03/28/2013 Training

Wednesday Thursday- DL intense + Vertical CP + Row Sprints

A. Romanian DL @ 30X0, 2 reps x 3 sets, 2 min

New movement for me and had trouble touching plates to ground and didn't go as heavy as I should have... 115/125/135

B1. Press @ 11X1, 2-2-1-1, 1 min - start @ 50lbs

2 reps for all - 50/55/60

B2. C2B Chin-ups, AMRAP x 3 sets, 1 min

6/6/6

C. 1 tough HSPU every 20 sec for 10 minutes - adjust height

up until minute 6 the skinny side ab mat was 2" from wall, after that, 1.5"

D. Row Sprint 20 sec ALL OUT x 6 sets, 1 min rest

82m/82/82/81/80/82

03/25/2013 Training

Monday - Snatch moderate + Jerk moderate + Clean moderate + DU tester

A. Above Knee Hang Squat Snatch, 2 reps x 4 sets, 1 min - nothing over 65lbs, focus on speed

45/55/60/65

B. Push Jerk. Split Jerk, 1.1 x 4 sets, 1 min - nothing over 90lbs

65/85/90/90

C. Above Knee Hang Squat Clean, 4-3-2-1, 1 min - start @ 65lbs, add 5lbs total per set

65/70/75/80

 

Smoky Chipotle Bean and Turkey Burritos

This is so good that we ended up making it into chili the next day with the left overs. Using a whole can of chipotle chilies made a big difference in this dish, separating it from the usual flavours of a standard burrito.

Ingredients

1 can red beans
1 can black beans
1 small can chipotle chilies, diced
700 g ground turkey
1 and 1/2 cups corn
1 yellow onion, diced
2 Serrano chilies, minced
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
Queso fresca cheese
diced tomatoes
diced red onion
guacamole
salsa
cilantro

Instructions

1. Satay diced onion and Serrano peppers with a bit of olive oil in a medium sized pot or high sided pan on medium heat, until onions are translucent.
2. Add the ground turkey to the onions and peppers, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the spices and chipotle to the pot - chopped chipotle chilies, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well. Keep stirring turkey mixture for about 15 minutes or until the turkey is white and cooked through.
3. When the turkey is almost done, add the rinsed beans and corn to the pot and mix well. We put about 3/4 of each can of beans in this mixture and reserved the rest of the beans for the chili the next day.
4. Cook for an additional 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the beans are heated through.
5. Serve with warmed burrito tortilla shells, queso fresca cheese, diced tomatoes, red onions, guacamole, salsa and cilantro!

03/21/2013 Training and Guest Blogging!

Saturday Thursday - Aerobic tester

AMRAP in 25 minutes:

Row 300m

15 DB Thrusters @ 15/hand

50 Double Unders

 

6 rounds.

 

I'm happy I managed to get a few unbroken 50 DUs sets which used to be standard for me. Not so much lately! I did this wod this morning even though it was scheduled for Saturday because it was a faster wod. This morning I laid in bed for half an hour debating if I should get up and knit, or get up and go to the gym. Since it was plus 3 out this morning, the gym won, but I had less time.

 

By the way, The Loop, my favourite local yarn shop asked me to be a guest blogger for them chronicling my journey as a new-ish knitter. Check it out.

Yarn Bowl Attempt Number 2

I tried a different method this time instead of the swirl. The swirl is really hard to do and time consuming. When the pot was bisqued it was still perfect and not sagged, but after I glazed and fired it, the top was all sagged! My pottery teacher said it was because they fire it at high fire and would have done better in Raku. Oh well, it still works. I also love how the glaze came out.

I put holes in it too in case I'm working with multiple colours. 

This has inadvertently become my knitting shelf. There's also knitting drawers...knitting cubbies...a knitting box...and maybe one day a knitting room, wouldn't that be cool!?



03/20/2013 Training

I'm happy to be doing my real program from Mike because it turns out I should never design my own workouts. Monday's tabatta workout killed me. I am still limping. And all Monday afternoon and evening I was walking around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I totally didn't realise that all the things I chose to do (abs, push ups, lunges, squats) all use the lower back, butt and quads. Well, I didn't clue in until all those muscles were screaming at me!

 

Friday Wednesday - Snatch intense + Clean and Jerk intense + Horizontal CP

A. Power Snatch, build to a 1RM

75 80(Fx2)

B. Squat Clean and Split Jerk Cluster, 1.1 x 4 sets, 3 min - start @ 85lbs

85/90/95/100 - felt solid. Haven't done 100 in awhile so I'm happy it didn't feel terrible.

