how do i 'balance it all'? i hope and pray for the very best and implement these 5 things! workin' on some more stuff for yall! you all ROCK for the positive feedback and vlogging topics you've shared with me thus far. THANK YOU and keep them coming! sorry so long (forreals) :-|
it's hump daaaay! and heavy leg day. and we hit the gym (wut) together .
sure we can be normal. for what?
why is wednesday referred to as hump day? i heard the reasoning years ago but Googled it anyway to reconfirm as i typed this post:
'Starting around 1965, Wednesday began being referred to as “hump day.” Smack dab in the middle of the traditional work week, arriving at Wednesday symbolizes that we've made it over the hump and the weekend is in sight.'
sounds about right! not working a traditional job since the beginning of 2013 when my IT contract ended has diminished the 'monday blues' and those feelings of always wanting to speed through the week to get to friday and the weekend. i am a WSAHM (working stay at home mom) and being here with my boys has taught me to slow the heck down and live in the now. i look forward to every single day! yeah, entrepreneur life is a scary, huge sacrifice (especially with young kids in the mix) but i would have never, ever gotten the chance to GROW as quickly and as much as i have these past 2 years in every. single. aspect. of the word. each day is a new adventure over here and i am head over heels in love with this temporary journey with my boys (Dego is 9 months already yall, DANG.) now that Sonny is no longer working a traditional job either (this is now week 4) and his schedule allows him to be with me and the boys more often, we have been taking full advantage of this blessing.
the endorphins were flowing after our workout this morning so we made quick vlog! i also included 2 clips of some of exercises we did. we focused on unilateral training (one leg at a time) for most of the exercises instead of both. why? sometimes when you train both arms or legs together, you can cheat by letting your dominant side do the brunt of the work. so, working them one at a time helps you:
[wpvideo uAAre0Ps]
here are a few things we dined on today:
i found the Ranch Tuna Creations, woo, hoo! someone mentioned this flavor on Instagram and i had never seen it until the last time i was at Walmart. i like. i didn't add a thing and ate it straight from the packet while out and about today.
i whipped up a snack using my Ninja Blender single serve thingy and Dego loooooves this combo! it's 1 heaping cup of all natural, unsweetened applesauce + 1/2 cup roasted beets (you can do frozen or fresh and even canned if you must) + 4 or 5 strawberries.
i could not stop eating it myself! tasted way better than those prepackaged flavored applesauces in stores. but you knew that already, right!
for my meals 4 and 5 i had quesadillas using La Tortilla Factory light flour tortillas. they were stuffed with spinach, onions, mushrooms, Weber Beer Can Chicken seasoned chicken breast chunks, and Lisanatti almond cheddar cheese.
i folded them in half and cooked them on my griddle for 2-3 min on each side until the cheese started to melt and the tortilla was crispy. no avocados in the house :( but this citrus pineapple Pace Picante sauce sufficed!
now i'm going to lay down, blink, and it will be time for me to get up and go teach my Barbell Strength class. GOODNIGHT!
le
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i sent Sonny off right yesterday like i try to do every morning! his 6 Pack USA lunches were packed and ready to GO. cause if they aren't i will find Popeye's and Timmy Chan's receipts in the car cup holders. hey, he's only human and so am i! which is why preparation is so important and never fails us. unless it's a major holiday, haha. seriously though, we practice what we preach. we stay ready.
i whipped up some spicy cashew chicken over steamed broccoli and he made it even spicier by adding Sriracha cause he's crazy! i used Weber all natural Kick'n Chicken seasoning blend and cooked the chicken breast chunks on high heat in my wok before adding the unsalted cashews pieces.
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these things are one of my biggest weaknesses. the food that i must grab a handful of every time i go in the kitchen. so by the end of the day i've had like 3 cups. lol. great source of good fat, but don't over do it. i get mine at my local Sprouts from the bulk bins.
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welp, we finally had a successful gym trip after two straight fails. after literally 19 minutes (both times) someone from the child center had to hunt me down because Dego was just not happy. even when i make sure he's fed and changed immediately before dropping him off, no one else can calm him like mama. when this happened the first time last week i just bit the bullet, drove home, and made that YouTube video out of frustration lol, so something good definitely came out of a 'bad' situation! Dego likes to reach for things and jump out of my arms these days, especially food and my phone as you can see. he's still immobile, but he will be scooting around the house soon enough.
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aaaagggh, sweet success and no need for plan B. smiling after a full workout and i even went over time and got a warning for being late to pick up the boys! i was having too much fun. i did my 6 Pack USA leg day routine, some arc trainer for my cardio, and i even did a FIT (Functionally Integrated Training) class. whoop! then we hit up HEB real quick to get some Quest Bars for these sweet teeth of ours.
