Hello! it has been way too long..again. Life gets in the way and I find myself not making enough time to work on my blog/website. I have been training extremely hard this past year so I can do better in The Open. The CrossFit Open is a 5 week competition that started 2/24/17. Each week on a Thursday at 8 p.m CrossFit HQ announces what the WOD will be that week. Each athlete has from Friday-Monday to complete the workout. You can do the workout as many times as you want. Monday night you submit your score online and see where you stand in your fitness compared to other men or women your age. It is a true test of fitness!

17.1 was pretty brutal metabolically. I kept a steady pace throughout, doing all snatches and burpees unbroken but when I got to the 50's I tried to pick it up a bit. I ended up having to do 10 snatches at a time, take a 10 second rest then I did 10 more etc. The 35# dumbbell did not feel heavy at all which was surprising. When I look back I should have kept that same steady pace and tried to go unbroken with the snatches when I was in the 50's this would have cut a minute off my time. My time was 17:58 RX. I finished well before the time cap so I am happy! It is Sunday morning and I am contemplating on trying it again before I submit my score. Hmmm..not sure I want to be that uncomfortable today. Stay tuned.

Mark's time: 16:09 RX
Chloe's time: 200 reps RX

Workout 17.1
For time:
10 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
20 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
30 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
40 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs
50 dumbbell snatches
15 burpee box jump-overs

Men use 50-lb. dumbbell and 24-in. box. Woman use a 35lb dumbbell and a 20" box.

Time cap: 20 minutes

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Holiday and that you are ready for some new 2017 goals! I am ready to make 2017 the best year yet. At 46 years young, I am certainly "older and wiser." I finally stopped caring what people think of me, I am so much better at speaking up when a person is mean or disrespectful to me. For years my older sister Trish would tell me, "Caitlin, you are too nice, you have to set boundaries with people." I am finally listening. Lol. It is a wonderful place to be!

Let's focus on our health this year and stop obsessing about the scale. Feed your body fresh fruit and vegetables, grass-fed meat, fresh organic eggs, eat nothing processed, drink plenty of water, get enough exercise and sleep 7-9 hours per night.

Below are my 2017 personal goals and fitness goals. Please feel free to share your goals too.

My 2017 Goals...

-Enjoy everyday
-Stop complaining.
-Surround myself with positive like minded people.
-Accept the little imperfections that come with aging...it is what it is, right?
-Become a better listener like my sister Trish and BFF J.A.
-Be more affectionate...become a hugger...hard for me. Not sure why. You have to hug me first then I will hug you unless you are my child or husband then I am fine. Lol.
-relax more often.
-throw out all the junk in my house!
-I am sure there is more I need to work on but this is a start....

FITNESS:

get a Ring Muscle-up and a Bar Muscle up
Come in the top 200 for The CrossFit Open 2017 (I have an 80% chance if i can get a MU)
overcome my fear of heavy power cleans
string 10 chest to bar pull-ups in a row.
run a little less so I can get stronger for CrossFit.

My newest Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. It is delightful!!

Paleo, Soy Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup of Blanched Almond Flour
1/2 cup of Flaxseed meal
1/4 cup of Coconut Flour
1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of Kerry Gold Grass-Fed Butter (melted)
3/4 cup of Coconut Sugar
6 tablespoons of Almond Butter or Cashew Butter
1.5 teaspoons of Vanilla
1 large Organic Egg
1/2 cup of Enjoy Life Chocolate chips

STEPS:

1) Place all ingredients in a large bowl except the Enjoy Life chocolate chips.
2) Mix everything together with a mixer.
3) Stir in the chocolate chips.
4) place 1-2 tbsp of batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
5) bake for 7-9 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees.

ENJOY!!!

I am always in search of a new amazing brownie recipe. I changed around an old brownie recipe to make it new, exciting, HEALTHY and absolutely delicious! You can use your nut of choice...pecans, walnuts and even chopped hazelnuts taste decadent with the dates and chocolate combined. If you have a nut allergy replace the 1.5 cups of nuts with 1.5 cups of enjoy life chocolate chips. The best part of this recipe is that it takes literally 10 minutes to make and you do not have to bake it. What a bonus! These brownies are paleo, soy free, egg free, dairy free and gluten free. Make them for one of your holiday parties and I guarantee that they will be a HUGE hit! 

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ cups loosely packed pitted dates
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or chopped pecans
• 6 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tbsp raw, creamy almond butter
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 stevia
• 2 teaspoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons of chia seeds
• ***if you have a nut allergy use 1.5 cups of enjoy life chocolate chips instead of the nuts and omit the 1 tbsp almond butter.

Death by Paleo Chocolate Brownie shown with pecans instead of walnuts.

ICING

1/4 cup cacao powder
¼ cup pure, organic, natural maple syrup or 1/4 cup raw organic honey
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

STEPS:
1. Soak pitted dates in hot water to soften them up.
2. Combine the dates, walnuts or pecans, 6 tbsp cacao powder, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1.5 tsp vanilla, chia seeds, cinnamon and stevia in a food processor until completely smooth.
3. Place a piece of parchment paper in a small brownie pan (8-9").
4. Spread batter in pan. 
5. Put the brownie pan in the refrigerator until chilled.
6. In a mixing bowl combine all of the "Icing" ingredients. Stir until it has a nice consistency that will spread evenly.
7. Spread the icing over the batter.
8. Refrigerate the brownies for 1-2 hours.

ENJOY!