Would you believe me if I told you that the eggs, avocado slices, and steak and sweet potato hash that you can't see in this photo were actually super delicious?

You should believe me. Because they were. Which is why they are no longer visible. Despite Lola's desperate begging, I ate the entire thing all by myself. And I won't be apologizing for my pigginess either. Because I really enjoyed my breakfast.

So how does one make this particularly fine invisible meal? Easy -- leftovers!

I LOVE leftovers. Probably because I inherited by father's frugality (sounds better than "stinginess," I think). Besides, I can eat the same meal for a week straight before even thinking I might like to eat something else.

So let's start with the breakfast that actually started the night before:

I'll be honest, I didn't make up the following recipe. It comes from Paula Deen. I made a kettlebell complex in her honor, once. You can watch that here.

From Food Network:

• 1 (3-pound) London Broil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar -- I substituted this with 1 TBS honey
  
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
• 1 bay leaf

 
Preheat the broiler and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Season the meat with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet over low heat, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and bay leaf. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half and is a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf.

Put the meat on the baking sheet and slather it with the glaze. Broil the meat 4 inches from the heat until it reaches the desired level of doneness, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the broiler to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the meat against the grain and transfer it to a serving platter.

Cook's Note: When using the broiler, crack the oven door open so the meat does not burn.


And a note from Christine:  If you've never cooked balsamic vinegar before...WOOOO...go on and open up your windows and maybe even the front door. Cooking balsamic vinegar turns it into a VERY pungent and cough-inducing substance. Consider yourself forewarned.

I swiped this recipe from Martha Stewart's Whole Living website and was pleasantly surprised by the result.

• 2 pricked sweet potatoes
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 thinly sliced small onion
• 1 stemmed and chopped bunch Swiss chard
• Coarse salt
• 1 sliced avocado, divided
• Cayenne
• Lemon

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 45 minutes.
   
   
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add chard and cook, stirring, until bright green and wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
   
   
3. To serve, split potatoes and top each with the greens and 1/2 sliced avocado. Season with cayenne, salt, and a squeeze of lemon.
   
   

Now, the beautiful thing of this tasty meal was that there was plenty of leftovers that I could play around with (this is probably because I was so ravenous while cooking dinner that I shoveled several handfuls of cashews into my mouth and subsequently couldn't finish all the food I piled onto my plate). Which brings us to...

Okay, this breakfast was easy-peasy. While, some butter was melting in a pan, I took about 4 oz of leftover London broil, half of my uneaten sweet potato (without the greens) and diced them up.

Once the pan was hot, I threw in about 1/2 cup of a frozen diced green pepper and onion medley. Sauteed that for a few minutes, then added the steak, sweet potatoes, and some salt and pepper to round out the hash.

Once everything's nice and heated up, I just smooshed everything off to the side of the pan and cracked a couple of eggs in the remaining free space and fried those suckers up (I like 'em crispy).

Finally, I plated the hash, set the eggs on top, sprinkled on some hot sauce from The Chile Spot, and topped it all off with some diced avocado.

And then. I feasted.


Now do you understand why I forgot to take a photo of it before I started eating??

Annnnd we're back!

After a hearty vacation from computers and email and Facebook, I'm home and ready to tackle some double kettlebell complexes! You ready, too??

I'm gonna bet "yes," so let's get started:

Initially, before you even contemplate double kettlebell work, you should be very comfortable performing the core six kettlebell movements (swing, clean, press, squat, snatch, Turkish get-up) with one bell and are able to perform complexes with those movements. This may--and very well, should--take several months. So be patient with yourself and keep working to improve your proficiency in these movements.

Then, start trying those core kettlebell movements with two bells. And then start trying to do metabolic conditioning complexes with them. (Read on for a series of three double kettlebell complexes).

Once you are capable of doing double kettlebell complexes, there’s no reason to really ever go back to doing single bell complexes.

With the double kb complexes, the metabolic effect is greater, you’re able to squeeze in more work, and you’ll be going heavier than you probably ever were when using only one bell.

Unfortunately for me, the first double kettlebell complex I was ever instructed to do was The Great Destroyer.

Fortunately for you, I’m going to give you a series of three different double kettlebell complexes that will help ease you into the double bell work.

But that doesn’t mean these are only for the newbs. Even if you’re an old pro at the double kettlebell, give the following complexes a whirl. You’ll find them to be an effective and challenging way to work on the basics.