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did i mention how much my HEB rocks!? man they always have the goodies we like. i've been hearing a ton about Quest protein powder (even though i haven't used it in years at home) and i so want to try making protein cheesecake (and everything else i see on @pbeechi's account! love her) i see all across Instagram. anyway, they got the Quest chips, protein powder, and pretty much every bar flavor available! wat. awesome sauce. when i don't eat real fruit, Quest bars are the next best thing to snack on.
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and they had coupons!
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i took advantage and got our two faves:
DCC (pictured above) (160 cals, 6g fat, 25g carbs, 16g fiber, 20g protein)
Cookies & Cream (180 cals, 7g fat, 22g carbs, 17g fiber, 21g protein)
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speaking of all natural sweets, we made ice cream using the Ninja blender sunday night! man. good thing cause i sure planned on buying an ice cream maker soon. not now! i don't have room for it anyway.
the stuff:
1 lb tropical frozen fruit (i used a bagged strawberry, mango, pineapple combo)
1 can full fat coconut milk/cream
2-3 packets granulated Stevia or 1/4 tsp liquid Stevia or 2 tbsp light agave nectar / pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
do this:
throw everything into the Ninja
blend until smooth.
open lid and throw in 2 or 3 fresh strawberries and PULSE them lightly if you want the real fruit chunks in there!
stick in freezer for at least 2 hours...for best results freeze overnight.
wait 'til you see the next flavor i'm workin' on! stick around!
A: the sweet cream at Marble Slab.... bomb.
le
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!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcEt_QypxtQ]
i made some Italian chicken in my crock pot earlier this week and feasted on it for a couple of days. easy recipe below.
the stuff:
do this:
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.
le
go time! i do believe this is the longest start line i've ever been in.
it took about 9 minutes just to get to the very front and start running! all that body heat kept us warm though.
i left my house late (unsurprisingly) and with the street closures and all ended up parking pretty far. i pretty much ran a dang 5k through downtown before the race started! i don't ever pay for parking downtown if i can avoid it; i'd rather walk and just save a few bucks. i was tempted this time though cause i didn't want to be late, but i made it, whew.
#atomicphotobomb & #selfiewhilerunning. the reason for that face is because i was contemplating that 24 min PR i set the night before!!!!
so i didn't find the white rabbit to follow but i DID find a black gorrilla. or whatever that was. i had to speed up to get this pic cause he was BOOKIN' IT.
stats were posted tonight and my official time was 26:41! i did set a PR of 24, but i'm thinking if i actually take the time to train correctly then maybe i'd actually hit it or come close smh! i love the challenge and i'm up for it.
done! grateful to cross yet another finish line. i just can't get enough of that feeling.
so Sonny has been in Nigeria all week long for work and was supposed to touch down in Houston at 5am this morning. however, his flight was canceled and he had to hop on the next available one. i sure would have loved to see him at the finish line, but i did find two of my gorgeous Sorors there, Ayesha and Crystal. they are both doing the full marathon tomorrow; run hard ladies and good luck!!.
last shot before heading to catch the tail end of the boot camp class i teach with Brian every saturday.
adding to my medal and t-shirt collection!
after boot camp? a leg workout with my trainer, @showtimefitness of course!
'what seems impossible today will one day become your warmup.' yes. i remember running my very first 5k a few years ago and not moving or lifting a finger afterwards for like 3 days straight! i was crazy tired & super sore and could have easily said 'screw running'and never did another race again. one of the hardest decisions we face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder. well, i chose the latter! how do you get better at something? DO IT MORE! no earthly idea how many 5 and 10ks (1 half mar) i've done since then but because i refused to quit, consistency had me up in the gym post-5k yesterday beasting through an intense full body workout with my trainer @showtimefitness. and you better believe there's a full marathon on my to-do list! just keep going. don't quit. consistency is key.
i actually love being trained as much as i love to instruct the trainings with my own clients! Brian is awesome at what he does and i always learn more than a handful of things from him.
then... i headed to Luby's for dinner to celebrate. i can ALWAYS count on a great, tasty, healthy meal from there. i don't care that the population is 80% senior-citizen per my husband! i have so many childhood memories from Luby's. it was a sunday, after church staple for my family growing up. anyway i got the salmon, steamed cabbage, seasoned carrots, pickled beets & cucumbers, and......
yes. THE BEST EVER. if you don't like mac n cheese we cannot be friends!!!!!!!! i earned it and i enjoyed every single bite.
le
fit foodie le is committed to living a healthy lifestyle and showing you how to do the same. see just how great your body is designed to feel through physical activity and eating well. we are obsessed with dairy-free recipes and taking care of yourself, inside and out.
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