#FitFoodieLife VLOG: Lemon & Dill Salmon w/ Rainbow Quinoa

first off, *NEW VLOG ALERT!*

check it out and SUBSCRIBE for mo'.

eeeeerrrrrrmyGOSH, the recipe for this plate of deliciousness can be found in the VLOG above, so hurry, click it! 

2016-01-27 06.16.45-01-1

 if you've never made salmon before you will be straight amazed at how easy it is to prepare, seriously.  i guarantee it.  this was last nights dinner and we have been enjoying it all day long today too.    and as always, this a fantastic meal prep recipe cause it's basically effortless. 

20160127_182200-01-1-1-1-1

i can't cook rice on the stove top for jack, so i threw the quinoa into my rice cooker which worked puuuuurfectly.  the hard part was sauteing the veggies.... and that ain't hard, yall! 

enjoy this combo and give our vid a thumbs up while you're over in YouTube land!  a comment would be awesome too ;)

PhotoGrid_1454031974327

    excited to train with this beast of a 2 months postpartum mom again tomorrow! she is killin' it and getting her core and entire body back to where she's happiest.  she is doing GREAT and looks even better! yes, i work with preggo ladies AND postpartum moms, one on one!  email me for details, or send a preggo/postpartum mama you know my way.

le@fitfoodiele.com

happy thursday, fit friends!

http___signatures.mylivesignature.com_54493_267_38EEDA794ECC9B61FC9DE0E61757D91B

VLOG: baby bootcamp! exercises for babies beginning to sit up

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eekd7f8Zs3g&w=560&h=315]

• cop your own Therapy Disk!

• do this with your LO for just 10 consecutive minutes per day. they tire easily, so stopping / starting again later is expected

• this improves their balance, core strength, posture, stability, and endurance, and upper body strength and prepares them for crawling, standing, walking, etc.

• make sure there are plenty of soft pillows or cushions around baby in case he/she topples over. never leave them unsupervised, especially while using the Therapy Disk

• every baby develops differently at their own pace!

le

hiit & core + zoodle cajun lobster pasta

if ya haven't seen my HIIT & core vid from tuesday on my YouTube channel then check eeeeet:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL5lIVKrm0o&w=560&h=315]

clearly i'm going to start using the Sony cam Sonny bought me on my birthday last year- those black bars are not hot and i recently found out i can't do a thing about them since i recorded the vid vertically with my cell. oh wells. we used my Sony cam last night to film us making banana ice cream so i'll be uploading that vlog soon, bar-free. OK, on to this BANGIN' Cajun Lobster Pasta recipe i posted to IG recently! if you're staying indoors on V-Day next saturday, WOW your significant other with this incredibly tasty, healthy, savory dish.

so this was my first time EVER cooking lobster at home. using some kitchen shears, i 'parted the red sea' by cutting a center line straight down through the top of the shell, exposing the meat. then i just pried it on outta there without cutting myself. yay.

Cajun Lobster 'Pasta'

the stuff: (source)

• 1 lb lobster (you can use claw meat too), roughly chopped into bite size pieces
• 3 strips Applegate turkey bacon, chopped
• 1 red, golden, or orange bell pepper, chopped ( or a combo of all three)
• 1 cup portabella mushrooms, chopped
• 4 stalks green onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken, or seafood broth
• 3/4 cup coconut cream (canned from Sprouts Farmers Market)
• 2 tbsp Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 tsp Cajun Spice Mix
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste
• fresh parsley, for garnish
• 3 large, raw, zucchini, spiralized

do this:

1. spiralize those zucchini's! i have a Spirooli (pictured below)

2. cook up bacon in skillet over medium heat until done; remove from pan

3. add butter, garlic, bell peppers, mushrooms to pan; saute for 2-3 min

4. add half your green onion mixture and cook 1 more minute

5. chop bacon and throw it into your pan along with your broth

6. add all your spices now: cajun, old bay, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper, oregano, and S & P

7. turn up the heat; once almost simmering, reduce heat and add lobster meat. cook 3-5 more minutes

8. finally, add the coconut cream and fresh zoodles, and remaining green onion

9. toss, turn, and coat the entire pot of goodies until the zoodles cook down a bit to your desired texture (maybe 2-3 minutes). sprinkle with fresh parsley.

