Author Archives: Alycia

For the Love of Food: Almond Crusted Spicy Pork Chops with a Hot Salad

Some people, when given a plate full of salad topped with chicken, will say “its not enough. I won’t get full”, or “I don’t like salads”. But if you put a plate of chicken, broccoli, zucchini, squash, cooked spinach, and cauliflower infront of them, they’ll gladly eat it and consider it a meal. Other than containing slightly more variety of vegetables than a salad, the only difference between plate 1 and plate 2 is the temperature and seasonings on the vegetables.

For most people, ‘cooking’ a salad is an easy way to show them that they do, in fact, like vegetables!

On a plate, combine some almond meal (Trader Joe’s has this pretty cheap) with some cayenne pepper, chili powder, cilantro and garlic powder. In a bowl, mix together two eggs. Drag 4 pork chops through the egg, then the almond meal, coating them on all sides.

Cook the pork chops in some olive oil on the stove.  Turn over carefully about halfway through. These were thick, so they took about 12-15 minutes total.

Meanwhile, gather some ingredients that you might put into a salad ( any veggies, really) and chop into small rounds. Rinse and chop a head of green leaf lettuce. I used carrots, zucchini and eggplant, as shown in this picture.

“Roast” some garlic in the microwave by peeling and poking 2 or 3 cloves, setting them on a plate with some olive oil, and putting them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Add them to the sliced veggies and cook in a deep pot, with some coconut oil and Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning.

Once the veggies have softened, add in the green leaf lettuce.

At this point, your pork should be done.

Put it on a plate and eat it. ( The audible “nom,nom,nom” is optional).

As Seen on the Internet: Baby, it’s Cold Outside

This summer in has been brutal, hasn’t it?

The heat is relentless and the humidity makes a short walk feel like a marathon.

Yet day after day, you leave your air conditioned home, hop in a 107 degree car, and drive to our gym…where we proceed to put your through unthinkable feats of strength, cardiovascular endurance, speed and stamina….all in this crazy heat!!!

We appreciate your dedication, and we want you to keep something in mind the next time you’re doing your 30th  burpee in a small garage on a 97 degree day…..Be Grateful It’s Not WINTER!

98....99...100!

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As Seen on the Internet: Fitness and Nutrition in a single picture

We found this gem on the CrossFit Affiliate Blog.

This guy from AK CrossFit demonstrates the important role that food plays in your training regimen.

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For the Love of Food: Chicken with mushrooms and roasted eggplant with a side of parsnip fries

This Just In: Parsnips are soooooo good! If you haven’t cooked them before, please try them in this recipe!

Chicken with mushrooms and roasted eggplant with a side of parsnip fries

Turn the oven onto 325 degrees and put one medium and one large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Cut 3 chicken breasts into 2 or 3 pieces each and drop them into the larger pot of water.

Slice two baby eggplants lengthwise into thin pieces, place them on a baking sheet and cover in 2T olive oil (not enough to saturate each piece, but try to get every piece at least somewhat coated)

Cut up 3 medium parsnips into chunks put them into the medium pot of boiling water.

Flip the eggplant slices after 8-9 minutes in the oven.

Slice up 1/4 of a red onion into thin strips and cut up about 6-8 baby portobello or crimini mushrooms into slices. Place both into a large saute pan with olive oil on low-medium heat.

Drain the water from the two pots on the stove after about 15 minutes, or when the center of each piece is white ( slightly pink in the very center is okay, just as long as it’s not fleshy). Set aside and let cool.

Remove the eggplant from the oven. The pieces should be dark, but not burnt, and should look pretty dry.

Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces, chop the parsnips into rounds, and cut the eggplant pieces in half.

Put the parsnips in a saute pan with 2T olive oil on medium heat and shake back and forth to coat all of the pieces. Flip the pieces over often ( just flip your wrist a little to get the pieces to ‘jump’ in the air.

Add the chicken and the eggplant to the large saute pan with the onions and mushrooms and mix the ingredients around. Flip the parsnips again!

