Coriander-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

To be fit and healthy, we need to shift our focus toward more fruits and vegetables and away from refined grains and high-fat meats. The meat in this dish is a succulent and lean pork tenderloin. It takes up only a quarter of the plate but still satisfies. I usually serve this with my cauliflower mash posted back on 5/11.


What You'll Need:
One 1- to 1-1/4-lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed 
2 tsp. Dijon mustard 
1 Tbs. coriander seeds, crushed 
1 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed 
1 tsp. salt 
1 Tbs. olive oil 


Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

Spread the mustard evenly over the pork and then sprinkle with the coriander, peppercorns, and salt, pressing so the spices adhere.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork, turning it with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Put the skillet in the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer in the thick end of the pork registers 155°F, 18 to 20 minutes. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing thinly.

Split Pea Soup

This recipe is easy, delicious, healthy and you can eat off it for days!

What You'll Need:
1/4 cup olive oil
6 oz. each chopped carrot, celery and onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz. dry split peas
1 ham steak chopped (I usually only use 3/4 of the steak)
1 cup pearl barley
salt (I use celtic sea salt) & pepper to taste

Preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan/pot. Saute carrots, celery and onion until tender and golden. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two. Add in the split peas and 8 cups of water. Add salt and ground pepper. Then add in the chopped ham steak and pearl barley. Simmer one hour covered. You may need to add another cup of water if you do not like your soup too thick :-)

A new chapter...

So this is my first week starting OPT Big Dawg Training...I thought my body felt beat before, this is a whole new level! But instead of getting discouraged it only makes me want to get stronger and better. I am so excited to see what the future holds for me, making new accomplishments, setting new goals, etc. Best part about it is, I get to do it with my best friend and husband, life couldn't be better right now. Oh, and new recipes to come soon I promise!

Metro Dash Orlando 2011

Last weekend Yelena, Laura and I participated in Metro Dash, Orlando, {www.metrodash.com} which was a blast! We went into it "for fun"...yea right who are we kidding... we still haven't stopped talking about how we want a do-over to really give 100%! Out of 70 individual female competitors Laura finished 6th, myself 13th and Yelena 18th. Imagine if we would have gone beast on that race lol?! So basically my point is, always give 100% for fun or not, no regrets! Gotta thank that Crossfit Redline training too ;-) Had a blast girls!

Meat Sauce with Gluten-Free Pasta

This is my moms recipe with some of my tweeks, I use all olive oil instead of butter and oil and I use gluten-free pasta! Instead of eating this for dinner AJ and I bring it for lunch or eat after out workout for the perfect combo of protein and carbs! And it tastes so good!

What You'll Need:
4 tbsp olive oil
6 oz. onion, chopped
6 oz. carrot, chopped
6 oz. celery, chopped
1 lb. lean grass-fed beef
1 can (28 oz.) good crushed tomatos like San Marzano, can get at Whole Foods or Fresh Market
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry red wine
fresh basil leaves, about 8
celtic sea salt & ground pepper
1 lb. gluten-free pasta

Preparation:
In a medium pot, saute onion in 3 tbsp of the olive oil. Add celery and carrot. Saute for a bit before adding the garlic. Saute until golden and soft.
In a separate pan Saute beef in the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Drain any excess liquid.
Combine vegetables and meat.
Add wine until evaporated. Add sauce, basil, salt & pepper (to taste). Saute 30 minutes.
Ad meat sauce to cooked pasta and enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok so I said every once in a while I have to bake something bad, well here it is, I promise you the BEST chocolate chip recipe, enjoy!


What You'll Need:
10-3/4 oz. (1-1/3 cups) unsalted butter, cold  
1-1/2 cups packed light brown-sugar 
1 cup granulated sugar 
2 large eggs, cold 
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract   
17 oz. (3-3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour 
1-1/4 tsp. table salt 
1 tsp. baking soda 
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 


Preparation:

Arrange oven racks in the upper and middle positions of the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F.
Using a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, starting on low speed and gradually working your way up to high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 min. once you reach high speed. Scrape the bowl and beater. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on low until blended. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 min. Scrape the bowl and beater.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add this to the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended; the dough will be stiff. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop rounded measuring 1/4 cups of dough about 2 inches apart onto two ungreased baking sheets ( I very lightly grease mine). Refrigerate any unused dough. Bake until the bottoms are golden brown, about 10-12 min., rotating the sheets halfway through for even results. Remove the sheets from the oven, let sit for 3 to 5 min., and then transfer the cookies with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool completely before baking the remaining dough.
OMG soooooooo freaking good!