*tip* you might need to run a knife through the zoodles once or twice to shorten them because they can get so long, you know? this will make it easier to plate the dish.

isnt' it sexy!? make this! and do that workout up there too:)

add me on IG, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Q: have you ever made lobster at home yourself? WHAT did you make?

le

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup...healthified! + skinny bacon

i told Sonny to get me outta bed when my alarm went off this morning no matter what.  he didn't, haha, but i got on up anyway and hit it early so i could use the rest of the day cooking for Thanksgiving!  speaking of, we have a Thanksgiving Damage Control Challenge going on right now by the way for 1 buck!! check out the details and sign up to keep yourself in check for the big day tomorrow.  i did a little arc trainer for my cardio and then one of our 6 Pack USA upper body workouts which targeted chest, biceps, triceps, and a little back.  then i went into the group fitness studio for core and stretching and did a few of these:

[wpvideo 1CFeeUoN]

i admit- i love this Beyoncé video and song. i just do!  not a Yonce stan, but definitely a fan.

then i got home and got the boys up and fed before i got cracking on this soup again.  yesterday went terribly wrong. bad pics, bad soup color cause i burned the sausage...it was just...wrong.  sometimes i want to post anyway and get it off my chest but something kept telling me to WAIT and be still.  today turned out loads better. loads.

IMG_20141126_153440

while i was cooking away, the doorbell rang.  i immediately heard a truck engine start which means it was UPS and i had a package, haha! they never wait. ever.

knock, knock...

20141126_102655_2

IT'S BACON!!!!!!

20141126_100418_1

not just any bacon though. uncured, ApplegateGood Morning Bacon.

20141126_100637_1

 skinny bacon! what? yes please! when it comes to natural and organic meats, Applegate is top-notch.  you get what you pay for, guaranteed.  Chiso looooved the hot dogs from our welcome-home-from-the-hospital lunch a few months ago!  and if you're a dear reader of mine then you know how picky that guy is.  we cracked the bacon open right away for breakfast. it's:

• applewood smoked
• 60% less fat than regular bacon
• uncured
• antibiotic, gluten, casein, hormone, and nitrate-FREE
•  heaven-sent

it's no coincidence the soup calls for *drum roll* bacooooon. i told ya, perfect timing.  His timing!  anyway, it tastes just like pork belly bacon without all the excess grease and/or oil.  let's give it up for Applegate!

*round of applause*

without further adieu, i present to you, healthified, dairy-free, Zuppa Toscana soup!  it's 2nd place to Olive Garden's chicken & gnocchi soup in my book.  maybe i'll healthify that one next ;) .  the longer you let it sit, the creamier it will become, fyi. i hurriedly took these pics a few minutes after i finished cooking while i still had some good natural light left and it was still a tad thin. a few hours have passed since and the flavors have made their presence known and the texture is just right.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup - Healthified

the stuff:

• 1 lb sausage of your choice (see mine below), sliced
• 2 medium red potatoes
• 1/4 cup Applegate uncured Good Morning Bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 can light OR full-fat coconut milk
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
• 1 medium shallot, diced
• 32 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 2 big handfuls of raw, fresh kale
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

20141126_133007_1

couple things: i used light coconut milk.  full fat would yield an even thicker, creamier soup of course!  i also used spinach & garlic chicken sausage that i found at HEB, but you can use whatever you fancy.

do this:

1. coat a very large pot with no-stick cooking spray and set it to med-high heat
2. brown sliced sausage in pot  (3-4 minutes)
3. add onion, shallot, potatoes to pot and stir
4. add chicken broth ensuring the water cover the top of the veggies/meat
5. cook on medium heat until the potatoes are done (about 10-12 minutes...watch it closely)
6. add bacon
7. add salt & pepper and let simmer for 10 min; taste
8. season again if needed then turn heat to low
9. add coconut milk and kale (make sure you push the kale into and under the liquid) and stir until well combined
10. serve warm and top it with more bacon!

20141126_143608_1-1

using the My Fitness Pal recipe nutrition calculator i estimate 4 big bowls of soup from this pot. for one 12 oz serving:

285 cals, 10g fat, 28g carbs, 4g sugar and 1299mg sodium

 (high sodium because of my sausage choice but that can be altered.)

pure YUMMINESS! make this and tag me! @fitfoodiele

omg. i'm running a 10k tomorrow morning. it's not like i don't know how to train for a run, i just don't want to. lol. and the temperature has dipped early this year at that!  man. this time last year i was preggo and complaining about the cold.  only difference is i still want to workout (indoors) and no first trimester woes.  welp, if you're out there getting your trot on in Houston, holla at meeeeee!  for now...

20141126_165322_1

back to cooking my mom's famous cornbread dressing! happy TG eve!

le