I’m sure our Paleolithic ancestors would be down for these tasty treats. 

Superbowl is this weekend and you know what that means? FOOD….and the Katy Perry half time show…and I guess football. But mainly FOOD! If you’re a foodie like me, you might enjoy some of these recipes I found on PaleOMG. Check out the Potato Skin recipe below. Click here for more tasty Super Bowl treats from paleOMG!

Ingredients

• 3 small, round sweet potatoes or yams
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 4 strips of bacon
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced (I used a rotisserie chicken and chopped it up)
• ¼ small yellow onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1-1.5 cups hot sauce (I used Frank’s Hot Sauce) – depending how spicy you want yours. I used 1.5 cups
• 3 tablespoons blue cheese (not paleo, but a primal option. it will be fine without it)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup shredded raw cheddar cheese (I used Kerrygold cheese- again this is optional)
• 1 avocado
• ½ lime, juiced
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet. Brush potatoes liberally with melted coconut oil. Use a fork to poke holes in each sweet potato.
3. Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check at 45 minutes to see if they are soft when you squeeze them. Then remove from oven.
4. Let the sweet potatoes cool for about 30 minutes. While the sweet potatoes cool, place 4 pieces of bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until completely cooked. Remove from oven and dice into small pieces. Then preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
5. Once sweet potatoes are cool to touch, cut each one in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the most of the sweet potato with a spoon, leaving a layer above the skin. Place half of the sweet potato mash into a medium bowl. (I ate the other half with breakfast, so keep for leftovers)
6. Now using the bacon fat that has been left behind from cooking, brush each sweet potato skin with bacon fat (you could also use coconut oil here). Place in the oven, skin-side up, for 5 minutes. Then flip, brush with bacon fat, and place in the oven for 5 more minutes.
7. While the skins finish baking, in the medium bowl containing half of the sweet potato mash, add chicken, onion, garlic, hot sauce, blue cheese (optional), diced bacon, and salt and pepper. Mix well.
8. Remove the sweet potato skins from the oven and fill each half with the chicken mixture. Smooth out the top and sprinkle generously with shredded cheese.
9. Place back in the oven once more for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese begins to slightly bubble. Then let cool for 5 minutes.
10. Lastly, place avocado, lime, lemon, cumin and salt in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add mixture to a ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, then decorate the sweet potato skins however you see fit. I made a football. Kind of. You get the point.
11. Serve right away!

This weekend, we had 3 teams compete at Moxie Madness Pairs in Santa Clara. Mike/Rikus, DJ/Marko, and John Y/Myself, went up against a field of 60+ teams. For me, it was one of the more fun competitions I’ve been apart of, not only for how well Sweat Shoppers did, but the team camaraderie amongst the 3 teams was super fun! We all stood by each other and cheered each other on until the end! Although there were a ton of highlights, I’ll just speak on a couple for each pair:

Starting with DJ and Marko, a big highlight was the ascending clean event. It started with 50 cleans at 135#, then 35 at 185#, and then max reps at 225#. Going into it, we new DJ would be doing a big chunk of the heaviest weight as Marko’s max is just over 225#, but in true “gamer mode”, Marko was able
to hit a ton! Every time DJ needed a break Marko just hopped in and crushed them surprising not only us, but himself!  They scored best on the last two events taking 14^th and 17^th while DJ and Marko knocked out 2’s on bar muscle ups for almost the entire final event and crushed the double unders. They showed perfect teamwork in that each stepped in when it was time to showcase their own strength!

John and I also had a solid showing mainly in the comeback form. After a HEAVY clean event Friday night, we climbed our way up from 29^th to 12^th overall cracking the top 10 in two of the Saturday events. The first had 30in box jumps and shoulder to overheads each relay style while the partner had to hold either a bar in the rack and another while holding ring support. The box jumps seemed to be pretty tough for most folks but we were able to cycle through them pretty quick. Another big highlight was the final workout in which we had to do overhead squats and double unders. John, who traditionally despises both movements, came through and knocked out 15 overhead squats and I believe PR’d on 60+ consecutive double unders!

Mike and Rikus showed the perfect balance of strength and skills. They finished in the top 5 in all but one event and ended up WINNING THE ENTIRE EVENT! In the clean ladder they shared the work evenly and didn’t stop moving…at ALL! Rikus was his typical self, lifting light things very easily and hitting the floor very hard. He literally did 5 minutes of dumbbell snatches unbroken and crushed all the nasty dark-place aspects of the events. Mike, was typically Mike, blowing through the skills work hitting around 60 Bar Muscle Ups by himself and almost all the overhead squats! They were true to their team name, The Ambiguously Awesome Duo!

