Grokfeast in Illinois

On September 13th I asked Mark’s Daily apple readers to host a Grokfeast (a picnic/party celebrating the Primal lifestyle) and to send me the results. The following is one of 13 amazing submissions, the best of which will win an entire cow courtesy of US Wellness.

Grokfeast Bloomington/Normal @ CrossFit Bloomington-Normal, IL,  September 24, 2011

The day started with a partner WoD. It was the gym’s 2nd birthday along with one of our coaches birthday. The partner workout was 4 separate workouts with 4 minutes of work and 2 minutes of rest to be able to switch to next workout, and you had to switch partners each time. Worked out pretty well. One partner worked on one exercise while the other worked the second exercise and you couldn’t switch until the partner was complete.

Partner WoD

4 min. AMRAP/2 min. rest between rounds

  1. 7 Thrusters/10 Pull-ups
  2. 7 Power Cleans/10 Ring Dips
  3. 5 Push-press/10 Air squats
  4. 12 KB swings/10 Hollow Rocks

After the partner WoD, the cooking started. The coaches had the grill going with lots of meat. Members brought the side dishes.

After some food to refuel us after the workout a lot of us got in on several games of knockout. Reminds me of school days. Basketball knockout is just a great game there were several different winners and it was pretty entertaining. Other activities emerged, bags (cornhole), washers, football, talking, frisbee.

There were also dogs among the group while one of our members decided he wanted to race the dog to a tennis ball. He ended up sliding on his butt but almost beat the dog, it was pretty funny. There was also 30 yard shot of a football into the basketball hoop. Someone said hey Chris why don’t you just try to put this football in the basket, he nonchalantly takes the ball and throws it up, perfect basket right through, was pretty crazy.

Pretty fun, exhausting, exercise filled, stuffed day.

The Feast

Apple/Onion Pulled Pork, Sausage/Beef Burgers, Boar Bacon. No-Potato Salad, Squash mix, Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Cheddar Brats, Sausages, Chicken Wings, Buffalo Chicken Wings.

Apple/Onion Pulled Pork

  • 1 Pork Shoulder rest
  • 2 Apples, cored and sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped

Put all together in a crock pot on low for 8 hours.

Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

  • 2 c. Almond Flour
  • 1/2 c. Pumpkin Puree
  • 1/2 c. coconut oil
  • 1/2 c. maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 Tbsp. pumpkin spice

Preheat oven to 350, blend all ingredients with a hand mixer, place tablespoon size on parchment lined cooking sheet.

Bake 30-25 minutes

The Tribe

Amanda, JJ, Chad, Krystyna, Kathryn, Casey, Katie, Angie H., Angie C., Tiki, Trevor, Tim, Eric, Mike, Luke, Nicole, Corey, Anita, Brandi, John, Leah, Josh W., Josh P., Randi, Josh L., Linda, Matt, Sherry, Abby, Dave, Marisol, Kami, King, Stephen, Steve, Ashley, Chris


About the Author

Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending more than three decades educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates flavorful and delicious kitchen staples crafted with premium ingredients like avocado oil. With over 70 condiments, sauces, oils, and dressings in their lineup, Primal Kitchen makes it easy to prep mouthwatering meals that fit into your lifestyle.

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