boy: a noise with dirt on it

a mommy-friend of mine invited the boys and i to toddler story time at a local library recently.  actually, she invited us weeks ago but i finally got it together enough on my end so that we could attend. it was a morning event so i got up super-duper early just to ensure we'd make it. a lil late, but we made it.  i feel like i have to start getting everybody ready like 3 hours before we have to be somewhere, seriously.  and when we are rarely making good time, Chiso suddenly has to go go to the restroom as i am loading up the car or Dego throws up on us.  never fails!  but hey, we made it AND we even got a nice breakfast in!

i had egg whites with black pepper, mozzarella almond cheese, a little homemade guacamole, low-fat turkey sausage, and french toast with strawberries!  big breakfast to support my activity levels these days which includes hitting the weights again, nursing around the clock, and keeping up with my 3 yr old. among other things.

Chiso has requested pancakes for like 2 weeks straight now. maybe even longer than that.  so made him some sprinkled with mini chocolate chips, sugar-free syrup, and a little fat-free Redi Whip.

our boys warmed right on up to each other and enjoyed the crafting, songs, and puppet show.

 Maranda is a mom of 3 boys herself so i know she feels my pain can relate to life with these little knuckleheads!

 our first official outing together.  we did it!! we're pros now. i actually avoided leaving the house with both boys for the longest...but the saying is true. 'ain't nothin' to it but to do it.' after that? piece of cake! for the most part. thinking, i.e. worrying, about every single thing that could go wrong is no way to live. i've learned to be prepared, prayerful, and cautious, not crazy.  Chiso's independence could not have come at a better time though. for him to be able to get in and out of the car himself, clean up his toys and messes, retrieve and/or throw away Dego's diapers, and turn on the bathroom light so i don't have to get up lol helps out big time. sigh...no more baby Chiso!

just another one of those bittersweet mommy moments.

well all that fun didn't result in a nap at our house, but Chiso enjoyed himself and has asked to go back countless times now. Maranda is a pro at finding free & fun stuff to do around our city, and i recently came across Houston on the Cheap with even more ideas galore.  check it!

i got to bed way too late so my early gym date was definitely out this morning. i hit the streets for some sprints once Sonny got home instead. i haven't run full speed in almost a year and i'm sure i'll pay for it tomorrow and the next day!  i did ladders:

i started slow and only went 'down' the ladder from 5 to 1.  that was all i had, woof.  also, here are two foodie items being adding back into my diet that i've posted about before: almond cheese (gotta cut down on the dairy cause of bloating) and calorie-free Grey Poupon mild & creamy mustard. i got great feedback via Instagram about Daiya vegan cheese so i'm gonna step out and try that brand next.

Q: what have you tripped over that wasn't even worth tripping over once you did it?

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

1st lululemon product review!!

HOT french toast for Chi this morning, oat bran  banana pancakes for me!  and egg whites. you know the drill.

i didn't measure for the french toast, but i used whole wheat bread dipped in a mixture of egg whites, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, cinnamon, pure vanilla, and vanilla creme stevia.  i topped it with some Walden Farms pancake syrup. Chiso is still in love with bananas and eats a whole one for breakfast every morning, so he can lick his syrupy fingers all he wants since it's sugar-free!

for lunch, i got fancy with something i make at least 4 times a week cause it's so QUICK. and i need quick these days.

 egg whites, wild tuna, cucumbers, and tomato on some wheat toast with a dollop of guacamustard (avocado and coarse ground mustard whipped into a mousse) and sprinkled with some no-salt Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning.  you don't have to make a tuna tower too, but it's FUN! right!?

 

i'm no trained chef, yall! yeah right!  yall better stop emailing me with those 'i can't do all that' messages!!! first off, you can, and second, who said you had to!? i do this for kicks cause it makes me happy. ok and to impress Sonny.  ultimately though, it also contributes to the fact that wholesome, healthy, nutritious food can taste as great as it looks.  presentation is important to me, but above all else, eat what's good for you, first.

SO, thank youuuuuu for your emails and questions!!!  i will continue to do my very best to respond in a timely manner, and even answer some of them in my posts.  how bout i do that right now!

Q: are you a PT (personal trainer)?

 A: no, guys! i'm a group fitness instructor!  a PT is something i've considered in the past and it's just not for me...'officially' anyway, lol!  i am certainly not opposed to the one-on-one thing, but the energy of a riled up group of athletes, the loud music, the microphone...yeah the combo of all that is what i live for.  i am in complete love with teaching classes for 24 Hour Fitness and Lifetime,  however, i do have intentions of teaching local classes (bootcamp, abs, TKB), in due time.

'WHAT DO WE WANT?! '

'GAMS!!!!'

