Where did I go?/Paleo Sweet Bacon Chicken

Where have I been? Seems like I was doing well there for a few weeks. 

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WELL.....I got pregnant, for starters! 

Can you see that widdle face?  This was at 20 weeks. I'm 27 weeks now. But, what is it? 

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IT'S A GIRL!
(Thanks, Mia)

My due date is April 13th and we're expecting little Lily Mae. 

Don't worry I know that it's something like .000001% (ok maybe that's an exaggeration) of babies are born on their due date so, yeah...

I was wondering if I'd even have a bump, since I'm a big girl. But, I definitely do. LOL

So that's been part of it. I looked back and I've been gone since the end of July. Grease Monkey got pneumonia for a MONTH. Then I got sick, too. Did a hero/partner WOD back in August then tried a competition for Crossfit, but missed my chance that day and had a meltdown and didn't bother trying to get into the competition (hormonal maybe?)

Yes, I'm still crossfitting. I'm so glad I came back after I was over all my sickness. Yes, I'm scaling weight, reps, rounds, whatever I need to (like grabbing the rower handle THEN sitting down because then I can't reach, and having Grease Monkey tie my shoes) I'm also not lifting weight from the floor, I've got my own jerk blocks. Kind of. 

Don't be jealous! LOL I have to get hubs to set this up every time I lift. HAHA!

Keeping up a cooking/workout blog was hard with all the morning all day sickness I had for several weeks. I still haven't been able to eat chicken or salmon at home. It's not the raw meat aspect of it, or cooking it, it's the smell and taste. I have had chicken sandwiches and salmon in restaurants, but can't seem to stand it at home. Another part of not updating has been this TREMENDOUS case of baby brain I've had. WOW! I really always thought that was made up. Nope. It's for real! 

So, where does that put the blog? Well, my intentions for now are to start cooking things up and coming up with a post, then saving it and setting them to maybe auto publish after my little ladybug gets here. :) But, until then I'll try to make recipe posts once or twice a week. Ambitious, I know. 

So, today I'll make a peace offering. 

Paleo Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken

For the last couple of years I've been making chicken wrapped in bacon rolled in brown sugar. Saw it on (say it with me) PINTEREST. And the husband LOVES it and so do I. But, it's a little TOO sweet. 

So, let's make it Paleo

8 Boneless Organic chicken breast halves

8 bacon strips

4 Tbsp Organic Honey 

(thankfully Grease Monkey's parents keep bees and we get organic raw honey)

3 Tbsp Mustard

2 Jalapenos, optional

Instructions: 

Flatten chicken to 1/2 inch thickness

Slice jalapenos in quarters length wise and remove all seeds

Wrap 1 slice of jalapeno inside chicken breast

Preheat oven to 400

Mix honey and mustard together in a bowl

Spread Honey Mustard on chicken

Wrap each piece in bacon

Place in baking pan

Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes

**Got this recipe from Jackie Ladner, so Jackie if you see this, here's your credit, it's DELICIOUS!! Just can't remember WHERE I got this from so I can't link it**

Before

 After

Hope you enjoy this like I did, even though it's chicken made at home. 

Tasty Tuesday-Paleo Greek Chicken

First, I have to brag on myself. I did something today that was on my "2013 Goal List" but honestly, between us, I really didn't think I would get there before the end of the year and if my calculations (and the googles) are correct I did it with 196 days left! :)

There was such a mental block in my mind against box jumps. I was so afraid I was going to hit my shins and fall over. I had no idea how high I could jump. So, after my WOD was over I saw a little girl at Crossfit Kids doing box jumps and figured, "Wow, if she can do it, why can't I?" (She has no inhibitions or fear, because kids don't and that's great... and is the daughter of one of the COOLEST ladies I know at Crossfit.) 

So, I pulled a 12 inch box out and tried to psych myself out to do it and I just kept stepping up or stopping or jumping one foot at a time. But, with everybody cheering me on and offering to hold my hand, I finally decided I had to do it for myself and get it over with so I would either get it done or have an eternal fear of box jumps. :) 

This is a video of the 3rd time I did it, the first time was finished with much cheering. I absolutely love my Crossfit family. They truly are the best. I can't believe the amazing support I find there no matter which class I go to, whether I know people in the class or not. It's phenomenal! 

Now, for Tasty Tuesday!

