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

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!

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-food

File this one as one more reason to go Paleo.

-Ryan

On to the big announcement:  In the Men’s category, Brian Becker has won by a landslide, and on the women’s side it came down to a tie between Lori Barolo, and Mia Buehler.  The three winners will split the grand prize money, as well as receive a free month of training here at Wine Country CrossFit.  Congratulations!

Schedule Announcement:  No Classes On Monday May 31

In celebration of Memorial day, there will be no classes held at Wine Country CrossFit on Monday, May 31.  I hope everyone has a fun filled long weekend!

-Ryan

Need something to put your guacamole on?  Hankering for the tortilla chips you haven’t had for a few weeks?  Give these a try, I think they’re a pretty darn good replacement.

Note: when I made these this afternoon, I didn’t roll them thin enough.  The edges came out great, but the center was a bit soft.  Be sure to roll them out really thin.

Caveman Almond Crackers

Grand Opening!

Don’t forget we have our official Grand Opening this weekend.  Come on by the gym from 3-6pm for a workout, food and fun.  This grand opening is open to the general public, so please bring along any of your friends or family that might be interested in CrossFit.  Schedule of events:

• 3:15 – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony by City of Napa
• 3:30 – CrossFit Kids Workout
• 4:00 CrossFit Workout for Teens and Adults

Food and drink will be provided.  Hope to see everyone there!

-Ryan

TACO LESS TACOS

WE ARE USING ROMAIN HEART LEAVES.
VERY GOOD FOR JUST ABOUT ANY KIND OF “HOLD YOUR STUFF” HAND FOOD.

INGREDIENTS-
SOME ROMAIN LEAVES..NICE AND TACO SHAPED ALREADY AND DURABLE.
COOKED MEAT BITS.
ANY GRILLED STEAK. POULTRY OR SEAFOOD. GRILLED HAS MORE CHARACTER FOR THIS. BUT ANY COOKED-IN ANY WAY ITEM IS GOOD HERE. IT CAN BE TOTAL VEGETABLE FILLED BLISS IF YOU WANT.
GREEN ONIONS-HERBS-GARLIC..FLAVOR!..ADD FLAVOR WITH ABANDON!
SOME FUN STUFF…CHERRY TOMATOES-NUTS-SEEDS.
YOUR FAVORITE CHEESE STUCK IN..we wont tell!
EGG ITEMS WORK WELL TOO.
YOU CAN EVEN HAVE EGGS AND MEAT FOR BREAKFAST IN A LEAF OF DELICIOUS ROMAINE LETTUCE.
SO YOU GET THE IDEA..TAKE THE ROMAINE LETTUCE .
I FIND IT IS A VERY SATISFACTORY REPLACEMENT FOR BREAD.

So I know you are all scrolling down to this point after skimming the top thinking “Did he really say Paleo dessert?”  Oh yeah I said Paleo dessert!  As I am hoping each of you who are participating in the Paleo Challenge are finding, eating well and eating for your best performance and weightloss doesn’t mean you have to hate what you eat. 

My wife brought home something fantastic from Whole Foods the other day: Coconut Oil.  I am still pretty new to this stuff, so I am navigating my way around what might taste good cooked in it, but I will say that everything I have tried has been fantastic.  I cooked eggs over easy in it this morning and found out that even eggs are great with a hint of coconut.  You’ll want to get the Organic, Virgin classified coconut oil (there are multiple grades of the stuff, this is the highest quality, least processed, and has a fantastic smell)

As for a very simple, very delicious dessert.  Take some of that coconut oil from above and drizzle it over fresh berries (I use strawberries, you can dip them in if you prefer).  Coconut Oil is solid in state when kept below 76 degrees farenheit, which means in Napa in your pantry right now it would be solid.  Come Summertime, it might be a different story.  One way or the other, to get it to convert to liquid, you’ll need to heat it a little bit.  I put a spoonful or two into a small pan and heated it over low for 30 seconds or so.  The coconut oil melts much quicker than butter and is completely clear.  If you pour this over very cold or frozen berries it even has a “magic shell” (the ice cream topping from back before your Paleo days) effect of returning to its solid state.

Give this a try and let me know what you think.

-Ryan

If you have any questions about fish oil or want to learn more before starting, please don’t hesitate to talk to any of the coaches.  We are all fish oil addicts.

