Workout Catch Up & A Balanced Paleo Snack

Since starting the Paleo Challenge almost 2 weeks ago, my blog has taken a turn toward munches, neglecting the moves.  I assure you that I have been exercising (and journaling it so I can recieve my +3.)

So here is a recap of my past week of workouts:

Friday: This CrossFit WOD. My 1 rep max was 90#.  I attempted 95# 3 times, but it wasn't happening.
Saturday: rest (It was rainy and I was lazy.  I did cook Paleo shrimp enchiladas and key lime pie.)
Sunday: 6.5 mile run
Monday: rest (I intended to run, but met friends for a glass of wine instead.)
Tuesday: 5k run
Wednesday: this WOD.  115# for deadlifts and finished in 19:43.
Thursday: rest.  I couldn't motivate myselft to do anything. :(
Today: this WOD.  It's the first workout of the CrossFit Opens, which always brings energy and excitement to the box.  (I am not participating; I find it pointless to pay $50 to find out I'm not even close to the fittest woman in the world. Although, I am pumped for everyone from CF Lake Charles that is competing.)

Since I'm not running the New Orleans RNR half anymore (due to lack of funds for $300 a night hotel rooms), I'm attempting to run shorter runs at faster paces. I hate it.  Speedwork is the devil, but I am so very slow and want to get faster.  Especially since I've been talked into the ReAlliety challenge (a 3.5 mile mud/obstacle run) and I'm still so excited I could pee my pants about running the Blue Bell 10k.

Back to the munches...

Snacks have proved an issue for me.  I'm having trouble with the protein, carb, and fat balance.  (My CrossFit coach pointed this out to me in my journal review.)  So, I found a solution.  Bars with all 3 of the macronutrients that also satisfy my sweet tooth.

Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Bars 
modified from this recipe from Nourished Fitness
ingredients
2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
1/2 cup Almond Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Pumpkin Spice
1 cup Pumpkin
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted plus extra to grease pan
3 Eggs Whites


directions
Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingedients.  Separately, mix pumpkin, coconut oil, and egg whites.  Combine wet and dry ingredients. Grease a 9x9 or 7x13 pan with coconut oil.  Pour in mixture and bake for 35 minutes.

They aren't really sweet, but paired with a spoonful of almond butter are quite tasty.  I have also eaten them "cornbread style", with coconut-almond milk poured over a couple of pieces in a bowl.  It's nice to have something with a bread texture back in my life!

I do think I'm relying too heavily on protein powder, since my breakfast usually incorporates it into a smoothie.  I'm going to try to limit my use to one meal/snack a day.

Woe is me...

Tonight is a beer tasting at Hokus Pokus.  Regular readers know I LOVE these tastings (new readers can read about them here, here, here, and here). But unfortunatey beer is not Paleo, so I cannot partake. :(  But if you are a local reader, go check it out and taste one for me!


What are your plans on this Friday night?

Argentinian Wine & Louisiana Beer

Hokus Pokus Friday night tastings are kind of becoming a ritual.

This week was Argentinian malbecs and torrontes.  You can see a full write up about each wine as well as a little history on Argentinian wines here.

Here is my personal opinion of each wine.

Los Cowboys Torrontes 2010  The fruit in this one made it much too sweet for my taste.

Los Cowboys Malbec 2010  Flat and bodiless.

Jelu Torrontes 2010  After the first torrontes, I assumed I didn't like the grape.  This one proved me wrong.  It was dry and crisp and very good.

Jelu Malbec 2009  Much more round and flavorfull than the Los Cowboys malbec.  Still not as enjoyable as a good cab.

Familia Mayol Malbec 2009  My favorite malbec of the night. 

Familia Barberis Malbec 2007  It had a slightly wierd powdery after taste.  Did not like at all.

These wines were priced very well and I might have considered buying the Jelu torrontes or the Familia Mayol malbec if I thought I would drink it anytime soon, but I just haven't been in a wine mood lately.

After the tasting, another developing tradition is buying a single beer to try.  Last time I sampled the chipotle beer and this week I opted for Wells Banana Bread beer.

It was yeasty and banana-y, just like banana bread!  At first it was a little strange; I wasn't in feeling beer and wanted it to taste like a banana daquiri.  It comes in a HUGE bottle, so I thought I would end up wasting half, but the more I drank, the more I liked it.  There wasn't a drop left!

My friend decided to go local and tried the microbrew Dixie Beer from New Orleans. (It was founded in 1907.  Why have I never heard of it?!?!)

It tasted like a good ol' regular microbrew.  It was very flavorful compared to my normal light beer.  I am in love with the old school label!

Thanks, again, Hokus Pokus.  I have plans next Friday, but I'll see you in 2 weeks!


What is your favorite microbrew?  If your not a beer person, what is your drink of choice?

"What Whiskey Will Not Cure, There is No Cure For" - Irish Proverb



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Hokus Pokus, you've done it again.  Another Thursday, another tasting, another fun evening.

