Sassy Shorts Sunday

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tell'em, Bey. admit it, you thought about her super bowl snafu after you read that quote, didn't you ;)

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i can't even begin to tell you how good church was this morning.  AND we were early! i love that feeling. i want more of that feeling. Feb. is not only black history month, but it's the month of love <3 .  our pastor is currently preaching through a series titled Tying The Knot: How To Make A Marriage That Lasts and i've been soaking up all that good info week after week.  it applies to unmarried couples as well.  i urge you to give it a listen!

anywaaaay, sunday meal prep went down as usual; Sonny always requests these particular items on his meal plan so i went to HEB earlier this week and loaded up.   baked salmon, (i used Weber Kick n' Chickn on it) wild rice, grilled gigantic steak house-sized asparagus (aren't they beautiful!?), and a spinach salad with ripe avocado, mushrooms, and tomatoes. then, 

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i put on my sassy shorts for our walk to the park today.  aren't these adorbs!? i had to have them cause they were a whopping 19 bucks, yall.  IKR! there are so many patterns and colors to choose from; i listed a few below for ya.

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top: Nike Dry-FIT Contour Short-Sleeve ( this is the updated version cause mine is a couple of years old)

sassy shorts: (on sale!) 

Nike Pro Mezzo Short,

Nike Pro Three-Inch Short,

Nike Pro Dri-Fit Shorts

sneaks: Free Run 5.0

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i've been fighting so hard to try to stay away from wearing so much black! why is it so hard :|

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here's dessert!  i always use a little organic buttery spread (1 tbsp) + coconut oil (2 tsp) in my pan. make sure your pan is on low-medium heat; they burn cook crazy fast.       happiness is..... sitting outside on the porch with a bowl of pan-fried plantains.  here's to another great week, fit friends!

WORK HARD AND BE KIND! THAT IS ALL.

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#FitFoodieLife VLOG: how i {foam} roll

two crazy awesome things were delivered to our doorstep this week!  1st, my brand spanking new replacement Samsung S6 edge (i beat the first one up so bad... too ashamed to post the proof).  YAY for finally being able to exit my Periscope broadcasts correctly, ha!  my screen was so shattered i could never press the dang STOP button, smh.  2nd, our foam rollerrrrr.  both of them were long overdue.  

i let Chiso guess the contents of the box first before we cracked it open... not even close, lol.  after foam rolling religiously in the days following my half marathon earlier this month,  recovery was a bajillion times better than my first half a few years ago. LOADS better. my hamstrings basically hated me one day post race but 48 hours later i was teaching my HIIT class at full strength again.  hence the need for this purchase.

i let the boys give it a whirl that night, but the next day i got down to business.  watch my 'how i {foam} roll VLOG right here: 

please be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel for more!  

leave me a comment and let me know you were there ;)

foam rolling daily is great for:

>keeping your muscles elastic, healthy, and ready to perform 

>promotes excellent circulation and blood flow 

>breaks up and releases muscle knots and tightness

>preventative maintenance

>it's basically a self-massage!

lastly,

i also suggest using this machine for pre and post workout stretching:

 

the Precor StrechTrainer.  does your gym have them? i sure do hope so! get your preventative maintenance on. 

i love that illustrations of the different stretches are positioned right in front of you on the machine's 'dash board', if you will.  i do about 5-7 minutes of a combo of the moves above after every workout.  happy stretching!

Q: moment of truth....how often do you stretch before or after your workout? 

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

Spaghetti Squash Chaos

my big bro met me at the gym for a workout yesterday! i missed my early gym date (again) and definitely needed to go get it in. i did one of my 6 Pack USA leg day routines and ended it with a burnout lunge-a-thon via the smith machine.

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25 lb plates on each side + 100 reps on each leg = #DONE

afterwards, i went to pick up my kiddos and this little guy was super soaked!  this was the perfect #MomIsHere moment cause i was right on time for diaper duty! have you heard about this contest going on RIGHT NOW via @Sproutchannel!?   moms, go check it out and snap some pics of you and your little one(s) for the chance to win free stuff!  it's that simple.

for the next 30 days, tag your Instagram usies #MomIsHere and #NoFilter30 to be eligible! so much LOVE flowing through those hashtags <3

on to our dinna later that evening! it's funny how when we get home everybody starts lookin' at me like, 'sooooo.... food?'

watch dis:

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how i seasoned my lean ground meat:

• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey 
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 2 tbsp liquid aminos
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning  
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 

Spaghetti Squash Chaos

the stuff:

