dairy-free cream cheese chocolate chunk cookies + Buffalo Chicken Chunks meal prep

satadaaaaay!

we all got in bed at a reasonable hour last night so Sonny and i popped up extra early.  we decided to take advantage and go get some cardio in together.

breakfast to-go was a slice of whole wheat toast slathered with Dark Chocolate Dreams and Jiffy natural peanut butters and a few banana slices.  and coffee of course!  still chugging 1/2 caff because Dego is still going strong and nursing 3 times a day.

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struggling' together!  pretty sure cardio is included in that 'through thick or thin' marriage vow, haha.  Sonny is actually having issues with his achilles tendon so the elliptical and ice are his BFF's right now.

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fun, sweaty times were had this morning in bootcamp class!  join me every saturday at 9am if you're local or visiting Houston.  Prenatal fitness classes are coming SOON!  i am looking to start them up April, my birthday month (whoop).  if you know a local preggo, fit mama that may be interested, send her my way!  email me: le@fitfoodiele.com.

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once home, it was time to refuel.  i made a huge pan of Buffalo Chicken chunks (garlic powder, onion powder, Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce, parsley, and ground black peppers) with steamed brussels sprouts for us.

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 done in less than 10 minutes!

and for dessert, a gem from Chocolate Covered Katie.  she is so dang talented!  please check her site out and i believe she just released her very first healthy dessert book, which is already #1 on Amazon. i am NOT surprised!  kudos to her. and here goes that recipe:

Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Chocolate Chunk Cookies

the stuff (source):

• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup oat flour (if making your own oat flour, grind it into a really fine powder 1st)

• 1/4 cup Truvia / Stevia for Baking or granulated sugar

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 2-5 tbsp Enjoy Life Dairy Free Mega Chocolate Chunks

• 3 tbsp full fat cream cheese (i used dairy free Tofutti (found at Sprouts))

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

do this:

1. combine oats, salt, baking soda, chocolate chips, and sugar in a large mixing bowl

2. in another bowl, add (warm) cream cheese, vanilla, and oil in bowl

3. pour wet into dry. per Katie, do NOT add extra liquid! just keep stirring and it will moisten into a batter

4. form a big ball, then roll into cookie dough balls

5. place balls on plate and freeze at least 30 min

6. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 and coat your pan with no stick cooking spray

7. place balls on tray and bake 8-10 minutes

8. they will look underdone at first, so don't touch them for at least 10 min... if you can help it!

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yep. be flexible about your methods, but stubborn about those goals.  FINISH.  you'll be so glad you didn't give up.

 i am so excited for church in the morning. night!

Q: what role does fitness play in your life?

A: i shared my thoughts via IG!

le

but did you die? + dairy-free banana fudge bomb pops

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!

Dairy-free Banana Fudge Bomb Pops

the stuff:

banana layer

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk

fudge layer

• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Mega Chunks
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk

do this:

1. blend bananas and milk in blender until smooth
2. add chocolate chips and milk to a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for 15 seconds at a time until chunks are completely melted. incorporate this together until smooth.
3. add banana layer 1 to your popsicle trays filling them only 1/3 of the way full
4. freeze for 15 minutes
5. take out of freezer and add the chocolate layer, leaving room for banana layer 2 near the top
6. freeze for 15 minutes
7. take out of freezer and fill trays to the brim with banana layer 2. insert popsicle tops/sticks and put back into freezer for at least 1 hr or more.

* 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

Q. what exercise do you HATE doing but feel so dang unstoppable when you finish?  

le

dairy & nut-FREE chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cupcakes

this just might be the coolest dessert i've ever made. literally.

:shock:

 i owe it all to Kristin over at Yellow Bliss Road for these babies.  noooo idea (as usual) how i even found her blog (i just get click happy and end up finding awesome stuff every single day) and i had so much fun recreating this into a dairy-free (for the most part!) dessert for my lovely fit foodies.

chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cupcakes (can be dairy-free, nut-free) 

the stuff:

• 1 can garbanzo beans (no salt added)
• 1/2 cup raw organic oat bran OR ground oats
• 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1.5 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup Coconut Crystals
• 6 tbsp Enjoy Life dairy & nut free semi sweet Chocolate Chips OR mini dark chocolate chips
• 1 pint So Delicious dairy-free, soy-free, no sugar added Vanilla Bean ice cream - or any ice cream you prefer really! i also used Almond Dream Toffee Almond Fudge. mmm hmmm.
• 35 - .5 oz paper cups

do this:

• set the ice cream and the chocolate chips aside
• throw everything else into your food processor and BLEND until smooth and uniform. no lumps. blenders don't work well for this cause the batter is super thick, fyi
• fold in your chocolate chips to the batter in a separate mixing bowl
• coat your MINI muffin pan with no stick cooking spray and portion out 35 cookie cups (about 1.5 tbsp of batter each)
• bake 10-12 minutes on 350 degrees or until golden brown, then let them cool completely. you can eat a few while they are hot though
• once completely cooled, take out your ice cream and let it soften for about 20 minutes at room temperature
• line the paper cups with cookies and spoon about 2 tbsp of ice cream on top, pressing it down into the cookie. top it off by making a smooth flat surface using the bottom of your spoon
• freeze for about an hour (that's the longest i could wait but shoot for 2)
• rip the paper cups off those suckers and top them however you like!  i used extra creamy whipped cream and more mini chocolate chips.

so,  only take them outta the freezer if you're gonna eat them right then since it's ice cream and all.

  stats below are for the cookie solo; 2 tbsp of the 100 calorie per serving vanilla bean ice cream mentioned above came out to 25 cals.   which means 1 cupcake = 78 cals total.  the stats change though depending on the type of ice cream you use of course.

you could also use Arctic Zero low-calorie ice creams as well, yep.

i took 87 pics per angle. 

and can you tell i found a new pic app? serious overkill.

this one's the toffee almond fudge ice cream. yeah....

wrapping this up now.

k this is it.

forreal.  fun, fun!

aaand a little fitness motivation before i let you go and a reminder to not eat all the cupcakes at once.

enjoy friends!

 Q: what is THE best ice cream flavor, hands down? there are so dang many these days, but Marble Slab's sweet cream is TOP NOTCH in my book! also, Dryers caramel cone crunch, Lord have mercy. haven't had either of them in years though. leave me a comment and let me know yours ;)

le