Paleo meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb 93% lean ground beef

2 large organic eggs

2 large stalks celery, minced

3 green onions, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Ragu Ingredients:

1 jalapeno, diced and seeded

5 button mushrooms, sliced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 -1/2 cup white wine

Directions ( I keep it simple):

• Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a bowl, form them into balls, then sear them on two ends.
• Add all the "Ragu" ingredients except for the white wine and cover the pan to let it cook a bit, after about 8 minutes, add the white wine and continue to simmer until sauce has thickened and meat has cooked through

SO Freaking good! I promise

Served with roasted sweet potatoes over a bed of raw spinach :)

Nike Women's Half Marathon Series and My Fitness Journey

My fitnessMY 

My fitness journey has being continuing even though I've been away. Lately I've been relying on Instagram to post about my fitness journey, but since I'm starting training this week for my first half marathon ever, I'm going to make an effort to return to the blog.

Though I relied solely on crossfit for the first three months of my fitness journey, work and life made it impractical to make it to sessions regularly. So, I made lemons out of lemonade -- I joined an awesome gym and I kick my own butt longer and harder than I ever have in the past.

Also, I'm turning ** this weekend! Gah, after 21 every birthday becomes incrementally more awkward. I start an analysis of my life: what i've accomplished vs. what I thought I would have accomplished by now, then I tell myself to stop.

Along with training for the half marathon, I'm planning on starting a new macro eating plan soon, along with a more structured strength training program.

Hopefully, you will have progress pics to look forward to, new recipes based on macros, and stories of struggles and triumphs.

Easter, WODS, Paleo results.....

Easter weekend: Other than having the pleasure of making these eggs, I admittedly had a few "cheats" here and there. But to me, this is a journey towards finding a healthy balance.  More specifically, I had lentils, goat cheese, a traditional Armenian pastry ( if you're going to cheat it better be homemade... or maybe a 5 star restaurant) and two homemade cookies.  

 

I did however create my own WOD while staying at the beautiful vineyards: 

4 rounds:

300 meter run

10 push ups

20 ab mat sit ups without a mat 

Some recent WODS and the results I'm getting:

 

 

 

1 month of Paleo ( with a few admitted cheats here and there) + Crossfit = 2% fat loss, muscle gained, and 7 inches lost.  Its a start, eh? I'm hoping to match these results or beat them this month.

Paleo fast food

 

Sauteed Beef Sausage, Wilted Kale, and Sunny-Side up eggs

I'm here to take away your excuses. 

Yes, you can do Paleo without a kitchen. Yes, you can eat Paleo even if you are eating out. The key is to resist ordering your old favorites. Are you feeding your stomach? your emotions? or your mind?

 

 

Spinach Salad with : Grille Chicken Breast, Sprouts, Avocado, Olives, Carrots, and Artichoke Hearts

... and Vegan bacon bits which I sort of ignored

 

 

Salad: Arugula, spinach, rainbow chard, kale, red and white cabbage, beets, dried cranberries, guacamole, and carne asada

 This was a creation from the Whole Foods Salad bar. Do you know how much it cost me??  A whole $6!!! Where else can you get a salad like this for only $6 ???

 

Banana protein pancakes (paleo)

 

This one is a work in progress. Though my dad loved them, I'm not quite ready to publish the recipe and rave about it. 

This particular batch was made with banana, vanilla protein powder, eggs and water. 

To be continued....

 

A twist on poached eggs

 

Quick. Simple. Fast.

That becomes the standard when you are cooking without a kitchen, on a portable gas burner, in your guest bathroom.  

I will appreciate having a kitchen SO MUCH once its all done. 

For this quick meal just add the following ingredients to the pan and bring to a simmer:

Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Garlic Greens ( you can usually find this at your farmers market), Anaheim chili, and South African Spice Blend ( found at Trader Joes).

 ** Note ** The South African Spice Blend contributes a smoky flavor, so if that's not your thing, omit it. 

Many of you will choose to add salt, but since I'm trying to keep sodium intake to a minimum for the sake of this Paleo Adventure, I kept it out of my dish.

