20 songs that get me through cardio + Transformation Tues #quickie

and another one! would you LOOK at this girl!?  

4 weeks postpartum and new mommy Kara is looking fantabulous! i am so proud of my sister!  she remained active for the bulk of her pregnancy and is now reaping those fit pregnancy benefits.  i got to watch my niece, baby Natalie, for the first time last week while Kara tended to some court business with her clients.  Baby Natalie is THE sweetest lil' thing!  look at that face! what a pleasure and an honor to be able to return the favor and watch baby Natalie for my sis & bro-in-law.  if you are a preggo or postpartum mom that needs help getting back on track, email me: le@fitfoodiele.com.

my fave music apps are Spotify and recently the Pandora app.  i get my cardio in a couple of times a week and yall know i don't mind it at all!  ONLY if i have my Beats headphones. silent cardio is the worst, right?!  anyway, here are 20 songs i'm feeling that help speed up my fat burning sesh. no judgement! oh and radio version preferably.

1. Yoga - Janelle Monae, Jidenna
2. Love Me Harder - Ariana Grande
3. Bring It Back - Travis Porter
4. You Know You Like It - DJ Snake
5. Hit The Quan - iLoveMemphis
6. Finna Get Loose - Diddy, Pharrell Williams
7. Badd - Ying Yang Twins
8. Wipe Me Down - Boosie Badazz, Webbie
9. Chandelier - Sia
10. She Knows - Ne-Yo
11. Pop That - French Montana
12. Swimming Pools - Kendrick Lamar
13. Flashing Lights - Kanye West
14. Take It Off - UGK
15. Where Ya At - Future, Drake
16. Did A Whole Lot - Sosamann, Sauce Walka
17. Who Do You Love - YG, Drake
18. She Knows - Ne-Yo, Juicy J
19. We Dem Boys - Wiz Khalifa
20. Animals - Maroon 5

check out this morning's motivational Periscope and have a blessed tuesday, friends!

Q: add to my list!  what song(s) gets you through your workouts?

le

wienervention - the cleanest hot dog i've ever eaten

another early gym date accomplished this morning and officially 1 month postpartum! i expect to get a lot done today. 

i had my usual preworkout snack, some hot, magical coffee, and headed out for an hour of treadmill intervals. i alternated btw:

5 incline @ 4 mph - 5 minutes

15 incline @ 3 mph - 5 minutes 

walking IS boring but there are ways you can rev it up.  i always swing my arms vigorously, walk heel-to-toe with a wide stride, and i never hold the side rails either. that's cheatiiiiing ;)

can i do a blog #throwbackthursday? i'm doin' it anyway!

**********

while we were headed home from the hospital last month with our brand new baby boy, something beat us there- my Wienervention Kit from Applegate!!!

that nostalgic red and white pattern always reminds you of what? a summer picnic, yep.

however, the Houston heat was too much and i just wanted to lay down somewhere and stuff my face in the AC.  i'd like to give a gigantic high-five and thank you to one of my favorite natural and organic brands, Applegate, for the goods. i knew the kit was on the way, but it slipped my mind after giving birth and all.  my mom and aunt were at our house tidying up and waiting to help out with our new family member, so unbeknownst to Sonny & i, they went ahead and cracked the kit open and prepared a welcome home lunch for us! perfect timing, right?

i actually used to avoid hot dog wieners for this very reason...  i've always thought of them as the wack parts of meat that didn't make the cut all blended up together with fat and other UFOs.  i would only have them every blue moon, like july 4th or memorial day at somebody's BBQ. at home? not so much.  also, reading 'mechanically separated turkey, chicken, or beef' in the ingredients list is not very appetizing. thank God we have many healthier options to choose from these days; these Applegate wieners are in a league of their own! a wienerventioW was overdue.

rest assured these top-notch dogs are:

• all natural
• contain no antibiotics
• humanely raised beef fed vegetarian/grain diet
• gluten-free
• casein-free
• contain no fillers
• contain recognizable ingredients! every single one.
• really, really tasty.

nailed that presentation.

they also sent along condiments, cause you can't build a stellar dog without them.

