Paleo Salmon Patties plus Homemade Mayo

Well, it has been forever since I've updated and written a blog post.

Not a whole lot has been going on. Life has been pretty slow, CrossFit has been fun, photography has been bumping along, and we've enjoying some special company now and then. It's been rather enjoyable. :)

Tonight, I found myself alone for supper, was hungry for seafood (which, in itself, is weird), and wanted something I could douse in my homemade mayo.

Um. Yum.

Salmon Patties

Mix:

1-5oz package of skinless, boneless salmon
1-egg
2-teaspoons coconut flour
salt, garlic, onion powder

I heated my awesome cast iron pan (I'm still working on the muscles to lift that sucker. I swear it adds 10 pounds when it gets hot!), and fried them up in butter, probably about 3-4 minutes each side.

I served it on a bed of romaine and spinach.. topped with homemade mayo, of course.

Homemade Mayo

Add to immersion blender bottle:

1-egg
2-teaspoons apple cider or white wine vinegar
2-teaspoons dijon or yellow mustard
Juice of half a lemon (this is the tastiest part!)
Salt

Then, hold your immersion blender in there at the very bottom and let 'er go.

This is a pretty detailed video, if you want more instructions: http://youtu.be/PBeyEPlHPkk

I can't believe I lived nearly two years without ever having mayo. Never again. :)


In other news, I have been struggling a little bit with digestion and my stomach. I lost my appetite the last two weeks and would finally get hungry in the afternoon a little. If I did eat in the morning, I would get sick to my stomach, bloated, and not able to eat for hours. I would get a little anxious about eating as I was always worried if it would be okay. It was rough. One night I couldn't even finish a 6-oz steak, and I lost like 6 pounds total. Yikes.

From what I can summarize, it seems like it was set off with my gallbladder after an overdose of coconut milk and avocado (learn to put the spoon down!), and settled in my stomach.

Also, my workouts were not affected until I simply ran out of fuel in the second week... but it's quite possible the workouts affected my stomach. Looking back through my detailed food/workout/sleep/"symptom" log, there's a strong correlation between a lot of core work (mainly pushups) and worse symptoms on that day. However, my appetite and the upset stomach didn't seem to matter if I worked out or not... so I kept working out in order to get a little appetite going. ;)

I explored some different therapies and techniques, adjusted the supplements I'm taking, and called in the big guns: Enzymes, probiotics, and fermented foods.

I'm feeling much better now... and it's been good for me to reign in my portion size. I can honestly say that I think a lot of CrossFitters (and people in general!) don't eat enough (see Crossfitters Eat to Perform), but I think I was far exceeding my 2500-2600ish daily caloric needs. The idea that maybe my body decided to just shut me down to use up all its stored energy has crossed my mind too. Who knows.

And all you medical people, don't worry, I had promised the hubby that if my final appointment yesterday still yielded no results, I was going to go for "tests." Who knows what that all would entail... maybe multiple doctor visits, stomach scopes, thousands of dollars in our deductible. I'm pretty confidant that I got this figured out for about $350-400.. which is a huge cost savings, not to mention not having to take any meds.


That's about it for news... take care until we meet again. :)


Oh!
PS. I have a couple links you should check out:
Why Women Should Not Run  This guy is a genius anyway, but this article is awesome. Sprints and HIIT are great, but "chronic cardio" and endurance training is extremely harmful to your thyroid. Read it. And do some intervals instead of 5 miles. Then go lift some heavy weights. Your thyroid will thank you.

Why News is Bad For You  I'm usually out of the loop, but I never feel left out. I have always believed that a person is happier without news.

PPS. It's April. And rain is expected. But I'm ready for summer. Like now. Anyone else? Sigh.

PPPS. I got 2 double unders in a row today. Woo hooo! I got so excited I threw the rope. Hah!

Pumpkin and Chocolate Muffins

The other day, I made muffins for a post-WOD snack. Yay for the Open workouts!

They were amazing and everyone asked for the recipes.. so here are the links!

Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

Double chocolate chip muffins Okay, it's actually cake, but I added chocolate chips and made muffins. :)

And maybe one of these days, I'll have a real update for you all. Until then, enjoy. :)

Chocolate pancakes, the weekend, and why I CrossFit

What a great day today!

It's 1-rep max week at CrossFit this week... score! :) This means I should be in bed right now and not blogging. Oops. It has been an interesting few days, though, so I wanted to tell you all!

Today we tested cleans (squat cleans) and power cleans. I managed 120-lbs for both, which was awesome. There's nothing like everyone cheering you on as you're struggling to stand up. :) Coincidentally, that was a 5-lb PR, so that was awesome. Then I got my butt handed to me by the WOD, which was squat cleans and pullups.

Honestly, today was the first time I ever got close to losing my breakfast. I think I ate too close to working out. And it was one of those exhausting, on-the-brink-of-tears finales. I'm far too stubborn to quit though.

On that thought, over the weekend, it was brought up at the photographer's lunch table that I was a powerlifter. An older lady turned to me, wrinkled her nose in disgust, and asked why.

Oh, all the reasons I could have said, but I gave her my megawatt-endorphin-smile (see photo below), and simply said "Because I love it!"

Then the heavy-set, vegetarian older lady next to her proceeded to carry on about her life, husband, circumstances, how she was the strong one in the marriage and he was dragging her down, blah, blah, blah, for the rest of the meal. So I got to thinking about why I work out. Why I lift. Why I Cross Fit.

Because...

That first moment I bent over at home to get something out of a cupboard, and I felt my glutes fire as I stood back up.
I can help my husband move furniture.
I can move furniture myself.
I can kindly thank the gentlemen that offer to help me with groceries... and then decline while chuckling inside.
I can stand at a wedding show all day long without my feet hurting.
I can open sealed jars easily.

...and the big things:

There is no greater feeling than discovering my mind and body are powerful.
Pushing myself to the limits always yields results.
Each success brings more self confidence.
Every new measure of strength helps me walk with my head held higher.
Nothing can bring me down when I am assured in myself and my abilities.
If I am determined enough to get through a workout that nearly has me puking and crying all in a span of 15 minutes, I can get through anything in life.

I don't know what image the word "powerlifter" brought up in her mind, but I'm imagining it was fat, hairy balding men grunting, snorting, listening to heavy metal, and bench pressing.

In short, the reason why I do what I do is for the quality of LIFE.

Moving on. Mini heart-to-heart done.

Here's my official new member picture from awhile ago:

They insisted on taking it post-WOD. Lovely. And me being the photographer: "Can I see it? Ew, it's blurry! .... oh, wait. That's perfect." ;)

After the WOD today, there were free 10-minute massages by area students. It was awesome. I was trying out the the panorama feature on my phone finally. And I love it. Except for poor Inna here in the first one...

On a slightly related note, we got news a bit ago that we're moving to a new, huge space in June this year. I'm super pumped!

After that, it was the usual groceries, then back home. And then the dog ran away from me (again). Sigh. I wanted to strangle her. Yesterday she was mad at me for leaving her all day while I was at the photo convention. I didn't think she held grudges...

As I was rushing around to eat lunch and get ready for my chiro appointment, the doorbell rang in the middle of my shower. The dog was barking, the doorbell was ringing, there was pounding on the door, and I managed to throw a few towels on to go kill whomever was at the door.

Turns out, it was the Fed Ex guy with my newly repaired camera body and lens. Okay, I guess that was worth the hasty shower. 

Welcome home, my lovelies. I can't wait to use my new and improved lens!


The rest of the afternoon was pretty normal.

Speaking of normal. Or the absence of normal. This was a crazy weekend! Friday night started the WPPA (Wisconsin Professional Photographer's Association) spring convention which continued each day until Monday. The speakers were great, and it was fun to reconnect with some past friends and meet some new peers!

This was the view from the skywalk looking farther into downtown Friday evening.

