1st Trimester Blues

surprise :)

(if you hadn't seen my IG post yet!)

now that the 3rd cat is out of the bag, i am really looking forward to being a loooooot more transparent about just what has gone on since march with y'all.  simply put, i’ve been living a lie via social media.  people see only what you choose to show them (filtered shots with perfect angles, perfect lighting, perfect smiles, perfect poses, perfect captions, etc., etc., etc.)...and usually the posts are filled with anything but the hard, difficult seasons you're going through.

that said, this 1st trimester is a lot like my last two pregnancies in many ways.  the major differences?  i didn't have much time to prepare this round, and i have two kids now! these symptoms started waaaay earlier this time... like week 3 early.  weeks 9-13 were all i endured in the past, and from then to delivery my preggo journey was really fun and very enjoyable.  those are the parts of pregnancy i miss and reflect back on often.  however, it's going on 11+ weeks since the fit and the foodie was sucked straight outta le.  i have been knocked completely on my butt. again. i know i'm not getting any younger (although this is still the best shape i've ever been in) and pregnancy is obviously a time to just slow down as my body adapts and prepares to grow a human for crying out loud... i get it.  but the way my lifestyle is set up.... whew.  with teaching classes and training (which is what i do), it's very difficult to deal with and accept not being physically able to perform at my best.

so, since march, my life motivation has tanked - my mood, my thoughts, my passion to do what i love...i have absolutely no desire to workout, eat healthy, cook homemade meals, create recipes, post on social media, talk on the phone, or be social in real life, absolutely nothing. most of the things i have been making i don't even eat!  k, except those shrimp enchiladas from earlier this week (cause they were filled with a dairy cheese sauce ;) ). #killedthat anyway, i just want to sleep and be left alone until week 13. well, assuming prayerfully this all starts to taper off by then.......... but i can't do that.  

life doesn't work like that, nor will the earth stop spinning just cause i need it to.  on top of classes and clients i have a family to take excellent care of, a household to hold down, new cook books and recipes to create, workout programs to develop and implement, and a blog to run.  finding the drive to do all of my normal, daily activities has taken everything in me. i teach my fitness classes on His strength alone. i put that mic on, say yet another prayer, and before i know it i’m ending class and taking it off.  it’s all a blur; like an outer body experience or something.  I wake up every single morning exhausted no matter how much sleep i got the night before, then i lay there and immediately wonder, "what kind of day will today be?", cause i still can't ever call it.  will i get anything on my to-do list done today? what time will my daily headache/nausea symptoms kick in? what food will turn on me today? heck, what will my husband eat today!? i have not been able to keep up with Sonny's meal prep (tilapia....#UmmNo) because not only do i have zero energy to be in the kitchen for an extended period of time, but the smell of vegetables or homemade food cooking makes my nausea flare up. in short, i feel like the biggest bum EVER IN LIFE right now.  #SubwayOnSpeedDial #BumLife #AllergicToProductivity #FitFoodieWho 

this is supposed to be a joyous time! oh how i wish i felt the same on the inside more often than not though. this is my current reality, and it's important that i’m truthful about my symptoms and how i'm really feeling. it is what it is. pregnancy affects women differently (how many times do we hear and read that) and this is just how my 1st trimesters have proven to go but, this is only a season.  seasons change and my good friends remind me often that, "this too shall pass," and they are exactly right.  there will be brighter days, and i'll look back at this post and have a good laugh (and/or cry) eventually.  

i have 1st tri updates coming out of my ears that i am finally able share!

thanks for stickin' with me and for all the baby Egwuatu #3 love!!!

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S !

