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Alright, just so you guys know, I grew up a picky eater. Because of this, in order to avoid having food I LOATHED shoved down my throat... I had to learn to cook. Thus I became a guy who likes to cook. I have my own unique cravings and I fulfill them with my own recipes, but I'm willing to experiment and try some new stuff. What I'm looking for is some recipes to your own favorite foods so that I can cook it up and try it myself. I'm on a 60 day Paleo Round, so I won't be able to try "Non-Paleo" recipes until I'm on my next week long break. So, what's good to you people? =D

I always wanted to be a superhero. As a kid, I wanted to be She-Ra: Then I wanted to be one of the ThunderCats: (Me and my two best friends even had a tree house that alternated between being a Flower Fairy castle and the Thunder Cats lair.) Eventually I realised that really I wanted to be more like Wonder Woman. Strong, fast, sexy in a corset and darned good with rope... Although the less said about the final one the better. Goal 1 - Strong as Hercules Okay... Not quite! But I'm going to keep lifting three times a week. I'm mostly going to be doing StrongLifts but will be doing a 1RM test on the 20th with my trainer and my new (female) lifting buddy and I'll leave flexibility to join in with challenges because this is meant to be FUN! A - 18 sessions in 6 weeks B - 16-17 sessions C - 14-15 sessions D - 12-13 sessions F - Fewer than 12 +3 STR +2 CON +2 STA Bonus - If I manage to beat my new (much more experienced lifting buddy) on any lifts on the 20th, I think I deserve a bonus of 0.5 STR and 0.5 CHA per lift. Goal 2 - Run Like the Wind Whilst my running is still somewhat hampered by the recovering calf injury, I'm keen to keep active between lifting sessions therefore the goal is to start building back up to running VERY slowly. Brisk walk or walk-run intervals of at least 5km at least once every week. I'll continue to walk every lunchtime but that's already a habit so no rewards for that and I've decided to do the Arnold 1% challenge this month but that's just for fun (and to help with my occasional hyperactivity). I'm also throwing in yoga and circuits whenever I have the time/energy but again that's just for fun. A - 7+ walks over 5km B - 6 walks over 5km C - 5 walks over 5km D - 4 walks over 5km F - 3 walks over 5km +3 STA Goal 3 - Amazonian women need nutrition Yes, I'm still working on fat loss, but if I don't eat enough I really suffer. I need to eat around 1900-2000 calories a day on average of good quality food to keep me in good nick. I'm not paleo. I'm not going paleo. I live by "What Would Granny Eat" for the most part. My granny was an amazing woman who espoused daily yoga and a balanced diet based around vegetables, good quality meat, whole grains in moderation (whole oats) and pulses. Real butter and olive oil rather than margarine. Meat products that a butcher would be proud to sell. No diet fads, junk food a treat, dessert when it fits my macros and no guilt around food. That's sustainable for me. Anyway, I've noticed that if I have two days where I'm notably below my average then I'll feel like death by the third day and my ability to exercise suffers. So this challenge's goal is not to allow myself to have two low-cal or disordered eating days back to back. A - No back to back bad days. B - One instance of back to back bad days. C - Two instances D - Three instances F - Four or more instances +2 WIS +1 CON Purely for fun, I'm also going to try to share any of the recipes I make that I think might be interesting to others. They won't necessarily be paleo, but they'll follow the rules of "What Would Granny Eat". Goal 4 - Wise as Athena and Beautiful as Aphrodite I don't suck. I really need to get that into my thick skull. I am intelligent. I work hard. I'm a nice person. I'm not horrible to look at. Every day, I need to think of something I like about myself in any way and share it. Every week, I need to find something at work that I have done well and write it down (although I may not share it here). A - 42 things B - 35-41 things C - 28-34 things D - 21-27 things F - 14 or fewer things +2 CHA

