CROF Weekly Update Special Recipe Edition

Happy Sunday from Boston!!

This weekend has been spent teaching, eating, resting and teaching more for me… what have you been up to?!

If you have a moment this morning to browse through some of the articles I am reading, definitely do so!

There were SO many good articles published this week! If you ever want to go back and review past articles I have linked to, go to the “News” tab on my website. All CROF Weekly Updates can be found there.

At the end of this week’s update I have something special for you. My clients have been killing it this week and all of them truly took their engagement with the #daretoeat program to a new level. I wanted to share their recipes with you because they were just *that* good.

Stop by, enjoy, email me with questions and HAPPY SUNDAY!!!

Personal Updates:

This week I was back in action at Cyc Fitness and loved every second of it. If you live in Boston and haven’t had a chance to take a fun, interactive spinning class with me at Cyc, book your bike NOW!

Catch me at 7 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday this week!

This week I accepted a new client from the Chicago area into my #Daretoeat Program and couldn’t be more excited to work with them. I love meeting new people and I love reconnecting with old friends (like this client) due to the nature of online business. I was so thankful she reached out.

This week I kicked my training up a notch and spent a huge majority of the week very sore. It blows my mind how sore you can get with such a small amount of work, but hey, as long as I am getting stronger I am okay with that.

Also, this happened in Barry’s yesterday and I was pretty stoked about it. Victoria did the entire workout with the *heaviest* weights she could handle and wanted me to make sure I told you guys she is *incredibly* sore today. Go, Victoria!

That is a 40 pound dumbbell. She used it the entire class and she did Double Floor.

Training:

Sunday: I managed to do a quick circuit, a bike ride and took three conference calls on a long walk through the neighborhood.

Here are the #throwback barbell weights from my grandpa that I used to do the circuit.

Circuit: 3-3-3 bodyweight pull-ups 10 push ups to count eccentric 8 presses per arm 10 reverse lunges per leg 6 heavy, 3 point rows 10 squat jumps -3 rounds-

You’re probably thinking I did a little too much exercise…. but the thing is, the bike ride we did was one hour of *downhill* riding. My forearms were literally screaming out of soreness the next day from squeezing the brakes the entire ride.

Oh yeah, and Jordan wore a snowboarding helmet. Hehe.

Here is a quick clip of my morning walk through the neighborhood. I will let the video speak for itself.

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: Lower body day featuring deadlifts

Due to only getting an hour of sleep Monday night (flights delayed and we got in at 2 a.m. I had to get up at 4 a.m. to teach) I kept my deadlifts at 205 for 3 sets of 5 reps. It felt challenging.

After deadlifts I did semi-heavy (135#) squats, RDLs, reverse lunges and deadbugs.

Wednesday: Upper Body featuring bench and weighted chins (finally!)

You all know how much I love weighted chin-up and I hadn’t been able to fit them in since the fourth of July! It felt great to get all 3 clusters of 2-2-2 on with a 20 pound kettlebell.

Thursday: rest day– I taught four fitness classes.

Here is an example of part of what we did at Barry’s this week.

Friday: Lower Body day featuring a new PR!!

I decided to do my 3 sets of 8 squats at 155. It was a HUGE deal. Check it out.

Saturday: Upper Body day featuring chin ups with a slow eccentric.

After the chins I hit some DB chest presses, tricep push downs, bicep curls and heavy rows.

Nutrition:

My senior year of college at Miami Univeristy I attempted the #Paleo lifestyle. At first I thought it just meant eliminating carbs and eating a lot of meat. But, as I read into it and learned truly what it all entailed I was shocked to know it advocated no dairy products.

As a motivated #paleo chick I followed the rules and omitted dairy. I cut out the greek yogurt and cottage cheese I had trained myself to eat (because the bodybuilders I worked with in high school at Lifetime Fitness ate them) and stopped buying milk and cheese at the store.

As you all know, I no longer do #paleo. I eat what I like, prioritize protein and practice moderation with pretty much all foods.

This week the biggest nutritional change/ weird thing that happened in my world was a CRAVING I had for cottage cheese. It came out of no where.

What’s even more bizarre is that two months ago Jordan bought some for me at the store and I couldn’t even stand by him when he ate it because I thought it sounded disgusting.

So what did I do?

I bought four fat-free packages and ate them with apples! It was delicious.

Lesson: listen to what you are craving. No food is inherently bad and taste buds can switch!