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easy, fresh, healthy, steamed fish foil packets

watch dis!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjN26SabfcY]

Steamed Fish Foil Packets

the stuff:

• 2 lb fillet of trout (of fish of choice: salmon, halibut, etc,)
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• 1 large red (or any color) bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large zucchini, sliced thinly into rounds
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped/minced (or any fresh herb: dill, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• cracked black pepper & sea salt to taste
• 1 heaping tbsp of any seasoning blend of your choice
• 1 lemon, sliced

do this:

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. in a small bowl, mix all dry seasonings together
3. section fillet into desired portions using a sharp knife or kitchen shears
4. tear off sheets of foil (15'' x 15'') and lay them out across a large workspace
5. coat one half of the sheet with no-stick cooking spray, and place each fillet portion on that same end, leaving space between the fillet and the edge
6. place veggies & herbs around your fillet (lemon slice on top); sprinkle veggies and fillet generously with seasoning
7. fold over the uncoated side of foil covering the fillet and veggies. crimp the edges to form a packet
8. i placed the packets directly on my oven grate, but you can also place them flat on a very large baking pan.
9. bake 8-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fillet portions).  a general rule is 10 min per inch of thickness
10. take out, let cool, unseal pouch, open. *cue ooohs and aaaaahs*

best things about this recipe:

• clean up is BREEZE, right!? #disposableplate

• customizable to the MAX (fish choice, veggies, seasonings, etc) 

• easy, healthy, portioned controlled and awesome for my meal preppers!

---

cause she boxed her slice up while they were talking. mama ain't no dummy :)

i hope you guys enjoyed your Mother's Day, however you spent it! remembering past, present, and future moms. this job ain't easy, but what an honor it is to be a mommy.

my fam treated my grandmother to a birthday/mother's day lunch the saturday before Mother's Day at Mia's Table.  it was my first time there and i loved the homeyness of the place!  do you even have to ask what i ordered....

grilled sammmmman! and avocado salad. yes. right up my alley.

<3

whoops. Sorry Aunt Annette!

and free soft serve? we'll be back.

so sunday i didn't get to sleep in LOL, but what better way to wake up, right!? this is all i wanted. EVERYTHING else was just an added bonus. this is why we can't co-sleep anymore right here though. we'd all wake up bruised and battered, my goodness. and YES, that hurt!

grateful for time with The 3 Bears.  it's the only thing we can't get back, so spend it wisely.       

Sonny picked another great restaurant for us to dine at after church, Latin Bites!  we pretty much shared everything you see up there. fresh & tasty.  we then went to hang out with our moms for the remainder of the day.

how'd you spend Mother's Day?

moms, what's the best gift you received?

what's the best Mother's Day gift you've given?

le

m<3m's day '14

one of my most cherished moments in time. i didn't even know this pic of me and Chiso's first  face to face interaction was captured until later;  i was so wrapped up in his little presence.  simply honored God saw fit to make me his mommy.

 almost 3 years later i'm still getting all the kisses i can before he starts wiping them off! i woke up to the sweetest mothers' day card from Sonny & Chi along with this little lifesaver right here:

 my Samsung s4 is so full of pics and vids that i haven't been able to download any new apps for weeks.  i mean really. and i've backed up everything in my phone onto my mac but because i never know when i'll need to upload or get access to a particular pic, i can't bring myself to wipe my phone totally clean. i know. all kinds of crazy over here. but now i have even more space to fill with food and workout pics :P

i got on up and made breakfast for the fam and had one of my usual combos: mushroom egg omelette with whole wheat toast, natural pb, and sprinkles for fun ( i used a cupcake cookie cutter btw) and some wild blueberries.

then i threw on my Mothers' Day best and snapped a few 35 week pics before we hit the road to go celebrate with our moms!

Sonny's mom and sis couldn't make it,  but he and his brother, Brian, treated my mom, his fiance, and his future MIL to a feast of a lunch at Las Ventanas.  May 17th, 2014 is the BIG day for those two!!! i am so happy to be gaining another sister as awesome as Kara.  my dad is a homebody and told us all to have a great lunch lol.

so this is what i ordered... shrimp & mushroom topped brown butter snapper with steamed veggies.  it originally came with mashed potatoes but i switched them out. i normally ask for any sauce/dressing to be put on the side.....but i didn't want to this time to be honest!  Sonny ordered a side of rice and i took a few scoops.

 and here's what everybody else ordered!   good stuff. this is actually one of the restaurants that will be catering Brian and Kara's wedding. definitely looking forward to the reception, hahaha!

 we skipped dessert at the restaurant and headed to get some all natural fro-yo from Tasti D-lite, our first time there. i heard about them via Instagram and was stoked to find out Houston had one too.  my mom and i both got their bananas foster fro-yo...heaven.

   heath bar and sprinkles for me.

