It's almost unbelievable that the Holidays are upon us, and for me they really start with Thanksgiving. I just love everything about it. Food, family and football about sums it up!

Just a heads up on our schedule for next week. I know y'all are busy (so are we), but you'll want to make plans for your training. Yes, it IS that important. 🙂

Training Schedule Thanksgiving Week:

Mon, Tue, Wed: Regular Training Schedule All Classes

Thu, Fri: No Training

Sat: World Famous "Pies Off Thighs" Post-Thanksgiving Day All Family Training at 8:00am

If you have never been to Pies Off Thighs, you don't want to miss it!

Nancy and I are so grateful for you being part of our fitness family. You have been patient with us as the house is being built and I have no been in the gym as much, so thank-you. I feel very inadequate when trying to express how much it means that you put your trust in us and choose to train here.

I've been reading the board of all the things YOU are thankful for, and I am reminded we need to count our blessings more often!

My family really enjoys Mexican foods. Taco, burritos, enchiladas, Mexican Casserole, Refried beans are all a hit when I make them. Since I work hard at bringing healthy to the table too, I attempt to make my own spice mix, salsa and lately Enchilada Sauce. I make them in quantity so they will last several meals. Enjoy. Go Forth and Spice Up Your Life. 

This homemade red enchilada sauce has authentic Mexican flavor! It’s so good and easy, you’ll never go back to store-bought sauce again. I made a double batch and put half of it for later. Yields about 2 cups (16 ounces) sauce.

Enchilada Sauce

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends all work!)
• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
• Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

This sauce comes together quickly once you get started. Mix the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove! Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps. Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.) Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary.

Taco Seasoning

This mixture of spices approximates what you might buy in a package. It tastes just as good and you eliminate the unwholesome ingredients in the store bought variety.

Depending on your taste you can use as much or as little as you like.  I usually make 4 times this much so I have it ready when I need it.

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

My daughter Amy was fixing lunch for our family to have a picnic outside. Her heart was set on tacos. She worked hard to feed her family. She had to thaw the hamburger, cook it and then create a taco spice blend. She sliced the olives. She mashed the avocado for guacamole and she made homemade salsa. (her mom didn’t have a stash in the fridge)

I was so proud of her. She did all of this because she wanted too. We all enjoyed the Spring weather but most of all I enjoyed being the mom of this brilliant 11 year old.

Homemade Salsa

• 1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 fresh jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ¹⁄₂  teaspoon pepper
• 3 dashes hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse 3-10 times.

If you have a child who loves to cook, allow them the spread their wings and serve you lunch. They can very well surprise you.

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

Life is short. I am reminded of this today. Looking through past pictures will do that to anyone. Thinking those pictures were taken not too long ago is a reminder that time flies faster than any of us thinks.

We do not get a Do – Over. I know at times, I wished we did. We have assurance of this moment and no other. Today, I want to make sure I let you know, I am proud of you. I am proud of you for taking steps to be better each day. If our lives cross paths momentarily or for a very long time, I am thankful. I am thankful for you being in my life, for touching my life with yours.

AS you train today and everyday, Train as if this is not a dress rehearsal. It isn’t.

AS you work today and everyday, work as if this is not a dress rehearsal. It isn’t.

AS you eat today and everyday, eat as if what you eat today affects everyday. It does.

AS you hang out with friends and co- workers, give them a high five. You are affecting them. It is your choice to affect them positively or not.

AS you spend time with family, let them know you love them. Tell them. Look them straight in the eye and let them know they are not something taken for granted. They are important pieces of you.

You are not practicing to live. You are living.

So:

live a little bigger.

hug a whole lot more.

tell others you love them a more often and in different ways.

take care of myself better each day.

attack each day with vigor.

This is not a dress rehearsal.

Make Every Day Count,

Coach Nancy

On November 11, 1919 President Woodrow Wilson spoke these words on the first Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day:

"A year ago today our enemies laid down their arms in accordance with an armistice which rendered them impotent to renew hostilities, and gave to the world an assured opportunity to reconstruct its shattered order and to work out in peace a new and juster set of international relations. The soldiers and people of the European Allies had fought and endured for more than four years to uphold the barrier of civilization against the aggressions of armed force. We ourselves had been in the conflict something more than a year and a half.

With splendid forgetfulness of mere personal concerns, we remodeled our industries, concentrated our financial resources, increased our agricultural output, and assembled a great army, so that at the last our power was a decisive factor in the victory. We were able to bring the vast resources, material and moral, of a great and free people to the assistance of our associates in Europe who had suffered and sacrificed without limit in the cause for which we fought.

