We woke up late this morning. This would normally be a good thing, but it was the final day of the CrossFit Games, and the morning’s events were already starting. My hubby threw some clothes on the kids while I packed nuts, leftover kabobs, steamed vegetables, and lettuce-wrapped roast beef tacos to take to the Games.
By the time we arrived at HDC and snagged our seats, the women were already finishing the Double Banger workout. The women are amazing and inspiring, but I do enjoy watching shirtless guys muscle their way through the grueling events.
The final team competition was fast and furious…
…but by the time Ute CrossFit celebrated their victory, the Double-Os had melted in the sun.
My hubby elected to stay (and burn to a crisp) in the stadium while the kids and I made our way to the Reebok Oasis tent. There, I parked us on a couch next to other mommies with kids. In the cool shade of the air-conditioned tent, the Double-Os and I ate the food I brought from the hotel while we pored over the pretty graphics and tantalizing recipes in Diane’s preview copy of Practical Paleo.
In between all this action, I watched Annie and Rich recapture their titles as the Fittest People In Our Solar System on the boob tube…
…but the Double-Os were more interested in playing with my iPhone.
After the Games concluded, we hugged our friends goodbye and pinky swore to reunite next month in Boston for the Ancestral Health Symposium.
On a whim, I called up my sister and announced that we’d be arriving at her house in 30 minutes. When we showed up at her doorstep, my brother-in-law had already refrigerated some aloe leaves from his garden that we slathered over our burned arms and legs.
My brother-in-law grows EVERYTHING. I used to invite myself to my sister’s just to eat her terrific cooking, but these days, my BIL’s concoctions are an equally compelling draw. Last week, when we stopped by for a few minutes on our way down to the OC, he fried us up some hot dogs he made out of grass fed beef short ribs, and sliced us some homemade salumi. Not to be outdone, my sister made us some delicious chicken liver pate, carrot salad, and pickled kohlrabi.
And before we head back on the road, they’re going to load us up with batches of charcuterie, smoked meats, and kimchee. We obviously need to drop by more often.
For dinner, we all drove to The Laxy Ox Canteen in Little Tokyo.
The menu items are meant to be shared family-style, so we each picked an appealing vegetable and meat dish. The descriptions for each plate are somewhat vague, so unless you’re up for an unexpected surprise, be sure to specifically ask about hidden gluten.
We started with a stone fruit salad with whipped goat cheese (there were croutons mixed in that we left uneaten)…
…grilled cabbage salad…
…spicy caramelized cauliflower…
…braised short ribs with fried rabbit liver (gluten in the batter – but tasty!) over mashed potatoes and kale…
…pork chop with barbecue sauce over mashed spuds and mushrooms…
…and a braised lamb shank over mashed potatoes and chard.
The dining room at Laxy Ox Canteen is noisy, which is perfect for breeders with tots in tow. Our meal here with my sis and brother-in-law was a lovely way to cap off our trip in SoCal.
Plus, Paul from Primal Pastures hand-delivered two frozen, freshly processed pastured chickens to our hotel to bring back home with us.
It might just be the best parting gift ever. (Other than the grub we’re getting from my sister and BIL!)
