Here is a Paleo Pancake Recipe from one of our students:

GOOD MORNING – Perfect Pancakes

Ingredients:
3 whole eggs

1/2 cup almond meal

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup apple sauce or 2 bananas
2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut oil or EVO for cooking (go light on the oil, you just want a non-stick surface)

If you like fruit like I do, I recommend:

1 cup blueberries
1 apple, cored and chopped or
2 bananas sliced or
1 peach, pitted and chopped (this is my favorite!)

Prep:
Whisk or blend all ingredients until smooth (except blueberries or added chunky fruit). Fold in fruit. Cook in lightly oiled sauté pan or on griddle. ~2-3 min on each side or until bubbles are popped in the center of pancake.

*Keep them thin for a more pancake like texture.
**There are eggs in there, so you want them cooked thoroughly, but eggs make flipping these little suckers a bit tougher if you don’t have a good non-stick surface

For a tropical fruit syrup we took frozen pineapple, mango, and 3 tbsp coconut milk and cooked it in a sauce pan on low until it is mushy. The same can be done with frozen berries just leave out the coconut milk.

Eggs, Bacon, Fruit, Avocado & Paleo Pancakes

Skips Swimming WOD:

Swim the length of the pool and back
34 Squats (in or out of the water)
34 leg kicks in the water

3 Rounds for Time

Happy Birthday Skip!

~Coach Tiffany

 Tests at an outside laboratory of 15 protein drinks, a review of government documents, and interviews with health and fitness experts and consumers.  Showed that some protein drinks can even pose health risks, including exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals, if consumed frequently. All drinks in our tests had at least one sample containing one or more of the following contaminants: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Those metals can have toxic effects on several organs in the body.

The Spring Paleo Challenge was a huge success!  50 CrossFit Scottsdale students underwent the task of eating meats, veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and NO Sugar, and came out looking better, feeling better and performing better.  It was LIFE CHANGING to say the least.  This Paleo challenge was based on collecting points, improvement in performance on the WOD “Cindy” and improvement on measurements of body fat, inches and weight.

So here they are…WINNERS OF THE PALEO CHALLENGE:

The Ladies:
First Place:  Hallie F.
Second Place: Alison N.
Third Place: Stephanie B.

The Guys:
First Place: Bob H.
Second Place: Ryan M.
Third Place: Roger Z.

WOW!!  They rocked it!

Congratulations to everyone who participated.  Ultimately all of you won.  In reading your goals for the challenge and what you accomplished I am so proud of each and everyone of you.  The hardest part of getting and staying healthy is your nutrition.  If you changed even 1 thing about your daily routine from what you learned in this challenge you are better off because of it and that is a win for a longer, healthier life.

Winners will be announced Wednesday but here are some of the highlights from today:

The top improvements on “Cindy” were
Scott H. from 10 to 18
Jeff Z. from 7 to 12

 Mel from 18 to 24
Alison N. from 16 to 20

The guys averaged as a whole a 2 round improvement while the ladies averaged 3!  Stellar work CrossFit Scottsdale!  Enjoy the weekend and get your plan together on Sunday for the week.

As we near the end of the Paleo Challenge, the question has to get asked, was this just a “diet” for you or has your lifestyle changed? 

Paleo for me has become a lifestyle. It is the way that I eat most of the time.  My old habits of pizza on Fridays and baking cookies on Sundays are things of the past.  Instead I spend my Sunday’s making Paleo muffins, turkey burgers, meatballs, better barbeque sauce and roasted vegetables.  On Friday’s we grill out and maybe make some coconut ice cream.  I am certainly not Paleo 100% of the time but the majority of my food is Paleo.  I feel better, look better and perform better when I eat foods found in nature.  This is what keeps me eating this way about 90% of the time.  Ultimately I am 100% aware of how the food I eat affects me. There is the occasional time when I decide to eat whatever I want, Paleo or not.  Sometimes its worth it. Most of the time its not and so I go back to my normal routine of eating Paleo and all is good again.

