August 6th - happy birthday, Hubs!

i posted to IG recently that our vacation was postponed cause of the zika virus outbreak running rampant in Florida and other tropical and domestic areas (be safe, mamas) at this time. getting a glimpse of this guy or gal helped me get out of my feelings rather quickly though!  we were just gonna roll Sonny's birthday festivities right on into our trip at that... so unfortunately i was very bummed for a few days after Hubs and i decided to call it off.  i had been looking forward to our very first family vaca all summer long.  it's just not worth the risk at 6 months preggo though.  plan b? #StayCation at one of our fave places in Houston to go!  besides, we've got 1 more year to get Dego into Disney for free before he turns 3 so it's all good, haha.  he will be more aware of what is even going on by then, and i'll also have time to save a bit more so we even can stay and play longer.  just looking for the positives, as usual.  

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 saturday morning, august 6th: happy birthday, papa!!

excitedly running to give Papa his gifts!  i barely captured them in time.the love they have for this guy...it's such an incredible thing to witness. 

we are a fit family, forreals!  Sonny and i could both receive workout shoes and gear for every single birthday and be completely fine with that.headed to birthday breakfast! we don't eat breakfast out much at all; only everything else.  always a treat.originally i planned on going to The Breakfast Klub, but changed it up while en route.  the food is fantastic and worth the wait, but that super long line with two hangry kiddos?  nah, son.   i made a game-time decision and headed to a place i knew would be a family hit,  Barnaby's Cafe! definitely one of our breakfast faves.

hot chocolate :)  we never skimp on the whipped cream round here. steak, eggs, and pancakes for the birthday boy,Chiso requested red velvet pancakes outta nowhere! they were delish. loli ordered the green eggs (egg whites with spinach and cheese, chicken apple sausage, home fries); i just can't order anything else. #iaintsorryafter trying to get Dego to look once i just let him be. that baby was hungry and i understood.we usually need a nap after we eat breakfast out, so  it was the perfect time to check into our room at hotel Sorella.  the last time Sonny and i stayed there, we were celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary in 2011.  i was pregnant with Chiso (5) and surprised Sonny with the news that weekend!  we're back again, 2.5 kiddos later. admiring my huuuur! my sista-friend Ogechi keeps me fly and not looking a mess!when Sonny is on vaca, Sonny is on VACA.  all he wants to do is...nothing!  so i took the boys to the pool while Sonny enjoyed a quiet birthday nap. afterwards, we went back upstairs to freshen up.  i sent Sonny over to the Lifetime Fitness (best gym evaaaaar ;) ) City Centre spa to get a needed back massage that he enjoyed.  it only made him sleepy again though but it worked out because Dego had just began his nap in my arms.  Sonny and Dego went to nap some more while Chiso and i headed to the gym for a pre-dinner workout.i actually got a fantastic workout in cause Chiso was fascinated with the cardio machines and had a blast all by himself lol.  i will post our workout vid and entire workout in my next post!!loved my relaxed, dinner fit that night! those jeans were always a lil' loose in the hips on me, but  they are now the perfect size for my 6 month belly. deets below!

look... between IG stories and Snap Chat i am so done with social media some days!!  every app is basically vying for our attention and i sometimes feel like i have to be active on every single thing... and that just isn't true.  

we walked right across the courtyard to Ruggles Green, another game-time decision made by the birthday boy in the family's best interest.  Texas de Brazil was my first option, but the boys kept asking for pizza so... we found a great people-watching table on the RG patio while a live 1-man-band band played Sunny 99.1 type hits on his saxophone. he was amazing!  there were kids running, playing, and dancing everywhere and the boys couldn't wait to finish their food and join them. what a seriously perfect family night. we skipped across the courtyard from RG to Red Mango for fro-yo! the boys wanted to make Sonny a homemade birthday cake, but we weren't able to whip it up the day before we left.  so, i planned to just buy a mini one or a cupcake from Sweet, which is what i did.we thank God that everything worked right on out. cheeeese!back to the room to sing happy birthday to Papa and his candle-less cupcake!  not even room service had one we could use :(Chiso picked out a yummy s'mores cupcake.we sang and split that thing 4 ways!  we then put our jammies on and watched tv 'til we all fell asleep.next morning, breakfast time again! we headed downstairs to enjoy Sorella's beautiful continental breakfast buffet. afterwards, more pool time for my water babies.   i am so honored and grateful to share and celebrate yet another birthday with Sonny and our 1st family staycation was one to remember.  happiest of birthdays, Hubs!

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S !

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in full swing - Fit Foodie Le Cooking Classes

hay.  i'm a little lopsided over here with blogging again yall. no surprise there :lol: !  my cooking classes are in full swing and i'm just over here trying to get into a good schedule groove again with home life and running my own business. that is still so crazy and foreign to me to speak those words!  grateful and taking it one day at a time.   i haven't even done my 3rd trimester post yet but i'm officially here and the post is on the way.  here's a quick Fit Foodie Le Cooking Class re-cap:

my hoongry boys helped me prep for Burger Night the day before my first class two weeks ago.

i had 2 bajillion things running through my mind on top of nerves the entire day and didn't even think to take pics during class.  the highlight of my evening was my dear parents driving across town to attend and support me!!!

my hubby also shifted his schedule a bit to help me set up and get ready. oh how i appreciate him for supporting my dreams.

we made grilled southwest salmon burgers using fresh salmon, the smokey spicy sweet potato fries from my e-book, and i brought along some peanut butta banana fudgy brownies for a giveaway snack.

aaaand last week, homemade pizza was made and devoured!!

i had so much fun teaching this class, let me tell you.  it's definitely interactive and hands-on and there were plenty of toppings to get creative with.  several masterpieces were made! pizza brings people together.  it's just a fun food to make and eat and happens to be one of my all time faves.  i'd love to teach another pizza class before i deliver in June, so stay tuned!

these pretty ladies did their THING in their cupcake aprons :) and promised me they would attempt to make pizza on their own at home.  the process is too easy not to and the hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise! two lucky ladies received raffles prizes that evening - a Starbucks gift card and a garlic peeler!

everybody received samples of Nature's Bakery Fig Bars!  they can be found at HEB, Sprout's Farmers Market, Walmart and come in strawberry, blueberry, lemon, peach apricot, apple cinnamon, raspberry, and mango flavors. they even have vanilla and vanilla raspberry flavors as well- cant wait to try those, yum. so many options to chose from but my fave is raspberry so far.  let me know yours!

the bars are whole wheat, cholesterol-free, dairy-free, 0% trans-fat, Kosher, non-GMO, and fitfoodiele approved ;)

next class up this tuesday is all about CRABS!!!!! hot, healthy, whole wheat, pan seared crab cakes from my e-book will be made among other things! SIGN UP HERE as i do have spots open for the moment. it's also April Fools Day, hence the 'i've got crabs and i'm sharing' class title. i hope you weren't as weirded out as my hubby after reading it :shock:

have a blessed sunday!

triple f

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.

cupcakes make me dance too :lol: HAPPY BIRTHDAY my love!

red. velvet.

family foto of the evening with my boys.

gumbo and bbq tilapia recipes are headed your way!  nite.

le