C. One Arm DB Rows @ 20X0, 4-6/arm x 4 sets, 30 sec b/t arms - heavy

6@25/6@27.5/6@30/4@35

D. 10 Push-ups per minute for up to 10 minutes - does not have to be unbroken, but must achieve 10 reps in every minute, if not, stop

with all the tabatta push up on Monday I took a miss on this one...next time!

03/18/2013 Training

Did a 4k run on Saturday with the pooch. Off Sunday. This morning I was excited to play with weights but nooooo it was -24 with windchill at 4:30 this morning. My cut off is -15. So I did some tabatta stuff in my living room instead:

lunges: 13/14/15/14/14/14/15/14
push ups: 14/15/15/14/12/14/14/14
squats: 17 for all

then did 5 minutes of abs no rest:
1 min crunch
1 min back bridge
30 sec side bridge left side
30 sec side bridge right side
1 min leg raises
1 min running man

Tomorrow is only -11 in the morning and getting up to 0 boyaaaa!
I can't believe I'm excited about that.

Stranger Cardigan - Part 1: Right Front Panel

Here is the Right Front Panel I finished last night. I budgeted 7 days for this but it took me 10. I always see on Ravelry that people finish entire sweaters and cardigan in about 3 weeks, and then there's these amazing bloggers that have it done in like two. I wonder if these bloggers and avid knitters have more time on their hands or if they just knit faster. I'd like to say they just have more time on their hands. With working a full time job, getting up at 4:30 am to workout, cooking healthy (or trying too!) every day, juggle a social life and family etc., it's hard to fit in a significant amount of knitting. But really, who am I to complain, I don't have kids or work an 80 hour week like some people, and my life is pretty balanced. I think if I had an infinite amount of time I would still complain about not having enough time to knit.

There's some a lot of mistakes in this panel. I got the hang of it about half way through. This is the second thing I've made with cables, and I've never had to work off two cable charts in each row. It's not hard, but it took me a bit to figure out that I couldn't remember which cable chart to start with from row to row, so I started taking notes, telling myself what I just did and what I should do next. The first 3rd was annoying because I kept messing up and fixing it was taking so long and I just wanted to keep knitting so that I would make my deadline. I'm not the type of knitter to re-do and re-do until it's perfect. Don't get me wrong, I love it when a piece is perfect, but I just can't stand not moving forward. Plus, I hope the mistakes aren't so noticeable......just don't look directly at the 1 cm round hole in the centre. THAT my friends, is what happens when you drop a stitch in the middle of a cable and don't know, or have the patience to figure out how to fix it.

The things I've learnt so far are things that I should really know by now. Up until now I have been making tonnes of cables and just faking it until I make it. Once you start to do more complicated things like sweaters, instead of just recording WS and RS on your pattern, its really time to just learn to recognise it.

Things I've learnt from this project so far:
1. Attention span is a good thing.
2. Long tail cast on.
3. To pay attention to right  side and wrong side.
4. Picking up dropped stitches sucks when its in the middle of a cable.
5. Buy extra yarn in case you have so many mistakes in the first fraction of a portion that you want to start over again.
6. Have patience. The mood you're in is reflected in your knitting. Frustration and rushing results in too-tight stitches and split stitches.
7. Do a swatch in the cable pattern. I know that you're supposed to do this, but I ended up just doing the stockinette stitch swatch. Matt made a comment the other day that I should do a practise run for about 3" because he says it always takes me about 3" to figure out and memorise the cable pattern and those first 3" are always riddled with mistakes and cursing. Such a wise man.

Random side note: There have been some really good movies out in theatres lately and I have been disinclined to actually go to a theatre because a) its really expensive and b) most importantly, you can't really knit in a dark crowded theatre, so why not stay at home to watch movies where you can knit freely! We went to see Django Unchained last night and the report is:  you can knit during the previews (which were a half an hour!) but certainly not during the movie. It's too dark. I thought that in bright scenes I'd be able to see my knitting, but no dice.

Here's Loki, the biggest snuggle bum. Defiantly snuggling my yarn after her failed attempts to sit in my lap while I knit.

Spicy Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a classic dish that everyone seems to love and have a version of their own. We took Matt's family recipe and tweaked it a bit to keep it interesting. We added Dijon mustard and jalapenos to the regular recipe and it added a creaminess and a zing, if that makes any sense! The flavours compliment each other very well, so don't be afraid to try the unconventional combination.

 

 

Ingredients

serves 4-6

 

500 g elbow pasta (or pasta ends like we did!)

