Jojo Ninja has moved house…

My blog now lives on my website

Jo Hunt Fitness

(new website created by The Creative Difference)

Cheers for reading

A Yasi at the door, A Ninja in my Kitchen (and angels at my table)

Wow.

This week has been a horrible stress in many ways, and will be more so this evening as Cyclone Yasi bears down upon my family and friends in Far North Queensland, Australia

Being born and (for the most part) bred in FNQ, I have seen my fair share of Cyclones. The worst I’ve seen was Cyclone Larry in 2006, wreaking havoc on friends properties,  although my home escaped with very little damage.

Cyclone Yasi, however, is like nothing seen in generations. In fact, the last time a storm of this size hit the coast of Queensland was back in 1918.

I feel as though I should be there with my family to protect them, although of course there is the more rational side of me that is thankful to be far from Yasi’s predicted path.

I can tell it will be a fairly sleepless night as I stay glued to Sky News and FNQ webcams, and believe it or not, Facebook is a wonderful way of staying informed and in touch with everyone.

The worst part of this has been that my husband is away in India and not here to offer the requisite “everything will be ok” and the accompanying hug…right, so we all know the likelihood of “everything being ok” is slim, but sometimes that hug makes it all ok for a second.

Tonight I got a visit from my friends Lana and Sam, bringing dinner and company. They arrived with Lana’s Summer Salad, and were a welcome distraction from the craziness unfolding back in Oz. The salad was GORGEOUS. Watching the sunset with these two made me forget about everything for a bit. Angels at my table, for sure. For dessert I mixed up a treat of Coconut-Cocoa…I had heard it talked about on various blogs and forums, and after describing it to my guests, the vote was taken that we had to give it a whirl. So here it is, simple as:

Half can coconut cream

Approx 4 tbsp pure cocoa

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Approx 2 tbsp cream

water to thin

I heated this up on the stove and served. Espresso sized servings are more than enough for a chocolately, creamy fix. Warmed the cockles, I tell you

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It’s at times like this that I am grateful for my friends over here; thanks for caring.

I’m also, sadly, reminded of how fragile our little universe is when it comes to the power of ole Mother Nature.

Mum, Dad, Ray, Chris, Jay, John, Liam and all the rest of my beautiful whanau stuck in Yasi, thinking of you, and sending all of my love. If I don’t say it enough, you mean the world to me.

As our favourite ranga PM Julia Gillard so aptly put it “(Yasi) is a powerful natural force but the courage of the people of Far North Queensland is an even stronger force again,”

Stay safe, you lot

xx

Learning to fly my freak flag

It’s a stunning Auckland day on the back deck of a friends place, Fat Freddy’s Drop are playing on the stereo, and the BBQ is sizzling away with an array of delicious meaty treats.

HEAVEN.

I approach the food table and assemble a nice plate of veg and salads, and add some steak to my plate.

I bypass the bread, and cut myself I nice hunk of butter and whack it on my steak.

Primal Meal of Goodness: DONE!

Friend 1: (laughing) Oh, here we go, you’re on one of those stupid “No Carb” diets

Me : No. I have plenty of carbs on my plate

Friend 1 : Where? Have some bread you fussy b*tch

Me: I don’t need bread, there are plenty of carbs in my veg and salad

Friend 1: (looking shocked) There are carbs in vegetables?!!!

Friend 2: And what’s with all the butter? Did you know butter kills more people than *insert statistic here* (I was too busy laughing to remember exactly what their claim was)

For approximately the 16th time this summer, I explained my choice to live a (predominantly) Paleo/Primal lifestyle.

And spent the requisite 10 minutes defending my decision, despite knowing that most of the people present thought I was bonkers.

True story.

Mmmm. Buttery Cow.

Now, not 3 weeks earlier a friend (who is on a “no carb” diet, and looking to lose weight)  announced she was “intolerant” to gluten, and nobody questioned HER choice not to eat the bread platter or the pasta at dinner (I also didn’t embarrass her by pointing out that there was gluten in the crackers she had consumed earlier, or the muffin she had over coffee the next morning…..)

