happy 4th + 19 weeks

bell pepper baby status!

 1 week away from being halfway there!? man. seems like after the 1st tri passed time really took off.  i have SO much i want to get done and now that i feel like going hard again (k, not too hard!) and accomplishing some long-term goals with Fit Foodie Le, LLC that's what's on my agenda.

* HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! *

 i got up early before the house woke up to get in some cardio and yoga, but the yoga class started later than i expected, dang.  i can't walk past a dumbbell without picking it up sooooo,

[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="http://fitfoodiele.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/cake-by-the-ocean.mp4"][/video]

i did a few moves from my prenatal workout plans including this one that targets your glutes, one at a time.  it also challenges your balance, which works your core!  try it with or without a dumbbell and remember:

• keep your knee behind your toes at all times.

• sink down into the heel of the leg you're working to really activate your glute and hamstring. 

• keep a flat back during the entire move.  workout how you'd like to look. nobody wants to walk around with terrible posture, right!?  that always reminds me to fix my form. 

current 2nd tri woes:

numbness! 

most times i wake up these days, my hands, wrists, or even my entire arm(s) are numb and tingling and i have to lay there and wiggle my fingers like a mad woman until it goes away.  so annoying!  ever since Father's Day, i've felt way more fetal movement, my tummy is popping out a lil' bit more, my breasts are sore/swollen more often, and my areola have darkened.  growth spurt!  i read that the numbness has to do carpal tunnel syndrome from the swelling that compresses the nerves in my wrists.  it tends to get worse as the pregnancy progresses. great! lol.  i could probably cut back on my salt and up my water a bit more to help fight the swelling and that's what i plan to do.

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for the 4th, i baked up some lemon pepper, Weber Garlic Sriracha, and BBQ sockeye salmon,and grilled up some colossal BBQ shrimp.

 we hit up HEB after church the day before and it was a maaad house!  sample stations every couple of feet and people everywhere getting ready to party.   both the salmon and shrimp were on sale for 7 bucks and some change per lb; what a sale!

Chiso and i had a lil' too much fun on snap chat during our samples shopping trip (add us! fitfoodiele):my bump gets me extra samples, weeeeeethat ice cream concluded our sample fest!  i also grilled up some corn and lean, ranch turkey sliders with homemade guac cause Chiso requested burgers with his fireworks!  i really wanted some baked beans but by the time i finished all that i was TOAST and ready to sit down.  in addition to meal prepping for our 6 Pack USA clients and my postpartum moms, i am learning how to seriously get IN and OUT of the kitchen quicker by the day.  shortcuts are everything when it comes to meal prep! else you could spend way more time than you need in the kitchen and i don't have any to spare.  don't give up on meal prep and stay consistent. it will soon become second nature to you. our brothers and sisters came over with their kids and all the little cousins had a blast eating brownies and dodging watching fireworks. good times! 

Q:  what was the highlight of your 4th of  july?

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S !

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WE WON! Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers + The Nike + app

when this happens i'm usually in the study doing some late night blogging.  if Sonny gets home later than the boy's bed time, i do the same thing, lol.  i love having them snuggled up next to me! co-sleeping has always been our thing. they'll be going off to college tomorrow so i'm soaking them all in every chance i get.

helloooooo Nike + friends!!!

seriously, thank you guys for adding me!  i made an IG post and told people to join me on the app but  have been confined to the dang treadmill and stair master since my last long run like a week and a half ago. i know, ugh!!!  i need this accountability and motivation though and seeing people rack up their miles makes me want to get back out there too. i will!  especially since my half marathon  is quickly approaching.

 keep it up, yall! after my 7 miles and the Texans football game....we headed to get our grub on.

