twice baked southwest sweet potatoes

 up and at it eeeearly this morning again gettin' sweaty with the stair master. i thought it was pretty cool to see my own sweat on the machine but when you really think about just how GERMY gyms are it's pretty disgusting! wiping your machine down before you use it eases your mind a little..but far from a truly effective germ blocker.  also, if you're like me you've got your phone, ipod, headphones, etc. with you that you're constantly touching in between sets. wash your hands and wipe those items down before you leave! if you use weight gloves, wash them often and don't even think about driving home in them. eeeeewwww.

i told Sonny if i start going hard with the snooze button to simply push me out of bed.  for real. 9 times outta 10 i severely regret not getting up to get my workout in.  it jump starts my mood, my productivity, my drive to accomplish some goals on my to-do list... i need my early am workouts. my day depends on them. when i skip, it's like i never wake up and really get going until the day is pretty much over. which means getting to bed is a must but sometimes difficult with these unpredictable little people.

 fighting through some soreness from all the lifting i've been doing, but it's nothing some consistency won't fix.  'starting over' physically after being quite active is always a humbling experience for me. it gives me a bit more mercy on the first timers that take my classes for sure lol.  anyhow, 8 weeks postpartum today,

and 8 weeks old for this little guy <3 .  the back of his onesie says 'focus on me'. loves it!

i was inspired to whip up this sweet potato recipe via Instagram earlier today.

Twice Baked Southwest Sweet Potatoes

the stuff:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, roasted
• 1/4 cup sweet summer corn
• 1/4 cup low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar almond cheese
• 4 oz grilled chicken breast, chopped into chunks
• 1 heaping tbsp Mrs. Dash Southwest seasoning blend
• sea salt & black pepper to taste and avocado for presentation

do this:

1. set your oven broiler to high and coat a square 8 x 8 pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. halve both sweet potatoes and scoop out the insides (but leave some around the edges so the halve can stand on its own) and add it to a large mixing bowl.
3. add all seasonings, corn, half of the green onions, black beans, 2 oz of chopped chicken, and half of the shredded cheese; mix well.
4. spoon mixture back into the 4 sweet potato shells evenly and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, green onion, and chicken chunks and arrange them in your prepared pan.
5. place pan in oven (not too close to the broiler flame though!) and let it go  for 12-15  min or until the cheese is melted and the tops are browned/crisped.

once done, top with tomato and avocado. make it pretty.

hey these can even be vegan if you nix the chicken!

 makes 4 servings. for 1:

 yall enjoy!

le

compound movements + let's RUN!!!

how it went down eeeeearly this morning...

i double (tea) bagged it (+ water, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and stevia). i had to.  didn't get much sleep cause i've been grinding on these cook books and they WILL NOT DEFEAT ME!!!! :twisted:  i'm not yelling at you. i'm yelling at the cook books.  a little sleep deprived but the sacrifice will be worth it. it better beeeeee :lol:

let's talk about something i incorporate into pretty much all my classes at the gym:

can't get enough of compound movements and there are TONS of them. what are they?

'multi-joint movements that rely on the coordinated actions of several muscle groups to move two or more joints through a range of motion'

the featured move of this post (up ^ there) combines squats (which is honestly a compound movement by itself since it works multiple parts of the body) and over-head presses.

Squats + overhead press

• start with feet shoulder width apart, weights on either side of your body.
• perform a low squat, pushing your glutes back, weight in your heels, knees behind your toes, back flat, head up, chest up.  have a seat in that imaginary chair!
• bear all your weight on your left heel and while driving it into the floor, lift your right knee straight up towards your chest and perform your over head press simultaneously. keep your core tight, and squeeze the glute of the heel that's on the floor. hard.
• repeat on the right and make it a continuous, fluid movement by alternating your knees from left to right.

the heavier your dumbbells, the harder you work, and the more you burn!

 *tip: working upper and lower body together is one of the best ways to burn fat.*

class went well this morning, can't you tell from those disgusting sweat stains!?!?  i didn't even notice them until after i posted the pic to IG. but that's just how it goes down in my class :lol:.  if i could bottle the feeling exercise gives me....i'd sell it and retire at 30. good music gives me so much energy- i got a new cd and i know my members can tell i love it cause i keep playing it! good, loud music gives me energy through the roof!  i need all the energy i can get at 5:30am.

then i came home to these babies. NOM. i threw the recipe together, but the base of it stemmed from the banana blueberry pancakes, if you're wondering.

i subbed the banana for 1 packet of stevia, then topped them with sliced almonds, raw, unsweetened, shredded coconut, and that big vat of walden farms pancake syrup back there.