Which brought me to ponder this point over dinner with Mr Ninja: Would it be easier if I started telling people I had Coeliac  Disease?

As if people would ball me out for having a DISEASE.

I could happily turn down all the baguettes, cookies, bagels and pasta bakes in the world and not have anyone question it.

I know other followers of a similar lifestyle to mine who have found this works well for them. And the truth is, I wouldn’t be lying if I said I was “intolerant”.

Grains and gluten are proven to cause an inflammatory reaction in the gut; it’s the just the degree that each of us suffers that varies. Until I took up a Primal diet, I was vegetarian, and for a while, vegan. After years of suffering with IBS and general ill health, I had, through a process of elimination, concluded that meat, eggs, and cheese were the culprits.

But I still got sick.

It wasn’t until chatting to nutritionist friend and CrossFit Coach (and Director of CFNZ) Darren following a Certification that I considered eliminating grains. I was willing to give ANYTHING a go.

Familiar with THIS Food Pyramid???

It worked! My health and stamina are ten times better than last year, I’ve built a lot more muscle, lost a ton of bodyweight, I don’t have any tummy aches, and even my allergies seem to have settled down.

With all these benefits, why in the heck wouldn’t I shout it from the rooftops??!

So the choice was made.

If you ask me about my choice to turn down the floury baps at your next BBQ, or question how healthy it is for me to eat an egg, avo and bacon salad, or try and tell me how healthy your “low fat dressing” and “fat free chocolate cake” is,prepare to be dazzled. Be ready to be educated. And if you still don’t believe me, come along to a CrossFit NZ class and check out all the ripped abs on those hotties I’m not the only one who lives this way.

And we have nothing to be ashamed of.

In the words of Kurt G Harris of PāNu

“If you are a vector for cultural change, which way is the arrow pointing?

Wear your Real Food Uniform.

Active Duty.

Fly your freak-flag high.

Say no to the cake.”

Hot Potato Hot Potato…Mashed Banana Mashed Banana

In the immortal words of the Wiggles “whoo wiggy wiggy wiggy, gimme that gimme that gimme that food!”

They can keep their hot potatoes and cold spaghetti, but ripe mashed banana is something I keep on hand and frozen at all times. If I flatten them out in a zip-lock bag and stack them, they take up barely any room.

Perfect for my No-atmeal, for tossing into smoothies and muffins, and what I’m using to make up some Primal Strawberry Banana Cream Pie.

I made these for the Spring Clean Challenge last year as an alternative choice and left it up to the crew to choose. The Strawberry Cheesecakey Tarty things won out, but only by one vote. I find these to be much more filling, although they are also a tad more time consuming.

Primal Strawberry Banana Cream Pie

Start with Cavegirl Pie Crust

BUT DON’T BAKE

Then for the filling:

2 ripe bananas
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Vanilla pods (seeds)
3 eggs
2/3 Cup Coconut cream

1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Beat eggs and coconut cream together.
3. Mash bananas.
4. Beat bananas and all ingredients except the egg (use a hand mixer, or those CrossFit guns….)
5. Stir in egg mixture gently (feel free to add some nutmeg/cinnamon, or a little drizzle of honey if you like it sweet)
6. Pour banana filling into pie crust.
7. Bake for approx 30 mins, or until the filling is set
8. When cool, decorate with sliced strawberries and jam glaze
9. ALTERNATIVELY, add a layer of the Strawberry Cheesecake filling from my last post, THEN top with strawberries.

I’m taking one of these and one of my cheesecakes away to Hatepe with me this Friday for a friends party. All of them are “normal” Neolithic eaters, so fingers crossed it goes down well.

Hatepe at sunset. Heaven!

The challenge will be, as it was all holidays dining in other peoples homes, not to overdo it on the hors d’oeuvres. “Healthy” crackers and “fat free” whatnots. Eek!

