chicken PB2 pad thai + TJ's trip

let's pretend today is yesterday, ok? ok.

i made pb chicken pad thai for an Instagram challenge last night for dinner.  IG can be so addictive! i've been seeing a number of 'i need to get away from technology and focus on my life and the plan God has for me....etc.' posts lately from some of the health and fitness peeps i follow.  it's admirable, long as it's not a publicity stunt or anything.  it takes a LOT to step away from technology for a few hours, days, or even weeks nowadays.  anyway, i get it.  what is IG to you though anyway? a 'likes' contest? are you secretly competing with someone? a business opportunity?  marketing tool? searching for who can flex the hardest?  seeing what celebs are up to? seeing who can make their plate of food the prettiest? finding who can wear the least amount of clothes? lmbo (not really).  i said all that to say it's cool to be inspired and build off of what you see in your feed, but stay true to YOURSELF.  after all, it's your account.  it's tough to be original once your mind has been tainted with what everybody else is doing.   on top of all that, IG can be a huuuuge distraction, like facebook.  sometimes you gotta put the phone down,  log off your computer and just live.....  technology-free.

*inhale....exhale*

so i adapted this from my own PB2 Shrimp Pad Thai recipe, but i used chicken breasts and fettucine miracle noodles instead of kelp.

aaaand i added a yellow bell pepper along with the red.  everything else is the same.

ooooh these noodles are simply amazing and went PERFECT with this dish i tell you, perfect.  my relationship with kelp is officially OVER, thanks to my affair with miracle noodles. *chunks deuce*

eye-popping color and freshness goin' on up in that pot!

letting the flavors marry for the last few minutes...

and bam! plated up! no cashews....i used pistachios and it was an even exchange.  ok, the pistachios really was the last thing i altered, whoops.

yummay &  healthay.

i worked the leggies at the gym this morning! how do i get my calves to pop?  4 x 25 of calve raises in between leg press sets.

flexin' in btw squat sets.

afterwards, my Stank Tank and i had lunch in the Life Cafe that started out with some Snikiddy grilled cheese puffs.

we're fans of Snikiddy all natural snacks-  they sell the huuuuge bags in sams and costco, fyi.

i ordered half a cheese pizza with whole wheat crust 2% mozzarella for Chiso (yes more cheeeeese),

and a turkey avocado sammich on Udi's gluten-free whole grain bread for moi.  this was my first time having Udi's bread and i liked it cause it was thick and actually kinda sweet, like challah bread or even a coarse pound cake!  however, like Ezekiel, the slices are kinda small, and the price is kinda big. Natures Own and Sara Lee have the regular size bread and for less cals and price.

nevertheless, both halves were gone in about 2 minutes.

the weather was GORGEOUS, so we took to the courtyard for a little bit to play.  funny, i remember bringing Chi out here and all he could do was crawl and watch the other kids play and jump over him.  yeah, i had a moment.

 our next stop- Trader Joe's Houston numero TWO!!!! i took this pic from the car so i wouldn't seem like an, i don't know...TJ's stan?

 they said it was coming...and it's here.  crunchy cookie butter. *shakes first*

i walked down this aisle for f...o...r...e...v...e..r.  TJ's  literally has chocolate covered everything you can think of.  some of THE oddest combos just go together.

i didn't do too bad- walked away with only a handful of items i don't need, like these. cinnamon sugar (15 cals per tsp) and sugar chocolate coffee bean (calorie-free) 'sprinkles' or dust, or whatever you wanna call it.

first victim - PB2 topped whole wheat toast.

so...how are yours coming along?

  whether short-term or long, sow your seeds NOW and as often as possible, and knock'em out one by one.  happy to be sharing some of mine very soon!

le

Commitment Day

have you heard about this day yet?!

i KNOW you have if you're a Lifetime Athletic member :) howeverrrr,

you DON'T have to be a member to participate!!!!!

300,000+ runners

30+ cities

one 5K race

1.1.2013

COMMITMENT DAY!!!! 

'it's not a resolution....but a revolution of you.'

