Be Kind

Be kind. It’s so simple. Treat everyone with respect even if you feel they don’t deserve it. Smile at a stranger. Always say thank you. And don’t forget those kind little gestures to show someone you care.

Today at Starbucks I was $1.02 short on my coffee card. As I was scraping to come up with the change, an older gentleman behind me pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to the cashier and said, “this one is on me.” I insisted that it wasn’t necessary and I had enough money to pay. However, he just smiled and said, “No worries. You can get the next one. Have a great day miss.”

I think I just stood there staring at him baffled by his kindness to a complete stranger. He doesn’t know who I am, where I come from, and little did he know that I was in the middle of the craziest time at work. That gesture alone made my day. It found my smile that was in hiding.

Be kind because everyone you meet is fighting a battle. You never know how the smallest gesture can change someone’s day.

Easy Pulled Pork

This recipe comes from my amazing gym, Crossfit Verve. I made this last Sunday afternoon and I was amazed at how easy this was...I mean it literally took me 5 minutes! Not to mention...it tastes unreal! I this on my eggs in the morning, made lettuce wraps with it for lunch, and for dinner I had it with roasted veggies. It's a cheap and easy meal that makes a lot. Enjoy!

Pulled Pork

Ingrediants:
3 lbs pork, brisket or roast
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2.5 cups bell pepper, chopped
2 cans El Pato Mexican tomato sauce (7.75oz yellow can)
Half bottle Valentina picante sauce (12.5 oz bottle)
2 t cumin or 2 T curry*

Directions:
Add the pork, onion, peppers, sauces, and your choice of spice to a crock-pot. Set it on low for 6-12 hours, it's ready when you can easily shred the meat holding two forks. Set this up the night before, and let it slow cook all night. I do realize that Colorado has a great selection of mexican food. So I am not sure if this tomato sauce and picante sauce can be found in other states. My advice...experiment! If you only have a plain tomoato sauce, add some additional spices to flavor it up...such as chili powder, cayenne pepper etc.

* the cumin powder will increase the spiciness, while the curry powder will mellow it and sweeten the BBQ sauce--choose your poison wisely.

Be You

All the time, I catch people using the phrase "just believe in yourself!" It is such a simple, but hard phrase to truly follow. Since we are usually the hardest on ourselves, it is easy to doubt our abilities. We are all constantly pushed to be better and we are never satisfied with who we are. My amazing friend Tiffany defines success as doing your very best at that very moment. Meaning, we can't always be aiming for something higher. Each moment of each day is different and as long as we try our best in that moment...that is success.

Today I am going to focus on believing in myself. In order really do this, I have to let go of my baggage and just be me. Afterall, how can I believe in myself if I am working so hard to be someone else? To reach success, I have to believe and to believe I just have to be me.

Community

This past weekend, I was blessed to be around the most influential people in my life. I surrounded myself with tan, ripped, and spandex-wearing athletes from all around the world. I attended the 2011 Crossfit Games held in California!




If I had to chose one word to sum up my weekend….It would be EPIC! The crossfit games is comprised of the top 49 male and 49 female athletes from around the globe. They are put through 10 grueling work-outs to find the fittest man and woman on the planet. I was fortunate enough to have my very own coaches compete, Matt and Cherie Chan. In addition to cheering on the Chans all weekend, we had another Verve athlete, Jim, competing in the Masters competition. Crossfit Verve was represented to the upmost potential and I couldn’t have been prouder to be a part of it. Let me start by saying Cherie Chan is my idol. She is the true definition of a strong and beautiful woman. She put her heart out on the field and she had a smile on her face the whole time. Cherie finished 40th in the world! Jim was amazing! Every time I watch him compete, it gives me chills. He has a big heart and works so hard to make everyone proud. Jim at the age of 47 finished 7th in the world!! Last but not least….Chananimal (aka Matt Chan) was nothing less than spectacular to watch. He is extremely methodical and his capacity is amazing! Matt stayed very consistent throughout each work out and finished 1st in the strength portion. Overall, Matt finished 10th in the world!

