away we go?

+ two months of marriage and still superbly happy. although i guess if we weren't, we'd have serious problems, but still... also, i PR'ed on lifts both yesterday and today at crossfit!

recently donny and i watched what we considered to be a pretty awesome indie movie, "away we go", which starred john krasinski (from the office) and maya rudolph and had an amazing ensemble-esque supporting cast. we laughed out loud, i cried, and we felt complete at the end. and not in the predictable-unoriginal-storybook/romantic comedy-ending kind of way. it was a feel good, realistic ending, without any grand gestures or climactic events. i loved it because, like it or not, in life most of us don't experience those ridiculous gestures. life isn't scripted, and often isn't predictable. the plot was also cute, and at the moment relatable. now for anyone reading this who has seen the movie, i am not referring to the pregnancy! but being at a turning point in life, where you know who you're going to spend your life with and not much else, i can totally relate to. i feel as if the next 6 months or so may bring in a lot of changes- hopefully good changes- but all big changes can be pretty scary, even the good ones.

on a less serious note, we have been truly enjoying SOME of the paleo recipes we've tried out- paleo pizza, sausage & artichokes, various breakfast scrambles... there really haven't been many bad ones. the few exceptions have been my attempts to bake. first there were orange "cupcakes" that tasted to me like chewing on an orange peel (donny didn't think they were so bad). then there was a completely inedible sweet potato pie that is still sitting in our fridge because it feels like such a waste to chunk it out. and most recently there were cinnamon cookies that, due to a mix up between almond meal and blanched almond flour, turned out completely un-cookie like. but all-in-all, aside from all the time the preparation takes and the crazy cravings for sweets, it's been good... jury's still out on the health benefits!

tomorrow will include a long list of crossfit workouts from the last two weeks (to help me keep track), so feel free to NOT tune in unless you like the boring fitness junk :)

eating like a cavewoman

+ had a great weekend! happy birthday to my wifey, becca, as well as my dear friend and beautiful new-ish mama, lindsey "LJ"! love y'all

so, i am finally back on the crossfit wagon after about 6 weeks of sporadic workouts (thanks to wedding, honeymoon, and the holiday break). i feel like i've started all over as far as soreness, strength, and conditioning go. blah. but, it feels good to be active again... stuffing my face while sitting on the couch, as lovely as it was, was starting to get a bit tiresome! mainly because a) i gained at least 5 lbs (although i probably really lost like 5 lbs of muscle and gained 10 lbs of fat lol), and b) i was completely devoid of energy and pretty much sleepy all the time. and i'm sure my diet didn't help, either! and, to that end, we've started a new (possibly temporary) diet/lifestyle change. donny is joining me in a paleo challenge that crossfit atm is putting on.

the parameters of the challenge are as follows:

- NO grains (wheat, flour, corn, rice, etc)

- NO dairy

- NO sugars or artificial sweeteners (only honey and pure maple syrup)

- NO legumes (beans of all kinds, including soy and peanuts)

- NO white potatoes

- AT least 3 CF WOD's per week

what CAN we eat, you may be wondering? well...

meats (lean meats recommended), fish, veggies, fruits, eggs, nuts, seeds, spices, nut butters, vegetable oils (unless they use veggies that aren't allowed), coffee and wine in moderation

it sounds crazy difficult, but you'd be surprised at the yummy meals donny and i have already made at home, and we aren't even a whole week into it yet. my favorites so far have been chorizo, meatloaf, pancakes, and mango steak salad with poppy seed dressing. donny said the meatloaf was the best he's ever had, and the pancakes really hit the spot for me today as i was seriously craving bready, sweet stuff.

chorizo

100% natural chorizo (can be tough to find, i only found one kind that didn't have forbidden additives)

eggs

chopped onions

pepper

olive oil

cook chorizo and onions in a skillet with a splash of olive oil. add eggs and scramble, add pepper to taste. that's it!

paleo meatloaf

2 lbs ground lean beef

2/3 cup chopped almonds (can use ground almonds/almond meal, but if they are slightly bigger they give a nice, distinctive crunchy texture that we loved!)

