Y’all….. it’s Texas hot….

Summer truly is upon us. We’re in the days of upper 90s with “feels like” temps well into the 100s. We’re in the days of not being able to sit too long on a vinyl/plastic/leather chair because you’re legs will stick so bad that when you get up you think you ripped your skin off. We’re in the days of a constant slow drip of sweat runs down your back. We’re in the days of sweat, cool down, sweat again and you end up feeling like you have an outer layer on your skin..

Ok, this is getting gross. But, I have some reprieve! I bought all the stuff to make little parfaits for the week, but I took a different route and I’m SO GLAD I did… I wasn’t entirely sure how this was going to turn out and I feel like there is still some room to improve and perfect my technique, but for now, this’ll do.

Yet another highly customize-able treat, this recipe is a base, but feel free to fill it with whatever you like! I’d love to hear some of your combinations if you make them!

Frozen Yogurt Parfaits

INGREDIENTS
1 Pint Greek Yogurt – I used vanilla, but you could go wild
Fresh berries – I used strawberries and blueberries
Chia Seeds

DIRECTIONS
Wash your produce and dry it a bit (if it’s too wet, you’ll end up with little ice crystals in your cup!) If you’re using larger berries like strawberries, chop them up into smaller pieces.

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners – I definitely recommend the metal ones as paper tend to disintegrate.

Spoon the yogurt evenly into each cup. Use a toothpick to push pieces of berries down into the yogurt. It’s fine to have some exposed too. Sprinkle with chia seeds. Other options – black berries, peaches, raspberries, any fruit really! You could use flax seed, nuts, granola, anything you like in a parfait!

Carefully cover your muffin tin with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. I let mine sit overnight, but a few hours should do it. Store in the freezer in a container with a lid. When you’re ready to eat, just grab one and enjoy!

I learned something new this week. I learned about pulses! Not the kind that you check to see if you’re still alive or if your heart is going to explode after a workout 😉 No, I learned about the edible kind. Pulses are the dry, edible seeds of plants in the legume family that include chickpeas, lentils, dry peas and beans. They are different than legumes in that they are lower in fat and higher in fiber and protein and from what I understand, they are environmentally friendly crops. Sounds pretty good to me!

Ok, so it’s not like I JUST learned what beans and peas are… I just had never heard them referred to as pulses… So, without further ado, here’s this week’s recipe! I know this looks like a long list, but it’s really not so tough. Plan accordingly for the cook time, but once the meat is in the pot, everything else is quick and easy!

The barbacoa for this is written as an instant pot recipe, but I’ll include directions below for a slow cooker as well.  If you are short on time, this could easily be done with chicken or pork… Or meatless if you want!

Barbacoa

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup beer (sub beef broth or water)
4 large cloves garlic
1 small yellow onion onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
2 chipotles in adobo sauce + 1 tsp sauce (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 pounds beef chuck roast* (fat trimmed), cut into chunks
3 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS

In a food processor – blend all ingredients EXCEPT for olive oil, bay leaves, and meat until smooth. Set aside.

Instant pot – heat oil on saute function. Once oil is hot, add meat and brown on all sides. Once browned, hit “cancel” to turn off saute setting. Add the bay leaves and the pureed mixture. Put the lid on and close the vent to the sealed position. Use the high pressure manual setting and set to 60 minutes. Let it cook!

When the 60 minutes is up, carefully release the vent and once the release valve has dropped remove the lid. Discard the bay leaves and shred the meat. Mix some of the sauce in for flavor and you’re done!

Slow Cooker – combine all ingredients and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4. The beef should be tender and pull apart easily. Once cooked, shred with forks and allow it to sit in the sauce for 10 minutes.

Pulse Salad

INGREDIENTS – I used canned beans, but you could take the extra time to do dry beans if you want. Cook accordingly….

1 can dark red kidney beans – drained and rinsed
1 can black beans – drained and rinsed
1 can navy beans – drained and rinsed
15 oz sweet corn – I used frozen – defrost first 😉
1 jalapeno – finely diced
1/2 medium red onion – diced
1 small bell pepper – color of choice – diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup roasted pepitas
1 lime
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Simple as that!

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – drained, rinsed, and dried – Don’t skip the drying part! You can use paper towels to pat them dry.

Coat in olive oil and roast in the oven at 400 degrees until crispy! 20-30 minutes. Season as desired after roasting.

TOPPING – Serve with your choice of plain greek yogurt, cheese, cilantro, lime juice, avocado, hot sauce… whatever you like!

State your Name and/or Nickname please:
Michael Surges, Mikey

Words to live by?
Comparison is the thief of joy.

What is your fitness background?
I started racing BMX at 4 and got into serious competitions around the age of 8-14. During this time I also played baseball, wrestled, and played football. Once I got into high school I stuck with football and wrestling, and eventually went on to play football in college for a couple years. I’ve always loved the off season and the training that goes into performing at a high-level.

