Oven Roasted Plantains + Church Fit

oven-roasted.jpg
2016-03-03 23.48.35-01
2016-03-03 23.48.35-01

the weather has been phenomenal aaaaaall weekend long in h-town!  today was no different. our breakfast before church: high-protein, buttermilk pancakes, dairy-free coco whip, zero-calorie pancake syrup, and fresh berries.  my almost 5-year-old still asks for pancakes almost every single morning.

Facetune-20160306-97693300
Facetune-20160306-97693300

{top : H&M} | {jeans : H&M} | {wedges : Forever 21} | {bag : LV}

look ma, no gym clothes! i've been trying to get jazzy on the weekends after being in workout clothes, well, any other day of the week.  when i spruce things up on the outside, it does wonders for me on the inside too.  however, my toes aren't done and haven't been in months. thanks, blur tool.  yes, i did. the wedges were too cute to crop out. lol   

!function(doc,s,id){ var e, p; if(!doc.getElementById(id)) { e = doc.createElement(s); e.id = id; p = '//shopsensewidget.shopstyle.com/widget-script.js'; var cb = new Date().getTime(); p += '?cb=' + cb; e.src = p; doc.body.appendChild(e); } if(typeof window.ss_shopsense === 'object'){ if(doc.readyState === 'complete'){ window.ss_shopsense.init(); } } }(document, 'script', 'shopsensewidget-script');

Facetune-201603061067845183
Facetune-201603061067845183

 "

me: make me laugh

Sonny: sorry, i only know how to make you mad

snapseed-01
snapseed-01

hey, whatever it takes to get the job done, Instagram Husband ;) anyway, this top is the epitome of comfort. i have one in several colors cause  it always makes me feel so modelesque when i throw it on!

 {top : H&M} | {jeans : H&M} | {wedges : Forever 21} | {bag : LV}

is it spring yet?! LOVE coral anything, especially workout tops. H&M has plenty of affordable, cute fitness fashions that i'll be sharing soon too!

i've been pan-frying our plantain in coconut oil for the past few years, but i wanted to try baking or broiling them instead. so i did! Sonny says i tried this a while back but it really must have been that long ago cause i do not remember attempting this.  here goes nothin'!

2016-03-06 03.38.13-01
2016-03-06 03.38.13-01
2016-03-06 03.43.58-01
2016-03-06 03.43.58-01

perfect! when i bring them home from the store and they aren't ready yet, i put them inside a brown paper bag and in solitary confinement under my kitchen sink so they can ripen quicker.   browns spots are a very good thing. i sliced them diagonally and threw them into a mixing bowl along with:

  • few dash of cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp melted coconut 
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (can use coconut sugar) 
  • dash of sea salt
2016-03-06 03.46.37-01
2016-03-06 03.46.37-01
2016-03-06 04.28.06-01
2016-03-06 04.28.06-01
2016-03-06 05.12.37-01-1
2016-03-06 05.12.37-01-1
2016-03-06 05.16.11-01
2016-03-06 05.16.11-01
2016-03-06 05.17.10-01
2016-03-06 05.17.10-01
20160306_155401-1-01
20160306_155401-1-01

and mixed them all around.  then, i coated my pan with foil and coconut cooking oil spray, then placed them evenly across the pan.400 degrees.  12 minutes on one side.  12 minutes on the other. done.  Sonny agrees that they still have the same texture as they do when they are deep-fried. i likes that.my food though!!! OMG, y'all, this was crazy good!  i threw it in a bowl with some already baked chicken breast chunks, avocado chunks, refried organic black beans, and some sautéed turnip greens.  a little bit of everything on your fork at once... heaven.  sweet, salty, spicy. (that's sriracha on the chicken but you already knew that)just know i took my sweet, sweet time with this bowl of goodness. these are kind of a big deal! snack smart this week; i tried my best not to go overboard on these bad boys today. yum.

  "Make it Last by Making it First" was Pastor Mike's message this morning.  i always appreciate this reminder!  cause marriage is hard. making it last is even harder....  but completely, 100% worth the fight and the effort.  with kids in the mix, you've really gotta be serious and focused about getting in some alone time together often, and try your absolutely hardest not flake on each other.  spend not just kid-free time together, but TECHNOLOGY-FREE time at that.  it's true, you really can have a crazy awesome time with your spouse and the WWW not know about it. as a new-found snap chat addict (add me, fitfoodiele) i stand by that statement 100% ;) 

new week, fit friends, let's goooooo!

http___signatures.mylivesignature.com_54493_267_38EEDA794ECC9B61FC9DE0E61757D91B
http___signatures.mylivesignature.com_54493_267_38EEDA794ECC9B61FC9DE0E61757D91B

Thursday Threads

PSX_20160225_160303-e1456439466461.jpg

today's weather was as poppin' as my pants!  