And this was the speaker on Monday.. he talked about weddings, sales, marketing, and we had great fun learning from his posing and photographing demonstration. He's incredibly talented.

He started out with a bang... I loved this thought: Do you live to work? Or work to live?

Going back a day, Sunday offered another lovely wedding show.

These really sap the energy out of me... but I love it. I was told by two different future brides that I was their favorite photographer they had talked to that day. Another couple came back and asked if they could look through my albums some more because they liked my work so much. Talk about heart-warming!! I could hardly fit through the door to leave from my big head and inflated ego. ;)

And I haven't changed the teal and green at all.. because I get so many positive comments and feedback. "Oh, you're the teal and green lady!" Yes! My branding is working! ;)

Monday evening, I also had a wedding professionals networking meeting where I got to see a lot of my friends/other vendors from the wedding show and catch up with them. It was great.

The bummer part was, Joel was working out of town all week, and only home for the weekend. Thankfully I was still able to see him in the evenings, and he even helped me set up at the wedding show. I love that. :)

Okay, so back to today.



I was hungry for pancakes this evening. Again. It seems like an every other day thing since being off the Whole 30. Weird. I'm keeping them clean though.

So, I loosely followed this "recipe."

Ingredients:
1-ripe plantain or banana
1/4-cup nut flour (I used hazelnut this time, as the store was out of almond. Don't get me started on that.)
2-eggs
1/2-tsp of baking soda
1/4-cup cocoa powder
2-3 drops of vanilla stevia (optional)


Directions:
They're pancakes, not rocket science. ;)

1. Blend. I used my awesome immersion blender. Buy one. Make this. And squash soup.
2. Cook them. I heated my pan, put coconut oil in, and poured the batter in.
3. Flip and top them with any variety of berries, fried apples or bananas, coconut milk, coconut cream, pure maple syrup, nut butters, etc.
4. Enjoy.

I worked hard for those frozen raspberries. They were on sale at the store, so there were only a few bags left. I had to step up and nearly crawl into the freezer to grab some! I can't let a great deal on my favorite organic frozen berries go to waste.


Now.. off to bed finally. Tomorrow's lift is the snatch and power snatch! Woo hoo! :)


PS. I turned off anonymous comments. I hope you can still comment if you like, but I was getting sick of the spam. Let me know if you have issues.

PPS. I stumbled across some pictures the other day from New Years' Eve. Those will have to get on here soon. Along with our ugly sweater/men-cook-the-food-potluck from Valentine's Day. Fun times.

PPPS. And this was a great article. But I can't pin it due to lack of images. Boo! So it's linked here for me to remember. Food Logging, What I Learned

PPPPS. Kidding. ;)

Paleo Protein Pancakes and Fried Apples

Pretty normal life lately.. but some fun things thrown in here and there!

We had a couples' game night in Oconomowoc the other week. That was so. much. fun! :)

A rousing game of Pictionary, guys against gals.

A wacky game of "Things."

We need to do more of these! :)

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In other news, I have been wrapping up my summer projects quite nicely... lots of album designs, orders, and being in touch with my lovely brides.

Training is going pretty well. I guess. I've really been taking it easy the last month or more, trying to heal up some of these nagging injuries. I have been seeing a sports and reconditioning specialist in the area, who has been using ART or active release technology on my messed up muscles. You can read a little write up about Alex and Valley Spine and Sport. He's super knowledgeable and can give you a diagnosis just by walking you through different movements where the pain is plus lack of mobility. If you're struggling with anything, even headaches, please, PLEASE check him out. I cannot refer him enough. Plus, he's a regular chiropractor if needed.

I have a strain/sprain in my left shoulder (don't even ask me about my lack of overhead work and pullups lately.. :/), some issues in both shoulders on top of that, an overactive hip flexor on my right side, as well as hamstring tendinopothy on my right side.

Anything overhead and even some back work aggrivates my shoulders, back squats get my hip flexor going, and deadlifts usually hinder my hamstring more than they help. Doesn't leave me with much, eh?

