Fuel

You are what you eat!
We hear just as many questions about nutrition as we do about CrossFit. Many people have voiced concerns that the Zone and the Paleolithic diets can seem both difficult and restrictive in nature. Others have said that they don't know how feasible it would be to cook for the whole family, while staying within the confines of these dietary constraints. We're here to help. This blog is dedicated to supporting our community on its path to elite fitness by developing the most overlooked portion of fitness - nutrition!

Sure, an athlete may have a sub 3 minute "Fran", or 20+ round "Cindy", but if she isn't controlling her hormone levels through the drug we call food, she isn't realizing her full fitness potential. When an athlete gets his dialed in, he will experience positive changes in health, energy, and sense of well being, while shredding fat, packing on muscle and optimizing physical performance. Your nutrition will amplify or diminish the effects of your training efforts. That's why we're here - to provide you with the results you seek.

We'd like for you to use this blog as a resource for recipes, ideas, or as an opportunity to share your successes. Have you had a particularly good week of strict Zoning? Tell everyone! That's something to celebrate. Have you had a bad week? Tell us all about it, as our community is a supportive one. If you have a recipe you love, send it to us with a picture of you eating it. We'll try it and if we survive, we'll post it here. Together we can make this so much fun - but you can't be a part of it unless you get involved. So do it - NOW!

Resources:

Journal 21 Download Cfjissue21_May04 (The block bible)

Robb Wolf's shopping guide Download Shopping-food

CF Journal 15 Metabolic Derangement Download 15_03_Nutrition_Full_Issue

Link to the Performance Menu Cookbook Volume 1

Link to the Performance Menu Cookbook Volume 2

Free Recipes from Performance Menu

The Paleo Diet

Italian Fritatta

Posted on April 11, 2013 at 9:05 pm by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

: Italian fritatta, paleo and zone friendly.

Boun giorno!

We have found a very tasty Italian dish that you can make early in the week and enjoy for several days. It contains a combination of some good ole vegetables, eggs and sausage.

Ingredients:
8 eggs 8P
15oz of italian or breakfast sausage 10P
2/3 cup of diced onion 2C
2 1/4 cup of diced tomatoes 3C
12 spears of diced asparagus 1C
1tsp of minced garlic
1/4tsp of black pepper
1/2tsp of italian seasoning
1Tbl of olive oil

Preparation: Heat the oil in a large pan and then add the sausage. Let the sausage cook for 5-7 minutes, while the sausage is cooking pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add onions, garlic, and asparagus to the sausage and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Place the eggs in a large bowl and scramble with the seasoning and pepper. Add the sausage and veggie mix and tomatoes into the eggs. Once all of the ingredients have been folded in, pour into a 9″x9″ baking dish. Place in the oven and cook for 25 – 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Divide into six evenly cut pieces. This will make 6 meals at 3P and 1C. Add some Avo on the side and finish off with an orange for a 3P3C3F meal.

Boun appetito!

Kale spring salad

Posted on March 10, 2013 at 7:46 pm by CrossFit Verve with 2 Comments

This recipe brings the heartiness of kale together with the tanginess of Dijon mustard and flavorful veggies. This will be a great salad for lunch or dinner for the upcoming spring.

Ingredients:
4 cups of baby kale  2C
2.5 cups of sliced cucumber  1C
1 ¼ cup of chopped bell pepper  1C
150grams of sliced radish  Freebie
4 Tbs of red wine vinegar  Freebie
2 Tbs of Dijon mustard  Freebie
1 Tbs of olive oil 12F
12 oz of rotisserie chicken  12P

Preparation:

Shred the rotisserie chicken and set aside the rest of the meat for meals later in the week. In a large bowl combine all of the vegies and chicken. In a small bowl mix together the vinegar, mustard and olive oil until all have emulsified into a dressing. Pour dressing over the veggies and chicken and shake until all of the mixture is coated in the dressing. 3cups = 3P, 1C, 3F. Top off your Carbs with a tasty blood orange on the side.

No Potato! Potato Salad!

Posted on January 25, 2013 at 10:22 am by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

: 3 block lunch on the go, delish!

