http://www.CrossFitLA.com/cms/index.php/Nutrition/index/ CrossFit LA Nutrition weblog en alyssadazet@hotmail.com Copyright 2010 2010-09-02T20:45:20+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/simply_getting_back_into/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/simply_getting_back_into/#When:20:45:20Z sauteed zucchini and peaches with a fried egg It's been a long time coming, but I'm making my way back. First, I had to get the computer thing under control, Check! Now to find a home (still searching) and get back in the kitchen. I'm not trying to make anything crazy spectacular, just get back to healthy eating. The eating that makes you feel good, but in times of transition like these can be challenging to stick with. I've heard many people say KISS, keep it simple stupid. So I'm sticking to it. I'm currently staying at a friends house so not in my own kitchen. I've gotten used to my own kitchen, so being in a foriegn place can be challenging, but it's totally doable. So, as I said before keep it simple. Needs:1 zucchini- sliced in half length wise then sliced1 peach-cut into slices2 eggs olive oilsalt pepperbalsamic vinegar Get out your fry pan and heat up a bit of olive oil, when that's heated add in the zucchini, cook to soft and lightly brown. When your zucchini is cooking slice up your peaches and when zucchini is almost done, throw them in the pan. Cook for another 2-3min. Take fruit and vegetables and put them in a bowl and use your pan to fry 2 eggs. Drizzle a small amount of balsamic vinegar over the peaches and zucchini. When eggs are done frying place them atop your vegetable/fruit mix and voila you're done! Paleo, Vegetarian, Savory, Sweet 2010-09-02T20:45:20+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/whos_back/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/whos_back/#When:21:47:39Z The Cheeks are back! We've missed you:) Confession time - in the chaos of the last few weeks, I've been a bit lackadaisical with my diet. There's been some pizza, some cookies, some pasta, oh yes and wine...ummm....lots of wine. But I've settled back down again and am ready to get back on track! Unfortunately my taste buds don't completely agree with me. So I'm going to ease them into it, or maybe trick them into it, but shhhhhhh... don't let my taste buds know! Chocolate Chicken 1 pound chicken breasts salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon oregano 1/2 cup vegetable broth 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 ounce dark chocolate Fresh chives, chopped Pour vegetable broth in a medium sized skillet and bring to a simmer. As the broth simmers, rub the salt, pepper and oregano into the chicken breasts. Add the chicken to the skillet, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is done, 8-15 minutes depending upon the thickness of your chicken. As the chicken simmers, pour the balsamic vinegar in a small pan and cook over medium high heat. Stir constantly. You want to cook the balsamic until it is bubbly and just very slightly thickened. This takes about 5-7 minutes. Then turn off the heat and add the chocolate, stirring everything together until the chocolate is melted. Once the chicken has finished cooking, remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the balsamic chocolate to the skillet. Turn up the heat to high, mix everything together and continue cooking until the sauce bubbles, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over chicken. Enjoy! Poultry, Savory, Sweet 2010-08-24T21:47:39+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/wheres_the_cheeks/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/wheres_the_cheeks/#When:05:12:53Z Sweet Cheeks Headquarters is relocating! We've been packing boxes, signing leases, cleaning house and trying not to get too stressed out with all the action. Things should settle down by next week and we'll be pumping out our usual array of delightful recipes once again. In the meantime, don't forget the cardinal unwritten rule of moving ... you must attempt to eat every last item in the refrigerator! I opened mine today to find some eggs, a package of spinach and red onions. Voila! A delicious salad was born. Scraps Salad 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 5 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste 4 eggs 1 teaspoon crushed garlic 2 red onions, sliced 5 ounces of spinach First hard boil the eggs. For those of you that don't know, put the eggs in a pot, cover with water and then place over high heat. Once the water begins to boil set a clock for ten minutes. When the time is up, dump out the hot water and rinse the eggs under cold water. When cool enough, de-shell the eggs, cut into quarters and set aside. Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions, salt and pepper to taste and saute until the onions begin to soften. In the meantime, whisk together 4 tablespoons of olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl, toss together spinach, onions and dressing. Serve with 1 to 2 eggs, garnished on top. Enjoy! Poultry, Savory 2010-08-19T05:12:53+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/cabbage_rolls_in_spaaaaace/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/cabbage_rolls_in_spaaaaace/#When:23:59:39Z Gizmo's favorite food. Don't be alarmed! The picture is in focus and yes, it's food! Looks a little wacky I know. Kind of like a mini alien. Or Gremlin cocoon! These little guys are tasty though, I promise. Shirley gobbled some up and told me to let you all know she'll definitely vouch for them ... mmmm mmm good! Cabbage Rolls 1 bunch of large cabbage leaves 2 lbs ground beef 2 onions, chopped salt and pepper, to taste 2 teaspoons garlic, minced 1 - 14 ounce can sauerkraut, drained 1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste 3 cups water Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil cabbage leaves for 3-5 minutes, just until soft enough to roll without ripping. Place 3-4 leaves in the bottom of a 9" X 13" baking pan. I used the smaller ones for this and left the bigger ones for rolling. Brown the ground beef, onion, salt and pepper. Then roll a small amount of beef mixture into each cabbage leaf. You roll this the same way you roll a wrap sandwich or kinda like how you wrap up a present. I put a spoonful-ish of the beef mixture on one end of the leaf, fold over each side and then rolllllll it up! Place the rolls on top of the cabbage leaves in the pan. Then sprinkle garlic over the top, cover with sauerkraut and cover everything with any remaining cabbage leaves. Mix the tomato paste with water and pour over the entire dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender when pricked with a fork. Enjoy! Red Meats, Savory 2010-08-09T23:59:39+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/asian_slaw/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/asian_slaw/#When:15:14:15Z Life has been keeping me busy, thus my cooking has changed a bit. No more chile rellano making for me these days. Honestly, I've been throwing together whatever I can and eating as it. Mind you, most of these meals are not "blog worthy" thus, lack of blog posts. While I could use that as my main excuse, I shall also share the other major change in my life. My computer has died. I knew she was on her death bed when I would see the blue screen of death more and more frequently and then, before you know it, it's over. Its amazing how much I rely on my computer. There was work to do, recipes to search, facebook to check, pictures to post, and homes to find. But as you see now, I get on a computer when I can. (the search is on though) This last week I did have a successful trip to the farmers market, I got myself a new purple bell pepper and these amazing little peppers, some asian spinach, more beautiful melons, purple artichokes and the freshest berries ever! For you readers this week, I hare an easy and quick to prep recipe for some asian slaw. Try it at home and adjust seasonings as you like! It's a fresh clean tasting salad perfect for summer bbq's and picnics. What you'll need: 1 package trader Joe's Organic broccoli slaw 3 carrots - halved length wise and sliced on an angle 1/2 bell pepper (red or purple) 5 small (pictured below) don't remember what they are 2-3 green onions-sliced on an angle dressing 2 T sesame oil juice of 1 lime 1 tsp minced ginger ground black pepper 1 large splash of rice wine vinegar 1 small handful of fresh cilantro black sesame seeds chop it all up and mix it up. The longer you let it sit, the more the flavors absorb and combine. Vegetarian, Savory 2010-08-02T15:14:15+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/great_balls_of_fire/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/great_balls_of_fire/#When:02:23:06Z Simma down nah! Little kids function at constant hyper speed, especially during these hot summer months! Call those crazy lill' buggers inside for lunch and cool them off with a big bowl of chilled watermelon soup. Watermelon Soup 1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut in half 4 cups chopped watermelon, seed removed The juice of 2 fresh limes 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 cup coconut milk Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Put soup in a covered container and chill in refrigerator for one hour. Enjoy! Paleo, Vegetarian, Sweet 2010-07-26T02:23:06+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/a_lot_of_work_a_good_thing/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/a_lot_of_work_a_good_thing/#When:06:36:15Z chicken chile relleno This past weekend was the 2010 CrossFit games. What an amazing and inspiring weekend. It was so fun to see so many fit people in one place. And truly inspiring to see all the performances by so many athletes. There is heart poured into every one of the workouts. This year it was great to have the the Masters division in addition to the affiliates and individual competitors. The fittest people on the planet have definitely put their time in. Speaking of time, I have not been putting in as much time into the kitchen as I should, but I was able to cook up these amazing little guys! The following recipe took a bit of time, as you will see, but was truly worth it. It's the Paleo version of a chile relleno. From start to finish I could not give you the exact time, but it took me over 3 days to finish them. I had many starts and stops in the process because I had to sleep and or work. I would think if you have and hour plus to spare you could get this done in one attempt. (I suggest cooking chicken ahead of time). I