VLOG inside! hump day motivation + WWAW (what we ate wednesday)

it's hump daaaay! and heavy leg day. and we hit the gym (wut) together .

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sure we can be normal. for what?

why is wednesday referred to as hump day? i heard the reasoning years ago but Googled it anyway to reconfirm as i typed this post:

'Starting around 1965, Wednesday began being referred to as “hump day.” Smack dab in the middle of the traditional work week, arriving at Wednesday symbolizes that we've made it over the hump and the weekend is in sight.'

sounds about right!  not working a traditional job since the beginning of 2013 when my IT contract ended has diminished the 'monday blues' and those feelings of always wanting to speed through the week to get to friday and the weekend.  i am a WSAHM (working stay at home mom) and being here with my boys has taught me to slow the heck down and live in the now.  i look forward to every single day!  yeah, entrepreneur life is a scary, huge sacrifice (especially with young kids in the mix) but i would have never, ever gotten the chance to GROW as quickly and as much as i have these past 2 years in every. single. aspect. of the word.  each day is a new adventure over here and i am head over heels in love with this temporary journey with my boys (Dego is 9 months already yall, DANG.) now that Sonny is no longer working a traditional job either (this is now week 4) and his schedule allows him to be with me and the boys more often, we have been taking full advantage of this blessing.

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the endorphins were flowing after our workout this morning so we made quick vlog! i also included 2 clips of some of exercises we did. we focused on unilateral training (one leg at a time) for most of the exercises instead of both.  why?  sometimes when you train both arms or legs together, you can cheat by letting your dominant side do the brunt of the work.  so, working them one at a time helps you:

• create balanced growth and development in both limbs equally
• correct size asymmetries
• improve general balance
• engage smaller muscles like the abductors, gluteus medius, and quadratus lumborum in ways we can't duplicate training two legs at a time.

[wpvideo uAAre0Ps]

here are a few things we dined on today:

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i found the Ranch Tuna Creations, woo, hoo! someone mentioned this flavor on Instagram and i had never seen it until the last time i was at Walmart. i like. i didn't add a thing and ate it straight from the packet while out and about today.

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i whipped up a snack using my Ninja Blender single serve thingy and Dego loooooves this combo! it's 1 heaping cup of all natural, unsweetened applesauce + 1/2 cup roasted beets (you can do frozen or fresh and even canned if you must) + 4 or 5 strawberries.

i could not stop eating it myself! tasted way better than those prepackaged flavored applesauces in stores. but you knew that already, right!

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for my meals 4 and 5 i had quesadillas using La Tortilla Factory light flour tortillas.  they were stuffed with spinach, onions, mushrooms, Weber Beer Can Chicken seasoned chicken breast chunks, and Lisanatti almond cheddar cheese.

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i folded them in half and cooked them on my griddle for 2-3 min on each side until the cheese started to melt and the tortilla was crispy. no avocados in the house :( but this citrus pineapple Pace Picante sauce sufficed!

now i'm going to lay down, blink, and it will be time for me to get up and go teach my Barbell Strength class. GOODNIGHT!

Q: what have you ever ended up doing (or being) that you said you never would do (or be?)

le

Roasted Veggie-Packed Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

R O T F L.

around here with all these boys though it's prolly pee :-|

Dego is 8 months, has 2 bottom teeth, and saying da-da-da-da-da-da all day long these days.  he is rolling/flipping EVERYWHERE and is a spinning axis when on his belly.  however he has yet to actually move forward! i do believe that's next on his to-do list for this week. we'll see!

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Homemade Vegan Spaghetti Sauce comin' at you RIGHT now!  i did a quick vlog one day last week (just now getting my life together, yep) so press play below and enjoy!  here are a few pics with tips you should read first (cause i forgot to mention some of them during the video). and sorry about the black bars, but they won't be there much longer ;)

TIPS:

• if you coat your baking pan with no stick cooking spray before roasting the tomatoes and red peppers, you don't have to worry about moving them around during baking.

• the more green veggies you add, the browner or 'muddier' the sauce color will be. red + green = brown, remember :(  you can compensate for this by adding more red peppers or tomatoes though to sustain that bright red 'tomatoey' color.

