butter — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

we got back from Vegas monday morning at 6am and went straight to work from the plane. didn't sleep a wink on the flight or the night before. however, Chiso did get some good sleep and snoozed the entire way home, WHEW. you bet it was a long day that day.

while i attempted to catch up on rest, i neglected our empty fridge for two days! i hadn't grocery shopped on Thanksgiving eve in a really, really long time. HEB's parking lot was filled to capacity as expected, but as you see, they had every single lane open to accommodate the crowd. take note, Walmart!!!!!!!! AND, *big cheese* i happened to meet one of my readers in the store that night! i didn't want to scare her off, so i screamed on the inside :lol: shout out to Nneka from Austin! *waving*

i had just hauled my cart up to the belt when she quietly stepped behind me with her hand basket. of course i told her to go ahead of me since she only had a few things (don't you appreciate when someone does that!?) which is when she introduced herself. just goes to show how you never know who knows you or who's watching- treat others how you want to be treated at ALL times.

soooo, how was your TG 2K12?!

mine started bright and early at the crack of dark. i left Chiso and Sonny slobbering and snoring to run the annual Houston Turkey Trot 10K. i love that the free t-shirt this year is long sleeve; that's rare. i have not run long distance in forever, smh, but my cardio @ the gym definitely helps keep my endurance up.

before i hit the road, i made and devoured these babies:

coconut caramel pistachio pancakes.

i used the base recipe for my banana pancakes and added the toppings- raw unsweetened coconut flakes, chopped bananas, Walden Farms caramel sauce, and crushed pistachios.

racing fuel!

might as well call these dessert pancakes- they were off the chain.

over 12k people laced up their running shoes and showed out on Thanksgiving morning.

i was standing around and counting down to start time and noticed the people around me had on such cool colorful running shoes!

i don't like the front or the very back, but the middle serves me just fine! i was about two minutes or so from the starting line. and yes, i ran with my phone in my hand the whole time. i need a fanny pack.

finished around 50 minutes or so.

just wanted to support the cause and get some exercise... didn't care about breaking or making any PR's.

forgot to stop my watch immediately afterwards as usual, but i burned somewhere in the high 600's. which was only like half of one of my Thanksgiving plates :lol:

my heart rate really got up there! normally when i do HIIT, i top out around 176 before my HR starts to decline. when i heard a lady shout 'last mile!!!' i turned my burners on and sustained my HR above 180 until i crossed the finish line. my legs and chest were on FIRE.

post race, you can find me by the food.

they gave out some flavored vitamin water, bananas,

and chewy granola bars. chocolate chip, peanut butter, and a smores flavor.

i met up with my friend Nichola post race- she competed in Vegas for Fitness America Weekend as well! always posing;) and sorry Nichola, no donuts at the post race party LOL

by now i am almost sick to my stomach of seeing plates of Thanksgiving food on Instagram so i'm gonna chill on sharing mine. i will, however, share my 5 ingredient dump cake recipe! indulgent, um yes. so you should prolly stick to making this on holidays only.

1. canned cherries. i was über happy to see this 'no sugar added' variety of cherry pie filling, but was bummed that it was still sweetened with Splenda. womp, womp. however i got it anyway cause the original stats were just way too high. i couldn't do it. i'm a changed woman.

2. pineapple chunks. the 'skinny fruits' caught my eye like the manufacturers intended, but that big Splenda stamp ruined it again.

so, i grabbed what i always use- dole. a little higher in the calories and sugar vs. the Libby's, but it's still all natural and no sugar added.

dump the can of cherries into a pan

followed by the pineapple chunks, juice and all.

3. box of yellow cake mix. it's not pictured, and any brand will do. pour it on top of the cherries and pineapple.

4. stick of butter :shock: yeah, those are pads of butter. they melt into the yellow cake mix when baking and form something so incredibly delectable and Paula Deen approved. i mean you don't have to use the entire stick though, and you could very well substitute it with a lighter whipped butter, Earth Balance, or Smart Balance spread instead.

5. pecans. sprinkle them on top before popping the whole thing in the oven for 1 hr on 375-400 deg. no stirring required! hence the name, dump cake.

so............how many times have you admired your Thanksgiving food baby in the mirror today?

do NOT let that or food guilt completely ruin the happy, positive memories of Thanksgiving 2k12. you ate those delicious foods cause you wanted to and you've been waiting all year for them. you may have woken up with a tummy ache and the need to make a mad dash to the rr like i did this morning lol, but that's OK. like most people, i ate a lot of carbs and white sugar: pie, cake, dressing, rolls, etc, so i did cut some of my carbs today to balance my intake, but i did not cut them out. do this:

get back on track with your clean diet - do NOT starve yourself.
physical activity...asap. hit the gym for your routine as normal, or go outside for a walk, jog, or run. you'll feel a lot better, instantly.
drink plenty of water and green tea with each meal as it speeds up digestion.
let the food guilt GO.
chunk the leftovers or give them away. if the temptation is too much, stop torturing yourself and get rid of them. liquid soap to the rescuuuuuuuue :shock:

i slept in this morning but i made my way to the gym eventually for some cardio and light leg work.