3 cups of shredded mozzarella

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp medium curry powder

3 jalapenos, minced

8 shakes Worcestershire sauce

4 shakes Tabasco sauce

4 cans tuna, drained

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup bread crumbs

 

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

2. Prepare your ingredients: grate cheese and mix the two kinds together, mince jalapenos,drain tuna, and cook your pasta 3 minutes less than al dente.

3. In a huge mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta, 3 cups of mixed cheese, mustard, jalapenos, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, tuna, chicken soup and curry powder. Mix well.

4. In a greased casserole dish, spread out the mixture. Top with bread crumbs and remaining 1 cup of cheese.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is crispy and the cheese bubbly.

6. Eat with a green salad to balance the delicious out.

03/13/2013 Training

Wednesday - DL intense + Vertical CP + Row Sprints

A. DL Cluster, 1.1.1 x 3 sets, 2 min - start @ 135lb, drop each rep

135/140/145 - not as hard as I was expecting, will go up next time

B1. HSPU, 2-3 reps x 3 sets, 1 min - adjust height

to skinny side of ab mat an inch from the wall - 4/3/3

B2. Kipping Chin-ups, AMRAP (-2) x 3 sets, 1 min - focus on stringing good reps together, consistent

gah! I'm only allowed to do good, linked kipping pull ups so on a account of that... 3/4/4 gotta work on kipping coordination and tempo!

C. Push Press @ 11X1, 3 reps x 3 sets, 1:30 min - start @ 75lbs, heavy

75/80/85 - felt good

D. Row Sprint 30 sec ALL OUT x 4 sets, 2 min rest

122m/124/122/122 - too impatient to wait the full 2 min, more like a min in between.

03/12/2013 Training

I got my new program from Mike yay!

Week 1

Monday - Snatch moderate + Jerk moderate + Clean moderate + DU tester

A. Above Knee Hang Power Snatch, 3 reps x 4 sets, 1 min - nothing too heavy, start @ 50lbs

50/55/60/60

B. Split Jerk. Behind the Neck Split Jerk, 1.1 x 4 sets, 1 min - nothing over 80lbs

65/70/75/80

C. Squat Clean Cluster, 1.1.1 x 4 sets, 1 min - nothing over 85lbs

70/75/80/85

D. 5 3 rounds for time:

only had time for 3 rounds...damn this daylight savings! So hard to wake up these days!

12 OHS @ 45lbs

50 Double Unders

4:15

Meal Prep

This is what my Sunday afternoons consist of:

From left to right: chicken broth quinoa, wilted garlic kale, baja fish taco, lemon roasted brussel sprouts, lemon basil salmon, pumpkin pancakes.

Making food for the week. And this is only for breakfast and lunch for two days!
 

Chicken Broth Quinoa:

Rinse 1 cup quinoa and boil  in two cups of chicken broth with some salt and a drop of olive oil until all moisture absorbed. Top with sliced green onions.

Wilted Garlic Kale:

Put a drizzle of olive oil in a pan on medium, add a clove of crushed garlic and a dash of red chili peppers then a couple handfuls of baby kale. Move around for a bit, then add a tsp of water and cover with a lid to steam the kale.

Baja Fish Tacos:

For the fish: heat up a pan with coconut oil, add the Baja fillet, season with del orbo chili, chili powder, salt, pepper and lime juice. Cook until you can break it up. Top with sliced green onions. Eat with tortilla and guacamole.

Roasted Lemon Brussel Sprouts:

Cut the brussel sprouts into quarters and rinse well. Heat your oven to 350 F. Put brussel sprouts onto a cookie sheet preferably with a non-stick slip mat or parchment paper. Drizzle sprouts with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, lemon and herb spice mix, zest of 1 lemon, and lemon juice. Mix with your hands. Bake for about 20 minutes, moving the sprouts around a couple times, until the sprouts are soft and some of the loose leaves are roasty.

 

Lemon Basil Roasted Salmon:

Line a pie tin or something similar with a large piece of parchment paper. Place a salmon fillet in the centre. Drizzle fillet with olive oil, season with salt, pepper,  bit of lemon zest, and chopped basil leaves (4 or so), and some lemon juice. Wrap up with salmon in the parchment paper so that it creates a totally sealed packet. The fish will steam inside and keep the basil leaves moist instead of charred in the oven. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes or less, depending on the thickness. I did this at the same time as the sprouts above.

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Pancakes:

 

For 1 serving: mix together 1/3 cup rolled oats, ½  cup egg whites, ¼ cup pumpkin, cinnamon to taste. I put sooooo much cinnamon in mine. I also let it sit for a bit so that the oats swell up and absorb the egg whites. This creates a more solid texture more similar to ‘real’ pancakes instead of feeling the oaty texture. Then you just bake them like normal pancakes with some coconut oil. Then serve them with a bit (as little as possible) maple syrup, mixed berries and fat free cottage cheese.