And you never outgrow the basics, just like you never outgrow tying your shoes. Unless you never learned. And are still wearing Velcro sneakers. In which case, you should probably stick to the single kettlebell complexes.

Each workout is designed to be completed with 15 minutes. Set a timer and get in as many rounds as possible in that timeframe. Good luck!

P.S. Have you checked out The Chronicles of Strength Newsletter yet?

Why not?? The first issue is FREE and then...THEN...it goes to print. PRINT! Something to have and to hold from this day forth (and by "this day," I mean when your first print issue arrives in the mail. But you get the idea).

Ch-ch-check it out!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE FIRST DIGITAL ISSUE OF THE ULTIMATE KETTLEBELL NEWSLETTER!

I'm going on a cruise tomorrow.

I don't say that to brag (although I'll admit, I'm pretty jazzed to be leaving chilly northeastern USA behind in the middle of January). Rather, I bring up this cruise to revisit a point I made about seven months ago, that is, that vacation does not equal the total destruction of your body.

And I stick by this statement even though I am about to walk onto a ship that has all-you-can-eat-buffets and the unlimited drinking package.

But I'll be honest, what I'm looking forward to most isn't the pink grapefruit palomas or cone-after-cone of chocolate vanilla swirl ice cream. But it's to a week away, a week with loved ones, a week of peace.

Too often we think that the best way to indulge our happiness is to indulge in something we typically deny ourselves. Instead, what if we began to think that the best way to indulge our happiness was to not deny ourselves that which matters most?

January is the Month of Coziness.

Yep, it's true. A whole month dedicated to the art of cozy, of which I am a supreme artiste. I LOVE coziness. Mama says that when I was a baby, she couldn't get me out of my gray and pink sweatsuit no matter how hard she tried. Why was that? Because it was super cozy.

And now? Coziness reigns on high here in the Mooney-Flynn household with a superfluity of pillows and blankets and thick woolen socks and hearty winter stews.

Just yesterday, I made the most delicious Paleo Creamy Chicken Stew. It was the ultimate in cozy. I pass it on to you, my gift to you in this, the Month of Cozy.

Before you go throwing away all those yummy juices from the slow-cooked chicken you just made, watch this video on a super easy and budget-friendly way to make your own chicken stock from scratch!

Remember a time, long ago, when something arrived in your mailbox and you were happy to see it? It was magic in an envelope -- a letter from a best friend who moved away, your grandmother sending you $10 for your birthday, the latest American Girl catalogue.

At one point, mail was actually enjoyable to receive.

But then, the often tragic and bleak adult world crept in and the next thing you know you have American Express bills, cable sales letters addressed "To Our Neighbor", and the gluttonous weekly coupons for lawn maintenance, mattresses, and powerwashing services clogging your mailbox to the point that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if that obnoxious punk kid down the street swooped by with a baseball bat and creamed your mailbox, hightailing the sad, overwhelmed, metal container across the lawn next Saturday night.

Sigh.

But good news, my friends! Because mail is about to become enjoyable again!

Starting in February 2013, my dear friends over at Chronicles of Strength will be launching a full in-print newsletter. That's right! It's delivered to your mailbox, not your inbox. You'll have something to treasure and hold onto forever...well, at least until the next month's issue arrives.

From the words of Pat Flynn of ChroniclesofStrength.com, himself, here's what you can expect from the in-print Chronicles of Strength newsletter due out in February 2013:

A couple of months back, I wrote a post about training grip strength with one of the most primal of movements: The carry.

Today, I'd like to revisit, but rather than focus on the farmer's carry (that is, carrying weight at your side, as you would a pair of suitcases), we're gonna talk overhead carrying.

The overhead carry is a crazy good way to develop:

• core strength
• proprioception
• diaphramatic breathing technique
• shoulder mobility and stability
• better posture
• strength induced from spending time-under-tension

So overall, a pretty sweet movement. And a downright primitive one. It ain't sexy, but it works. It's powerful and so too will you be training this movement.

But before you go and throw two heavy kettlebells overhead, you've got to get the technique down.

Check out the video below on how you can pwn the overhead carry...and then watch a most excellent ab finisher you can add onto your next training session.

Enjoy!

   Check out the military press technique video I referenced in the above video, by clicking here.

Happy (almost) 2013, friends!

