Meat Meat Meat

Chicken Spedini, Beef Filet, Beef Ribeye and Spring Onions from the Tool Shed garden.

Fresh Morels

Took a trip to McGonigles last evening to pick up some meat to grill. If you're a KC area resident and haven't visited the place, do yourself a favor and get there soon !! I've been a customer for 10 years and the place gets better all the time.

Great people, experienced butchers and fish mongers in addition to a killer deli for quick fresh stuff. Smokers are always going so you can walk up and purchase all kinds of BBQ meat. All kinds of bones availalbe for stocks, etc... Shatto dairy products, nothing like fresh milk from a glass jar (for you non-militant Paleo types).

Recieved a big surprise when I returned home to find neighbor boy Stephen and his crew rounded up some fresh morels !! He was kind enough to share and I knew spring was definately here. The big one measured 7". Eat Time.

Fire It Up !!

Hard to beat smoked meat and roasted veggies. Sunday afternoon afforded a wonderful opportunity to fire up the Weber and get after it. Still have Old Mexico on the mind so I smoked some chicken thighs and pork loin and stewed in their own juices slowly in the oven.

Roasted veggies and peepers for 2 different salsas along with Poblno's that I stuffed with a chicken mixture. Lil shot of Patron to wash it down, hey...it's Sunday after all. Recipes will be featured on our upcoming Bootcamp Nutrtition blog...stay tuned. - RP

Easter on the Beach

80 degree days, 70 degree nights. Cool white sand and cool Negra Modelo's. Good food and even better company. Not much else to say. Never spent an Easter like this...

Wheels Up !!

Tool Shed is shutting down and 0800 hrs tomorrow we're goin wheels up for Old Mexico.

Was It Worth It?

Turned out to be a quote heavy day. Seemed like around every corner was another example of weighing options and choosing paths. All hit me from different places yet all related.

Alfred Lord Tennyson..."'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"

Garth Brooks ... "We could've missed the pain but we would've missed the dance"

Often times we're faced with decisions which at the time seem so larger than life... you're in the heat of battle or facing stern opposition to your view points or struggling internally with moral choices and at moments notice you must decide... Is the gain worth the pain? Does the reward outweigh the risk? What will people think? Will I regret this? And that, regret, is ultimately what we all must deal with. Important to remember, we not only have regret from Action but also Lack of Action. Not taking the plunge can come back to bite you just as hard as taking the plunge. At the end of the day, it's your head hitting the pillow and only you know if you're at peace...not peace with someone else... but peace with yourself.

Shane McConkey age 39 died last Thursday while filming in Italy. This was a guy who knew how to take some serious plunges. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUfF-kyKdGU

Freddy at CrossFit OneWorld posted one of my favorite quotes today. Known by a few different names but "Man in the Arena" is my favorite.

Theodore Roosevelt:
"It is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have knew neither victory nor defeat."

Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris April 23, 1910

Where Does Your Food Come From?

I feel quite blessed to have not only the desire but also access to resources to stock my freezer with wild game, locally raised meat, self grown veggies, etc... Growing up hunting and fishing it seems like second nature but even for those less experienced, it's easy to get involved and begin the process of feeding yourself from sustainable, low impact, quality sources. When the cold box is running low or I feel like something different, there are other options. Over the last few years, the local grocery has expanded their offerings under the Good Natured Family Farms CSA. They team with local farms to offer almost any whole product you can imagine.

One of our students this morning said they needed to get home and whip up some bacon and eggs for the kids prior to their first day back after spring break. Hearing things like that is music to my ears. Dump that sugar spiked cereal and pop-tart routine, it's garbage. These kids need real food from real sources.

Check out the link courtesy of NYC CrossFit Box. Butchers doing it the right way. Definately on my list for the next big apple trip.

Innagural 0500 BCF Class

We graduated the first 0500 Bootcamp Traditional class last Friday. This was the first go-round for the early start time and it was well accepted. Had a few veterans come over from 0600 to lead the newbies during this section. The freshman had some big hitters layin down solid efforts right outta the gate. Congrats.

Front Row: Booty, Liz Middle Row: Emily, Connors, G-Money Back Row: Andy and Moe