Once the tomato mixture comes to a simmer, add your organic eggs, cover the pan and let them "poach" away. 

My phone died :(

I'll be back soon, as soon as I figure out my phone situation. Still eating paleo, still doing crossfit :)

Though I will probably stop with the daily menus because I'm sure that gets boring, especially since all my cooking will have to take place on a BBQ for the next two months because I will be kitchenless.

Adaptation.

Daily eats and week one Paleo results

WOW! Thursday was a long busy day, out of the house from 8am - 9:30pm. 

Breakfast

Breakfast: 3 thin slices of uncured all natural hickory smoked bacon and 1 egg. I need to figure out a better way to cook bacon, im a newbie. Do you drain the oil? How often? Is it better to bake it in the oven? 

Right after breakfast I wanted something sweet, a piece of fruit, but i told myself to wait a half an hour and if i wanted it, I could have it then. Half an hour later the craving was gone and I was to busy to care. I got so busy I couldn't even stop for  a second to have a morning snack.  I could probably address this by better meal planning, including finding more snacks to have on hand. There is always room for improvement.

Paleo Egg Drop Soup

Lunch Homemade Paleo egg drop soup

Paleo Snack

Afternoon Snack Granny Smith Apple w/  almond butter + coconout oil. I was hesitant to try this combination, but its SO GOOD. I think if I add a pinch of cinnamon to the dip next time it will be even better.

Second afternoon snack- raw almonds (10)

I was in a meeting until 7 pm and literally and to run, ok fine run out the door, then drive, to make it to Crossfit by 7:30

Got home at 9:15.... made a salad of: avocado, brussel sprouts, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, lemon and dried mint, + glass of coconut milk

Fast Forward to Today

It felt like I barely slept last night, maybe I got 5 hours.  I'm not sure why this is happening Is it because I'm working out too late or because my body is so sore?

Paleo Smoothie

Breakfast: A slight variation on my Paleo Smoothie: Kale, Mango, Banana, Peach, Coconut. 

This combination is starting to taste too sweet for me though, I think I need to adjust the kale to fruit ratio.  

You know what would be awesome?  A Blendtec or Vitamix caliber personal blender... the size of the magic bullet or something. I could take it to work, or make smoothies in my bedroom when our kitchen gets demolished on Monday, and I'm left without a kitchen for 2 months. Yikes!

I stopped by the box at noonish to get weighed in before I grabbed lunch.

Results of Paleo Challenge, Week one: 2.8 lbs down, .5% body fat gone. YAY! 

Lunch: Customized Chicken Bowl from Baja Fresh: No rice, no bean, substituted with cabbage and grilled corn; 3 oz of guacamole,  1 oz of salsa.

Breakfast for Dinner

Eggs, folded over. +

Sweet Potato Hash with : Bacon, spinach, tomato, garlic, Anaheim pepper, and Serrano

Dessert: Dried apricots + sunflower seeds

Repurposing leftovers

Last night I hit myself with a sledgehammer. No, it wasn't on purpose -- I was told to hit a 200 lb tire. (Crossfit, duh). I think it might have been Karma.... I was thinking of a certain someone, I thought it would be therapeutic :: Shrugs::

 So the combination of a swollen shin + tridiculous sorenes from benchmark workouts the day before means I was in too much pain to fall asleep right away. I feel my sore abs every time I take a deep breath, cough or sneeze. 

I went to bed at 10:30, didn't fall asleep till 12:30 --- slept in till 8am.

8:30 am I remember feeling hungry in bed last night, but I was not very hungry this morning, at least not for real food. I decided to get my daily fruit in as the first meal of the day and got my paleo smoothie of kale, coconut, mango and banana.

I went home for lunch only to find out that our running water was shut off and we were out of eggs! So much for that idea. You know whats going to be interesting? To see how I stick to Paleo when our kitchen is demolished on Monday. 

1pm - I ended up buying lunch, 5 oz tri tip and salad greens with balsamic dressing. It was meh, but I was actually hungry ( probably because I didn't have a morning snack), so I appreciated the protein and the veggies very much. 

