Today marks the last official day of the Intrepid Whole 30 Challenge (just in time for the big game right!?). Please don’t go off of the deep end and go crazy eating every junk food known to man. Be smart about how you reintroduce foods and get even more in tune with how your body reacts to the gradual reintroduction of non-W30 foods. Got it? Good.

Being that I’m a Buffalo boy, I love me some good chicken wings. Especially for the super bowl. So I’ve been hard at work in the kitchen looking for ways to clean up one of my gameday favorites. Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Option 1: Baked Wings

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Lay the chicken wings on a cookie sheet or flat pan and brush with olive oil.  Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
• Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes and flip
• Bake another 10-15 minutes until they begin to brown and crisp

Option 2: Fried Wings

• Heat coconut oil in a deep fryer, wok, or pot so that at least a few wings are completely covered.  I used a wok so I could only fry about 3-4 wings per batch.  The upside is that I didn’t use all of our coconut oil for one batch of wings.  The downside is that it takes much longer depending on how many wings you’re making.
• The oil is ready when you hear it start to sizzle.
• Add the wings to the hot oil but please be careful as the oil can splatter
• Keep an eye on the wings and flip them at least once, usually about 3-5 minutes into the frying
• The wings are done when they start to brown

Sauce:

No matter which method you choose for cooking the wings, the method I used for the sauce is the same.  I tried 2 sauce recipes, one using Ghee and one using coconut oil, and Ruth and I both seem to enjoy the ghee better.  Traditional Buffalo wing sauce uses butter, but as we know from the past month butter is less than ideal, so ghee is a pretty close alternative while still giving the wings some flavor.

• If the ghee or coconut oil is solid, melt it in a small bowl in the microwave.  If it is already liquid then simply pour into a small bowl or cup and skip the melting.

•  The best tasting clean Buffalo style hot sauce I’ve come across is the Tabasco brand Buffalo hot sauce.  Simple, clean, and tastes great.  Once the ghee or coconut oil is melted just add the sauce to suit your taste.  Mix in the sauce thoroughly.

• Once the sauce is ready, put the chicken wings into large mixing bowl, add the sauce and toss the wings around in the bowl until they’re slathered in sauce.
• Serve and devour!

Intrepid W30 Finale Workout
Max Rep Deadlift at 85% of 1RM
Rest at least 2 mins
Max Strict Pullups
Rest at least 2 mins
Sprint around the block for time

*For those still eligible to win the challenge be sure to take your “after” photos before leaving today

Last night, Mike caught me eating a sweet potato post-workout and asked if I did anything to “spice” it up. I sadly admitted that it was just baked in the oven until it caramelized but was otherwise plain. He then asked if I ever tried putting them on the grill, which reminded me of this recipe. You see, I haven’t had the chance to make these in a while since I can’t have a grill at my current apartment building, but they are quite tasty.

Spiced Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 lbs of sweet potatoes, washed and peeled
• 1 teaspoon course sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a large pot, then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant when pierced with a sharp small knife, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well. When cool, slice potatoes lengthwise.

Mix together salt and spice; coat potatoes in oil. Sprinkle spice mixture on sweet potatoes, coating thoroughly.

Grill potatoes on a lightly oiled grill rack over medium heat, until grill marks appear and potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

While it’s pretty easy to cut these in thick slices, I also sometimes prefer to cut them again lengthwise to make fat “steak fries” out of them. If you’re fortunate enough to have a grill, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Adapted from this recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2571

WOD 01.26.12

Skills Day

Now that we’re well into the football playoff season, people are gathering to watch the exciting games leading up to the SuperBowl. Try out this super simple avocado salsa to serve at your next party and serve it with carrots or crispy bacon, or even lettuce to make lettuce wraps.

Recipe:

2 Avocados

½ White Onion

2 Garlic cloves

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ Jalapeno

3 Tbsp Lime Juice

½ Tbsp Coconut Vinegar

½ cup Cilantro (or 4-5 sprigs Culantro)

½ Tomato

Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Dice all ingredients and mix together.

Recipe courtesy of paleoeffect.com

REST DAY 01.22.12

We have seen some amazing menus so far in your food logs for those of you participating in the Whole 30 Challenge.  Some of you, however, have mentioned that you’re getting sick of the “same ol’ stuff” over and over again.  Here’s a great recipe from Scott & Michelle, last year’s challenge winners:

We’ve made this a couple of times.  It’s quick and easy and tastes amazing.  We took the recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Meals in Minutes.  It’s a great cookbook of quick, healthy meals.  Although most of the recipes do have an ingredient or two that is not totally clean, usually a bit of honey, fruit juice, soy sauce, cheese, etc.  But the Moroccan Lamb Chops are completely clean.

Scott

Moroccan Lamb Chops

2 Racks of Lamb (8 chops per rack)
1 whole nutmeg for grating (I just use 2 tsp of ground nutmeg)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
EVOO
1 lemon

You’ll either need a Le Crusset or similar frying pan than you can move from stove top to oven.  Or you can preheat a roasting pan in the oven while you fry the chops on the stove top.

