Weekly Challenge #4: Outstanding Push-up Man Picture

This week’s challenge is inspired by Jerry’s fantastic photo posted to Facebook above. This weeks challenge is pretty straight forward, send in the best Push-up man picture and you receive a $20 Lululemon Gift Certificate!

Here are a few ideas for winning this challenge:
Great Photography
Celebrity Push-up Man
Great backdrop
Creativity (see above)
Creativity
Creativity!

This challenge will end and be judged as our facial hair and southern do contest at the end of the challenge (March 12th).  So you’ve got some time to hound b-list Austin celebrities and travel the world rocking the push-up man! Please send all pictures to info@crossfitaustin.com.

Award winning Hurricane Gale Chili

2 cans diced tomato

1 can tomato paste

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp oregano

sea salt (to taste)

1 tbsp celery seed

2 tbsp black pepper

5 tbsp chili powder (or if you aren’t feeling as paleo use a chili seasoning packet)

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

2 tbsp fresh chopped basil

3 minced garlic cloves

5 slices of slightly cooked bacon chopped

2 lbs of ground grassfed beef

¾ red onion chopped

2 homegrown jalapenos

add 1-2 yellow or red bell peppers to make it sweeter (we didn’t add this, but I think it would make it better)

Directions:
Brown ground beef in skillet while cooking bacon in another skillet. Warm the tomatoes in a pot w/all spices and everything else. Dump in ground Beef to the tomato pot when it’s browned. Then cut up bacon when almost fully cooked and dump in. Cook in pot on low, stirring occasionally for 2 hours. You can really eat this after like 20 minutes of all the flavors mixing together, but the longer you let it sit, the flavors come together better I think. Enjoy!

Jable’s Banana Carrot Muffins

*These are Challenge Approved!

2 cups blanched almond flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup dates, pitted
3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup coconut oil , melted
1 ½ cups carrots, shredded
¾ cup walnuts, finely chopped

In a small bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
In a food processor, combine dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar and oil
Transfer mixture to a large bowl
Blend dry mixture into wet until thoroughly combined
Fold in carrots and walnuts
Spoon mixture into paper lined muffin tins
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes

Makes about 18 muffins

The Award Winning Windy City Chili

Ingredients:
6 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (if you like spicy, try 1 teaspoon for a nice heat)

1 tablespoon of salt

1/2 a tablespoon of pepper

1 lb. 85 % lean ground beef

1 lb ground pork chorizo

1 24 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 24 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice

Directions:

In a large heavy bottomed dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is crisp and brown, add all the veggies and spices and mix well. Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once the beef is beginning to brown, add the pork and break it up like the beef, until brown and cook until the meat is no longer pink (about 4 minutes). Add the crushed and diced tomatoes. At this point taste the chili to make sure it’s seasoned properly. Add a little salt and pepper if necessary.

Turn the heat down to a medium-low and simmer for at least an hour and a half.


Shane’s Berrylicious Blueberry Muffins

2.5 cups of almond meal, almond flour or hazelnut flour (can be made by grinding crispy nuts in a coffee grinder)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. of sea salt
1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
1 cup of blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin pan with liners or lightly grease with oil.  Mix all ingredients except blueberries until smooth.  Fold in blueberries.  Bake for 30-40 minutes

COA Weekly Challenge #3 and CFA Gear Update!

Yo DJ, Its Yo DJ!

We’re right the thick of a mustache mania, and words can’t describe the delicious chili we consumed this Saturday (except for Cody’s eloquent words), so its on to the next challenge. This time your vieing for your very own OlyAthlete T-shirt.  It time to step into the DJ booth for all your fellow CrossFit Austinites. You have this week to turn in a CD/Playlist that will be put on repeat for a full day of classes next week.  The masses will vote for who has the smoothest taste in tunes, and the t-shirt trophy will be yours!

New CFA Track Jackets on the way!

We are placing another order for CFA Track jackets next week.  Please list what size you’d like in the comments, and we will make sure to include it in the order.  Thanks!

Everyday Paleo Pizza

Crust:

2 cups almond meal

2 eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tbsp fresh rosemary chopped

Toppings:

1 cup organic marinara sauce from Trader Joe’s

1 lb Italian pork sausage nitrate free

2 crook neck yellow summer squash diced

3 green onions chopped

Handful of torn basil leaves

2 small tomatoes diced

1/2 cup roasted red peppers diced

Handful of sliced black olives

Preheat your oven to 350. Using a spoon mix all crust ingredients together until it becomes very thick. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. Lightly grease a pizza pan or a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place the ball of dough in the center of your cookie sheet or pizza pan and using your hands, push and pat the dough down into the shape of a circle (or an oval in my case…). You want to make the dough as thin as possible. Your pizza will be about 12 inches across. Bake JUST the crust in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. While your crust is cooking, prepare your toppings. If you use sausage like we did, this is when you should crumble it into a large saute pan and brown. After the crust if done, remove from the oven and evenly spread the marinara sauce over the crust. Add the sausage and all remaining toppings evenly over the sauce and bake again for an additional 25-30 minutes. Get creative and use whatever toppings you might like – ours was great but I also suggest trying chicken, artichoke hearts, and even broccoli!! Go wild with it and as always: Enjoy!