Category

Living

In Living

Another good cause

donate sneakers

Sneakers in September Campaign

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every year over 15,780 children are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. Every day, 7 of those children are taken from their loved ones because of the cancer.

Sneakers in September is Max Cure’s fun way to bring light to childhood cancer awareness while raising money for our mission. This September you can contribute by dropping off your old unused sneakers at Three Danes CrossFit.

In today’s world of constant and instant communication, there is no shortage of information about a wide variety of charitable causes.  And there are certainly many of them! This is one that we can all support without any effort or cost, and actually maybe even reap a benefit of our own.

I’m talking about the Max Cure Foundation’s DUNK YOUR KICKS program. 

The story behind the Max Cure Foundation is a great one, and is based upon a 4 year old boy who is now a 9 year cancer survivor.  Max’s story and details about the foundation and their mission can be found at  www.MaxCure.org. Their DUNK YOUR KICKS program is one way that we can all support the Max Cure Foundation. Through the Dunk Your Kicks program, the MCF collects used sneakers, running shoes, and other forms of footwear. They then work with an international footwear recycler called Rethink Nation, which sells the used sneakers at an affordable price in developing countries where access to proper footwear is limited. Max Cure then receives up to $1.00 for each pair of shoes donated.

Three Danes CrossFit is proud to now be a collection point for the DUNK YOUR KICKS program and there is a collection box located in the Member’s Lounge where your used sneakers and running shoes can be placed. So we get to support the fight against pediatric cancer, help developing countries gain access to footwear, and we get to clear out some room in our closets!  Sounds like a win for everyone involved.

So bring your shoes in and throw them in the box and join us in supporting this great cause…this is an easy one to get behind and support.

In Living, Nutrition

Spaghetti Squash Fritter

We are constantly looking for new recipes that are quick and easy, but also delicious. All while being good for you at the same time.  This one hits all those points and will quickly become a family favorite.  It is one I created one day due to what we had on hand at the time, but now it has become one we make often.

Spaghetti squash is a very versatile vegetable and this is just one of its many possible uses. To prepare the spaghetti squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scrape out and discard the seeds and pulp. Brush the surface lightly with oil and sprinkle with your favorite seasoning or just salt and pepper. Place the squash halves cut side up on a foil lined pan and roast in the oven at 350°F until somewhat fork tender, about 30-45 minutes depending upon the size of the squash. At this point the squash can be refrigerated until ready to proceed with the recipe below or any other use you had in mind.

Scrape the flesh of the squash with a fork and the squash will start to come apart in noodle like strands.  Continue until all of the squash is removed and all that remains is the scraped out skin of the squash, which can be discarded. Proceed with the recipe as follows:

Spaghetti Squash Fritter Recipe
  • 3 C spaghetti squash, cooked and scraped into “noodles”
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3/4C hard grated cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Locatelli)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp of your go to seasoning (your favorite steak or vegetable blended spice)
  • 1/4c chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Lightly oil and pre-heat a frying pan on medium heat. Drop a small scoop (2 tablespoons) of the squash mixture on to the frying pan and flatten slightly.  Continue placing scoops of the squash mix on the pan as space allows. Cook the fritters until browned, about 3-4 minutes, then turn them to cook the other side. Remove them from the pan, serve immediately, and enjoy. We like to eat them with some tomato sauce, but however you eat them I am sure you will find them to be delicious!

Nutrition

This recipe will yield approximately 10 fritters about 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Each fritter contains 50 calories, 3g protein, 3g fat, 3g carbs, as well as being a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A, Vitamin D, and zinc.

In Living

Do the World a Favor

There are so many ways in which we can make the world a better place.  We can volunteer at a community outreach, be more environmentally aware, donate money, help the homeless; countless ways in which we can try to raise the collective bar of humanity so as to promote love, kindness, and good will to all.

I’m not thinking on quite that grand a scale here.  I’m talking about something much, much smaller…and some people might say that what I’m suggesting is ridiculous, and others will shudder in horror at the thought of it.

THROW OUT THE SCALE!

 

Now I’m not saying that the two are not related, but somewhere along the line we lost sight of what our health and fitness goals should be and started to equate fitness with losing weight.  And as such, the bathroom scale has become legend.  It has morphed into the enemy.  This seemingly innocuous measuring device has elicited more tears, frustration, aggravation, sadness, and despondency than anything else ever has before.  And the worst part of the whole thing is that it is all self-inflicted!  We do it to ourselves!  No one makes us get on the scale, no one forces us to weigh ourselves. But time and time again, that’s exactly what we do.

 

It has morphed into the enemy.

 

We are looking for verification and validation that our wants, needs and desires as well as our hard work is finally paying off.  Now this isn’t going to be a discourse on muscle weighing more than fat (which it does) or a discussion on feeling better versus weighing less.  We’re not even going to talk about water weight and the daily fluctuations your weight undergoes all day long due to intake and temperature and activity.

 

I’m talking about starting your day.  Getting up in the morning and getting ready to attack the day, eager to dive in and make a difference; help others, be kind to your fellow man, and smile everywhere you go. And then you step on the scale. And in an instant, everything changes.  Roses become some sort of nasty potpourri and your fellow man can just basically go suck it.  You don’t understand why your “number” is where it is, it wasn’t like that yesterday and after everything you did it certainly shouldn’t be like that today!  And just like that, our perspective shifts and we lower our energy by thinking and feeling in a negative manner.  And we leave and go out into the day and carry that energy with us. That’s no way to start the day.

Be your own barometer of wellness.

 

So, my suggestion is one which will help everyone (well, everyone except the people selling bathroom scales).  Don’t get on the scale.  You know how you feel, you know how your clothes fit, and you know how you look when you stand in front of a mirror.  You don’t need the scale.  Be your own barometer of wellness.  Let validation come from within yourself and from the people around you who love you.

So, do yourself a favor, and do all the people you see every day a favor too.  Throw out the scale.  You might be surprised at what happens.