Ingredients:
2 heads cauliflower
3 cups diced celery
1 cup diced white or yellow onion
1 20oz jar dill pickles (NO sugar)
13 eggs
black pepper, paprika, 2 tbsp fresh dill (or dried)
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
yellow mustard

Preparation:
Start by boiling your eggs. Place 11 eggs in a pot with cool water so that they are all submerged. Bring water to boil without lid. When it comes to a boil remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid. Let sit for 12-15 minutes and then place eggs in cold water. Then, rinse cauliflower and cut off ends. Steam florets for 10-15 minutes until soft but not too soft! Place steamed cauliflower in large bowl and allow to cool (I stuck mine in the freezer for a few minutes). While it’s cooling dice your celery, onion, and pickles. Peel eggs and chop them as well. When cauliflower has cooled chop into small pieces. In a LARGE bowl, mix all chopped ingredients together. Now it’s time to make your mayo!

Mayo:
In a blender, add:
2 raw eggs
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp yellow mustard
pinch of sea salt
dash of paprika

Start the blender on a low setting and leave on. Measure ½ cup of olive oil. SLOWLY add in tiny amounts of the oil. For example, pour in a tiny amount every minute. This will help the mayo to become fluffy. Although because there is less oil in this recipe than others it will still be pretty runny. When it’s done, stir it into the cauliflower mixture. Add dill, pepper, more paprika, and any other spices you might desire (I added cayenne). And voila!! No potato, potato salad.
ZONE EXCHANGE:
1 cup salad= 1P 0.5C 2F

Meal idea (3 block): Use 2 cups salad (2p 1c 4f). Add 1 oz diced rotisserie chicken(1p), 1 cup cherry tomatoes(0.5C), and serve on a bed of greens (freebie!). Add 1 block fruit of choice. Note: Don’t worry about the 1 extra block of fat!

Flavored Water Recipes

Posted on January 25, 2013 at 10:19 am by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

We’ve heard and read it a million times, drink 64 ounces of water a day. I understand the benefits of drinking water, but the taste is just so, well tasteless. Most of the little packets you can add to water contain artificial sweeteners that aren’t the best for you even though they make water so much more tasty. Recently, I came across an interesting article that covered a few ways to make water more enjoyable.

Here’s a few simple recipes to make water fantasmical:

LEMON–MINT or LEMON-BASIL WATER

1/4 lemons, sliced
1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh mint or basil leaves
6–8 cups water
6–8 cups ice cubes
Fresh mint or basil sprigs

HONEYDEW–LIME WATER

1 slices of ripe honeydew melon
1/4 lime, sliced
4 sprigs of mint
1 half-gallon of water

HERB AND BERRY–FLAVORED WATER

1/2 cup fresh blueberries, lightly crushed
2 4–inch sprigs of fresh rosemary. lightly bruised (to release more flavor)
1 half-gallon of water

Please note recipes were changed to allow for a lower carbohydrate content. These and many other great ideas can be found here:

NancyCreative

With water this delicious, there is no excuse to not drink enough. Put some in your to go bottle or keep a pitcher handy at the house. Your body will thank you.

Sweet Potato Hash

Posted on January 25, 2013 at 10:18 am by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t love breakfast?! I mean, really, I could eat breakfast all day long. It’s the most important meal of the day, and having some veggies in it are a great way to keep your belly full of energy for the day ahead.

Sweet Potato Hash (RealFood/Zone Style)

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes 10.6 cups raw (~3-4 large)
Sausage, raw NO casing 5 cups cooked (~1lb uncooked)
Onion 7 cups raw (~2)
Garlic – 6 cloves
Salt
Pepper
Eggs
Olive oil (spray for pans)

Time: ~1 hour but worth it and you have plenty left over for other quick meals.
Zone: 1.5cups of hash equal 2.5C, 1P. Add eggs, oil to cook with and a little fruit to complete your breakfast.

Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 450
2. In a skillet brown the sausage. Make sure to get it as tiny as possible while it cooks.
3. Chop the onions into small squares. Measure out 7 cups.
4. In a skillet brown the onions. Cook until dark brown. Use cooking spray for the base.
5. While sausage and onions are cooking, begin chopping the sweet potato as small as possible.
6. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, spray with the olive oil and spread out the sweet potatoes as you chop them. Make sure you have 10.6 cups. I used two pans and spread them evenly.
7. As the onions are done, measure them evenly into the pans.
8. As the sausage is done, measure out 5 cups and spread evenly into the pans.
9. Add spices; garlic, salt and pepper.
10. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until they are soft and browned.
11. Now the hash is good to go into the fridge for amazing breakfasts.

