happy BUMP day + be grateful

this girl right heeeere!  my client, Sarita, is knocking on that 3rd trimester door HARD, and still putting it down in the gym both with me and on her own.

aaaaaand, she has fully committed to a vegan diet for her last trimester as well.  it can be done and she's doing it!

for fit pregnancy / postpartum training inquires, please email me here:

le@fitfoodiele.com

i opened two gifts this morning. my eyes! by starting each day with a grateful heart you are able to find COUNTLESS blessings from God in this seemingly mundane everyday life.  i look for and find them daily.

headphones: Pink Beats

top: Active Faith

crops: Lululemon

sneaks: Nike Roshe Run High in tarp green (2013) 

i got these sneaks while i was preggo with Dego (20 months) and they are still fierce! a lot of you think the same! they are great for lifting cause they are nice and flat on the bottom and provide great ankle support. 

reason number 444882390029289982 as to why i love group fitness right here.  when my class is in the midst of an exercise and the music is blasting and the endorphins are flowing, i sometimes just stop and look across the room and take it all in. it's one of the best feelings ever. 

they just want to move! i am so inspired by this group of educators! we get down in the library every single week. they show up to every session not by force, but because they desire to live and be healthier.  effort is everything.

bwahahahaha! this tickled me to tears and still does.  when mama forgets to bring her snacks while she's out, mama get's a lil' cranky.

happy hump day, ffs!

Dego's Dedication Day + Chocolate Chick Cookie Pie

baby Dego was dedicated to the Lord recently!  Sonny and i both desire to raise these boys up His way.... that is our daily prayer.  though our parenting styles differ in some ways one thing is clear; we both love our boys deeply and have their best interests at heart.  always.  we want them to both have their own personal relationship with our Savior and we can illustrate that best by setting the example.

our niece, Camille, was also dedicated that same day!  so sunday was pretty busy.  i didn't get to meal prep like i planned,

but i did get a quick workout in that morning before coming home to cook dinner for the family we had coming over.

fresh trout is on sale at HEB this week, so i seasoned a 2 lb. fillet with one of my fave spices! i can only find Adams Reserve at HEB, and the Smokey Sweet Potato is BOMB.  450 degree oven, 12-15 minutes or until cooked through. depends on the size of the fillet though.  just pierce the thickest part with a fork to check and make sure it's done.

on the side, i made a fresh spinach salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing!

whisk together:

• 2 tbsp raw honey (or 2 tbsp granulate stevia packets)

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (or white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 tsp poppy seeds (i get mine from the bulk spice aisle at Sprouts Farmers Market)

i added crumbled goat cheese, cucumber, and avocado on top.

toss and coat!

my dad is a bean eater so i had to include them on the menu.

for dessert? deep dish cookie pie. again!

man. i have made this dessert like 6 or seven times in the past few weeks.  this has become the kind of recipe i don't even need to read anymore; it's all in my head.  and it's SO good!  and deceiving!  

Chocolate Chick Cookie Pie

the stuff:

• 1 -15 oz can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats or oatbran

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 heaping tbps unsweetened applesauce

• dash salt (maybe 1/4 tsp)

• 1.5 tbs melted coconut oil

• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar or coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips

do this:

1. throw everything except the chocolate chips into your blender/food processor and let it rip until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved.

2. in a mixing bowl, add the batter + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and combine really good

3. pour into prepared baking pan, spread batter evenly across, sprinkle on a few more chocolate chips on top, then bake for 35-40 min.

the chocolate drizzle is just melted down dairy-free chocolate chips mixed with a little unsweetened cashew milk ;)

i plopped two spoonfuls of Arctic Zero's A Lil' Bit Chippy ice cream on toppa there. had to!

we thank our friends and family for celebrating Dego's dedication with us.  it's a REALLY big deal and we treated it like one.

up on the jumbotrons!

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our homework was to write a letter to Dego as if he were 18 years old.  man, each family that went up had beautifully written, heartfelt letters for their children!  it was incredible to witness. sure we wanted to write a novel (ok, i did) but Sonny kept ours short and sweet.

what is this, a natural hair convention? LMBO

my mom, brother, and sis-in-law came up to pray over Dego with us.

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Dego was pretty excited for his big day.

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i was looking through my closet for something to wear that morning and came across my baby shower dress!  last time i wore this thing we were two weeks away from meeting Dego.  sure it was a lil' baggy, but it was perfect for the occasion.

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congrats to baby Camille and baby Dego; God's will was certainly done.

le

all things PREGGO fitness classes!

welp, it happened!  right there in that very room.  my very first prenatal class went down this past saturday!  i slowly circled that room a handful of times while saying a prayer of thanks to God before the ladies began to arrive.  this feels GOOD.  this feels right. i don't know why the sight of a preggo woman working out makes me smile uncontrollably but it just does.  i remember what physical activity and healthy eating did for both my pregnancies and i want other mamas-to-be to experience those same benefits throughout their pregnancy journey, labor & delivery, and postpartum recovery.  there are still so many misconceptions and old wives tales about prenatal fitness that just won't go away!  my purpose is to prove how safe and beneficial prenatal fitness is for mom and baby.

before i headed out to teach, i took a pic of my new tank i couldn't wait to wear!

don't you love it?! 'because you know i'm all about the BUMP.' ha! this will be available on my blog for purchase very soon, along with this one:

one lucky mama-to-be won the 'Lifting for TWO' tank which is totally my fave.  taking pre-orders NOW!  email me at le@fitfoodiele.com if you'd like to rock one or know a Preggo Patty who would wear it proudly!