For those of you who don't know, I am a transplanted southerner. To get back to my Carolina roots, each New Year's Eve I whip up a batch of collard greens (because the leaves resemble greenbacks), hoppin' John, and sometimes a red velvet cake, too.

But this year, I'm sticking to my paleolithic grounds and keeping the hoppin' John bean- and rice-free. I've also decided since 2012 marked the start of my love affair with kale to nix the collard greens and go for the other green leafy substance

...and no red velvet cake. Of course, there are paleo versions of red velvet cake, but I'm spent after chowing down on the sweet stuff over Christmas (besides, I have a cruise to go on and a bikini to fit into in just a couple weeks).

If you are so inclined, however, you could make paleo red velvet cupcakes. I found a lovely little recipe over on the TGIPaleo blog (though the frosting does have dairy in it):

• 2 Eggs, separated
• 2 1/2 c Almond Meal
• 1/2 c Coconut Oil, melted
• 1/2 c Honey
• 1 1/2 T Vanilla
• 1/2 t Sea Salt
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 3 t Cocoa Powder
• 2 T Red Food Coloring or Beet Juice**
• 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/4 c Honey
• 3 T Heavy Whipping Cream
  

1. For the cupcakes, mix all the dry ingredients together until blended.  Add the egg yolks, food coloring, honey, vanilla, and coconut oil and beat with an electric mixer.
2. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks (this is key for the cake-y texture, people!!).  Fold into the rest of the batter.  Spoon batter into paper cupcake liners.
3. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Make sure they are cool before frosting.
4. For the frosting, beat all the ingredients until smooth and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 2-3 minutes total.
5. Share with someone you love!

**If you’re like me and you get wigged out using conventional food coloring, do what I did and use beet juice.  Just cut up a large beet into cubes and boil in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes.  You can also just take some from a can of beets.  The color isn’t as vibrant as the stuff from the little plastic tubes, but it gets the point across!)

The idea behind eating something sweet, like the red velvet cake, is to promote a sweet new year.

Or you could take a hint from the food traditions of Rosh Hashanah and chow down on the natural sweetness of an apple and maybe a dab of honey. Up to you, of course.


Typically, Hoppin' John, a southern dish, includes black-eyed peas on New Year's because the beans resemble coins and promote a profitable new year. Below, you'll find the recipe I've adapted to paleo so I can continue on my southern tradition (even if I am living amongst
Yankees :P)

Now, if you would like to experience this fine southern tradition and don't mind including something not-so Paleo in your New Year's fare, add in 4 cups of soaked black-eyed peas, up to the chicken broth to five cups, and increase the cook time to 30 minutes or longer.

• 4 tablespoons organic butter from grass-fed cows or coconut oil
• 1 whole large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 cup all-natural chicken broth
• 1 lb all-natural country ham, diced
• 15-oz can diced tomatoes
• freshly ground black pepper
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar

1. Heat butter or coconut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery and stir. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add chicken broth, ham, tomatoes, pepper, and cayenne to taste (since country ham can be quite salty, be judicious in how much extra salt you add. Be sure to taste as you go).


2. Bring the entire pot to a low simmer, then reduce heat and cover the pot for 15-20 minutes.


3. Stir in vinegar, then taste for seasonings. Serve with a side of kale chips.

Enjoy! And with all the strength and love in the world, I wish you all a very...

I know why people fail at their New Year's resolutions.

...


It's because they make resolutions in the first place.


If anyone cares what I think, I'll tell you what I think. And it's this:


People who sit and wait and make resolutions based on the turning of a new year, a wedding engagement, the arrival of a baby, the moving to a new town or whatever other milestone events they experience will fail to realize their resolutions the majority of the time.


And this is why:


The people who wait until a future event to make a change in their lives don't believe they can make that change now.

If a body believed they could actually see definition in their abs, they wouldn't wait until January 1st to commit to throwing out the leftover candy cane sugar cookies and dumping the last glass of wine down the sink.

If a young woman truly believed that she could shed 40 pounds before her wedding, then she would begin now, not months in the future when she finally saw a glittering diamond ring appear on their left finger.

If the mother of three thought she could stop eating her Milky Way Midnight Dark bars and sipping on cinnamon dolce lattes, she wouldn't wait until the kids went back to school after Christmas break.


And those people who want one last hoorah ("just a few more days and then no more chocolate! EVER!") believe that the resolution is incredibly more painful than the subsequent life improvements are worth.