But we are definitely making progress. Especially as long as I follow the exercises he tells me to do. And follow his "be smart" advice. ;) The cool part is, Alex is an athlete and CrossFitter himself, so he understands (and actually supports) my desire to keep being active. I love that attitude.

So. I keep plugging along. Slowly.

Oh, I almost forgot though. Not sure if the blog world knows. I've been working on deadlifting lately, and will be starting a program to add about 20-ish pounds or so. My latest numbers have been 215x5 at the top of a 5x5, and I pulled up 220x1 just for fun after one of them because I was having a strong day. Not bad for my incapacitated state, eh? I think the deadlifting program will be good for me (as does Alex) since we can tweak a few things to help my hamstring vs. make it worse. Plus it will give my upper body a break from so much Cross Fit. One would think the last month and a half would be a break enough....

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Anyway, now that we're back to regularly scheduled programming, I can actually post the few recipes now and then that I've been creative with in the past few months.

Tonight I was jonesing for something... not sure what. Something interesting that I didn't have in my fridge or pantry already. Something that seemed like comfort food. But outside the rut I have fallen in lately. I had an apple that had been sitting on my counter that I figured was probably stale and gross. Random, but it needed to be used or thrown.

Since I've been regularly sauteing up carrots with coconut flakes (in coconut oil, obviously) with my eggs in the morning, I've gotten in the habit of frying anything I can. It's a good way to get more coconut oil in my diet! :) Which, a quick side note: I'm pretty sure there isn't a single bad thing about coconut oil.

As another example, I found these "hot dogs" the other day. Another great Woodman's find! :)

This was so incredible: carrots, broccoli, the hot dogs cut up like sausage, and spinach all sauteed in coconut oil.

Anyway, I figured the apple was shot from sitting there so long, so I might as well try frying it! Heh.

I threw a little cinnamon in with it... wow, guess it wasn't bad! It ended up a bit soft in the middle, a bit crispy on the outside and the perfect topping to my pancakes! Imagine the flavor with a fresh, fully sweet apple.

The major players, plus an egg, some stevia, a smidge of baking soda, and some extra water.

Now, isn't that a perfectly puffy pancake?

My first pancake wasn't so perfect, but the pan was too hot. Note to self.

I drizzled a little bit of almond milk (and even a spot of honey for my very last bite) and chowed down. Yes. The whole entire batch. Four large pancakes. With a fried cinnamon apple. Mm.

By the way, I did get the idea here for these
Protein Pancakes with Fried Apples

Ingredients:

1 c. almond flour
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/3 c. almond milk or more as needed
1 egg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
water as needed, to make it pourable but not too runny
small apple, sliced or diced
cinnamon
stevia, to taste
coconut oil (for frying)
honey or maple syrup to top (optional)

Steps:

1. Heat coconut oil in your pan. Add apple slices/pieces and cinnamon. Let saute for a few minutes on each side.
2. Mix almond flour, vanilla protein powder, almond milk, the egg, baking soda, and a few drops of stevia. Add water as needed to make it slightly runny and batter-like.
3. Pour into the pan, flip when there are a few bubbles in the batter.
4. Garnish with fried apples, coconut flakes, honey, maple syrup or any combination you choose. Fresh berries would be delicious too.

And, as always, enjoy. :) I certainly did!




Hope your weekend is going well, and your Thanksgiving plans are well under way! :)

That feeling.

One of my all-time favorite pins from Pinterest...

Source: someecards.com via Mariah on Pinterest

... and totally how I felt about a session that was cancelled this weekend. Many times I have a hard time saying no, or putting my foot down when it comes to planning things. And then I feel sweet relief when things get cancelled. Anyone else do that? :)

Dear Body: Thank You

After quite a few craptastic days, today was good despite a little pain on my walk this morning. Finally.