Out of this victory there arose new possibilities of political freedom and economic concert. The war showed us the strength of great nations acting together for high purposes, and the victory of arms foretells the enduring conquests which can be made in peace when nations act justly and in furtherance of the common interests of men.

To us in America the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service, and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations."

100 years later let us never forget the sacrifices that have been made and are still being made in service to our country by the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces.

For this service is not only the engagement of enemy in combat, as crucial and terrible as it must be.

It is the hundreds and thousands of hours of training, day after day, which brings many dangers of its own.

It's the families left behind during long deployments, which are still going on by the way. Time away that can never be reclaimed.

It is the wounds, yes physical, but often more damaging, emotional and psychological. Damage that may never really "go away".

It is careers interrupted, birthdays and anniversaries missed, funerals unattended. 

I am happy there are Veterans, but "Happy Veterans Day" hardly seems appropriate. There is too much there to reduce to a generic and trite saying.

It is no small thing to serve one's country in the military. 

Let's give Honor Where Honor Is Due.

Today and every day.

- DC

Here’s my challenge to you today.

Be grateful, and then put some action behind that gratitude.

Maybe on today it is as simple as saying thank-you, or paying for the Dunkins for the man or woman in line ahead of you in line. I think that is something I should start doing everyday, not just in November.

Don’t just let this day pass you by, let’s make something good happen today.

Let’s give someone else a reason to be thankful – promise?

Thank-You.

Coach Nancy

The picture below from our friends at Growing Bolder made me laugh. A geriatric Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker is just not a pretty picture, right?

I've never really been one to "pace myself" very much. The alternative approach I prefer is to "work hard...rest hard(er). And when I neglect the second part of that for too long, there are consequences. Recovery is important, and as you age you need more rest and recovery. 

BUT...

You have to consistently do something to rest and recover from. As we age FREQUENCY of exercise is actually shown to be more important than INTENSITY of exercise. In other words how often we exercise is more important than how much weight we lift. As we get into our fifties and beyond the whole "use it or lose it" concept is heightened. Missing workouts is very counterproductive; strength and mobility start to be lost after only a couple weeks. And we all know how hard it is (and how sore we are) when we miss time and then try to get started again.

So here's my encouragement to you. The holidays are coming. You are going to be busy - you already know this. DON'T miss your training. YOU are as important as anything else that is tugging at you. My goal is as that as we age together, we defy the "normal" and do what it takes to stay active, mind, spirit and body. 

Never stop climbing (and smashing through) walls.

Keep Making It Happen!

- DC

Who Can You Thank Today?

Seems really hard to believe that another holiday season is upon us, but I am glad it is. I think Thanksgiving might be my very favorite holiday. Not because Christmas isn’t fun but because it is generally pretty laid back and relaxing.

This time of year there are a lot of ideas out there about gratitude and thankfulness. An “attitude of gratitude” is much more productive than being a selfish, self-centered, well, whatever. But don’t keep it to yourself. Open your mouth and express gratitude too.

All the 12 year olds out there reading this might be surprised, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. Your mom loves you, but she probably isn’t laying her head on the pillow at night thinking “Oh goody, I get to do more laundry tomorrow, and I sure hope little Jimmy doesn’t volunteer to put the dishes in the dishwasher, because then I will get to do it instead!”

But do we adults act any different? I know I don’t all the time. I often find myself taking a lot of what happens around me for granted. I walk to work every day. I drive a car to the store when I need to go. I food in the house so the kids can eat breakfast. I have it better than 99.9% of the world, and yet if someone cuts me off in traffic am I more likely to let it roll, or try to roll over him? Do I take half a millisecond to consider what he might be going through, or that people make mistakes, or do I just go off? Kinda silly to think so little can get us so worked up, isn’t it?

I have also found that a little more kindness and a little more gratitude, and a little less “gotta have my way” goes a long way. You know the old saying “familiarity breeds contempt”? Does that ever creep into your life like it does mine? What is it if not contempt to walk by someone every day and not acknowledge they exist? 

Being kind is free. It doesn’t cost money to smile. It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to say “thank-you” to the barista. Yeah I know they are getting paid to do a job, but so what? Don’t we all need a little more appreciation? Talk to the check-out person. Nicely. You might be the only person who does so all day.

Don’t keep your gratitude to yourself. You have incredible power. You might change someone’s life by telling them how much you appreciate them.

But even better you might change your own life.

And that’s something to be thankful for.