3:30 pm Snack of raw almonds and walnut

5:45 Dinner - Remember the Paleo Panang Curry from yesterday? It was much too rich for me then, especially since I find myself craving light foods these days, So I set about to repurposing the curry. I simply put a big tablespoon of the curry into a cup of beef broth, added some corn kernels and brought it to a simmer. Talk about fast fod! Less than 5 minutes and I had an amazing dinner. 

Yes, I worked out today, swollen shin and all :)

Addicted to crossfit much???

Paleo + My first crossfit casualty

Protein fills me up pretty fast! I used to wonder how people managed to eat 5-6 small meals a day, but that is exactly what I find myself doing naturally on the Paleo diet

8 am Breakfast - 1 scrambled egg with green onions, topped with Siracha. OMG that stuff is spicy, but so good! I ate maybe 2/3 of the egg this time? I'm really missing the fluffy eggs I used to make with a touch of cream and cheese. Maybe the next egg breakfast should include bacon?  Truly, all I wanted for breakfast was a piece of fruit. But fruit is a sugar and I'm determined to limit my sugar intake, so I held off on the fruit until later in the day.

10am Snack - 1 oz of Beef Jerky

12:30  Lunch - I tried to come up with a Paleo friendly Panang curry. Accepting the fact that I just get full faster, I only used 1 1/2 chicken tenders; some diced carrots, celery and bellpeppers; red curry paste; almond butter ( instead of peanut); Coconut milk ( the one in a milk container, not canned); and a touch of coconut oil, because I couldn't taste any coconut.  I think my proportions of almond butter to every think else was off, once I get this recipe down I'll go ahead and post it. I ended up just picking the chicken out of the curry and eating that. But, I don't want to waste the leftovers, so I'm envisioning turning it into a soup.... 

1:30 Snack - Paleo smoothie: Coconut milk, kale, mango and banana 

4:30 Dinner - 1/2 cup beanless chili

Then came the WOD......

A Sledge hammer met my  Shin. This happened.

  

 

Paleo Challenge Day 4 + Benchmark WOD

 I woke up at 3:30 am wide awake, then again at 5:30 and finally at 7. I wonder how long this will last. If the paleo challenge didn't require we aim for 8 hours of sleep a night, I might just get out of bed earlier.

Breakfast @8 am: 1 egg scrambled with sauteed mushrooms. I ate half and felt full. I'm realizing that a lot of "eating" is more about satisfying the palate for a specific taste or texture. We crave salty, sour, sweet, crunchy, soft, chewy.  I was hungry in the morning, but I felt content after eating just half the egg. I took the other half to work thinking I might eat it later, but my coworker told me she was hungry so i gave it to her. Problem solved :)

I noticed my tongue feels funny today, kinda like I burned it. I initially thought it might be a symptom of detox but after some research discovered its a symptom of Ketosis, which means I'm burning fat, yay!

Snack @ 10 am - 1 oz beef jerky

Oh, another symptom of ketosis -- you get thirsty. I had 9 cups water by noon

Lunch @noon 1 - 1/2 cup beanless chili; Paleo smoothie: 1/2 cup plain coconut milk, 1 cup frozen tropical fruit, 1 small banana

Snack @ 2:30 pm - 2 oz beef jerky

By 3:20  I'd had 12 cups of water. I was also getting rather antsy at work... dreaming of going outside for fresh air, a walk anything. Uhm, there is also the urge to eat when I'm bored, but I'm ignoring it. 

Another interesting development: I used to have trouble getting oxygen into my lungs, especially while/after eating. I thought it was related to stress and/ or anxiety but today I noticed its gone :) I wonder what food I was allergic to? Gluten? dairy? legumes? 

17 cups of water by 5:30 pm

Dinner @ 5:45pm  Wasn't very hungry for dinner and didnt have much time before daily WOD =. Result: cucumber + red bell pepper w/ salt, pepper, dried mint, balsamic vinegar 

Smoothie: 1 cup frozen fruit, 1 banana, 1/2 cup coconut milk

Done eating by 6:15 pm

 Who says a girl has to wait till there is a special guy in her life to enjoy flowers in her office??  I bought these beautiful flower at Trader Joes on my lunch break. Did I mention I love flowers  ???

