Roasted Carrot Cake Pancakes + Special AZ Delivery!

got a special delivery todaaay!

i knew it was a delivery cause once again i heard an engine start up and a truck burn off before i even got to my first floor, haha.

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Arctic Zeroooooo! *backflip*

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i had been home for hours been home just a lil' while from teaching my 530am HIIT class and hadn't even showered yet but i had to capture this glorious moment with my AZ goodies!  keepin' it real!  no highlight reel over here.  perfect pictures all the time make me apprehensive.  that's just not real life.  plus those 'Perfect Picture' apps i recently found out about (i'm so outta the loop)... i mean, after using it once i'd feel like i'd have to use it every single time and that no picture would be worth posting without it. so i just won't use it at all!  that's just me though.   getting sexified from head to toe is fun too (it's part of the reason we work out, hello) don't get me wrong, but i love meeting followers out in the streets and being in my element = bun, headband, gym clothes.  i should be easily recognizable that way lol #nofilter

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personalization wins me over every time. THANK YOU, ARCTIC ZERO!  i am so appreciative of this! y'all know i've been lookin' for that darn Key Lime Pie flavor for weeks now.

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they sent this Product Request Form with my goodies and i thought that was such a genius idea.  i will be dropping this guy off at my Sprouts Farmers Market ASAP.  after i circle Key Lime Pie of course.

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shucky ducky quack quack. #whostillsaysthat

the new chunky pints all have bits and chunks of goodies in them!  75 cals per 1/2 cup serving and 300 cals total for the entire pint.  they are lactose-free, gluten-free, non GMO, fat-free, low glycemic, Kosher and a highly recommended fit frozen dessert.

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chunky pints... meet Chunky Butt.

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 what you're seeing up there is bits of graham cracker crust in the key lime pie chunky pint. YES!!!! THIS is what i have been waiting to devour and i finally have. two thumbs waaaay up from me. key lime pie is my fave (Papadeaux's specifically) but i said i was gonna make a completely RAW key lime pie for my birthday which is coming up faster that i expected, sheesh. it's all about the kids now anyway; i don't even remember mine is coming until somebody mentions it.  next on our tuesday to-do list was breakfast!

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with hidden veggies! yeah, it's fun being a professional veggie sneaker and all, but i do wish i wouldn't have to go through 'so much' just to get my 3 yr old to eat them.  nevertheless, I CAN'T EVEN with how good these cakes were.  and there's a Chocolate Covered Katie inspired greek yogurt frosting on top!

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 i roasted the carrots on 400 degrees in the oven (spread them in an even layer on a foiled pan) for about 30-40 min or until they are super soft.  i did drizzle them with about a tbsp of raw honey first.

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Roasted Carrot Cake Pancakes

the stuff:(source)

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• dash ginger
• dash cloves
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar OR brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1.5 cups roasted carrots

do this:

1. add every single ingredient to your blender or food processor
2. blend until super smooth
3. heat your griddle to 400 deg or set your cast iron skillet to med-high heat and coat with no-stick cooking spray
4. spoon batter onto griddle by the tbsp; cake size is up to you!
5. once bubbles start to form on top (3-4 min), flip the cake and continue to cook for another 2-3 min or until lightly browned.

top with raw, shredded carrots, greek yogurt icing, and pecan. keep scrollin' for that icing recipe!

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Cinnamon Vanilla Greek Yogurt Icing: (combine & mix!)

• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Tofutti dairy-free cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp dairy-free greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp Stevia for baking or Truvia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

make these toddler-friendly, #fitmom approved pancakes and TAG ME on IG!