• 1 large roasted/baked spaghetti squash (30-45 min on 400 deg)
• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey breast, cooked & seasoned (see above)
• 2 cups packed, fresh spinach
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1-2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• hand full of turkey pepperoni slices (approx. 12)

do this:

1. preheat oven to 350 deg, baking pan with foil and coat it with no stick cooking spray
2. split spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds/guts
3. scoop out the flesh of the squash (be gentle!) and add it to your skillet along with your ground meat, tomatoes, spinach, pepper, & olive oil
4. mix all together until combined
5. place empty shells on baking sheet and distribute mixture evenly back into shells
6. top spaghetti half #1 with 1/2 cup shredded cheese; do the same for #2 with the remaining cheese
7. distribute the pepperoni slices evenly on top of the cheese
8. bake for approx 10-15 min or just until the cheese melts and/or browns
9. take out of the oven and sprinkle with the fresh, chopped basil (didn't have any so i used parsley)

will you make this and tag me on Insta? it would make my LIFE!!!! it always does. i'd love to start doing features again as i appreciate when you guys make my recipes so, so much. 

this was Sonny's (Hubs) serving; he likes it HOT and eats Sriracha on everythang of course,

and here's my brother's plate. chipped plates make the world go round.  man i could eat avocado on top of just about anything!!!

if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, do so and show me some #vlogger love then!  i really hope you all enjoy this healthy, wholesome meal as much as we did. mmmk, bye.

Q: spaghetti squash is pretty bland by itself...how do you spice yours up normally? #punintended 

le

Gluten-free Strawberry Shortcake Muffins + GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!

 it's monday baybaaaaay!

 i spent mine up in the gym gettin' my sweat on and preparing for a busy day ahead.

Houston Sprouts Farmers Markets are having a gigantic strawberry sale this week!!!  the 16 oz crates are 88 CENTS each right now.  all i could think of was how much homemade berry-beet applesauce i was gonna make Dego. and myself. it is SO good, y'all.

thanks for passing on the sale info, mom! <3

so i still had tons of berries left after making applesauce and wanted to bake a healthy treat.  i got a little help from Dashing Dish to create this one and it's pretty tasty! low-fat, gluten-free goodness that can be a great to-go breakfast, a snack, or definitely a dessert.  just add cool whip!

Low-Fat Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

the stuff:

• 2.5 cups Gluten-Free oat flour (i make my own using rolled oats in the Ninja Blender)
• 1 cup 0% or 2% greek yogurt (i used Fage)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Stevia for baking
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• .5 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 cups diced strawberries
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

do this:

1. set your oven to 350 degrees and coat a 24 count mini muffin pan with no stick cooking spray very well. NO LINERS NEEDED because they will stick to the muffin. #spoileralert
2. i combined everything except the strawberries in my Ninja Blender! then i folded in 1 cup of the berries afterwards into a large mixing bowl. ***if no blender or food processor, combine wet w/ wet & dry w/ dry. mix together. fold in 1 cup of the diced berries last. 
3. spoon the mixture 3/4th of the way full into each muffin slot.
4. take the 1/2 cup of berries left and top your muffin batter with the pieces.
5. OPTIONAL: mix a little granulated stevia and cinnamon in a small bowl, then dust the tops of your muffins with the sugar mixture. nice touch!
6. bake 20-25 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

--->stats per muffin: 32 calories, 1g fat, 4 carbs, 1g sugar, 2g protein<---

i tweeted about the muffins and tagged Sprouts Farmers Market and was elated to receive a reply from those guys!

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OK. GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!

i am so excited to be partnering with one of my fave companies: Arctic Zero! check out the post i did for more information on these Fit Frozen Desserts. they always satisfy my sweet tooth while sparing my waistline. LOVE!

WHO wants to experience a chunky pint flavor of their choice in all its chunky pint gloriousness?!!? i'm tryin' to hook 4 lucky Fitfoodiele readers and/or followers up with some goodies! they'll each be sent a voucher to go pick up some of this Fit Frozen Dessert free of charge from their nearest grocery store. sharing will be totally optional!  which flava would you like.....?

what are the rules?  like this post on IG, tag an Arctic Zero lover AND someone who has been wanting to try AZ in the comments and answer my blog questions below. simple!  don't have IG?  just answer the question below to qualify. if nothin' else, ya gotta do that step.  y'all know i keep it simple though. as usual, i count all entries myself, and i will select (at random) four lucky winners bright and early on Friday morning, April 3rd.

we survived another monday lol!  i wonder who Dego gets his hunger attitude from.......  :)

Q: how do you eat your strawberries? solo? in a smoothie?  over yogurt? which chunky pint flavor would you get if you won?  YouTube vid suggestions for me?

le