WELL, i am so excited about the response concerning the Houston Color Run THIS Sunday, March 24th!  Thank you for your emails!  if you'd still like to run, you haven't missed a thing- email me @ le@fitfoodiele.com and i'll send ya the link to join team Fit Foodies.  however...my sincere apologies for not giving enough notice.  there were several people who wanted to run with Fit Foodies but the timing was just not right.  even for a 5k, training is very important, and some of the 1st timers need more of it.  i understand completely.  also, the race rates are cheapest when you register super early, and 6 days pre-race day is pushing it, i know!  so i'm super grateful, and thankful to all who have committed to running with Fit Foodies.

WITH THAT SAID,

let's do it right this time!  remember my Conn's Green 10k post from last year??  if you'd like to get your run on with Fit Foodies for this event that is near and dear to my heart, come on then!  it's special because it starts and ends in City Centre, one of my fave Houston hangouts, and also home to the best Lifetime Fitness in the entire universe!  #ithoughtyouknew.  if you're interested, hit me up at the same email addy, and check out their site for details!

 race date is Saturday, April 27th, 2013, and as always, same rules apply: walk, run, skip- however you gotta cross that line, just FINISH!

le

ain't nothin to it

for some reason, early morning workouts seem to always be out of the question when not having enough time is an issue!  early morning workouts can literally change your life.  they are that serious.

why?

• they energize you!!!  think of a match being lit. that workout is your energy source- that initial burst of fire. that flame continues to burn over the course of your day.
• makes for a better nights sleep.  that match eventually fizzles out, right? a.m. workouts promote better sleeping habits and regulate sleep cycles.  after i get home, cook, eat, and spend time with my family, i'm naturally ready to wind down and go to bed at a reasonable hour.  i find that after an evening workout, it's harder for me to relax as my adrenaline is still pumping and revving.
• sets a healthy, positive tone. start the day with an amazing a.m. workout and you'll be more inclined to make better choices all day long.  after a beasty session, i think twice about what and how much i put in my mouth when it's time to eat.  i want to preserve all my hard work! you might surprise yourself and choose the stairs over the elevator, grilled instead of fried, etc.  keep that up and you WILL see results.
• you can go straight home after work. or wherever else you need to go. that just might be my fav reason. even if you don't have to go to work for the next 8 hrs, it will be done and you can scratch it off your to-do list.  after a long work day, sometimes my energy is sapped and all i want to do is go home, eat, and lay around.  and don't let me have to stay at work later than i expected, grrrrrrr. usually when your schedule takes an unexpected turn, your workout is the first thing axed.
• mood and mind booster.  i feel dramatically different on days when i haven't exercised in the morning. i'm not as focused, not as awake, not as TOGETHER as i'd like to be. not as friendly either!  coffee alone doesn't have the same effect by far.  after an energizing, early workout, you just can't suppress that cheesy 'take on the day' attitude no matter how hard you try!

now, HOW do you even begin to try to get up that early!? oooh just a little bit of discipline. there are a few things you should do the night before.

plan!

• go to bed. seriously.  if you have no other reason to be up, go get in the bed. tv and lights off.  yeah, the first few nights you just might be staring at the ceiling, but over time (give or take a couple days), your body WILL adjust to your new bed time and start winding down on its own.  after that, it's a wrap and will become routine.  watch and see.
• set your alarm CORRECTLY! yep, i've switched up the am/pm on accident before, ugh.  so, along with my alarm clock, i set my cell phone for back up.
• 6-8hrs of rest, minimum.  i am at my best after 8, but i try to get in at least 6.  anything less and i wake up feeling crappy, usually have a crappy workout, and ultimately a crappy day.  oh and then there's that 2:30 pm crash...yeah, that's real.  too real. and it really hits hard when you only slept a hand full of hours. nevertheless,  if i am well rested, i pop right UP. that's an incredible feeling that not enough people experience on a regular basis.
• set your clothes/items out. get your stuff ready the night before so you can just get up and go immediately. if you are going to work afterwards, get all that stuff together too. you pack your gym bag for when you go after work, right? same thing.

i can tell you how much i love morning workouts and why you should do them until i'm blue in the face!  it's just one of those things you must experience for yourself.  you will realize how big an impact such a small scheduling change can have on your day and ultimately your life.  start small and pick ONE day out of the week to just give it a shot.  you have absolutely nothing to lose; you just might absolutely love it.

le