you are NOT behind!

how bout this facelift though?! guys...i kept coming back to my blog over and over again in the last month or so and i could never shake this feeling of discontentment. something just wasn't right. it was too dark. it was off. it haunted me every single time i attempted to post. i had to fix it, and i had to fix it with the quickness.  i did NOT want to have to take my blog down again for maintenance so i did a one-hitta-quitta sorta thing and knocked it out all at once.  i googled and youtubed my face off let me tell you... it was worth every tear i shed that night. or morning, or whatever! i didn't stop until i LOVED it.

  this guy kept me company before he conked out for the night though!  i REALLY, really hope you like the new look as much as we do. and if so, well let ya girl know below then!

on to the next issue lol,

i am instagramming waaaay faster than i am blogging these days and i don't like it one bit. so many new recipes, not enough time!!!!  or is there?  IGing is easy. takes what, 2 secs tops to make a post sometimes, right?  but blogging takes work. blogging takes time. time i have to pull outta thin air sometimes.  when people ask me for advice about starting a blog i tell them to treat it just like a job.... cause that's exactly what it is.  and uuuuh, i need more one on one time with my boss right about now!   fitfoodiele.com is my baby.  and just like my real life babies, i want it to grow, flourish, and be the best it can possibly be.    unfortunately, social media keeps me distracted way more than it should.  when i give Him less of my time...suddenly i have no time for anything else. we've been through this already though, right!  in short, change is coming, friends. again. time to refocus, turn down the world, and listen for His voice.  Heather Lindsey's post are often right on time for me and her words below encouraged me greatly. follow her!

today still matters!  every day matters.  your attitude is everything, especially when things aren't going your way.  heart & faith check, indeed.  i do hope this inspires you to prioritize your time better and focus on the things that are important to Him.  that's what matters most and what we should be focused on in the first place!  remember, if you are on His time, you will NEVER be 'behind' or 'late', so don't ever feel pressured to keep up, especially with someone else.  stay focused yall.  food posts are lined UP, yall get ready!

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!

---

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

'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times..'

thursday.... was pretty epic.

wednesday? HA. easily one of the most frustrating days of my life.  i felt the same level of anger when i attempted to release my e-cookbook for the first time in the summer of 2013. error after error and issue after issue went on for weeks.  i was pretty distraught and defeated about the whole thing. luckily, wednesday's drama only lasted about 24 hours.  thank. God.  i'm in the process of building my YouTube channel and i struuuuuggled for hours on end from sun up to sun down that day trying to create and upload my very first vid.  just one dang 2 min video!!!  i even took my frustration out on Chiso and we all know that's a big no-no.  #mommyguilt = terrible. well, i can gratefully say the struggle wasn't in vain.  i can't teach a class on it or anything lol but i now know enough about editing software to get things poppin'.  practice makes PROGRESS, not perfect.  i appreciate that struggle today....but wednesday?  i did NOT want to hear that. which brings me to this reminder: life is filled with problems. expect them! they are all trials which test our faith.  anyone can have faith in God during fair weather, sure. the true test of our faith is how we respond when it's raining cats and dogs. i get quiet, angry, frustrated, and i struggle and suffer alone or just nag the heck out of Sonny 'til the issue is fixed.  i'm a work in progress in that department.  i'm thankful for friends who keep me grounded when i just want to scream my face off though.  it's like God puts me on their hearts/minds and they call or text at the perfect time. never fails. so when you're in the valley, remember this verse and keep your head UP:

 Psalms 30:5 '...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'

now, He didn't say which morning, but He said that joy would come and it's impossible for Him to fail or break a promise.

i woke up early thursday morning to go teach Barbell Strength class and still hadn't figured out how to fix my vid at that point but i was determined to SMILE and have a better day and claimed the victory!  i subbed a class that night for another instructor and when i tell you it was one of the best TCX (Total Conditioning Extreme) classes i have ever taught... man. such an indescribable feeling.  they gave me a standing ovation!  ok they were already standing LMBO but that abrupt applause at the end of class made my heart so full.  when i got home that night i got my video up successfully.  man!  from one of the roughest days to one of the best days. that's just the roller coaster called Life. buckle up.

 soooooo, *drum roll* check us out in our first video, Tank Top Arms, and SUBSCRIBE to my channel!