 Today's WOD was a benchmark WOD. I'll do it again in a month, hopefully with lots of improvement.

Annie - The pushups in Annie killed me, I have no problem lifting my chest off the group, but it feels like my derriere weighs a ton LOL  I know I looked ridiculous but at least I working on improving :) I had just started my 10th round of pull ups when time was called.

Cindy - Cindy was good for my beginner crossfit ego -- finish it in 14:29, under the Rx 15 minute mark... except instead of doubleunders I did 3x singles.

Hope there is a huge difference in a month!!

23 cups of water

Paleo Challenge: Day 3 + Crossfit Recovery

It was an odd day for sure.

I woke up at 4 am -- wide awake, ready to start the day. I persuaded myself to fall asleep at around 4:30 only to wake up again three hours later. Who wake up at 7:30 on a Sunday?? Right?  Back to sleep I went till 10 am.

I wasn't hungry at all this morning, not even enough to eat a banana. So I set about my day.

I showed up at the box for open gym at around 11:30 am, practiced a little bit of everything: GHD, Muscle ups, Knees to Toes ( though its more like knee lifts at this point lol), and a bit of jump roping.

J came in to start the "Recovery" Class at Noon, and guess how we started??

" Give me 15 minutes of activity, I want you sweating" 

 "Ahhh, I thought thats what I had been doing for the past twenty minutes "

So then I found myself going for a 400 meter run, spending some time on the row machine, and doing weighted back lunges. Good times, I was dripping sweat.

We spent the rest of the class learning self massage techniques. I had no idea  my hips could get that tight/sore!! Yeesh!

After class we had a brief info session on the Paleo Challenge. Technically, it starts tomorrow, but I've started since Friday. Why put off something thats going to be good for you, right?

After all that, I made a quick trip to Sprouts and Trader Joes.

Finally, at 3pm, I had my first bite of food, 3 oz of Trader Joes'  Beef Jerky.

The family wanted dinner at 4:30, so I sauteed some onions, pasilla chilis, mushroom and garlic with a bit of olive oil and garlic.

They put the sauteed goodness on their burgers, and I just ate it along with the beef patty- no bread, no cheese of course. 

Arugula salad seems to be my favorite at the moment, but I was barely able to eat half, I felt so stuffed!

Around 6 pm, I made a quick smoothie:

1/2 cup plain coconut milk
1 cup frozen cherry blend from Trader Joes
1 small banana

Confession: I may did have 1/4 cup of chili I was making tonight for the rest of the week, at around 9 pm.  

Paleo Challenge: Day 2

BREAKFAST

Day Two

I woke up this morning with a headache. I heard this might happen, but I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon.  Knowing I was going to Crossfit later that morning I didn't want to eat anything heavy, especially since I did not feel hungry upon waking up. 

So I threw together the above concoction: 1 small apple, diced; hemp seed, chia seed, flax seed, sunflower seeds; a smidgen of almond butter; 1 tablespoon each of diced walnuts and almonds; 1/4 cup of coconut milk

WOD time: 17:18

LUNCH: A salad w/ grilled chicken, arugula, balsamic vinegar and avocado; Pomello; Perrier

DINNER: Grilled Chicken, Grilled Asparagus, Green Salad, Grilled Eggplant Salad and Roasted Yams ( with onion, coconut oil, fresh garlic, and smoked paprika)

LAST MEAL OF THE DAY: Banana, Coconut milk, Chia Seeds

Kitchen closed @ 6 pm tonight

Water@ 104 oz +

Paleo Challenge Day 1

I went to bed hungry last night but woke up without an appetite at all. Good ? Bad? I don't know. 

Solution: Green Monster (8am)

Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Parsley, Celery

Snack: Raw walnuts and raw almonds ( 11 am)

Thank goodness I had a snack because I was in a client meeting until 1:30pm!!