Pre-heat oven to 425.

Lay the lamb out and cut each rack in half (4 chops per half). Score the fat cap of the lamb chops (see pic).  Sprinkle with nutmeg, cumin, paprika, and thyme.  Massage the spices into the meat.

Heat the frying pan on the stove top with a splash of EVOO.  Add the chops to the hot frying pan about 3 minutes on each side to color the meat.

Transfer the frying pan to the oven.  Recipe says 14 minutes for blushing to medium, more or less for rare or well done.  You also need to adjust for your oven.  My oven cooks quickly and I like it medium-rare, so I cook for 12-13 minutes.  Halfway through turn the racks over and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

When the time is up move the lamb to a cutting board to rest for a few minutes.

Serve with lamb chops with lemon wedges for the diner to squeeze over the lamb.

Enjoy!!

WOD 01.10.12

Bench Press 3×5 or Wendler

AMRAP 10

• 400m Run
• 25 Ring Push Ups
• 200m Run
• 25 Kettlebell Swings

For me, breakfast is one of the hardest meals for me to keep “clean.” I get sick of eggs pretty quickly and I don’t really like them without cheese. I was talking with a friend about this and she recommended this paleo breakfast bake. It looks delicious and I plan on trying it out soon.

• 8 eggs, whisked
• 1 sweet potato, shredded
• 1 sweet onion, finely diced
• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon tarragon
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon fat (I used bacon fat)

Shakes can be especially useful after a workout when your body is starving for simple carbohydrates and protein to optimize its recovery. Shakes can also be easy ways to improve your fruit and vegetable intake and serve as great snacks or small meal replacements if better options aren’t readily available which is especially helpful during a Whole 30 Challenge. For those participating in the Whole 30 beginning tomorrow, the challenge is all about learning ways to make eating clean easy, creative, and enjoyable. One different way to get a fast convenient snack or post workout recovery is with a homemade shake using either a blender or the Magic Bullet pictured above. I first learned about the Magic Bullet from here when Invictus coach and nutrition diva Michele Vieux posted on it. The “magic” of the Magic Bullet is that it is powerful enough to crush ice cubes and it works fast while also being really compact so it doesn’t take up a lot of counter space in your kitchen or office. They typically run about $50 or so and I’ve been using mine almost everyday since Marcus blessed us with one as a wedding gift. Ruth and Marcus have both touched on the importance of being prepared during a Whole 30 Challenge because it helps to have an easy way to get sustenance into your body before you go off the deep end and wind up eating something you wish you hadn’t.

Whole 30 approved items that I like to include in my post-workout shakes include but aren’t limited to:

• Simple carbs like sweet potatoes, fresh or frozen berries/pineapple, bananas, carrots, etc.

• Protein like raw eggs or egg protein powder (Michele recommends Rose Acre Farms’ Egg Protein powder
  
  
  becuase it has no additives like most others)

• Liquid to ensure everything blends well together, typically water does just fine

• Anything to improve the flavor like vanilla extract (without sugar), cinnamon, cardamom, mint, etc.

You can include fattier options in your shakes but they typically take longer to digest. Although this isn’t ideal for a post-workout shake, it definitely comes in handy when you are looking for a good snack or something to carry you through to your next real meal if real food isn’t available.

• Fats I like to include in my shakes are avocado, coconut milk, shredded coconut, coconut butter, coconut oil, fish oil,

Here is one of Michele’s favorite shake recipes for a breakfast type of shake taken from the same post linked above:

Ingredients:

• ½ frozen banana

• 1 pear

• ¼ c. egg white protein (I get mine online from Rose Acre Farms
  
  
  )

• 2 ice cubes

• ½ c. coconut milk

• ½ c. water (or cold coffee)

• ½ t. vanilla

Directions:

Put all ingredients into drink cup. Screw on blades. Place drink cup in Magic Bullet, twist to start motor. Wait 10 seconds and voila!

WOD 1.3.12

W30 Challenge Baseline Workout
1 Rep Max Deadlift
Max Strict Pullups (Chinups if necessary)
1 Lap Run for Time

Today’s post was generously provided by Casey.  I was lucky enough to sample some yesterday and it’s delicious!

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken
• 3 cloves sliced garlic (or pressed)
• 3 jars of your favorite salsas
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Salt & pepper

1. Take washed chicken, slit skin all over, and don’t forget to take the gizzards etc out and discard.
2. Put garlic, 2 jars salsa, and broth in crock pot and add chicken. Make sure there is a little room since the chicken will release water and you don’t want it to overflow. Pour remaining jar of salsa on top of the chicken.
3. Set on low when you go to bed and it’s ready in the morning.
4. It falls apart once u touch it so shred it up, get the bones out, stir it all up and it’s ready!