This go round, the liquor of sample was Crown Royal whiskey.

Now, I'm not a girl who is particular about alcohol.  I like beer.  I like wine.  I like rum, tequila, vodka.  I do not like gin.  But I LOVE whiskey.  Irish, Canadian, Bourbon, Scotch...I don't care, just give it to me.

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Actually, I do prefer Bourbon.  Specifically, Makers Mark.  Maker's Mark, if you are reading, I am open to a corporate sponsorship.

Here is how the tasting went down:

Crown Royal Original - $23.99

I skipped this one since I've had Crown Original like 1000 times and I don't love it and I had 4 others to taste and I'm a light weight and I hadn't eaten anything since lunch. 

Crown Black - $26.99



The rep explained this one as Crown's answer to a bourbon, comparable to Jack Daniel's.  I know Jack well, and this was no Jack.  I liked it better than the original, but still not my cup of tea.

Crown Reserve - $41.99





This one is aged a little longer than the previous two.  Well, some of it is.  Crown is a blended whiskey, so they don't actually put an age on it.  Some portitons of the blend may be older than other portions.  In order to keep the taste consistent from batch to batch, they are constantly reformulating the blend.

It was good, in an  "if someone gave it to me as a gift I would drink it" way, not an "I will go out and purchase this for myself" way.



Crown Cask 16 - $71.99



It is aged in French cognac barrels. The 16 is not the age (see above note about blending and not defining age), but a number that is on all French cognac barrels.  It smelled like cherries and I definitely tasted the cherry, also.  It was sweet and very rich tasting, but still not something I would drink on a regular basis.


Crown Royal XR - $109.99

The Crowning jewel.  (<---pun! haha.)  It, well, some of it (once again, see above note on blending) was aged in Waterloo barrels that were destoryed in a fire and are no longer available.  Therefore, once it is all consumed, it is gone forver.

I appreciated the opportunity to taste it, since it is a little piece of liquor history.

Smooth is the only word to describe it.  It was so easy to drink.  Still, I just wasn't into the flavor.  For $110, I would rather drink a nice scotch.

Overall, the tasting was very educational.  Crown is just not my brand of choice.  I'll leave it for the Canadians and stick to my American made bourbon.

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I did pick up some Shiner Cheer for after my 10 mile run on Saturday.

What would you guess this beer taste like?  Cinnamon?  Nope.  Spice?  Nope.  Evergreen? Nope.  Peppermint?  Nope.

It's peach and pecan and WONDERFUL!  I have no idea why Shiner chose this blend  as their Christmas beer.  It doesn't really taste like Christmas to me.  But it does taste delightful.

What is your favorite specialty beer?  If you don't like beer, what is your favorite cocktail?

I Thought They Said "Rum"

If there were an award for the worst blogger, I would win in the photography category.  My photography skills are, well, non-existent.  Worse than that, I forget to take pictures 95% of the time!

Hence, there are no pictures to show you of the rum and tequila tasting I attended last night. It was at  Hokus Pokus Liquor.

 Hokus Pokus does wine tastings every Friday night, but sometimes they do “special” tastings on Thursdays.  I have attended a scotch and a beer tasting on Thursdays. 

The rum to sample was Bacardi’s new Spiced Rum.  We compared it against Captain Morgan.

   

It was definitely much more flavorful than Captain Morgan.  It is aged in a bourbon barrel and the tastes of vanilla and oak really come through.  No contest, hands down, I preferred the Bacardi over the Captain.  And it’s a dollar a bottle cheaper!



How funny is this guy's race shirt?

The tequila we sampled was the Avion line.  Allegedly, this tequila is a big deal and made by some rich guy who owns a private jet charter company in LA.  The tequila has been featured on Entourage.

Avion makes their tequila with 100% agave.  They also slow roast the agave prior to processing it.  I was told this is not done with most tequilas.  I was also told that Jose Cuervo is awful because it is only 51% agave and 49% vodka.  But I like Jose Cuervo! J

We started with the silver.

It was not enjoyable. 

Then was the respado.

It smelled much sweeter than the silver.  It was better, but I still found it to have little depth other than strong alcohol taste.

Lastly, the anejo.

It smelled like cupcakes.  The alcohol rep said it was the vanilla I smelled.  I did not taste vanilla, though it had a little more flavor than the silver or anejo.

All in all, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the Avion line.  Maybe I’m just a cheap tequila kind of girl?

All that tequila and rum had me craving a draft beer, so we left Hokus Pokus and went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a few rounds.  The World Series was on…Go Cards!  But they lost. :(

I normally do not drink or go out on weeknights, but it was a nice change of pace.   All work (& workouts) and no play makes Miss Magnolia a dull girl.  Last night was exactly what I needed!

By the way, next Thursday Hokus Pokus is having a Crown Royal line tasting.  I love whiskey! You might just be able to find me there!

Have you ever been to a tasting?  Do you normally stay in on weeknights?