HEY!

I tell you what I’m going to whip up tomorrow;  Mark’s Primal Blinis, so I can create some tasty little smackerels of my own

Watch this space for the results….

Tarted Up

Happy New Year, y’all.

To the 3 or so of you that regularly read my blog (Hi Mum!), apologies for the absence of posts over the holiday period; I have been tripping around Oz and Mangawhai, and have been blissfully technology free for most of that time.

SO much happened whilst I was away, one of the most important and amazing of which is that my team won the CrossFit New Zealand Spring Clean Challenge! Super Bad Long Sock Killers kicked some serious ass. Woot woot!

 

Super Bad

Saw some mind blowing results in the before and after pics, and the team spirit was kick ass (also helped that we had none other than Super Bad CrossFit Killer Pat Barber as our coach. Boom!)

I relished the chance to get my Chef on in the Primal Cook Off Challenge right before I flew out.

My desserts were a bit of a winner, and for those who’ve been waiting to get their hands on the recipe for my Primal Strawberry Banana Cream Pie and Strawberry Cheesecake Pie, here you go.  As always, these are only approximate measures as I kinda go by feel and taste, but should be pretty close to the mark. Sorry bout the delay.

BTW this pie crust is one of the tastiest I’ve used so far, and super quick to throw together.

Cavegirl Pie Crust

1 1/2 Cups Ground Almonds

6-10 Dates (if you don’t like dates, don’t worry, it just adds sweetness and helps the dough stick)

Little squeeze of fresh lime (or lemon if you like)

Sprinkle of shredded coconut

Cinnamon or nutmeg to taste

Drizzle of pure maple syrup, or raw honey if you’re hard out Paleo.

*I tried this both with and without the maple syrup, and the one with the syrup produced a much more pliable dough, and a more palatable crust for sweet tooths. Or teeth.

1. Pre heat oven to 180 C

2. Smush up your dates by hand into a paste. You could use a food processor, but this is much quicker.

3. Rub in other ingredients and work into a ball. Refrigerate for about 1/2 an hr if you have time; this just makes the dough easier to roll out.

4. Roll out your dough and cut into desired size for tart. You could make a big pie, but I used a wine glass to cut circles and plopped into a muffin tin for mini-tarts.

5. Bake for about 10 mins then add delish fillings of your choice.

For the Dessert Challenge winning pie I added this filling, which could easily be used for a no-bake cheescake:

I made this one up on the spot, and because I’m a fool, I didn’t write down what I put in there, but from memory I’d say this is pretty darn close. Note to self: start measuring stuff!

 

Love love love fresh strawberries

Super Bad Long Sock Strawberry Cheesecake Filling

Package of mascarpone cheese (I used Tatua farms fresh pack from the supermarket: had no added crap)

Package of cream cheese

Fresh cream

Lemon rind

Lemon juice

Tiny drizzle of maple syrup

TO FINISH St Dalfour Strawberry Jam (sugar free, all fruit)

1. Mix all ingredients (except cream) to your own personal tastes. I used the juice of 1 and a bit lemons, and quite a bit of rind.

2. As far as the cream goes, add till you have a consistency and flavour you’re happy with.

3. Spoon into pastry cases.

4. Warm some jam, and swirl little dollops throughout the creamy filling.

5. Top with sliced strawberries, and glaze with a little melted jam.

 

A little bit tarty

EXTRA FOR EXPERTS : If you’re Zoning, or watching what you’re putting into your body, Calorie Count will analyse your recipe for you. When I’m figuring out new recipes this is an indispensable tool. Fit Day is also really useful for figuring out your 40/30/30 when Zoning.

Each one of these puppies has about 8 blocks of fat, 1 protein, and 1.5 carbs, which means if you’re smashing out those WOD’s daily you can treat yourself to a couple of these little sweeties on occasion without dessert guilt.