January 1st is headed our way and the 'new year, new me' Facebook statuses have begun :shock:.  here come last year's fitness resolutions and promises to exercise more and eat better.  mmmm hmmm, yeah, ok.

let's try a different approach this year.  how about a commitment?

a commitment to a healthy or healthier way of life for you, your kiddos, your husbands, your wives, your parents, your siblings, and your friends.  'you'll feel good, and inspire someone else to make a positive change.'

watch this -----> http://www.commitmentday.com/ <-----watch this

 my passion and fire for health and fitness relates directly to the Commitment Day message; i am THRILLED to be apart of this great event.

SO, who'll be reppin' for Houston with me!?  

and if you don't live in H-town, what city WILL you be reppin' then?

P.S. use referral code CCH0051 when you sign up so I'll know to look for you out there!

dark chocolate pumpkin spice fudge brownies

crazy good 5:30 am workout this fine tuesday morning!  got through 1 hour of Total Conditioning,  a Lifetime Athletic signature formatted class.  almost 700 cals burned!  i set aside some time every monday to sit down and write out exercises for my class.  i have always sucked at making up stuff on the spot- that never goes great for me.  like i could never be given a mic and asked to 'say a few words' at an event... omg.  i'd totally pee on myself.  however if  i'm to speak about health, fitness, or FOOD, i'd be straight!!

i'm no longer unbeweavable.  i know sew-ins are supposed to last way longer than one month lol, but that's all i could take.  i definitely sweat out my perm this morning and i'll be smelling it for the next few days.   aaaaand so will anybody on the elliptical to the left and right of me :lol:

after  my class, i did a quick upper body circuit cause i didn't get to finish my workout from last night. i did:

bench press 4 x 10

machine curls 4 x 12

machine tricep extensions 4 x 12

machine pull ups 4 x 10

pushups 4 x 10

cable flyes 3  x 12

with moderate - heavy weight.   didn't do abs cause i do them at the end of my class.

breakfast was my banana-cinnamon oats and spinach egg white omelette as usual. dinner last night though.....

i was imagining making and eating this while on the elliptical, not even kidding.  could not get home fast enough.

grilled chicken BBQ pizza.

i used mc. cormick BBQ seasoned grilled chicken, Trader Joe's organic pizza sauce, roma tomatoes, shredded rice cheese, and fresh cilantro on an oatmeal/egg white pizza crust.  i made two out of one serving and killed them both immediately.

are you stocked up on canned pumpkin through the winter? lol.  i have way too many cans of it in my pantry right now.  i bought so many at once though cause there was a shortage last year.  i use canned pumpkin all year round though, and pumpkin pie is my fave next to key lime.   pure pumpkin is low-fat, low sugar, low carb, and has plenty of fiber.  great for sweet and savory dishes, just like sweet potatoes.

i cannot wait until Chiso can participate more with me in the kitchen!  i have so many fun cooking projects planned.  for now, he's my studio audience and listens to all my cooking demos.  yeah right, he only sticks around if i give him snacks.

my little hamburglar munching on strawberry magic pop, his fave. this week.

Sonny requested brownies, so i made some with canned pumpkin. who the heck knows who created this recipe first, but i got it from Hungry Girl a couple years back.  it's just 1 can pure pumpkin mixed with 1 box of  brownie mix.  no oil, eggs, or butter.  i added a few thangs though.

dark chocolate pumpkin spice fudge brownies

the stuff:

• 1 box fudge brownies (your fave brand)
• 1 can Libby's pure pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

i cut 15 servings outta my loaves.

do this:

set oven to 350 and mix everything together in a big bowl until smooth.  no lumps or dry spots.  cooking times vary..but since the batter is thicker than normal, take it out after baking it for the required time according to the kind of pan you use and do the toothpick test.

 

 hey, the stats are still waaaay lower than the normal box recipe.

made two loaves instead of using a rectangle or square pan- one with chocolate chips, and one without. which was stupid cause all our visitors ate the one with chips.

and that's why!  i microwaved a piece for a few seconds until the chocolate melted a little, then topped it with some vegan whipped topping (found at HEB in the vegan/produce department).

YUM-MAY.

what are you gonna be for Halloween this year?

le