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how cool is this? i would LOVE to have something this eclectic and awesome for my kitchen!

this spatula art can be found on the wall by the front registers at Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers, West U location.  i won't be that person that says 'i never win ANYTHING!!!' (even though i totally said that on the periscope vid we did lol) and it's been a while but ya girl scored a JerryBuilt Homegrown Burgers gift card via their Facebook photo contest recently!

we were super excited to head there for some healthy eats after church sunday.

so we did! look at that spread!

i found JB back in August for Sonny's birthday weekend and we have been like 4 times since then and it's only October.  the kids LOVE the food and the gigantic chalk board in the front of the dining room is a great kid-friendly idea.  we frequent the West University location inside the 610 loop but there is also a location in the Woodlands, TX as well.  this time we had:

fresh fruit for Dego & i (along with some yogurt i brought from home that he is addicted to)

a nitrate-free, grass-fed beef hotdog on a multigrain bun, and.................

one of the best foods ever on earth!!!!! some creamy, mac n cheese.

instead of the Jerry's Cobb, i went with the Houston salad! spring mix, kale, baby spinach, romaine, jicama, roasted sweet corn & black beans pico, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro, and house-made croutons w/ house-made cilantro lime vinaigrette.  YAS. i got a salad to save some macros for that mac and cheese of course.

Chiso got a nitrate-free hotdog as well with a side of fries.

you'll have to scroll back up to the aerial pic to see Sonny's burger it was gone before i got a chance to get a solo shot of it, haha.  he got the Saint Arnold again and the photo i took from his birthday weekend of that same burger won us the gift card! sweet.

Chiso can't go without leaving his mark on the board.

i just want to thank JBHB for being SO generous to our family; we have enjoyed every meal we've eaten there!  i always recommend this family-friendly, healthy joint to everyone we know.  highly recommended and fitfoodiele approved.

Q: what family friendly eateries in your city do you love and recommend? 

but did you die? + dairy-free banana fudge bomb pops

the first time i saw that meme on IG... instant tears. ooooh, spinning. the class i hate to love and love to hate.  i still remember taking my very first cycle class at 24HF years ago. i was drenched in sweat from head to toe like WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.... *blank stare*.  i looked like i had just taken a dip in the pool, fully clothed.

Miko and i made it through again though!  i do believe the seat is more uncomfy the next few times after the initial time.  the 'it gets worse before it gets better.' phrase applies here.  wheeeeew, God bless spin instructors everywhere. i know you get used to it after a while but because i'm in the adjusting phase again it's definitely the discomfort talking. #seasonalcycler

  broken vajayjay.... but did you die? LOL #almost

colorful plates make my face and tummy HAPPY. i planned on baking meatballs this week but got lazy (hungry) and whipped up my lean apple-chicken  on Nature's Own Whole Wheat bread  with cheddar almond cheese instead. i still have Honey Crisp apples around from making homemade apple sauce, so i subbed one of those for the Red DelicicvVous apple my recipe calls for. i threw some steamed green beans, raw golden bell peppers w/ roasted red pepper hummus, and blackberries on the side.

 after making those chocolate coconut pb cups the other day, i got to thinking about other layered desserts and those classic banana fudge bomb pops came to mind. i used to LOVE getting them from the ice cream truck when i was a kid.  so i went for a healthier, dairy-free version!  Chiso gobbled his up, so i count it as a success!  I'd love them to be a little creamier, so i'm going to add some Skinny Tru Whip to the batters before freezing next time. make and try them with your kiddos!

Dairy-free Banana Fudge Bomb Pops

the stuff:

banana layer

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk

fudge layer

• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Mega Chunks
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk

do this:

1. blend bananas and milk in blender until smooth
2. add chocolate chips and milk to a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for 15 seconds at a time until chunks are completely melted. incorporate this together until smooth.
3. add banana layer 1 to your popsicle trays filling them only 1/3 of the way full
4. freeze for 15 minutes
5. take out of freezer and add the chocolate layer, leaving room for banana layer 2 near the top
6. freeze for 15 minutes
7. take out of freezer and fill trays to the brim with banana layer 2. insert popsicle tops/sticks and put back into freezer for at least 1 hr or more.