And for more Cavegirl Ninja-ness, check out my GF Lana’s new blog http://kitchenninjadiaries.blogspot.com/

“I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.” Anais Nin

 

 

Goal Number Four: Quit Sucking at Running

So, for years my main source of ‘fitness’ was my daily 5k run on the stunning Cairns Esplanade. Some days if I felt extra sprightly I’d do it twice, or finish off with a run to and up the Red Arrow or Blue Arrow Rainforest Track. It’s safe to say I LOVED to run.

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But was I fit? Well, I THOUGHT I was. And, whilst I wasn’t a giant fatty, I was still struggling to shift the giant, jiggly badonkadonk I was carrying behind me!

3 years later, and 2 years of CrossFit under my belt, I now know what fitness is, and believe it or not, my butt has completely changed shape (alright, it’s still a ghetto booty, but my cheeks don’t finish somewhere halfway down my leg anymore, and I can’t hear it clapping when I do box jumps…and yes, it did clap!)

Now, in the process  of leaving my ass jiggle behind, I found a love of Oly Lifting, and pull ups, and double unders, and box jumps….and lost my passion for the run. I found myself avoiding workouts with the dreaded CrossFit 400m in them, and my running got worse. I didn’t realize how bad until the CrossFit Birkenhead Games 2 weeks ago. I went into the 3rd Event sitting in 4th place. The 3rd Event was a 3k trail run. I finished 5th from last. And ended up in 16th. It was IMPOSSIBLE to chase any kind of placing from there. And god dammit I was PISSED!!!! Now, I wasn’t expecting to go into the comp to win, but to do SO badly was a let down. And an embarrassment.

I like being good at stuff!!!

I was saying the other day, my legs will go for days, but my lungs and my stupid ass-mar stuffs it up for me. And the lung thing also screws with me mentally. In fact, I think that is what has made me worse; a lot of it is all in my head. SO last week I decided I was going to LOVE RUNNING. Taz told me to go into every running WOD and focus on belting out the run, rather than whatever was going on inside.

So I have been. I’ve been showing up for the running WOD’s. And I’m getting better.

(Why do you run, Forrest? I just felt like running. Simple!)

I’m happy with this past weeks WOD results for Hell-In, and todays WOD a 15 min Run, Box Jump, Double Under AMRAP. Fun times!

I’ve also started cranking the choons in my MP3 player; this shuts out the sounds of my own breathing and has helped SO much.

Hey, if it works for Spealler, why can’t it work for me??!

Stuff I Miss

Ask me about the benefits of eating Paleo/Primal and I will chew your ear off all day. That being said, I’m not some evangelical Saint Cavegirl who has taken a lifelong vow of bun-free living. I don’t claim not to have impure thoughts. I still spend JUST as much time browsing Neolithic Food Porn as I did in days gone by.

This was one of my latest cravings. I can see all you staunch Paleo purists cringing already. Terrifying, I know, but don’t judge!

Beef and Pumpkin Pie...with a twist! I am intrigued. And drooling just a little.

I never understood the Americans eating bacon and pancakes with maple syrup; that is until I tried it. Or the Christmas morning my US Host Family fried up some leg ham with brown sugar and maple syrup. Oh god. It was sinfully delish. So, something about the above creation appealed to me, even though I know it is SO SO VERY BAD.  I don’t know if I’ll actually bring myself to make it with the meringue, but I can dream!

I don’t have naughty cravings for  as often now, and find my tastebuds (and stomach) are so much more sensitive to sugar and refined carbs, so ‘cheat meals’ have virtually become a thing of the past, as I don’t enjoy them half as much. The heavy, hungover feeling after eating a whole White Lady hamburger and bun just isn’t worth it.

Here’s a list of the Top 10 things that make my mouth water, and that I might miss just a little.

