MIMM: Venice & Fight Gone Bad

I bought more ground meat and realized most ground meat is the same.

I made pork chili instead of beef chili this week.

Eggplant fries instead of sweet potato fries

Marvelous paleo pumpkin pancakes from Practical Paleo that came out better this time

My Pharrell station on Pandora yielded this amazing song. Most marvelous station ever.

I had to go to my second job and picked up some meat from Trader Joe's. Ready to eat! Not. I was supposed to heat it. Oh well.

Saturday morning boot camp then baking ginger spice muffin tops from Healthful Pursuit.

And a giant batch of marvelous sweet potato pancakes with maple coconut butter. I ate this Saturday and Sunday, and there's enough for tomorrow.

After attempting more homework and falling asleep, I drove out to meet up my friends Andrew and Denton. We headed into Venice.

The boardwalk was crazy, but I dug the vibe in other parts of Venice.

Dinner at Oscar's Cerveteca

I chose the Peruvian sashimi (left, rec from Yelp), but really wish I chose the chorizo burger (right). The sashimi was good but small. I dealt and drank a beer from El Segundo.

Marvelous Coolhaus Ice Cream in Culver City was reminiscent of my San Francisco ice cream experience. I got the dirty mint and ChocoVivo salted chocolate. I didn't realize there was so much so I only had the ChocoVivo - I'm usually not a chocolate ice cream fan! The mint was refreshing with fresh specks of mint and tons of chocolate chips.

Another marvelous Sunday Funday at CrossFit. We did 3 rounds of Fight Gone Bad, named after BJ Penn. I got in 230 reps that included wall balls. I'm better at them now! :)

Some of my semi-Paleo grocery shopping for the week:

• Sweet potatoes
• Tomato
• Apples
• Paleo bread
• Coconut oil
• Boar's Head buffalo chicken
• Turkey bacon
• Carrots
• Dark chocolate
• Pine nuts for dolmas, but I can't find grape leaves!
• Ginger, cardamon, nutmeg

I finished up a big assignment and fell asleep for a couple of hours. So I'm still up, 6 A.M. CrossFit is not a possibility and I'm sleeping in. Not the best way to start the week...

What did you do this past weekend?
What's your favorite station on Pandora?
Where's your next beach trip?

Friday check-in

Hot summer night-kind of song. Pharrell, where have you been and when did you turn 40?!


I am buried in homework for school and lesson planning and work. I have one big assignment to complete this evening and weekend.

I'm so engrossed in work that I have yet to eat breakfast. That's just crazy!

On today's agenda: Breakfast, work, work, homework/possible wine drinking party, and adding Pharrell to Pandora.

What's on your agenda this weekend?

WIAW: As long as I get up in the morning

Looks bad but doesn't hurt

Doesn't look bad but does hurt

Wearing too many colors to yoga.

99 cent store purchases for mobility

Paleo. I hate cucumbers.

Breakfast: egg and bacon-almond butter banana-wich

Life right now.

Lots of meetings and missing 6 A.M. CrossFit. I'm going to try and go after work. Yep, wish me luck on that one.

MIMM: First free (of work) weekend

More Paleo eats, including chicken, avocado, & kale/spinach/chard in raw seaweed.

MARVELOUS coconut-sprinkled chocolate-covered coconut butter-stuffed Fuji apples

I nabbed this book from work. I LOVE mid-century modern. Speaking of modern history, I'm beginning to lesson plan for my assignment next month! I can't stop planning either - its been so long!

My strength wraps came in on Friday and I got to use them on Sunday. We did so many power cleans that I'm not sure how helpful they really were.

Paleo or not? This NadaMoo ice cream is fantastic. In any case, this weekend was a cheat weekend. I had a beer at my cousin's birthday BBQ where she also got engaged!

Toasted Paleo bread fulfills my craving for turkey sandwiches

Pet Expo at work. This is Scooter, the miniature horse(?).

My llama friends again...

Blisters bursted from knee tucks for the Team Paleo Challenge. P.S. We pulled ahead to first place!

Sunday's Hero post-WOD class picture:

I need to go on weekends more often to see everyone. I should and do look terrible. I'm right in the middle in red with my pal Bobby Sue/Vinh.

Since I quit my night job, I had to use up my 40% discount at Van's. I bought my little cousin a new pair (left), my aunt got a pair of classic blues, and mom and I got the same pair of peachy-orange shoes (right).

Return of the sweet potato chili fries! This didn't taste the same as I just throw spices in, but it was still good.

We took Sunday off Paleo too. I ate Paleo except for bites of this pumpkin spice Front Porch Pops from the back of the fridge.

Back to Paleo tomorrow after a whole weekend off. I made some Paleo sushi by hollowing out cucumber slices then inserting chopped chicken with Tapatio and avocado.

...and back to waking up at 5 A.M. to hang out with my 6 A.M. CrossFit crew. Thankfully, I have more afternoons/evenings off for... lesson planning and homework?

What's your favorite decade?

High Five Friday: Productive Paleo

HIGH FIVE for faux-co-roons. Yep, still eating Paleo over here and trying to get creative.

Snacks: veggies, fruits, and nuts

I look forward to sweet potato chili fries.

Paleo pumpkin pancakes from Practical Paleo and some black coffee

Carrots and leftover orange chicken

New yoga mat 50% off. It's not much longer than my old one.

Bruises of the day: Kettlebell bruise. Box jump bruise.

HIGH FIVE for my best recipe yet! This garnered a ton of love. I wrapped a slice of turkey bacon around a sweet potato medallion, secured it with a toothpick, and then put a slice of avocado on top. I placed it on top of foil, wrapped up the sides of the foil, and then cracked an egg inside.

The above idea came from bacon-wrapped egg muffins.

Last day at work and the perfect card because it's green!

Adjusted my flight to the Blend Retreat for my new and upcoming job assignment. I'll miss the Friday night cocktail party, but I still get to go!

Out of meat. Picked up ground chicken and grass fed beef. I made chicken tandoori burgers sans bun.

HIGH FIVE for llamas?! These were at my job. They're so darn cute. I want one!

HIGH FIVE for getting work and homework done at my job.

HIGH FIVE for going to yoga after a 9 hours of work and rocking "standing head to knee." I love balance poses.

(source) HIGH FIVE for successfully making delicious paleo pumpkin muffins! The recipe is from Balanced Bites/Northwest Cavegirls.