20 minutes of HIIT on the stairmaster (60 rest rate / 90 work rate), legs, then 40 minutes of steady state cardio . yep, put in a little extra work to combat yesterday's feasts.

i bought some chicken drumsticks a few weeks ago cause i could not pass up the sale price, so i went ahead and made them for dinner for the weekend. we have been eating only chicken breast for........a really long dang time!!!

it's nice to eat a different part of the bird for a change. smokey chipotle paprika drumsticks.

i do hope your Thanksgiving was filled with family time, memories, lots of good food, and fellowship.

if i had ten thousand tongues, i could not thank the Lord enough!!!!!!!

no more start/stop- catching up NOW.

good monday that is almost over to you!!

this will be crazy random but just stay with me.

i hope you guys are using and being creative the IG food pics- that's definitely some of my motivation for posting.

this was lunch @ my desk last Friday:

100 calorie multi-grain english muffin, grilled chicken breast, avocado, spicy mustard, and a crispy red bell pepper. since my job is waaaaaaaaay closer to Trader Joe's than my house, i stopped by there to get a few specialty items on my lunch break that day.

more eggplant humus wish it came in a big TUB.

i can pronounce everything. that's the kind of ingredient list i like to see and the kind you should look for as often as possible. also, natural, no additives or preservatives means eat it sooner than later! won't last but a few days.

also got some sweet sugar snap peas for dipping! in the car.

i walked into TJ's with intent to restock my fig butter, but as soon as those double entrance doors parted, i walked straight up to a tower of pumpkin butter. clever is that seasonal marketing. they also had honey apple butter and i couldn't leave without it. i did leave the mango butter for next time though.

i hit up HEB, Whole Foods, and Sams this weekend to do my real shopping. i got my sample on of course,

*high five*, HEB. but zero points for presentation. steak pizzaiola, italian chicken sausage soup, and creamy potato casserole was served at one of their live sample stations. oh God, those potatoes though :shock: . i always grab a recipe card to see just what they put in those samples and they never fail to freak me out. full-fat heavy cream and cream cheese is what made those potatoes so darn good! but they were sample size sooooo i proceeded to enjoy.

i got outta there with my usual stuff plus a few specialty items.

my kitchen island stays just like this for the most part. i like to keep my produce out where i can see it cause i'll forget about it in the fridge and it's more likely to spoil. gonna go ahead and add 'personal grocery shopper' to my resume, seriously!!! i could do this every day.

i've been using the sesame Ezekiel bread for the past few weeks, so i picked up the cinnamon raisin loaf this time.

i have sweet and savory dishes in mind for this puppy.

fat-free feta and goat cheese are still two dairy cheeses i won't be giving up (will expand on that shortly), but i was inspired to try almond cheese from a fellow health and fitness IGer. i figure i love almond milk, so i'd prolly like the cheese too. uh, yeah! it melts, grates, and tastes just like dairy cheese and nutritional stats are awesome. i'm impressed and sold. gonna try some rice cheese too.

i've been a fan of Blue Diamond brand almond milk since Hungry-Girl introduced me to it a few years ago, but decided to try the Silk brand because of the lower calorie count.

it is so much more creamier than i was expecting! i may have been converted indefinitely...

I picked up some of Sonny's fav granola from Whole Foods - pumpkin flax. it's the best granola (nutrtion-wise) in the bulk aisle line up. 140 cals and 5g of sugar per serving. read your labels- granola is more like a treat/dessert as the sugar content can be super high for some of them. a few spoonfuls over some cottage cheese or yogurt or a small serving of it is just enough.

granola + almond milk = one great bed time snack. if only i could stop eating bowl after bowl.

lunch today @ my desk:

seeing red today for meal 2- grilled chicken breast, avocado, red bell pepper, tomato, spicy mustard and honey apple butter. wrapped all up in a La Tortilla Factory white-wheat soft wrap with some strawberries on the side.

i snuck in some sugar snap peas and eggplant humus too.

we had some GORGEOUS weather in Houston today!! Sonny hates the cold and is already griping about having to stop his outside runs. he still has time to take advantage though cause it will be hot again like tomorrow.

cajun crusted tilapia recipe coming up next.