Before grabbing lunch I ran over to crossfit to officially have my measurements, weight, body fat% etc recorded for the Paleo Challenge. I'm aiming to lose between 30-50 lbs in the next three months. But, more than the lbs, I'm REALLY interested in losing inches. I can't wait to see the results!!

Lunch : Half Steak Power Plate from Sharky's  (Nibbled on between 2:30 -3:30 pm)

3oz. Steak, yams, grilled veggies

 Challenge Rule #1:  Don't eat anything after 7pm

Dinner: Eggplant & Beef Casserole, Salad (6:15 pm)

Salad: Brussel sprouts, celery, cucumber, avocado, salsa, tomato

 Challenge Rule #2 : Drink at least 96 oz of water

I had two of these and then some.

Is it just me, or do you get thirstier on a more frequent basis when you increase your water intake??

No WOD today, Fridays are the only days I take off.

More to come tomorrow :)

Crossfit + Paleo

Remember way back when, when I decided to aim for 12 hours of exercise a week??

I've been working on it consistently, averaging about 9-10 hours a week, so far. 

Nine days ago I drank the Crossfit kool-aid and I think I might be addicted. I'm counting each 60-90 minutes of crossfit as 2 hours, is that cheating?? LOL  This formula will put me at 11.5 hours for this week.

I'm sore every single day -- in places I didn't even realize I had muscles. 

I show up at Crossfit every day, except for Fridays. Right now as I sit here, my right shin is aching and I'm assuming its from the ridiculous attempts at achieving my first doubleunder. You know what thought went through my head as I limped into the house after the workout?  " I wonder If I shouldn't try to go workout tomorrow too?"

My arms? I guarantee they will be crying tomorrow after the 80+ wall balls. 

I'm just a beginner and I have huge strides to make, but I figure every day at the box is one day closer to someone I know I can become. 

So my crossfit box ( I still havn't figured out why they call it a box) is starting a Paleo Challenge on Monday. J originally said we'd be starting tomorrow, March 1st, so I've been psyching myself up this past week for just that. I'm not waiting till Monday, I'm starting tomorrow!! Why waste another day?

Honestly, the oddest thing happened today, I took a bite of my favorite lindor truffle chocolates, thinking "oh, this is the last time I'll have chocolate for the next 90 days". ( Did I mention I'm committing to 90 days instead of the 30??) 

All of a sudden, I was grossed out by the chocolate. All I could taste was sugar and God knows how many ingredients. It wasn't satisfying. How bizarre.  How amazing. I threw the rest of the truffle away without an ounce of hesitation. Blasphemy, I know. 

All the rambling above is really my announcement of Crossfit as a new phase of my life, and public accountability for my Paleo Challenge. IF  I get the results I'm hoping for, I'll post a before and after picture. 

The plan is to use this blog on a more regular basis to share my experiences, recipes, challenges, and accomplishments. 

Join me? Advise me? 

No pain, No gain

Today's workout

I'm going to be in pain tomorrow, aren't I?  But if we have to suffer pain in life, let it be the pain induced by self improvement.

Last week I decided its time to stop dreaming so much  ( but who are we kidding, I day dream all the time) and take a more realistic approach to life. 

Part of this new mindset is ramping up my workout regime. I'd already been working out 4-6 hours a week and I've seen some difference in physique, but no where near what I want for myself.  

I was about to tell you about the article I read " 4-8-12" which discusses the proportions of society which work out 4, 8,  and 12 hours a week respectively... and tell you how it motivated me to aim for 12 hours a week average for myself . Yes, I'm an overachiever at heart, there's no point in denying it. There's nothing that will motivate me more than telling me I can be in the top 10% of society. That said, I have no interest in being a part of the "infamous 1%" but thats a whole other blog post.

I googled " 4-8-12" to try to find that article again and wouldn't you know, a bunch of bible sections popped up. Interestingly, both of them relate to my present day life in their own way. Has that happened to you?

Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ There was a man all alone;
    he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
    yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
    “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
    a miserable business!