This week I made quest bar cereal again with Jordan. Here is how you prep the bars before they go in the oven at 375 for 5 to 7 minutes:

My low-cal meal of the week: Shritaki noodles (10 calories) with Spinach, mushroom and ground chicken (4 oz):

This week I ventured back to the scale to check my own progress. I weighed myself three times this week. I was 116, 115 and 117.

My goal is to hit 114 this coming week, as my monthly cycle stops and my diets has been very on fleek for a while.

I have followed my own #fatlosssystems (aka go-to meals) for three weeks unwavering.

What I am reading:

My faves this week are: #6, #10 #16 & #17

1. GGS Formula for Looking and Feeling your Best via Girls Gone Strong

2. Three Ways to Increase Your Ankle Mobility via Skill of Strength

3. 20 Mainstream Nutrition Myths Debunked via Authority Nutrition

4. Don’t Get Married to Percentages via Smoot Fitness

5. Flaxseeds 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits via Authority Nutriton

6. 5 Tips for Getting Lean the Right Way via Stacey Schaedler

7. Alternative Outdoor Summer Workouts via Rosenthal Fitness

8. The Difference Between External and Internal Impingement of the Shoulder via Tony Gentilcore

9. Stronger in 60 Seconds: Master the Pull-Up via Adam Pine

10. What Flexible Dieting Actually Looks Like via Sohee Fit

11. Expert Shows Exercises for Training the Hip Hinge via The PTDC

12. How to Do a Kettlebell Snatch via Girls Gone Strong

13. You Got Guru’d: Postexercise Cold Water Immersion via Bret Contreras

14. Why Do We Give Caffeine a Free Pass via Eric Cressey

15. Feed the Dysfunction: a simple squat fix via Tony Gentilcore

16. Does Calorie Counting Work? The Truth Finally Revealed via Syatt Fitness

17. How much should you workout for fat loss via Crossroads of Fitness

Exercise of the Week: Bent Over Row

This exercise is important to me because I am finally starting to feel my back when I do it. I have been doing them in a program for about three weeks now. However, I began working on them as far back as January at least every 10 days or so with Jordan.

Expert Tip: hinge over to make your back as flat as possible. Also, for women, imagine pulling the bar to your sports bra line. Picture your elbows having strings attached to them that hang from the ceiling, pulling them upward. A slight pause on the chest will make them harder.

For beginners I would try doing three sets of five reps with a mini barbell at 20 pounds. If you use the bar by itself, that is 45 pounds. Give it a go!

Client [Recipe] Spotlight(s):

1) Blacked Tilapia Tacos with Fruit Salsa from my client Ashley!

Recipe:

Instructions (Makes 4 servings/1 Serving is 2 tacos)

-Buy a pre-made blackening spice or make your own by combining the following:

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 ground red pepper

-Combine the following ingredients to make the fruit salsa (Any tropical fruit you like would work really)

1 cup chopped peaches
1 cup chopped mango
3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
Pinch of salt to taste

-Rub 4 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets with the spice blend you choose

-Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a skillet. Add fish and cook till done (about 4 minutes per side

-Divide cooked fish evenly among either corn or flour tortillas

– Top with fruit salsa

2) Watermelon Salsa from Ashley

Here’s a link to the recipe.

3) Deviled Eggs with Hummus from Meredith

Here’s why Meredith came up with this recipe and the one below:

“There are some days when I know I am going to eat something later in the day that will not be “balanced” in terms of macros; for example, if I know I am going to have a cocktail or beer later in the day. I have been playing around with meals recently that are protein packed but still interesting and tasty, so that on days when all of my carbs are going to be ingested in one go, I can pack in the protein beforehand – without having to just drink protein shakes or eat egg whites all day. These are a couple examples of protein packed meals I’ve made for this week, one for breakfast and one for a snack. I’ll have these when I want something salty, and a protein shake or Quest bar to satisfy the sweet tooth, so I have the ability to have a beer, or a cookie, or whatever carbs I planned on, later in the day. 🙂

Recipe ingredients:

dozen eggs
80 grams hummus
8 oz tuna
80 grams of greek yogurt

Directions: boil eggs while you stir together tuna, hummus and yogurt. Drain eggs and cut them in half length wise and remove yolks. Insert mixture

Calories per 1/2 egg: 26

Protein: 4 grams

4) Veggie Frittata by Meredith

Recipe ingredients:

egg beaters (small carton)
4 oz of roasted turkey
brocoli chopped

Directions: Mix all of ingredients and add to a cupcake pan or bread loaf pan. Cook at 350 degrees.

Caloires per 1/3 of loaf: 124

Protein: 24.8 grams.

#DARETOEAT