Q: YouTube ideas needed....what would you like to see?! recipes? more workouts? 

have a terrific tues, y'all.

le

cinnamon pears + hot body or hot wings?

baby Dego wakes up so happy!  his mood is crazy contagious and always reminds me of this quote:

'Children are happy because they don't have a file in their minds called, 'Everything That Could Go Wrong.'

well i do and it's FULL and needs to be deleted. lol.

  he started clapping (or trying to) a few days ago and has not stopped since.

well this happens every weekend, right on schedule.

decisions, decisions! i start craving those weekend foods... pizza, french fries, subway cookies, etc.  i guess that's where my passion for making healthier versions of classic comfort foods came from though.  i want to satisfy that craving (more often) without sacrificing my health or gym progress.  fair enough!?  i'm so glad we have tons of healthier alternatives to work with and swap out these days! anyway,  i have been having some stiffness in my neck, so i hit the gym for cardio only and stretching for my saturday workout.  will be taking it easy so i can hit it hard again on tuesday for my HIIT class.

i stopped by Sprouts after the gym and picked up some protein: 99% lean ground chicken breast and Applegate organic chicken and apple sausage for breakfast next week.  i cracked open the sausage as soon as i got home though and had a filling post-workout meal of whole wheat toast, egg white/veggie/sausage scramble,  and kiwi (low sugar ketchup & cheddar almond cheese on the side). delish!!!!

oh, i got some pears too!  they were next in line to try for Dego's homemade baby food.  i just diced up 1 anjou pear, threw it in a small sauce pan with 2 tbsp water and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, covered it, and cooked it on med-low until tender.  after less than 10 min, i poured it all into my Ninja and pureed the mixture until it was super smooth.  pears = thumbs up!

then, we turned UP!!!!

 with letter puzzles on the floor,

Food Network mag, and i killed the last of that coconut Arctic Zero pint with some fat-free cool whip and sprinkles on top. party, party! hope you had a relaxing saturday yourself!! after your workout of course ;)

Q: have you tried the Applegate Turkey or Good Morning bacon yet!?

what's your fave Applegate product?

le

crunchy ginger rotisseri chicken wrap + stay fuller longer

having the same thing i had for breakfast yesterday while there are a few La Tortilla Factory Tortillas left in this house. they go so fast cause we all like them! Chiso eats them as pb & j rollups, Sonny makes tacos, and quesadillas are my fave. the exact kind i get are only at the Sprouts Farmers Market closest to where i live.

 since i always make them for lunch or dinner,  i tried a breakfast quesadilla this time with egg whites, red bell pepper, green onion, low fat turkey sausage, and 2% pepper jack cheese.  i cooked it on the griddle for 4-5 min on each side and threw in some tomatoes, bluebs, and homemade guacamole. excellent!

 my day gets going after some good fuel, and this thing makes it so much easier to get stuff done around the house when baby boy is fussy or i just don't want to put him down.  i received this Baby Bjorn as a gift while preggo with Chiso and i love it for home use and outings.  Dego is a thumb sucker and puts his whole hand over his face while he does it! so funny.

so with breastfeeding and getting back to my random, sweaty workouts as of this week, i am double HOONGRY. this is ridiculous.  i just want to eat the entire fridge and pantry when i get home.  coincidently i got an email from Spark People titled 'Tips to Stay Full Longer' and i could not click the link fast enough.  these are some awesome tips to follow and i've already been doing some of them such as:

• eat protein and fiber rich foods every 3-4 hours with healthy snacks in between (like fresh fruit and mixed nuts)
• fill up on the non-starchy veggies and fibrous foods (leafy greens, cucumbers, red bell peppers, spinach, zucchini, sugar snap peas) with every meal
• reach for natural fruit first to lessen/knock out those sugar cravings. remember, white sugar only makes you crave it MORE! it's a dangerous cycle.
• drink a full glass or bottle of water before every meal
• take your time and eat!!! when i'm super hungry i rush and stuff myself (which is why eating every couple of hours is still the best option for me). it takes about 20 minutes for your tummy to tell your brain you are even full, but by that time it's too late and you're on your way to a food coma. take your time to chew and swallow every bite.