friday evening, Chiso and i had a blast picking out some healthy snacks for the class courtesy of Sprouts Farmers Market Katy.  what a true HONOR!  grocery shopping is a passion/hobby of mine (i know, i'm the envy of all my friends lol) so i was beyond grateful for their sponsorship, assistance, and helpfulness.  i blog about SFM often, so partnering up with them was a dream come true.

as we wrapped up our trip, we stopped through the bulk aisle to get some gummy bears.  keeping tradition ;)

what snack did we chose in addition to water & fresh fruit? Bobo's Oat Bars!  i was sold as soon as i saw them!  one, because my childhood nickname was Bobo, and two, they are portable, filling, and when you don't have time to cook a pot of oatmeal on the stove, this bar is the perfect swap.

they are all 170-190 cals, 6-8g fat, 9-10g sugar, 27g carbs, 3g protein, 3g fiber. no artificial ANYTHING and are made with non-GMO, natural & organic ingredients.  there are gluten-free options and over 10 flavors available!  Coconut's got the top spot IMO but i've only had those 4 flavors up there so far.  have you tried these?

i also took plenty of h2o. gotta stay hydrated. (preggo or not)all set up and ready to rock!  while you may already be taking vitamin supplements, it's important to remember that getting the vitamins you need from fresh foods is always a better idea.

 her hubby came in right by her side, holding her bag and everything. i had to get a picture; they were so cute!

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 this is a TRUE clip, right? hahaha!  thanks to my bro Brian for catching a few seconds of class before he had to run next door and teach his saturday boot campers.  if you want more, come check this out for yourself! new music, new moves, new snacks, every saturday.

 i thank these ladies sincerely for coming and having some sweaty FUN with me and look forward to seeing those bellies grow!

here's a question that was asked during Q & A that i'll share with you:

Q: can we still work abs while pregnant?

A: YES.  it's an important time to do so and it will definitely help you in the delivery room.  you just need to adjust the way you work them.  you can still work your core without ever doing a traditional ab exercise (e.g. crunches).  planks are a preggo woman's best friend! check out and try the plank variations i did in this post.

if you are not local to Houston but would still like to make your pregnancy as fit as possible like my client Dominique up there, email me for your very own pre/postnatal meal/workout plan!  doesn't matter how far along you are nor how many months/years postpartum you are.

 le@fitfoodiele.com

if you are local, come see me! postpartum moms just getting back into the workout game are welcome too!

i'll leave you with this monday motivational scripture from Psalms 37:5: commit your future to the Lord!  trust in Him and he will act on his behalf.

le 

'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times..'

thursday.... was pretty epic.

wednesday? HA. easily one of the most frustrating days of my life.  i felt the same level of anger when i attempted to release my e-cookbook for the first time in the summer of 2013. error after error and issue after issue went on for weeks.  i was pretty distraught and defeated about the whole thing. luckily, wednesday's drama only lasted about 24 hours.  thank. God.  i'm in the process of building my YouTube channel and i struuuuuggled for hours on end from sun up to sun down that day trying to create and upload my very first vid.  just one dang 2 min video!!!  i even took my frustration out on Chiso and we all know that's a big no-no.  #mommyguilt = terrible. well, i can gratefully say the struggle wasn't in vain.  i can't teach a class on it or anything lol but i now know enough about editing software to get things poppin'.  practice makes PROGRESS, not perfect.  i appreciate that struggle today....but wednesday?  i did NOT want to hear that. which brings me to this reminder: life is filled with problems. expect them! they are all trials which test our faith.  anyone can have faith in God during fair weather, sure. the true test of our faith is how we respond when it's raining cats and dogs. i get quiet, angry, frustrated, and i struggle and suffer alone or just nag the heck out of Sonny 'til the issue is fixed.  i'm a work in progress in that department.  i'm thankful for friends who keep me grounded when i just want to scream my face off though.  it's like God puts me on their hearts/minds and they call or text at the perfect time. never fails. so when you're in the valley, remember this verse and keep your head UP:

 Psalms 30:5 '...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'

now, He didn't say which morning, but He said that joy would come and it's impossible for Him to fail or break a promise.

i woke up early thursday morning to go teach Barbell Strength class and still hadn't figured out how to fix my vid at that point but i was determined to SMILE and have a better day and claimed the victory!  i subbed a class that night for another instructor and when i tell you it was one of the best TCX (Total Conditioning Extreme) classes i have ever taught... man. such an indescribable feeling.  they gave me a standing ovation!  ok they were already standing LMBO but that abrupt applause at the end of class made my heart so full.  when i got home that night i got my video up successfully.  man!  from one of the roughest days to one of the best days. that's just the roller coaster called Life. buckle up.

 soooooo, *drum roll* check us out in our first video, Tank Top Arms, and SUBSCRIBE to my channel!

Fitfoodie Le.

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i made some Italian chicken in my crock pot earlier this week and feasted on it for a couple of days. easy recipe below.

easy Italian crock pot chicken

the stuff:

• 4 chicken breasts (boneless or bone-in, your call. just make sure they fit)
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

do this:

1. everybody in the pool! chicken first, seasonings second.
2. turn pot on low and cook for 6 hours. *white meat cooks fast and can get super dry; test the breast with your fork during the 5-6 hr mark.)

 i've always been on the fence about vlogging cause 1.) i often look a mess and 2.) vlogging is waaaay more personal than blogging IMO, but creating this video was so much fun, even the editing part!! you'll definitely be seeing more vids (recipes, workouts, mom stuff) from us!  suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

so, what would you like to see on my channel? 

share some of your favorite YouTube channels below!

le