broke it down into a list of steps, don't get overwhelmed, they taste amazing and are well worth it. This recipe came from Stephanie at Primal Mama cooks and dishes on life. I varied mine just a little bit because I wanted to cook my own chicken and sauce, but otherwise I stuck to the basics she listed. Cooking my own chicken added an extra step, but I feel was worth it. Hope you enjoy these as much as I did. What you'll need: 4 Anaheim chilies, I used 8 small ones 2 organic chicken breasts 1 can organic diced stewed tomatoes 1 small can organic tomato paste 1 onion 2 eggs seasonings cumin chili powder cayenne pepper salt pepper fresh cilantro for garnish olive oil paper bag 1. Place chicken breast in 8x8 pan with can of stewed tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, a pinch of cayenne and some salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for about 40 min. 2. Wash your chiles and roast them directly over a gas burner or bbq grill, rotate with tongs until all skins are black and burnt. Once they are done remove from burner place them in a paper bag and close tightly. Let sit for 10 min then remove from bag and peel off skin. It should come off easily. 3. Take each pepper and slice down the side (like a pocket) and remove seeds and veins, set aside. 4. Chop onion and in a medium saucepan heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add onion, cook until tender and translucent. Remove onions from pan and set pan aside (you will use it later). 5. Separate whites from yellow of eggs and beat whites with electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. Fold in 1 egg yolk into batter 6. When chicken is done cooking shred with fork and or chop into small pieces, then add in onion. 7. Pre heat saucepan and add more oil. Take roasted and de seeded chile and dip into egg batter, cook on all sides in same pan you used to cook onions in. Each side with take a min or two and should turn golden brown. let sit on paper towel to cool, then stuff with chicken mixture. 8. When all peppers are stuffed, place then in baking dish and bake for 20 min at 350. This should heat all the ingredients and help blend the flavors. 9. Make red sauce with half can tomato paste, enough water or broth to make sauce consistency, add 1 tbs cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne, salt and pepper. 10. Top chiles with sauce and serve with homemade guacamole Poultry 2010-07-21T06:36:15+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/sunshine_smunshine/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/sunshine_smunshine/#When:15:41:23Z So tasty they were gobbled up before a post-grill pic! I don't know what's happening where you are, but here we've had clouds, rain, cold, earthquakes (no seriously, earthquakes). It's July 11th!! Where's the sunshine to wake me up in the morning and stay out shining until 8:30 at night? Where's the hot weather that calls for short shorts and cute little summer dresses? What's going on, I have zero tan lines?!! But don't let this weather hold you down Cheekees...I say light up those grills, put on your bikinis and swim trunks, heck...even put on your sunglasses!! Cause we're having a BBQ... Spicy Chicken and Bacon Poppers You can thank Mark's Daily Apple for this delicious mouth party. 1 large chicken breast 6 pickled pepperoncinis 3 strips of bacon (This will make 6 poppers. Increase quantity accordingly.) Cut chicken breast into 1″ cubes. Put the chicken in a large bowl and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Slice off the top of a pepperoncini and slice down the side. Put a piece of chicken inside. Cut bacon strips in half. Wrap 1/2 of a piece of bacon around the pepperoncini-ed chicken. Spear about four poppers on a skewer. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water first to prevent them from burning on the grill. Over medium heat, grill the poppers until the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is crisp, about 8-10 minutes a side. And if you’re so inclined….it's so bad, but tastes so so good to dip 'dem poppers in! I did. Homemade Ranch Dressing 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives, parsley, and dill 1 teaspoon celery salt salt and pepper to taste Whisk ingredients together. Enjoy!! Poultry, Savory 2010-07-11T15:41:23+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/congrats_paelo_people/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/congrats_paelo_people/#When:14:46:35Z Simply sweet swiss chard salad Sweet Cheek followers, congratulations for the completion of the Sweet Cheeks Paleo Challenge. We are so happy to have all of you who read the blog, commented, opened our emails and message and lastly took at look at what you were eating. This is what we wanted to happen. Raising awareness about what you are eating, how you feel when you eat it and then make changes that work for you. I know these challenges always get me going. This is not to say I didn't mess up a time or two, but my food is always evolving as I learn more about what I should be eating. Now, I would like to give some special recognition to some of the foods that got us through this challenge! I would like to congratulate the graduating class of 2010. These vegetables have done good things and there is much more in store