today was my first day back on the stair master since i was like 6 or 7 months preggo!  my heart rate always shot up and being up so high with my belly made Sonny uncomfy so i just stopped using it. i didn't miss it. lol. hurts so good though!  i did some intervals for about 30 minutes for my cardio and headed to a core class.  how about i modified everythang. my postpartum core is way stronger now than in my first pregnancy, but i still have a crap ton of work to do. but first..... :D

afterwards, i picked up some of nature's candy from Sprouts.  i love their 3 for 5 bucks sale! i got 2 strawberries and one pint of bluebs. and those sweet, crunchy nectaries of course.

i also picked up another one of Annie's all natural dressings-- Gingerly.  winner!

i wanted to use it right away, so for dinner, i threw some shredded rotisserie chicken, raw red bell pepper, bagged cabbage mix, cilantro, green onion, and crushed almonds into a bowl, poured in the dressing, and coated the chicken mixture in it.

i grabbed a La Tortilla Factory tortilla, rolled the chicken mixture up really tight and made a Crunchy Ginger Rotisserie Chicken Wrap that had so much flavor!  please try this, guys!

 for dessert i skipped the fruit and had some Arctic Zero with mini chocolate chips, fat-free Redi Whip, and sprinkles lol. have a fun friday night and a great weekend!

le

Q: what are your thoughts on Artic Zero? yay? nay? 

 i add a tbsp of Hershey's sugar-free chocolate syrup to mine, stir until creamy, and add a few toppings first. hits the sweet spot.

3rd triggity-tri update

 it's happening again :shock: . food aversions have returned and all i want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is Subway!!!  so i had some last night for dinner.  yes, the entire thing in one sitting. don't worry, it fit my macros, lol.  i've been randomly putting my meals in MyFitnessPal just to make sure i'm somewhere in the ball park of my daily requirements.  anyway, thanks Sonny, you're awesome.

it's a turkey breast sammich on honey oat bread with all the veggies except onions and jalapeños with honey mustard.  hadn't had one since the 1st trimester and boy was it as tasty as i remember.

uncomfy , eh? understatement. i enjoy the constant reminder that Odego is awake, moving around and doing his thing in here. however, i feel every single twist, turn, kick, punch, head butt, and cartwheel. all of it.  just like Chiso, he gets wired up as soon as i get settled in the bed at night.  but thankfully it doesn't hinder my sleep one bit.

let's talk about these energy levels though!  this baby is siphoning mine off day by day and i knew that was coming...just not so dang soon.  so most mornings,

i wake up like that.

but this morning before teaching my 5:30am weights class i felt good. like really good again. maybe i should eat foot long Subway sammiches before bed more often.

10 weeks left yall!!! :shock: WAT. i'll explain more about that #pregnantNOTpowerless hashtag in a bit.

ironically, i'm most uncomfortable when i'm dormant or at home cleaning and picking up random stuff off the floor.  i do all this working out at the gym but when i see something on the floor at home that's not where it's supposed to be most times i just leave it there LOL. why is it so much more of a challenge then?!  idk.  i've been sleeping with one of those body pillows from Target for the past 4 months now and i highly recommend one.  you can splurge and get the real thing too.

still not caring for sweets, just all things dairy, mainly cheese.  but every now and then i'll make this guy instead of going to get fro-yo, soft serve at BK, or a McFlurry - a low-dairy chocolate milkshake at home.  i'm totally satisfied after slurping this guilt-free concoction down.  try it! throw this in your blender:

• 3/4 cup cookies and cream or vanilla maple Arctic Zero ice cream
• 1/4 cup + (2 tbsp or so if needed) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 tbsp Hershey's sugar-free chocolate syrup + more swirled in your glass ;)

before i made coconut whipped cream (which is dairy-free) for the first time a few days ago, i just used fat-free Reddi Whip and chocolate sprinkles for my topping.  legit yumminess for a total of:

that's it.

this little boy here. he has his 'Odego Time' every single day, multiple times a day.  he GETS it now.  his little brother is on the way and he can't wait to slide down the slide with him at the park.  his words, lol. i was worried about how he would be affected (and still somewhat am after he arrives) and i'm reading up on how to make this transition easiest for him.  heck, all of us.  any tips moms, please share!