WOD 12.30.11

Back Squat 3×5 or Wendler

AMRAP 5:
12 Kettlebell Snatches
10 Box Jumps
8 Push Ups

Rest 2 minutes

AMRAP 5:
Row 250m
Run 200m

Luckily, Chris Kresser (also a foodie) put some time into finding some sites

Nom Nom Paleo

• Bacon and Guacamole Sammies
• Slow Cooker Thai Yellow Curry With Grass Fed Beef Brisket
• Damn Fine Chicken
• Pork and Spinach Stuffed Kabocha Squash

• Thanksgiving Stuffing Hushpuppies
• Pulled Pork Spareribs with Coffee-Molasses Barbecue Sauce
• Braised Short Ribs with Figs
• Chorizo Mini-Meatloaves
• Paleo Coconut Macaroons

WOD 12.23.11

Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit Ups

c/o 15 minutes on a foam roller, lacrosse ball, and/or band

Now that we’re in the midst of the holiday season, Starbucks is carrying all of their delicious holiday drinks. My personal favorite was the white chocolate peppermint mocha, hello SUGAR! Curious just how much sugar is in one 16 oz drink? Take a look:

Source: http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?drink=all#view_control=nutrition

For those of you who are still interested in indulging in the holiday coffees, but are horrified by the amount of sugar in one serving, check out these alternative recipes that I found posted on Robb Wolf’s blog. I’m guessing they can be made for a lot less than $5 a cup too!

Option 1:  Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
1 ½ T. pureed pumpkin
2 T. organic vanilla extract
2-3 T. raw organic honey (optional)
½ t. ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
½ cup strong coffee
Pinch of cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Brew 2 cups of strong coffee
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat coconut milk, pureed pumpkin, and honey until milk is steaming
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg
4. Fill bottom half of cup with milk mixture, then fill the remaining space with your coffee
5. Sprinkle with cocoa powder

Option 2: Primal Eggnog

Ingredients:
4 beaten egg yolks*
3 cups of coconut milk, almond milk, or whole cream
1 t. maple syrup or sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
Ground nutmeg/cinnamon to taste

Directions:
1 Mix egg yolks, 2 cups of coconut milk, almond milk, or cream, and sugar. Stir gently but constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to cling to and coat the back of a spoon, about five to ten minutes. Be patient with this process – if you turn the heat up too high or don’t stir, the egg yolks might turn into scrambled eggs 
2. Remove from heat and set the pot in a larger bowl filled with ice water (careful, so no water overflows into the eggnog!) and stir for 2-3 minutes then add the last cup of milk/cream and the vanilla.
3. Stir in brandy, rum, or whiskey at this point (if you’re feeling a little naughty this year)
4. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature then chill for a while longer in the fridge. The longer you let the eggnog chill, the thicker and more custard-like it will become.

Before serving, generously dust with cinnamon and nutmeg. If you can, buy whole nutmeg and grate it yourself (a microplane zester works great for this).

Option 3:  Instead of adding a shake of cinnamon or nutmeg to a cup of your favorite drink after it is brewed, try sprinkling spices on the grounds in your machine or french press. Options include: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, cloves or whatever spice you’re feeling!

Option 4:  For those who include dairy: cold heavy cream whipped with cinnamon or other spices can provide a nice smooth addition. If you order this at a coffee shop, you have to be specific that it is heavy cream that you want to avoid being served half and half or actual whipped cream – you laugh, but it happens.

REST DAY 12.18.11

For the Intrepid Holiday party, I made a batch of mulled wine and a few of you asked for the recipe. For the uninitiated, mulled wine is a spiced alcoholic beverage traditionally enjoyed during the holiday season. (Side note: someone asked me if it was a probiotic, since I think they heard it as “mold wine”, and considering my usual posts I can understand the confusion… but no, this is not paleo.)

Mulled wine can be found as early as Halloween, when it is typically referred to as “Witches Brew”. It is common in Europe and both Scott and Nick had fond memories of when they tried some overseas. In fact, a slight variation posted by our friends over at 70′s Big is called glögg. This has found some new popularity since it is mentioned in the series of books that HBO’s Game of Thrones is based upon.

The recipes may vary based on family tradition or individual twists and mine below is a bastardization of a few different origins. Some include fruit and are akin to a warmed sangria. A common point to all mulled wine are the presence of spices, most often cinnamon, cloves and orange peel, among others. For an easier time, you want to place these spices in a cheesecloth pouch so you won’t have to strain them out later. In fact, the brand I used had them in premade sachets. These mulling spices are currently available at Sprouts market and I have seen them at Peet’s Coffee or Cost Plus in the past.

• Two 750ml bottles of red wine (you want a heavier red wine, but it can be inexpensive. I used a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a bottle of Sangiovese)
• One approx. 750ml bottle of apple cider or juice (I used this spiced cider)
• 2/3 cup inexpensive brandy (I used this one)
• 3 mulling spice sachets

Throw all the ingredients into your crockpot on Low and once warm, let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. Personally, I let it go for about 90 minutes or so. Keep the top on your slow cooker so you do not lose moisture and reduce the mixture. Enjoy responsibly!

(This can also be made with just the apple juice or cider for a kid-friendly spiced cider)

WOD 12.15.11

Skills Day

Glute Mobility
Turkish Get Ups