artic zero — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

well, it's here. the new year is underway.... i'm just happy and grateful to be here. soon as i opened my eyes today i made a Facebook status that said 'if you woke up this morning, you were SUPPOSED TO!! thank God! now, go and be YOU.' i'm excited and so ready to live His purpose for my life. it's time!

the day after Christmas, i had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. thanks to my driver and brother Matt for this hot photo. what a day! i was knocked out and didn't feel a thing, but the 3rd day was definitely the worst as the swelling was at its peak. howeverrrr, it's all over and done with now FOR GOOD!

6 days later i'm still healing and struggling to chew and it sucks. i can only do so on one side for now, and i'm not supposed to eat any crackers, chips, popcorn- anything that crumbles and can get stuck in those crevices back there. this foodie is ready to EAT. so while my family gets to eat Papa Johns :shock:, i'm on baby food status. how i've been surviving:

oh and let's not forget i couldn't exercise! no food = no energy = no activity = boo. this entire pint of Arctic Zero came in handy.

however for breakfast, i cooked my oats as normal with vanilla creme stevia and unsweetened vanilla almond milk, then i sliced up a banana and threw it in the blender with them. this pic translates to how i felt that morning :lol: BLAH

before bed one night, i whipped out some cottage cheese to get some protein in. i made some of my healthy chocolate sauce and drizzled some on top along with a dash of cinnamon.

aaaand for dinner, i got fancy and made some roasted squash and onion soup. i roasted the veggies in the oven until soft, tender, and charred, then threw them in the blender along with some low sodium vegetable broth, nutritional yeast flakes, black pepper, liquid aminos, sweet smokey paprika, and sprinkled some goat cheese on top.

i was trying to make a balanced meal in a glass and this actually turned out ok! fruit, greens, healthy fats, and carbs.

i'm outta protein powder, but a scoop of vanilla would have been perfect!

i ate it with a spoon though, no straws allowed yet.

no gym for 4 straight days and i felt like a weak, wet, limp noodle. lost a couple of pounds of both fat and muscle for sure. this is why i LOOOOVE my complex carbs combined with hitting the weights (oatmeal, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, etc) - without them i'm flat and squishy.

sunday was my first day back in the gym and i made some green eggs for real! liquified frozen spinach + egg whites then scramble! shredded a little almond cheese on'em that melted on top.

got a nice welcome back 700+ calorie burn in my boxing shoes which happen to be perfect for weight lifting.

definitely getting a few pairs of these in more crazy colors!

i hope you enjoyed your new years eve WHATEVER you did last night!! Chiso surprisingly checked out at 9:30... SCORE. i know! soooo Sonny and i enjoyed a quiet evening at home and popped open a bottle of the good stuff - sparkling welches red grape juice cocktail. we had a quiet, intimate toast to end a great year and welcome an even better one!

this morning was the Commitment Day 5k- did you get up and go run in your city?

it rained. it was windy. it was cold.

but that didn't stop these people from coming out in their raincoats, hats, and umbrellas! it was still a fair turnout and i was honored to participate.

i ran with my sister-friend Shabakka; she showed up and showed out! we had just finished up.

i saw a few familiar faces along the way though and i was definitely looking for some! i'd like to give a huge CONGRATS and shout out to one of my readers and fam, Ivy!!! you did it! way to start 2013 STRONG.

you know i wore my watch. couldn't tell ya what my time was though...let's say around 24 min or so.

that's my holiday wrap up! i'll leave you with one of the quotes i'm really feelin':

'don't tell people your dreams, show them.'

here's to a fit & clean 2013! (thx Dami;)

how it starts....

how it ends.

i got the baby basket on purpose but i stuffed it full like i knew i would. going in and coming out with one thing is a complete joke. there is always something else we need!! or want.

the journey to clean(er) eating starts in the grocery store. remember these tips when you go shopping:

MORE fresh fruits and vegetables

LESS processed foods (low to no)

lean proteins - chicken breasts, ground turkey, seafood, beef,

healthy fats - avocados, mixed nuts, olive/coconut oil, natural peanut butter

whole grains/fibrous carbs - oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, whole wheat pasta, high fiber cereal

on Sunday's trip, i got everything on my list plus a few more items:

oh and Ezekiel sprouted grain sesame bread. left it off the list, oops. aaaand i did get a few indulgent items for Sonny for winning his show this past weekend... i know you see them :shock: oreos, gummy bears, and cookies n cream ice cream.

i have always wondered why pumpking pie spice is so freakin high!!! this 1.12 oz jar is like 4.99. for no reason. this is what i've always bought. i was on my way to get some magic pop when i passed a table of seasonings and saw a big bucket of this:

what! now 4.99 a POUND is more like it!! i grabbed a couple bags. man i love finding great deals.

yesterday, i applied that same 'squeeze the muscle with every rep' technique to my upper body workout and man did it give me a good muscle pump. try it!!

one of my fave exercises (i'm sure my class members HATE them by now lololol) are W presses with dumbbells. make a W with your arms (similar to my pose above) holding a heavy dumbbell in each hand. move both arms up / out simultaneously without going higher than your head with the weights. then, retract them back in towards your head. keep your elbows in front of your body. makes for great shoulder/collar bone/back definition! the racerback style is my absolute fave to wear, regarding my tops, and this exercises targets that area nicely.

dinner that night was a baked sweet potato stuffed with seasoned chicken breast chunks, green onion, and topped with fromage blanc. french cheese! i also had a side of steamed zucchini.

yum.

i found the fromage blanc at Whole Foods while looking for the quark that they didn't have. the cheese lady told me that fromage blanc was the closest thing to it. i picked it up and read the stats,

and they were even better than the quark! heck that's better than sour cream and greek yogurt! greek yogurt does have a ton of protein, but it also has sugar too. anyway, awesome find. HEB has it also.

today...cardio, legs, and stretching.

i could not WAIT to get home to dinner to make me a sandwich. that was all i could think about.

i made a big pan of baked chicken breasts this morning, so all i had to do was cut it up and put my sammich together. i seasoned each breast with something different (bbq, lemon pepper, garlic and herb, smokehouse maple, and montreal steak seasoning) and some dried parsley. 350 degrees for 1 hr.

finally! seasoned chicken breast, avocado, tomato, almond cheese and Trader Joe's pumpkin butter all on toasted Ezekiel sprouted grain sesame bread. i also had half a sliced apple and some Justin's maple almond butter for dipping.