While were very proud of Mike and Rikus taking first in this event, it was great to see how the hard training paid off for each group and can’t wait for future comps like this. Congrats to Mike and Rikus and the rest of the teams and a special thanks to the spectators who made it out (PT, Jen, Mel, and Sydney)!

———NorCal Master’s Recap—–by Nabil

While it may make for a frustrating weekend of trying to cheer on and coach multiple athletes, having so many athletes competing in different competitions on the same weekend is a testament to not only how popular CrossFit has become, but also the growing number of Sweat Shop athletes that participate in these events!  While the guys were kicking but down in Santa Clara, we also had a group of masters competing in the NorCal Masters at Cranway Pavilion in Richmond.  This is easily the biggest masters event in California and each year has several CrossFit Games athletes (and even CrossFit Games champs).  While I wasn’t able to attend on Sunday, what I witnessed on Saturday once again made me super proud to be a coach at the Sweat Shop!  Not only did our Sweat Shop athletes have several PR’s and matched PR’s on the Clean & Jerk ladder, they all demonstrated great technique during the ladder, which isn’t always the case at CrossFit comps, especially at master’s events.  Throughout the day, Joel, Jen, Chief Banks, and Lones (Jacqueline wasn’t able to compete due to illness) faced workouts that challenged their abilities beyond what they had previously thought possible of themselves.  THIS is one of the key points I want to stress about participating in something like a CrossFit competition.  It’s not about being able to say you are a “competitor”.  It’s about putting yourself in a challenging situation by signing up for an event, preparing the best you can for it, then testing yourself to see what you are capable of, and finally, walking away from it being better for the having gone through the experience.  If this sounds like fun to you, you’re in luck, you live in Northern California, home of more local CrossFit competitions than probably any other area in the country!  Check out some pics from Day 1 at NorCal Masters.

Along with the huge changes to the Open/Regionals this year, another big one is having the choice to do a scaled version of the weekly workout. If you’ve been on the fence about the Open and have been worried about being able to perform Open workouts, the Scaled option still allows you still to be apart of the fun.  I know many of you have been asking which to do, so check out this video in which Dave Castro explains the gist of scaling the Open.

My favorite part of the Open is getting together with the entire Sweat Shop community each week throwing down and cheering each other on. Each year we’ve had more participation and fun so let’s keep it going! This scaled option now makes it fun and doable for everyone! Sign up for Team Sweat Shop here.

The end of a fun 5 weeks of the 2014 CrossFit Open. 

The 2015 CrossFit Games Open season is just around the corner! The open is a great way to test your fitness and enjoy the camaraderie of your peers. This year there are some changes to the open such as a new scaled option as well as a teen division. Check out the full article for more details. If you have never competed in the open, there is no better time than now. Feel free to talk to Nabil, JB, Marko or myself if you have any questions about the open or are on the fence about registering. To register for the 2015 click here. ***Be sure to put Sweat Shop as your home gym and also join the Sweat Shop Team. We’re looking forward to another great Open Season!

The Open 
February 26 – March 30, 2015

Open registration begins January 15.

15.1: Feb. 26 -March 2
15.2: March 5-9
15.3: March 12-16
15.4: March 19-23
15.5: March 26-30

The Masters Qualifier
April 23-27, 2015

The Regionals

Regional Weekend 2: May 22-24
California Regional | NorCal and SoCal | San Diego, California
East Regional | North East and Canada East | Hartford, Connecticut
Pacific Regional | Australia and Asia | Wollongong, Australia

Tickets to the Regionals will go on sale on March 30, 2015.

The Games

The 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games will be held on July 21-26.

Tickets to the Games will go on sale April 29, 2015.

The website is back!  And no, it wasn’t hacked by these guys.  Meanwhile I’ve had time to spray paint a rower red, and order some new shirts and hoodies.  Also, our Monday 7:30pm Open Gym starts this evening, have fun!

Bri, along with many other Sweatshoppers got after their goals this year. What will you shoot for in 2015?

With the new year comes fresh goals and new possibilities. There is no goal too big! In fact I challenge you to go big with your goals. All to often we play it safe and set safe goals…be audacious! Whether it’s getting your first pull up, mastering the handstand walk, or hitting that clean and jerk PR, the best way to achieve these goals is to have a plan. Write it down, either in your book or on the wall, put a date on it and get to work. Don’t forget to share your goals with your peers so we can hold you accountable as well. If you need help setting some goals feel free to reach out to myself, Nabil, James or Marko, we would love to hear from you!