'HOW DO WE GET'EM?!'

pop some squizats!

one of the many lower body exercises you can do for toned, strong, defined, glutes(butt), hamstrings(back of your legs), and quadriceps(front/top of your legs).

 TIPS:

• lift your toes in your shoes and press your heels into the floor
• have an actual seat- like you're about to sit in a chair
• keep your knees behind your toes even at the lowest point of your squat
• back flat, chest up, abs in, head up!
• your stance determines which part of the legs you work, so switch it up often to target and work more angles (narrow stance, shoulder width stance, wide stance)
• inhale down, exhale up
• if your knees cave in toward each other as you squat, the weight is too heavy. proper form first.  always.
• you can hold heavy dumbbells down to your sides, you can sit the dumbbells on your shoulders (my personal fave), use a weighted barbell across the meaty part of your shoulders, or use no weight at all!

 i am THRILLED to now be apart of lululemon's r & d (research and development) team, whoop, whoop!  i want to be apart of ALL THINGS LULU!!! no, this does not mean that i am employed by lululemon- it means that as an instructor, my feedback concerning lululemon products is valued and considered.  well i have A LOT of that to spare and share ;)

 before i get to new items, i'm gonna start my first product review with some things i wear constantly as you can prolly tell via Instagram!  i'm currently working on a new section on my blog that i will dedicate to *drum roll* product reviews! it'll be composed of healthy food products i eat and use in my own recipes, as well as fitness related gear that i wear, use, and support. sooooo, here we go:

lululemon grey and black Wunder Under Pant (WU's 2012) - 82.00$

• second-skin fit - feels like next to nothing, literally!
• four-way stretch
• designed for yoga, gym, to-and-fro, extremely versatile
• stylish!

• secret waist pocket (keys, cards, small items, etc.)
• wide soft waistband for comfort and eliminating muffin top

• light-weight, comfy, moveable, breathable fabric no matter what type of exercise you are doing
• the contours and embellishments contribute to a longer, leaner appearance <----my FAVE!

it never fails- every time i wear them out, people really dig the back of these pants, and i did too! which is what sold me on 'em.  and can i just say i take 'to-and-fro' to a whole new level.  gym or not, i slip them on and GO! highly recommended!

do you own a pair?

le

banana berry whole wheat french toast

my Chiso is a snotty mc nasty mess this week.  after taking him to the child center in a new gym, well, the inevitable happened. new gym, new germs.  it's been a looooong week of coughing, whining, and TLC over here, but we made it to FRIDAAAAAY!

this morning i made another batch of banana berry whole wheat french toast...oh yeah.

but i didn't burn it this time.

banana berry whole wheat french toast

the stuff:

• 2 slices Natures Own double fiber wheat bread
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp raw, unsweetened organic coconut flakes
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup blackberries
• 1/2 a banana

do this:

 combine the egg white, almond milk, cinnamon, and vanilla in a shallow bowl big enough to lay your bread flat in and mix it well. dip both slices of bread (front/back) until it is soaked through.  in a medium heated no-stick pan, lay both pieces of bread flat and cook until browned and crispy, about 3-4 minutes.  flip! cook that side until crisp for about 3-4 minutes as well.  plate it up, then top them with the bananas, blackberries, and a drizzle of Walden Farms pancake syrup.  last thing, sprinkle with more cinnamon and coconut flakes!

for the whole shabang:

dessert for breakfast, yes please!  low cal, high fiber, full of good carbs, and SWEET.

so....i FINALLY got a Facebook fan page for Fit Foodie Le.  i mean, it's only 2013.  i guess i battled with it for so long cause it's hard as CRAP for me to keep up with social media as it is!!

'nobody ever said it would be easy...but it WILL be worth it.'

that being said, sometimes i can't sit down and really write a post like i'd like YET, so i will use the fan page to post quick tid bits of info, recipes, motivation, inspiration and all that good stuff.  add me! or 'Like' my page rather ;)

alright, last thing- a few people tell me how much they absolutely HATE oatmeal (what is WRONG with them!? j/k) and asked me for some alternative breakfast ideas.  when i tell you i was seconds away from posting  a pic of some of the Kashi Go Lean Cereal i bought at the store a few days ago my finger came to a screeeeching halt after googling this:

http://www.pleasegodno.com/archives/20-1-cup-Kashi-GoLEAN-Crunch-+-12-cup-milk-Endless-stomach-churning-gas.html

can i just say i was almost commenter 411 cause this very thing happened to me too!!!!! i was like, wait a minute...i adjusted my macros JUST right to have these 2, ok 4, bowls of cereal for my late night snack and the next morning my tummy was straight MUSH.  bloating and uncomfy gas is not cool. now does Kashi have this effect on everybody?  maybe, maybe not.  however, i will have to add it my bloat list along with broccoli.  it can take time to figure out which foods YOUR body doesn't agree with!  adjust, bounce back, and keep on truckin'. and Googling :lol:

i'll dedicate a separate post to those breakfast alternatives!