PSX_20160225_155430

 this is only my umpteenth pair of Lululemon crops. can't get enough.  i wore black on black on black workout clothes for the longest.  now, i live for COLOR!  . PSX_20160225_160303so about this top... it's under 6 bucks!

it was just too gorgeous to stay indoors in Houston today.

PSX_20160225_160546i struggle soooo hard to give the camera sexy/serious,

PSX_20160225_160638

so i get nervous and laugh.  smiling just comes natural and requires waaaay less effort!

shades: Ray-Ban

top: H & M (6 bucks)

crops: Lululemon (on sale!)

sneaks: Nike (fave shoes...EVER) 

HR watch: Polar


 

i hope you're ready for tomorrow's #FastFoodFridayFix recipe!  it's a pretty popular dish you'll definitely want to make and share with your fit friends.  here are a few more you might have missed:

SWEET

2

Carpe

check the IG hashtag often or just subscribe to my bloggy blog waaaay up at the top of your screen!

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S 

subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Periscope (fitfoodiele).

http___signatures.mylivesignature.com_54493_267_38EEDA794ECC9B61FC9DE0E61757D91B 

Run Chi Run! The Green 6.2

20150411_092510-01-111.jpg

Screenshot_2015-04-10-13-59-02-1 i heard reports that it was supposed to rain like 100% all weekend, but luckily it did NOT!

i went into the boy's room around 545 am to give Dego a nursing session so he'd be good for a few hours.  afterwards, i attempted to wake Chiso up and of course he was super groggy and wondered why i was interrupting his precious sleep cause clearly it was not time to get up!  'mama what are you doing?  go back to bed, it's still night time.'

IMG_20150411_072348

we eventually made it downstairs for breakfast to fuel up.  i had two slices of whole wheat toast with PB2 and all natural strawberry preserves, and a tall, hot mug of 1/2 caff.  Chiso requested waffles and turkey sausage and killed his plate. he was so excited at that point and ready to GO!

20150411_203629-01-1

i couldn't get my life together and completely forgot about packet pickup last week! so, we got our bibs once we got there.  here's my race day fit that i set out the night before.  i brought my Old Faithfuls (seasoned Nike Free Runs) to wear just in case it rained cause uuhhhhh, #DoWhatYouDoButWatchMyShoesMotherNature

20150408_162405_1-1

these babies have been getting a ton of love and i understand why!  we got them from the Nike Outlet on my birthday this past Tuesday.  they are FlyKnit 4.0 Nike Free Runs.  i should shave soon.

PhotoGrid_1428798022749isn't this the coolest sweater!? when i first saw it on the hanger in H & M i was like ok..... are you hot? are you cold?  what? pick one!!! but this morning's weather was perfect for it.  i even went back and copped it in mint; it's so Springy!  this was the last black one on the rack and it was a small..but i had to have it.  Dego was fussy while i was taking these so i paused to scoop him up. at least we matched!

sweater: H & M

tank: Nike

crops: Nike (NIke Outlet)

shoes: Nike Free Runs 4.0 FlyKnit (Nike Outlet)

20150411_074554-01

lets do thissss! my 10k was up first, so Chi waited patiently with his uncle until i was done.

20150411_084321-01i'm guessing i finished around 54 minutes or so, but under 1 hour was my goal!  my race sorta went like this:

mile 1: feelin' good, pumped, light on my feet, music jammin'

mile 2: feelin' great and still passing people left and right

mile 3: this is stupid

mile 4: why did i sign up for this? this song sucks

mile 5: the faster i run the faster i finish *scrolls to Chandelier by Sia for motivation*

mile 6: time to pick up the pace!!!!!!!

20150411_085035-1

'is it my turn to run yet mommy?!?!?'

20150411_085356-1

yep, right after mama gets these post-race snacks. i've never heard of Level Bars but i got one of every flavor to try, some Kind Bars, a banana, some wata, and

20150411_090706-1

some scrumptious muffins from Corner Bakery Cafe.

20150411_091209-1

 then we headed back to the start line to tackle the 1k.

Screenshot_2015-04-11-09-59-22-1

and we're off!

Chiso kept saying, "Iron Man Super Sonic Speeeeeed!" and shooting both his arms back behind him while we ran, LMBO.

Screenshot_2015-04-11-11-34-39-1-01

boys are so fun and funny.  you can see him doing it in the video below. press play!

 [wpvideo GcB2B5xs]

IMG_20150411_102613

 framing this one. so proud of this little boy for finishing strong and earning his medal.

20150411_092510-01-1

20150411_104651-1

 i couldn't even get outta the parking lot good before he was out like a light.