03/05/2013 Training

Today I did the first crossfit open wod - not to compete, but just to do it for fun. Since my 1RM is 80# for snatch, I was doubtfull I'd be able to get many reps at 75# after all those burpees and 45# statches so I decided to just repeat the 40 burpees - 30 snatch - 30 burpees sequence and repeate for 17 min.

I ended up getting 1 full round of the above, plus 40 burpees, plus 20 snatch. I'm pretty happy with that. I don't think the rules would allow for the way I did it if I was for real competing, I think you'd have to attempt the 75# snatch to move on.

Here is the full wod:
WOMEN - includes Masters Women up to 54 years old Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 17 minutes of:
40 Burpees
45 pound Snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
75 pound Snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
100 pound Snatch, 30 reps
10 burpees
120 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible

03/06/2013 Training

Today I followed the "She" program from OPT.

she

A. Hang squat clean from below the knee; 2, 2, 1, 1; rest 2 min

65/75/90/90

B. Hang squat snatch 2, 2, 2; rest 2 min

the trainers took all the bumper plates so I was using the hard ones and since they are smaller in circumference, I swear it put off my balance...so I just did tech work at 45# and 65# because everything felt off.

C1. Front squat @22x1, 2, 2, 2; rest 90 seconds

90/100/105

C2. CTB chin ups; amrap unbroken x3; rest 90 seconds

6/6/6 this needs to get better.

Wheat Free Blackberry Milk and White Chocolate Muffins

Blackberries and white chocolate just go soooo well together, but you can't forget about the milk stuff too! This recipe combines both!

Ingredients

Makes 12 muffins

1/4 coconut oil, melted
1 cup coconut flour
6 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips or 50g chopped cubes of chocolate
1/2 cup honey
6 oz container blackberries, washed and chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Mix all the ingredients except for the white chocolate into a mixing bowl.
3. Divide batter into the liners.
4. Bake for a total of 20-25 minutes but half way divide the white chocolate on top of the muffins and put back into the oven to finish cooking.
5. Enjoy! With butter if you feel naughty ;-)

03/4/2013 Training

Snatch
45# x 3
50# x 3
55# x 3 x 4
complete
I was so tired this morning that on the 50# set, I put a 2.5# plate one one end, clip, then on the other side, I just put the clip on without the weight and wondered why the left side felt so light. Seriously, how do you put the clip on without the weight!?! No idea, but in my groggy state I managed to do it. People at WHC must think I am insane.... 

 

For time:

50 Front Squats @ 45lb

25 Burpees

50 Box Jump Overs - land on top of box, then move to other side

25 Burpees

50 Back Squats @ 45lb

14:28

This was so much harder than expected. The front and back squats were the hardest which is odd because squatting is one of my strong points. The other week I was front squatting 95# for 10 reps, and after the first 20 reps of front squat at a mere 45# I had to take a break, wtf?! Also, I did not appreciate the 25cm of snow I had to trudge through on the run to and from the gym thanks to those people and businesses that did not shovel!

My First Socks

Everyone says that once you knit your first pair of socks you will become addicted. I really enjoyed making these, mostly because of the gorgeous yarn, but if I am already addicted to knitting in general how much more can I become addicted? I ended up going on an unexpected business trip and fortunately had a sock cast on and ready for easy transport so I could knit them on the plane. I think socks are the best travel project because they are small and the dpns are so tiny (toothpick sized really!) that I don't think customs could misconstrue them for weapons. Maybe weapons for mice?

I used Misti Alpaca Hand Painted Sock Fingering yarn in I think Noir Noir, but I lost the tag. I LOVE  LOVE LOVE this yarn and the colour. It's made up of 50% Alpaca 30% Merino, 10% Nylon and 10% Silk. This was the first time that I knit something with the specific yarn recommended in the pattern. And since I didn't do a gauge swatch (bad Char, bad!), it's a good thing I did that! Here is the free pattern from Misti Alpaca. The pattern is really easy to follow and is a good pattern to use as an introductory sock since it's all stockinette stitch except for the top lace detail for the women's pattern. I also lost track at how long I was making the ankle portion and made it quite a bit longer than what the pattern said, so I just made the pair the same length. After the Turn Heel section that is worked flat, I got a bit confused by the foundation row since you aren't working all the stitches on that needle right away. But if you just do what the pattern says and don't over think it like I always do, everything will be peachy.

Now since I know how to do cables AND socks, guess what's next?! CABLED SOCKS!