oatmeal chocolate chip birthday cakes!!! - bday post

this year, my birthday fell on a monday. YIPPEEEEE :?

so Sonny started celebrating early (like i had hoped).  immediately after church service, we went to get our rings cleaned.

i promise we're only in our thirties. lol.  Chiso saw us placing our hands strategically on the display case for this pic and wanted part of the action.

over time, i have come to the realization that i'm a hint thrower.  what a lucky guy Sonny is.  rarely does one go over his head though, i gotta give it to him.  i forwarded him a Ruggles Green brunch email i received a few weeks earlier, you know, randomly.  high-five, Sonny.  high-five.

so that was our next stop.  only the Heights location serves breakfast / brunch in Houston, and i had been eager to check it out for months.  i chose the delish crab & avocado omelette and Sonny played it safe with the breakfast plate (sausage, pancakes, eggs, potatoes).  Chiso handled up on his turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, and pancakes too.  we love us some eggs.

the next day, my actual birthday, Sonny got up and rushed off to work like normal, so i hit the gym early, like normal.

but not before making this gorgeous stack of oatmeal pancakes! with the start of my cooking classes, blogging took a small backseat. obvi. but i believe i have a routine going now with my schedule. *crosses fingers, toes, and eyes*.  here's that recipe:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes 

the stuff: (source)

• 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup dry rolled oats
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (add more if needed- you be the thickness judge)
• 2 packets granulated stevia
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or honey (optional)
• dash of sea salt
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• handful of dark chocolate chips

do this:

1. mix all ingredients except chocolate chips together in a large mixing bowl.
2. if ya need more almond milk at this point, add it a tbsp at a time.
3. heat your griddle or cast iron / no-stick skillet to medium heat and coat with no-stick cooking spray.
4. spoon the cakes onto your cooking device as large or as small as you'd like them.  when bubbles start to form on top, check the bottom of the cake to see how brown it is first before flipping.
5. you're looking for a golden brown color (bout 2-4 minutes).
6. eat'em up. sprinkles are optional but mandatory if it's your birthday.

or, you can do blueberries instead of chocolate chips!

 back to the birthday festivities.

little did i know that Sonny went right down the street to his mom's house to hide out.

i took a Barbell Strength class and worked my back a little more on my own in addition to some steady-state cardio on the elliptical. suddenly, i got a 'lunch?' text from Sonny, so i said 'screw this!' and sped home to get cleaned up.

 i opened the door and walked right into .. Sonny!?, fit gifts, and cake.

and a birthday song serenade from my boys!

 just one small piece before lunch.

   Sonny shocked our palettes and drove us to an Indian inspired restaurant in Upper Kirby called Ponidicheri.  he didn't know it was 'meatless monday' though lol. tasty  nonetheless and i appreciate the experience.

i got the Saag Paneer Omelette, Barley Salad, a piece of gluten-free, millet Roti, and one of their fresh, housemade juices, the Hari.

 Sonny got an omelette too.  They didn't really have a kids menu, but the guy taking orders suggested this concoction.  can you guess which two Chiso ate? yep, the fries and the Elephant Cookie.

i got a birthday nap back at home (YAAAAAY for daytime sleep) and we went back out for dinner that evening.  i was actually still full from lunch but went anyway just cause it was my bday and already on the agenda.

my cups runneth over :shock: ! literally and figuratively.  we concluded the evening with Italian food and Neapolitan gelato from Sapore Ristorante, right in our own backyard.  which was awesome cause i had to be up at 4:15am  to teach my class the next day.

i feel like i'm at the age where i forget what i'm even turning and that my birthday is even coming up.  thankful to God for another year though, no doubt, and for Sonny's impeccable planning skills year after year.