4 tblsp pureed tomatoes

1 egg

1/4 cup each of chopped onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers

1 tblsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp mustard powder

some salt and pepper

dash of tabasco/hot sauce

dash of red wine vinegar

mix all ingredients in a bowl and press into loaf ban. bake for about an hour at 325. serve with homemade ketchup on top! (made with pureed tomatoes, vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder)

paleo pancakes

from scott hagnas of performancemenu.com

1/2 cup nut butter (we used almond)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

coconut oil to grease skillet

mix all ingredients (except coconut oil) in a bowl until well blended. pout onto skillet and cook on low-medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. be careful when flipping! we topped them with pure maple syrup... YUM!!

poppy seed salad dressing

from jordan at crossfitatm

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

juice from one lemon

1 1/2 tblsp poppy seeds (we didn't have this so our poppy seed dressing was poppy seed-less lol)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard (i left this out)

weekend shout-out

+ wanted to post a quick congratulatory shout-out to my strong, beautiful best friend, becca, who completed the houston marathon yesterday! what an incredible feat- one that i could never do, but kind of wish i could! i also wish i had been there to see it... maybe for the next one, b! ;)

i also was lucky enough to spend some time with kate... she finally consistently seems to remember me, probably thanks to the skype-ing we've been doing lately. she is walking now, although she still has some balance issues so she walks with her arms over her head like a bear about to attack. it is too cute! loving the long weekend, sad that it is almost over.

and lastly, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the hatians who are suffering right now. what a terrible disaster. if you can afford to, donate to relief efforts as they are so, so needed. and to the ever ignorant and ever hate-spewing pat robertson and rush limbaugh... the earthquakes must have missed their intended targets. on behalf of decent americans everywhere, stfu. thanks!

new year, new name...

+ i am officially and legally and luckily megan gauthey wilson!! the name changing has been a gigantic hassle but my hubby is totally worth it ;) so far i have changed it with 6 organizations/companies, and by my best count i have at least 5 more major ones to go (although no doubt i've forgotten at least a few...) whew. be prepared for all of this, betrothed ladies out there!

so i meant to write this blog entry on christmas day. and then i meant to write it on new year's day. and now here i am, 10 days later and finally getting around to it! i am a complete blog slacker. maybe i should make a resolution to blog more frequently? eh, maybe when summer gets here. right now i'm just trying to get through each day in one piece & be able to savor every spare second i have with my husband and my family.

the reason i have really been wanting to blog is to just express my thankfulness and gratitude and share my happiness with anyone out there who cares to hear.

i am utterly and endlessly thankful for...

-my incredible, loving, supportive, kind, and strong husband. this past year has been incomparable because of the love and joy it has brought to me, and he is much of the reason for it.

-my beautiful, adorable, perfect little niece, who has brought not only me but my entire family endless amounts of joy and laughter.

-the health and safety of my loved ones

-my wonderfully nurturing and supportive friends who continue to stick by me, even when we're in different places

-my sweet, sweet penelope who makes me and donny smile every single day

-the roof over our heads, the jobs that allow us to live comfortably, and the new people with whom we have crossed paths and who have left their footprints on our lives

in this new year, i resolve to...

-let my husband know every day how much i love and appreciate him, and continue to strengthen our relationship

-cherish every moment with my niece, because these years are priceless and irreplaceable

-make a better effort to connect with those friends and family i love but don't see often. i want them all to know how much they mean to me.

-become more healthy. hopefully find the willpower to make changes that will make me feel better on a daily basis. no more migraines or stomach issues? i would love it.

-read more. i think tv is rotting my brain.

-give more to those in need

-make it through this semester at work without a nervous breakdown

-be a better wife, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, granddaughter, coworker, random stranger on the street, and citizen of this world, than i was in 2009.

goodnight and good week! CF update to come later in the week...