Turkey Parm.. and 195-pounds!

Isn't this beautiful?

This is the result of chalk use.

And pulling some crazy-heavy weight off the floor. I reached a new deadlift PR (personal record) this morning: 195 pounds! *happy face* 

And I got two reps at 195-lbs.  *perma-grin*

Attempted 205, but failed.

Deadlifts make me feel like a beast, which is one of my highest compliments I can bestow on someone. Once I pass a 200-lb deadlift, I will officially call myself a beast.


Anyway, my last PR on these was a loooong time ago at 175-lbs. This last Monday, I did two sets of 8 at 175-lbs, so I knew I had quite a bit more in me.


Quite honestly, I don't know what other accomplishment in my life has given me that much joy. Maybe making All-State 2-years in a row in high school. Or one of my many "outstanding performance" solos. A few of my photo assignments, maybe. A really great senior image, possibly.

But, lifting gives me such a rush like nothing else does. I grin like an idiot. :)

Finished up the day with more fun things like split-jerks and a WOD (CrossFit style workout) that included a couple rounds of powercleans, kettlebell swings, toes-to-bar, and 30-calorie runs.


Ahh, what an incredible morning. :) Taking the last two days "off" was worth it!

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Anyway, let's talk food!


'Tis the week for updating old recipes. I'm always trying to improve things. I think it drives my other half crazy.

(Here is the original post for turkey parm, in case you were wondering.)

However, according to the hubbs, I had never made this before. That's okay. Last time I made it, he didn't enjoy it. At all. I'm pretty sure he told me to file the recipe carefully in the trash.

This time, he literally had it gone before I was half done. And that never happens because I can eat really, really fast. Seriously. It's like a talent.

Except not. I should probably work on that.


Anyway, I didn't really do a whole lot to my turkey parm this time, because let's face it... it was amazing the first time.

However, I did take a few new pictures. Score!

Chopped almonds. Mmm.

These bad boys sure won't win any food-beauty awards, but man, they taste yummy!

Turkey Parmesan with Marinara

Combine:
Italian seasoning
Oregano
Onion powder
Parmesan, small amount (otherwise will burn in the pan)
Ground flax seeds/meal
Ground/finely chopped almonds or almond meal (I actually liked having a few crunchy almond pieces in there!)
Salt
Chopped garlic
2 eggs, or however many you need to make it into a sticky paste of sorts


Heat pan with coconut oil.

Rub mixture on both sides of the meat
Throw them in the pan for 2-ish minutes on each side.

I fried 2-3 breasts at a time and put more coconut oil in each time.

Garnish with heated marinara.

I found a natural four-cheese marinara that was just the tomatoes, cheeses, and seasonings... no sugar added. Score! I'm sure there are better ones out there, but was at Walmart (ugh) so didn't have much to choose from.

Now that I look at this, it seems like something died tragically on my turkey. Hah! Oh well, it was delicious.

Enjoy!

Stir fry, updated

Hello, summer!

75*, breezy.. ahh. Beautiful.

Since today was declared a "rest day" from the gym for me (don't get me started...), I made full use of my extra time and the nice weather. Turbs and I went for a walk, met the neighbors after lunch, and just plain sat outside this afternoon. Mmm.

Now, being the pessimist realist that I am, I'm sure summer isn't here to stay. However, it sure hit the spot today!

Anyway...
I thought I would update my post about the homemade HuHot. (Click here for original post.)

I tried a new meat for the stirfry.... chuck roast, which I sliced up. I like the chuck roast because it's super fatty (hello, flavor!) and a bit cheaper. In fact, in the past, I've also used the eye of the chuck roast, which is even cheaper because its considered a lesser quality cut. It works great for this, that's for sure!

Also, I swapped out lemon juice and a squirt or two of plain stevia for the orange juice. Sugar removal, check! Hubby not noticing the difference, check!

In addition to the liquid aminos, I've also started adding "fish sauce" to the marinade. I happened to be waiting at the health food store for them to ring up my order and snagged a bottle of this after reading the description on the back. Apparently it's made from wild black anchovy and sea salt. And it spices up all your Asian-flavored cuisine. And it's ah-mazing. No lie. Here's their website: http://redboatfishsauce.com/

Then, I've started marinating the meat for the entire afternoon, which, oh. my. word. is delicious. Definitely recommend doing that.

And of course, I took new pics. :P

Red Boat Fish sauce. Five stars. And yes, I did just run upstairs and take a picture of it in my fridge. You guessed right. And no, they don't endorse me. Or know who I am.

Chuck roast = fatty goodness. Red meat makes me strong. No lie.

There are many great articles I've read recently disproving that "study" where they "found" that red meat kills you. Sigh. Whatever. These are the same people that tell you to eat grains and take cholesterol meds. And we blindly trust them.

If you're going to only read one, read this one. :) http://www.marksdailyapple.com/will-eating-red-meat-kill-you/#axzz1pDdPGVvc

Ahh, fried veggies. My life is now complete that I've discovered fried sliced cabbage. Complete.

Note to self, don't cut the onions like this. And stick with red onions.

I like to leave it just a tad pink.

I know, I know. I'll probably die because of it.

I'll also hit a new PR on an Olympic lift because of it too. And I'm okay with that. :P

Rice noodles for the hubby...

Ready?

It's go time!

Oh man. This makes me hungry.

So, updated recipe for
Homemade HuHot:

Marinade:
1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos
1/4 cup Red Boat fish sauce
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
Stevia, a few squirts
2 TB almond oil
Red pepper seasoning

Combine with "thinly-sliced" 2-pound chuck roast. Marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Saute veggies. I used a couple dashes of the aminos, fish sauce, and coconut oil.
Saute meat until a bit of pink is left.
Saute cooked noodles.

Devour.

Meatloaf. No bacon. Sadface.

Yes, last night I made meatloaf.

It was pretty much amazing. Except after I had it all ready and in the oven, I learned that you can put bacon on meatloaf. Bacon. Meatloaf. Wow. Kicking myself now.

It was super simple. And there was no veggies. My husband doesn't like veggies. He also likes his meatloaf cooked in a bag, but I won't go there. ;)

1-lb beef burger
1-lb turkey burger
2-eggs
4-TB flax meal
Beef fat from a leftover roast
    (I think this is what made mine so moist and yummy!)
Could use coconut oil/fat

Seasonings:
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Rosemary/thyme (main seasonings from my beef fat)

Mush together, mix well, get your hands gooey. Mash it well. Pretend it's your neighbor's brains. You know? The one with the annoying dog that barks for hours on end? No? That's just me? Okay.

Spread into an 8x8 pan.

Bake uncovered at 350* for an hour.

Easy peasy. I've wanted to say that phrase on here for a long time. Does that make me weird?

Pardon the iPhone pic. Always looks over-saturated.

I can't wait to try it without the rosemary/thyme flavor and add bacon. Mm. Bacon.