canned pumpkin — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

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waaaaaaaaaah! i was looking SO forward to running in the Komen Pink and Treat 5k this past weekend but the rain and flooding in and around the houston area saturday morning said, 'HA. no.' safety first, i know.

nevertheless,

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BOOM!

we made eeeeet! because of the selfless donations from my friends and family, we were able to reach our fundraising goal of 150.00 in just a few days!!! i am honored to be able to gift another woman with a mammogram so that she can stay abreast of what's going on in her body, pun intended! i could not have done this without the help of these wonderful people:

Christina Lyons

Shanna

Carlena Harris

Michelle Atanu

Nathan Atanu

Ijeoma Ikechi

thank you, thank you, thank you.

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i was so ready, yall!! had all my stuff out the night before like i usually do before a race. Sonny found my Polar watch a few days ago (YAY) in a corner of our bedroom that Dego likes to play in. can't believe we didn't look over there sooner. it had been missing for like 2 months.

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16 month update: *waving* hellooooo separation anxiety! actually i'm waving goodbye cause it seems to be on its way out these days. hopefully. he knows when i leave a room, enter a room, come home, etc, etc, and let's whomever is watch him know mommy is in the building. temper tantrums are beginning to come on out, and teething is on/off which makes him extremely clingy. when i take something from his little hand he isn't supposed to have, he drops to the floor and screams his little face off for a few minutes! hmph. Chiso prepped me real good for that though, so i've been expecting it. we have awesome days, and we have those tough, draining, restless days but hey, it's all apart of this motherhood deal!

'(24/7). once you sign on to be a mother, that's the only shift they offer.'

-Jody Picoult

when i look over at him sleeping innocently in the most adorable pose in the universe....my heart immediately turns to complete mush. bananas. mashed potatoes. green peas. applesauce. mush. my spirit is renewed, my heart is softened, and my attitude is adjusted. thank God for His grace and new mercies every single day.

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i had to cancel my postpartum clients, my preggo fitness class, and i couldn't even go do my own thing and run out side. rain, rain, RAIN. everywhere. sooo i did something i haven't done on saturday morning in years. i got right back in the bed with my boys and we all slept till noon! we were extra hoongry when we woke up though so i made pancakes.

i carmelized some bananas on my griddle and served them with Carey's sugar-free syrup, So Delicious #dairyfree Coco Whip, and some roasted, unsalted walnuts.

on halloween night, we headed over to my sis-in-laws to let the kids play, hang out, and eat a ton of pizza! i waited so last-minute to make a dish so i needed something crazy quick. this was the first easy, pinterest recipe i could find- 'dirt cake' w/ worms! this recipe is older than dirt but it was fun and just what i needed.

i combined an Immaculate Baking Company Scratch Chocolate Cake + 1 can of pure pumpkin and baked it as normal. cooking times vary so keep an eye on your cake(s)! using the pumpkin instead of the oil and eggs cuts down on the fat & calories, and adds a ton of fiber and moisture. also, you can totally use brownies instead! let it cool then crumble it all up. that part was so fun!

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portion out some single serving cups and spoon a heaping serving of cake crumbles in the bottom. use your creativity here! some people add chocolate pudding, cream cheese, cool whip, etc... i melted some semi-sweet chocolate and mixed it with lite cool whip. i spooned some over the cake and added mini chocolate chips and a sour gummy worm.

i topped that with more cake crumbles and another gummy worm. that's it! so many options to play with here though! hope you had a fun, safe, halloween, fit friends!

Q: WHAT were you for halloween this year!?

when clothes and/or shoe shopping, brand name matters because that signifies quality. the same goes for grocery shopping. however, some items taste the same all across the board from generic to top shelf. oatmeal is one of those items. from Quaker to Great Value to the bulk bins at HEB and WF, an oat is an oat to me.

i eat oatmeal for breakfast often for reasons i'll explain below. here's how i make mine.

err' day oats

the stuff:

1 cup water
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 packet all natural stevia
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp real vanilla extract

do this:

as soon as the water and milk begin to boil, add in the oats and vanilla.

turn the heat down as low as it will go, put the top on your pot, and set your timer for 10 min.

since i have to blend everything for my son these days, i have grown to love eating my oatmeal this way and will prolly continue to do so! i put the stevia and cinnamon into the blender, then add the entire pot of slightly cooled oats.

i blend away until creamy, about 30 seconds.

here's where you can get creative. try adding peanut butter, nutella, canned pumpkin, maple syrup, nuts, fruit etc,. i have added prunes before (yeah, we stay regular in this house)- however, you should cook them in with the oats so that they can soften a little first. i've also skipped the stevia and added a banana for sweetness instead. or, you could just top it with some fresh fruit of your choice.

you forgot avocado was a fruit too, didn't you:) anyway, when sugar enters your bloodstream, your body stops burning fat, and diverts its attention to burning off the sugar. the more sugar you consume, the less fat you burn.

so, you should start your day with oatmeal because: