WOD-MOD wk 9 {the bear with fish and chips}

Last weeks WOD-MOD was super fun. Meredith and I a fun WOD at the Y then returned to my place for dinner. This evening we had a special guest, Jonah-Kai. He is a friend of Meredith who is a coach at the crossfit gym Meredith and I are going to these days.  He invited himself over, which I must say is awesome! It was a pleasure to have his company and the tasty wine he brought (I didn't drink much of it, it was mighty tasty- Meredith, Jonah-Kai and Vivian can attest to the tastiness).

WOD {the bear}

Soooo, Meredith was a little dead from her crossfit workout the day before.  As a result, she had to modify the WOD a little. This was a super great lesson, listen to your body!! If it hurts too much, modify, no need to push too hard if it is going to hurt.

Strength: front squat
5 x 40%   3 x 70%
5 x 50%   3 x 80%
5 x 60%   3 x 90%

WOD
"The Bear" AMRAP 10 minutes
only 10 minutes?? don't you worry...10 minutes is enough.

5 dumbbell dead lifts
5 dumbbell hang power cleans
5 dumbbell thrusters

We followed this up with some core work, tricep pushups and STRETCHING!!

Notes:

• Check out this link for more info on The Bear.
• I used 20# dumbbells.

 

MOD {fish and chips: clean kitchen style}

What a fantastic meal. Meridith and I enjoyed cooking up this meal with great conversation from our special guest, Jonah-Kai.  To make it even more fabulous, as we were getting ready to sit down to eat, my roommate, Vivian, walked in and joined us at the table.  We had a delicious meal full of great conversation and laughter. 

the menu:

ginger-garlic alaskan turbot in parchment

tamari ginger bok choy

yam frites with basil aioli and red pepper basil aioli

yam frites with thai basil and red pepper aioli's
Now really, who doesn't love yam frites (aka sweet potato fries)??

2 large yams
olive oil
cayenne pepper
s & P

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F (we baked them at 375, because that is what the fish was going to be cooked at).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.Wash and evenly slice the yam. Soak in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes to allow all starch to be removed. Drain and pat completely dry.

3. Toss dried pieces with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne.

4. Place yam pieces on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to not overcrowd the pieces, or else you will have soggy fries - they need to breath.

5. Place in preheated oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing half way through.

6. Toss with a little salt. Serve with your red pepper and basil aiolis, or dip of choice.

Tips/tricks:

• We let the sliced yam soak in the cold water while we were at the gym. 
• If you have time reduce heat to 200, and bake for another 15 minutes to allow the fries to dry out.  
• A trick I recently found and tried few days before: Whisk 2 egg whites until frothy, add the yam/sweet potatoes, herbs, salt and pepper - toss well. It worked pretty well! I baked these at 425 for 30-40 minutes, but did not do the last 15 minutes at 200.
• Tossing the fries in corn starch prior to baking is another trick I want to try. 

                                                                                                                                                                                              
thai basil and red pepper aioli's 
two aioli's for the price of one!

We used the tried and true Mark Bittman's food-processor mayo technique, making sure to use pure olive oil, not extra virgin..

Near the end of adding the oil, we added finely chopped thai basil and ginger.

Once it was finished, we placed the aioli into two separate bowls and added red pepper to one.
                                                                                                                                                                                            
ginger-garlic alaskan turbot
adapted from Rachel Ray's Ginger-Garlic Fish in Parchment

Alaska turbot, (6-7 oz filets) or fish of choice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces on an angle
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
handful thai basil, thinly sliced
3 to 4-inch knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons tamari sauce

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Rip off pieces of parchment to form packets each about 12-inches long.

3.Season fish with salt and pepper.

4. Combine vinegar and tamari in a small bowl.

5. Place a piece of parchment in a shallow dish.  In the the center of the paper layer: a few pieces of the scallions, criminis, slices of ginger, thai basil and garlic and top with fish. Top fish with a few large spoonfuls of the sauce.  Fold over the top of the parchment then roll the sides in to form a sealed pouch. Repeat with the remaining filets.

6.Arrange the pouches on a baking sheet and roast in hot oven 12 to 14 minutes.

Tips/Tricks:

• Make sure to thinly slice the mushrooms and ginger.
• Make sure to not overcrowd the pouches with too many mushrooms, ginger, etc. We did this and found that it extended the cook time. 

Variations:

• This has been a great technique I have used to "steam/bake" not only fish but vegetables. So tasty!

                                                                                                                                                                                              

tamari ginger bok choy

2 bunches of bok choy 
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
1-2 teaspoons ginger, grated (we used my frozen ginger paste)
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2-1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1/4 red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce)

 Method 

1. Trim the stem off of the bok choy- don't trim too much - just the end. Separate the leaves, and clean leaves under running water. 

 2.Place wok or frying pan on your stove with oil, garlic and ginger. Heat to medium-high. Let the ginger and garlic gently sizzle. After a few minutes, add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender. Now add the bok choy leaves. Toss very well to coat each leaf with the garlicky, gingery oil for 15 seconds. Add tamari sauce, lower heat to medium and cover.  Let cook for 2-3 minutes, until bok choy is tender. Season with salt.