*****

my love and respect for my own mom grows exponentially each day. especially the older Chiso gets lol. seriously!!!  never knew motherhood would be so challenging yet rewarding all in the same breath.  God bless all mothers, those who play the mother role, and moms-to-be. you are needed and you are appreciated.

*****

i love you mom!!!!

le

he's on a horse + crunchy almond butter brown rice crispy treats

happy mothers day!! i mean, wait... wrong sunday. ah well, i was honored and grateful to participate in my very 2nd MD.

this is one of my fave pics of two of my fave people.  7 day old Chiso and his new Granny.

Sonny treated the special ladies in his life (l to r: our moms and i) to a SCRUMPTIOUS dinner at Capital Grille.  excuse the crappy pic- ALL of our phone batteries were too low to use the flash, smh. 4 outta 4. what are the odds.... so our waiter used the restaurant's digital camera and even printed us all hard copies. what a nice touch to our special date!

yes, yes, yes, and yes.  lobster mac n' cheese, my mom's pan seared chilean sea bass with citrus and pea tendrils, creamed spinach, and of course i got the salmon which had green beans and onions on the side.  everything was cooked and flavored to peeeeerfection.

so beautiful and true.  i love when my own little family can all sit down and eat a meal together, but  i definitely miss eating at home with my 'rents.... i often find myself reminiscing about my childhood memories when hanging out with Chiso.

anyway, that creamed spinach and mac n cheese had my tummy upset with me until about wednesday!  i've been keeping my dairy consumption super low, but i went HAM that afternoon. i had to.

however these guys helped me forget aaaall about my tummy troubles! i love, love, LOVE receiving health and fitness gear for any occasion! do you even need a reason?! thanks hubby!

so that was last weekend.  THIS weekend, i had been to the gym all week and didn't want to go anywhere near one saturday morning. i stepped outside instead! Chiso and i had some birthday parties to attend, so i ran to Walgreens (yes, last minute as always) to get some cards.  Walgreens is about 3 miles away, so i ran there and back. literally.  it's always great to switch things up a bit.

 one of our events for the day was Rilee's 1 1/2 birthday fun fest!  this was our first 1 1/2 party and i thought it was the coolest idea ever.  i love when people do their own thing!  Kudos to Tinnell and Marcus.

Chiso had THE time of his lil' life lol.  he went from the bounce house, to the petting zoo, to stuffing his face with James Coney Island hotdogs and fries nonstop from start to finish.

and he even got to experience his first pony ride!

sooo about the ebook!!!!! the sweetest girl in entire world, Ogechi, came over to proofread it for me again.  i claimed May for the book's completion date and i'm sticking to that. for one of the books anyway;)   i posted about the sweet snack above on IG- they are crunchy almond butter brown rice crispy treats and taste DARN GOOD. see for yourself!  i made some of them for us to snack on, yum.

crunchy almond butter brown rice crispy treats

the stuff: 

• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/4 cup crunchy almond butter or cashew butter
• 1 tbsp Enjoy Life dairy-free dark chocolate chips or plain dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp Walden Farms Pancake Syrup
• 2 cups gluten-free crispy brown rice

do this:

in a medium pot, set your burner to medium heat.

add brown rice syrup, vanilla, Walden Farms syrup, and almond butter together and stir until well combined.

shut off the fire and add in your cereal.

mix well and transfer to a pan that has been sprayed with no stick cooking spray (rectangle, circle, square, don't matter) and press the cereal flat into an even layer.

refrigerate for at least an hour so it can firm up before you cut it in squares.

gluten-free and dairy-free treat!  as always, sprinkles are optional but you gotta have'em.

makes: 10 bars. serving size: 1 bar. 79 cals - 1g fat - 66mg sodium - 18g carbs - 9g sugar - 1g protein.

it wasn't as crowded as expected for our Mothers day date this year.  just curious, where did you celebrate ? (celebrate = eat) answer below!

[polldaddy poll=7115316]

le