Monday

Breakfast:

Smoothie w/Spinach, Banana, Raspberries, Frozen Peaches, Mangoes, Pineapple, and Blueberries

Two Banana-Flax Seed Muffins

I used 8oz. (1/2lb!) of spinach, water, and a little fruit to add some sweetness to this smoothie. I swear this is the best way to sneak in some veggies and, of course, iron! You absolutely do not taste it in this smoothie...seriously!

The banana-flax seed muffins are a modification of this recipe, once again from Elana's Pantry. I add two mashed bananas and cinnamon to the recipe...so good!!!

The rest of the day I decided that I would give my body a digestive break and try an Intermittent Fast. We'll see how that goes.

CrossFit Workout:
Run 800M and WarmUp
~and~
5x5 Deadlifts
135-140-145-150-155-160-165-170
~and~
All sorts of abdominal stuff

Paleo Day 4

Breakfast:
Two Hard Boiled Egg Whites
Smoothie w/Water, Orange, Spinach, Banana, Strawberries, Blueberries, Peach, and Frozen Mangoes

Lunch:
Cucumber Wrapped Halibut, Carrots, Red Bell Peppers, Avocado, Mint, and Basil

Dinner:
Wild Coho Salmon (caught by Scott)
Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini, and Basil-Pistachio Pesto Napoleons
Mixed Greens w/Apples, Pecans, and Reduced Balsamic Vinaigrette


Dessert: Pear Tart w/Almond Crust and Coconut Milk Ice Cream

This Paleo-friendly tart was an experiment I tried while attempting to satisfy our sweet teeth this week. My cousin, Jenny, has a weakness for pie and being that we are all in full-fledged Paleo mode, I thought it only right to at least attempt to recreate something she is so craving. The tart dough was made using almond flour/meal, pureed dates, water, egg, lemon zest, and vanilla. The filling is pears, lemon juice, and cinnamon. The ice cream is made with coconut milk, vanilla, and egg yolk. And, last but not least, the sauce is reduced fresh squeezed orange juice, pears, and cinnamon.

CrossFit Workout:
3 Minutes of Jumprope, 20 Squats, 20 GHD Sit Ups, and 20 Back Extensions
~and~
"Helen"
Three Rounds of:
400M Run
21 Kettlebell Swings (35lb)
12 Pull Ups

Raw Day 5

Dinner:
Smoothie w/Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, Strawberries, Blueberries, Banana, Frozen Mango and Pineapple
Soft Tacos w/Spicy "Beans", Guacamole, Tomatoes, and "Sour Cream"


I hit a major food wall this afternoon...when I got home from CrossFit tonight nothing that I had in my raw food artillery seemed to sound edible. And, I'm pretty sure I over did it on the cashew "cheeses" for awhile. If I had opened up my fridge and been faced with the temptation of a tantalizing plate of sushi...I just may have eaten it.


This lifestyle isn't too far off from one that I normally live, with exception to the lack of fish and eggs...two of my favorite things, but for some reason today seemed to be a little more difficult than the last few. I'm loving the fact that my body isn't working overtime on digestion, but also wonder if it might secretly be telling me, "Eat more protein!". I realize that I'm getting protein in the vegetables, nuts, and quinoa that I've been eating, but how much is enough/too much, especially when trying to achieve optimum performance levels and health?

Lunch:
Herbed Zucchini Flatbread
w/Sun-Dried Tomato "Hummus", Marinated Zucchini, Tomato, and Basil

The flatbread is a mixture of coarsely ground zucchini and walnuts, fresh basil, thyme, oregano, sea salt, and a splash or so of water. The mixture is spread out thin and dehydrated overnight. The hummus and zucchini were made earlier in the week. This combination of flavors was really perfect, but I was seriously craving something crunchy so...I ate two carrots.

My meals have been satisfying and delicious, but I'm finding myself in need of a snack here and there, so I decided that I would take some of my pecans, toss them with a little olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary, and then dehydrate them. So, we'll see how that turns out.


Breakfast:
Smoothie w/Young Coconut Water, Almond Milk, Carrots, Spinach, Frozen Pineapple, Mango, and Blueberries
Apple Pie LaraBar

The spinach may sound like a strange addition to some, but you don't actually taste it with all of the other fruits...I just thought a little green and some iron would be good this morning.

CrossFit Workout:

Run .25 Mile

Push Up Pyramid (1-2-3...9-10)

"Annie"

50-40-30-20-10 of Each:

Double Unders

Sit Ups

Raw Day 4

Breakfast:
Smoothie made with Coconut Water, Almond Milk, Raw Honey, Frozen Pineapple, Mango, Bananas, and Blueberries (inspired by p. 78 of RFRW)
Handful of Granola




Lunch:
Red Beet Raviolis (inspired by a recipe on p. 176 of RFRW) w/yellow pepper puree, herbed cashew "cheese", red kale microgreens, and pistachios




I modified this recipe by using cashews instead of pine nuts in the pepper puree. I also decided to strain the puree, to give it a more smooth consistency, and then continued to puree the reserved mixture with more cashews, olive oil, and lemon juice...to make a "cheese" or dip. The cheese mixture, that I've been using for the lasagna, was used for this recipe with the addition of fresh tarragon and parsley.
I used baby beets (sliced and then marinated overnight with lemon, raw walnut oil, and sea salt) for this recipe which could make a nice little appetizer or starter course if served on individual plates, as pictured above. For lunch, I used six baby beets thinly sliced on a mandolin; this made five substantial raviolis...or, I guess my version looks more like a napoleon. Either way, this recipe was flavorful and could be modified by substituting a sun-dried tomato puree for the pepper and adding pesto or basil to the "cheese".

Pre Workout Snack: Smoothie w/Young Coconut Milk and Meat, Almond Milk, Frozen Banana, Cocoa Powder (Green and Black's Organic Cocoa)

Dinner:
Market Salad
w/sprouted quinoa tabouleh, sprouted sunflower seeds, baby beets, and avocado vinaigrette




I'm realizing that if you have a few hours or are willing to make a few hours, at the beginning of your week, creative and seemingly involved meals are not that difficult to assemble throughout the week. This salad is a good example of a healthy, colorful, and flavorful meal option, using ingredients that I had either prepped or made on Sunday. I used a great avocado based citrus dressing (recipe on p. 96 of RFRW), tabouleh made earlier in the week, beets that I had sliced on the mandolin and marinated in lemon and walunt oil, sunflower seeds I had soaked and sprouted, and the chips leftover from the tacos I made on Monday. Tonight's dinner was a matter of taking tupperware out of the fridge and tossing the ingredients together.

CrossFit Workout:
Run 1 Mile
~and ~
Two Rounds of:
10 Push Ups / 10 Box Step Ups (24") / 10 Ring Pull Ups
~and~
75 Power Snatches (55lbs)
~and~ 50 GHD Sit Ups

One concern that I had, when making the change to eating raw, was my energy level and strength in relation to my CrossFit workouts. So far I've been amazed at not only my energy level throughout my workouts, but also my sleep throughout the night. I'm sleeping well the last few nights, likely because my body's not working overtime to digest the foods that I've filled it with during the day. I feel strong, energized, and cleansed and am looking forward to the days ahead.