And when you open your eyes it will all be over and the bar will be over your head!

Today’s Workout:
Dynamic Effort Pullup

As Many Rounds as Possible in 12min
7 Push Press (115/75)
7 Toes-2-Bar

1 week from today is the next nutrition seminar on dietary fats.  Learn what fats are good! Sign up today!

So…who’s winning?

Today’s Workout:
Max Effort Good Morning (3 or 5 reps)

Then 30-20-10 Reps for time
Hang Power Cleans 115/75#
2x Pistols (30 Right leg AND 30 Left and so on)

Nutrition Seminar TODAY at 12:30pm!  Tomorrow no regular classes due to Olympic lifting Seminar!

Nutrition Seminar with Lori Jo Berg tonight! Tonight she talks about eating to fuel peak performance. Those of you looking of more info on how to eat well to perform well (in workouts or life!) this is for you! Those of you looking to look better (aka: lose weight), this is ALSO for you! Looking good is a side effect of performing well!

Today’s Workout:
Max Effort Back Squat

-then-
2k Row

Post results to Beyond the Whiteboard.

Today’s Workout:

Dynamic Effort:  Ring Dip

Then, As Many Rounds As Possible in 12 minutes of:
7 Sumo Deadlift High Pull (95/65)
7 Thrusters (95/65)
7 Burpees (yay!)

Post results Beyond the Whiteboard.

I get to use this photo again! It's no coincidence that having a cohesive team leads to good results!

Congratulations to Team Callousity (Michãel, Jana, and Jon) for taking the overall Team title for the nutrition challenge.  These guys worked their butts off for 30 days, hitting the gym 5 days/week, to lose an average of 5.25 pounds, 6.7 pounds of which was fat (23% of all the fat they had to lose!), and gained an average of 1.45 pounds of muscle!  Their team took an average of 1:33 off of their Jackie time (with the record going to Jana who took off 2:54!) and added an average of 45 pounds to their CrossFit Total (with the record going to Jon who added 100 pounds, an increase of nearly 20%!!)

The overall individual title goes to Tom Stenzel, who lost a whopping 11.8 pounds of fat and gained an incredible 4 pounds of muscle in the process for a net loss of 7.8 pounds!  Not only that, he took 1:49 off of his Jackie time and added 30 pounds to his CrossFit Total!  All in just 30 days!  Amazing!

Nutrition Challengers, keep an eye on your inbox over the next couple of days.  You will get an email with a summary of your accomplishments, and (I hope!) an email from the MSU Human Performance Lab with your final weigh-in numbers, as well.  Great job everyone, I am so proud of you all!

Today’s Workout:

Max Effort Thruster

Then, As Many Rounds As Possible in 12 minutes:
6 Power Cleans, 135/95
12 Wallball shots, 20/14

Post results Beyond the Whiteboard.

As Many Rounds As Possible in 20 minutes:
5 Hang Power Cleans 135/95
10 Burpees
15 Kettlebell Swings 1.5/1
20 Walking Lunges
25 Double Unders

Post rounds Beyond the Whiteboard.

• Sunday, 12/18, 10 a.m. (immediately following the 9 o’clock class)
• Monday, 12/19 at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 p.m. After EVERY Class that evening!
• Tuesday, 12/20 at 10 a.m.  - immediately after the 9 a.m. class!
• Tuesday, 12/27 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – before and after the evening classes!

Today’s Workout:

DE Back Squat

21-15-9 reps for time of:
Hang Squat Snatch 115/75
Ring Dip

Post results Beyond the Whiteboard.

The Challenge runs January 9 – February 8 (30 days).  You will complete your hydrostatic weighing and 2 workouts before January 9.  For 30 days, you will stick to a nutrition protocol – either a 30 Day Isagenix Fast-Start Cleanse or Strict Zone + Paleo.  After the 30 days, you re-do your hydrostatic weighing and the 2 workouts.  Athletes are scored based on percent improvement in each area and the scores are totaled to find an overall winner.  The individuals on team with the greatest average improvement will each win a FREE month of CrossFit!

Note:  You MUST be signed up for the challenge by December 29.  NO EXCEPTIONS.  Cost:  $100 for Bronze, $90 for Silver, $80 for Gold members.

For more details on the protocol (i.e. exactly what each nutrition protocol looks like) and an opportunity to ask questions, come to a Nutrition Challenge Info Session:

• Tonight, Monday, December 12, 7:30 p.m. (immediately following the 6:30 p.m. class)
• Sunday, December 18, 10 a.m. (immediately following the 9 o’clock class)

• Monday, 12/19 at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 p.m. After EVERY Class that evening!
• Tuesday, 12/20 at 10 a.m.  - immediately after the 9 a.m. class!
• Tuesday, 12/27 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – before and after the evening classes!

Should we do bar-facing "Caity"? Hmmmmm.....

Today’s Workout:

Dynamic Effort Push-Ups

Then,

“Caity”
5 Rounds for time:
5 Deadlifts, 275/185
10 Burpees

Post time Beyond the Whiteboard.

1# Porkbelly – you can get at the Meat Shoppe on Rouse cut like thick bacon or in blocks which you’ll have to slice/cube.
2 Bundles of green onions – chopped
1 Tablespoon Molases
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup or honey
>1 Tablespoon of Coconut aminos/gluten free soy sauce/soy sauce
1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce (optional) or salt to taste

Slice or dice your pork belly to your preferred thickness. Think 2-3x thicker than thick bacon and then bitsized from there. In frying pan cook pork belly until starts to get nice golden brown cooking in it’s own fat. mmmfat. I have made this a few times and depending on where you get your belly from you may or may not want to drain some (not all) the fat. Next add your molases (drizzle), syrup (drizzle), fish sauce (splash 2x), and aminos (splash 2x)*. I don’t normally measure these out when I cook so it could be more could be less! Then add your green onions, get some of that green stalk in there too.  Mix well, let your onions heat up a bit  then enjoy!

*of the molases, maple syrup, honey, coconut amino, or fish sauce you can use all of these or some comb of these depending on what you tastes are!  Add small amounts and keep tasting!  Have fun!

Green Beans kids might even eat
Green Beans
Bacon 2-3 slices
Mushrooms 1 box
Onions 1/2 med/large

Start pot of salted water to boil. Slice bacon into smaller bits and cook. When cooked to your desired texture remove the bits and hold aside. Cook onions and mushrooms in bacon grease. When cooked add bacon bits and set aside remove from heat. Add green beans to boiling water and cook til bright green or tender to the touch (5-8mintures) removed from boiling water and immediate submerge in bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Then drain and add to pan of onions, mushrooms and bacon. Mix well and serve.

Both are very fast and easy! Hope you like them!

By Leslie Allen

Consuming fresh organic vegetables is the cornerstone of good health, and growing them yourself is a step towards sustainable living. Animal manure has been used as an organic fertilizer since the dawn of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago. However, recent E. coli outbreaks in Europe and the USA raise concerns over the potential food safety risks of using manure in the garden. While there are risks associated with using manure, by taking the necessary precautions, you can greatly reduce these risks and enjoy the fruits of your labor without concern.

Many E. coli outbreaks can be traced to fecal contamination from wild animals and domestic carnivores (including humans). Carnivore manure, including dog and cat manure, should not be used in the garden because it contains a particularly large amount of disease-causing bacteria and pathogens. Generally, manure from meat-eaters is more likely to carry disease than manure from herbivores.

Cat scat can be especially dangerous to pregnant women or those with a compromised immune system. Cat scat is a vector for toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that can remain active in the soil for more than a year. This is troubling for those of us with raised vegetable beds that our cats find irresistible for use as litter boxes.

Solarizing the soil through winter and spring will kill toxoplasmosis and make the bed safe for planting. After watering the soil, place a large piece of clear plastic over the garden to heat the soil and kill the disease. You’ll get the added benefit of killing many weed seeds.

Keeping the kitties out of the vegetable garden takes mental dexterity and trial and error. Even though cats can climb, many of them can be deterred with fencing. I use willow fences for a rustic look, but chicken wire works well too. Some felines can’t stand walking on plastic mulch, and others don’t like walking on rocks. Planting a row of offensively aromatic plants may also keep some prima donna cats from prowling around.

Horse and cow manure is generally safe for the garden as long as it has been composted or aged. Cow manure is easier to find at most local nurseries than horse manure. Fresh horse and cow manure contains bacteria, and a lot of urine. Urine is very salty and can damage plants. Commercially produced steer manure can also be high in urine because at most commercial feeding operations, e.g. CAFOs or confined animal feeding operations, where the manure is collected, cows are being readied for slaughter and they are confined in pens with limited mobility. Before applying manure, test your soil for salt content. Don’t apply manure to soils that are high in salt.