So, I am no stranger to getting on diets and eating the 'healthy things.' Back when I didn't know about Paleo, I thought that a bag of cauliflower, broccolii and carrots with grilled chicken and noodles or rice was perfectly healthy. Oh how wrong I was... I am a week and 2 days into full on Paleo. (W00t!) And I find myself like the piranha plant of Marios' World, Must. Eat. Everything. I understand that it is one part of my body adjusting to not eating bad, unhealthy things, but holy chow down Batman! I can instantly feel when I need to eat, like NOW. Is this normal for starting out with Paleo? I work out 4 days a week doing the Beginner Workout, full Paleo, like I said, no processed anything, (not even cheese, I miss cheese) just meat, fruits and veggies and tea and water. Will this adjust later on in weeks and months to come? Oh, and a side note, for my job, I usually bring something to snack on like a boiled egg with veggies and a Larabar for the ride home. I didn't have my egg today 'cause I woke up late, I came home and devoured my dinner. Is that the 'usual'? Will it settle later on? Thanks for the tips and comments!

OK--- here's the new challenge - might as well keep it the same as the last one as they are goals I do really want to achieve - have updated it a bit due to change in weight and change in dance class schedules. Age: 29 Height: 172 cm. Weight: 68.5 kg. GOALS FITNESS AND FOOD: Go to the gym at least 4 days per week, ideally 5. This is the routine I want to return to: Push Day, Pull Day, Swim/Active Rest, Push Day, Pull Day, Rest. (SCORING: Every day I do this I get 1 point. Maximum points/week = 5) Stretch every weeknight before bed. (SCORING: Every day I do this I get 1 point. Maximum points/week = 5) Have proper lunches on weekdays: a packed salad + protein + complex carbohydrate, plus fruit, a big water bottle and/or flask of herbal tea. On weekends I like a cooked lunch (SCORING: Every day I do this I get 1 point. Maximum points/week = 5).LEVEL UP MY LIFE Be out of bed by 8:00 am every weekday. (1 pt/day = 5 pt/wk) Work 9 - 5 every weekday, and set SelfControl to block social media sites until the end of my work day. (1 pt/day = 5 pt/wk) FITNESS ROUTINE PUSH DAY: Weight training with emphasis on "push" activities.PULL DAY: Likewise, but opposite.SWIM DAY: Half an hour gentle swimming at the 30 m pool at my gym.ACTIVE REST/REST: MONDAY & WEDNESDAY nights - dance class. SCORING: Max pts/wk = 25. Total points for challenge: 150 pts. Distinction: 125-150. Credit: 100-125. Pass: 75-100. AIM: Distinction average, please! SCORING: Max pts/wk = 25. Total points for challenge: 150 pts. Distinction: 125-150. Credit: 100-125. Pass: 75-100. AIM: Distinction average, please!

So I think I posted my new Challenge topic in the last Challenge page. Therefore, here it is again! Hey all! The last challenge was my first ever, and I think it went pretty well. Nonetheless, it was a crazy time and I wasn't able to keep close track of my goals for about half of it. Hopefully I'll do this one better! That said, here's my goals for this round - I'm going to try for very quantifiable but challenging milestones: Toes to the Road Several years back, I tried getting seriously into running, only to discover that undiagosed flat feet, of all things, had caused damage to my right hip over time. More recently, I've found that running in Vibram FiveFingers is something that doesn't seem to cause as much damage, but it's much more strenuous for my feet since I'm not used to them yet. Therefore, I'm going to try to work up to a 5k over this challenge - the distance in and of itself wouldn't have been a problem in the past, but it's in FiveFingers over rough terrain, so it'll be rough on my feet at first. I may cut the goal out if my leg injury starts acting up from the running, but I think I can do it... Rewards: STA +4 A = Full 5k, B = 3 miles, C = 2.5 miles, D = 2 miles, F = less than 2 miles. Pushing Through I've been enamored of the 100 push-up milestone for months now, but only recently have I started training enough that it looks achievable. I'm up to about 60, but I'll need to stay on top of my training to make it happen! Rewards: +2 STR, +2 STA Grading: Deduct one letter per 5 pushups missed. Different Perspectives I'm also working on my handstands! I've never set a good goal for them, though, so this will be a start. I want to have a 15-second freestanding handstand by the end! Rewards: +2 STR, +2 DEX Grading Mmmmm, Tasty I love cooking, and I want to try new things this summer! My goal is 15 new dishes by the end of the challenge! I'll post photos. Rewards: +1 WIS, +2 CON