You don't know what you don't know. And you know what? People who don't know what health feels like assume the worst. It's painful. And it's hard. And it really really stinks.

Truth? Yes, on all accounts...at first.

But if good health sucks all the time, no one but the most masochistic would stick with it.

For those people who think that they will suddenly become successful at a future arbitrary date, they are people who are simply not successful...and won't ever be successful until they stop putting off their desires, goals, and "resolutions."

Resolutions should not be confused with goals. Resolutions are "I will" or "I will not" statements with no clear direction or strategy.

Goals, on the other hand, are concrete destinations with a clear cohesive strategy to succeed.

e.g. There is a HUGE difference between "I'll stop biting my nails in 2013" and "Since it generally takes 21 days to establish a habit, I'll schedule weekly manicures for the next three weeks so that my nails look too nice to pick at."

The same holds true for working out, eating right, getting up earlier, going to bed earlier, walking the dog more often, and cooking at home more than eating out.


Don't make a resolution. Set a goal. Don't wait until Tuesday, January 1st. Start now.


And try using the below success chart to help guide you in your successful endeavors:

P.S. And the Winner Is...

Thank you all who entered to win a FREE kettlebell eBook!

Last time a contest was held here on Beautiful Strength, I fed Lola tator tots assigned with each entrant's name. Sadly, my behemoth of a Saint Bernard did not get any tator tots this go-around (although the vet did say he wanted her to gain a few pounds).

But Lola did ask that I chose two winners, not just one...so in the random "chosen from a hat" style, the winners are:

Tia and Kris! Congratulations!

I'll be looking at what everyone said in their comments and creating some very cool blog posts for y'all so be sure and check back for ways to reach your 2013 health and fitness goals.

P.P.S. Have you signed up for the Cast Iron Wisdom newsletter? Why not?? Make it a goal for yourself :P

Sign up for the FREE newsletter right here.

-Ravi Ravindra

I dedicate myself to writing of physical strength and health and about the exercises, nutrition, and training that will enable you to find success in your journey towards health. At times, I write about nice clothes. Other times how to look in the bathroom mirror and find yourself with a pack of awesome abs.


But my true goal in writing of these things is that you will find joy and love in your health and that you will be able to share that joy and love with the world, whether that be your small corner of the world or on a much vaster scale.


Sanaya Roman wrote, "“People who love themselves come across as very loving, generous and kind; they express their self-confidence through humility, forgiveness and inclusiveness.”


And it is through physical health that I hope you find spiritual and emotional health.


So in this short little post today, I wish you all my sincerest wishes for your health and prosperity, now and into the new year and beyond. I've so enjoyed sharing with you all my passion for health and wellness these past eight months, getting to know you more, and having the opportunity to take guest posts from some amazing women, like Heather from Multiply Delicious and Sharon Shiner, RKC, from What's Cooking at Thyme to Cook. 


Although I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, I do like coming up with themes for the coming year. For me, I'm looking forward to a more "literary" 2013 -- reading more, writing more, blogging more. 


So before we head off to celebrate Christmas with the fam tomorrow, I'd like to leave you with this quick workout video AND a chance to win a copy of Fitter, Happier, More Productive or Birth of a Hero Vol. 2 (winner's choice), the comprehensive and ground-breaking fitness eBooks brought to you via myself and Pat Flynn from ChroniclesofStrength.com. 


Just leave a comment on what your health and fitness goals are for 2013 for a chance to win a FREE eBook. I'll chose a winner at random next week!

I'm in charge of Christmas dinner this year...for the first time ever. A little nerve-wracking but pretty exciting. Someone trusts me with one of the most important meals of the year!


While, I'm not going to even try and compete with my mom (she's the Queen of Christmas Dinner), the meal of my making will consist of some traditional foods with modern twists. Gotta put the ol' Christine flair on things, ya know?

But the one thing I will be making, just like Mama, is homemade eggnog, courtesy of Martha Stewart's 30-plus-year-old recipe.


The recipe calls for, among other things, superfine sugar.


Cane sugar. Eh.


It is a dominant force in traditional holiday cookery, and though it may be one of the only times of the year that I consume it, I still like to limit my ingestion of this particular sweet substance. Why's that you may ask?

Well, let's take a look see, shall we? According to the excellent research compiled in a blog post over on Mark's Daily Apple, Sugar...