1. Toasted Vogels with butter and Vegemite.

I was at a clients house the other morning and her husband walked past the room with a plate of hot, buttery, Vegemitey toast. The smell brought feelings of nostalgia. Always reminds me of my childhood. Not to mention I was coming to the end of an Intermittent Fast and almost crash tackled him for a piece!

2. Cheesy Long Rolls from New World in Devonport (yes, they do make them better at the bakery there)

These are one of my husband Jimi’s favourite foods. In fact, I catered for his stag do with cheese rolls and BBQ chicken. He’s a man of simple tastes His Mum says when he was a little boy he said one day he would be rich enough so that he would only eat the middle cheese rolls out of the packet, as he didn’t like the edges. She will often buy them when she knows we’re visiting, and I will occasionally sneak a little nibble off the end of one of his rolls.

3. Home made cookies.

They’re always in abundant supply in the freezer, in the cupboard, or on the counter top at my in-laws. I especially crave the choc-peanut ones. And the Edmonds Choc Chip ones.

4. Sals Pizza

Nuff Said.

5.  ………………………….

You know what? That’s about it.

I’ll eat a bit of leftover KFC chicken skin to satisfy that little salty devil hungering for fried chicken. Or have a couple of corn chips at the Mexican Cafe rather than a whole platter of Nachos. Or two strawberries and cream lollies out of a bag of Allen’s Retro Party Mix (although they’re not as good as they used to be) It’s all about moderation! And I feel like if I don’t deprive myself entirely of these little treats, I’m less likely to crash and burn and overeat the crappy stuff when I’m left without healthy options, or having a weak moment.

WAIT. I forgot something. My extra special post-competition/extra special celebration cheat treat. Mexican Cafe or Little Mexico Nachos, with a Passionfruit Frozen Margarita if at Mexican Cafe, or a Strawberry one if Little Mexico. After our big showing at the CrossFit Birkenhead 1st Birthday Games yesterday, perhaps I’m due for a trip to old Méjico tonight…

Pre-WOD-Nerves-Poos-and-Wees OR Fight or Flight response

Had a little blog post up on CrossFit New Zealand‘s page this week on Motivation and workout nerves.

You can read it here

It’s all about Katy Perry, really. These are the songs I sing in my head that have been getting me through this weeks WOD’s. My husband had an alternative distraction theory: thinking of Katy Perry’s boobies. Something for everyone, really…?

And following that, a word on toilet habits.  Delightful. I can have gone to the bathroom 87 times before I arrive at the box, and another 300 times when I arrive, but why is it always the second I step up to the bar that I feel like I need to “go pottty”.

I know it’s not just me, as you can guarantee that there is a line-up for the loo right before a workout is due to start.

Someone mused the other day about nervous wees/poos and I thought I would kindly offer up my understanding of the scientific explanation, so that we all know it’s a normal part of being a CrossFitter ;-P.

It’s also kinda cool to understand the crazy, extreme reaction that some of us have to the impending doom of a CrossFit WOD. It elicits a “fight or flight” response in our bods.  The sympathetic nervous system takes over, and the physiological reaction is just the same as the one our Caveman counterparts experienced the moment they were faced with a Sabre Toothed Tiger. Since the muscles that run your waterworks aren’t essential to survival, they relax. And you might need to pee as a result. Also, since digestion is not a necessity, it slows or stops all together, and often you need to poop (this was apparently so Grok could run faster).

Aside from those kinda uncomfortable feelings, some other awesome stuff happens to help us push our bodies through the workout. Our heart and lungs are kicked into high gear, essential nutrients like fat and glucose are liberated so our muscles can work, our reflexes speed up, we become incapable of rational thought, and our primal instincts take over.

 

A great pic from a blog on Fitness and Pee. I'm not the only one!

We’re also less sensitive to pain (hence the fact that you often don’t notice your hands are torn to sh*t until you see the blood on the bar….) and our hearing shuts down. The people that say they can’t hear the music during their WOD aren’t lying; they’re truly in survival mode. And have you ever tripped right over your barbell, or ran right into someone trying to sprint to the pull-up station? Tunnel vision is also another response.

