WE WON! Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers + The Nike + app

when this happens i'm usually in the study doing some late night blogging.  if Sonny gets home later than the boy's bed time, i do the same thing, lol.  i love having them snuggled up next to me! co-sleeping has always been our thing. they'll be going off to college tomorrow so i'm soaking them all in every chance i get.

helloooooo Nike + friends!!!

seriously, thank you guys for adding me!  i made an IG post and told people to join me on the app but  have been confined to the dang treadmill and stair master since my last long run like a week and a half ago. i know, ugh!!!  i need this accountability and motivation though and seeing people rack up their miles makes me want to get back out there too. i will!  especially since my half marathon  is quickly approaching.

 keep it up, yall! after my 7 miles and the Texans football game....we headed to get our grub on.

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how cool is this? i would LOVE to have something this eclectic and awesome for my kitchen!

this spatula art can be found on the wall by the front registers at Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers, West U location.  i won't be that person that says 'i never win ANYTHING!!!' (even though i totally said that on the periscope vid we did lol) and it's been a while but ya girl scored a JerryBuilt Homegrown Burgers gift card via their Facebook photo contest recently!

we were super excited to head there for some healthy eats after church sunday.

so we did! look at that spread!

i found JB back in August for Sonny's birthday weekend and we have been like 4 times since then and it's only October.  the kids LOVE the food and the gigantic chalk board in the front of the dining room is a great kid-friendly idea.  we frequent the West University location inside the 610 loop but there is also a location in the Woodlands, TX as well.  this time we had:

fresh fruit for Dego & i (along with some yogurt i brought from home that he is addicted to)

a nitrate-free, grass-fed beef hotdog on a multigrain bun, and.................

one of the best foods ever on earth!!!!! some creamy, mac n cheese.

instead of the Jerry's Cobb, i went with the Houston salad! spring mix, kale, baby spinach, romaine, jicama, roasted sweet corn & black beans pico, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro, and house-made croutons w/ house-made cilantro lime vinaigrette.  YAS. i got a salad to save some macros for that mac and cheese of course.

Chiso got a nitrate-free hotdog as well with a side of fries.

you'll have to scroll back up to the aerial pic to see Sonny's burger it was gone before i got a chance to get a solo shot of it, haha.  he got the Saint Arnold again and the photo i took from his birthday weekend of that same burger won us the gift card! sweet.

Chiso can't go without leaving his mark on the board.

i just want to thank JBHB for being SO generous to our family; we have enjoyed every meal we've eaten there!  i always recommend this family-friendly, healthy joint to everyone we know.  highly recommended and fitfoodiele approved.

Q: what family friendly eateries in your city do you love and recommend? 

veggie packed cheesy mac + plot twist

 so.... Sonny was laid off from his Lead Network Administrator job last wednesday! that morning, i was finishing up nursing Dego and simultaneously saying a prayer of thanks to God out loud.  i never want to get in the habit of always asking God for things.... it shouldn't be like that.  so i randomly started saying thank you for everything i could think of that i might have taken for granted!  until i was interrupted by Sonny's phone call.  'welp, i just got laid off!' was the first thing he said, which was followed by an 'oh wow...' from me.  my initial, honest reaction in my head though was 'really, God??well, we're listening.' Sonny had been preparing for this day, hence his Facebook status:

and warning me about the ongoing employee cutbacks other companies were making. however, i still have a bad habit of thinking we are somehow exempt and that 'those kinds of things' can't happen to us. ha! every once in a while i have to be reminded that His plans > our plans.  sometimes when we find ourselves floating down that comfy, stagnant river, He will abruptly turn the boat right on over.  thankfully, we have been presented with some really awesome opportunities as well as more time to focus on our fitness company, 6 Pack USA.   for that, we are extremely grateful!  i'm most excited about Sonny having more time to spend with his boys, especially at their ages. looking for the good in a seemingly tragic situation is not easy,

but when you place your future in His hands completely there is absolutely no room for stress and/or worry.  i snapped that pic of Sonny heading out the door friday (well, barely, he wouldn't slow down lol) for his last official day. we are boldly stepping out on faith and ready for this new plot twist in our story.  here we go!