Yikes!


But I've committed to making eggnog so, damn it! I'm going to make eggnog!


Except I couldn't find superfine sugar in my grocery store.


And then, there! What is this? Agave nectar? Well, I'd read about that. It is a natural sugar substitute, isn't it? A healthier option? A lower glycemic index that ensures a not so violent blood sugar spike and subsequent crash. And the label says it dissolves in drinks! And it's organic! And raw! Perfect!


So I did something that I don't often do: Without doing my own research prior to purchasing a new product, I dropped the agave nectar into my shopping cart and headed off to the checkout lane.


...And then I learned the truth.

Agave syrup, or agave nectar, as it is often called, is made from the root of the agave plant (the same stuff that tequila is made from). And it is VERY high in fructose... Nowhere in nature does such a high fructose-to-glucose ratio occur. So where High Fructose Corn Syrup is only 55% fructose and cane sugar 50%, agave nectar can contain up to 92% fructose. Jeepers!


Why is this bad? Well, the body isn't designed to handle large amounts of fructose very well, including being converted to triglycerides (fat) or inhibiting the body's ability to absorb other nutrients, which is why limiting fruit to a minimum (and getting your precious vitamins and minerals from meats, nuts, and veggies) is the better choice.


And in essence, agave nectar is more of a high fructose sweetener than High Fructose Corn Syrup! It does not occur in nature as a sweet product so it is as heavily processed, whether by heat/chemicals or enzymes, as High Fructose Corn Syrup. It is a man-made, intensely processed, sickeningly sweet, and generally unwholesome product. So despite its embrace by the raw/organic community as a healthy alternative, despite being "organic," agave nectar should be avoided.


So in this instance, to get the desired taste and to appease my family's tastebuds, yes, horrific as it may be, I will be using plain ol' sugar, which, if you're subscribing to the diet of our forebears and the diet to which our bodies are truly accustomed to and designed for (paleo), is something you will have to buy specifically for this one time of year, in as small of a container as possible since you won't be using again until next holiday season.


For the next week, there will be a tiny little bag of cane sugar sitting on my countertop and then no more.


And the agave nectar I so naively purchased?


Back to the grocery store it will go, to be snapped up by someone else who was tricked by marketing and "common sense." Hey, it happens to everyone now and then, right?

P.S. Friends! Don't forget about Strengthfest 2013! Early bird registration is currently available for this awesome two-day event on June 1st and 2nd of next year. But hurry! The steal of a price is $297 total...but only until January 1! Give yourself the gift of Strength(fest).

Included in your ticket:

• One ticket for full admission to Strength Fest 2013 at The Dragon Gym on June 1st and 2nd
  
  
• A copy of Dan John's new book Intervention
  
  
• A copy of Pat Flynn's kettlebell complex training book The Birth of a Hero
  
  
• Official Strength Fest 2013 T-Shirt
  
  
• The Mysterious Chronicles Of Strength Swag Bag
  
  
• Delicious and nutritious food served throughout both days

For more information, click here or visiting ChroniclesofStrength.com/Strength-fest-2013.html

While I've been enjoying my convalescence from an absolutely terrific combination of a sinus infection/head cold/stomach bug/bronchitis these past two weeks (..."enjoying" may be a strong word), training has, rightfully so, taken a backseat to getting well.

But as the days pass, I find myself itching to get back into the gym and get back to strength, even though I don't feel Grade A Bad Ass yet.

So what to do?

As we head into cold and flu season, this issue will probably come up for a lot of you. The general rule of thumb as to whether or not you can train while under the weather is this:


If you're feeling sick from the throat up, you can train, but as always, listen to your body.

If it's in your chest, you should probably take some time off. Rest up and get back to training later.


Now, it's been a couple of weeks of resting up, and I'm getting antsy. I feel pretty good except for a lingering cough that springs into action within the first few reps of a set of kettlebell swings and thus keeps me away from metabolic conditioning at the moment.

My prescription?  Heavy lifting.

A week ago, I wasn't doing any training. I listened to my body and called it. There's no point in training if you are really sick. You won't get any benefit from it, and it'll just make whatever you do have going on stick around that much longer.

But if you feel good but not 100%, give the following SRS (single rep strength) routines a try. Keep the rest long and as always, listen to your body. It's talking to you; you just need to listen for what it's telling you.