Hey all! The last challenge was my first ever, and I think it went pretty well. Nonetheless, it was a crazy time and I wasn't able to keep close track of my goals for about half of it. Hopefully I'll do this one better! That said, here's my goals for this round - I'm going to try for very quantifiable but challenging milestones: Toes to the Road Several years back, I tried getting seriously into running, only to discover that undiagosed flat feet, of all things, had caused damage to my right hip over time. More recently, I've found that running in Vibram FiveFingers is something that doesn't seem to cause as much damage, but it's much more strenuous for my feet since I'm not used to them yet. Therefore, I'm going to try to work up to a 5k over this challenge - the distance in and of itself wouldn't have been a problem in the past, but it's in FiveFingers over rough terrain, so it'll be rough on my feet at first. I may cut the goal out if my leg injury starts acting up from the running, but I think I can do it... Rewards: STA +4 A = Full 5k, B = 3 miles, C = 2.5 miles, D = 2 miles, F = less than 2 miles. Pushing Through I've been enamored of the 100 push-up milestone for months now, but only recently have I started training enough that it looks achievable. I'm up to about 60, but I'll need to stay on top of my training to make it happen! Rewards: +2 STR, +2 STA Grading: Deduct one letter per 5 pushups missed. Different Perspectives I'm also working on my handstands! I've never set a good goal for them, though, so this will be a start. I want to have a 15-second freestanding handstand by the end! Rewards: +2 STR, +2 DEX Grading Mmmmm, Tasty I love cooking, and I want to try new things this summer! My goal is 15 new dishes by the end of the challenge! I'll post photos. Rewards: +1 WIS, +2 CON

Past 6 weeks Milythael and The Wolf have been huge inspirations to me and helped me through a great deal of funk!!! The Wolf inspired me to go from an asari assassin to a wolf assassin and I'm feeling more at home with that. Here's what I'm working on: I've listed my goals in the first image, but here they are again in more detail: 1. Make 1 cookbook meal a week +2 Con, +2 Cha I have a number of cookbooks lying around that I'm not using. In my quest to eat better, and learn to eat more types of food, I'll make 1 cookbook meal a week. It's gonna be made on weekends most likely. I will not judge the ingredients, but just try it. 2. Do a crow pose +4 Dex I've been working on this, but can't really get 1 foot of the ground comfortably. Not sure if it's manageable, but I'm gonna do my utmost best! 3. Follow bench press program +3 Str I made myself a program I think I can stick to. Today (Saturday) I'm suppose to do 5 reps of 6kg/hand bench press (I use dumbbells) Here's what I have in mind: Week 1 - Monday: Do 6 reps with 6kg/hand - Wednesday: Do 7 reps with 6kg/hand - Friday: Do 8 reps with 6kg/hand Week 2 - Monday: Do 5,2 reps with 6kg/hand - Wednesday: Do 5,4 reps with 6kg/hand - Friday: Do 5,5 reps with 6kg/hand Week 3 - Monday: Do 6,5 reps with 6kg/hand - Wednesday: Do 7,5 reps with 6kg/hand - Friday: Do 8,5 reps with 6kg/hand Week 4 - Monday: Do 8,6 reps with 6kg/hand - Wednesday: Do 8,7 reps with 6kg/hand - Friday: Do 8,8 reps with 6kg/hand Week 5 - Monday: Do 5,5,2 reps with 6kg/hand - Wednesday: Do 5,5,4 reps with 6kg/hand - Friday: Do 5,5,5 reps with 6kg/hand Week 6 - Monday: Do 6,5,5 reps with 6kg/hand - Wednesday: Do 7,5,5 reps with 6kg/hand - Friday: Do 8,5,5 reps with 6kg/hand This is based on my own experience with what my body is capable off. I've noticed that my body doesn't get strong as fast as seems to be average (looking at other programs), and that's okay. I will get there! 4. Eliminate To Do List / Keep on top of things +4 Wis Weekly chores and the stuff I've been putting off. I have 2 more things to do for work and then I want to get some things done around my house. That's my to do list. Otherwise it's taking care of my home - Complete laundry (black, white, color, red) - Clean the house (toilet, storage, hallway, bedroom, bathroom, kitty, living/kitchen) - Water the plant on Sunday