THANK YOU to my family and friends for the calls, texts, cards, gifts, and birthday wishes!!!!!!

and thank you for reading.

le

#laterpost #flashbackfriday

i'm going through a period in my life where i'm letting go of something good to make room for something a billion times better.  why is that so dang hard though?  always easier said than done in my world. accepting change doesn't have to feel like pulling teeth, but i tend to take it to that level a lot every now and then.

i stick to my 6 Pack USA workout plan for the majority of my workouts but sometimes i just go in and wing it.

today's sweaty randomness: back, light triceps, cardio

• machine shoulder press 4 x 10
• lat pull downs 4 x 10
• machine tricep pushdowns 4 x 10
• hammer strength pull downs 4 x 10
• seated rows 4 x 10
• deadlift / overhead press combo w/ 45 lb bar 3 x 10
• steady-state, fat burning cardio on the elliptical 30 min

before that though, i met with the ladies of Style to Envy for breakfast at La Madeleine and did my best to resist all their crazy delicious savory and sweet pastries.  i met Val and Nikki at the Blog Elevated Conference this past Sept. and we discussed a few collaboration ideas for 2014! looking forward to that.

Chiso worked up an appetite playing hard and requested pizza for lunch. soooo, since were in the vicinity, we chowed down on some Ruggles Green gluten-free cuisine.

i had the Atlantic salmon salad with all the trimmings.  i actually forgot to ask for the dressing on the side this time and was too hungry to wait for a re-do.

what a Hammy Mc Hamster! Chiso got his pizza fix and i finished what he left which was only one dang slice! and i have no idea where he got 'eat everything but the crust' from. he certainly didn't learn that from Sonny or i cause we eat the whole thing. so yeah, i finished all his leftover crusts too. that dough is AMAZING.

*********************

 here is a lighter, low sugar pumpkin cake recipe i made a few days ago i'd like to share before Turkey Day:

yummy pumpkin cake

the stuff:

• 1 cup Stevia for Baking
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 can pure pumpkin
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk

do this:

1. mix wet with wet, dry with dry, then incorporate together. do not over mix!
2. divide batter evenly between two 8 in round pans
3. bake for 28-30 min on 350 or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
4. let the cakes cool then pop them out of the pans
5. top however you'd like! i used vanilla butter cream and the very last few pecans in the bag (i hope that explains the debris on the plate)  this time, but next time i'll keep it super light and use sugar-free/fat-free cool whip. there are actually a few vegan coconut cream frosting recipes i've been seeing around.  that's a great option too!

makes 12 slices (for 1, no topping): 137 cals, 6g fat, 18g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g sugar, 3 g protein

hope you had a fantastic weekend. it's COLD in Houston these days, brrrrrr.

t-4 days yall!!

le

Blog Elevated - wrapped

i went to the BE conference with an open mind, open heart, and the desire to get outta my comfort zone and actually talk to somebody and do some networking.  i did my best and met some new blogger friends over those three days!  in addition to learning a good bit of info via the various workshops provided (9 pages worth) i had a fantastic time hanging out with my dear friend and blogger-to-be, Ogechi.

i looked back through my photo gallery and i have way more food pics than people pics.  i wonder what that means :shock:

enjoy!

  i had some business cards printed at the last-minute (naturally) and totally left off the LLC in Fit Foodie Le.  the show must go on.  i went to pick up my girl and we hit i-10 and headed to the Norris Conference Center in City Centre.

we got our goodie bags and badges right away after signing in. seems legit!

Ogechi hit the red carpet first and the tone was set as we headed into the welcome party sponsored by Kroger.

 

vendors, mingling, goodie bags, and goodies galore.

and a white chocolate fondue fountain. way to go Kroger!  they had sweets and treats for days while everyone got their meet and greet on.  full vendor list here.

after exchanging and collecting a few business cards and snacking, we headed back home to get some rest as we had to be up early again the following day awake and ready to learn.  which really meant go home and ensure our hubbies could survive two straight days without us.

brekky in, headed out to pick up O for day 2 !  oatbran and egg whites. every morning. don't get me wrong, i love it and crave it when i wake up. however, i said i would expand my breakfast horizons though just for variety purposes.  i'm missing out, i know.

yes we live in Houston, and yes we stayed overnight at the gorgeous Hotel Sorrella.  why not? staycations are awesome.  even though check in wasn't until 3pm, we were told we could partake in the continental breakfast that morning.

