no beastmode + avocado crema dip

concerning the game....

WHAT?!

i'll just keep it classy and congratulate the Pats.  moving on......

being at home to raise my boys has been one of the biggest blessings in my entire life. i am so thankful.  the only time i really hear crying from Dego is when he's uncomfortable (needs to be changed, hungry, the usual). other than that, he's showing that gummy smile off and cackling at Chiso! i thought Chiso smiled a lot but Dego takes the cake in that department.  Chiso is now a threenager. even on our most difficult, trying, exhausting days, the Lord reminds me how hard i prayed and cried for these boys.  that thought alone makes whatever i'm upset or irritated about (toddler temper tantrum, spilled food, disobedience, etc.) just not that big a deal anymore.  i actually dropped a big bowl of pancake batter and it splattered EVERYWHERE recently. everywhere. the ceiling, walls waaaaay across the room, under tables... just a gigantic mess. albeit my fault, instead of getting angry i stared at the chaos on my floor and laughed (not a crazed, hysterical, witch-like laugh or anything lol) then Chiso chimed right in with me.  i cleaned it all up with a smile.

these guys constantly remind me to stop sweating and stressing the small stuff. we just don't have time. or the energy, most days.

 so before the big game started i went outside to get a 1 hour walk/jog/run thing on!  that's all i had planned to do, but i saw new fit mom Ashley Horner on IG outside doing 300 walking lunges with her 12 day old new-born strapped to her chest and that motivated THE heck outta me.  so i did 300 walking lunges too before heading back home to...

mr. P.J.!

i'm finding it harder and harder to post these kinds of pics to IG because i don't want to discourage our 6 Pack USA clients as they work towards their own fitness goals.  i do maintain my current body fat % using my own personalized plan, but i also indulge in moderation as i am able to easily compensate via my diet and/or exercise for those indulgences to keep me where i want to be. so there! yes, i had a few slices of pizza on game day and i was back on track with no guilt or worries the next day.

my brother and sister-in-law came over to watch the game with us so i made a few snacks including this one i'd love to share with ya:

Avocado Crema Dip 

the stuff: (source)

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 - 6 oz container 0% greek yogurt
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• cracked black pepper & sea salt to taste

do this:

1. add all ingredients to your blender or food processor
2. blend until super-duper creamy (keep scraping down the sides if using a blender)
3. get scoop happy! you can dip anything you want, but i chose plantain chips and the bell peppers.

switching to the 8oz baby bottles for parties / get-togethers was a great move.  one of my pet peeves is walking around picking up half-finished water bottles at the end of a party!!!! never again. that dip in the center of the veggie plate is just Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix + 0% greek yogurt. my mom gave me that idea but used to use sour cream. so yummy!!! it really brings veggies to life.

love this stuff!! my Sprouts Farmers Market usually has a great variety of flavors too; there are so many to choose from.  we recently tried the Cheddar Caramel Mix and gave it two thumbs way up.  if you're gonna sneak snacks into the movie theater, bring this stuff!

did you watch the big game? where?

le

grocery finds

i know variety is important, but my breakfast just ain't right without my oats (either in a bowl with toppings or in my pancakes).  i NEED them. i'm still finding new ways to eat them every single day.

 i made saturday morning's bowl of oats with Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a few drops of vanilla creme stevia, lots of cinnamon, half a banana, some chocolate pb2, and some unsweetened coconut flakes.

and my daily egg omelette of course topped with fresh cilantro and pineapple salsa.

  i did about 30 min of fat burning cardio on the elliptical + an upperbody weight workout and high tailed it outta there. we had a few birthday parties to attend as well as grocery shopping to get done, the usual!

 i'm doing a fitness challenge via IG (Instagram) right now (@fight_for_healthy).  my goal is to add more definition to my body overall, especially in my abs.  also, i plan to eat as clean as possible for the month of october.  but these birthday parties though... :shock:  expecting big changes next month just in time for the Thanksgiving holidays. oh boy.