for the future. Carrots- congratulations, you are full of antioxidants and promote good vision, you are friends with both children and adults and we appreciate what you do. Peppers- you are unforgettable. Your bright beautiful colors keep us asking for more! Broccoli or little trees as some know you. You encourage children to like vegetables, steam up so nicely and adsorb coconut milk like no other. Squash- We haven't seen too much of you lately, but once winter comes around we will see you more. You are loved because you are so versatile. Onions-your variations amaze us, you can be prepared in so many ways but never cease to make us cry. Last but not least: Chard or Swiss chard as some of you may know. You are the Valedictorian of your graduating vegetable class. You have the highest marks in vitamin A, K and C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. You really do great work. We can enjoy you raw when young or cooked slightly for a salad. Your bitterness fades when cooked and helps get us on track. This salad is simple and a great blend of bitter, sweet and super healthy. 1 bunch rainbow chard 1 white peach 1 sweet yellow onion 3 spears trader joes fresh cut pineapple (not so local, but tasty) 1 splash of rice wine vinegar olive oil First: Slice onions (don't cry, you know it's gonna happen) Next: In large sauce pan on medium heat add 1 tbs olive oil, heat and add onions, keep it slow and low and let them Caramelize, stir occasionally, they become super sweet and amazing. The onions should be super soft and brown when finished-it will take a little time. Get out a big Pot of water and bring it to a boil. Then: While waiting for water to boil, wash and cut chard leaves and stems. Chard is usually really dirty, so fill sink with water and submerge to loosen any dirt. I even found a ladybug in mine the other day. Extra protein or little friend? you decide. Chop chard into salad size pieces. Blanch chard in pot of boiling water (the leaves should turn super bright green), remove greens and let sit in strainer to drain and rinse with a bit of cold water. chop your peaches-bite size pieces chop your pineapple-bite size pieces When onions have caramelized, toss all above ingredients together and serve it up. I would have added nuts, but this was during my one week nut vacation. Pine nuts would be great, slivered almonds or walnuts! Enjoy! Challenges, Paleo, Vegetarian, Savory, Sweet 2010-07-05T14:46:35+00:00 http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/smooth_sailing/ http://www.crossfitla.com/cms/index.php/site/smooth_sailing/#When:22:15:46Z So Paleo, a caveman would eat it. Congratulations Paleo challengers you've made it to the final week of the Sweet Cheeks Paleo Challenge! You are now all official Cavemen! : ) And what healthy Cavemen you are. Here's some of what you neanderthals are saying: "I love it and I feel better than ever and have easily lost weight." "Due to illness I have been unable to train so I didn't expect much. Imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale and discovered I had lost 8 pounds. I'm looking forward to making this a permanent lifestyle." "Feeling great, yesterday my Endurance class was really good, running a 5K felt so good! For me it's all about how I feel, don't have much weight to lose, but I am feeling great when I get up in the morning, when I work out......it's really a great feeling!!!!!!!" "My waist size measures 1.5 " LESS than when I started this Paleo Challenge. Woo Hoo!!" Awesome, awesome and more awesome! This week put it on cruise control, sit back and reap the Paleo benefits! Continue on with all the good habits we've put into fruition this past month - no sugar, dairy, grains, legumes or processed foods. And then on the 4th of July, throw caution to the wind and eat your face off. Drink beer, gorge on barbecue chicken, potato salad and flag cake! Enjoy every single second of it because the next day you may not be feeling so well. As delicious as a flag cake is, it was not a diet staple of the old school Cavepeople. Hopefully your belly ache will motivate you to continue on with Paleo as a permanent part of your daily eating. And I mean that in the nicest way. Shrimp "Pad Thai" 1 pound of cooked large shrimp unfrozen 1/2 head of cabbage finely shredded or sliced 1 onion finely sliced 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, sliced into strips 1 bunch of green onions, sliced into 2 inch pieces (separate whites from greens) 2 eggs 1/4 cup chopped cashews 1 Tablespoon coconut oil 3 Tablespoons sesame oil 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce 1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger 2 fresh limes, squeezed First fry the scrambled eggs in a skillet and then slice into strips and set aside. Next heat a large skillet with the coconut oil and add cabbage, peppers, onion and the whites from the green onions. Saute at medium high heat until the vegetables are tender. As the veggies are cooking, in a small bowl mix together sesame oil, olive oil, Sriracha sauce, ginger and lime. This is your sauce. Then add the green part of the green onions, egg strips, shrimp and sauce. Mix together well and stir until the shrimp are hot. Sprinkle with cashews. Enjoy! Challenges, Paleo, Seafood, Savory 2010-06-27T22:15:46+00:00