  ok we asked.

we finished just in time to hear the opening keynote speaker, John Saddington, do his thing, coffees in tow.  John's boldness and stories about big risks he took over the years blew us away and inspired us simultaneously!

after open Q & A with a panel of PR reps from various companies moderated by Holly Homer,  a snack break, & study hall, it was finally lunch time.  yes.  i decided to go gluten-free for the weekend just because it was offered.

so O and i dined at the only certified gluten-free place in City Centre and greenest restaurant in Texas!  you know it, RG baby. my phone died, so Ogechi let me use hers to snap a few pics of our Ruggles Green meals.  i had the Atlantic salmon salad & organic butternut squash,  and O got the smoked chicken pizza.

 back for more workshops after lunch.

O and i attended the same break out session that day with Angela England and learned more about how to 'Achieve our Publishing Dreams'.  i definitely wanted to attend this one to see if i could make the process for my next ebook even smoother.

Rae Hoffman later spoke with everyone collectively about SEO (search engine optimization) followed by more study hall, networking, and a nice time gap before the dinner & fashion show later.  so you know what i went to do!

sweat. 1 hour. done.

i created and executed the Fit Foodie Lean Legs workout above 3 or 4 times in Hotel Sorella's gym, then hit the treadmill with an incline of 15 @ 3.0 mph.  that combo gets my heart rate right where i need it for optimal fat burning.

because after handling up on that cheesecake at dinner i needed to burn as much fat as possible. j/k, j/k. it was delish. everything. O and i lived life on the edge and didn't bring any prepped food for our overnight stay, just snacks.  we both eat every 3 hours or so, so we were pretty hungry as lunch was hours earlier.

the fashion show was very entertaining and was hosted by the sweet Val of Style to Envy.  all the models were bloggers and they each did their thing up there!

i took a restroom break from the party and heard a mom in the hallway Skyping with her hubby and kids from her phone.  made me wonder what my knuckleheads were up to.

oh ok. carry on.

day 3.  well rested and ready to rock.

after breakfast of course.

 i snagged a pic with one of the coolest Lemi Shine reps on the way to the first speaker of the day, Katie Laird.

Katie gave some great tips and pointers for bloggers on how to communicate with companies and rock an ambassadorship to where both parties benefit.  loved this session and found it extremely useful as i began to apply Katie's information immediately!

then, Ogechi and i split up *gasp* because she wanted to go hear what Zack Doty had to say about unlocking blogging potential,  and i wanted to learn more about how to grow my bloggy blog with tips from Momables creator,  Laura Fuentez.  i appreciated Laura opening up and sharing some of her secrets with us.

we were reunited just before lunch and got a great Pinterest lesson from the Pinterest Queen herself, Stacy Teet.  impressive boards! makes me realize just how unorganized i am!!!!

lunch was provided via these go picnic ready-to-eat meals, but we were CRAVING our beloved Ruggles Green again.

so we hightailed it downstairs! turkey burg and sweet potato fries for O, and i killed the gluten-free spicy fish tacos and a side salad.

while in line, we met up with another group of bloggers and decided to make it a big lunch party!  it was great meeting, chatting, and eating with these ambitious women.

for the very last workshop of the conference (and my fave) Rachel Matthews put us ON about lighting!!! pun intended!  she also discussed different props we could use to make our pictures come to life.  the smallest details sometimes make the biggest difference.

i needed this one because of all my foodie pics of course.  her energy was awesome and kept my attention for sure!  I have begun to apply some of her pointers and others have noticed the change in my pics. immediately :shock: . makes me want to go back and delete my first few posts! i'm not ashamed (anymore) because it's important to remember where you started and to see your growth.  Rachel kept reminding us that the Imperial Sugar cupcake break was right after her workshop. as if they hadn't been on my mind all day :)

this.... this right here.  was worth the sugar head / tummy ache that followed.  i limit my white sugar intake but dang it i ate that whole cake batter cupcake listening to Karen Walrond wrap up the conference weekend.  I enjoyed and admired this former corporate lawyer's refreshing perspective on a wide variety of things from blogging to life in general.   super sweet and humble.  with a blog name like Chookooloonks, you just have to go click and see what the heck she is up to over there.

