ginger — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

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bwhahahahahaha! i cracked UP at that meme and immediately sent it to my brother. he understands my humor like nobody else. get it?? happy first day of FALL, yall!

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in the studio extra early waiting for my coffee to kick in and ready to teach some HIIT. i usually wear my Lifetime jacket to feel cool but i needed it this morning. the weather was fantastic at the crack of dawn; the exact opposite of humid and stuffy.

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afterwards i did about 10 min of steady state cardio on the arc trainer (cause i got cold again after class) before hitting the weights for some upper body work. bring on the leggings, yoga pants, and all things pumpkin! i was sipping on the last of my coffee spiked with International Delight's fat-free Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer on my way home.

later that evening, i had the pleasure of hosting my very first small group. yep, comfort zone aborted. joining one, sure, ok. hosting one? me? no way. i remember signing up for it several weeks back, but only up until a few days ago did i realize the magnitude of what i had done. people really were signing up to come, and they were actually coming. whoa. the food responsibilities fall on the host, and well, i was SUPER excited about that part, you already know. i had to sincerely pray about keeping the whole point of the small group and our curriculum as the main focus though, not the food! don't get me wrong, the food needed to be on point, but ensuring our meeting was well facilitated from beginning to end was just as important.

thank God, it went WELL! excited to meet again next week.

so, here's what we munched on:

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fresh fruit salad with blackberries, strawberries, and nectarines,

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i got all the ingredients needed to make my kopy kate Central Market Cranberry Pepita Kale Salad and did just that.

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yummers.

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next, Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships made with 93% lean ground turkey, smoky chipotle cheese, and turkey pepperoni.

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voila.

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homemade guac and butternut squash tortilla chips,

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and finally, i cut up and toasted some naan bread to be dipped into the hummus or the guac.

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here's my plate! got a little bit of everything like always.

remember last year's BE conference!? well it's that time AGAIN! the opening ceremony kicks off tomorrow and Ogechi and i are IN THAT THANG! be sure to keep up with me during BE weekend on Twitter and IG.

peace!

i keep telling myself that all my posts don't have to be super long and drawn out every single time. so, here's a little practice. hope you guys are having a wonderful hump day and week so far.

i enjoy looking up the recipes to some of my fav dishes. 1) to see just what goes into it and how many calories i'm taking in, and 2) to see if i can duplicate it and make it lighter/leaner. 1 bunch of kale is just 92 cents at the store right now- and people say healthy food isn't cheap! hello! this bunch of kale lasts me about 3 days.. makes for a really huge bowl of salad.

this particular kale salad is like 4.99 a lb. at central market. i'd rather pay 92 cents. plus, they pretty much drown the kale in the dressing! way too much.

Orange Sesame Kale Salad

the stuff:

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp LIquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp toasted almonds
1/4 cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup cranberries
crystalized ginger (optional)

do this:

wash your kale.just like any other fruit/veggie you bring home. wash it good.

then, tear it up. i actually included some of the stems cause i like the taste and crunch. it's not bitter like most stems either. dry the leaves as best you can- i don't have a salad spinner so i just blotted them with paper towels.

whisk the liquids together,

then set it aside.

chop up the crystalized ginger into small pieces. i like ginger, but i don't like biting into a huge chunk of it! reminds of when i was preggo and trying to tame my nausea, ugh. anyway, throw everything on top of the kale.

finally, add the dressing and toss.

HEB's recipe called for 2 tbsp of sugar, but i didn't use any. the orange juice provided enough sweetness. kale is heartier and more filling than lettuce. have some.

*update*: you can throw the contents of this entire bowl in a heated wok and cook it for 3-5 minutes for even MORE flavor!!! try it both ways.

aaand we're done here. enjoy.