Preparation in a meal:
1. Measure out the hash you need for 1 meal. See zone measurements above.
2. Spray skillet
3. Add hash to skillet on low heat (can do this in oven if prefer)
4. Add desired eggs on top.
5. You will not stir the entire time it cooks, can add a top to the pan if you want it to cook faster. Takes about 15-20 until the eggs are fully cooked through.
6. Add a little fruit to top off your blocks and enjoy. The fat is in the cooking oil.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Posted on January 25, 2013 at 10:15 am by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

Getting tired of the same old, same old breakfast? Want something hot that will stick to your ribs before a day on the slopes? Well we give you Stuffed Acorn Squash from PaleOMG, kindly zoned into yummy deliciousness by Ali and Robyn. THANK YOU!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs ground breakfast sausage (8P)
2 Acorn Squash (CHO varies)
4 T. dried cranberries (4CHO)
4 eggs(4P)
garlic
salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut Acorn squash in half and scoop out seeds. Spray acorn squash with little coconut oil and place face down on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees until squash is soft.
While the squash is cooking, cook breakfast sausage over skillet.
Once acorn squash is done cooking, remove from oven and let cool.
Remove insides of squash and measure out 4 cups of acorn squash and place in same skillet as sausage. If you have remaining acorn squash, spoon out into tupperware bowl and it is the perfect veggie dish for later in the week or paired with any meal for your CHO.
In skillet mix together sausage, acorn squash, salt, pepper, little fresh garlic and any other spice of your choice. Once all ingredients have cooked down together, add 4 T. of dried cranberries.
Evenly add back the acorn squash/sausage mixture to your 4 acorn squash skins.
Make a little spoon indent in the middle of acorn squash and crack one egg into squash.
Place back in oven for about 15 minutes until you get the desired egg-cooked preference.
One of the acorn squash halves = 3P, 3CHO, 0F

Energy Drinks

Posted on January 25, 2013 at 10:14 am by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

Lately energy drinks have been in the news. I consume one from time to time, this lead me to do some research on the amount of caffeine each one contains. Did you know they are not required to list the amount of caffeine on the label? Even when they do the reported amount can be way off.

Consumer Reports analyzed the caffeine content of 27 top-selling energy drinks, testing three samples each. Of the 27 only 16 reported the amount of caffeine in each serving. Of the 16 that did report their caffeine levels, five were off by as much as 20% compared to the stated levels. As a point of reference an average cup of coffee has around 100 milligrams of caffeine. Those little shooters similar to five hour energy have around 240 milligrams of caffeine per bottle. Experts say most healthy adults can consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day.

The intended extra boost of energy may actually lead to daytime sleepiness.

A recent study by the U.S. Army also concluded that energy drinks can cause daytime sleepiness and impair performance when too many are consumed. Around 45% of troops reported consuming one energy drink per day and 14% reported consuming 3 or more per day. Service members consuming three or more energy drinks per day were more likely to report sleep disruptions and were more likely to fall asleep during briefings or on guard duty, researchers said.

Just some food for thought.

Salmon Casserole and Fennel Salad

Posted on January 25, 2013 at 10:05 am by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

Nutrition is the foundation to a healthy lifestyle. There are many resources to keep you on the right path. Some of our favorite websites include: paleoplan.com paleomg.com emeals.com. We’ll be announcing the details of our upcoming Change Your Life Nutrition Kick-off this week, so keep your eyes peeled! It’s going to be the best one yet!

Emeals is a service that sends you recipes and shopping list weekly, with different meal options, we chose the Paleo option with our groupon deal. Here is a recipe from emeals that has been adapted to be zone friendly.

Salmon Casserole and Fennel Salad

Ingredients:

6 eggs 6P
9oz of smoked salmon 6P
1/3cup green onions chopped 1
1 1/4cup red bell pepper chopped 1C
1/2tsp of black pepper freebie
________________________________
For salad:
4Tbs of avocado chunks 4F
1 bulb of fennel, finely sliced 2C
1 grapefruit cut into small sections 2C
2Tbs of lemon juice freebie
21/3 tsp of olive oil 8F

Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grab your 12 count cupcake tin and prep it with a little coconut oil spray, or non-stick spray. Evenly divide the smoked salmon into all 12 spots. Combine the eggs, pepper, onions, and peppers in a bowl and mix together. Evenly add the mixture into the 12 spots. Place in oven and let cook for 20-25 minutes or until they are set in the middle.
While the casserole’s are cooking, we can prep the salad. Place the avocado, fennel, and grapefruit in a large bowl. In a different bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. After the liquids have combined, poor over the salad.
This meal makes 12P 6C 12F. Each casserole is 1P, divide the salad into four even servings for 1C and 3F.