The War of the Body Snatchers - Staring Wirilome Plot: Wirilome lives in the fictional town of Fontucky, California. Her house has been invaded by microscopic imps that have drifted from chemical factory plants into the supermarkets. The imps conceal themselves as fruits, veggies, and meats with “easy cooking meals†while Wirilome and her family has slowly turned to dust. The imps live surprisingly a long shelf life and they cannot survive without an abundance of sodium or strange chemicals not found in nature, consequently, if unstopped, they will quickly turn all Earthlings into Jabba the Huts. One of the rebel scientists, Sardoni C. Symbiont, suggests that humans can do to destroy the imps is to eat healthier. Humans must destroy the imps in the name of survival!!! Goal #1 – Defeat the caffeine imps by remembering to regenerate my mana. How: Drink at least 6-8 cups of water. Why: I’m an addict. I don’t drink enough water to begin with. I might drink up to 3 cups in a day if I’m lucky. This time I have no excuse. Stats: +1 Sta, +2 Con, +2 Cha Goal #2 – Energy configuration. How: Stay under the 1800 calories during my work days and then under 2000 during my days off. I can't give a certain date because I work Tuesday through Saturday or sometimes even Sunday. Sometimes I work seven days a week! Why: Keeping a food diary helps me know what I’m eating. But I think that by limiting my calories I have to really think about what it is that I’m going to eat. Stats: +1 Sta, +2 Wis Goal #3 – Board up doors and windows to protect against incoming imps. How: Cook one paleo recipe a week to avoid going to fast food places. Why: I eat out at least once a day. That means at least 7 fast food restaurants a week. At least $42 dollars a day on burgers, fries, and a coke. I already cook my lunch now I'm adding my dinner as well and I would like to learn how to cook paleo before I say YES that is what I want to do. Stats: +1 Wis, +2 Con Goal #4 R.I.D. Researching Imp Destruction (Finish Eat, Drink, Be Mindful book). How: Spend at least 15 mins a day reading the book. Why: It’s only 200 pages and I started it in October and still haven’t finished. It helps me when I work on the exercises to think about my relation to food. Stats: +1 Con, +2 Cha, +2 Wis

Hows everybody doing? I have a couple threads going on in the Rangers forum but I wanted to start one here about something new that has been a little difficult for me: Cooking good healthy food. Now I am in no way shape or form a chef (my fiancee is though SCORE!) There may be other threads out there like this one, but I wanted some plac that I could record my food ventures and rate them wether they are good or bad. I am going to be using a 1-5 rating scale. 1 being never again, wouldn't even feed it to a zombie, and 5 being a must make no questiosn asked. I can't promise that I will write in here every day but I will make an effort to post any new recipies that I try on here. So without further to do my FIRST recipe of the thread is *mostly* Paleo Pizza!!!!! CRUST 3 tablespoons flax meal 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 egg 2 teaspoons water 1-2 teaspoons oil TOPPINGS 1 can of black olives2 Tbsp green olives (cut into quarters)2 Tbsp of ground beef (left over from previous paleo attempt)1 handfull of pizza cheese (I know not technically paleo but how can you have pizza w/out cheese)2Tbsp pizza sauce (I used Ragu cause its what I had on hand)4-5 cherry tomoatoes (cut into quarters)WHAT YOUR ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO DO! Mix the dry ingredients;add the egg, water and oil.Spray a microwaveable dinner plate with cooking spray. Spread the batter on the plate in a circle.Microwave on HIGH 1 minute 40 seconds.Meanwhile heat a little oil in a medium skillet on about medium heat; slide the crust off the plate and into a skillet. Brown on both sides.After browning crust, saute (yep big word for the non culinary guy) toppings (not sauce or cheese) untill you feel the tomatoes have been cooked fully through (about 3-4 minutes)Place the crust on a baking sheet; add toppings of your choice.Bake at 350º about 10 minutes until hot and bubbly.ENJOY! Overall I would give this a 4 out of 5 rating. The curst coudl have been more substantial. It was more like a bread almost. The size of the pizza was about the size of a personal pan from pizzahut. The olive and ground beef mixture was pretty good, and the tomatoes addd a good flavor. Tell me what you think? Would you try it? If you do or have let me know what our think! Hope to hear from you