My advice to you as the Paleo Challenge comes to an end is to eat whatever it is that you missed the most.  Eat a really good quality version of that food. Enjoy it.  But before you do, before Saturday think about how this challenged affected you.  What have you learned?  How did it change how you think and feel about food?  What parts of the Paleo diet have you turned into a lifestyle?

 ~Coach Tiffany

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Post your thoughts to comments.

CrossFit Scottsdale is now carrying  a delectable array of Paleo Women Snacks & Granola. Paleo Women was developed and launched by Chef and CrossFit fanatic Laura Keenan in March of 2010 because of the lack of Paleo style snacks out in the marketplace. Paleo Women creates “Paleo Style” Granola’s meaning, recipes designed with our cave dweller ancestors in mind. 

“Women” refers to our female ancestors who ”Gathered” nuts, seeds, berries, fruits, spices & natural sweeteners – so men these are treats for you too! The snacks are all natural, wheat & gluten free so for celiacs & vegetarians who are searching, the snacks are quite a discovery. For those looking for great snack fuel or post workout treat, you’ve come to a delicious place!  Available now for your Granola pleasure we have: Apple Crisp, Cacao Nut, Banana Nut Crunch & Cappuccino Crunch Granola’s.  Anyone who has tasted these Paleo pleasures has been very pleased indeed. For those of you in the Paleo Challenge, these snacks can double as a breakfast option as a cereal (try it with Almond Milk). Try them, I promise you’ll love them, even my kids can’t get enough…

Coach Naj

Here is the leaderboard at the half way point:

Cavemen:

Bob H. 238
Roger 229
Perry 225
Paul 218
Ryan M. 214
Ashley P. 209
Ted 209
Branson 164
Stu 163
Chris T. 156
Jeff Z. 129

Cavewomen:

Hallie 240
Patty N. 227
Jane 216
Sara H. 212
Tiffany 211
Patty C. 210
Stephanie 209
Jaclyn 200
Dani 198
Melissa E. 198
Najla 192
Katie K. 178
Jennifer 168
Marguerite 166

Awesome job so far CrossFit Scottsdale! What results have you seen so far?

 These totals do not include week 4 and if you are not listed I don’t have your numbers.  Make sure you points are up on the tracking sheets in the gym to be included in next week’s leaderboard.  There are 2 weeks left to collect points.  Every point counts so let’s step it up! 

Finals are May 22nd.  You will need to come to either the  9am or 1oam WOD and the challenge measurement finals at 11:30am.   

Post results to comments.

We at CFS want you to achieve your paleo goals and we want to do everything we can to support you. So when you spoke, we listened:

“I want to look like superman, but my schedule is more like Clark Kent’s.”

“My ancestors were less hunter and more gatherer.”

“My energy level is closer to a hibernating bear than the caveman that hunted him.”

On the paleo diet, protien is key. While we all know that real food is the most important part of our diet, sometimes we need a little help meeting the protien demands of our CrossFit lifestyle. With that in mind, CFS is now selling egg protien for $35. That’s right folks, the same brand you find at supplement stores is now avaiable for $35 at CrossFit Scottsdale. Ask a coach how you can get yours today.

Thank you Chef Rachel for teaching us delicious, easy and creative ways to cook Paleo food!  The Paleo Cooking Seminar was a HUGE success!  Chef Rachel had such wonderful tips and tricks.  I know I can’t wait to get cooking! 

For those of you who missed it be sure to check out her blog at www.thehealthycookingcoach.com.  You can sign up for her online newsletter and purchase her Cookbook: The Garden of Eating.  It has amazing recipes as well as the how to’s on stocking and preping your kitchen Paleo style.  For those of you that were able to attend, post your experience to comments!

I know the weather’s getting chillier and some of you may be swearing off salads in favor of more cooked vegetables. Still many of you will probably keep consuming salads throughout the winter, paired with warm soups, stews, roasts, or grilled meats. I didn’t want to miss the chance to shear a cool salad recipe and time-saving technique with you.