Today I have for you: Greek Chicken and Dairy Free Avocado Tzatziki Sauce!

Do you have to make it dairy free? Of course not. But, me being lactose intolerant gives me no other option. But, I'm telling you it's DELISH! 

Ingredients:

Chicken: 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced into bite size (or a little bigger) chunks

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

2 Tbsp olive oil

Tzatziki Sauce: 

1 avocado, pitted

1/2 cup plain So Delicious brand greek style yogurt

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp black pepper 

1 Tbsp lemon juice 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

Instructions:

-In a blender, add avocado, greek yogurt for tzatziki sauce and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients for sauce and blend again. 

-Put in a covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to eat.

-Take a gallon sized bag and add all of your chicken and chicken ingredients zip and shake. 

-You can use metal skewers or bamboo skewers and add chicken evenly spaced and grill about 5 minutes per side. 

-Serve chicken hot and sauce cold. 

IT IS TO DIE FOR!!! 

I'm so not a food photographer, but here's what it looked like with only a SMALL dollop of the sauce. 

SOOOO GOOD! 

I shoved a piece of chicken with sauce on it in Grease Monkey's mouth as soon as he walked in! LOL!

I would add rosemary potatoes to this and dip those in it, too.

I would do this with beef gyros on a pita. 

I would put it on a turkey sandwich.

Heck, I would dip tortilla chips in it! This will be your new BBQ/Picnic favorite! 

Make it and tell me what you think! 

Tasty Tuesday-Savory Salmon

I woke up at 6 something this morning to drag myself to crossfit. I don't know what it is, but in the mornings my sleepy face looks like this without the smile:

My eyelids droop when I'm sleepy so my eyebrows think they have to over compensate to keep my eyes open. UGH! 

Today is TASTYYYY TUUUUESDAYYYY! A little excited...so, today I've got a SUPER easy salmon recipe with a total of 5 count 'em 5 ingredients.

You'll need:

Salmon fillets (I get them fresh from the seafood counter at H-E-B, so the skins are still on and that's fine!) 

1.5 Tablespoons mayo (I use the kind with Olive Oil, because Grease Monkey buys the mayonnaise because he's allergic to corn and that kind is what he picked that was corn free)

3 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 clove garlic minced

1 tablespoon lime juice.

Preheat your oven to 400 F

Get a pyrex dish and spray it with Pam. Place your fillets skin side down in the dish.

In a separate bowl mix all of the other ingredients like-a-dees:

Now, brush it onto your salmon like-a-dees: 

Pop in the oven for 14 minutes and it'll look like-a-dees: 

Alright, I know I lost some of you at Mayonnaise. I'm not the biggest mayo fan either, but it's basically a vehicle for the other flavors, you can't even taste it once it's all cooked. Now, Flip your fillets over and take a fork, knife, spatula, finger, whatever's handy and lift up a corner of the salmon skin. It should pull off easily. Much more easily than before you cook it. 

Now, you CAN eat the skin. Don't look at me like that. You can eat the skin! It's got a lot of important nutrients in the skin that are stored in a fatty layer between the skin and meat and when cooked the skin soaks up these great Omega 3's. I don't eat it, but knock yourself out. 

Now, I need to go find my ice pack. I apparently pulled a muscle in my groin-ish area. I don't even want to say that because it sounds weird. But, there. I said it. I pulled my groin. My crossfit trainer looked at me like I was crazy and asked how I did that. Psh! How did I do that?! Maybe I ran 984 miles on Friday and did my best version of pistol squats (holding the rails on either side of me and leaning back with one leg in the air haha), jumping pull ups, sand volleyball, snatches and squats today and because I'M OUTTA SHAPE! (So, if you're reading this, Mike, that's why).

Oh, and then they asked me if I could do tumbles today.

So, I did pushups, because, I mean....this body is built for comfort not speed. I'm pretty sure if I started to tumble my body would be like, "Hey, you need to not do this, let's break your neck and lay in bed for the next year." CRACK! 

Either way, this was the WOD:

50 Air Squats to med ball

30 Thrusters

25 Knee to Elbow

15 Tumbles

25 Knee to Elbow

30 Thrusters

50 Air Squats to med ball

Did it in 21:00.    

What kind of recipe would you like to see next Tasty Tuesday? Main dish? Chicken? Beef? Crockpot? Breakfast? You tell me.