hey ya! how's your summer so far?? been on vacation? going? where? do tell! the kiddos and i have been hanging around the city, staying up waaaaay past our bedtime, and doing fun stuff at home, including baking up some yummy, healthy, goodies.
Read Morelocal peeps always ask me how we found our church and here’s the 411 (definitely just dated myself, wow). Chiso, our first born, was about 1.5 years old when
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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,
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:
thank you, thank you, thank you.
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.
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.
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!
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!
baby Dego was dedicated to the Lord recently! Sonny and i both desire to raise these boys up His way.... that is our daily prayer. though our parenting styles differ in some ways one thing is clear; we both love our boys deeply and have their best interests at heart. always. we want them to both have their own personal relationship with our Savior and we can illustrate that best by setting the example.
our niece, Camille, was also dedicated that same day! so sunday was pretty busy. i didn't get to meal prep like i planned,
but i did get a quick workout in that morning before coming home to cook dinner for the family we had coming over.
fresh trout is on sale at HEB this week, so i seasoned a 2 lb. fillet with one of my fave spices! i can only find Adams Reserve at HEB, and the Smokey Sweet Potato is BOMB. 450 degree oven, 12-15 minutes or until cooked through. depends on the size of the fillet though. just pierce the thickest part with a fork to check and make sure it's done.
on the side, i made a fresh spinach salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing!
whisk together:
2 tbsp raw honey (or 2 tbsp granulate stevia packets)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (or white wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp poppy seeds (i get mine from the bulk spice aisle at Sprouts Farmers Market)
i added crumbled goat cheese, cucumber, and avocado on top.
toss and coat!
my dad is a bean eater so i had to include them on the menu.
for dessert? deep dish cookie pie. again!
man. i have made this dessert like 6 or seven times in the past few weeks. this has become the kind of recipe i don't even need to read anymore; it's all in my head. and it's SO good! and deceiving!
1 -15 oz can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup rolled oats or oatbran
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 heaping tbps unsweetened applesauce
dash salt (maybe 1/4 tsp)
1.5 tbs melted coconut oil
1/2 cup golden brown sugar or coconut sugar
1/2 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips
throw everything except the chocolate chips into your blender/food processor and let it rip until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved.
in a mixing bowl, add the batter + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and combine really good
pour into prepared baking pan, spread batter evenly across, sprinkle on a few more chocolate chips on top, then bake for 35-40 min.
the chocolate drizzle is just melted down dairy-free chocolate chips mixed with a little unsweetened cashew milk ;)
i plopped two spoonfuls of Arctic Zero's A Lil' Bit Chippy ice cream on toppa there. had to!
we thank our friends and family for celebrating Dego's dedication with us. it's a REALLY big deal and we treated it like one.
up on the jumbotrons!
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our homework was to write a letter to Dego as if he were 18 years old. man, each family that went up had beautifully written, heartfelt letters for their children! it was incredible to witness. sure we wanted to write a novel (ok, i did) but Sonny kept ours short and sweet.
what is this, a natural hair convention? LMBO
my mom, brother, and sis-in-law came up to pray over Dego with us.
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Dego was pretty excited for his big day.
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i was looking through my closet for something to wear that morning and came across my baby shower dress! last time i wore this thing we were two weeks away from meeting Dego. sure it was a lil' baggy, but it was perfect for the occasion.
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congrats to baby Camille and baby Dego; God's will was certainly done.
le
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!
the stuff:
banana layer
fudge layer
do this:
* 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
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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