Chicken Veggie Salad with Avocado Herb Dressing

Posted on October 1, 2012 at 9:05 pm by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

This recipe was adapted from www.multiplydelicious.com, adapted to zone quantities by Robyn! Cold or hot, it’s yummy and already zoned–YES!

Chicken Veggie Salad Ingredients:
1 pound chicken shredded (easiest way is to crockpot some chicken breasts/tenders)
7 slices bacon (save 1 Tablespoon + 1 tsp bacon fat for dressing)

2 bags broccoli slaw
1.5 cups yellow onion, diced
4 cups zucchini, diced
1.5 cups cherry tomato – halved
2 bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow are the best)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Avocado Herb Dressing Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons of avocado
⅓ cup fresh parsley
⅓ cup fresh basil
1 Tablespoon + 1 tsp bacon fat
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Juice of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 Lime
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt – optional

: Chicken & Veggies

Instructions:
1. Cook bacon- either fry or broil then cut up, and save some of the grease
2. In large pot over medium heat saute broccoli slaw, onion, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes for about 10 min. You will be able to tell when the veggies are cooked enough to your liking. Add garlic, herbs and seasonings, let sit while you make the dressing.
3. Add chopped bacon and chicken to mix, stir well.
4. For dressing; add all ingredients to a small food processor and blend away.
5. Add dressing to chicken veggie mix and stir really well

This makes quite a large batch, so yummy you will be able to enjoy it all week!
⅔ cup = 1P, 0.5 CHO, 1F
2 cups = 3P, 1.5 CHO, 3F

Hormones and food

Posted on September 25, 2012 at 9:09 pm by CrossFit Verve with Leave a Comment

Post by Chris Slaughter

Ever heard of Tony Sinclair? He’s that guy who says: “Everything in moderation- and that’s how you Tanqueray”. Well Tanqueray is gross in my opinion, however he was right about the moderation part. There are three hormones which I want to touch on: insulin, glucagon, and eicosanoids. The major point of the first two hormones is to regulate blood sugar levels.

Insulin is like a syringe that is injecting carbohydrates in the form of glucose into the cells of the body (the liver, the muscles, and fat tissue) where it is then stored as glycogen. This is fuel for the body. Glycogen is necessary and it’s AWESOME. This is what gives us our energy to perform a high percentage of the work. When blood sugar levels become high, insulin levels also spike up, and cause the body to store energy, stop using fat as an energy source, and attempts to ‘regulate’ the blood sugar levels.

When we eat high glycemic load carbs such as refined sugars, insulin levels spike and it’s like this hypothetical syringe is being pushed way too fast and jamming glucose into the cells of the body. This becomes a big problem when this is repeated and happens frequently. The cells of the body start to become insulin resistant and they say “no please thank you I’ve had enough” and the hormone is like “but take more I have much more to give” and then the cells are like “but I don’t want any more I’m stuffed leave me alone.” Anyways, the pancreas only knows that blood sugar is too high still, so it releases even more insulin.

See a really bad cycle starting here? This is where we get slammed with type 2 diabetes, and it’s very difficult to get out of this cycle once it’s started. By eating veggies and fruits with fiber and lower glycemic load carbohydrates, we don’t spike our insulin levels as much and we stay far far away from this cycle!

Glucagon on the other hand is released when blood sugar levels drop. Its ultimate role is to prevent
hypoglycemia, and it does this in a fairly complicated way. It first tells the pancreas “Hey we need to make a sacrifice to the sugar god,” and the pancreas decides ok we must start glycogenolysis and release glucose into the blood stream.

If you balance the levels of glucagon and insulin, blood sugar levels stay relatively the same as they were before you ate, but now all the sudden your muscles and liver are full of energy again. WHOA I know that just blew your mind. Zone-diet eating ring a bell here?

The last hormone to talk about is eicosanoids. These fast acting signaling hormones are super powerful and control inflammatory levels in the body, and are created from omega-3 and omega-6 fats (oils, nuts, seeds, avocado, etc). They act upon and control the immune system, inflammation system, vasodilatation, vasoconstriction, sleep patterns, adipose tissue differentiation, and the list goes on. This means that eating a good ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats and the right levels of insulin and glucagon will give you better sleep, less body fat, a better working blood delivery system, reduced inflammation after a workout, you’ll get sick less, and you’ll have more energy. I know it’s crazy, and the system is so complex it’s not fully understood. But the discovery of these signaling hormones won the Nobel Prize. So this stuff is legit.