So there you go. Fight or Flight for Dummies.

For me it just illustrates how what we do every day as CrossFitters is what our bodies were built to do.

Anyone ever feel like a nervous pee before a Zumba class or a bicep curl?

I can’t believe it’s Not Oatmeal

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a pain!

Quick post on my new addiction.

No-atmeal.

If and when I used to eat breakfast, steel cut oatmeal was always a BIG part of it. Kept me going all day. Until I found No-atmeal.

Have messed around with this recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple now to make it more Zone Friendly, and now have it juuuust right

NB: Depending on your Block needs, you may need to top this with some berries or applesauce and have some extra protein on the side.

1/3 Mashed Banana

2 tbsp Almond Meal

1.5 tbsp Flax Meal

1/2 tbsp almond butter

5 tbsp coconut cream

1 egg

1/2 tbsp PURE maple syrup

Whisk together eggs and ALMOST all of the coconut cream VERY well. Give your mashed banana and almond butter a really good mix (or use a stick blender if you want it super smooth) and add it to the egg mix, then stir in nut/flax meal. Warm in a saucepan on a super low heat. Stir frequently, and don’t let it heat up too quickly or the egg will scramble, and that’s not good! Drizzle rest of coconut cream on top, add maple syrup (or honey) and a sprinkle of coconut and seeds. SO good.

2 blocks carb

1 block protein

5 blocks fat

So if I serve it up with a bit of bacon, or chicken or WHATEVER I have my perfect 2 block meal. Too easy.

I made double yesterday and put half in the fridge- added a little water and heated in microwave, stirring frequently. Still as good as today as it was then.

My life is complete

Healthy Fooood Tastes so Goooood!

Sing it, Cookie Monster. Word.

I’ve been a while of the blog wagon as work has been BUSY and my free-time focus has been on the CrossFit New Zealand Spring Clean Challenge. So far our team the Super Bad Long Sock Killers are in the lead, taking out the last team challenge with points earned for participation

I’m happy with my gains in performance, and improvements in body composition so far. And it’s all down to FOOD.

And for me, it’s not just eating healthy, but it’s about making my food enjoyable! F*ck cabbage soup diets. I want food for life.

Sometimes I wonder, though, just because I like what I’m cooking, would anyone else eat it? The test was the Halloween BBQ at Coach Taz and Pat’s place last weekend. I made my Bacon & Egg Salad, and some Asian Stylie Meatballs with dipping sauces. They went down well, so, on request, here is the recipe.

JoJo’s CFNZ Halloween Asian Stylie Meatballs

400g beef mince

400g pork mince

(I’m only guessing, I just grabbed two packs of meat out of the fridge)

2 free range eggs (you can use more if you think it’s not sticking together)

2 chopped shoots spring onion

approx 4 cloves garlic

tbsp grated ginger

tsp Asian 5 spice

half a finely chopped chilli

splash of tamari, splash of fish sauce, tbsp honey

Big handful finely chopped coriander

Mix it all up well, and add enough almond meal to bind (I just kept adding until it formed nice meatballs, not too dense, and still a little sticky)

Form into cute little balls and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Whack on the BBQ.

DONE!

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Now, they were good on their own, but a saucy girl needs something to dip her munchies into. I make a sauce based on Spunky CrossFitter Melicious’s  “Sunshine Sauce” (love her blog), using almond butter instead of sunbutter, but being short on ingredients, played around with it for the BBQ.

Half a jar of almond butter

Approx tbsp melted coconut oil

Juice of about 6 limes

Tbsp white vinegar

Tbsp ginger

2 cloves garlic

drizzle of honey, splash of tamari

Add boiling water whilst whisking until smooth

(or chuck it in a protein shake-shaker like I did until you reach the right consistency)

Such a good night, and with everyone eating so healthy, it was THE best catered BBQ I’ve ever been to. Love it!