⁹ Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

2 Corinthians 4:8-12

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Roasted Sweet Potato Winter Salad

“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.” -- David Hume

Personally, I like to find beauty in the hidden niches of nature. Preferably a snippet of creation which requires a macro lens to capture. 

I had been craving a sweet potato for days, as I reached into the potato/sweet potato bin I was happily surprised by this beautiful purple slip. She's currently sitting in an itty bitty cup, with a bit of water. I'm hoping she'll continue to grow and I can harvest some sweet potatoes of my own later this year!! The rest of this beauty was roasted to be added to my winter salad

Roasted Sweet Potatoes for Winter Salad:
Peel and dice 1-2 Sweet Potatoes and place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Gently mixed the potatoes so they are evenly coated. Then add fresh cracked sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, finely diced garlic ( 4 cloves), smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar,and a pinch of dry thyme. Bake at 450F for 15 min then reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 15-30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked and begin to crisp.

While the sweet potato was roasting I washed, chopped, and filled a bowl with Artisan Lettuce (including Petite Oak, Petite Gem, and Petite Tango). To this I added Spinach and Arugula. (Told you I'm incorporate green in my life...) This was all topped off with fresh avocado, and diced mini bell peppers to add color and contrast.

Dressing:  This one is really complicated, ready??
Seasoned Rice Vinegar + Kikkoman Sweet Soy glaze + Sea salt.

I dressed it very lightly, but thats a personal preference. I'd rather enjoy the different flavors of the greens without having it overpowered by dressing.

Lastly, top the dressed salad with the roasted sweet potatoes and shaved Manchego Cheese.

So good! I chose to serve it with toasted Rye bread and I ended up piling some of the salad ( sans potato) on the toast and eating it as a tartine.... I should have taken a picture.  Another day, another time :)

The Three-Bite Rule

 Deliberate Optimism, Conscious Nutrition, and Self Respect. 

These three concepts are what I will use to guide me in the year 2013 -- a year I'm choosing to dedicate it to consciously taking care of myself.

But, in order to make these realistic life changes, I know I need realistic guidelines. Logically, I know a plant-based diet is optimal and I've toyed with Veganism and Vegetarianism in the past, not really making it past the six-month mark. We all know the mental games that begin when we tell ourselves "you can't" and " that isn't allowed" -- the very item that is prohibited suddenly becomes an insatiable craving, torturing you as you attempt to "be good."

 So, I'm trying a new approach this year, a more flexible approach: Every week I will aim for 2 days of Veganism, 2 days of Vegetarianism, and 3 days of good old omnivore. I'm not setting specific corresponding days of the week, but I am keeping a food diary. I began this on January 14, 2012. I've documented one omnivore day and one vegetarian day -- so far, so good.

Regardless of what dietary restriction I'm choosing to follow on any given day I'm still consciously choosing to incorporate green in my diet daily and stay away from empty calories. More to come on this later. 

However, I am a female -- specifically of the variety that loves good quality chocolate. Have I mentioned how picky my palate is yet???

No, brownies are not nutritious (unless that feeling of satisfaction counts as something!). But, if I am going to indulge in brownies, they will be AMAZING and conducive to my Three-Bite Rule. The rule is as simple as it sounds, if I'm craving a non-nutritious food, I get to have three bites then step away. Where does this rule stem from? There is a theory that food tastes the best during the first three bites, every bite after that tastes blander and blander. Let's admit it, we eat certain foods( brownies) for the taste, not the vitamins and not as a balanced meal ;)

These, ladies and gentlemen, are the BEST brownies I've ever made/eaten. Cutting them into bite-sized portions means I get to have three and still be "reasonable" :)

The idea/inspiration/recipe came from the Smitten Kitchen, recipe found here. 

Every time I make them, I play around with the recipe a bit:

1) Use a variety of cocoa powders
2) Substituting brown sugar
3) Adding Coffee Liquor, Amaretto, Cognac

Oh! Almost forgot! These brownies freeze beautifully, just line a tupperware with parchment paper, separating the layers of brownies with parchment paper as well. Take them out a couple hours before eating and they are as fresh as they were the day you made them.