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i am a mac & cheese freak!!!!! Luby's is where i get my fix if it's not homemade. it's prolly my fave comfort food besides pizza.  aaaand if it ain't creamy, it just ain't right.

this recipe is lightened up and full of VEGGIES. most important, the creaminess factor is still strong, as it should be.

my veggies of choice: fresh asparagus and portabella mushrooms.  broccoli would work very well here too.

the secret to this recipe's cheesy sauce: butternut squash!!! see, veggie-packed.

cheese choice is up to you, but i went with part-skim mozzarella.

i'm not sure how it would work with almond or rice cheese, but if you try it let me know! that would make this entire dish dairy-free.

any type of pasta works here: penne, corkscrew, bowtie, maccaroni, whatever!  and you can sub whole wheat pasta as well.

i ate some just like this before baking cause i could not resist!

Veggie Packed Cheesy Mac 

the stuff:(source)

• 1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk
• 3 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 2 tbsp Toffuti dairy-free cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheese of choice
• 1 lb cooked pasta
• 1/2 lb  vegetable of choice
• 2 tbsp shallot, minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• optional: 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs for topping

do this:

1. pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and coat a large 13 x 9 baking pan with no-stick cooking spray
2. in a large saucepan, combine butternut squash, chicken broth, milk, and shallots and bring to a boil.
3. let simmer for about 20 min or until squash is tender
4. cook pasta while squash mixture is simmering
5. pour hot squash mixture in your blender and add cream cheese, salt, and pepper
6. blend until super creamy and smooth
7. add squash mixture back to your sauce pan and sprinkle in your shredded cheese
8. stir until combined and melted
9. add all veggies and cooked pasta, stir until combined, then transfer to your prepared baking dish
10. sprinkle optional whole wheat bread crumbs over the top (i toast my own wheat bread then make crumbs via my food processor) and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned

makes 8 (cups) servings!

stats per serving: 261 cals, 7g fat, 38g carbs, 15g protein

happy monday, peeps!

le

basil boobie bells

immediately after this morning's class! a good friend of mine told me she was coming to see me and she showed up as promised :) i know how tough a 5:30am appointment can be to make, and i was so happy to see her again.  i expressed my gratitude by kicking her butt, lol!  1 hour of total body conditioning later, we were outta there for the day.

a little later, i took Chiso to an Easter Egg Hunt that was being held at Discovery Green downtown.  they always have something going on there for all ages, love it!  we made it exactly 3 minutes before it started, but mommy forgot to put money in the meter so we had to speed walk all the way back to the truck. the meter maid  actually met us there and had the ticket in hand and everything that fast!!!! he let me make it this time though, thank God. #whew

they let the 0 - 2 kiddos go first, so we made it back in time for Chiso to grab a few eggs. i cherish spending time with my little Stank Tank.

on to tha fooooood!  i got some sliced rotisserie chicken from the HEB deli earlier this week, so i chopped it up and topped my spring mix salad with it for meal 3.  it also had strawberries, carrots, avocado, tomatoes, pecans, fat-free feta, cracked black pepper, and a couple drizzles of Walden Farms raspberry vinaigrette.

 so about those bell peppers!  how many pics of these guys did i take? lots.

they were on sale at Kroger at the time 10 for 10 dollars, so i bought a bunch of 'em.

then we walked to the mailbox later that evening and lookie there!  perfect timing for the cover of one of my fave mags! what a coincidence.  at least i think that's what happened. i don't remember anymore cause this post has been a draft since the end of January :lol: sounds about right though.

basil boobie bells

the stuff:

• 4 large bell peppers
• 2 large chicken breasts (or ground turkey, ground chicken)
• 1 cup cooked brown rice (or quinoa, or couscous)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp mrs. dash southwest chipotle seasoning
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2  cup low sodium oregano, garlic tomato sauce
• 1 - 2 tbsp liquid aminos
• 1/2 cup goat cheese (or shredded parmesan, or fat-free feta)
• no stick cooking spray

do this:

1. preheat your oven to 375 degrees. cut the tops off of your peppers, remove the seeds, and if need be, cut the bottoms to ensure they sit flat in your pan.