This is my first challenge and I can't wait to get started! I've been working at my fitness and nutrition for about 8 months at this point and I've lost about 90 lbs, but my work is hardly done! I'd like to give myself some increased motivation as I try to shed my last 40 lbs. I'm also beginning 5k training and have been trying to get back into yoga for some strength training as well- so this is the perfect opportunity hold myself accountable on those fronts! BEST. CHALLENGE. EVER! Here are my goals! I will be posting my weight, measurements, and starting photo on Monday when the challenge starts! Fitness/Nutrition goals: Take at least one Yoga class a week. (+2 STR)Complete 5k training missions with "Zombies, Run" 3x/week. I'm starting my week 2 training missions on October 25. (+5 STA)Complete at least two 45 minute training sessions on the elliptical per week. (+2 DEX)Learn to cook three Paleo meals by the end of the challenge. NOTE: I'm on Nutrisystem right now, which I know a lot of people on these forums take issue with. It has been working really well for me and is very sustainable. The other reason I like it is because my parents are paying for it and therefore I can divert my earnings towards other expenses. For me, it's just an open door into a much larger world. I'm learning a lot about portion size and breaking food into 5-6 smaller meals a day, but I want to learn a little about Paleo and cleaner eating so that when I get to my goal weight and drop my subscription, I'll be ready to hit the ground running. (+3 CON) Life Goal: Write at least 2 new blog posts a week and create a logo for the header. (+ 3 WIS) I'll be reporting on my progress throughout the challenge!

Hello dear people! During my challenge, your help and support and input is greatly valued, and even encouraged! There will be pictures, and there will be cake. Simple goals: 1. Log 200 to 400 points on fitocracy EVERY DAY. I will think of a way to grade this so I can motivate myself better, but basically, there is a high goal, and a low goal. I'm thinking of making the low goals the "thing I do because I decided to do", and the high one something I get to reward myself for. In the coming days, I think up a reward. Advice is welcome! 2. Learn how to do a bridge. In style. Nice-looking. Stand-to-stand maybe. Coming days, I look into a good route to get there. 3. Leisure time: I took some time off, because with what I earn while working, I think I better stop working and start reading for a while. Doing this now will also stop me from feeling rather sad in a month or so. Recreation is hard work: - At least 5 hikes - At least 11(!) books. There are some classics that have escaped me until now, so I'll make work of that. Expect a reading list. - Finish the three films I have started to watch ages ago and get back to the respective friends who recommended them to me. There will be no serious food related goal, because I will travel/move to new place twice during this challenge. I don't want to feel bad about something I cannot control. But: 4. Draw 5-7 different meals I made in the past month, in the same way I drew some recipes here: http://idiotdogcomics.wordpress.com/ Autocomplete/bonus quests: - I will have to learn more of the native tongue if I want to talk to the villagers. I expect this to sort itself out, since I'll be forced to do so. - I expect myself to consume less alcohol when I no longer live with pleasant-to-share-a-drink-with housemate. Which is good, maybe. Yeahhhhh Let's do thisssssssssssss.