Make a quick dressing for chicken dish – combine 2T olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, some stone ground mustard and some ground pepper.  Mix those ingredients together and pour on the chicken and other vegetables.

Flip the parsnips!

Serve and EAT!

For the Love of Food: Banana Custard

In the heat of the summer, there are some cravings that just can’t be satisfied without giving in. Try as you might, an apple just isn’t going to cut it when all you want is ice cream.  Banana Custard, (recipe originally heard on The Paleo Podcast by Robb Wolf) however, will be there when you need it. It’s the perfect chilly treat for those hot summer nights. It’s naturally sweet, and heavy on fat, so it actually fills you up!

WARNING: This stuff is addictive. After it’s solidified in the fridge, portion it out into smaller containers, or use this as a very difficult exercise in self control.

Slice 3 bananas into small chunks. Combine them with 2 cans of  coconut milk ( not light coconut milk) in a pot on the stove.

Cook on medium and stir for about 5-7 minutes, or until the bananas feel slightly softer than when you put them in. Sprinkle cinnamon, to taste.

Pour the contents of the pot into a blender (do this over the sink) and pulse on low, then high, for about 20-30 seconds total.

Pour into a container with a lid and refrigerate for 4-6 hours before eating.

ANOTHER WARNING: This is NOT something we recommend you make and eat on a constant basis over the summer. Rather, this is your new occasional indulgence. So treat it as such and save it for those times when other foods just won’t do.

For the Love of Food: Baked Salmon with Creamy Avocado Spread and Swiss Chard

Salmon is one of the few foods that has the creamy, delicious goodness of a gourmet dish, even when prepared using the simplest methods. Whether pan fried or baked, with toppings or without, salmon is a filling and very flavorful dish that can be enjoyed at a restaurant for $28 or at home for about $5- $6 per serving. As long as you are buying your fish from good sources, you will be able to avoid overcooking without any paranoia about eating raw fish. The salmon meat should flake apart when cooked, rather than looking like a tuna steak.

Rinse, remove stems and cut a bunch of Swiss chard into 2-inch squares or so.  Chop 1/4 of a red onion into long slivers and dice another 1/4 of an onion as well as 1/4 of a red pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place about a pound and a half of salmon, cut into 3 pieces, on a baking sheet. Line the sheet with parchment paper so that the salmon skin doesn’t stick to the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. When the salmon is done, it should be oozing a little fat (this looks white).

While the salmon is cooking, place the following ingredients into a food processor.

1 ripe avocado
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4 red pepper, diced
Garlic powder (about 5 shakes)
Paprika (3 shakes)
Red pepper flakes (2 shakes)
Salt and pepper (a little bit of each)

Pulse for about 30 seconds, add 2T of water, and pulse until all ingredients are blended together.the color might be a brownish green. That’s ok. It’s less about how it looks and all about how it tastes.

Pour some olive oil into a large pan and sautee the sliced red onions until they get soft. Add the Swiss chard and cover for 5 minutes. Uncover and, stir, cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Don your finest ‘around the house clothes’ and pair with a glass of your favorite wine.

You’re in for a gourmet treat tonight!

For the Love of Food: Collard Greens, two ways

Collard Greens are hearty, leafy greens and are a staple of the dinner table in the South . We think they should be a staple of your table, too. They are a great source of Vitamin C and fiber, they are filling, and they taste amazing!

Collard Greens with Portobello Mushroom, Red Onion and Mustard

Cut off the stems of the collard greens, and cut out the stem from the middle, leaving just the leafy parts. Stack those up in a pile and chop them into squares. Rinse and slice a portobello mushroom into long (1/4 inch to a 1/2 inch thick) slices. Slice 1/4 of a red onion into long slices.

Put the portobello mushrooms and onions into a deep pot with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook on low to medium heat, covered for 3-4 minutes, then uncovered, until the mushrooms turn a darker shade of tan and the onions start to get soft. Add salt, pepper and a grainy mustard. We used a fig mustard that we bought in France, but any grainy mustard will do.

Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan ( if the collard leaves are still damp from rinsing them, then don’t add the water) and add the collard greens. Use tongs or a big spoon to toss the leaves around so they are coated with oil. Cook on medium heat, covered, for about 6-8 minutes, or until the greens look wilted and darker green. Stir every 2 minutes.

Collard Greens with Bacon, Cayenne Pepper, and Apple Cider Vinegar

Rinse, remove stems, and chop collards as described in the first recipe. Chop 1/2 of a white onion. While you’re doing that, cook slice three strips of thick bacon ( we use a nitrite and nitrate free Applewood Smoked Bacon from Trader Joe’s), cut into 3 pieces each, over low heat in a deep saucepan. When the bacon is 3/4 of the way done, add the white onion.

Slice 3-4 cloves of garlic into thin strips and add to the pot. When they begin to turn translucent, add 3 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons of cayenne pepper, a little bit of salt, and black pepper. Mix with a large spoon.

Add the collards, stir them with the liquid from the pot, cover and cook on low to medium for 10 minutes. They are shown below with delicious pulled pork and sweet potatoes. A Southern meal in a Jersey house. How about that.

WOD: Saturday, July 3rd

Skill:
Dumbbell snatch
Dumbbell clean
Mobility Exercises

Conditioning:
“1776″ Workout
AMRAP 10 Minutes
17 Dumbbell Snatches (alternating hands)
7 Dumbbell Cleans
6 Dumbbell Push Jerk

Cash Out:
Firecracker Sprints!

Attention: We will be closed July 9th and 10th.

CrossFit Aspire T Shirts are here!

Dear Members, friends, family and fans,

The first “official” CrossFit Aspire t shirts have arrived! They feature our logo set on bricks, printed on dark grey American Apparel t shirts. They are soft, comfy, and fit really well!

If you’re proud to be a CrossFitter, or to know one,  buy a t shirt and wear it proudly!

They are $20 (and they’re awesome!) and will be available beginning July 2nd.

We’d also like to thank our small, yet highly motivated group of founding members. You guys have helped us get our gym going, and we’re so happy to have had the opportunity to begin to work with you and bring you toward your fitness and health goals. Everyone has made noticeable improvements so far, and we’re super-excited to see what’s in store for the future.

-Alycia and Justin

For the Love of Food: Sun-dried tomato chicken with veggies over spaghetti squash

Meat and veggies = good for you.

Grains and legumes = bad for you.

More on that in another post.

A diet of only meats, vegetables, good fats, some fruit and some nuts is ideal. And that’s all that we eat, for the most part. However, every once in a while, the memory of a great homemade pasta dish, or a slice of doughy pizza comes floating into our heads. Do we give in, and indulge? Every once in a while. Do we knock it out of our heads and continue making a delicious meat and vegetable-based meal? Almost always. Or do we find a way to satiate that craving without compromising our healthy diet? Yes!

PASTA: You can twirl it on your fork, slurp it up off the plate, serve it with sauce, veggies or meats.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH: You can twirl it on your fork, slurp it up off the plate, serve it with sauce, veggies or meats.

Hmm…. I think we’re onto something. Here’s a healthy way to enjoy your favorite pasta dish without feeling bloated, tired or crappy afterward.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half ( use a sharp knife, a non-slip surface like a towel, and be very careful and slow) and scoop out all of the seeds and the stringy stuff in the middle.  Cook one of two ways:

OVEN: Place both sides down on a cookie sheet and bake for about 45min – 1 hour, or until the outside softens and the inside is all a darker shade of yellow and is more translucent than before cooking.

MICROWAVE: Poke some holes in the skin of the squash. Cook each side separately, face down on a plate in the microwave for about 8-10 minutes each ( check on it halfway through).

While that is cooking, cut up chicken breasts and boneless thighs into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a pan with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

Chop up some broccoli, red onion and white mushrooms and toss into the pan with the chicken.Stir and add sun-dried tomatoes from the jar, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.

When the squash is cooked, turn the halves over and let the insides cool a little. Then use a fork to scrape along the sides to get spaghetti-like strands of the squash.

Serve the squash with the veggies ontop, and a side of avocado, if you have it handy.

Buon Appetito!