Finally, we will be holding one final Spring LEANing lecture this coming Thursday at 10am.  If you have not come to a lecture yet, and even have the slightest curiosity about what this Paleo thing is all about, please come on down.  This will be an abbreviated session.  We will try to keep it to 1/2 an hour or so.  Anyone who has already attended a lecture is more than welcome to join in for more info as well.

-Ryan

ryan@wccrossfit.com

Little ‘ol Me In Woman’s World Magazine

Shoot, it’s almost like this stuff works!

While you guys are there, check out Sarah’s Egg Cupcake Recipe.  I make them a little differently, but this goes to show that you can throw in all of your favorites, mix and match as you like.

A big congratulations to Sarah after all of her hard work!

For the Saturday crew, you have been practicing the Paleo diet for a couple of days now.  How is it going?  Post your thoughts to the comments.

Don’t Forget Spring LEANing Seminar Monday Night at 7pm

If you didn’t make it to our informational seminar on the Paleo diet on Saturday, don’t worry, you have another chance!  Come on down to the box at 7pm tonight (Monday).  Even if you did make the Saturday meeting, if you have more questions, or need more clarification, please feel free to join us again.  If you have time, come early and join in on the 6pm class while you are there.  We look forward to seeing everyone there.

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me: ryan@wccrossfit.com.

-Ryan

Our Paleo “Spring Leaning” Challenge is less than a week away!  With that in mind Lauren Pesch from the 6pm class came up with a great idea that we can share some of our favorite Paleo recipes here on the blog.  I have quite a few Paleo recipes that I really like, but I will need your help with this.  If you have a Paleo recipe that you are willing to share with the group, please email it to me: ryan@wccrossfit.com, and I will get it up here so that everyone else can give it a try.  If you have a picture of the finished dish, all the better.

Lauren said she would kick us off with a great Zucchini soup recipe that she just made, so here you go:

Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 bacon strips, minced (I used pancetta)
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium zucchini, diced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 4 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• ½ cup tomato puree
• 3 tablespoons tarragon or cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• ½ tsp salt or to taste
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Cook the bacon in a soup pot over medium heat until the fat is released and the bacon bits are crisp (6-8 minutes).  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook stirring frequently, until the onions are a light golden brown (8-10 minutes).  Add the zucchini, cover the pot, and cook until the zucchini starts to become translucent (5 minutes).   Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato puree, and vinegar.  Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are very tender and the soup has developed a good flavor (15-20 minutes).  Add the basil to the soup and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

A big thanks to Lauren for the great idea and first recipe!  I can’t wait to try it.

If you are still a bit apprehensive about the Spring Leaning Paleo challenge, don’t get too worried over it.  Remember, we have a 1 hour informational kickoff lecture this coming Saturday at 10am.  All of your questions will be answered there.  In the meantime, our friends at CrossFit Santa Clara have a fantastic blog devoted to their Paleo challenge.  I would highly recommend that you check this out post by post, beginning to end.

Another great source for information regarding Paleo is the book that started it all “The Paleo Diet” by Dr. Loren Cordain.  This book lays out the plan in very simple terms, with a full explanation as to why it works and the seemingly miraculous cures that a proper diet can make for folks with health problems.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me: ryan@wccrossfit.com

-Ryan

Chicken with Mushrooms and Greens from Everyday Paleo

I have a few favorite websites that I would encourage everyone to take a look at for some great ideas of how Paleo works, and how to make it a part of your daily life.  I’ll be posting them one or two at a time here in the upcoming blogs, so keep an eye out for them.

The first one I will throw your way is Everyday Paleo .  This is a blog written by a great CrossFit trainer up in Chico (She is actually who trains me when I go there to visit my family from time to time) which details the Paleo meals that she prepares for her family on a day to day basis.  It is a great way to get ideas for the age old question “What is for dinner tonight?”.

Tuesday and Thursday 6am Where You At?

I know I have blogged about this before, but attendance is really weak in the Tuesday and Thursday 6am classes.  If you are looking for a way to get some more attention, or the other classes are feeling a bit crowded, please come check out the bleary eyed coaches at 6am.  We are considering canceling classes if things don’t pick up.  We don’t want that and we know you don’t either, so come keep us company in mornings!

Post your thoughts and musings to the comments!  I want to hear from you.  What do you think about this Paleo stuff?

Oh man, I almost forgot today is P.R. Thursday!  Let’s hear about your P.R.’s for the week!  How’d that CrossFit Total go?  How about Fran, Annie, or Fight Gone Bad?  We had a lot of benchmarks in the last week, I want to hear some P.R.s!

-Ryan