Lots of wanderings and musings lately, so here is the highlight reel even though I've been absent here on the blog:

First and foremost, my heart is going out to this young man's family. I remember the feelings and thoughts around the time of my brother's death and funeral. I remember feeling calm at first, and it wasn't until a few days later that the overwhelming ache and loss set in. You walk outside, look around, and wonder how everyone else can keep living their lives, how their worlds keep turning, when it feels like yours has stopped. I love a thought shared from the funeral that if we try to avoid pain, we end up avoiding love. That makes sense, I guess, as in order to be comforted, we have to feel that sorrow.

Pretty sure I have adrenal fatigue. This article is phenomenal. I might have actually teared up while reading it.. as it was like looking in a mirror at my very sad reflection. The fix is really only rest and de-stressing along with some additional supplementation, which I'm doing. I'm still trying to figure things out nutrition-wise too. I think I was pushing too hard (overtraining), not recovering and resting enough, while on a ketogenic (extreme low-carb) diet. Then I jumped right into my stressful busy season. It just wore my body out. Then enter injuries, a car accident to make everything worse, and everything gets messy.

So last week, I did a little experiment: rest, relaxation.... and carbs. I increased my veggie consumption by about double and added in a few low-glycemic fruits. Okay, fine. I added in one: blueberries. How did I never enjoy these before? Mm. With the holiday in there, I was able to relax a little more. Results? I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

The good, first: I can sleep! I have been able to nap again (finally!) and can fall asleep without laying there for 15 minutes. I am starting to get some mental clarity back, score! Think I am starting to get some motivation back as well. However, I also gained 4-5 pounds from the weekend (stupid, I knew better than to weigh myself). I had a hormonal/emotional crash Tuesday where I felt very out of control and thought I was having a nervous breakdown. Plus I dealt with some other hormone issues. Even yesterday was just not fun. My relaxing Sunday afternoon nap came to an abrupt halt with a nightmare about a wedding I was failing to photograph, among other emotional crazies.

So, I'm not sure if the whole carb increase was or is a good thing. I know I've been trying really hard to reduce some stress in my life... even if that means only taking the photo sessions that come my way organically from now unto the end of the season. Yikes. That's a little scary.

Sleep is of utmost priority right now, meaning I get ready for bed at 9:00pm. (Oops, it's after that!)

I have been loving Saturday's at home... going to the farmers' market, having fun with friends and family, laundry, spending time in the kitchen. So wonderful. :)

These have been a few of my favorite thoughts from Pinterest lately:

And, one final thought that was passed on to me from my lovely mom in a comment on this blog :

You're right about it being a journey. And a journey has hills, valleys, curves, and even some dead ends. Try to enjoy the journey.

So, I'm trying to appreciate this journey... for what all those hills, valleys, curves, and even the dead ends can teach me. And "even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise." You're a wise man, Victor Hugo. Maybe I'm finally starting to see that dusky pink sky right before the dawn..



Ps. Our tenant is leaving at the end of July. Nothing brings out the crazies like offering a place to rent! Yikes.

Pps. I made something incredibly super delicious the other day. Even the hubby was wowed. And yes, I took pics, so stay tuned.

Ppps. I haven't been the easiest to live with lately... so how about a pat on the back for the hubby? :)

Italian Meatballs

Remember how I keep alluding to my awesome recipe that I need to post?

I promise I haven't been making you wait on purpose. You all know how life gets in the way of things, right? ;)

Speaking of life and recent happenings, today was Day 5 of rest/recovery. However, I was going stir-crazy by not being at the gym. Call me maybe crazy. So, I went and kept the sweet older folks company... walked for a while on the treadmill. I got two miles in and even broke a sweat! Whew. :)

I did some stretching and rolling there as well. I also went back to one of my good friends today: the chiropractor. And will be going back on Friday. I thought the migraine from yesterday was done, but then I awoke last night at 1:30 because my head was pounding. Lovely. Awoke again at 5:30 and called that good... yikes. Thankfully I'm tight with another one of my good friends, ibuprofen. Heh.


So anyway,

I was hungry for a) meat and b) something Italian-flavored awhile back. I know, big surprise, right? Plus I had seen this recipe on Pinterest for crockpot Italian meatballs. We all know how much I like waiting for food.. and the crockpot just doesn't cut it for me most of the time.

