The Challenge Is On…

Okay, here we go!  This is the first week of our “Lifestyle Fitness Challenge” with our Neighborhood CrossFit family and we couldn’t be more excited!  There’s no doubt this is going to be hard…I may not be able to get a shower every day, but I sure as heck will go the mile to cook healthy meals for our family! 

This fabulous folder holds all the info we need for the challenge….and they mean business!

“This challenge will be scored in four categories with a weight or percentage value given to each of the following areas.  Health Base Line (weight, LBM, resting heart rate, blood pressure) = 30%; Fitness (Bench Mark WOD’s) = 30%; Nutritional/Fitness Plan (logs – weekly WOD’s) = 30%; Understanding (written test on materials in packet) = 10%.”

This first week is to be considered our prep week where we will decide on the nutritional, spiritual and physical plans/regimen we want to take on during this 30 day period.  The hubs and I had already decided on challenging ourselves to a 30 day Paleo diet and since I had already prepared this week’s menu accordingly, Monday became our start date!  Spiritually, the hubs and I are going through the “Love Dare” together to not only strengthen ourselves as loving spouses to one another, but to prayerfully strengthen our bond as husband and wife.  And there will no doubt be tons of prayer, not only for ourselves, but for the others who are taking on this challenge as well!  Physically, we have committed ourselves to a minimum of 3 WODS a week at the CrossFit gym and will continue to keep Sunday as our rest day.  The hubs will continue his hard lifting at the gym and I plan to keep up my running on the off days. The “homework” part of the challenge includes keeping a log of our meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) and WOD’s, as well as reading the material provided for us in the packet.  I am looking forward to reading through the articles on the Paleo lifestyle and gaining more knowledge about CrossFit.

Lot’s of good food resources that are a huge help when planning meals and going shopping! And speaking of food, here’s a little taste of one of our first meals!  I decided to start with something I know we all enjoy and that is a “breakfast dinner.”  However, it was time to step it up a notch and make it a bit more hearty and healthy.Cinnamon Bread by Paleo ParentsLoved the flavor and the hardiness of this bread, however I think I baked it a bit long on my first go around.  I like a soft/moist bread through and through, and this one got a bit crunchy on the outside.  A little less time in the oven would surely do the trick!

And the main dish… Butternut Squash and Sausage Breakfast Hash

Ingredients:

1lb breakfast sausage or sweet sausage (I used Trader Joe’s Chicken Apple Sausage)

1 Tbsp olive oil + extra for roasting the butternut squash

1 butternut squash, chopped and roasted

1 organic yellow squash, chopped

5 large organic eggs, beaten (I added a couple tablespoons of almond milk to the eggs)

Sea salt and fresh cracked paper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat with cooking spray.  Peel and chop the butternut squash in half lengthwise.  Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and guts of each half.  Chop each half into1-inch bite size pieces and place in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle olive over the pieces and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Place in oven and bake 35-40 minutes or until squash is tender and begins to brown.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.  Add sausage and cook until browned and no longer pink. 

Add  yellow squash to the skillet and saute until veggies are tender.  Add the roasted butternut squash.

Pour in the eggs and cook until eggs are nice and fluffy!  Serve immediately.A very simple, but filling and delicious meal!  Though we had some green veggies on the side, I think next time I may add a little spinach to the hash as well.  And as an added bonus, there were leftovers (minus the eggs) for lunch the next day!  The hubs enjoyed the veggies and sausage straight up warmed, while I had mine straight from the fridge atop a nice green salad.

As we come to the end of this week, I think I have discovered that the cooking part of eating a Paleo diet isn’t going to be terribly hard, it’s the planning and prep that has to happen beforehand that is going to be the challenge for me.  I’m pretty used to planning our dinner meals, but with having to log our meals for this challenge I’m going to be planning breakfast and lunch meals as well. 

So, whether we win this challenge or not… “whatever progress we make toward honoring God with our bodies will bring direct benefit into our lives.  Our self-esteem will increase, along with our physical and mental energy, and our relationship with God will be enhanced.  It’s a win-win deal.”  - Bill Hybels

Have a blessed weekend!

Blessings,

J’lene