Healthy eating just got easier

Are you looking for a way to make it more convenient to get vegetables into your daily diet? Do you rush out the door in the morning with a pack lunch that’s missing vegetables? Do you come home at night and want to get dinner on the table more quickly? Great leftovers are the key to packing great lunches and assembling low maintenance dinners.

Cook ahead

If you’ve read my cookbook, The Garden of Eating, or attended my cooking classes you know I encourage people to Shop Ahead, Chop Ahead, and Cook Ahead. I’m a fan of the “cook once, eat twice,” or “cook once, eat thrice,” motto. I almost always cook with two or three meals or days in mind. I cook extra portions of fish, poultry, or meat, hard boil extra eggs. I roast, bake, grill, or blanch vegetables and make soups with multiple meals in mind. Those planned-overs made it easy for me to assemble breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in a dash.

But what about green salads? Have you ever made a salad, dressed it, then stashed the leftovers in a  covered bowl and found it wilted, watery, and unappealing the next day? They don’t always work, particularly if your dressing contains salt or vinegar.

Salad keeping secret

Would you like to make a green salad today and have it look and taste just as delicious tomorrow and the next day? This summer I discovered a way to make green salads that last for several days and still look and taste great. Actually, my dear friend, Don, hit on this idea with no prompting from me. He shared his secret with me and let me taste some of the salads he concocted using his newfound technique. I made many batches this summer, changing the mix-ins from week to week, depending on what I had in the house and what sounded like it would go well with whatever main and side dishes I had on hand.

Olives and raisins together?

If you’ve never added olives and raisins to the same salad try it. It’s really delicious. You can experiment with different dried fruits, different salad veggies, and combinations of ingredients. If you add grated carrots, try using the super tiny hole on a standard box grater for an entirely different effect (more tender bites of carrot that spread throughout the salad). You can add a sprinkle of toasted nuts or seeds if you like.

Spice it up

If you want to spice up the salad at the table, you can peel, finely grate and squeeze fresh ginger juice or add a few drops of hot sauce to your portion of salad (not the whole salad) at the table.

So don’t be shy, give the recipe and variations a try and let me know what you think.

Tonight’s the night to get cooking with Chef Rachel!  Here is one of her recipes to get you started.  

The Everlasting Salad 

Prep: 15 minutes/ Cooking: 0 /   Yield: 4 to 6 servings                                                                                                                                                                                    
I don’t consider a bowl of lettuce or baby greens a salad. It’s a start, but it needs color and texture. My friend Don shared this cool tip with me for making a green salad that will keep well for three days in the fridge. It’s super convenient and easy to make.

 The trick is to coat the veggies with olive or avocado oil and to avoid adding vinegar, lemon juice, or salt to the salad. You can salt and other things at the table if you like. All measurements are approximate. You can vary the type of lettuce (romaine’s the most durable) and the colorful mix-ins. I like to start with a 4 quart bowl. I figure about 2 cups of salad per person per meal/day.

 Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups lettuce, washed well, spun dry, and cut or torn into bite-size pieces:

      romaine, red leaf, green leaf, oak leaf, Boston, buttercrunch, bib, lollo rosso lettuce, or some combination of 2 or more mild lettuces

1/2 small or medium red onion or 1 bunch scallions (green onions), sliced paper thin

1/2 cup red radish, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced or 3 stalks sliced celery, optional

1 or 2 medium carrot, peeled and grated very, very finely, optional

1/2 cup pitted black olives, thinly sliced into rounds or strips, optional

1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins, optional

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil (essential!)

1.   Layer vegetables in a 3- or 4-quart bowl.  Toss gently with olive oil  to coat. Cover and refrigerate whatever you don’t plan to use right away.

2.   When ready to eat, you can lightly season your portion with sea salt, pepper, or lemon juice as you like or toss with feta.

3.   Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Use within about 3 days.

Variations:

*    Experiment with different vegetables and combinations.