Eat more fat!

The monsoon continues as I sit and catch up on How the Universe Works, while I can. I wish it was a life requirement to watch this show. Supernovas, Birth of the Earth, Black Holes, ALIEN SOLAR SYSTEMS... how can you not love this show. Thank you SCI-HD, I sincerely hope that one day your channel will have better ratings than whatever channel Honey Boo-Boo comes on. Doubtful, but a girl can dream. I legitimately wish I could put that Honey Boo-Boo child in my Crossfit Kids program. My Kids are an inspiration to me and anyone who watches them train. One of them came freakish-ly close to knocking out an Iron Cross on Monday, one of them can already do free-standing handstand pushups, and ALL of them have the perfect squat position and really awesome attitudes. So, parents of my CFT Kids reading this: Good job! Parents who don't have a child in Crossfit Kids: I highly advise finding a program and putting them in it to better prepare them for other competitive sports and just being awesome at life in general.

(For anyone who doesn't know, that's what an Iron Cross looks like. Yeah, let that sink in.)

Speaking of Honey Boo Boo, her family and their obsession with cheese balls and Mountain Dew, one would think that an excessive intake of fatty foods is makes us fat. It's NOT! An intake of the wrong fats, excessive calories, carbs, sugars and physical inactivity are what make us gain weight. We actually cannot live without good fats- they keep our skin soft, provide essential fatty acids, deliver fat-soluble vitamins and are an excellent source of energizing fuel, even better than carbs or sugars. So, no you don't need to "carb-up"before you run a 5k. Much to everyone's surprise, glucose is not the king of fuels. Don't believe me? Do your own research, ya brats!

From medicalnewstoday.com:

"Carbohydrates are not classed as essential nutrients for humans. We could get all our energy from fats and proteins if we had to. However, our brain requires carbohydrates, specifically glucose. Neurons cannot burn fat.

1 gram of carbohydrate contains approximately 4 kilocalories (kcal)

1 gram of protein contains approximately 4 kcal

1 gram of fat contains approximately 9 kcal"

Obviously, you cannot completely cut out carbohydrates and depending on your pre-existing health conditions (diabetes, hypothyroid etc.) things would be a little different for you. I'm not a doctor (yet), I'm just saying grains, oats, quinoa*, Clif bars, those weird energy gel packs, Cheetos, Snickers etc. are not steady sources of energy by any means. Processed or excessive carbs can actually drive your hunger levels up.. Good choices instead? ALL vegetables, coconut water, coconut milk, nuts, seeds, sweet potatoes, apples, raisins etc. Though some are high in naturally-occuring sugars, they are all good sources of nutrient-dense carbs. 

*If you're questioning why quinoa isn't good for you, despite it being gluten free, read more about the high saponin content.

Choosing the RIGHT type of fats is very important for lowering your risk for heart disease and for making your body run like the well-oiled machine it was meant to be. But even though choosing healthier fats is better for your heart and energy levels, when it comes to your waistline, all fats have about the same number of calories. I'm not saying go back to counting every calorie, I'm just saying don't sit and eat the whole bag of Costco-size trail mix from then take a nap (guilty). 

Don't let this stress you out. It's very simple. Eat clean, eat well and eat until you're full, no more and no less. Straight from crossfit.com, "In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar."The majority of your intake should come from those just mentioned, adding fruit and good oils is perfectly fine too. 

According to my show, Mercury is going to collide with the "fiery hell hole" Venus in a few hundred years and now I'm hungry. 

Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 Bell Peppers

1 lb Lean ground turkey

1/2 Onion, chopped

2 cups cauliflower, grated (to resemble rice)

1 large tomato, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Crushed Pepper

Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Pepper, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme 

1. Clean and prep all veggies, deseed the peppers and preheat oven to 400.

2. Cook turkey in a skillet over medium heat, add sea salt, pepper, crushed pepper to taste.

3. Once thoroughly cooked, set aside turkey in bowl. 

4. Add onions, cauliflower and garlic to skillet with coconut or olive oil and spices (I used basil and a little thyme), cook until soft, then add in chopped tomato in the last minute or so. 

5. Add turkey to the veggie skillet and cook another 2 minutes before removing from heat.

6. Scoop turkey mixture into bell peppers, brush peppers with a little oil.

7. Bake peppers for about 15 minutes, or until somewhat soft and a little golden on edges.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium Sweet Potatoes

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

1/4 tsp. Oregano

1/4 tsp. Rosemary

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Peel sweet potatoes while they are completely dry (this will allow the oil mixture to coat well)

3. Cut potatoes into "french fry" slices 

4. Mix all the sea salt, pepper, spices and oil together in a medium size bowl

5. Toss potatoes in mixture and coat well

6. Lay potatoes flat on baking sheet

7. Bake potatoes for 15 minutes, flip them on other side and bake 10 more minutes until crisp. 

Homemade Ketchup

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste;

2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice;

1/4 tsp dry mustard;

1/3 cup water;

1/4 tsp cinnamon;

1/4 tsp sea salt;

1 pinch ground cloves;

1 pinch ground allspice;

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

1. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine. 

2. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop and enjoy!