So, Italian meatballs, Mariah-style. ;) Good thing I had pictures of the process; it has been so long, I nearly forgot what I did!

Remember this amazing bison sausage? Perfect for this. Turkey or pork sausage would also work well.

My lovely US. Wellness Meats ground turkey. Psst. I signed up for an affiliate link from them.. so if you're thinking about ordering some of their amazing bacon or pork sausage (or host of other amazing products), I would appreciate it if you would click through this link here. :) I need to get a little banner up on the side of my page too. Soon.

Ahh. Marinara sauce.

I mixed the sausage with turkey burger, added plenty of Italian seasoning, and 2 eggs.

Isn't that appetizing? Hah!

Then I used my big cookie-dough scooper and plopped it in my preheated pan with coconut oil.

I didn't use any ground almond/flax meal, so I had to leave them alone in the pan for quite a while. They weren't pretty. And not at all round.

But they were delicious! Especially after topping them with marinara and Parmesan. Mmm.

Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:
1-pound ground turkey (or pork/beef)
1-pound sausage (I used 12-oz of bison sausage, but turkey/pork would work well)
2-eggs
Italian seasoning
Marinara sauce (look for varieties without sugar... or make your own!)
Coconut oil for frying

Directions:
1. Preheat pan to medium-high heat
2. Mix sausage, ground meat, eggs and seasoning
3. Add coconut oil
4. Drop rounded balls into the heated pan/coconut oil (make them prettier than mine.. :D)
5. Let cook more than halfway through.
6. Flip and let finish cooking.
       Honestly, I don't remember how long it took. I had to break one open to find out if it was done or not. :)
7. Top with heated marinara


8. Enjoy. :)

Today. 06.16.2012

A while back, I read this blog post about a woman who lost her father at 39.

She titled it "Why am I so passionate about real food?"

On her dad's birthday, what would have been her dad's 47th birthday, she wrote this on her Facebook status:

Do you think that what you eat doesn't really matter? Or maybe you're meaning to start eating healthier, but you keep putting it off? Can't seem to make time for exercise? Think it's all not really a big deal? When you see me talking about cleaning up my diet, do you think I've taken it just a little too far? When I tell you I don't feed my kids sugar or grains, do you really think I've gone off the deep end??? Does it make you uncomfortable when you hear about the risks of eating fake food and not exercising? Are you feeling uncomfortable right now, reading this status?

Good. I hope you are feeling uncomfortable. I hope you're feeling uncomfortable enough to DO something about it. Because you know what else is uncomfortable? Missing your dad. Watching his favorite team win the NCAA championship without him. Knowing you'll never get to introduce your kids to him, at least not this side of heaven. My dad should be turning 47 today. But instead we lost him to obesity at the too-young age of 39.

Please don't make the same mistake. Please don't think that it doesn't matter, that it won't happen to you, that you have plenty of time left. Your family needs you. Please honor my dad today and think about what kind of changes you can make to be healthier. You don't have to change it all at once. Take baby steps. Do a couple of things at a time. But please, don't keep putting it off. Do it for you, do it for me, do it for your family.

Then she wrote this in her blog post:

Does that seem somewhat inappropriate? Would it still feel inappropriate if my dad had died from lung cancer, and I was pleading with you to stop smoking? What if he had died in an auto accident, and I was spreading the word about how seatbelts and car seats save lives? Would it be okay for me to spread those message? Why is it different just because I'm talking about food? Fake food kills. Obesity kills. And I'm going to keep sharing that message with as many people as I can.

It really set me back a little.


So. Today. June 16, 2012.

My brother would have been 27 years old. Justin Ray Remmers.

I know some people question the intensity of the changes I have made in my life. Why? Why get so drastic? Why put so much time and effort in? There are so many other important things to life! Taking care of your body is just going to end at the grave anyway.

Right?

But isn't it worth it to take care of what you have while you have it?