* running hot water over the popsicle trays first helps them to pop out easier when you're ready to eat them by the way*

 feel free to make as many layers as you'd like!  more layers = more prep time though and your little one might keep asking 'is it ready yet!?'

the boys and i finally got to hang out with and take an #usie with this amazingly sweet woman this week!  Adaeze is a long-time blog follower of mine (like she has been there from THE jump), a former 6 Pack USA client, and a newlywed (woo hoo!). it was a true pleasure chatting with her!!! she has such a genuine, gentle spirit a big beautiful smile to go with it.  i'm grateful for all her support over the years <3

Q. what exercise do you HATE doing but feel so dang unstoppable when you finish?  

le

in full swing - Fit Foodie Le Cooking Classes

hay.  i'm a little lopsided over here with blogging again yall. no surprise there :lol: !  my cooking classes are in full swing and i'm just over here trying to get into a good schedule groove again with home life and running my own business. that is still so crazy and foreign to me to speak those words!  grateful and taking it one day at a time.   i haven't even done my 3rd trimester post yet but i'm officially here and the post is on the way.  here's a quick Fit Foodie Le Cooking Class re-cap:

my hoongry boys helped me prep for Burger Night the day before my first class two weeks ago.

i had 2 bajillion things running through my mind on top of nerves the entire day and didn't even think to take pics during class.  the highlight of my evening was my dear parents driving across town to attend and support me!!!

my hubby also shifted his schedule a bit to help me set up and get ready. oh how i appreciate him for supporting my dreams.

we made grilled southwest salmon burgers using fresh salmon, the smokey spicy sweet potato fries from my e-book, and i brought along some peanut butta banana fudgy brownies for a giveaway snack.

aaaand last week, homemade pizza was made and devoured!!

i had so much fun teaching this class, let me tell you.  it's definitely interactive and hands-on and there were plenty of toppings to get creative with.  several masterpieces were made! pizza brings people together.  it's just a fun food to make and eat and happens to be one of my all time faves.  i'd love to teach another pizza class before i deliver in June, so stay tuned!

these pretty ladies did their THING in their cupcake aprons :) and promised me they would attempt to make pizza on their own at home.  the process is too easy not to and the hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise! two lucky ladies received raffles prizes that evening - a Starbucks gift card and a garlic peeler!

everybody received samples of Nature's Bakery Fig Bars!  they can be found at HEB, Sprout's Farmers Market, Walmart and come in strawberry, blueberry, lemon, peach apricot, apple cinnamon, raspberry, and mango flavors. they even have vanilla and vanilla raspberry flavors as well- cant wait to try those, yum. so many options to chose from but my fave is raspberry so far.  let me know yours!

the bars are whole wheat, cholesterol-free, dairy-free, 0% trans-fat, Kosher, non-GMO, and fitfoodiele approved ;)

next class up this tuesday is all about CRABS!!!!! hot, healthy, whole wheat, pan seared crab cakes from my e-book will be made among other things! SIGN UP HERE as i do have spots open for the moment. it's also April Fools Day, hence the 'i've got crabs and i'm sharing' class title. i hope you weren't as weirded out as my hubby after reading it :shock:

have a blessed sunday!

Fit Foodie Le Cooking Classes

HAPPY MONDAY FIT FOODIES!!!!!

i have been planning these cooking classes in my head for months and i can't wait to share these experiences with people interested in living healthier, active lifestyles by fueling themselves and their families with flavorful, homemade, wholesome food straight from their own kitchens.  sign up via the Fit Foodie Le Cooking Classes page i just put up!

*****

join me empty-handed on Tuesday evenings from 7:15 - 8:45pm at the Eagle Heights Church

(located in the heart of the Aliana Community)

16718 W Bellfort

Richmond, TX 77407-3251

and leave with your hands full! ;)

*****

current class schedule:

to RSVP your spot (only 10 foodies per class), click HERE to see your options.

looking forward to cooking with you!!

le