• to keep this recipe vegan, use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
• you can do a combo of basil & cilantro instead of a bunch of the same herb.
• lasts in the fridge 5-10 days and up to 6 months in the freezer!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qifJ8IhKwoE]

i used this chicken meatball recipe cause i LOVE following @fitmencook on IG!

Roasted Veggie-Packed Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

the stuff:(source)

• 8 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 - 15 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes in garlic (i use Hunts)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup zucchini, diced
• 1 cup basil leaves (or cilantro)
• 1/2 sundried  tomatoes OR 1/2 cup tomato pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp garlic or shallots, chopped
• sea salt & cracked black peppers to taste

do this:

1. pre-heat oven to 400 deg
2. toss tomatoes and bell pepper in olive oil and roast them for 1 hr on baking sheet coated with no stick cooking spray and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil
3. in a large pot saute onions & garlic, remaining olive oil, & salt for 10 min or until translucent
4. add carrots, zucchini  and saute for 10 min or until tender
5. add in tomatoes, peppers (and their juices), veggie broth, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes or paste, and any other vegetable you'd like to include in the pot.  if that veggie needs to be cooked and softened, add it in step 4
6. reduce to simmer for about 20-30 min until flavors marry
7. cool!
8. put into your blender in batches and process until super smooth.  enjoy over pasta or zoodles!! super healthy and veggie-packed.  use this stuff for any other Italian dish as well: pizza sauce, lasagna, marinara, etc. makes 10 cups!

Q: video suggestions!  what else would you like to see on vid?

le

 

no beastmode + avocado crema dip

concerning the game....

WHAT?!

i'll just keep it classy and congratulate the Pats.  moving on......

being at home to raise my boys has been one of the biggest blessings in my entire life. i am so thankful.  the only time i really hear crying from Dego is when he's uncomfortable (needs to be changed, hungry, the usual). other than that, he's showing that gummy smile off and cackling at Chiso! i thought Chiso smiled a lot but Dego takes the cake in that department.  Chiso is now a threenager. even on our most difficult, trying, exhausting days, the Lord reminds me how hard i prayed and cried for these boys.  that thought alone makes whatever i'm upset or irritated about (toddler temper tantrum, spilled food, disobedience, etc.) just not that big a deal anymore.  i actually dropped a big bowl of pancake batter and it splattered EVERYWHERE recently. everywhere. the ceiling, walls waaaaay across the room, under tables... just a gigantic mess. albeit my fault, instead of getting angry i stared at the chaos on my floor and laughed (not a crazed, hysterical, witch-like laugh or anything lol) then Chiso chimed right in with me.  i cleaned it all up with a smile.

these guys constantly remind me to stop sweating and stressing the small stuff. we just don't have time. or the energy, most days.

 so before the big game started i went outside to get a 1 hour walk/jog/run thing on!  that's all i had planned to do, but i saw new fit mom Ashley Horner on IG outside doing 300 walking lunges with her 12 day old new-born strapped to her chest and that motivated THE heck outta me.  so i did 300 walking lunges too before heading back home to...

mr. P.J.!

i'm finding it harder and harder to post these kinds of pics to IG because i don't want to discourage our 6 Pack USA clients as they work towards their own fitness goals.  i do maintain my current body fat % using my own personalized plan, but i also indulge in moderation as i am able to easily compensate via my diet and/or exercise for those indulgences to keep me where i want to be. so there! yes, i had a few slices of pizza on game day and i was back on track with no guilt or worries the next day.

my brother and sister-in-law came over to watch the game with us so i made a few snacks including this one i'd love to share with ya:

Avocado Crema Dip 

the stuff: (source)

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 - 6 oz container 0% greek yogurt
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• cracked black pepper & sea salt to taste

do this:

1. add all ingredients to your blender or food processor
2. blend until super-duper creamy (keep scraping down the sides if using a blender)
3. get scoop happy! you can dip anything you want, but i chose plantain chips and the bell peppers.

