Ah, how is it already Friday!? I feel like this week went so fast! Maybe it’s because we’re fresh off a vacation? We need more of those if that’s the case.
We’ve suffered from major kitchen avoidance this week. With triple-digit temperatures nearly all week (Wednesday was nearly being 107 degrees!), it feels impossible to do just about anything comfortably, even just sit still. We’ve managed to keep up with our goal of working out at least 4 times a week, but it has been tough. I even nearly passed out while running during our workout on Monday. We were doing 200m sprints between rounds of cleans, kettlebell swings and front squats. Despite drinking a lot of water and keeping myself as cool as possible, I just got too dizzy. It was brutal. Running on the pavement felt like being cooked on a stove. My eyeballs were even hot, how does that happen?
So, in our avoidance, the crock pot has gotten a bit of a workout too. We put together a big crock of Thai pork with almond sauce, and it’s managed to hold us over with a variety of meals for the entire week. It’s juicy and sweet and perfect with steamed veggies or wrapped up in big pieces of lettuce. You can of course serve it over steamed rice too if that’s your game.
Ingredients:
One 2-pound boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 4 pieces
2 large bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips (any color)
4 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup almond butter (peanut butter obviously works too)
For serving:
1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
2 limes, cut into wedges
Directions:
- Coat the slow cooker with coconut or olive oil. Put the pork, bell peppers, red pepper flakes and garlic in the cooker. Combine coconut sugar, lime juice, Braggs Liquid Aminos, and rice vinegar, stir, and add to cooker. Cover and cook on low until pork is fork-tender, 8 to 9 hours.
- Remove the pork from the cooker and coarsely chop. Add the almond butter to the liquid in the cooker; stir well to dissolve and blend with the liquid to make the sauce. Return the pork to the sauce and toss to coat the meat evenly.
- Serve over veggies, lettuce wraps or jasmine rice and sprinkle with green onions and peanuts and a squeeze of lime juice from the wedges.
Makes 4-6 servings.
So what are your plans for the weekend? Anything exciting? Tomorrow, our CrossFit box is gathering to say goodbye to one of our trainers, Eric, who is leaving to join the Navy Seals. Needless to say a Hero WOD and a lot of good food is in our immediate future. We also have some planning to do. Here is a hint:
Crazy bright right? Squee!
Dinner last night was particularly good, and so simple there really isn’t need for a recipe. A pork loin chop wrapped in bacon. Seared. With steamed broccoli. That’s it, that’s really it, but it was perfect after a particularly hard workout.
Last night we did “Nancy“, which is comprised of:
5 Rounds (for time):
15 OH Squat
400 meter run
While the workout itself isn’t actually that bad, the 102-degree temperature and scorching pavement made it feel brutal. Neil plowed through it, and actually regretted not adding more weight to his bar and challenging himself further. Meanwhile, I ended up walking my third and fourth rounds and missing the last one because I hit the 25-minute time cap. We both felt disappointed, for completely different reasons, even though we both agreed that we had pushed ourselves really hard.
Afterward, I was sprawled out on the gym floor doing post-workout mobility/stretching, when my mind drifted back to where we were this time a year ago. We would have been at my old gym, with me on a treadmill, running awkwardly and trying to keep my shirt from rolling up over my stomach in front of everyone. I probably would have been just a quarter of the way through my first and only mile and already out of breath and on the brink of tears in frustration. Neil, in the opposite corner of the gym, would be trying to make the best use of the weight benches as possible, but struggling with the limited offerings and availability of equipment.
I constantly find myself in the frame of thinking that says to ignore the past and push my goals and expectations higher. I don’t know where it comes from, but I’ve noticed that especially since we started CrossFit, I constantly feel like, I’m just not “there” yet. It’s a double-edged sword. Where I’m definitely less fearful and willing push and try harder all-around, I definitely don’t cut myself any slack. I’m trying though, and nights like last night, however arduous, actually seem to kind of help me come full circle. A year ago I couldn’t run a mile enjoyably, let alone outside in July. A year ago Neil didn’t lift weights a fraction as heavy as he does now. A year ago we were dissatisfied with our health and fitness, but clueless and stuck not knowing how or what to change.
Maybe yesterday wasn’t so bad after all…
How are your summer workouts going? Ready for fall?
Does pie require further explanation beyond its name? It’s the dessert you can find in some form at every season and holiday. Pie is perfect for every celebration, or non-celebration. This pie was conceived to make use of somewhat squishy price-reduced strawberries and mystery rhubarb, which I found tucked into a corner of the second grocery store I went to in search of it.
This is such a simple pie to put together, especially the crust. I think simplicity is what I love most about a clean and mostly Paleo diet. Nothing is dolled up, or over-complicated. All the ingredients feel whole, honest and close to their true form.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups almond flour
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup ghee or organic unsalted butter
For the filling:
2 1/2 cups strawberries, rinsed and quartered
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup arrowroot powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix crust ingredients (by hand or mixer) until thoroughly combined with paste-like consistency. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate greased with butter or ghee. Bake empty crust for 10-12 minutes. Remove when completed and reduce heat to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine filling ingredients and combine thoroughly. Pour into pre-baked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Increase heat to 375 degrees, and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and allow pie to cool completely before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Makes 8 servings.
I feel like strawberries give us too brief a window in which to enjoy them indulgently. They are seemingly everywhere right now and I think I could absolutely eat my weight in them. With half a pie still in our refrigerator, I bought two more cartons last night while at the store. I just can’t help myself.