So Thank-You.

If you are reading this in some way, shape or form you are part of the Cr8 family.

Of my family.

And for that I am blessed indeed.

Enjoy the Best Day Ever.

Coach Nancy

Today is one of those training day at Cr8 Fitness that we dream up tricks of all kinds and then add in a few treats for kicks. RockStar Chris has been experimenting with Rocky Road UMP. She Cr8 -ed Bon Bons that will knock those Halloween socks right off .

Chris' Bon Bons

• 2 scoops Rocky Road UMP (protein powder from Beverly International)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 10 Mejoul Dates
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 Tablespoon flax seed
• 2 Tablespoon cacoa nibs
• Water as needed
• coconut for rolling

Place all ingredients except water and coconut in a food processor. Pulse until mixed and chopped. Slowly add in water until it is chunky. Roll into 1 inch balls and then into flaked coconut if desired. Put in the freezer. Makes 35 1- inch balls

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 scoop vanilla UMP (from Beverly International)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 8 ounce water
• ice

Place all ingredients in a blender. Mix throughly. Enjoy. 

What a great combination of tricks and treats today. 

Enjoy good food,

Coach Nancy

I'm passing out all my secrets in this post. I love my crockpot. I believe I could use it every day. And the best combination to go with my crockpot is Freezer Meals. This is how it works. 

Head to the store and grab everything you need for these 5 recipes below including the Ziplock bags. When you get home instead of unloading them into your fridge, freezer, cupboard, or shelves. Pack each recipe in a Ziplock bag and Voila. You now have 5 meals to add to your freezer and then to the crockpot. All the work is done, right after the store. 

Cashew Chicken:

• 2-3 pounds chicken breast (depending on how much chicken you want)
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ c coconut aminos
• ½ c apple cider vinegar
• ¼ c ketchup
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ c cashews (add when ready to serve)
• 1 Tablespoon oil (coconut or olive, to grease the slow cooker)

Add all ingredients to a Ziplock bag or freezer container. Write on bag: thaw slightly and put in slow cooker on low 4-6 hours. Add cashews and serve.

Chicken Balsamic

• 3 pounds chicken breasts
• 28 oz tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic diced
• ¾ c balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons oil (coconut or olive)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Add all ingredients to a Ziplock bag or freezer container. Write on bag: thaw slightly, cook on low 4-6 hours.

Thai-ish chicken wings

• 2- 2 ½ pounds chicken wings
• ½ c salsa
• ¼ c almond butter
• 3 T lime juice
• 3 T coconut aminos
• 3 T water
• 3 T ginger
• 4 cloves garlic diced

Add all ingredients to a Ziplock bag or freezer container. Write on bag: thaw slightly, cook on low 6-8 hours.

Italian Sausage

• 2 pounds Italian sausage links
• 2 large green peppers
• 2 onions
• 4 c diced tomatoes
• 1 T onion powder
• 1 T garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a Ziplock bag or freezer container. Write on bag: Cook on low 6 hours.

*This recipe is great on top of a spaghetti squash!

Beef Stew

• 2 pounds beef stew meat or deer meat
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 ½ c tomato juice
• 4 cloves garlic diced
• 1 pound carrots
• 1 bunch celery chopped
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a ziplock bag or freezer container. Write on bag: add 3-4 sweet potatoes, cubed (optional) and cook on low 8-9 hours.

You have my secret to fast meal prep. Great food in a crockpot. 

Enjoy Good Food,

Coach Nancy

P.S. One thing I have found, is many times I will give these meals away to friends who need a quick meal due to a family issue or a personal challenge. They love it like I do. They can make it when they need it most.

One of the easiest, fastest ways to prepare a meal on a chilly Fall day is Chicken Enchilada Soup in the Crockpot. There is little to no chopping or cleaning of veggies. There is a few cans to open and spices to mix in. BAM- great tasting soup. 

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

• 1 onion, chopped (I use the frozen chopped onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1 – 2 teaspoons of Chipolte chili in adobo sauce (you can add more if you like the heat)
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped or 2 Tablespoons dried cilantro
• 1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 3 skinless chicken breast (I use frozen chicken breast)

Pick your favorite for garnish:

scallions, chopped cilantro, cheddar cheese, jalepenos, avocado slices, black bean dip, or salsa

To make the soup.

Add the ingredients, except the garnish, to a crock pot in the order listed after with the onion. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Adjust the seasonings. Serve in bowls and top with your favorite garnish. Serves 6.

BAM, Great food fixed simply,

Coach Nancy