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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Sweet Potato Crockpot Lasagna...The Open 15.3

I have been hoping this entire open that muscle ups would be put in the middle of a workout... anything but the end because I REALLY wanted to do one. When 15.3 was announced I was watching it with my friend Rudy and we were discussing what we thought it might be... I was simultaneously on about three group texts doing the same thing... such an exciting time :) I think I about cried when it was announced that it started with 7 muscle ups... STARTED with! 15.3 is a 14 min AMRAP of 7 Muscle Ups, 50 Wall Balls and 100 Double Unders. My first year of the open I couldn't do any even if I could get there, last year I tried three times, even quitting a workout for the first time in my life, trying to get to them but couldn't. This year, after hours and hours of working on them, I was finally going to get to do one in The Open. Thrilled doesn't being to describe how I felt... I have never been so excited to workout. 


A lot of people were mad they were put at the beginning, forcing everyone who couldn't do one to scale the workout. My thoughts on that is that first of all let's not be deceived that the point of the CrossFit Open is to figure out who is fittest to compete at Regionals and ultimately the Games... making workouts so that everyone can do them easily doesn't showcase the skills of the top athletes. Secondly, they put in a scaled division this year so that everyone can still have fun and participate. I scale workouts still, sometimes the weight is too heavy, all that tells me is I need to work to get stronger. If this open was two years ago I would have had to scale multiple times because I wouldn't have been able to do the first snatch weight. It doesn't mean that you can't participate and push yourself. Those scaling argued it was "too easy" compared to the other prescribed version... well I would then argue that every event thus far has been "too easy" for the best in the world. You aren't going to make everyone happy, learn from your weaknesses and focus on that for next year. I cannot say how inspiring it was to see at least 3 people get their first muscle ups and several more do more than they ever have.... amazing! 




I did this workout twice. The first time it was after work on Friday, I didn't know how I would feel and it just didn't go as well as I wanted it to- wall balls are my kryptonite. Since I laid on the floor afterwards saying, "I will never do that again" I honestly thought that might be it.



Saturday I did some Olympic lifting and then went to swim laps with my Coach and another CrossFitter. I have said before that I do not do well when Charlie is gone for the weekend so although I was physically tired I didn't want to go home and be alone- it was actually really fun even though I am not the best swimmer! In-between laps it was discussed whether or not 15.3 would be worth re-doing, especially after I had done it Friday and was doing a 40 minute swim currently. I wasn't necessarily needed to the team score, but then again you never know, would it just be for personal satisfaction? Maybe. Either way I thought it was worth redoing- it usually is even if it just means a few more reps. Sunday (today) my shoulders were tired from swimming and my legs were tired from Friday, but I really did give it my all. I am congested and didn't feel well but my coach was my judge and he was encouraging and helping me stay on pace. I also had my childhood best friend, Shannon, there with her sister and my usual favorite people to workout with Kelly, Mara, Marisa, the boys, etc. Thanks everyone for the push, I did 38 reps better! I can now say I did muscle ups in The Open! Next up... get stronger. 



For this dish I read a bunch of recipes for ideas and I have tried Paleo lasagna with zucchini and butternut squash before. First of all a lot of the recipes use cashew cheese- it just isn't the same as ricotta, sorry, and it also doesn't match my usual nut-free cooking. Zucchini "noodles" were just watery and butternut squash is ridiculous to cut. I thought sweet potatoes were a nice, cheap alternative. You could easily bake this instead of a crockpot, but I was already using the oven for something else and I like my crockpot :)


Sweet Potato Crockpot Lasagna

(Printable Version)

- 2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/4-1/2 inch circles (I used a mandolin, aim for thin)
- 1 lb Grass-Fed Ground Beef
- 1 Sweet Onion, finely chopped,
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 6-oz Can Tomato Paste
- 1 29-oz Can Tomato Puree (or crushed tomatoes)
- 1 15-oz Tub Part-skim Ricotta Cheese
- 1 10-oz Package Chopped Frozen Spinach
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Raw Parmesan Cheese* optional 

1. Make the sauce- heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the ground beef. Break it up while it is cooking and cook until browned. Add the tomato puree, Italian seasoning, a bit more salt and tomato paste. Reduce the heat and stir. Let it sit while you prepare the sweet potatoes and cheese.



2. Combine the ricotta and spinach together in a bowl- add a little salt and pepper.


3. In a crockpot, add 1/3 of the sauce to the bottom. Cover with 1/2 of the sweet potato circles, top with 1/2 the cheese mixture. Add another 1/3 of the sauce, the rest of the sweet potatoes on top of that, followed by the cheese again. End with the rest of the sauce on top, and add some Parmesan shavings if you want!


4. Let it cook in the crockpot 6-7 hours on Low or 3-4 hours on High. Check to see in the potatoes are fork tender and the sauce is bubbly. Enjoy! 




Servings 5.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 541
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 20 g30 %
Saturated Fat 9 g43 %
Monounsaturated Fat 4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 87 mg29 %
Sodium 681 mg28 %
Potassium 928 mg27 %
Total Carbohydrate 53 g18 %
Dietary Fiber 9 g36 %
Sugars 35 g
Protein 41 g81 %
Vitamin A329 %
Vitamin C35 %
Calcium38 %
Iron29 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

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