my most used kitchen appliance + healthy, quick, flavorful, FRESH brussels sprouts

pancaaaaaakes! this recipe is older than Chiso but it's a quick, healthy, goodie. dump the following into your blender. everythang!

• 1/2 cup oat bran or oatmeal
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk
• dash sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

 Chiso (4 yrs) usually asks for homemade pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal for breakfast.  i have been throwing everything on my griddle usual! it's my staple appliance cause it's just so easy and convenient.  plus the price tag was SO worth it. our previous griddle seriously lasted like 10 + years, no lie.  that's using it at least 5 times per week too!  get you one.  30 bucks!

last week was Red Ribbon Week and the kids got to wear different things on different days to preschool.  this guy could not WAIT for thursday cause it was pajama day!! he was the only one with pajama shorts as we walked up to school, lol. we sent this pic straight to Granny.

immediately after school, it's lunch time. kids are just like adults; if they go a few hours without eating, attitudes and tantrums pop right on up. so once home, you guessed it, i whipped my grill right back out and threw some Applegate organic uncured turkey hotdogs on there with some Nature's Own whole wheat buns.   i add some shredded colby jack to Chiso's and he is good to go.

i got in a workout while Chi was at school and i stopped by Sprouts Farmers Market before heading to pick him up.  fresh brussels sprouts are on sale this week so that prompted me to finally put some in my cart. i have never cooked fresh sprouts before yall, only frozen! i have definitely been missing out.....

do you see that beautiful green!? gorgeous!  i washed the sprouts, halved them first, then chopped up one yellow onion and diced a handful of turkey pepperoni. next, i coated my pan in olive oil spray,  then threw everything into my cast iron skillet on medium high heat and let it sauté for about 12-15 minutes. didn't have turkey bacon but the pepperoni was the next best thing IMO. i added a squirt of coconut aminos, cracked black pepper, and BOOM. quick, healthy, and flavorful.

 i'm stickin' with fresh from now on. #sold

apparently balsamic vinaigrette is the key ingredient to tasty brussels sprouts!  i got several facebook and IG comments about adding a bit to my  sauté next time. duly noted! can't wait to try!  also a bit of honey is an option as well.

the sprouts paired perfectly with our wild chipotle paprika salmon, also on sale at Sprouts this week. i baked a 2 lb fillet for 14 minutes on 450 degrees, fyi.don't be all talk and no action!  get on your grind and handle your business. actions will always speak louder than words, fit friends.

Q: how do you cook your sprouts?  what else can i throw in my skillet with them that you've tried (and love)?

this post contains affiliate links. you will not pay more when buying a product through my link. however, ordering via my link helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff!!! thank you in advance for your support.

Dego's mini 1st birthday party + Applegate Grilling Kit -- who wants one!?

you know that symbol when you see it.

it means you are in the vicinity of some healthy, organic, and all natural goodness!

thanks to Applegate we enjoyed these healthy hot dogs for Dego's first birthday lunch.  i had zero faith Chiso (the 4 yr old picky eater)  would even take a bite of anything in that box but boy did he surprise us!

my lil' helper was so excited to unpack the goodies.

what's in there? only the best of the best components needed to build a BOMB, healthy hot dog:

• Sir Kensington's all natural yellow mustard & classic ketchup
• 
• Applegate all natural, grass-fed, uncured beef hot dogs
• 
• Vermont Bread Company Potato Hot Dog Buns
• 
• napkins
• meat thermometer
• cooler
• 'you grill girl' apron
• 
• oven mit
• the cutest Apple gate buttons <3

it rained cats & dogs outside that afternoon so my grill pan was perfect.

yeah.... i don't think i'll ever be boiling our hot dogs in water ever again.  soooo much more flava this way.

stats per dog: 70 cals, 6g fat, 6g protein, 330mg sodium

ingredients: beef, water, and less than 2% of sea salt, paprika, dehydrated onion, spices (black pepper, coriander, mace, nutmeg), nutmeg oil, and celery powder. all recognizable stuff, right!

do you toast your buns? YOU GOTTA TOAST YOUR BUNS. spending just a little extra time on the minor details really makes an ordinary meal extraordinary!  i added a little Earth Balance Buttery Spread before toasting.

per Chiso's request, we had an indoor picnic in the middle of the living room floor.

i walked out to the front porch to snag some thunderstorm lighting before we started though.

