Grokfeast in Tucson, Arizona

On September 8th I asked my readers to host picnics and to send me the results. The following is one of 27 amazing submissions, the best of which will win an entire cow, courtesy of US Wellness. Vote for your favorite on October 8.

We had a “rockin'” good time at our Grokfeast. It was on September 19th. Our menu had a Southwest theme (I figure cavefolks usually had themed parties, didn’t they?) and it was delicious. My husband’s CrossFit gym, Wildcat CrossFit, was in the process of moving to their new location, so our Grokfeast was partly a celebration and a functional part of the move. At 3:30 the runners met at the old location and met “the rocks,” which are some landscaping rocks kept at the gym for the occasional rock run, rock toss, rock clean and jerk, whatever. The rocks range in weight from 30 pounds to 60 pounds. There was a men’s team and a women’s team. The object was for each team to move a rock from the old gym location to the new one, a distance of about 5 kilometers. The rock had to be moved using person-power only, no fossil fuels, no wheels. The men’s rock weighted 50 pounds and the women’s weighed 40 pounds. Did I mention the women also had children they were transporting from point A to point B? And that it was 103 degrees that day?

Women’s Team:

Ashley Nowe (who did the huge majority of the rock carrying)
Theresa Fine (who completed her very first 5K ever in participating in this event)
Jen Wirth (a Wildcat CrossFit trainer and the first carrier of the rock)
Jenny Providence (the hostess and person responsible for the crazy idea)
Grady Nowe (Ashley’s 2 year old son)
Max Providence (Jenny’s 2 year old son)

Men’s Team:
Paxton (rock runner and videographer)
Eric Mackey (one of Wildcat Crossfit’s awesome trainers)
Noah Providence (the host and supporter of his wife’s crazy ideas)

The women wisely employed a backpack to transport their rock. (Grok’s wife surely would have fashioned something out of animal skins and ropes made from desert plants, right?) The men used a towel (aka animal skin) and each in turn hefted the rock on his shoulder. In the end, the men won in a photo finish. After a victory beer, both teams retreated to the cool of the Providences cave.

The feast had begun 2 days before the run with the slaughtering of some chickens. While the runners strategized and checked the weather (it really was 103, did I mention that?) a chicken simmered for 24 hours to produce the chicken broth needed for the enchilada sauce for the meal. Cookies and jerky were made ahead of time in preparation for the event, and were promptly eaten by the Providence children.

With the running and rock hauling done, more friends joined us for the feast.

The run was fun, the food was good, but then, there was dessert. Since the cookies had been devoured, we whipped up some cream to have with fresh strawberries. Lisa Anne brought some incredible primal truffles which turned out to be just the thing to top off the evening.

The Feast

  • Chicken Enchilada Casserole
  • Beef Enchilada Casserole
  • Chicken and Bacon Wraps with Guacamole
  • Sonoran Hot Dogs

Recipe: Chicken and Bacon Wraps

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1 12 oz package of bacon
  • 2 peppers
  • 1 large onion
  • Oil for sautéing
  • Romaine lettuce

Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from heat. When cool, dice into ½ inch pieces.

Cut the chicken breasts into eighths and cook in butter or other oil with salt and pepper. When it is cooked thoroughly, remove from heat and dice into ½ inch pieces.

Dice onion and peppers. Saute in butter or other cooking oil in a large pan for about 10 minutes. Then add the cooked, diced chicken and bacon. Cook together for about 5 minutes.

Serve as wraps in leaves of Romaine lettuce with guacamole, sour cream and fresh salsa.

The Tribe

The Trudinger-Smith Family: Lisa Anne, Ashleigh, Beryl, Mostyn, Rainer
The remaining members of the Providence Family: Hannah, Teddy, Ollie, Monica, Taber and kids

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 three decades researching and 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 Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.

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