Fitfoodie Le.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcEt_QypxtQ]

i made some Italian chicken in my crock pot earlier this week and feasted on it for a couple of days. easy recipe below.

easy Italian crock pot chicken

the stuff:

• 4 chicken breasts (boneless or bone-in, your call. just make sure they fit)
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

do this:

1. everybody in the pool! chicken first, seasonings second.
2. turn pot on low and cook for 6 hours. *white meat cooks fast and can get super dry; test the breast with your fork during the 5-6 hr mark.)

 i've always been on the fence about vlogging cause 1.) i often look a mess and 2.) vlogging is waaaay more personal than blogging IMO, but creating this video was so much fun, even the editing part!! you'll definitely be seeing more vids (recipes, workouts, mom stuff) from us!  suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

so, what would you like to see on my channel? 

share some of your favorite YouTube channels below!

le

4 weeks pp + Dego's 1 month mark

last night i said i was going to get up at the crack of dawn this morning and not just get my treadmill interval workout in, but to pop up on my 5:30am class to say hi while i was at it! i made me some hot coffee and headed out, Beats and ipod in tow.

i kinda forgot to factor in feeding my newborn before leaving though so i arrived way after class started.  it was SO good to see old and new faces all across the studio when i peeked my head in the door!  i caught up with some of my regulars after class finished and they only made me more anxious to put that mic on again.

cardio killaaaaa. i was hoping to be cleared to lift this week, but my OB's schedule is jam packed!!! huge bummer. still crossing my fingers to be worked in somehow. else i'll just wait 'til next week.

Chiso woke up and requested pancakes, so he got'em.  i made him a stack of my WW Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Birthday Cakes complete with dolphin sprinkles and he almost finished the stack by himself!  i gladly killed the rest. remember, you can also sub blueberries for the chocolate chips.

who's 1 month today? that guy! i asked Sonny does 4 weeks make it one month, or will July 17th make it one month... idk and too lazy to Google. close enough.  also up until today, smiles from Dego were only reserved for Chiso. i finally got mine :)

our God is an awesome God.  i make an effort to praise Him for all things, both great and especially small.  after receiving and reviewing Dego's newborn screening results in the mail a few days ago i began to thank Him repeatedly.  i was instantly reminded of the time in my life when my thoughts consumed me and convinced me that i was unable to bear any children, ever.  God has blessed us with healthy baby boy #2, and for that we give Him all the glory.

this is so funny because i actually remember doing this to my mom.  putting my face on the floor to see her feet while calling her name over and over again and everything.  well it's payback time!  who am i kidding... once Chiso doesn't give a flying hoot about my whereabouts i'm gonna have a mommy moment...

grilled sirloin steak and taters for dinner tonight.  we've been outta sweet taters and they are exactly what i need to keep me feeling fuller longer between meals.  the steak was marinated in some Annie's balsamic vinaigrette, pinch of sea salt and black pepper before i tossed it in my grill pan.  that delicious sauce is just Grey Poupon mild and creamy mustard (which is calorie free, sugar free, and fat free) sauteed with white mushrooms. it's bananas!

Q: how do you like your steak cooked?  

blood = no bueno. can't do it. well done, please.

le

LA road trip - Destiny Christian Center Health Fair

so i got a chance to do my first live cooking demo this past weekend at a health fair held at the Destiny Christian Center in LaPlace, Louisiana :shock: :)

 the day before though, Chiso and i had the pleasure of meeting a fit foodie le supporter in HEB while i was picking up a few last-minute things for our road trip.  i so thought i was being reprimanded for going back to the grape sample bowl too many times, but nope, it was Tiara, a fit mom of two doing some shopping with her mom and just introducing herself!  she asked about getting started with grocery shopping and well, i will cover ALL that and more in my (hopefully) next post. nice meeting you lady.

k, back to the trip.

we hit the road at 3 somethin' AM, homemade egg white & bacon bowls to-go (2 slices sara lee 45 cals & delightful bread for me, 1 whole wheat tortilla for him) in tow.

oh what fuuuuuun it is to ride with my hub-by to LA. HEY!

by the grace of God we made it right on time,

and started setting up immediately.  i made the Mo-Rockin' Chicken and Cold Cucumber & Tomato salad w/ Dill from my ebook, and also whipped up some of my oatmeal banana pancakes.

i spoke to the attendees about healthier ingredients (swaps) when cooking at home, shared a starter grocery list, grocery shopping tips, and concluded with a little Q & A.

then i added Sonny to the presentation so he could give everyone the run down on our personalized health and fitness company, 6 Pack USA!

Food Network ain't ready for me!!!!!! i ain't read for them either though :lol: . those cooking show hosts make it look CRAZY easy. cooking & talking (and making sense) in front of people or a camera is no easy task, but it will just take practice, practice, and  mo' practice for me.

grateful for this fun learning experience. friends and family keep asking me if i was nervous up there- heck yeah.  however,

so don't let fear block your blessings.  if God brings you to it, HE'LL TAKE YOU THROUGH IT.

my line sister Santrice so kindly had my e-book printed and binded in color just for my trip and i thank her SINCERELY!!!! i brought them with me to be auctioned off during the raffles at the health fair, and here i am with Kimber, a sweet, helpful woman who gave me SO much great feedback on how to improve and grow after my presentation.  she blessed me greatly and whaddaya know, her name was pulled to win my e-book!

i'd like to give BIG thanks to my girl Dami for hooking me up with the ladies over the Destiny Christian Center Health Fair, Kassidy and Brittany, in the first place! they both did a fantastic job of catering to the vendors and putting on a successful community event.

thanks for reading!

 to contact me about speaking at your health and wellness event, email me! le@fitfoodiele.com

for 6 Pack USA inquiries, email me at: leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

le