I’m sure 2014 was a big year for everyone, as it was quite the memorable year for me. Looking back, it made me realize and appreciate all of the great things I have in my life.

As this is a CrossFit blog, I think it’s fitting to start with CrossFit. Although we highlighted a ton of the accomplishments at the wild and crazy holiday party, we can’t say enough how proud we are of each of you. As a coach, the gym’s success and continual growth has been a true source of fulfillment for me, and I think I speak for the rest of the coaches. If we had the time, we could write at least a page or more on each of your awesome achievements throughout the year. It’s truly impressive how much all of you have improved, whether you’re new to the Sweat Shop or one of our seasoned members. Secondly, our competition teams making top/podium finishes in local competitions, qualifying for regionals and having our first athlete make the Games, not only demonstrates how badass our athletes are but also inspires us as coaches for the future. However, the most special part of the year has been seeing how strong our community continues to become, how many positive relationships have been made, and how already strong relationships continue to grow stronger.

Now, knowing that there is more to life than my time at the gym, I’ll digress a little away from CrossFit…..I swear this will be my last long post!

The last 6 years of my life, let’s just say, have been a wild ride! But a fun one! Finishing grad school, scrambling a couple jobs, traveling, and getting married are just to name a few things. For me, the end of 2014 was a reflective time for me on how blessed I have been and has re-affirmed that I am doing what I love. I am in awe of how some of the little decisions I’ve made the past couple years have really turned out for the best and I am ever-thankful for everyone that has been alongside me throughout it all!

I think back to high school, and how I thought I wanted to be a star college running back. When St. Mary’s cut the football program, I was CRUSHED. I had a choice to leave and start anew, but something inside me told me to stay. Sure enough, it was one of the best decisions I made in my life. It allowed me to find deeper passions outside of a sport which I already knew so well. I not only found my love for coaching, teaching, and travel but also my first real job at Velocity and meeting Nabil. The relationships I made during those years really made me who I am and they really made me feel like I could do anything I set my mind to.

It makes me think back to grad school and how I thought for sure, the only way I would be happy in my career would be getting my PhD. The week of my graduation, I got a call from Nabil, who asked if I was interested in coaching with him at this tiny Crossfit gym. That same week, my professor, Derek, asked me if I was interested in teaching some activity classes at St. Mary’s. Initially, I thought, this would derail me from my overall goal. I thought it would take me backwards. But for whatever reason, whether it was enjoying being on my old stomping grounds at St. Mary’s and remembering how much I learned there or visiting Nabil at the sweatshop for the first time and remembering all of the fun memories and all I learned from him, I decided to stay and take what had already been given to me.

The opportunities to coach and teach have been the greatest gift because they have led me to so many great relationships. It is in people that I have found so much enjoyment and it is in those relationships that I have found my true passion.

Since I got into coaching and for each new year I coach, I get more and more excited to see what you all are capable of. I know after a WOD, you may think of me as Dr. Evil rubbing my hands together formulating a concoction of torture, but truly it is in my desire to make you all better and to see it through!

As a teacher, I have met so many great people. There are too many students to name that have really kept me wanting to be back in the classroom. Their desire to learn, even if it’s just the basics, makes me feel that I have something to give them. Which is what I think all teachers want. Teaching also gave me the opportunity to take students to amazing countries like Peru and the D.R. and seeing their lives, as well as mine, enriched. These trips inspired deep change within me. They taught me how important it is to dig deeper to discover the true character of people rather than accepting what you see at face value. My parents and other loved ones told me I could achieve anything, and it hurts to know that many don’t have that. Interacting with the kids on the service trips made me realize how something as small as playing with them and talking about life can spark a huge change in their lives. Or how believing in and encouraging someone can help them believe in themselves. Ultimately, these trips reaffirmed my drive to be that spark for those I come into contact with. They also reaffirmed my belief in the strength found in community and while I am part of several communities, the Sweatshop family represents an essential piece of who I am and I thank you all for giving me an opportunity to practice my passions daily.

Lastly, speaking of family, I could not be happier to have grown my family by one very special person this year. Although Melaney has been by my side for more than 12 years, it is great to finally be able to call her my wife. This was definitely the easiest decision I made last year but certainly the smartest.

A year has passed but a new year awaits and with every new year we are given, it allows us the opportunity to grow. I have been so moved by all the development, progress, surprises, and joy that last year contained that I look forward to the coming year with much excitement.