Isn't it worth it to live a long, healthy life with those you care about?

Isn't it worth it to live past your 26th birthday?


I loved my brother dearly... I wish I could go back in time and simply tell him that. I don't remember actually having done that. There are things I wish I could say. He truly was a gem. A teddybear of a guy who would do anything for the people he loved. He always was the life of the party, the center of conversations, and a charismatic presence in the room where he was.

I love the memories I have of him. I wish that I could lock them up somehow, safe from the attack of my fading memory.

And so, my wish for you is this. Take things seriously. Get a grip on your health. Live long enough for those around you to enjoy you.

Since I am already on my soap box, I might as well forge full speed ahead. The biggest complaint I seem to hear, is that you do not have time. No time to exercise, no time to eat right, no time to get a good night's sleep. Really? No time?

Bull.

Because you know who actually doesn't have time? Justin.

Everyone else who has died an early death due to heart disease. They don't have the time.

And maybe you truly don't have time to exercise. I find it hard to believe that you cannot steal even 15-20 minutes out of a 24-hour day. But, let's say you have special circumstances and a plateful of responsibilities that prevent you.

Source: hellifignaw.blogspot.com via Mariah on Pinterest

Fine. You still have to eat, don't you? Start taking that seriously then. Eat the foods that sustain you, while providing you the most nutritional benefit. Cut out the processed crap. Eat another burger instead of the bun. Learn more about the SAD (Standard American Diet), eg. that little plate illustration that Michelle Obama came up with... and then look at how that way of eating has "helped" us. Rising obesity rates, chronic inflammation, disease, etc, etc.


There are ways to become healthy. Educate yourself. Take the time.

Because someday you might not have time.

Taking a break. Or something.

I have a bajillion things to do right now. Bajillion is a very technical term, didn't you know? Probably a bajillion images to proof and edit. Plus a stack of papers on my desk that is growing exponentially. It's getting close to the "bajillion" status.

Plus my shoulders and elbows are feeling the fact that I have photographed more hours in the month of June than I did during the first 5 months of the year. Combined. They've been popping, grinding, and all sorts of lovely things. Tendonitis is only a photo session (or 10 burpees) away. Sitting at a computer and typing doesn't help.

Plus I'm hungry.

So that's like a bajillion strikes against me blogging right now. But here I sit with an ice pack on one shoulder and a heating pad on the other. Why? Because, darn it, I feel like blogging.

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Ever have those "lightbulb" moments? Flashes of realization?

I had one of those. I think. I am pretty slow at learning these things.

I realize there will be people who will shake their heads in judgement and get all "I-told-you-so" on me. Regardless. I've always been one to wear my heart on my sleeve, so why stop now, right?

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I debated even telling you all. It's embarrassing.

Ready? Here it is: I realized that I know absolutely nothing about what I am doing.

There. I said it. Just when I think I have things semi-figured out, something changes. Or goes haywire. Or goes off track with what I had been thinking.

I've come to these few conclusions lately... based some really great articles as well as on my own experience (obviously). But then again, I am pretty clueless. So. Take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Rest vs. Recovery (The best one that set my mental gears in motion...)
Why Can't I Lose Weight?
On the mend: Healing from Adrenal Fatigue and Dealing with Hashimotos
Body Composition Testing and Losing the Goal Weight Mentality


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Here's what's going on.

Weight gain. We're talking 10-pounds-ish from my lowest point, which is about 6-8 more than my ideal.

Body fat percentage increase. Nothing over the top, but about 2%. And. it's. not. going. down.

Sticky shoulders and arms. The popping sounds? Yeah, not good. The chiro told me to cool it with some of my overhead work, or they are going to be out of commission sooner rather than later. I told him I was only split-jerking 105 that morning. My current PR is 125, by the way. Those are definitely one of my top faves for lifts. He didn't really seem impressed. Huh.

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Here's what I think I'm doing wrong.

Over-training. (See? I can see you shaking your head and hear you sighing. Stop that.)