Guess I'm a scout again. My main goal for the year is to walk 500 miles (like the song ) and get back down to single digit body fat. For this challenge... GOAL #1 - Lose at least 10 lbs. I'm currently right at 150 and I'd like to get back down below 140 by the end of the challenge. GOAL #2 - Walk at least 10 miles per week. Along with fairly low-carb diet, this should help with Goal #1 . I'll also continue doing some body weight strength training. GOAL #3 - Come up with at least 1 new recipe per week. Haven't come up with anything new culinary-wise for a few months so I'd like to try some new dishes. (I actually started on goals #1 and #2 on 1/1/13. Walked 10 miles so far and down 2.8 lbs. )

After a rough ending to my Second NF Challenge, I was thinking about not doing another one right now, but then I read a few of Steve's motivating blog articles and decided to come back for more! So, without further ado: GOAL ONE: Train for my first marathon! I'm registered to run in the Lansing Marathon on April 21, 2013. I'm following a beginner's training program with 4 runs each week, and I will be tracking my training runs in this spreadsheet. I ran a half-marathon distance for the first time on December 30 and had a bout of runner's knee afterwards, so I'm going to be more careful with it from now on, along with making sure I strengthen my legs (see goal two) and get adequate rest (see goal three). Edit: As part of the leg strengthening goal, I will incorporate hill/incline work into one of my training runs each week. As a side goal, I'll try to achieve at least one new personal record time during the six weeks, if practical (knee recovery being the priority). GOAL TWO: Do more strength training. Last time around I slacked off too much in this goal area. This time I want to try something different: instead of having a goal number of workouts for each week, my goal will be to do at least 50 sets of strength exercises each week (machine, free weight, or body weight), in any number of workouts. This will give me the freedom to work towards my goal whenever I have a spare moment, without needing any particular block of free time. Particular emphasis will be on leg exercises (squats, lunges, and raises). As a side goal, I'll try to do at least one set of something every single day of the challenge. I'll track my sets and reps in this spreadsheet and I'll continually push for new personal records. GOAL THREE: Get enough sleep. My goal will be to get at least 6 hours of sleep each night, and to make up for any failures with more hours the following nights. I'm not going to set a rigid bedtime, but any time awake after midnight should only be for accomplishing something constructive (ie, no TV or games). GOAL FOUR: Cook more meals and try new recipes. My goal will be to cook at least one real dinner (not from a package) each week, with at least half of them using a new recipe.

Hi! I'm a 25-year-old newlywed mechanical engineer in Central PA. I started weight training back in September, and quickly became obsessed. I found Paleo in December, fell in love, and completed a Whole30 in January (www.whole9life.com). I'm not ready to do another Whole30 just yet, but I found nerdfitness about a month ago and wanted to sign up for the forums so I could join the next challenge My life is like one long episode of Big Bang Theory, although I wish it was a little more like Firefly or Battlestar Galactica. I married my very own Sheldon Cooper last year, but I wish I looked a little more like Penny and a little less like Amy (even if there's no denying I'll always act like her). When I'm not at the gym, I'm usually in the kitchen cooking up some paleo meals, knitting, redesigning my house, or being obsessed with watching an entire TV series (last month it was Battlestar Galactica, this month it's Doctor Who). February 2013 stats: 5'4" 157lbs 30% body fat (actually from 1/17) Stomach: 33.25" Waist 31.25" Bicep: 12.5" Thigh: 24" Chest: 34" Hips: 39" (baby got back, lol) Pants Size: 8 Dead Lift: 135 lbs Squat: 155 lbs Pull Ups: 80 lbs assistance Dips: 60 lbs assistance.

I am so glad to have found this site. I've been spending my time between semesters trying to organize my eating and exercising, but A Dance with Dragons, the Hobbit movie, and my near-genetic predisposition to immediately hoard and feast upon potatoes when the temperature drops below 55 have been hindering my process. I used to belly dance quite a bit, and have been beginning to learn Uechi-Ryu karate. While I like to work out on my own at times, I really like the strength and flexibility that comes from doing real things, like practicing kata or dancing. I've signed up on the Adventurer board, Biut suppose I may be working toward levels in Monk/Bard. Speaking of which, there should be a Bard class. I completed Tough Mudder last September, and have signed up for the July Event in Lake Tahoe. I want to be able to pull myself up, so maybe I can do better getting over those walls, and to build up my stamina so I can jog a bigger percent of the course, rather than walking pretty much the whole way. Anyway, I am a vegetarian, and love to cook. I get weekly organic produce boxes delivered, which encourage me to try cooking new veggies (my favorites are bok choy, collard greens, and kale).