20150411_160215-1

i finally got a chance to take a good look at this year's finisher shirt once we got home!  virutal goody bags were done this year too. 20150411_225626-01

and now i'm finishing up this post and splitting this tasty Level bar with Sonny.  have you tried them?

happy weekend!

le

take care + toffee chip roasted banana ice cream

img_20150129_2104171.jpg

<<rewind<<

to last wednesday.

CYMERA_20150131_002349

missed my super early cycle class but i still made it to the gym with enough time to get it in on my own that day. i have been putting my best foot forward about hitting the gym super early every single day as opposed to only when i teach my classes.   my body just operates better in the early morning.  as the day goes on, my desire to workout decreases dramatically.  i was able to record a HIIT & abs video i will be uploading to my YouTube channel for ya asap!

20150128_084700_1 i came back home and had one of those breakfasts i could eat every day: whole wheat toast, eggs, avocado, and fruit. i wonder how many pics i have of this plate on my blog already, jeez.  i fueled up so i could head right back out though; i had a hot date planned!

ok, the boys came with me.  ok, it was actually a playdate, haha.  we loaded up the truck and went to spend some time with my BM (baby mama), Marguerite.

callie

she had this beauty, Callie, back in August '14 so Dego was in great company!

20150128_102847_1

i even brought my meals with me so i could stay on track for the day: seasoned chicken breast chunks, sautéed kale, and roasted sweet potato. nothin' fancy!

CYMERA_20150128_171115-1

transforming is fun...and needed.  since leaving the IT industry 2 years ago, i normally only 'dress up' and do something with myself for church and special occasions/events. other than that, i'm in gym clothes and sneakers.  running errands with the boys... ha. i get home from the gym, get them ready, and head right back out most days.  so, i have become accustom to looking a hot mess often.  and i'm ok with it. until i see somebody i know!!! anyway, it's fun to get girly and put more effort into my appearance.  just a little goal of mine that was set at the start of this year along with taking better care of my hair. moms often take care of everybody else and end up with a lack of time for themselves!  make no mistake though; taking time for yourself doesn't mean you must spend hours in the mirror. it means taking and making (15, 20, 30 min or so) every single day to do something for YOU, mentally, emotionally, and physically with NO GUILT. pick a few from this list:

  • reading your bible, praying, and meditating. every day.
  • working out...especially the sauna or steam room to clear your mind
  • learn how to say no, then do it
  • get a pedicure
  • read a little bit of a GOOD book every day
  • take a class (cooking, pottery, painting, YOGA!!!!, etc)
  • a long bubble bath soak
  • watch the sunrise, solo
  • a quiet, daily walk
  • dance without music
  • sleep in
  • go get some fro-yo
  • lay down in the middle of the grass and look up at the sky
  • a kid-less trip to the store
  • schedule a monthly massage
  • catch up with friends via a real phone conversation or meet for lunch
  • pause, breathe, inhale, exhale, repeat.

i sure do feel better when i'm put together (hair combed, dressed, face made) and looking my best.  my top and bottoms are from H & M! i exchanged the heels for flats before i left though. comfort over style ova heeeere! things have changed.


my Ninja blender is the BOMB!  what a useful, blessing this Christmas gift is.  the next flavor i whipped up was Toffee Chip Roasted Banana Ice Cream but the roasting part is actually optional. tastes fantabulous either way.

IMG_20150129_161340

 above was the soft-serve stage and i wanted to devour the entire bowl right then!!! readyyyyy?

CYMERA_20150130_233104

Toffee Chip Roasted Banana Ice Cream

the stuff:

  • 3 frozen bananas
  • 1 cup coconut cream (i get mine canned from Sprouts Farmers Market)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup toffee pieces

do this:

  1. if roasting, do this step the day before or 2-3 hours prior: place bananas in baking dish, drizzle with vanilla, bake for 40-45 min on 375 degrees.  toss them halfway through baking.  transfer bananas to a freezer safe container and freeze 2 hours minimum or overnight for best results. jump down to #3, add your coconut cream, and continue.
  2. if not roasting, add frozen bananas to your Ninja along with the coconut cream and vanilla.
  3. blend until smooth. it will eventually get super-duper creamy, don't worry! just keep scraping the sides down and blending.
  4. dump creamy soft-serve into your bowl and add mix-ins (chocolate chips, toffee, optional nuts, etc.)
  5. eat a few spoonfuls!!!!
  6. stir it just a few times to incorporate the mix-ins then put it back in the freezer.
  7. after 2 hours or so, it's all yours.

IMG_20150129_210417the sauce is melted down diary-free chocolate chips.  some walnuts would actually set this off but i didn't have any.  if you do, throw'em  in!

what does your 'me' time consist of?

pedicures and bubble baths keep me sane.

le