Actually, scratch that. I think I'm actually under-recovering. It's so kind of me to beat my body to a pulp and then go sit here in this chair for the rest of the day. No wonder my hip flexors are so achy. I think it's time for more active recovery days. Time to take more breaks from sitting in this very chair.

Over-eating. Maybe. Somewhat. The jury in my mind is still out on this one. I might have gotten a little, um, liberal with my avocado broccoli slaw. ;) But I had to make a change from my extreme ketogenic to incorporate more carbs into my daily diet. However, I AM eating super clean. Do you have any idea how hard it is to say no to wedding cake Saturday after Saturday?? ;)

Too much stress, not enough sleep. I consider this the most important. I can tell dramatic performance decreases when I don't get enough sleep. And stress? What's that? ;)


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So. Obviously, I am just kind of bumbling along. Continuing on my journey. Making mistakes and learning as I go.

I have been attempting to back off on some things, forcing myself to quit working at 9 so I can be in bed, and playing around with my diet/food log. The usual things.

These few pounds have got to go. Or they at least have to turn themselves into muscle.

And it is time to let some of these nagging things heal. Hips, elbows, shoulders.. this means you.

And stress? We're working on it.

I'll keep you updated. :)

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PS. While I was typing/editing, I made myself spicy dog food. Mmm. So spicy. So yummy.

PPS. Canned, whole chipotle peppers are really unappetizing to look at. Like really unappetizing.

PPPS. I have other random news plus a recipe to get posted eventually. More work needs to get done first though...

Smoky Bacon Chili

Remember the other day how I mentioned my love affair with Juli from PaleOMG? Kidding about the love affair. Maybe kidding.

She occasionally guest-posts and makes cooking videos for a company called Again Faster. They make equipment for CrossFit, produce how-to videos, and write some really thoughtful blog posts in general. Neat site.

Anyway, I stumbled upon her Smoky Bacon Chili recipe recently and decided that was something I needed to have. Now.

I even watched the cooking video. And I rarely spend that much time pre-planning my meals.

And it is perfectly Paleo.. no beans, just meat and veggies. Plus bacon. Did I mention perfect?

I actually had bacon already cooked up, so I just threw some bacon fat in with the veggies and added in the cooked bacon later.

You will notice I only had one green pepper cut up in there. Isn't it great when you cut into a pepper and get a draft of the rancid smell? Especially when you paid good money for a red one over a green one? Sigh. I'll stop whining now.

Mm. Looking (and smelling) delicious already!

Definitely will use these again.

A little extra cayenne and paprika never hurt anyone. :)

It was so good!

So, smoky bacon chili... a la Mariah:

Ingredients:
1-lb ground grass-fed beef
6 slices of bacon, cubed
1/2 red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced (more is better, right? kidding.)
1 (14)-ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 (8)-ounce can of tomato sauce

Spices, more or less to taste:
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and/or pepper

Steps:
1. Cook the bacon in a large pot
2. While bacon is cooking, chop peppers,onion, and garlic
3. Once bacon is slightly crispy, add veggies
4. After 5-6 minutes, add ground beef and spices
5. Let the beef brown; then add tomatoes and sauce
6. Mix well, and let flavors mix together on low for 8-10 minutes
7. Taste and adjust/add spices if needed

And, as always,
8.. enjoy. :)



The flavor of the bacon mixed with everything else is simply incredible. Plus this all goes together really fast. In my mind, the sooner I get to eat, the better... Who's with me?! ;)


PS. Today I tried doing double-unders. For you non-CrossFitters, that's jumping rope but swinging the rope twice for every jump. Never mind I haven't jumped rope since I was in kindergarten. The closest I got was whipping my shin once. Ouch.

PPS. Yesterday I ran up a mountain. Kidding. Not really kidding. I did :30/:30 intervals up a mountain. I reached new heights. It was pleasant. 480 calories burned? Not bad for 30 total minutes on the treadmill, including warmup.

PPPS. In my next life, I want to be a dog. Mmkay?

PPPPS. Kidding. There's nothing else. ;)