cousins — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

Easter reminds us that there is an end to the suffering and a purpose in the pain.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

He triumphed over evil.

And He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.

HE IS RISEN!

Easter came and went and so did my window to type this post :o .

we spent our entire Easter weekend with FAMILY. my amazing cousins came over to hang out that saturday and you already know burgers were on the menu with toppings galore. i had such a fun time just talking, eating, and laughing my face off with them about any and everything. we hadn't all gotten together since Thanksgiving of last year which is so unlike our fam.

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there it is. the platter that made us late for church. i envisioned cooking this up in my mind all morning while laying in bed...even had a couple of dreams about it while drifting in and out of sleep. what i should have done was just GET UP cause when i went down to the kitchen we had absolutely no bread :/ . so i jumped in the car (headscarf, glasses, pj's - yeah, i took it there) just to get a loaf of bread. i know. at least i didn't see anybody i knew. that's always next.

Nature's Own whole wheat french toast, Applegate Apple & Chicken breakfast sausage links, scrambled eggs, and fresh berries. to-go :P

we went to see some of my younger cousins perform in an Easter play at my aunt's church, then headed to dinner at her home which is always a treat. always.

Easter eats! there was so much to choose from but here a few shots of some of what i had:

a big, fresh, veggie salad, fruit & dip, tortilla chips and chunky shrimp salsa, and a plate of my mom's chocolate chip cookies.

and then we got down to BIDNESS.

go, Chiso, GO!!!!

happy belated Easter to you and yours <3

Q: what's your family's Easter tradition?

family, food, and fun.

that sums up the holidays for me. my annual company Christmas party went down last weekend at my boss's home.

he and his wife ALWAYS throw down, always. i didn't even get a pic of the buffet table:( but just know that i made 4 trips to it. these snacks and desserts were on the kitchen island.

homemade chocolate and vanilla cake balls :shock: so rich and decadent.

posin' by the tree with Sonny.

my lovely homie & co-worker, Monica, makes THE best vegan pumpkin pie i have ever tasted and i'll love her forever for sharing the recipe! you should make it for Christmas- i know i am. thank you, Monicaaaaa

Monica's Vegan Pumpkin Pie

the stuff:

10 oz silken tofu
1 can pure pumpkin
3/4 cup maple sugar*
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla

do this:

MIX! then pour into your pie pan and cook for 45-50 min on 350 deg. keep an eye on it as cooking times and temps vary per oven. you can even go crustless with this- it's up to you. and no, nobody will EVER know there's tofu in there long as you zip your lips :shock:

for 1/8 slice:

gotta love those stats! i added a layer of cool whip and crumbled a few sheets of graham cracker on top after the pie was done. did NOT miss the crust one bit. i'll take pics when i make it again for Christmas.

*tip per Monica: you can switch our your sweeteners and do granulated stevia, honey, agave nectar, etc...you choose your favorite one. just convert your amounts and adjust your nutritional stats accordingly.

this man clearly took advantage of his off-season diet :lol:

fast forward. who had a Chiso-less date night recently? we diiiiiiid! i had seen this mexican restaurant countless times and finally paid Diego's Cantina a visit. why does my hand look SO BIG?

they seated us by this big bay window and even though it was night time, the view of the lake behind us was excellent. just across the water was the hospital where Chiso was born. we just can't escape him. LOL.

as if we hadn't already eaten like 3 baskets of chips and salsa, Sonny ordered nachos for our appetizer :roll:

nachos mayas: crisp corn tortillas topped with refried black beans, creamy lump crabmeat, mozzarella, jalapeños, served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. mucho points for presentation! yummy? YES.

Sonny got the lamb chops: grilled marinated lamb rib chops with queso oaxaca topped with tomato and chili guajillo sauce served with nopales, onions and grilled corn.

and i got the mahi mahi. when the waitress came over to check on us, she gave my plate a puzzled look and said 'wow, it looks so different without the sauce!' i'm guessing it's normally submerged in it *shrugs*. anyway, the sauce tasted like lime garlic butter and was fantastic. however, i want to be in control of how much goes on my plate, please and thank you! per the menu: grilled mahi filet marinated in garlic and butter on a bed of grilled vegetables and sautéed spinach, served with a pineapple papaya avocado pico-de-gallo with wine butter sauce drizzled on top.

mine came with a side, so i got the sweet potato mash. they added raisins to it which was new to me. a good new. then we ended the night at our fro-yo spot....it's only right.

my usual sugar-free vanilla and chocolate fro yo with sprinkles, chocolate chips, and whipped cream.

what, more sweets? yep! our last date of the weekend was @ Brios for my cousin Kandice's birthday dinner. Sprinkles cupcakes were in the building. yesssssssssssssssss.