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It’s been a long week, but a great one. The days leading up to Christmas are usually a good mix of hectic and relaxing. Some days fly by and others crawl. Today was a flying day. It started early because I went back to CrossFit. It was my first workout since the marathon and the sinus/bronchitis that arrived a day later. I was so glad to be back. I was feeling like this. image

I wasn’t sure how much of the workout I could do but I went knowing my trainer would modify anything for me.

Breakfast #1 It’s been a while since I’ve had this and it was just as good as always.

IMG_3940

The WOD. AMRAP is as many rounds as possible.

WOD

Can I just say the warm up knocked me out . Seriously. I felt like an old lady. After the first round of jumping jacks, I was coughing like a chain smoker on a stair master. Ridiculous.

But the rest of the workout was great. By great, I mean it kicked my tail, I felt like I might die, but it was a good feeling..make sense? I did 70lbs on the deadlifts, 6 push ups for each round instead of 12 (trainer still being careful with rhabdo, especially after a marathon which wears down the whole body), and I did the 18inch box. The first round, I did box jumps, the other rounds I did step ups. I did 7 full rounds in 15 minutes. With these AMRAP workouts, you don’t stop except to breathe or cough, which I did often. You’re supposed to go hard core, balls to wall, don’t stop. In other words, very high intensity for short amount of time. When the timer stops, it’s not uncommon to see people falling to the floor. Some days we do AMRAP for a certain amount of time. Some days we do a specified number of rounds/reps and record the time. All days are good. Any day you complete a crossfit workout is a good day. And as I crawl to the showers, I’m pumped. It’s crazy, but it works.

I have a small confession. I love Christmas baking. And the rich foods. But I need some vegetables. I need something healthy. And quick because I’m lazy and I can’t lift my arms after the push ups this morning. Or walk straight after deadlifts and jumps/step ups.

Orange beef stir fry. It’s one of my favorite ways to combine beef and vegetables. The secret to really tender beef is to marinate it in Dr.Pepper. This recipe needs at least 30 minutes for marinating before cooking. An hour would be even better.

orange beef

  • 1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
  • 1 can of Dr. Pepper
  • 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons orange marmalade
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 Tablespoons oil for stir frying
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup of sliced red onions
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • sliced green onions for garnish
  1. Remove beef from package. Slice into strips. Place in a bowl and pour 1 can of Dr. Pepper over it. Cover and let marinate at least 30 minutes.
  2. Remove the sirloin strips and dry between paper towels.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, orange juice, orange marmalade, and soy sauce. Set aside.
  4. Meanwhile, combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cover. Let it hang out until the rest is done.
  5. Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat. Toss dried beef in cornstarch to coat. Fry in the hot oil in small batches until crispy and golden brown; set aside. Drain all of the oil from the wok except about 1 tablespoon.
  6. Add broccoli, carrots, onions, orange zest, ginger and garlic to the remaining oil, and cook COVERED, for about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture to the wok, bring to a boil, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Add beef, and heat through, stirring to coat. Serve immediately over steamed rice, and garnish with green onions (scallions).

Workout done, work done, and now dinner complete. All that’s left is a hot mocha in a ridiculously goofy cup. And a magazine I never got around to reading.

coffee

Orange Beef | Biting Life

Friday 17th of January 2014

[…] (adapted from Katrina Runs’ recipe) […]

Tina

Friday 3rd of February 2012

I made this tonight. My husband loved it...he had seconds! I added a little hot sauce to mine, and really enjoyed it! Thanks for a great recipe!

jobo

Sunday 18th of December 2011

Nicely done!! that stir fry looks ridiculously good!!

Katrina

Sunday 18th of December 2011

This has been around for a long time. I first heard about it over ten years ago. Google it and you'll see various DrPepper marinades :)

Miranda @ Living One Bite at a Time

Sunday 18th of December 2011

Woah, that's so weird! I can't even imagine how somebody ended up figuring the Dr. Pepper thing out, ha ha. Like one day was somebody just like, "Hmmm, I wonder what beef marinated in soda would taste like? ... Let's find out!" Is it some kind of a family recipe or something? How did you know how to do that?