eat better + exercise = a healthier, happier YOU. when you look good, you feel good!

happy FRIDAY!

le

HEB meal deals + banana french toast

it's cooooooold.  Houston finally got with it and the temps have dropped.  enjoy it while it lasts.  this morning though... i did NOT wanna get up.  you hear me?   4:15am came way too quick and my bed was way too comfy.  i admire my members for just showing up to class like they always do.  THAT is true commitment and dedication if i ever saw it. cause ummmm, if i didn't have to be there today.... yeah :shock:  watching them file into the studio one by one, collect their equipment, and wait in anticipation as the clock winded down to begin class gave me the energy and inspiration i needed to give them nothing short of my absolute best!!  and that cup of coffee /green tea combo didn't hurt either.   let nothing stop you from remaining consistent and making progress. nothing. especially something as petty as the weather!

after class i did some upper body (shoulders + chest),

took a pic of my polar HR monitor :lol:

zipped up my Lululemon, 

and headed home to take more pics and make breakfast!  saturday i saw all this french toast on IG and it inspired me to make some of my own.  i had some again this morning with my egg white omelette and they hit the spot.  carbolicious.

i used sesame ezekiel sprouted grain bread and made a sliced banana sandwich first,

then, i dipped the entire thing in a mixture of:

stuffed banana french toast

the stuff:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 3-5 drops of vanilla creme stevia
• 1 tbsp coconut crystals
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 egg whites

do this:

1. combine all ingredients into a bowl big enough for your sandwich to fit in.
2. mix them well, then dip your sandwich in on one side for 2 seconds, then flip it to the other side for 2 seconds.
3. immediately transfer it to a medium heated no stick pan and 'fry' it until brown on one side.
4. flip it and brown the other side!  plate it up however you'd like and top it with more cinnamon, walden farms pancake syrup, and fresh banana slices.  i even shot it with some 'i can't believe it's not butter' spray a few times.
5. NOM.

i like mine crispy!

@  HEB this past weekend, i took advantage of one of their popular meal deal specials.  i got the two-step gumbo and the BBQ shrimp mix for free.  yep, i had some help.

 it's not considered clean, but it's all natural, decent nutritional stats, and quite good!

stats (per 1/2 cup): 60 cals, 1.5g fat, 470 mg sodium, 9g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 2g protein

to the gumbo mix, i added 1 cup of water, another cup of low sodium chicken broth, a bag of frozen okra, cut up two roma tomatoes, some fresh cilantro,

and even though it didn't really need it, extra seasonings!  just a few dashes of my sweet smokey chipotle paprika, black pepper, sriracha, and 2 squirts of liquid aminos.  it all came to a rolling boil, then i let it simmer for about 20 min on low so it could thicken up.

i THOUGHT i had some shrimp leftover from last week's kale tacos, but nope...all gone.   wish i had realized that before i went to the store!!  i ended up using some of the bbq tilapia that you're gonna read about in a sec.   so if you have some, you can totally add shellfish, crab, sausage, etc. because gumbo just ain't gumbo without it ;)

i added a scoop of brown rice on top and Sonny mixed it all together before he gobbled it up.

when you buy the gumbo mix, you get this free.  i got to sample this stuff on some steel head trout while in the store which is what sold me on it!  i believe the cooking demo lady used olive oil to thin it out though:(  but it was soooo good. when i got home, i took 2 tablespoons of the shrimp mix and added 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk to make a creamy marinade for my tilapia.

stats: (per tbsp) 25 cals, 1g fat, 1g sat fat, 340 mg sodium, 3 carbs, 2 sugars

loved it!!! yes, almond milk!!

oh yeah, while i was @ the store, i came across these guys.  can you read that sign?  it says purple sweet potatoes are higher in nutritional value than the traditional sweet potato.  who knew? i didn't.  a friend of mine advised that i check out an Asian market  for these babies though cause that 2.98 a lb is a little too steep for me.  can't wait to try them!

now for my last unexpected purchase!  i've been drinking almond milk for like the past 3 years now and i have no plans to go back to dairy milk anytime soon, or ever.  but when i tell you i almost slurped down this whole box, you better believe it.

it was worth the gas and bloating :lol:

 Chiso hasn't been a fan of drinking milk solo, so i've just been using it to make his oatmeal instead of water so he can still get his vitamin D and calcium.  after i let him sample a little of this Horizon Organic Vanilla milk @ the store, to my surprise, he asked for more immediately!  actually i'm not surprised cause it's a little high in sugar (22g) and it's vanilla flavored. lol.  however, it's all natural, and still loaded with nutrients, so it went in the basket.

he tried to tear that box open after it was empty.  score!  if only he loved his veggies the same way...

le