eat. We generally have 2-3 items to create a “meal.” Depending on the recipe obviously and what needs reheated or stays cold, I’ll pack meals in different ways.

This week I made meal ‘bowls’ (they are actually rectangular dishes :P) to get us a through a few days of lunches. I use these 3 cup Pyrex dishes pretty much EVERY week. They are a great size for a meal (depending on what you are cooking). I’ve had mine for a few years now and I can say they’ve held up pretty well! Anyway, the recipe and amounts I made this week filled four of these which meant Tim and I could each have 2 days of lunches from it!

I love doing meatballs as a meal prep because they are easy, portable, and reheat very well. There are so many different ways you can do them. This week we have meatballs with a chimichurri sauce and roasted cauliflower and beets. Enjoy!

Chimichurri Meatballs

Ingredients
For the Meatballs
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs I used Panko – if you want to sub Almond Flour you may, but cut it down a bit
  • 2 green onions minced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled (to top)
For the Chimichurri Sauce
  • 1/2 cup parsley minced – I prefer flat leaf, but you can use curly
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, ground beef, breadcrumbs, green onions, garlic, salt, black pepper and egg. 

Form the meatballs into small 1 inch balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake them for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 F degrees or until done to your liking.

While the meatballs are baking, in a medium size bowl, whisk together the parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let it sit out at room temperature until the meatballs are ready.

Top with your chimchurri sauce and crumbled feta and Enjoy! 

*I was able to get about 25 meatballs from this recipe

 

For my veggies this week I went simple. I actually started my beets before I did anything else since they tend to take longer, but because I needed the oven at 400 degrees anyway, I did simple roasted beets and cauliflower.

For this, I used 3 large beets. I’ll wash them and trim the roots and tops, but leave the skin on. I coat them in coconut oil and wrap each one (whole) in aluminum foil. Roast at 400 for appx. 40 minutes (or until softened). Then, you can either rub the skins off with a paper towel (let them cool some) or just leave them on!

For the cauliflower, I used a whole head. Wash and cut it into florets. I coated this batch lightly in olive oil and seasoned it with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic powder. I roasted it about 20 minutes (until the edges start to crisp).

To put it all together, I filled half the container with beets and half with cauliflower and then added 4-5 meatballs per dish. I leave the chimichurri off so that I can reheat the veggies and meatballs and then spoon the chimichurri on cold. Easy!

As always, shoot me a message if you have any questions and if you make any cool additions I’d love to hear them!

 

 

Fall 2018 Whole Life Challenge || Team CrossFit Austin

 

 

 “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you” -Zig Ziglar

 

Change can be challenging. Yet, without a challenge, there can’t be change. With the holidays right around the corner, we have the opportunity to create good habits that will help us make smart choices through the holiday meals!

We also hope that this challenge will create habits that carry over into the New Year so you can shift your New Year’s resolutions away from health and fitness goals (because they’ll already be in place!) and make more goals surrounding having fun in 2019!

During our last challenge, we saw some awesome results and had great time working through the challenges & celebrating our weekly wins with our teammates. We hope you’ll consider joining us on this journey again!

 

Whole Life Challenge is part fitness, part nutritional and body composition, and part accountability challenges. Our goals for each Fall 2018 Whole Life Challenger are:

  • Mental + emotional preparation for the longevity of a healthy lifestyle {awareness + action}
  • Individual fitness gains
  • Creation of lasting habits for individualized nutritional and body composition success
  • Physical & nutritional preparation to get you through the holidays and carry over into the New Year!

 

You + Whole Life Challenge = Team CrossFit Austin

Challenge = Change // Goals = Gains

 

{What is it?}

While everyone wants to look and feel better, it can be a challenge to know how or where to start. The Whole Life Challenge focuses you on the key areas of your life that produce real, life-long changes. Playing together with your friends and family in a fun and motivating daily game, you’ll create new healthy habits that last long after it ends.

The Whole Life Challenge focuses on 7 daily habits that you will learn and create for yourself as you journey through.

These 7 Daily Habits are:

    • Nutrition. Your food choices have the single greatest impact on your health, well-being, and community. When you make choices that keep you healthy, you give yourself the fuel to fulfill all of who you are. There are 3 levels to choose from that allow you to start making changes in a realistic and attainable way.  {Choose the level that is right for you}
    • Exercise. Humans are designed to move daily. Whether through workouts, activity, or simply enjoying the full use of your body, daily movement keeps you healthy and vital. You’re already moving regularly with us!
    • Mobility. In a sedentary world, our bodies get stuck. Daily mobility and stretching helps you move the way nature intended and continue enjoying freedom of movement into your later years.
    • Sleep. Modern schedules tend to dictate how many hours of sleep we’re entitled to. A practice of increasing that time, even by a little bit, can make big strides in robust health. You set the sleep goals that are right for you.
    • Hydration. More than anything, your body is made of water. This habit ensures that your body gets enough of its most basic resources for life.
    • Lifestyle Practice. The {WLC weekly lifestyle practices}turn a life into your life. Learn to step back, take stock, connect, and turn your attention to what is really important to you.
    • Reflection. Looking back, looking inward, or looking forward, daily reflection draws your awareness to what is working and what needs your attention today.

 

{How Do I Play?}

The {Challenge} begins with taking your preliminary measurements and completing a scalable workout that will be repeated at the end.

Throughout the 42 day challenge you will post your scores in the 7 categories listed above. The Challenge is designed in a way that we can work as a team to check in with and support each other on a daily basis.

To close out the Whole Life Challenge, you will repeat the preliminary measurements and workout to gauge how far you’ve come! But, it doesn’t end there! The Whole Life Challenge is designed to help you make healthy lifestyle changes that last.

{How Do I Register?}

You can register and join Team CrossFit Austin through the Whole Life Challenge {website}. Make sure you do join our team to participate with the community!

CHALLENGE BEGINS September 29, 2018
CHALLENGE ENDS November 9, 2018

 

Early Player Registration
August 21-September 12
Returning Player Price: $29.00
New Player Price: $39.00

Regular Registration
September 12 – September 29
All Player Price: $49.00

 

{What’s New This Year?}

Well, for one, the challenge is a little shorter. What used to be an 8 week challenge is now a 6 week challenge, but regardless, the goal is still the same. We’re here to create long-lasting, healthy habits to

We have partnered with {Body Analytics USA} to offer fast, accurate body composition testing. Their Hydrostatic Testing method uses a three component model which separates the body into 3 areas:

  • Bone, muscle and organs, along with connective tissue, collectively known as lean mass, sinks (is more dense than water)
  • Body fat floats (is less dense than water)
  • Total body water which is neutrally buoyant, but must be removed from your actual weight

By obtaining your dry weight and water weight, based on buoyancy, our specialized computer program can scientifically calculate your body fat as a percentage of your total weight. The ordinary scale cannot tell you if weight loss is muscle or fat while testing with Body Analytics will tell you exactly what took place with your body during your weight loss regimen.

This will be an additional service offered at CrossFit Austin on Monday, September 24th from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Our post-challenge follow up will be on Monday, November 12th from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Single test – $49
Pre & Post-test – $80

RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE

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