Good morning! Hope your Thursday is off to a fabulous start!
Dinner
As you can see, last night’s dinner was a good one! I practically licked my bowl clean. Dinner was Creamy Avocado and Spinach Chicken Pasta from paleOMG.
The recipe called for spaghetti squash, but instead I used up a couple of random boxes of pasta from our cabinets.
The dish was super easy to prepare and turned out great. I will definitely make it again””next time with shredded Parmesan on top. Mmm!
Snack
I ate dinner fairly early (5:30 pm), so a few hours later, I was hungry again. I broke out the leftover avocado and spinach sauce/dip (it’s really thick) from dinner and some Jalapeno Jack Pretzel Crisps to snack on.
Breakfast
On Twitter last night, my friend Clare asked me if I have ever made my “Oatmeal” Minus the Oats in the microwave. (She was looking for something Paleo she could make at work.) I had never tried (I’m worried it’d explode and make a mess), so I suggested making it the night before and eating it cold the next day. I actually had never tried this either, so I whipped up a batch last night to see how it would work. I had an almost-empty peanut butter jar (obviously – when don’t I?), so, after I made my “Oatmeal” Minus the Oats, I stored in there overnight in the fridge. The result: delicious! I think I might like the cold variety more than the hot stuff!
Workout
After breakfast, I headed to CrossFit to do 5-3-1 before the 9:00 AM class. My friend Whit was there early too, so we worked together on chest press and then did the WOD.
WOD:
AMRAP 18
9 Wallballs
9 Pendlay Rows
9 Bar Facing BurpeesRx: (135, 95)
L2: (95, 65)
L1: (75, 55)
BEG: (65, 45)Score = Total completed rounds + any extra reps
In 18 minutes, I finished 10 rounds + 3 reps and used 65 pounds (Level 2) for the Pendlay Rows. I was a sweaty, exhausted mess by the end. Good WOD.
Snack
When I got home from CrossFit, I made a protein shake with vanilla fitmixer protein powder, iced coffee, and almond milk.
Recently, I’ve received a number of questions asking what kinds of supplements I take on a regular basis, so here a quick summary.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor or Registered Dietitian. I take these supplements and they work for me. Please consult a medical professional before adding any of them to your diet.
Daily, I take:
- GNC Triple Strength Fish Oil 1240 (GNC sent this to me, but I’ve been taking daily fish oil supplements for years now)
- CVS Daily Women’s Active Multivitamin
- CVS Iron*
*Please talk to your doctor before you start taking iron supplements. Getting too much of it can be really dangerous. I don’t normally take iron supplements, but after my second colitis flare, my doctor suggested taking them (again) to help with the deficiency in my body and (holy insane amount of) hair loss.
Additionally, a few times a week, I add a few shakes of Portobello Mushroom Powder to my meals for a little extra Vitamin D in my diet. (Portobello Mushroom Powder? Say what? Wondering what the heck it’s all about? Here’s my post with an explanation.)
**Edited to add**
I also take probiotics. I totally forgot! When I was feeling (literally) crappy, I took them religiously every single day. Now that I’m feeling better, I seem to forget, which I know is really bad.
My doctor recommended VSL#3 to help manage my ulcerative colitis. After blogging about it, the company actually sent me some free samples, which was awesome. The VSL#3 seems to be working. I’ve been flare-free since February!
And, finally, I use BCAAs before and during my workouts and drink protein shakes after my workouts to recover/refuel/repair my muscles.
A few of you guys asked if I’ve noticed any changes since I started taking BCAAs, and I have to admit, I haven’t noticed anything””yet.
I first started using BCAAs at the beginning of July, but not very consistently. I kept forgetting about them, and I would just fill my water bottle with water for workouts. In the past couple of weeks, however, I’ve used them for just about every workout (before and during). I think they’ve maybe sped up my recovery time post-workout, but it’s still hard to tell if I’ve made any muscle/strength gains. I plan to keep taking them, so I’ll be sure to keep you guys in the loop about my progress in the coming months.
Question of the Day
Do you take supplements? If so, which ones? If not, why not?
P.S. I just read about this neat runner-dog service in Runner’s World the other day and just wanted to share. Jogs for Dogs connects runners and dogs to run together. (Yes, I already signed up.)