All of that being said, I bring you a fantastic new resource.  Kelly Starrett, a  doctor of physical therapy, badass whitewater kayaker, and owner of San Francisco CrossFit has started a new blog called Mobility WOD.  Kelly is a constant source of knowledge for all of the WCCF coaches, and where a lot of the flexibility moves you see every day in the gym come from.  In other words, if you like what we do in the gym, you should listen to this guy, he knows his stuff!

Mobility WOD

I hope you all enjoy it.  I am keeping my eyes peeled on it.

-Ryan

The Current Options are as follows:

Tu/Th: 10am

M/W/F: Noon

Tu/Th: Noon

If it looks like Noon will be the time, we are considering a 40 minute class so that we can get you guys in and out on your lunch break.  What do you guys think?  We are quite open to any and all ideas.  Want to see some of these classes be a bit more focused?  A weightlifting class?  A beginners class?  An advanced class?  Let us know in the comments here on the blog.

Please only vote if you plan to attend the classes.  Click the link below for the poll:

Wine Country CrossFit’s New Class Poll

-Ryan

Dave has sent us another fantastic looking recipe:

Shrimp stuffed Avocado Salad

There are 15 grams of fiber in 1-medium Avocado…Who needs whole grain anything?

Build one of these for a cool and crisp change of pace salad.

A base of spring greens
6-Lg Avocado halves
Painted with Lime juice and sprinkled with Sea Salt and Black Pepper.

Filling:
There is always extra so I just pile it in the middle of the plate after filling the Avocados.

Blend in a bowl…
1/2 cup ground nuts from my nut jar. Raw Coconut/Pecan/Walnut/Almond /Macadamia nut meats.
20 med cooked shrimp(31-40) size ran through the food processor or minced fine.
A sprinkle of sea salt
1-Tbs. of yogurt
A sprinkle of Red Chili flakes for kick.
Mix it up and fill the Avocado’s like a deviled egg!

Topping:
more extra here too-
Do the food processor thing to:
3-Little Persian cucumbers whole or one big regular one (with the seeds taken out) but do not peel it.
1/4 cup Lime juice
1/4 cup of Raw Pumpkin Seeds
a touch of Salt and
3 Tbs. Minced Candied Ginger (yep)..or some plain…but not as much. Raw ginger is good but (coarse) and it overpowers this way to easy..so I went for the candied. It went over well with my tribe.

Blend it good….it will become a soupy Relish.
Put a dent in the filling and spoon on the Cucumber Relish topping.
Sprinkle some diced Scallions over it all and Serve it up!

As always…..Experiment with food and flavor.
Eat Well
Dave

Candied Ginger- One of the only sweet things (besides me) and Raw Honey in my house.
I eat it with 99% Pure Chocolate.

-Ryan

Oven Roasted Beet and Vegetable Meatballs

This makes 12  real good sized dinner meatballs! As in 3 inches-ish.
More than enough for 4 and some for lunch the next day. Depending on how hungry you are!
These Larger size ones take 30-45 minutes to cook at 350 degrees on a pan in the oven.
If you make more and smaller(as in 1.5 -2 inch)…as little as 20 minutes to be just right done.

In a big bowl pile in the following:

2-lbs.  ground Beef
1lb- of Pork Sausage
OR
Any combination of ground meats and or Poultry can be used!
Experiment!…It’s all good. But this recipe uses 3lbs.

1-cup each of the following ingredients-

Coarse grated:
Zucchini
Red Beet
Mushrooms
And but only if you are into them a lot,
Sweet Red Peppers…or Green
Green tends to mask all the other fine flavors… I don’t use them but wont rule them out.

Fine grated:
Carrot
Parmesan or mix of your favorite “hard” cheeses.
Aged Romano, Asiago, Gouda, and Parmesan all work well.
There are many others…Just watch the salt content!

Finely chopped:
Onion

3- Large Eggs
Herbs, Salt, Pepper(s) and or spices of your choice to taste. I always add Oregano to the red meats and Basil to the poultry…Habit and it tastes good.
Garlic…you can never get enough Garlic
and
Believe it or not
A couple Tablespoons of Coconut flour to be the binder instead of Bread Crumbs.
This is not actually needed but it does throw a twist in that most folks find alluring and mysterious.

Mix it all together and loosely form into balls. The eggs and Coconut flour will hold them round.
Place them on the pan and Bake as per the directions in the beginning.

TIP:
The leftover juices in the pan make and excellent salad dressing mixed with just a touch of Balsamic Vinegar!!!
Eat Well
Dave
Shown here with a summer garden salad.

Enjoy!

-Ryan

Bacon, Apple, and Sweet Onion Yogurt Dressing by Dave Parsons

1-1/2-cups Plain organic cow or goat milk yogurt
3 or 4 strips of your favorite Bacon cooked and minced. Depends on your Bacon craving at the time.
1/2 cup of your favorite Apple minced
!/2 cup of a sweet onion( Vidalia type)

I process 2/3rd’s the bacon with the yogurt (Bacon yogurt…yum -yum) then add the other ingredients and stir it up..
you can also add ground or minced nuts, pepper, even a little mayo if you like. Just add more yogurt to keep a smooth flowing “dressing” consistency if you stack in more stuff! You know..Adjust it accordingly to your taste.
It does not have to sit and rest…you can make it and pour it right on.

