I felt like I was shot out of a cannon this morning. We woke up late, but Big-O had to be at his Little League game by a quarter to 9, so I barely had enough time to cram some food into my kids before flinging them out the door. Before running after them, I grabbed some roast beef from our hotel fridge to eat while on the go. Breakfast is served!
I threw the boys in the car and peeled off. While I raced to the park, the husband was conscripted into maintenance duty at Lil-O’s preschool, and spent the morning happily playing with power tools and drilling holes into things fixing stuff.
Thankfully, I wasn’t entirely on my own. My big sister’s in town from El-Lay, so she met us at the park to cheer on Big-O and his teammates.
After working up a big appetite, our slugger got to pick our lunch spot. And he chose…
…Steak Out!
Yes, it’s our fourth visit in the past week. And no, I’m not sick of it. Today, I had the garlicky lamb burger, no bun, extra patty – and it was lip-smackingly good.
Once we filled up our bellies, we bid my sister adieu, and I whipped up a quick salad of fresh strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and mango, and headed off to the CrossFit Palo Alto potluck at the home of our friends M & D.
Fitbomb still regularly wakes up in the middle of the night so he can join his 5 a.m. classmates at CFPA, but lately, my attendance in the Women’s Class has been spotty. Recent obligations (like finalizing and launching the Nom Nom Paleo iPad app, launching new projects, accompanying Big-O to his hospital appointments, etc.) have taken precedence, but I’m determined to haul myself back into the gym. Seeing everyone this afternoon was a good kick in the pants; after all, peer pressure peer support is an excellent motivator.
Where was I? Oh, yes: Food. There were plenty of delicious Paleo-friendly dishes at the potluck…
… but one of my favorites was Graeme’s Meatloaf Minis (a.k.a. “WODs”). After stuffing myself with a double-burger at Steak Out, I wasn’t even hungry, but I ended up devouring WOD after WOD after WOD.
Here’s Graeme’s recipe (which serves 6-8) in his words (reprinted with permission):
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- ½ fist-sized sweet potato, finely diced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
- ¼ cup tomato paste (add more if desired)
- High heat cooking oil (e.g., coconut oil)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Coat a standard sized baking tray or muffin tin with a high heat cooking oil. With an scoop or a good-sized spoon, evenly distribute the meat mixture into 6 to 8 WODs. If you like, you can take some of the leftover tomato paste and garnish the top of each WOD for an extra bit of tomato flavor. Then put the baking tray or muffin tin with the WODs into your preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Make sure you check to see that the WODS are cooked all the way through before serving. The bigger sized WODs may need additional baking time.
Believe me: They were super-yum.
The food wasn’t the only attraction – it was fun catching up with my pals while the kids ran around the sunny backyard. With all the craziness of the past few weeks, I truly appreciate being able to kick back and relax in the company of friends.
The festivities were capped off with an Olympic weightlifting shoe dedication ceremony, which began with a poetry reading by Trish…
…and concluded with the traditional baptism-by-chalk.
What?!? You’ve never attended an Oly shoe dedication ceremony? You’re totally missing out, I tell you.
After the CFPA party wound down, we piled back into the car and trekked over to the East Bay for another potluck – this time, to celebrate Mother’s Day with the hubby’s extended family. We were one of the first to arrive, which gave us enough time to whip up some homemade guacamole…
…and sample some of the meat and seafood, fresh off the grill.
Joking and gossiping with family members is never dull – especially when the conversation comes with a big helping of steak and shrimp.
Happy Mother’s (and Grandmother’s and Great-Grandmother’s) Day, y’all!