ok so Fluff Bake Bar provided 3 flavors (Cake Batter, Red Velvet, and Veruca Salt) for us so it was only right i try them all take one to my boys.   never heard of this place but these cakes and anything else they make is totally worth a trip to the Heights, uh huh.   fan-freakin-tastic.  all three. i did it for you.  

there were tons of free goods in our bags but i was especially excited to finally try some Zevia!  its been floating across my Instagram feed for a while now and i finally got my hands on some.  good stuff!  cream soda for president.

what a talented, inspiring bunch of speakers & bloggers.  what a blessing and WHAT A WEEKEND.  overwhelmed and overflowing with info. love it.  looking forward to the next BE Conference and I'm expecting to apply and reap the benefits from the countless takeaways we received from every speaker.  i thank God for allowing  O & i to share this  amazing weekend of learning and growing together.

made some really great connections i look forward to keeping in contact with!

 TAKEAWAYS:

*apply what you learned. don't leave the conference the way you came.

*be true to YOU.

*never sell out or compromise your faith for money, likes, attention, etc.

*believe in your ability to be creative.  you don't have to do what everybody else is doing.

*PERSPECTIVE! look for the opportunity in everything..don't be so quick to dismiss the 'ordinary' right under your nose.

*you can make good light, but you can't fake natural light (i sure do try).

*if you're a blogger and never been to a conference, GO. invest in yourself. grow. make yourself better.

*JUMP! take risks, fearlessly.

**********************************

i'm pumped and ready to make some significant changes around here.  thanks for reading and sticking with me.

for more BE pics, click here!

le

6 Pack USA @ HBU's Be Fit for Life Health Expo!

what a DAY!  we spent over half of our saturday at our very first event, the Be Fit For Life Health Expo hosted by Student Apprentice on the campus of Houston Baptist University.

it was an outstanding turnout- kids from ages 12-17 showed up and soaked in a ton of health and fitness info at each booth.

we taught the kids about effective fitness and nutrition, and about 6 Pack USA's role in helping people achieve their fitness goals.

this man was in his element and doin' what he looooooves to do- TALK :lol:

Sonny and Brian gave demos on how to calculate lean body mass and body fat using a caliper.

and i proved that clean eating DOES taste good with my PB2 oatmeal carob chip cookies for the babies!

Congressman Al Green even stopped by to say a few encouraging words to the kiddos.

it was a pleasure meeting him!

 we also had some help from some great friends of ours- a huge thank you to Miko (r) the Zumba QUEEN for teaching a rockin' class! that girl can seriously MOVE.

these ladies are the BOMB!  Miko, Kara and Annette (r) volunteered their precious saturday to help 6 Pack USA make the biggest impact possible.

one last pic before wrappin' up the first part of the expo here.

Whole Foods was in the building teaching the kids about fresh, wholesome, all natural snacks and meal ideas,

while Annette was giving them a great workout, TKB style!  she is the best of the best!

Miko was workin' it out on the floor with her Zumba skills,

while Brian, Kara, and I ran drills in the gym and stressed the importance of daily physical activity.

done deal!

we are looking forward to growing, networking, and participating in more health and fitness events in our community, city, and beyond.  a final and gigantic THANK YOU to Denesha James and the entire Student Apprentice staff for allowing us to be apart of this amazing event.

after several weeks of planning, meetings, phone calls, and late nights prepping for this event, Sonny was ready to let loose!  Tornado burger style.

someone brought one to his office just last week and he says it smelled so good he wouldn't even LOOK in its direction. so, he wanted it to be his epic post-expo meal. notice i said HE!!! i wanted no parts of this lol.

ok maybe a few fries.

are you kidding me...

i didn't IG this cause i didn't want to discourage my followers LOL.  but i said i would certainly blog it!  i did have a bite- i could NOT resist all that cheese, come on!  i saved my appetite for a little later though.

we take our date nights SERIOUSLY.  this is not a game.  the expo was behind us, and  since we were toddler-less for a few more hours, we sped home and got cleaned up for dinner.  the weather was absolutely outstanding, and a patio was calling our name.

i promise we planned to go somewhere different...

i had the Ruggles Green atlantic salmon salad with the dressing on the side,

and grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas for Sonny.  we could have at least ordered something different, right?