2. spray both your baking pan and a medium heated skillet with no-stick cooking spray.

3.  add the chopped garlic and onion to the hot skillet, and saute until translucent (2-3 minutes)

4. add raw, chopped chicken, liquid aminos, herbs, and spices; cook through until there is no more pink (5-7 minutes)

5. add the cooked rice, tomato sauce, chopped tomato and goat cheese, then turn off the heat and mix well.

6.  situate your peppers into your baking pan, and distribute the mixture evenly between all four peppers.

7. bake for 40-50 minutes or until tender.

8. top with more fresh basil, let them cool, then eat 'em up.

per bell pepper! remember the stats change depending on your substitutions ;)

let the bell pepper pic collage ensue:

eat arainbow!!!

also, if you haven't seen it on Instagram yet,  i'm running a contest that started yesterday (monday) and will end this FRIDAY! you MUST like the Fit Foodie Le Facebook Fan Page if you haven't already- i will pick one lucky fan to win something seriously cool. health and fitness related of course! spread the word, please and thank you!

le

banana berry whole wheat french toast

my Chiso is a snotty mc nasty mess this week.  after taking him to the child center in a new gym, well, the inevitable happened. new gym, new germs.  it's been a looooong week of coughing, whining, and TLC over here, but we made it to FRIDAAAAAY!

this morning i made another batch of banana berry whole wheat french toast...oh yeah.

but i didn't burn it this time.

banana berry whole wheat french toast

the stuff:

• 2 slices Natures Own double fiber wheat bread
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp raw, unsweetened organic coconut flakes
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup blackberries
• 1/2 a banana

do this:

 combine the egg white, almond milk, cinnamon, and vanilla in a shallow bowl big enough to lay your bread flat in and mix it well. dip both slices of bread (front/back) until it is soaked through.  in a medium heated no-stick pan, lay both pieces of bread flat and cook until browned and crispy, about 3-4 minutes.  flip! cook that side until crisp for about 3-4 minutes as well.  plate it up, then top them with the bananas, blackberries, and a drizzle of Walden Farms pancake syrup.  last thing, sprinkle with more cinnamon and coconut flakes!

for the whole shabang:

dessert for breakfast, yes please!  low cal, high fiber, full of good carbs, and SWEET.

so....i FINALLY got a Facebook fan page for Fit Foodie Le.  i mean, it's only 2013.  i guess i battled with it for so long cause it's hard as CRAP for me to keep up with social media as it is!!

'nobody ever said it would be easy...but it WILL be worth it.'

that being said, sometimes i can't sit down and really write a post like i'd like YET, so i will use the fan page to post quick tid bits of info, recipes, motivation, inspiration and all that good stuff.  add me! or 'Like' my page rather ;)

alright, last thing- a few people tell me how much they absolutely HATE oatmeal (what is WRONG with them!? j/k) and asked me for some alternative breakfast ideas.  when i tell you i was seconds away from posting  a pic of some of the Kashi Go Lean Cereal i bought at the store a few days ago my finger came to a screeeeching halt after googling this:

http://www.pleasegodno.com/archives/20-1-cup-Kashi-GoLEAN-Crunch-+-12-cup-milk-Endless-stomach-churning-gas.html

can i just say i was almost commenter 411 cause this very thing happened to me too!!!!! i was like, wait a minute...i adjusted my macros JUST right to have these 2, ok 4, bowls of cereal for my late night snack and the next morning my tummy was straight MUSH.  bloating and uncomfy gas is not cool. now does Kashi have this effect on everybody?  maybe, maybe not.  however, i will have to add it my bloat list along with broccoli.  it can take time to figure out which foods YOUR body doesn't agree with!  adjust, bounce back, and keep on truckin'. and Googling :lol:

i'll dedicate a separate post to those breakfast alternatives!

eat better + exercise = a healthier, happier YOU. when you look good, you feel good!

happy FRIDAY!

le