Commercially composted manure has been heated to over 150 degrees to kill weeds, pathogens, and bacteria. Aged manure has been allowed to sit and dry out, typically for six months or more, but will still contain weed seeds and could still contain bacteria. Aged or composted manure helps improve soil texture and water-holding capacity.

If you are going to apply fresh manure, to reduce the food safety risks, the USDA National Organic Program recommends applying it at least 120 days before harvesting vegetables. In the short growing season of Montana, this means the best time to apply fresh manure is in the fall. This will give ample time for any bacteria to die, as most bacteria thrive in a warm, moist environment, not in our dry, cold winter climate. Remember, fresh manure is an excellent source of weed seeds and will increase your vegetable garden weed woes.

Good horticultural practices will also reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. The location of your vegetable garden can make a difference. Don’t grow your vegetables in an area where surface water will run onto it from either a manure storage area or land fertilized with fresh manure. In addition, don’t grow vegetables in the leach field of a septic system.

Mulching your vegetable beds will prevent water drops from bouncing off applied manure onto your crops. Mulch may deter cats from pussy footing around your vegetables, and will provide a layer of protection between vine crops such as squash and melons and manure-amended soil. Mulch provides additional benefits of water conservation and weed suppression.

Thoroughly washing all food grown in manure-fertilized gardens will also reduce the risk of contamination. Wash them just before eating to avoid spoilage. Scrub root crops such as carrots, beets, and potatoes, and thick-skinned vine crops, such as melons and squash, with a scrub brush and cool water. Better yet, peel them before eating. Even though you don’t eat the skins of squash and melons, when you slice them, bacteria present on the skin can be transferred to the flesh. Remove and discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables before washing them.

Growing your own organic food supply can be very satisfying and will supply your family with top-notch produce to enjoy. Aged manure from vegetarian animals – horses, cows, goats, sheep, and chickens – is an excellent amendment for our western soils, and with the proper handling, poses little risk. This Colorado State University Extension publication is a good additional resource for using manure in the garden.

By Leslie Allen

In my last Homegrown Paleo blog we explored sheet mulching an in-place passive composting system that instantly transforms a space into a garden. This post explores good old-fashioned compost. I love it when people ask me how to establish a landscape or garden. It gives me the opportunity to help at the ground level and advise them on proper soil preparation. My advice? You guess it – add compost.

Technically speaking, composting is a process that results in a product called humus. This happens through the microbial decomposition of organic material into a nutrient-rich and fertile soil amendment. Not only does compost provide innumerable benefits to your plants and landscape, it’s also free to make and reduces the amount of green waste sent to the local landfill.

Many people have the misconception that composting is messy, smelly and attracts vermin. This is not true. When done correctly, composting is easy and results in vigorous plants and bountiful garden crops. It is probably the most valuable thing you can do for your yard.

The basic compost recipe is equal parts of green material and brown material, plus a little soil, water and air. Green material includes fresh organic waste, such as grass clippings, deadheaded flowers and kitchen scraps. Brown material is dried or dead organic waste, such as fallen leaves, dried grass, pruned wood, shredded newspaper or cardboard. Never add meat scraps, pet waste, weeds with seeds, or diseased materials to your compost pile. All materials you add should be less than 2 inches in size so that it will break down quickly.

Select a location for your compost pile that is tucked away somewhere in your yard, or simply build it where you eventually want to build your garden. Make sure the area you select gets about six hours of sunlight each day. You can heap all of the material together in a loose pile, construct a simple bin, or purchase a commercially made compost bin. This MSU Extension Publication will help you get started.

Once you have found a place for your composting venture, it’s time to pile up your green and brown materials. It should be at least 3 feet to 4 feet square. About every foot, add an inch or two of soil, which will supply microbes to decompose the organic matter. Add water as you go. The microbes need water and air in order to get to work, so keep the compost pile wet, but not soggy. It should be about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. If it is too wet, the process will switch from aerobic to anaerobic decomposition, and the pile WILL smell.

Air is the final ingredient and is added to the recipe by turning your pile. Let the pile sit for about two days and then check the temperature. You can poke your hand into the middle of the pile, or use a thermometer. Once the internal temperature is about 160 F, it is time to turn it. This will aerate the pile, but decrease the temperature. Continue to monitor the heat, and turn the pile again when it reaches 160 F. If you continue turning the pile every time it heats back up to 160 F, you should have usable humus in about two or three weeks. It is important to not add any new materials if you are actively turning your pile.

