#snatchsquat

I had the BEST birthday weekend last weekend. I got absolutely spoilt rotten (so many pressies!), and you'll be proud to know that I didn't break my Sugar Free Feb pact, other than a glass of sangria on Saturday night (I think there was some elderflower syrup in there) and some natural sugars at my birthday brunch. I even jetted down to the park on my birthday morning and did some skipping (not too many double unders though, the ground was a bit uneven). Success! 

My actual birthday (Sunday) I celebrated with a few friends and family at The Little Bird Unbakery in Ponsonby.

Ali bought me a stunner of a sunflower!

We were a little bit crammed...

...but it was 100% worth it. The highlights - Macca Cacao Coconut smoothie...

... Ginger & Raspberry Cheesecake...and so many more.

I was actually so busy having a great time catching up with friends I didn't stop and take many photos - thanks Jen for the last one! - but I guarantee you will love it if you like this kind of health focused nutritional food (some of the boys did decide everything tasted 'vaguely like seeds' so left to find some chicken...haha.)

The other thing I'm fizzing about is my gem flatmate Jenna bought me Dr Libby's book - what a perfect time to get stuck in to it! There is this beautiful recipe for Quinoa Berry Porridge that I'm going to take a crack at this week and report back.

When you're not eating for taste or pleasure regularly, eating can start to feel like a major chore. I always look forward to meals, and probably would even eat slightly before being properly stomach-grumblingly-hungry, but since the start of Feb, I've noticed I'm starting to put off eating until I'm STARVING and just have to make a choice. I guess this is where being creative and carefully prepared really benefits.

I went out and bought a couple of things to aid in keeping food interesting for another couple of weeks, and decided to get some Agave Syrup, Cacao Powder and Coconut Chips, that made a delicious breakfast after Crossfit. I mixed 4 tbs of Lite Greek Yoghurt, 1.5 scoops of Nuzest Clean Lean Protein and 1 heaped tsp of Cacao powder - result is a rich delicious chocolatey yoghurt that's still full of protein. I've replaced cereal with coconut chips, chia seeds, some almonds and some hazelnuts; as much as I love the Vogel's cereal, it does have some brown sugar and maple syrup which I obviously can't have. I add 1/2 chopped banana on top, and breakfast is done and dusted.

I'm not sure if you knew this or not, but there is a difference between Cacao and Cocoa powder. Once I'd spent the $20 it cost (ouch!) for the tin, I wondered if I'd been totally scammed, so did a bit of research. Cocoa is cacao that's been roasted at really high temperatures, which changes the molecular structure of the cocoa bean, reducing the enzyme content and lowering the overall nutritional value. Cacao is raw, with heaps of good benefits like increasing insulin sensitivity, it's a nerve system protectant and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, strokes and reduces blood pressure. If you're interested in reading more, click here.

No major lapses yet, I managed to turn down some amazing looking organic dark chocolate on Friday night and I'm still happy with my progress, even though there have been some serious craving and temptation days. 

On Friday I made Quinoa, Kale and Egg & Bacon Scramble - sounds hideous but it tastes good. Cook the quinoa until it's about 1/2 way to ready, rip up a kale leaf in to the pot, and when the quinoa is cooked, add 2 eggs that have been whisked together. Then keep stirring until the egg is cooked through (around another minute). I oven bake my bacon, it's always less greasy and it always goes crisp! When it's ready, just slice and mix through. Result:

This week I'm going to try make Julia & Libby's Breakfast Coconut Chia Puddings, and really crack down on natural sugars as much as I can. Less than 20 days to go now. :-) 

Crossfit

If you're still interested in reading my Crossfit progress... yes I did do 4 times this week, as well as some self motivated cardio on the side. I made a huge improvement in my split jerk on Friday - 37.5kg was a big move up to make for me, adding 5kg from my previous weight.

I'm still working from a hang position, so I'm hoping when I'm working from the ground I'll be able to hit 40kg (you actually work harder cleaning the bar first as it fatigues your muscles faster, so when my squat is better I will probably be able to add +/- 5kg). I also did a technique class on snatches, and managed to actually get a solid floor to squat result, though it was only 20kg, to be fair!

Non Crossfitters, this is what a split jerk (1) and snatch squat (2) looks like.