One with the Rhythm

This blog post is about Nic Justice and his wife, Adrienne. Nic made a beautiful video about the art of jump rope and what it has meant to Adrienne over the years. The video is only a minute long, but it captures so much in that short minute. Enjoy!

From Nic:

This project is a brain child of my wife who also is the star of the show. If you haven't seen the video yet you will see that she is an expert at jumping rope. We originally wanted this to be a fresh instructional video but over time it morphed and changed into a more motivational project. We hope that this encourages you to go out and have fun, what ever that might mean. 

We wanted to show something simple that people draw pleasure from. For Adrienne it is jump rope, she was young and preforming on jum prope teams at Disneyland and the Jr. Olympics but the fun eventually faded under pressures of the situation. While she quickly stopped competing, she never stopped loving the act of jumping rope. 

When she will show someone a few tricks they don't know what hit them and demand to see it again. This is why we choose to do it in slow motion to allow the view at chance to see what is happening.

http://vimeo.com/62647855

10 Things I Learned at the Open

I'm a little behind again....will get back to regular posts soon and a recap of the Festivus Games from this past weekend. Enjoy this list until tomorrow's post which will be about a video Nic & Adrienne made a few weeks ago.

10 Things I Learned at the Open

Paleo Recipe of the Day - Taco Pie + Brussel Sprouts

A random post about brussel sprouts.... I went to Acme after CrossFit last night to pick up some groceries and found a steal in the produce department. They were selling a 2lb bag of Green Giant brussel sprouts for $1.99 - originally $5.99!! I thought they might be expiring soon because of how big a discount they were, but most of them looked fresh so I picked up three bags.

For those of you who have not tried brussel sprouts before, this is the time to finally get over your bs fears. I will admit, I never had brussel sprouts before I started Paleo. Now, they are one of my favorite side dishes and meals (brussel sprouts + bacon = perfect combination!)

Most of the time I follow the instructions on the bag - add olive oil, s&p and roast in the oven. They come out with a great char and taste SO good. Go to your local Acme and pick some up for a really good deal. The sale ends today!

Have any of you tried freezing fresh brussel sprouts? With three bags in my fridge and just me eating them, i'm thinking I will have to put a bag or two in the freezer. Want to make sure it's a good idea first.

Now onto TACO PIE! I started craving it earlier this week...have not made it in a few months. It's like a deconstructed taco, paleo style. Perfect for a family meal or just a meal for two. I made this for just my mom and I and had leftovers for the the next 2-3 days.

I did modify one part of this recipe, and it was kind of a big one. As you see, one of the filling ingredients calls for 1/2 homemade BBQ sauce. After I clicked on it, two of the long lists of ingredients for the BBQ sauce called for homemade ketchup and homemade mustard. Ain't nobody got time for that! I used Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce instead. A big paleo no-no, but I used it anyway and let me tell you....Sweet Baby Ray's is good stuff.

Taco Pie Recipe

Serves 4

Pie Crust Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour;
• 1/4 cup butter, or clarified butter, melted;
• 1 tsp salt;

Pie Filling Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef;
• 1 tbsp Paleo cooking fat;
• 1/2 onion, chopped;
• 1/2 cup homemade barbecue sauce;
• 1 cup lettuce, chopped;
• 1 red belle pepper, sliced;
• 1 avocado, chopped;
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste;

Pie Crust Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, butter and salt. Blend until a doughy texture takes shape.
2. Transfer the dough into a 9 inch pie dish and press it out evenly into the dish so that the complete surface is covered.

Pie Filling Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. In a large skillet over a medium-high heat, melt the cooking fat and sauté the onions in the cooking fat until they become slightly translucent.
3. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until the beef has cooked through.
4. Mix the barbecue sauce in with the beef and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 2 more minutes and then remove from the heat.
5. Pour the beef into the pie crust and place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
6. Prior to serving, cover the surface of the pie with chopped lettuce, red bell pepper and avocado.

Paleo Recipe of the Day - Apple Pie Caveman Bars

If you are on the Paleo Diet, i'm sure you have had Lara Bars. For those of you who don't know what they are, Lara Bars are pretty much the only bars "approved" for Paleo. Gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free. Most bars have only three to eight ingredients and taste great. My favorites are Apple Pie pictured below (dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon) and Banana Bread (almonds, dates and unsweetened bananas).

You can get them at any grocery store....Whole Foods, Wegman's and Acme. Haven't tried ShopRite. Whole Foods has the best selection and cost $1.39 each. Acme usually has just a few kinds, but they have had 10 for $10 sales recently.

For those of you who have more time on your hands, you can make your own Apple Pie Caveman Bars at home! I came across this recipe which looks very simple. If any of you make them, let me know how they turn out!

Apple Pie Caveman Bars

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup dried apples
• 1/4 cup raw almonds
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place your dates, macadamia nuts, apples, and almonds in a food processor or really strong blender.
2. Pulse until your dates, macadamia nuts, and almonds are in small chunks and transfer to a mixing bowl
3. Add in all remaining ingredients. Using your hands mix well to ensure an even coating of everything
4. Once mixed, using parchment paper, flatten out your mixture to the size of bars your want or you can use individual ziploc bags and form them inside the bag
5. Place in refrigerator and let cool, then enjoy
6. If these don’t taste like apple pie to you, then play with the spices, you can add some nutmeg or cloves and mix the flavors around. The possibilities are endless but make sure you come back and let me know what you used :)