for meal 2, i cracked open some canned salmon (fresh is too high right now @ HEB)  and put some on a 3-seed La Tortilla Factory soft wrap along with some fresh cilantro, rice cheese, avocado, tomato, smokehouse maple seasoning, spicy mustard, and some fig butter. i  microwaved it til the cheese melted and devoured it. two of them.

in the car on the way to the party, i had meal 3 which was a salmon sandwich on raisin Ezekiel bread with the same toppings.

after running around chasing this boy the whole darn time, let's just say i'm so grateful to be in good shape!  trouble finding workout motivation?  keep your babies (or future babies) in mind.  thank me later.  i see why those child leash thingies were invented!!!

i see to it that Chiso eats nutritious, healthy stuff all day long, so of course he (we) can partake in party food every now and then.  didn't i just say i was in the middle of an october fitness challenge lol? come on,  it's not a party without cake.  i split a piece with my boo and we had a blast partying with family.  and it was the non-dairy whipped topping, not the super, duper sweet sugary kind ;)  just go with it.

 after the par-tay, i guilted Sonny into going grocery shopping with us since the HEB i frequent was nearby.

in addition to my normal goodies, i got some other cool items i'm so excited about trying!!

quark. i learned about quark through a few Aussie IGers.  i had been looking for this stuff for weeks- not all HEB's sell it and few people even know what it is.  it's comparable to greek yogurt as far as taste.  nutritional stats? not so much.  not a lotta protein per serving, but very low cal, fat, carbs, and an awesome 0 grams of sugar.  ever notice just how much sugar your greek yogurt contains?  yep, even the plain varieties.

not too shabby.  non-fat ricotta cheese is another alternative to add to your fresh fruit instead of cottage cheese or yogurt.

next,

one of my guilt-free treats.  i make a two scoop sundae with vanilla maple flavored Artic Zero (150 cals per PINT)  with some soy whip. and sprinkles.  recently, Artic Zero underwent some scrutiny for incorrect nutritional stats and ingredients on their labels.  they ended up adding milk to their ingredient list (for some reason it still doesn't bloat me like real ice cream though) which upset a good amount of their consumers.  seriously... even if the stats were off a bit, come on.  can you eat a freakin entire pint of ANY of the other brands for less than 150 cals, total?  it's not that biga deal my goodness. :roll:  i'm still a fan and will continue to be! i also drizzle some healthy chocolate sauce (will share recipe soon) on top and it's an incredible, low cal, carb, guilt-free, bowl of yumminess.

i can dig it!   a little expensive for the size of the bottle though.

i taste tested it solo, and it tastes exactly like reg. ketchup. no funny after taste or any of that.  but it wasn't enough.

so i baked some Ore-ida fast food fries. it passed.

ok...i had to share this as i've been asked a few times what my cheat snacks are...and this is one.  sweet and salty chex mix.  it's even good in a bowl of almond milk!!!!  we passed by a big shelf of it and as i talked myself into not even looking in that direction, Sonny picked up the biggest bag they had and threw it in our buggy.  and i let him.   

ok focus!!! back to the good stuff that's good for you and to you.  we got plenty of fresh fruits and veggies as they are at the top of my list, every time.  strawberries, blackberries, bananas, grapefruit, apples, roma tomatoes, zucchini, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and avocados this trip.

ooooh Ezekiel... i love your bread and now i must try your cereal.  with my silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk of course. match made in heaven.

and the award for the cutest bag of popcorn ever goes to Angie's.  it definitely got my attention! sure i'm a stove popcorn popping advocate, but as healthy and fun as this bag looked, i just had to try this kettlecorn.

even vegan.  impressive.

what else can you do with an old nike box? use it to hold all your snacks. ghetto? prolly. effective. ya.  i like to keep things out where i can see them.

try a new item on your next grocery shopping trip!

le