On a Romaine and Tomato Salad…It’s  B-L-T  Paradise on a plate. Without the Grains.

Shown in picture below with homemade sashimi
Enjoy it
Dave

After the last Paleo Potluck, I had a few people who were interested in the recipe for my wife’s Paleo lasagna.  If you have been missing your Italian food fixes since starting our Paleo challenge, here is a great way to get all of your favorite Italian flavors without all the processed junk noodles and non-paleo badness:

Ingredients

Enough zucchini to spread 2 layers of “noodles” in your baking dish (varies depending on size of the squash)

1 medium size onion

1 small can sliced green olives

2 container pre-chopped mushrooms

1 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes (diced or puree depending on how you like your sauce)

1 small can tomato paste

2 packages of sausage (I like to use the following from trader joes: 1 package mild pork sausage, 1 package Sicilian chicken sausage)

Directions

Prior to starting: chop onions, wash and slice zucchini to resemble ‘lasagna’ noodles.  If you’re feeling ambitious or have extra time, you can grill the zucchini in a grill pan to get the char marks and add extra flavor- just fine without that though! Preheat oven at 375`

Cut sausage out of casing and place in a pan large enough to brown the sausage + add the tomatoes.  Break up sausage into little pieces as it cooks, eventually adding the tomatoes and tomato paste.  Let simmer/reduce to a thick, although still saucy consistency.

In a separate pan, sauté onions and mushrooms.  As they continue to brown and cook down, add the small can of olives.  Turn heat off and let sit.

Now it’s assembly time! This should be familiar to you- alternate layers of sauce, zucchini, and the mushroom/onion/olive mix.  Place in the oven and cook between 20-25min, depending on your oven.  Let cool and serve- as one friend said…it taste like all the yummy pizza toppings baked in a dish!

*Attend the LEANing food Nutrition talk with Dr. Ryan Lazarus on July 27. Details below
* Eating: Paleo
* Cost: $30.00 (cash) to be put into a kitty
* The kitty will be divided in 2 for a FEMALE winner and a MALE winner
* 3 ‘Before’ pictures taken: front view, side view and back view. Men are in shorts and Women are in shorts and sports bra/bikini top. Please make sure you get in the gym during the week preceding July 27 to get the pictures taken.
* Each Monday your food log for the previous week is emailed to our LEANing Yahoo Group
* Anyone can enter the LEANing challenge, but to win you must submit your food logs each week and you must be a member at Wine Country CrossFit
* 3 ‘After’ pictures are taken on August 27, 2010 (or no later than August 31st)
* Wine Country CrossFit  trainers pick the top 5 men and top 5 women whose body composition changed the most
* Summer LEANing participants vote on the top 10 to determine the Winners
* The 2 winners split the kitty in half and receive one month of unlimited classes at Wine Country CrossFit
* The pictures taken are PRIVATE. The pictures of the top 5 men and top 5 women will be viewed on paper at the gym to determine the winners. We promise not to publish or distribute anyone’s pictures without their permission

Whether or not you intend to participate in the Sumer LEANing Challenge, you won’t want to miss this 45 minute presentation by Dr. Ryan Lazarus. He is a type I diabetic who has managed to cease his insulin injections due to adherence to the Paleo diet.

Seats are limited, and cost $5 in advance, and $10 at the door. Don’t miss it!

Please see any trainer to sign up to attend.

If you get an inkling that your workout is really tough this week, I want you to keep a thought in the back of your head this week for your fellow Wine Country CrossFitter, Alex Kongsgaard.  Yesterday, Alex set off on quite an ambitious journey.  For the next 50 days, Alex will be traveling by way of outrigger canoe a grand total of 1200 miles from Seattle, WA all the way up to Glacier Bay, AK.  This is no doubt a fantastic feat which he has been preparing for over the last few years.  Packed along with him, he is only taking the most essential of gear, which he can carry in a single waterproof duffel bag. Since he is a strict Paleo eater, Alex took it upon himself to dehydrate a large amount of Paleo food to take with him on the beginning of the trip. (If you can’t read the note, it is a list of the following:20lb meat, 9 onions, 3 peppers, 3lbs mushrooms, 3 eggplant, 5 zucchini, 3 cauliflower, and 5 beets.

We would like to take a moment to wish Alex the best of luck and safe travels! 

If you are interested in seeing how his travels are going, Alex is wearing a tracking beacon, you can see his progress and messages that he is sending out at Find Me Spot.

I have news for you; these little girls will knock your socks off!  Check out this video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

(It gets really good around the halfway point, trust me it’s worth watching the whole 8 minutes)

So…. I guess we have can keep working on that jump rope.