
Happy Spring everyone! With all this snow on the ground, I guess we can say that spring fever hasn't quite kicked in yet. Every time I walk by the door to our deck, I glance outside at our grill (that we have uncovered and used quite a few times this winter!) and can't wait to BBQ, sit on the deck and enjoy the sun and outdoors. Its been a rough winter, I am ready for some sunshine!
In the Crossfit world, we are in week 3 of the Open workouts. Last week was a very interesting. This workout took an approach on using lot of strategy and thinking out side the box. The workout was a 10 Min AMRAP (as many reps as possible) on 5 Shoulder to Overhead (75/115), 10 Deadlifts (75/115) and 15 Box Jumps. The big question/strategy here was do you jump on the box, or step up onto the box? (which typically isn't something that is allowed in a non-scaled competition). Competitors around the world took this on and posted some amazing scores. But of course with greatness, comes the doubt and disbelief. This brought the worst out in some crossfitters. These 3 movement apparently could be cheated relatively easily, or people just plain didn't understand the standards. I was appalled and saddened by some of the things that were being written on message boards to fellow athletes. The open certainly is about competition, but it is also about integrity and the unity of the crossfit community. Unfortunately, there are people out there who lack these ethics. They post scores that are not true to move them up the leader board, videos are discovered and they are clearly not following standards. The most unfortunate part, is these people will get to go to regionals over other who worked their tails off and entered their scores with truth and honesty. Once they get to regionals, their weakness with be revealed. But for the athlete who was in 49th place, when they only take the top 48, suffers. Its hard for logic to prevail over emotion when these things happen, but the past has past. We can't control it. Theres a new workout this week, and there will be 2 more after this. We are going to see more technical movements, (hopefully) some new workouts. So keep trying, stay focused, and dominate.
"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul" – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
So now after those deep thoughts, lets move on to the recipe! This is a great crockpot recipe. Relatively easy, and very flexible - Paleo Beef stew
In the Crossfit world, we are in week 3 of the Open workouts. Last week was a very interesting. This workout took an approach on using lot of strategy and thinking out side the box. The workout was a 10 Min AMRAP (as many reps as possible) on 5 Shoulder to Overhead (75/115), 10 Deadlifts (75/115) and 15 Box Jumps. The big question/strategy here was do you jump on the box, or step up onto the box? (which typically isn't something that is allowed in a non-scaled competition). Competitors around the world took this on and posted some amazing scores. But of course with greatness, comes the doubt and disbelief. This brought the worst out in some crossfitters. These 3 movement apparently could be cheated relatively easily, or people just plain didn't understand the standards. I was appalled and saddened by some of the things that were being written on message boards to fellow athletes. The open certainly is about competition, but it is also about integrity and the unity of the crossfit community. Unfortunately, there are people out there who lack these ethics. They post scores that are not true to move them up the leader board, videos are discovered and they are clearly not following standards. The most unfortunate part, is these people will get to go to regionals over other who worked their tails off and entered their scores with truth and honesty. Once they get to regionals, their weakness with be revealed. But for the athlete who was in 49th place, when they only take the top 48, suffers. Its hard for logic to prevail over emotion when these things happen, but the past has past. We can't control it. Theres a new workout this week, and there will be 2 more after this. We are going to see more technical movements, (hopefully) some new workouts. So keep trying, stay focused, and dominate.
"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul" – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
So now after those deep thoughts, lets move on to the recipe! This is a great crockpot recipe. Relatively easy, and very flexible - Paleo Beef stew
Paleo Beef Stew

- 2 lbs stew meat
- 1 can beef broth
- 1/2 apple juice
- 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (trader joes)
- 1/2 bag of baby carrots, coarsley chopped
- 2 onions
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 sweet potato
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 jalapeños (optional)
- Teaspoon of garlic powder
- Teaspoon of rosemary
- Teaspoon of thyme
- Teaspoon of cumin
- Teaspoon basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
You can also add optional veggies such as zucchini, summer squash, eggplant - the sky is the limit!
Optional: red pepper flakes to taste
- Chop up all your veggies - Carrots, Onions, Celery, Garlic, and jalapeños.
- Dump your broth, veggies and spices into your crockpot. Turn on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
Enjoy!