dairy-free deliciousness: Mexican Mess Dip

after what has seemed like 2 straight weeks of rainy, gloomy days in houston, this is my friday the 13th mood:

so our iMac's hard drive started doing weird things last week and Sonny immediately took it to the Apple store.  i have been using that 27 inch beast of a screen to blog since we got it 2 years ago and i kinda couldn't function without it this past week! seriously. blogging from anywhere else is just not the same. translation: i am terribly behind. but that ain't nothin' new.

Dego has been taking 2 naps per day and the first one usually starts at 11am without fail.  the second one is tricky though!  he'll wake up around 1ish, but then he doesn't get sleepy again til 7. one would hope that he would just sleep through the rest of the night at that point, but no, he takes another 'nap' and wakes up again at 9. so then i'm ready to hit the sack around 10 and he is WIDE. AWAKE. and wants to play. soooo i've been trying to put him down around 5ish to prevent this so we can all go to bed at the same time. not going so well yet lol.  but consistency will take care of that in the coming days. that said, i only got about 4 hours of sleep before i had to get up and teach Barbell Strength thursday morning! but i made it. my lazy selfie proves it.

one of the moms brought a layered mexican dip type dish to small group this week that i could not get off my mind! after i left, i was officially on a mission to create a dairy-free mexican dip kinda deal so i stopped by Wally World (aka walmart) to get some avocados.  gotta have avo. then i came across this new (well, new to me) Weber seasoning blend in the spice isle: Garlic Sriracha!!!!

so i made some homemade Garlic Sriracha Guac, naturally!

• 4 ripe avocados
• juice of half a large lemon
• 1 heaping tbsp Weber Garlic Sriracha seasoning blend
• 1 tsp sea salt (optional) *i actually added this by habit before i added the Weber seasoning. not sure i needed it.*

then, i got a little surprise visit from... my brother!  he is back from working overseas in Afghanistan again for a lil' bit! so i made him a homemade meal and deemed him my guinea pig for the garlic sriracha. i chopped up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and threw them into my hot wok with the seasoning...and that's it!  once the chunks were almost done, i added some red and orange mini peppers and sautéed them for about 2 min.  i paired that with steamed brown rice, the Garlic Sriracha Guac, and some shredded monterey jack cheese. he was one happy home-sick guy.

then this happened. it all came together perfectly.

Mexican Mess Dip (cold or hot)

the stuff:

• 1 cup organic vegetarian refried back beans (mine are HEB organic brand)
• 1 cup Tofutti dairy-free cream cheese spread
• 1 cup Garlic Sriracha Guac (see above)
• 1 cup chopped grape tomatoes OR your fave salsa
• 2 cups cheese diary-free cheese of choice (mozzarella, cheddar, jalapeño jack), shredded
• 1 cup black olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped

do this:

1. i made one hot (rectangle pan) and one cold (mixing bowl) dip.
2. layer away! starting from the bottom add your beans and smooth each layer flat using the back of your spoon or a spatula.
3. next, add cream cheese, then guacamole, then salsa/tomatoes, shredded cheese, olives, green onion.
4. if eating cold, you are done!  if hot (which is what we preferred) bake in the oven on 400 degrees until the cheese is melty, bout 10-15 min.
5. 

for the homemade chips, i used La Tortilla Factory low carb, high fiber light flour tortillas.  cut them into 8's, coat them with no-stick cooking spray and place them flat on a large, foiled baking pan.  bake for 5-6 minutes tops!!! they burn easily so keep an eye on them. k?

then i hit the gym for round two! taught a double yesterday, which is why i'm forcing myself to rest today. and eat more chips and dip.

an IGer pointed out that Lisanatti almond cheese is lactose free, but not dairy-free and she's exactly right.  Daiya is another popular dairy-cheese brand you could use for this dip though, which is available at Sprouts Farmer's Market and also Whole Foods Market.

Q: do you prefer hot or cold dips?

*reminderrrrr*

bootcamp is tomorroooooow!  also, prenatal classes will be available beginning in APRIL guys!! if you're interested or know a Preggo Patty who might be, send her my way. email me: le@fitfoodiele.com. even if you are unable to workout, meal plans are available as well.  here's to healthy, fit pregnancies!

le

boy: a noise with dirt on it

a mommy-friend of mine invited the boys and i to toddler story time at a local library recently.  actually, she invited us weeks ago but i finally got it together enough on my end so that we could attend. it was a morning event so i got up super-duper early just to ensure we'd make it. a lil late, but we made it.  i feel like i have to start getting everybody ready like 3 hours before we have to be somewhere, seriously.  and when we are rarely making good time, Chiso suddenly has to go go to the restroom as i am loading up the car or Dego throws up on us.  never fails!  but hey, we made it AND we even got a nice breakfast in!

i had egg whites with black pepper, mozzarella almond cheese, a little homemade guacamole, low-fat turkey sausage, and french toast with strawberries!  big breakfast to support my activity levels these days which includes hitting the weights again, nursing around the clock, and keeping up with my 3 yr old. among other things.

Chiso has requested pancakes for like 2 weeks straight now. maybe even longer than that.  so made him some sprinkled with mini chocolate chips, sugar-free syrup, and a little fat-free Redi Whip.

our boys warmed right on up to each other and enjoyed the crafting, songs, and puppet show.

 Maranda is a mom of 3 boys herself so i know she feels my pain can relate to life with these little knuckleheads!

 our first official outing together.  we did it!! we're pros now. i actually avoided leaving the house with both boys for the longest...but the saying is true. 'ain't nothin' to it but to do it.' after that? piece of cake! for the most part. thinking, i.e. worrying, about every single thing that could go wrong is no way to live. i've learned to be prepared, prayerful, and cautious, not crazy.  Chiso's independence could not have come at a better time though. for him to be able to get in and out of the car himself, clean up his toys and messes, retrieve and/or throw away Dego's diapers, and turn on the bathroom light so i don't have to get up lol helps out big time. sigh...no more baby Chiso!

just another one of those bittersweet mommy moments.

well all that fun didn't result in a nap at our house, but Chiso enjoyed himself and has asked to go back countless times now. Maranda is a pro at finding free & fun stuff to do around our city, and i recently came across Houston on the Cheap with even more ideas galore.  check it!

i got to bed way too late so my early gym date was definitely out this morning. i hit the streets for some sprints once Sonny got home instead. i haven't run full speed in almost a year and i'm sure i'll pay for it tomorrow and the next day!  i did ladders:

i started slow and only went 'down' the ladder from 5 to 1.  that was all i had, woof.  also, here are two foodie items being adding back into my diet that i've posted about before: almond cheese (gotta cut down on the dairy cause of bloating) and calorie-free Grey Poupon mild & creamy mustard. i got great feedback via Instagram about Daiya vegan cheese so i'm gonna step out and try that brand next.

Q: what have you tripped over that wasn't even worth tripping over once you did it?

le