Fancy Berry Nutmeal or It's Not Eggs

One of these days I will get better about writing my ideas down and reminding myself to actually post. Of course half of the time, even when I write things down, or set phone reminders, I still don't do it. Just one of the many things I need to work on to get better at life. Fortunately, today I planned ahead in real time.

After an awesome running WOD, (have I mentioned I hate to run?) I came home to carb load. But I don't actually eat carbs being paleo and all. So I whipped up some delicious nutmeal, which is like oatmeal but made with nuts. And yes, I realize that name sounds kind of gross and I should come up with something better. But honestly, that's what it is so there you have it.

A long while back, I pinned this recipe from Jennie Harrell at easypaleo.com. I make it pretty regularly because it's easy (food processor is the best invention ever) and tasty. Cooking just doesn't get any better than easy and tasty. In fact, in my house, cooking doesn't happen unless it's at least one of those two things. (I've tried a few easy things that were not tasty - it does happen.)

Jennie is a genius and her paleo oatmeal is to die for. But as Emeril would say, it was time to kick it up a notch. My non-paleo boyfriend is always hesitant to eat my paleo cooking. It's weird b/c 98% of the time he loves it. Usually, I just don't tell him it's paleo. I feed it to him, wait for him to praise the deliciousness, and then I tell him. I forgot my plan this time though. Over the weekend, I asked him if he wanted any paleo oatmeal (nutmeal sounds gross and I refrain from saying it out loud). He made a disgusted face and said no. But that's what was for breakfast so instead of fending for himself, he gave it the old college try. Per usual, he loved it. But the real shocker? He made it better.

He's an instant oatmeal eater - every day in the office actually. But he adds blueberries to his before warming it up with the water in the microwave. Being set in his ways as he is, he added frozen fruit to the nutmeal and heated it up with a little extra almond milk. Delish! The next day, I was in bad need of a protein loaded breakfast to hold me over for a 6 hour class. But I was out of eggs and very limited on time. So the aforementioned boyfriend, who is very smart, grabbed the leftover nutmeal, added protein powder, a little almond milk, and frozen berries. He popped that in the microwave and breakfast was served. He takes such good care of me :)

Instant success. So successful in fact, that is now the only way I eat my nutmeal. Allow me to lay it out for you.

1. Make easypaleo nutmeal - in real time or the day before. It keeps pretty well for a day or 2 even with the banana.
2. Scoop out the desired serving of the nutmeal into a bowl.
3. Add a scoop of protein powder (as much or as little as you desire). I use OhYeah! in vanilla. 
4. Add some frozen berries. I prefer Trader Joe's brand because there is no added sugar. I usually choose the fancy berry medley because not only is it fancy, it's delicious. (If you use fresh fruit, I recommend freezing it to reduce the mush factor when it's heated up.)
5. Top with almond milk (original, unsweetened - trust me, you won't need or want the added sugar). 
6. Heat in the microwave (for 1/2 the nutmeal recipe,which his about one serving, you will need 45-60 seconds).
7. Enjoy!

Pre-microwave with all of the mixins

Finished product. Nom nom nom. Be sure to enjoy with coffee. Coffee makes everything better. 

I did a pull up and I liked it

I'm a CrossFitter. And most haters folks who don't CrossFit will say 1 of 2 things about me: 1) that girl won't shut her mouth about CrossFit and/or 2) she cray-cray. Honestly, neither of these statements bothers me. The truth is I do talk about it. A lot. I live it every day. And I love it. Not to mention I am accomplishing amazing feats, of which I am really proud. Because of these things, I want to share it with others. I want to shout my success from the rooftops and I hope to inspire others to aim for goals they never thought they could accomplish or goals they never even knew they had. If that makes me crazy, I'll wear the badge proudly.

My success has been really unexpected for me. I've had a trainer and been a gym rat on several previous occasions but I never experienced results like I am experiencing with CrossFit. Why? Well I'm glad you asked. 

1. I love the exercise. It doesn't  even feel like exercise - at least not the exercise I was accustomed to with a trainer or boot camp or even aerobics classes. 
2. I go to a great box with an awesome coach and awesome fellow CrossFitters.
3. It's not torture to get up and go (and I get up and go at 5:00 am); I look forward to it.
4. Last, but certainly not least, and in fact, most important, I adopted the Paleo lifestyle when I started CrossFit. And let me tell you, those folks out there are right, how you look is at least 80% driven by what you eat. And you cannot outrun your fork. (Thanks to Steve Kamb from nerdfitness.com for the insight on the importance of eating real food. Seriously. Throw the lean cuisines away.)

Some of my success is visible to people. I lost 12 pounds. Doesn't seem like a lot but strength training has made a huge impact in how I look and my overall size. I've lost 4 inches from my hips, another 4 from my waist, and a final 4 from my bust. I've went from a size 6/8 to a 0/2. Most people think that's amazing and talk about how proud I must be. And I am. But not for the reasons they think I am.

Sure it's great to be smaller. But it's even better to feel amazing. And even better to push my body to limits I never thought possible. So while I'm pleased with my new size, I am even more excited about the two strict pull ups I can do and the mile I can run. Sure it was great to cinch the belt one hole tighter and then buy a smaller belt but it's even better to continually reach PRs on back squats, cleans, and dead lifts. Not to mention the physical accomplishments are still going where as the optical ones are done. I'm not losing any more weight, or shedding more inches. I'm building muscle and defining it. And I'm working to finish on top of the leader board every day. (Dominated burpees to end up #1 for the first time last week.)

But none of fitness accomplishments would be possible without changing the way I looked at food. I never would have been able to do one chin up let alone two pull ups if I continued drinking diet coke like water, eating several meals a week from a drive through, and thinking a cookie a day just keeps me feeling good. Wrong. A cookie a day keeps you off the pull up bar. How you look and what you are able to do physically has everything to do with how your fuel your body. If you put in crap, you're going to get crap out. In more ways than one. 

Paleo eating has changed my life. I have more energy, I sleep better, my skin is healthier and looks younger, and I can actually complete a lift. Oh and I no longer have chronic headaches plaguing me. I owe most of my nutrition success to nerdfitness.com and the sharing of information from Steve and his band of rebels. (A big shout out to paleomg.com for the delicious recipes.) If you need a place to start or you're looking for information about nutrition and training, definitely join the rebellion.

I'm continuing to level up and I can't wait to see what I can do next.