• Annie's Organic All Natural Ketchup (her salad dressings are crazy good, especially the artichoke parmesan, trust)
• Rick's Picks Zesty Dill Relish - (which tasted like a combo of sweet & dill relish! i've always topped my dog with one or the other..not both. i bet it would be amazing in potato salad as well.)
• Annie's Organic Yellow Mustard

 for the buns, we had a choice of Rudi's Organic Bakery Multigrain or White hot dog buns!  i loved them both and you can snag a coupon for a bag of your choice right on their website. from the bun, to the condiments, to the wiener, this is THE cleanest hot dog i've ever eaten.

time to change the meat you eat and give Applegate a try.

in newborn news, 

i think he'll be tall.

more tummy time, aka, push up practice!

le

chocolate, chips, and crackers, oh my

this morning i got the chance to walk it OUT again at the gym! you've seen the quote 'you're one workout away from a good mood,' but baybaaaay, i was already in one and the early workout made my day that much better.

i did about an hours worth of treadmill incline intervals.  i switched back and forth between these two settings:

4 mph @ incline level 4

2.5 mph @ incline level 15

sweaty, saturday FUN.

back at home, i had a gangload of zucchini (about 6 medium) i needed to spiralize so that's exactly what i did before they went bad.  i sauteed the zoodles in a large wok for about 5 minutes in 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat, then added them to a large bowl with about 3 large spoons of homemade guacamole from yesterday.  i didn't really have a sauce prepared and was being lazy. it worked though!  i paired them with tilapia and a few fresh tomatoes for lunch.  Sonny really enjoyed this! seriously.  these postpartum cravings...  i try to fight them as best i can and it is pure torture some days. i am a bottomless pit and i'm not even working out like i used to yet, jeez.  i either want chocolate, salty, crunchy chips, or crackers, so I turned to my old friend, popcorn.

3 cups of air popped popcorn is only 25 cals, 1g of fat, 22g carbs, 6g fiber, and 3g protein. soooo I made a big vat of homemade Salted Dark Chocolate Popcorn! I melted 2 tbsp of dark chocolate and drizzled it over the popcorn (that I cook on the stovetop with a lil coconut oil) and added a pinch of sea salt and a few mini chocolate chips. i suggest putting the entire bowl into the fridge so the drizzle can harden first, but i didn't wanna wait nor did i mind the mess.

 so, friday night ended differently that i expected! hubs came home and suggested sushi and i did not dispute him.  i order the same thing at our fave spot every time with the following adjustments:

• salmon teriyaki bento box with the teriyaki sauce on the side
• steamed veggies instead of vegetable tempura
• 2 salads instead of the soup & salad my meals comes with as the sodium from the miso soup bloats me
• i customized my roll and asked for brown rice with fresh shrimp and avocado.

according to Sonny my roll always tastes too healthy.  whatevs.

dinner... and a show.

 Q: what special healthier requests do you make when ordering food at a restaurant?

le

treadmill workout + spinach spaghetti squash bake

this was today's 30 min treadmill workout:

Time	Incline	Speed
0-2 warmup	2.0	4.0
2-3 walk	4.0	4.0
3-5 run	4.0	7.0
5-6 walk	5.0	4.0
6-8 run	5.0	7.0
8-9 walk	6.0	4.0
9-11 run	6.0	7.0
11-12 walk	7.0	4.0
12-14 run	7.0	7.0
14-15 walk	8.0	4.0
15-17 run	8.0	7.0
17-18 walk	9.0	4.0
18-20 run	9.0	7.0
20-25 walk	10	4.0
25-30 walk	15 (highest)	3.0
3-5 min cool down	0.0	2.0

print it, cut it out, and take it with you! burns over 400+ cals.

and this was tonight's dinner: spinach spaghetti squash bake.

the stuff:

• 1 shallot
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cups of 2% or low/no fat mozzarella shredded cheese
• 1 log 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 bag frozen spinach
• 2 chopped tomatoes OR 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 can Amy's low sodium chunky tomato bisque
• 1 spaghetti squash
• salt, pepper, tony's c's to taste

do this:

first and foremost, turn on your oven (350 deg) and throw the squash in there. it needs to cook at least 45 min first. in the meantime,

brown your shallots, onion, and turkey in a pan, and season it with the salt, pepper, and tony c's.

chop up all your veggies and toss them in.

microwave the spinach for about 5 minutes, then put it in a colander and press all the water out. add.

finally, pour in the soup.

grab your pan(s) and start with the squash- that'll be your 1st layer.

then, meat sauce.

and finally, my fav, plenty of cheese.  now, repeat until you run outta stuff.  remember to top it with cheese!

ready after 15-20 min in a 350 deg oven. so good, so healthy, so light, so filling.

we killed this pan but thank goodness i made two.  hitting the sack NOW- weights class in the early am!

le