switching to the 8oz baby bottles for parties / get-togethers was a great move.  one of my pet peeves is walking around picking up half-finished water bottles at the end of a party!!!! never again. that dip in the center of the veggie plate is just Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix + 0% greek yogurt. my mom gave me that idea but used to use sour cream. so yummy!!! it really brings veggies to life.

love this stuff!! my Sprouts Farmers Market usually has a great variety of flavors too; there are so many to choose from.  we recently tried the Cheddar Caramel Mix and gave it two thumbs way up.  if you're gonna sneak snacks into the movie theater, bring this stuff!

did you watch the big game? where?

le

sweet toof + we stay ready

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i sent Sonny off right yesterday like i try to do every morning!  his 6 Pack USA lunches were packed and ready to GO.  cause if they aren't i will find Popeye's and Timmy Chan's receipts in the car cup holders.  hey, he's only human and so am i! which is why preparation is so important and never fails us.  unless it's a major holiday, haha.  seriously though, we practice what we preach.  we stay ready.

i whipped up some spicy cashew chicken over steamed broccoli and he made it even spicier by adding Sriracha cause he's crazy!  i used Weber all natural Kick'n Chicken seasoning blend and cooked the chicken breast chunks on high heat in my wok before adding the unsalted cashews pieces.

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  these things are one of my biggest weaknesses.  the food that i must grab a handful of every time i go in the kitchen. so by the end of the day i've had like 3 cups. lol. great source of good fat, but don't over do it.  i get mine at my local Sprouts from the bulk bins.

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welp, we finally had a successful gym trip after two straight fails.  after literally 19 minutes (both times) someone from the child center had to hunt me down because Dego was just not happy.  even when i make sure he's fed and changed immediately before dropping him off, no one else can calm him like mama. when this happened the first time last week i just bit the bullet, drove home, and made that YouTube video out of frustration lol, so something good definitely came out of a 'bad' situation!  Dego likes to reach for things and jump out of my arms these days, especially food and my phone as you can see. he's still immobile, but he will be scooting around the house soon enough.

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aaaagggh, sweet success and no need for plan B.  smiling after a full workout and i even went over time and got a warning for being late to pick up the boys! i was having too much fun. i did my 6 Pack USA leg day routine, some arc trainer for my cardio, and i even did a FIT (Functionally Integrated Training) class.  whoop! then we hit up HEB real quick to get some Quest Bars for these sweet teeth of ours.

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did i mention how much my HEB rocks!? man they always have the goodies we like.  i've been hearing a ton about Quest protein powder (even though i haven't used it in years at home) and i so want to try making protein cheesecake (and everything else i see on @pbeechi's account! love her) i see all across Instagram.  anyway, they got the Quest chips, protein powder, and pretty much every bar flavor available!  wat.  awesome sauce. when i don't eat real fruit, Quest bars are the next best thing to snack on.

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and they had coupons!

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i took advantage and got our two faves:

• DCC (pictured above) (160 cals, 6g fat, 25g carbs, 16g fiber, 20g protein)

• Cookies & Cream (180 cals, 7g fat, 22g carbs, 17g fiber, 21g protein)

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speaking of all natural sweets, we made ice cream using the Ninja blender sunday night!  man. good thing cause i sure planned on buying an ice cream maker soon.  not now!  i don't have room for it anyway.

Tropical Strawberry Ice Cream (dairy-free, all natural)

the stuff:

• 1 lb tropical frozen fruit (i used a bagged strawberry, mango, pineapple combo)

• 1 can full fat coconut milk/cream

• 2-3 packets granulated Stevia or 1/4 tsp liquid Stevia or 2 tbsp light agave nectar / pure maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla

do this:

1. throw everything into the Ninja

2. blend until smooth.

3. open lid and throw in 2 or 3 fresh strawberries and PULSE them lightly if you want the real fruit chunks in there!

4. stick in freezer for at least 2 hours...for best results freeze overnight.

wait 'til you see the next flavor i'm workin' on! stick around!

Q: what is your ALL time fave ice cream flavor?

A: the sweet cream at Marble Slab.... bomb.

le