CF864 - WOD
Today's Schedule - 9:00a.m. only

Warmup

200 meter run
15 Man-Makers
400 meter run
10 Man-Makers
800 meter run
5 Man-Makers

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

Develop the capacity of a novice 800 meter track athlete, gymnast, and weightlifter and you’ll be fitter than any world class runner, gymnast, or weightlifter. — Greg Glassman, CrossFit Founder

Madison Avenue Thinks You're Stupid

A co-owner of my local CrossFit affiliate asked me recently to write a post on the Vitamin Water phenomenon. It seems there are millions of people out there who are convinced that these colorful supplement drinks are healthy. As a Paleo eater I was sure this stuff was just a dressed-up sugar solution, but I thought I'd do a little poking around before delivering a short verdict for my gym-mates. But the more I read, the more infuriated I grew, and the more convinced I became of the utility of the Paleo approach to nutrition. A Paleo eater would never be fooled by Vitamin Water. It's anathema to the whole approach. So, for those of you who know better there's really no need to read the following rant and brief meditation on why Madison Avenue needs to be dismantled and replaced with a large prison:"Vitamin Water." It's difficult to imagine two words that when placed side-by-side sound healthier. But let's not forget who comes up with such carefully chosen word combinations: the same folks who employ the nearly meaningless word "drinkability" to sell countless bottles of insipid light beer. Madison Avenue is hard at work, applying a deep understanding of human psychology to the task of separating you from your money, and Vitamin Water is a particularly insidious example of a company banking on the ignorance and credulity of the public at large. Indeed, Vitamin Water is simply a slick attempt to sell you sugar, an extremely cheap commodity that can be transformed with little effort and a great deal of marketing into a "value added" product worth billions of dollars. The sugar, in the case of the vitamin water pictured above (click it to see a bigger picture), is the impressive sounding "crystalline fructose," which is nothing more than crystallized corn syrup (yep, the stuff they use to make soda-pop). Nobody has ever thought for a minute that corn syrup is a health food, but readers of the label might be forgiven for not knowing what crystalline fructose is. So here we have a subtly disguised solution of corn syrup being sold as health food for more than a buck a bottle.And here's the real kicker: the purified forms of vitamins and anti-oxidants present in products like Vitamin Water have been shown in clinical trials to be inferior to the same compounds found in real food (click here for some background). No one knows why exactly, but supplemental anti-oxidants and vitamins just don't offer the same protection as the foods that naturally contain them. So, in fact, there is really nothing of "value" added to Vitamin Water. It's just a cynical, disingenuous attempt to sell sugar disguised as health food. Meat, fruits, and vegetables require no endorsements or focus-group-tested names to to be viewed as nourishing food, and they are simply the best source for vitamins and anti-oxidants. Take a multivitamin if it makes you feel better, but strive to get your nutrition from real food, the stuff without labels. Madison Avenue thinks we're all idiots. Let's keep that in mind.

Paleo Recipe
Pork Chops and Applesauce
Here is a meal built around a Zone proportioned, Paleo-friendly plan. Good home-made applesauce is wickedly simple, and there is no need for sugar or other sweeteners. It's especially good served warm alongside savory meat. You'll have leftovers if you follow the recipe below.
Pork Chops and Applesauce with Braised Broccoli
6 to 10 Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
3 Teaspoons olive oil
2 Teaspoons minced garlic
3 Anchovies, rinsed and drained
1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 Cups broccoli florets
1/2 Cup dry white wine
1/2 Cup chicken broth (homemade or low sodium)
1 Teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Thin-cut (less than 1/2 inch) pork rib chops, trimmed of fat
Freshly ground black PepperSalt (optional)
1 Lemon wedge for each pork chop
I'd make the applesauce first, and then cook the broccoli and chops simultaneously, starting the chops just after you have covered the broccoli to braise. Place the apples in a heavy bottomed pan and pour in 1/2 inch of water. Cover the pan and bring water to a boil. Remove the lid and cook the apples, stirring frequently, until the they become soft. Add the cinnamon. Stir and smash the apples to desired consistency while they cook (I like mine a bit chunky), allowing the sauce to become quite thick. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.Place the olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes in a large skillet for which you have a tight fitting lid. Heat over a medium flame, and cook, stirring frequently, until the anchovies disintegrate and the garlic has become golden. Add the broccoli, and stir well to coat it with the oil. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the broth and wine, turn the heat to medium high and wait for the liquid to simmer. Stir the broccoli, cover the skillet, and lower the heat to medium low. Braise the broccoli for 5 to 10 minutes until tender but still crisp. Remove the lid, turn the heat up to high and reduce the liquid a bit to concentrate its flavor, stirring frequently. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high flame. Season the chops with pepper and salt (if using). Once the skillet is hot, add the chops and sear them, unmolested for 3 minutes. Turn the chops and sear them until they are nicely seared and are cooked through (145ºF). Place the chops under foil and let them rest for 5 minutes. For a 5 block meal with ~2x fat blocks, plate 5 ounces of pork, with two and a half cups of broccoli and a half cup of warm applesauce. Enjoy with 4 ounces of dry white wine (from the bottle you used for the broccoli). Squeeze the lemon wedge over the pork and drizzle one teaspoon of good extra virgin olive oil over the broccoli.

Pork Chops: 1 ounce = 1 block protein
Applesauce: 1/4 cup = 1 block carbohydrate
Broccoli: 1 and 1/4 cup = 1 block carbohydrate and ~1.5 blocks fat
Wine: 4 ounces = 1 block carbohydrate

Have a great day!
3-2-1-Go!
Jay & Janice