CrossFit Tri-Cities

Spicy Mustard Kabobs
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound of beef cut into 1-inch cubes
(I’ve used 3 different cuts all with similar results; beef stir-fry meat, beef stew meat, and a beef top sirloin all worked great)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
A variety of your favorite veggies to add to the skewers (cut onions & peppers into 1-inch pieces, small tomatoes and mushrooms can go on whole)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the veggies and mix well. Try to let marinade for 4-6 hours. Add veggies and meat to the skewers in any pattern that you would like. Toss on the grill for about 4-5 minutes and then flip to other side. Remove from grill and let cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.

*If you use wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for 15-20 minutes before you put the meat and veggies on to keep them from burning on the grill
**If you don’t want to get the grill out, you can saute all of the above in a skillet and get a similar stove-top result.

We will be following up the nutritional lectures from last week with some tips and tricks to help people try to make better choices when it comes to their nutrition.

We’re starting off with trying to get out of the supermarket. Obviously supermarkets are a huge convenience to us. They are our one-stop-shops for everything from food to underwear to batteries to automobile parts. Maybe the gift of these stores is also their curse. In no way am I advocating that you boycott these stores, I’m merely trying to present other options that are potentially available.

Pretty much every community in our area has a local farmers market. It is a chance for you to get food straight from the source as opposed to halfway around the world, which will ensure that you are getting something when it is fresh and at the peak of it’s nutritional readiness as opposed to many of the supermarket items that are picked before they are ripe and then shipped to our grocery stores. You will also be doing your part to support our local economy.

The two farmers markets that I’ve been to in our area are:
Downtown Elgin Harvest Market
Thursdays 10am-4pm
St. Charles Farmers Market
Fridays 7am-1pm

Elgin’s market has a little more variety than St. Charles. Elgin has a few produce booths with decent variety of fruits and veggies. They also have a hummus/olive vendor and a meat vendor who has beef, pork and eggs. There are a few other miscellaneous booths there as well.

St. Charles is a little smaller. They do have fresh produce and a meat vendor, but their meat vendor only provides beef.

To find more farmers markets in the area, visit http://www.localharvest.org

If you’ve been to another market in the area, let us know. I’ve heard that both Woodstock and Sycamore also have fantastic farmers markets.

Paleo Banana Custard with Fresh Berries
Prep Time: 3-5 minutes
Cook Time: 7-10 minutes

Ingredients:
4 cups of coconut milk (preferably not the “light” variety, but if that’s all you have, it’ll do the trick
3 bananas, sliced into bite sized pieces
1 tsp of cinnamon (add more to desired taste if you’d like)

Directions: In a medium sauce pan, combine coconut milk and bananas and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally and try not to let mixture come to a boil. You will begin to notice a consistency change in the bananas after 7-10 minutes, and will most likely be able to smell the bananas cooking as well. Once you notice this, remove from heat. Pour mixture into the blender, add cinnamon, and blend on low for 20-30 seconds, and then on high for another 20-30 seconds. Pour mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for 4-5 hours. Serve and enjoy over your favorite fresh berries!