I am always asked, why I love crossfit so much. It’s simple. I love it for the community. There is no other sport out there where you have the camaraderie that crossfit has. This past weekend, I watched competitors cheer each other on, help each other off of their feet, and stand by their side until they finished. Powerful stuff. There was one moment in particular that gave me goose bumps. During the final Team Event that would determine the Crossfit Games Champion something unbelievable took place. With only six teams in the final event, there were 6 stations that each member must compete. There was a 30 minute time cap to complete all the stations and winner took all. The stadium was completely filled! At the sound of “3, 2, 1…GO!”, the teams began. It was a race to the finish line and it was an EPIC battle for sure. When it was all said and done, I don’t remember the first place finisher. It was not something that stood out in my mind. What I do remember was all the other teams cheering on the team that got hung up at the first station. One team was not able to finish under the 30 minute cap because the first station took them about 20 minutes alone. Instead of walking off the field in defeat…the team kept going. Even though the clock had stopped, the judges had left, and the games crew started to pack away the stadium, the team kept going. Not to mention, all the other teams that had finished stayed and continued to cheer, count reps, and encourage the team to finish. It was amazing…not even one spectator left their seat. We all cheered just like we did for the other teams. We all stayed together until the end. This is community. No one left each other’s side until EVERYONE was done. It was an amazing moment that truly captured what crossfit is all about.

Throughout the whole weekend, I witnessed groups of crossfitters cheer on other gyms and individuals. I watched athletes complete their last rep and then immediately walked over to their competitor to cheer. They clapped. They yelled. They encouraged. No one was left out on the field alone. You see…today the world tells us winning is everything; the world says it is ok to celebrate and gloat in front of your competition; the world tells us to step on our competition and not to look back. The world is wrong and that’s why crossfit is going to change this world. Crossfit is passion, healthy competition and above all else Crossfit is community.


Above is Matt cheering on fellow competitor until he finishes!

As the sport continues to grow, so does our ability to share with the rest of the world what true competition should look like. So here is what I took away from this weekend. In essence, everyday is competition in one form or another. I am choosing to compete with a smile. I will encourage my competitors when I am done and I won’t let anyone stand on the field alone whether it is inside the gym or at home. I am going to compete everyday and help change this world one smile at a time.

Cherie Chan dominating the rope climbs!


Matt Chan during Ocean swim workout! He came in 1st for the swim:)

MEATLOAF

Alright, I know what you are thinking...Meatloaf? Yes, meatloaf is on the menu. This is by far the best meatloaf recipe I have ever found. This is my comfort food. Oh man this stuff is good! I made this recipe and had some squash noodles with it. This makes quite a bit, so it is perfect for taking with you to work for lunch. I actually have been eating this for breakfast too:)

MEATLOAF (Sweet Cheeks)

Ingrediants:
-1 teaspoon olive oil

-6 slices bacon, chopped

-1 medium red onion, chopped

-1 green bell pepper, chopped
-1 teaspoon crushed garlic
-3/4 cup almond meal

-1/2 cup coconut milk

-1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
-1 1/2 pounds ground beef (At least 93% lean)
-1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook 2 slices bacon, stirring, until almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add almond meal and coconut milk. Let cool.


Add ground meat and egg. Dive right in with those hands and mix it up! Transfer mixture to 2, 5-by-9-inch loaf pan and smooth top. Place remaining bacon slices over meatloaf. Bake until meatloaf is cooked through, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan 20 minutes before slicing. If you don't have the patience to let it cool and you cut into it right away like I did :) It will still be delicious, just a little crumbly.

Squash Noodles

There are so many nights that I get home from a long day at work and usually a hard work out at Verve, and the last thing I want to do is cook. BUT this is one of my "go to" veggie dishes that is simple and quick. I can make a lot of this at once and it goes perfect with any main dish.

I use Squash Noodles to replace pasta and it works like a charm! With the right sauce, these noodles are amazing!

Ingrediants:
- 2 yellow squash
- 2 Zuchini
- 1 T. EVOO
- 2 cloves garlic
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- Heat EVOO in skillet over medium heat.
- Cut squash and zuchini into long noodle-like pieces. I usually cut the squash in half and then cut noodles from there.
- Place noodles and garlic in skillet and cook about 6-10 minutes over medium heat until noodles are tender




Here is my FAVORITE pasta sauce of all time! It is soooo good. Trust me. Buy this! No added sugar with all natural ingrediants. Simply amazing!