 

2% colby jack cheese, green onions, mustard, ketchup went on top of my dog!

so, Chiso ate 2 dogs all by himself! it's like pulling teeth to get him to taste ANYTHING new... so this was big.

next, CAKE!  on the way home from the gym that morning i stopped by Whole Foods Market to pick up a mini cake for Dego and ended up with two! did Dego like it? check out our birthday song video below and see ;)

[wpvideo WwobLKxl]

happy 1st birthday, big boy! this day was Dego's actual birthday, but we had another small, family party that following saturday. so, who wants their very own Applegate grilling kit while the summer is in full swing!?

COMMENT & SHARE this post below and enter the drawing by answering the following question:

Q: WHERE is/was your dream family vacation?

i'll be picking a random winner this friday, July 10th. go!

le

The Egwuatus

happy sunday funday!

IMG_20150109_143043-1

today was a rest day for me so i stayed indoors looking somewhat like this. i bust out laughing every time i look at this pic! give me a pair of fuzzy socks and i'd be set.  an IG follower commented on how her 13 month old would still find her way inside to breastfeed. LOL.

i threw a whole bunch of stuff in my egg whites this morning to make #weggs (waffle iron eggs) and made a huge, delicious mess instead.  no-stick cooking spray wasn't enough to save me cause i loaded that thing ridiculously full!  there's cheddar almond cheese, Applegate organic chicken & apple sausage cilantro, tomatoes, golden bell peppers, liquid aminos, and black pepper in there.  low sugar ketchup on the side!  i also had some oat bran with kiwi and unsweetened coconut flakes.

IMG_20150111_114434

 so in addition to it being frosty outside today, it was also raining in my hood at that. staying in was definitely alright with me. i somehow snuck away for a bit to finally break out that Enfusia bath bomb i received in my goodie bag from my WFM Post Oak tour!

20150109_114821_1

the first thing that came to mind when i saw this pic i snapped was 'Calgon, take me away!'.  aaaaand now i'm showing my age.

CYMERA_20150111_123634

it was like a Sesame Street Fizzy Tub Color Tablet on steroids. the lemon grass aroma filled my bathroom and turned the water a subtle lime green color.  nothing like a steaming, hot bath on a nippy, winter day.

IMG_20150111_155110

i got some blogging done (obvi) and i even updated a new page for baby stuff!! i appreciate the Instagram baby food feed back, man!  i wanted to get all my old baby food posts and fit preggo info in general together in one place for you guys and i do hope this serves as a huge resource. i'm also working on that baby food e-book as well! aaand i'm redoing the other pages on my site too, so bear with me.

 my fave IG caption for this pic:

'mama imma let you finish, but first i gotta take this selfie.' HILARIOUS.

we received so many beautiful Christmas cards in the mail from our friends this season.

CYMERA_20150111_230556

gosh, it just seems like we all graduated yesterday! crazy.  well, The Egwuatus didn't get it together in time for Christmas pics (again) this year but we are right on time for New Year's, ha.  so here we are!

IMG_20150109_185409

whadaya think?!  Christin is a beast and this a sneak peek from last month's photo shoot!!! my dress is from H & M and i found the stilettos at Aldo during black friday madness for like 50% off. they are definitely the highest pair i own and they keep Sonny on his tippy toes lol.  the boy's fits are from H & M too,  and Chiso's kicks are from Old Navy.  they were THE last pair on the shelf and matched our color theme perfectly!  Sonny doesn't care for H & M (half the stuff doesn't fit his athletic build anyway) so he headed on over to Express for his threads.

Qs: what's your favorite rest day relaxation technique?

 do you send out family holiday cards?

what else would you like to see in the Preggo Powerrr section???

stay warm over there,

le

The Egwuatus

happy sunday funday!

IMG_20150109_143043-1

today was a rest day for me so i stayed indoors looking somewhat like this. i bust out laughing every time i look at this pic! give me a pair of fuzzy socks and i'd be set.  an IG follower commented on how her 13 month old would still find her way inside to breastfeed. LOL.

i threw a whole bunch of stuff in my egg whites this morning to make #weggs (waffle iron eggs) and made a huge, delicious mess instead.  no-stick cooking spray wasn't enough to save me cause i loaded that thing ridiculously full!  there's cheddar almond cheese, Applegate organic chicken & apple sausage cilantro, tomatoes, golden bell peppers, liquid aminos, and black pepper in there.  low sugar ketchup on the side!  i also had some oat bran with kiwi and unsweetened coconut flakes.