How long have you been CrossFitting?
I think June or July will be my one year anniversary.

Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?
I GOT SO NERVOUS! like butterflies and nausea nervous. There were so many things I had in my head that I thought I couldn’t possibly do. Now, I still get nervous as all hell, but I try my absolute hardest to not compete with anyone and just do my best.

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
EVERYTHING!! are you kidding me!? It’s soo much fun. I love working with the coffee crew and seeing the same faces every morning. We all build each other up and cheer each other on for PR’s and finishing strong.They put up with me, I love them. It’s hard to not be inspired by the people I get to train with every day.

Current Training Goals/PRs?
I want to qualify for a competition. I don’t know where, at what level, or when, I just know I’m going to qualify for a competition.

What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?
Dive in. Drink the kool aid, and make an effort to be coachable. I know it had been a while since I’ve had a coach, but it’s a worthwhile adjustment to make.

What is your cheat meal go to?
Twix, coca-cola, and frozen pizza. I’m not even kidding.

How do you use your fitness outside of the gym?
Well,I carry all the groceries up in one trip and I move kegs around a lot at work. I wish I could say hiking or something cool, but I’m too scared of snakes.

Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout.
Just being able to breathe during the wods since the clots. I had a year of really restricted activities when I was first diagnosed and felt like I lost everything physically. It was a great feeling to surpass where i was before I got sick.

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?
‘Dorthy’ 95# bar
100m run
10 bar facing burpees
15 OHS
200m run
10 bar facing burpees
15 OHS
300m run
10 bar facing burpees
15 OHS
400m run
10 bar facing burpees
15 OHS

What keeps you going on the days you don’t feel like it?
Training is my absolutely favorite thing to do, i’m usually pretty hungry to get back into the gym. Being far away from my goals really keeps me motivated to keep at it.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
I love watching stand up comedy, listening to music, and playing video games. I don’t know if it’s a talent worth having, but i can make a damn good cocktail.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…
I’m deaf in one ear. It’s loud at the gym and i promise if you think i’m ignoring you, i’m not. I was born completely deaf in my right ear, and I can’t hear shit!

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…
I would just like to say thank you to everyone i’ve met over the past year. I’m constantly inspired by y’all and i appreciate y’all letting me be apart of this big family. I’m excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for us.

Hey y’all! It’s HOT! Summer is definitely upon us. I don’t know about you, but when it’s hot my appetite drops. I don’t like to eat big meals in the summer, but sometimes that leaves me needing a little extra boost throughout the day. I honestly cannot believe I haven’t shared this recipe yet. This is one of our favorite snacks. Tim asks for it pretty regularly and if you make them, you’ll understand why.

Not only do they taste amazing, but they are extremely easy to make (like everything I do) and they are a perfect like pick me up if you need something before or after a workout… Or like around 2:30 pm when you start getting that afternoon lull. 😉

I’ve done these in several different forms. I have made bars, little bite sized squares, rolled them into balls (which wasn’t the most successful, but you do you) and I’ve even put them into a mini muffin tin form. They’ve held up best for me in a bite sized square, but you do have lots of options.

**Quick note** These will be ok without being refrigerated if you’re taking them with you somewhere, but to store for multiple days, keep them in the fridge. They’ll last longer, but also when they get warm they tend to fall apart. It all has to do with the coconut oil in them!

Ok, here ya go!

INGREDIENTS
9-10 soft, pitted medjool dates
1 Cup hulled pistachios – You can use raw or roasted – If you use salted pistachios, skip the salt in the recipe
1 Cup hulled pumpkin seeds – same notes
4 TBSP coconut oil – liquid form (you can just zap it for a few seconds in the microwave if needed)
3/4 tsp cardamom – I actually like a full tsp, but if it’s a new flavor for you start with less and add to taste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of sea salt – skip if using salted nuts
Optional – 1 tsp Matcha Powder – if you have trouble with caffeine skip this. These are still a great little energy bite without the added caffeine

DIRECTIONS

Add pistachios, seeds, salt (if using), cardamom, and matcha powder to a food processor. Pulse a few times to begin mixing and chopping, but don’t over do it. Add the dates, vanilla, and oil. Pulse until all of the ingredients are combined and it begins to clump together.

Once your mixture is ready, decide what form you want your bites to take. For bars or squares, line a pan (I use a glass 9×9 dish) with cling wrap leaving enough over the edges that you can cover your entire mixture. Transfer the mixture into the pan and press it nice and flat so that it becomes very compact. Wrap the plastic wrap over the top and chill it in the fridge of freezer until firm (about 10 minutes in the freezer or 20 in the fridge).