Reflection...

I just wanted to share some things I've been thinking about lately about my Crossfit journey. I feel  like lately I continue to surprise myself with the daily accomplishments I am making. Thanks to the most amazing and encouraging coaches at Crossfit Redline I feel like there are no limits right now! Last week we had to jump over  a box 5 times for a warm up. I initially looked at the box and said no way I cant do that. I stopped my self for a second and thought about some encouraging words I have been getting..."Believe in Yourself", "You Are Strong", etc. I took one look at the box and with no hesitation jumped. Made it over easy, then completed the other four. I thought to myself, why do I doubt myself?! I can do this, I can do anything that I put my mind to! I am strong, I am an athlete! I just need to believe it, not sometimes, all the time.
I have also made some incredible friends. The people I train with are genuine, kind, encouraging and we all understand each other because we are all there going through the same thing when we are there, and we come for the same reason. We have a passion for it, a desire to do better and be better, and if we miss a day we think we are missing everything! To explain this to someone "outside the box" is almost impossible, they don't get "it", they don't get "us". So thank you to all my coaches and my fellow athletes and friends...for making me better.

Olive, Garlic and Lemon Chicken

This is a new recipe I am going to try this weekend from www.paleodietlifestyle.com. It sounds delicious! I don't like olives so I am going to choose to leave those out!


What You'll Need:
1/4 cup butter (or ghee), tallow, coconut oil or poultry fat
1/2 lb black olives (kalamata), cut in half
8 chicken thighs, with bones and skin
3 cups onions, sliced thin
30 gloves garlic, minced and smashed almost to a paste
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 extra lemons, thickly sliced (remove seeds with the tip of a knife)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
A bunch of picked thyme leaves
Sea salt (I use Celtic Sea Salt) and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Melt the first  1/4 cup fat in a large and hot pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. It will take about 6 minutes total. Set the chicken aside.
Cook the onions until soft, about 3 minutes, and make sure to scrape all the delicious chicken bits off the pan while doing so.
Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, until fragrant. You can season with salt and pepper at this point.
Add the chicken stock, thyme and lemon juice and return the chicken thighs to the pan, skin side up.
Bring to a simmer and put the pan, covered, in the hot oven for about 20 minutes.
Remove the lid, add the halved olives as well as the lemon slices and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes uncovered.
Serve the chicken with the olive, garlic and lemon sauce as well as with some of the lemon slices.

Memorial Day BLT Burger

What You'll Need:
1-1/2 lb. lean grass fed beef (grass fed optional) 
1 tsp. coarse salt 
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 
4 slices best-quality cheddar cheese (optional)
4 gluten-free hamburger buns 
8 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and drained on paper towels 
4 leaves green leaf lettuce 
2 medium or 1 large beefsteak or heirloom tomato, thickly sliced 
1 avocado, peeled and thickly sliced 


Preparation:

Put the ground meat in a mixing bowl; sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Mix gently and briefly to avoid overworking the meat. Shape the seasoned beef into four patties that are about 1 inch thick.

Prepare a hot charcoal or gas grill fire. Grill the burgers, covered with vents open, until nicely marked and cooked to your liking (about 7 to 8 minutes total for medium-rare). Don’t press on the burgers while they’re cooking—you want to keep the juices inside the burger, not on your grill. Top each burger with a slice of cheddar in the last minute of cooking so that it melts slightly.
Transfer the burgers to a plate and tent them with aluminum foil while you toast the buns briefly on the the grill, cut side down. Serve the burgers on the buns, topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado.

Coconut/Macadamia Crusted Chicken

This is great to pre-make and take as part of your lunch, small  meal,  or have for dinner with a green veggie, a must try!

What You'll Need:
4 oz. macadamia nuts, chopped
1/4 cup flaked/shredded coconut (unsweetened of course!)
4 chicken breasts (about 1 lb, I prefer to use cutlets)
1 egg, beaten

Preperation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking rack with cooking spray, placing it over a cookie sheet.
Combine macadamia nuts and coconut on a large plate. Dip each chicken breast in egg, then coat with the nut/coconut mixture.
Place the chicken on the baking rack and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
NOTE: If coating starts to burn, cover chicken with foil and continue to cook until done.