IMG_20150111_114434

 so in addition to it being frosty outside today, it was also raining in my hood at that. staying in was definitely alright with me. i somehow snuck away for a bit to finally break out that Enfusia bath bomb i received in my goodie bag from my WFM Post Oak tour!

20150109_114821_1

the first thing that came to mind when i saw this pic i snapped was 'Calgon, take me away!'.  aaaaand now i'm showing my age.

CYMERA_20150111_123634

it was like a Sesame Street Fizzy Tub Color Tablet on steroids. the lemon grass aroma filled my bathroom and turned the water a subtle lime green color.  nothing like a steaming, hot bath on a nippy, winter day.

IMG_20150111_155110

i got some blogging done (obvi) and i even updated a new page for baby stuff!! i appreciate the Instagram baby food feed back, man!  i wanted to get all my old baby food posts and fit preggo info in general together in one place for you guys and i do hope this serves as a huge resource. i'm also working on that baby food e-book as well! aaand i'm redoing the other pages on my site too, so bear with me.

 my fave IG caption for this pic:

'mama imma let you finish, but first i gotta take this selfie.' HILARIOUS.

we received so many beautiful Christmas cards in the mail from our friends this season.

CYMERA_20150111_230556

gosh, it just seems like we all graduated yesterday! crazy.  well, The Egwuatus didn't get it together in time for Christmas pics (again) this year but we are right on time for New Year's, ha.  so here we are!

IMG_20150109_185409

whadaya think?!  Christin is a beast and this a sneak peek from last month's photo shoot!!! my dress is from H & M and i found the stilettos at Aldo during black friday madness for like 50% off. they are definitely the highest pair i own and they keep Sonny on his tippy toes lol.  the boy's fits are from H & M too,  and Chiso's kicks are from Old Navy.  they were THE last pair on the shelf and matched our color theme perfectly!  Sonny doesn't care for H & M (half the stuff doesn't fit his athletic build anyway) so he headed on over to Express for his threads.

Qs: what's your favorite rest day relaxation technique?

 do you send out family holiday cards?

what else would you like to see in the Preggo Powerrr section???

stay warm over there,

le

cinnamon pears + hot body or hot wings?

baby Dego wakes up so happy!  his mood is crazy contagious and always reminds me of this quote:

'Children are happy because they don't have a file in their minds called, 'Everything That Could Go Wrong.'

well i do and it's FULL and needs to be deleted. lol.

  he started clapping (or trying to) a few days ago and has not stopped since.

well this happens every weekend, right on schedule.

decisions, decisions! i start craving those weekend foods... pizza, french fries, subway cookies, etc.  i guess that's where my passion for making healthier versions of classic comfort foods came from though.  i want to satisfy that craving (more often) without sacrificing my health or gym progress.  fair enough!?  i'm so glad we have tons of healthier alternatives to work with and swap out these days! anyway,  i have been having some stiffness in my neck, so i hit the gym for cardio only and stretching for my saturday workout.  will be taking it easy so i can hit it hard again on tuesday for my HIIT class.

i stopped by Sprouts after the gym and picked up some protein: 99% lean ground chicken breast and Applegate organic chicken and apple sausage for breakfast next week.  i cracked open the sausage as soon as i got home though and had a filling post-workout meal of whole wheat toast, egg white/veggie/sausage scramble,  and kiwi (low sugar ketchup & cheddar almond cheese on the side). delish!!!!

oh, i got some pears too!  they were next in line to try for Dego's homemade baby food.  i just diced up 1 anjou pear, threw it in a small sauce pan with 2 tbsp water and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, covered it, and cooked it on med-low until tender.  after less than 10 min, i poured it all into my Ninja and pureed the mixture until it was super smooth.  pears = thumbs up!

then, we turned UP!!!!

 with letter puzzles on the floor,

Food Network mag, and i killed the last of that coconut Arctic Zero pint with some fat-free cool whip and sprinkles on top. party, party! hope you had a relaxing saturday yourself!! after your workout of course ;)

Q: have you tried the Applegate Turkey or Good Morning bacon yet!?

what's your fave Applegate product?

le