Chicken, Dinner, Fitness, Food, Pork, Recipes

What are YOU chasing – and of course a recipe…

I used to go to the gym with a mission.  A mission to fall on the ground in a heap, to crawl out of there with every muscle twitching, every fiber burning, every breath feeling like my last one, but it was a victorious feeling because I DID IT.  Then, I hit a big fat ugly wall and my entire life changed.  I will not bore you with the details but I went very quickly from being all or nothing – not only in life but in the gym – to barely being able to drag my tired, sorry, over-trained, under-slept, stressed out body out of bed.  It took me several months to recover from what I had done to myself, and during those months, I often asked myself – what the hell was I chasing??  I am not a competitive athlete and never will be, I am a MOM a WIFE a WOMAN and today I am happy to be strong enough to pick up some weights, wise enough to know when I shouldn’t, aware of my own capabilities and lack of capabilities, and most importantly; I have finally figured out what I am “going for” when I show up to work out.  I go to the gym to escape from the kids, to feel a sense of community, to hug the people that I love and call friends, to feel good about myself, to fit into my jeans, to discover what new and fun stuff my mommy of three body can do and be proud of whatever that might be.  I go to the gym to know that not every day is a good day and that for me, the stop watch doesn’t really prove anything, and I go to prove that I really have NOTHING to prove.

The moral to my rambling story?  I would like to introduce you to a person who without even realizing it, has been and continues to be an instrumental influence on my new and much more productive outlook on what fitness is for me; and that person is Andy Deas.  I am grateful that he has joined our Norcal family and I am grateful for what I have learned from training with him and from reading his blog, Chasing Capacity.  Most of you know Andy as the co-host of the Paleo  Solution with Robb Wolf and I hope you take the chance to know him further by reading his musings on fitness, and life in general.  Oh, and if you haven’t thought about it in a while, the next time you go to work out – ask yourself, “What am I chasing??”

Now, a recipe!! Dinner tonight seriously rocked and was ridiculously easy.  I have been rushing like a mad woman all day, came home, threw open the fridge and saw some chicken that needed to be cooked, a jar of sun dried tomatoes, some bacon, and some basil.  Hello dinner!!

IMG_1482

Basil Bacon Wrapped Chicken

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast tenders or chicken breasts cut into 1″ wide slices

1 – 8.5 oz jar of julienne cut sun dried tomatoes

8-12 fresh basil leaves

8-12 bacon strips

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease a baking sheet with either grass fed organic butter or coconut oil.  Take a chicken piece, top with a large scoop on sun dried tomatoes, top that with a basil leaf, and wrap the whole thing tightly with a piece of bacon.  Place all the wrapped chicken pieces on the greased baking sheet, sprinkle them all with pepper, and bake for 15 minutes.  Finish under the broiler for 3-4 minutes to crisp the bacon.  I served the chicken with kale steamed in chicken stock and carrots cooked in the pressure cooker.

Enjoy!

Sarah Fragoso

Sarah Fragoso is an international best selling author of 6 books, co-owner of the Chico, CA based gym JS Strength and Conditioning, and founder of the Everyday Paleo franchise. Sarah is the co-host of the popular Sarah and Dr. Brooke Show podcast and she also conducts workshops and retreats on the subjects of nutrition, lifestyle and fitness.

Her message is from the heart and she carries a genuine desire to help other families looking for guidance. These attributes have contributed to her successes and provide the drive to keep the discoveries coming.

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27 Comments

  1. Aimee Leon says:

    i love this post! thank you 🙂

  2. Sarah,

    Great post and I couldn’t relate more. For years I used to beat myself up 7 days a week in the gym doing an hour to an hour and a half of brutalizing workouts. Of course, my health rapidly declined and I developed some serious adrenal fatique and IBS, along with being moody and tired all the time. Much like you I had to take a step back and ask myself what I am chasing? Of course, I could not come up with a logical answer, but more importantly I realized that being healthy and happy for my family was the most important thing I could do. Thanks to transistioning to the Paleo Diet and learning when enough is enough in the gym, I am no longer chasing an abyss.

  3. Great blog! Sometimes it is too easy to think our worth, identity and self are defined by what happens inside that box. And while I love the competition with myself and to set a higher goal than one previously attained, I have come to realize that some days I’m the windshield, some days I’m the bug! But no matter which I happen to be on any given day I am always better for it as long as I’m not governed by it! Thanks for this post – it really is great and dinner looks awesome too!

  4. Sara, this post is beautiful! Thanks for sharing and reminding us to focus on what is really important in our daily life. Also, I am glad to see Andy getting a little attention. I always find his personality to be fun!