6 fingers up for 6 Pack USA!

le

plateaus + 30 min shoulder workout

the holidays take forever to get here and then they are gone just like that.  *tear*

are you back on track from Thanksgiving yet? well how much more time do you need!!?!?! :shock:  i'm good (now), but  if  your body seems to have come to a stubborn halt, or if your results seem to be going in reverse:

*lift heavier

*do a completely different set of exercises for a particular muscle group

*add a HIIT workout into your regimen to shock your metabolism  (track sprints, bleachers, stair master, hill sprints)

*take a class at your gym! (spin, weights, kickboxing, boot-camp, yoga, etc.)

*do your normal routine in reverse order

  i chose a different cardio toy last night!  i know it's super similar to my fave machine (the machine with the feet) but the stride is wider, and there is an incline function.  pick machines that use upper and lower body simultaneously cause that gets your heart rate up right away and provides a full body workout/warmup.  remember, the more body parts moving, the more calories and fat you burn!  you can do HIIT on that thing or steady state cardio, you choose.

i taught my Total Conditioning class this morning and burned about 700 cals, then hit the weights for a quick 30 min shoulder work out.  i must share this burn!!

tripleset  (using moderate to heavy weight)

seated rear deltoid press 3 x 12

seated lateral raise 3 x 12

seated front deltoid press 3 x 12

***

standing alternating forward dumbbell raises 3 x 24

standing dumbbell T raises 3 x 12

barbel upright row 3 x 12

***

25 heavy barbel shoulder shrugs 4 sets

early morning workout complete and i am done for the day at 7:30am!

we went to Ruggles Green again over the long holiday weekend and i finally ordered something different -  organic turkey lettuce wraps.

not bad!  i can totally make them at home though.  lean ground turkey,  black beans, carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and corn all nestled inside a thick leaf of crisp iceberg lettuce.

i ordered a 3 cheese kids pizza for Chiso as my former little garbage disposal has become extremely picky. wonder how long that'll last...

it was a winner.

if he didn't kill it, we would have.

 money well spent.  i ordered some of their famous butternut squash too as usual, and whaddaya know- he doesn't like it anymore :roll:

so i handled up on that.

Sonny ordered what i usually get- the grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas.

'pumpkin?  clearly it's a basketball. '

he tried to bounce it and everything!!!

then....fro-yo time.  i mean it was right next door.

aaaaalllll those toppings and i never really step outside my comfort zone.

no sugar added vanilla frozen yogurt, mini dark chocolate chips, sprinkles, and whipped cream.  20 cals per ounce - my kinda cheat treat!

creating a fro-yo monster :)

remember that shrimp i bought that was on sale at the same time fresh salmon was?

i finally defrosted it and threw them in my grill pan along with some raw zucchini for dinner that night.  i sprinkled some more of that sweet smokey chipotle paprika and some dried parsley on them first,

and overcooked the heck outta them.  shrimp cook so fast it's not even funny.  you're supposed to do this for all proteins, but take them off the heat just before they are done, cover them with foil, and let them 'rest'.  they will continue cooking from the residual heat.  so if you take them off when they are done, they will get chewy on you after they cool a little and they won't be nearly as juicy.

Ogechi brought me those seasonings at the perfect time cause my HEB has been outta Mc Cormick's smokehouse maple seasoning for weeks.

we don't have our Christmas tree up yet.  i usually wait until the price drops a little before we go get one.  a real one!  i love how they make the house smell.  we were able to put up a few Christmassy items though.

Chiso did his own thing and wasn't interested.

matter fact, all those boxes back there were on the floor by the end of the night.

thanks to my little elf!

le