Alternatively, you can just leave the pile sit, and not turn it. The composting will still take place, but much more passively. It will take more time – sometime up to a year – but will not require as much effort by you. Either way, you will enjoy seeing your plants thrive as your compost does its magic in your soil.

Recommended Reading

The Rodale Guide to Composting by Jerry Minnich and Marjorie Hunt

Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth by William Logan

Recommended Viewing

Dirt! The Movie

In last week’s Homegrown Paleo gardening class we explored many ways to prepare an area for a garden. One of the easiest ways to do this is via sheet mulching. Sheet mulching is essentially composting on-site, on the area that needs amending. It is a simple layering of slashed vegetation, cardboard or newspapers, and organic material, topped off with a nice layer of mulch. Over time, these layers decompose into rich fertile soil. Sheet mulching mimics the natural way of building soil, which is from the top down. It is a simple and economical way to create fabulous soil. In other parts of the world, sheet mulching is also called sheet composting, layered gardening, and even lasagna gardening!

The alternating layers of cardboard, organic material and mulch provide the appropriate carbon-to-nitrogen ratio that is needed. If you don’t add nitrogen sources when incorporating carbon-rich materials into the soil, such as sawdust, wood shavings and newspaper, the carbon will temporarily deplete the soil of nitrogen, and it will be difficult to successfully grow anything. For successful sheet mulching, you need to provide appropriate amounts of both carbon and nitrogen. Here’s how to get it right.

Slash or closely mow all existing herbaceous (soft-tissued, nonwoody) vegetation, and leave it in place. This will provide a layer of nitrogen-rich material. However, it is best to remove tomato and squash plants from the area to avoid potential disease and pest problems.

Next comes the carbon layer. Flatten a bunch of cardboard boxes, and lay them down, overlapping them by 6 inches. You can also use a one-quarter- to one-half-inch layer of newspapers, torn up phone books, or old pieces of carpet. Soak everything with a hose. Wetting down this layer is important. Water is a catalyst to kick-start the decomposition of the materials. Once everything is thoroughly soaked, try not to walk on it, or you may tear it.

Next, it’s time to spread a 2-4 inch layer of manure or compost. If you are doing this now, and do not plan to plant vegetables in the spring, you can use fresh manure if it is weed-free. Otherwise, use aged manure or compost. Then, wet the area again. The layer of manure or compost will entice earthworms and other soil organisms up into the sheet mulch and hasten its decomposition. Finally, top it all off with at least a 2-inch layer of mulch. Straw is a good choice because it is inexpensive, about $5-7 a bale. Just be sure that it is straw and NOT HAY!

The beauty of sheet mulching is its versatility. It can be done over bare soil or an existing lawn to build rich garden soil. Since sheet mulching provides the ideal carbon to nitrogen ratio, you can plant directly into it! If you’re going to plant small vegetable starts (in pots smaller than one gallon) just create a small hole in the top layer of mulch and place your plant on top of the all the remaining layers. Fill the hole with potting soil and move the mulch back in. Avoid piling the mulch around the plant like a volcano. Instead, taper the mulch away from the plant so that you leave a little space around the stem.

If you’re going to transplant one gallon sized containers, make a hole through all the layers of organic material, cut an “X” into the bottom layer of cardboard, dig your hole, and install your plant. Then, put the organic material and mulch back into place. Again, avoid mounding the mulch, taper it away from the plant.

There you have it – a simple, inexpensive, and nontoxic way to kill your lawn and instantly install a new garden! Sheet mulching kills weeds and lawns without herbicides, while building the soil without requiring tilling. It is a great way to build an organic garden, and it’s practiced all over the world. Don’t forget to sign up for the May 2 Homegrown Paleo gardening class. We’re going to explore the biological, physical and chemical properties of soil. Every successful garden has its foundation in healthy and productive soil. You don’t want to miss this class! Sign up on BCF’s Zen Planner.

Recommended Reading

Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway

The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book by Ruth Stout

Announcement:  The next Food 101 Seminar is on Saturday, April 30 at 8:30 a.m. at Bridger CrossFit.  Please sign up online if you want to attend so we can be prepared.  This is a free seminar.  We encourage everybody to attend, whether you are looking to learn the basics of the Paleo diet, or if you are looking for some extra motivation to get back on track, or to stay on track, with your diet.