  5. Wow your post put things in perspective for me in a big way! Thanks for opening my eyes!!

  6. Tracey says:

    Great post! I too don’t get all excited anymore when I see a wod that is 60mins long. I know several women thought that feel that they are not getting a good work out in unless they torture themselves. I’m a 3 day a week CF now and quite happy:) Thank you for sharing your story.

  7. The bacon wrapped chicken, basil thing was awsome. Large enough portions to fill you and super tasty! Of course I ate 5 of them myself 🙂

  8. That chicken looks wonderful- I’m always looking for a new excuse to eat bacon! 🙂

  9. Hannah says:

    Great post! I can’t wait to try the chicken, and I feel the same way you do about the gym.

  10. Sarah,
    This was such a great recipe. I am new to your site and so far have made three dishes, this is just the answer to “what can I make that’s paleo”. I’m also a Crossfiter in Seattle. Just wanted to say thank you! Have a great holiday.

  11. Sarah –
    I’m a Sarah, too! I just found your blog as I was looking for a recipe I could make with sliced pork loin that was healthy…and fate brought me here! Just skimmed your blog for a few minutes but I can’t wait to read more (I’m off to make that pork tenderloin!). Your post today was especially compelling as I search right now for some sort of direction with my fitness. Formerly I am a triathlete who always struggled with trying not to make it about getting a podium spot; then I went to bike racing and realized that if I wasn’t going to give my life over to it, I wasn’t going to be competitive at a Cat 1/2 level. I have a family myself and am now trying to find my compass to maintain a healthy, fit and active lifestyle without needing the stress of racing to guide me. You seem like a strong woman with some great viewpoints.

    I also love to cook and started to read the Paleo Diet for athletes when I became overwhelmed at the thought of trying to manage such a thing. You’re giving me hope that I can get it done (WITH a family around!)!

    Look forward to reading more (and making this recipe, yum!)…

    1. Hi Sarah! So glad you found my site! I also recommend that you read The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf, his book is extremely helpful – and of course my own book is coming out in February or early March as well!!! : ) Keep in touch!

  12. Thank you. I so needed to remind myself of this. Similar past, still recovering and trying to remember this thing. Nothing to prove. NOTHING to prove. Hurrah!

  13. Lezlie says:

    Love this post even more than all the recipes which I use all the time. I’ve been struggling with WHAT AM I DOING?!?!?! for a few months now. I am realizing I have got to let go of all the “shoulds” in my head (mostly put there by myself) and enjoy life where I am. Thanks for working so hard to share your life with your readers! You are truly encouraging.

  14. Kristi says:

    yumm, made those last night and had one too many.

  15. Thank you! You are beautiful and this post speaks such truth!
    I love your recipes and your insight! and def am going to check out what Andy has to say.

  16. Danielle N. says:

    I made this using roasted red peppers in place of sundried tomatoes.. it was still super delicious, and looked beautiful! Definitely a recipe to pull out in the future – it had such a satisfying combination of flavors.. I loved how they each stood out yet complimented each other. Thank you for the fantastic idea!

  17. Debra Andersohn says:

    70% is eating and when I got that, I no longer had to break my back doing cardio and injuring myself with strenuous exercises. The last ten pounds melted off effortlessly as I began paleo. Now I enjoy yoga and bellydance and riding my bike. All of these being very easy on my body.
    Thanks for your web/blog 🙂
    DebraLee

  18. lindsay says:

    hey Sarah,
    Two questions:
    First I don’t have a pressure cooker so please tell me how you steam kale in chicken stock using a traditional sauce pan?

    Also I see you mention nitrate free deli meat….where do you purchase it. I see “natural” deli meat at trader joe’s but it still had ingredients that I don’t recognize…thus I don’t purchase it…any thoughts?

    Thanks again for all your help…your recipes are s life save.

    -Lindsay

  19. Grace Bottitta-Williamson says:

    Thank you so much for this post. Your words rang too true!! I constantly struggle with what I “should” do and why I “should”. Simply put and wise!!

  20. Erin says:

    Wise and inspiring words. Thank you for the great post.

  21. Carla says:

    Sarah, I just wanted to say that this is one of my favourite go to sites when preparing my week’s menu.

    Thank you for the straightforward ideas.
    I too need to ask myself more often what it is that I am chasing.

    1. Sarah says:

      Thanks Carla!! : )

  22. Sarah! This was AMAZING!!!! I’m pretty sure you’re my wife’s new best friend.

    1. Love it Matt, thank you!!

  23. tricia says:

    Sarah
    I was searching for “baked bacon info” and just found this. Thank you for sharing this. Love it!
    Tricia

  24. Jamie says:

    This was tasty! I am allergic to tomatoes, so what I did was dip the chicken in spicy mustard, and then instead of the tomato I used sliced red peppers, then wrapped in the bacon. SO yummy! Thanks for the idea!!!!

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