Unwrap it, cut into bars or squares and then transfer it into a dish with a lid to store! Like I said, they will fall apart a bit if the coconut oil heats up so keeping them refrigerated is best, but they won’t last long anyway because they taste so good!

Food Facts: * If you’ve never used cardamom, it has a very unique flavor. Interestingly enough, it is in the same family as turmeric and ginger and has some really amazing health benefits as well! Cardamom is great for digestion. It works as an aid for nausea. It’s a diuretic and works as a liver cleanser. It’s used as a breath freshener and also has amazing antioxidant properties that are used to prevent and treat cancer. Hooray cardamom!

Happy Hump Day! Ok, real talk for a moment… Yesterday, as I was getting ready to coach class, I said hello to everyone as they were coming to check in and asked how they were doing. I got a variety of answers, but most were along the lines of “Tired,” “Stressed,” “Had a rough week so far…” Don’t get me wrong, I find myself in that boat more than I’d like to, but I was really feeling for my class yesterday. I had 10 people and maybe one answered back with, “I’m good!”

It made me sad that on TUESDAY, everyone was already having a really rough week. People were beat down, their minds elsewhere… I know sometimes you can’t help that. Life tends to air on the side of difficult, BUT I hope that when you guys come into the gym that you’re able to set that stuff aside and take the hour for YOURSELF. All of those things you’re worried about… they’ll still be there to deal with after class. It’s going to affect your training, your focus, and your mood if that’s where your mind is when you’re in class.

Do yourself a favor when you come into the gym. Leave your phone in the car or stashed in your bag. Set all that “life stuff” outside and give yourself an hour to just BE when you come in here. Take a mental body scan when you walk in to refocus yourself. Take a deep breath to let that stuff go for a bit and just be present. You’ll feel better, you’ll be more productive, and your training will go better too.

Additionally, I’m a pretty good listener if you need to get something off your chest 🙂 We love you guys and want to be a source of relief and happiness so let us be that!

Ok, food! Warmer weather, sunny skies (for a minute…) I wanted something bright and fresh and I’ve been getting some AMAZING mangoes lately so I went for something a bit more tropical this week and I don’t regret it at all. This is another one of those ‘heat part of it and add the cold stuff after,’ but what can I say? I love dishes like that… Anyway, so so so easy and full of flavor. I hope you enjoy!

Mango Coconut Chicken Bowls (made 4 bowls)

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups dry jasmine rice
2 Mangos – 1 peeled and pitted to go into a food processor,  the other peeled and diced
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast – cut into large chunks – make sure none of them are too thick
Unsweetened shaved coconut flakes (for topping)
Avocado (for topping)

Mango Puree – 
Peeled and pitted mango for food processor
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP Lime Juice
3 tsp Honey
1 TBSP Sriracha
2 garlic cloves – peeled
1 tsp salt

Corn Salsa –
The diced mango
1 can black beans – drained and rinsed
1.5 cups sweet corn (off the cob)
1/2 red bell pepper – diced
1 jalapeno – *optional – finely diced
1/2 red onion1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 TBSP lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook rice according to package. While that’s simmering, combine all ingredients for puree into a food processor and blend until smooth. Reserve 2/3 for topping. In a large bowl, pour the other 1/3 of the puree over your raw chicken to marinate for appx. 10 minutes.

While your chicken is marinating, dice the red onion, jalapeno, bell pepper & mango, and chop the cilantro to your liking. Mix in a bowl with the corn, black beans, lime juice, and salt. Let sit until ready to serve or put it in the fridge if you’re using it later for meal prep.

Heat a cast iron skillet (a regular skillet will do, but I love cast iron…) on the stove over med-high heat with a little bit of oil. Place the chicken in the pan, but be careful not to crowd it. Leave it alone for 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook until it’s no longer pink in the middle (usually another 3-4 min depending on thickness)

To build your bowls – Divide the rice into 4 bowls. Evenly divide your chicken on top of the rice. With the remaining 2/3 of your mango puree, drizzle over the chicken and rice. This will be the portion you reheat.

Keep the corn salsa, avocado, and coconut flakes separate to use as a topping after you’ve reheated your bowl!

This is a very simple recipe and took about 30 minutes to put together. Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight meal or something that will brighten your day at lunch, this is a good one to add to the rotation. Enjoy!

How’s your week been? This week has been one that I felt like I started off behind and I am struggling to keep up. This past weekend was busy for us. Awesome, but busy. Monday came very quickly and almost felt like a break from how fast paced the weekend was!

What I did not fall behind on however, was meal prep. And that God for that! If I hadn’t gotten our to our meals for some reason this weekend, this “I can’t catch up week” might feel even crazier. It’s amazing how much better life is when I don’t have to think about food through the week. Kudos to meal prep. It’s an awesome concept.

