Bam!

“Angie”

For time:

100 Pull ups

100 Push ups

100 Sit ups

100 Squats

 

Fresher the better…best Mahi I ever had:)

 

To continue on the theme of food, lets talk about cooking.  When I think about people getting started in the kitchen I think about my dad.  He subscribed to Bon Appetit magazine owned a few cook books and would cook for the family or friends when he had time.  The thing that stuck with me was how many people would say, “You’re such a good cook!  How did you learn to cook so well?”  To which my father would say something to the extent of, “Do you know how to read?”  Maybe that just happened once, but it stuck with me.

 That is how we begin.  I understand that the kitchen can be an overwhelming place for some people, so I have found a couple links for you to read that will help you get started cooking and eating healthy.

First, I love giving people the 30 day Paleo Challenge guide from CrossFit Norcal.  The first thing they discuss is that many people don’t know how to cook or let alone shop for themselves.  This is something we shall have to remedy.  If you are an absolute beginner, you are going to need to invest in a few kitchen supplies.  This is a guide on how to outfit your kitchen for $200.  I personally don’t use a crockpot, but know many people that swear by them.  Also, I would agree with going for one really good chopping knife instead of a slew of crappy ones, it makes life a whole lot easier.

Now that you have the tools, get online and search for a recipe that is easy and sounds tasty.  By easy, I mean: few ingredients, short time frame and you understand all the terminology.  I realize sauteing may sound complicated and difficult, but its just heating something in hot oil or fat in a pan.  What tastes good is subjective.

The CrossFit message board has tons of zone and paleo friendly recipes.  Check out this cookbook called Paleolicious that is supporting the FGB IV today.  Take the time to buy all of the ingredients in the recipe, even if you only need a teaspoon of it, odds are you will need it again in the future.

Next we need to figure out where we will get our food.  Trader Joe’s is your best friend.  They are reasonably priced, have no preservatives and their frozen food section is a goldmine.  They also offer a quality selection of meats and single serve meals/salads for when you’re in a hurry.  I would highly recommend hitting up your local farmers market as well.  The food is direct from the farmer so its actually cheaper and generally a higher quality!

Here are a couple tips that I use to get through the day:

-learn how to make a salad dressing to your liking, I prefer balsamic vinaigrette, and can eat it with everything.  Salads are a quick easy meal any time of the day.
-make recipes in abundance, have enough for leftovers
-pick a regular day and time of the week that you go food shopping, make it a priority.  When you run out of food you are much more likely to cheat.
-Have some ‘go to’ meals.  For me in the morning, I can throw 3 eggs in the skillet, scramble them up, add in some salsa, a whole avocado, some hot sauce, done in 5 minutes, delish.

-always, always have a source of fat around like olive oil, avocados, almond butter, macadamias, etc.

This is just the beginning of the beginning, I don’t expect life changes from this post, but I hope you have fun with your food…

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