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you have a bigger influence on your kiddos than you think!  i just knew the park would be way more exciting than lil ol' me, but as soon as we got there he asked, 'mama can we make a video?  i want to exercise with you.' floored. so that's how our 30 week playground workout came about.

check out this adorable article via babycenter.com that shows you how big your fetus is using fruits and veggies, love it.  Odego is the size of a cabbage this week!

le

Sprouts Farmers Market *KATY*

 

that is HILARIOUS cause you know it's true!!!!  however this is also how stuff gets lost. forever.

i made Chiso some lemon-blueberry french toast Thursday morning that i cannot stop thinking about!  we will prolly have it for Easter breakfast tomorrow too.  this recipe will certainly be in the Fit Foodie Le ebook, and the nutritional stats are bananas! see? 156 cals, 3g fat, 6g fiber, 21g carbs, and 10 grams of protein! and yep for the whole she-bang.  2 slices of bread and all the toppings.

what Easter dish will you be making?

it's HEEEEERE!!! so i've been seeing the back of this building for MONTHS and had no earthy idea that it would be home to Sprouts Katy.  it's in the same lot as one of my gyms so you know what that means :lol: .  i literally pulled out of the gym parking lot, turned on my gps, and she made me turn right back in. #blondemoment!  anyway, the  future frequent trips won't do crazy damage  cause these prices.... WOW.  i was blown away.

something tells me these aren't just grand opening prices either!  you can even go to their website and print out your own coupons before hand.  also, Lifetime Fitness members get 5 dollars off their total bill at this location! not sure how long that lasts, but you can login to the Lifetime website and print out that coupon yourself too.

we walked through the doors and immediately went left to the bread section.  i found these new, 80 calorie light flour tortillas by La Tortilla Factory and i was not thinking straight and only got one package.  they were amazing and i have so many recipes for these guys!

i didn't take a pic of EVERYTHING this time lol, just a few landscape type shots.  the store isn't too big and i kinda like it that way. i go in HEB and get lost for hours but since everything is so close together in here, i'm in and out. i appreciate that.

sample mode ON.

just taking a peek! didn't grab any THIS time, but i'm glad to see they have multiple Arctic Zero flavors instead of just maple vanilla.  AND they have those 85 cal bars too!

we visited every single department (trust me).  the produce section was nothing short of amazing cause again, those prices! best i've ever seen. anyway, this was our last stop before heading to check out. popcorn!  i planned on getting a bag of Popcorn Indiana Kettle Corn and i was eyeing the bacon ranch flavor too until i saw these:

really now? olive oil, parmesan & garlic, and sea salt flavors.  awesomeness!  i'm on my second bag of parmesan garlic in 3 days. it's good.

first Sprouts shopping trip is a wrap!

one mo landscape shot at the front registers.

one of the kindest sales associates brought Chiso a cup of gummy bears while we waited! that was extremely nice of him.

indeed!

got another free grand opening grocery bag to add to my collection.  great experience, great store, and we will TOTALLY be back! a lot.

i got outta there with some good stuff- Justin's nut butters were 79 cents instead of the usual 99, cuties were just 3 bucks for that big crate, the cherry tomatoes were a whopping ONE dollar each, strawberries and blueberries were 2 for 3, and those bags of mini peppers were 2 for 5. yessssss!

i immediately whipped out those tortillas and went to work on these grilled chicken burritos.

alfalfa sprouts, tomato, grilled chicken, and homemade guac all rolled up.

the next day, Good Friday, we did an early family gym date.  we made grilled quesadillas  for our post workout meal this time!  Sprouts pineapples salsa and greek yogurt for dipping on the side.

and for dessert....

how did those get in there?

HAPPY EASTER, y'all!!!

le