Anyway, I have things to do so I’m going to stop wasting time blabbing about how busy I am so I can actually get back to being productive!

I have another breakfast recipe for you that I didn’t expect to like all that much, but I honestly love it. Enough that I’ve made it twice now. Usually, I like to mix quinoa with other grains for texture and I’m not a fan of boiled eggs, but I’m also not sure I’ve ever eaten a soft-boiled egg before this. They are way better than hard boiled eggs! I left these bowls without any bacon or sausage, but you could add it if you want.

This is really easy to throw together, filling, and customizable to your liking.

The measurements below made 4 bowls for us.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups dry quinoa – cook to package instructions
4-8 Eggs (depending on how many you’d like in each bowl – I like 2 eggs for each)
1 Pint small tomatoes (cherry, rainbow, etc..) – quartered
1/2 Red onion – diced
1 Jalapeno – diced
1 clove garlic – finely minced
2 TBSP chopped cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Avocado to top

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the quinoa according to the package. When it’s finished, fluff with a fork, at 1 TBSP olive oil and salt to taste and mix well. Divide quinoa into 4 containers.

While the quinoa is cooking, make your pico. Quarter the tomatoes, no need to deseed. Chop the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro. Mix all of your ingredients in a small bowl. Add 1 TBSP of olive oil, the lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

For dang near perfect soft boiled eggs – Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the water. Keep the heat high enough for a boil and set the timer for 6:30. Immediately transfer the eggs to a large bowl filled with ice water for appx. 2 minutes or until they’ve come back down to room temp.

Once cooled, slice eggs in half and place them in your bowls. Keep the pico and avocado separate until you’re ready to eat.

Reheating – depending on the “doneness”of you eggs and whether you like them warm or cold you can leave them on or take them off when heating the quinoa. Heat in the microwave for 1:30 – 2:00. Add pico and sliced avocado and enjoy! It’s simple, but tasty and filling!

You may have noticed the little words written up in the top right corner of the programming square for the day. Or, maybe you’ve seen the ‘context’ block in your app when you look at programming. Possibly, if you’re listening and paying attention 😉 , you’ve heard your coaches discussing it for the day and how it should effect the way you approach your workout for the day. It’s the CONTEXT.

This is an important note that works directly with your daily program to keep you safe and help you progress. If you’re ignoring the context, I can guarantee that you are not getting everything out of your programming that you could.

Check out this excerpt below from Jeremy Jones of Thrivestry programming to help you understand a little more about where the context comes from and what it’s for so that you can get even more from your daily workouts.

Click the link here to read the whole article:  Using the Context of the Programming for Longevity and Getting out of Ruts 

Or scroll down to get a preview of the content!

Using the Context of the Programming for Longevity and Getting out of Ruts

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Big Picture

In the end, the context is a ‘big picture’ layer that on the micro level keeps us growing, healthy, and involved. On the macro level, it is where we learn lessons about ourselves that apply to our lives outside of the gym.

Are you stuck in Competition mode in your life? Are you always pushing to win and sacrificing other parts of your life?

Are you stuck in Mental Toughness mode? Are you always trying to grind it out and piling on more? Putting off recovery and fun things because you feel guilty if you aren’t constantly busy?

Are you stuck in Practice mode? Are you always playing it safe, planning, and never actually getting out there and doing something new? Are you avoiding the next challenge because you are comfortable where you are, and you don’t want to fail?

-Coach Jeremy Jones

A note from you CFA Coaches: 

Remember folks, we are training for life, not just for the best score that day. This is why we track progress, test and retest, and continue to adapt as we go through our weeks/months/years in the gym!

We’ll continue to talk about it, but we hope you start paying a little extra attention to those contexts and see how they can aid in your approach the the workouts. Try it for a few weeks and let us know what you discover!

Don’t get me wrong. We eat meat in our house. In fact, our freezer is full of it. But, in an effort to change it up a bit, in addition to at least one pescatarian meal, I’ve been trying to do a meatless meal once a week.

I’ve done black bean taquitos, portobello mushroom tacos, and several other dishes. Most recently we had nice little meal with an Asian flair. This was so fresh and delicious, but filling at the same time. We’ll definitely be including this in our rotation again!

INSTRUCTIONS

Who likes steak?? Actually, it doesn’t really matter whether you eat meat at all, this is such a versatile recipe. It can easily be swapped out to meet vegetarian and even vegan guidelines if you wish.

We don’t have steak often, but when we do I try to come up with some creative ways to serve it. This recipe took a little planning due to the marinating time, but it was still so easy and SO flavorful! It was worth the wait.

I served this with some quinoa, fresh corn, and of course, some avocado. While I did this in the oven on a grill plate this time, it’s probably even better on a grill. Hope you guys enjoy!