Today’s Workout:

CrossFit Games Open Sectionals 11.5

As Many Rounds As Possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Power Cleans 145/100
10 Toes-to-Bar
15 Wallball shots 20/14 (women to a 9′ target)

Post results Beyond the Whiteboard.

By Leslie Allen

If you have been following this blog you probably have a garden plan and know when you’ll be starting seeds and transplanting veggies into your garden. If not, be sure to read last week’s post and complete the garden planning worksheet.

Once you have a garden plan, it’s time to consider which varieties of vegetable to grow. You know that you need to choose short season varieties, but beyond that there are many, many options. A common decision point is heirloom or hybrid. There is no right answer. Some people are squarely in the heirloom only camp, and some folks swear by hybrids. In this post, I’m going to focus on tomatoes, since they are the most popular garden plant we grow.

Vine ripe, homegrown tomatoes – does any other homegrown fruit elicit such passion and excitement? If you’re like me, and many other tomato lovers, you don’t even bother purchasing tomatoes at the store. Homegrown tomatoes, regardless if they’re heirloom or hybrids, are far superior in taste and quality than anything you can find in the supermarket.

Heirloom tomatoes seem almost mystical, and there is much debate over what makes an heirloom variety. Some say it must be over 100 years old, while others say that it must predate the rise of post-World War II hybridization. No matter the age debate, heirloom varieties must be open-pollinated. Meaning if you saved the seeds from that plant, and grow it next season, you will get the same variety. Most heirlooms are started from seeds that have been saved by seed exchange clubs and seed preservation programs. Many are hundreds of years old, as tomatoes have been grown in the United States since the mid-1600s.

Hybrid varieties are the result of deliberate plant breeding. There is northing unnatural with plant breeding. You could even do it in your garden which is exactly how Gregor Mendel did it in the 1800s. Plant breeding is simply the transfer of pollen from one specific variety of plant to another. There is no crazy gene splicing or anything like that. Those techniques are used by plant geneticists to create genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. GMO plants are very expensive and generally not available to backyard gardeners. Don’t worry, hybrids are not the same as GMOs.

Hybrids are bred to enhance a specific quality or characteristic. With tomatoes, disease resistance is the most common hybrid variety. You’ll see the resistant diseases along with the designation “F1” listed on the seed packet or label. F1, short for Filial 1, is a genetic designation meaning the first offspring of a specific cross. The drawback to hybrids is that seeds collected and sown will not grow true. In other words, you could end up with a very wild tomato without the carefully selected parental characteristics.

At the heart of the heirloom vs. hybrid debate is the rapid loss of varieties. Believe it or not, some varieties are at risk of going extinct. The best way to save these old varieties is to grow them and eat them. How great is that? You can’t save the whales by eating them. But you can save the tomatoes by eating them!

I particularly like the range of strange colors and shapes available with heirloom varieties. The names I also find irresistible. Who wouldn’t want to grow the exotic green and yellow Green Zebra or the hardy and robust Black Sea Man?

There is a popular misconception that heirlooms are temperamental and more difficult to grow than hybrid varieties. Nothing could be further from the truth. They are susceptible to the same problems of many hybrid varieties, but healthy soil, proper irrigation, and plenty of sunlight are all you need to successfully grow heirloom tomatoes. This MSU extension publication will help you successfully grow tomatoes in Montana.

Aside from deciding between heirloom or hybrids, you need to choose between determinate or indeterminate varieties. Determinate varieties have flower clusters, and consequently fruit clusters, at the shoot tips. Typically, these fruit clusters will all ripen at the same time, presenting you with a bonanza of yummy fruits. However, this also means that you won’t get a continuous supply of tomatoes all summer long. Many people grow these varieties for canning. Determinate tomatoes also tend to be smaller and work very well in pots on the patio, with many of them having the word “patio” in their names. They also tend to be short season plants, an advantage for Montana gardeners.

Indeterminate tomatoes have flower clusters along the sides of the shoots, allowing plants to grow and produce fruit continually until the first frost. These plants usually need some kind of support, such as wire cages or stakes. If you have the space, you can allow these plants to express their true rambling nature. However, many indeterminate varieties have a long season. Be sure to check the label or seed packet to make sure there’s a chance the fruit will ripen before the first frost.

Recommended Reading

Botany of Desire by Michal Pollan

The Heirloom Tomato by Amy Goldman

Recommended Reading & Listening

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