*updated* Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships + we're registered!

had a bowl of organic rolled oats cooked in unsweetened vanilla almond milk, water, cinnamon, and vanilla before heading to my (now weekly) OB appointment this morning.   fresh blueberries, more cinnamon, more almond milk, and pure maple syrup went right on top.  i had egg whites w/ salsa on the side too. fueling up for some kickboxing a little later today.

was running late and threw on whatever (but i was comfy though!)  and we made it just in time for my group b strep test and routine check up.  if only pap smears were that quick & easy-peasy!  all is well @ 35 weeks and i thank Him for another great progress report. and yes, i smacked Chiso right after he smacked me.

on to our new hospital to registerrrrrr!

so the hospital where Chiso was born doesn't do L&D anymore. i enjoyed the experience there and was saddened after hearing that!  however, the new hospital is literally 3 minutes away, so no biggie.  AND my favorite OB in the entire universe will be there to deliver Odego this time, Lord willing.  (she was out having her twins at the time Chiso was born :'(  ) .  i went ahead and registered juuuuust in case we have to pop up there sooner than expected, but i am coming back with Sonny to take a tour so we can be cheesy and take pics and stuff.  a date i am so looking forward too, again.  i hardly EVER buy overpriced convenience store food/snacks, but i was unprepared and Chiso got restless while i filled out paper work.  so i got him this Sabra pretzel and hummus dip along with a banana.

enjoy this updated recipe of last night's dinner:

*updated* Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships

the stuff:

• 4 large, raw zucchini, halved & seeded
• 2 cups cooked and seasoned extra lean ground turkey
•  1 cup homemade marinara (add more if you'd like and the recipe is below)
• 8 turkey pepperoni, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup shredded almond or rice cheese
• 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced into coins
• 2 tsp dried italian seasoning or parsley or fresh basil
• sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

do this:

1. set your oven to 350 degrees and coat a large baking pan with foil and no-stick cooking spray.
2. after halving the zucchini, scoop some of the insides out using a small spoon.  they should look like empty canoes cruise ships once you're done; arrange them flat and seed-side up on your baking sheet.
3. mix the cooked ground turkey and the marinara sauce together, then spoon the mixture evenly into/onto the zucchini.
4. sprinkle the turkey pepperoni, tomato, and italian seasoning on top of the cruise ships, and bake them for about 20 minutes.
5. remove them from the oven and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. ( i used 2% colby jack cause that's all i had. to keep this recipe dairy free, use almond or rice cheese.)
6. let them bake once more for 7-10 minutes or just until the cheese melts to your liking.
7. top with fresh basil or parsley!

i thought i posted my marinara recipe in the Fit N' Crispy Chicken Parm post but maybe it didn't save like i thought?? can't explain that one.  but here it is:

homemade marinara:

the stuff:

• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 6 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend (optional)
• sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

do this:

1. heat a large sauce pan to medium-low heat; once hot, pour in your olive oil.
2. add onions & garlic and sauté until translucent...about 2-3 minutes.
3. add in the rest of the ingredients except sea salt and cracked black pepper, stir, cover, and let simmer for 12-15 minutes.
4. shut off heat; add mixture to your blender or food processor and blend on high until super smooth.

you can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge to be used for pizza sauce, wing dip, breadstick dip, whatever!

happy hump day! hollaaaaaaaaa

le

@ my desk

no more start/stop- catching up NOW.

good monday that is almost over to you!!

this will be crazy random but just stay with me.

i hope you guys are using and being creative the IG food pics- that's definitely some of my motivation for posting.

this was lunch @ my desk last Friday:

100 calorie multi-grain english muffin, grilled chicken breast, avocado, spicy mustard, and a crispy red bell pepper.  since my job is waaaaaaaaay closer to Trader Joe's than my house, i stopped by there to get a few specialty items on my lunch break that day.

more eggplant humus wish it came in a big TUB.

i can pronounce everything. that's the kind of ingredient list i like to see and the kind you should look for as often as possible.  also, natural, no additives or preservatives means eat it sooner than later! won't last but a few days.

also got some sweet sugar snap peas for dipping! in the car.

 i walked into TJ's with intent to restock my fig butter, but as soon as those double entrance doors parted, i walked straight up to a tower of pumpkin butter.  clever is that seasonal marketing. they also had honey apple butter and i couldn't leave without it.  i did leave the mango butter for next time though.

i hit up HEB, Whole Foods, and Sams this weekend to do my real shopping.  i got my sample on of course,

  *high five*, HEB.  but zero points for presentation.  steak pizzaiola, italian chicken sausage soup, and creamy potato casserole was served at one of their live sample stations. oh God, those potatoes though :shock: . i always grab a recipe card to see just what they put in those samples and they never fail to freak me out.  full-fat heavy cream and cream cheese is what made those potatoes so darn good!  but they were sample size sooooo i proceeded to enjoy.

i got outta there with my usual stuff plus a few specialty items.

my kitchen island stays just like this for the most part.  i like to keep my produce out where i can see it cause i'll forget about it in the fridge and it's more likely to spoil.  gonna go ahead and add 'personal grocery shopper' to my resume, seriously!!! i could do this every day.

i've been using the sesame Ezekiel bread for the past few weeks, so i picked up the cinnamon raisin loaf this time.

i have sweet and savory dishes in mind for this puppy.

fat-free feta and goat cheese are still two dairy cheeses i won't be giving up (will expand on that shortly), but i was inspired to try almond cheese from a fellow health and fitness IGer.  i figure i love almond milk, so i'd prolly like the cheese too. uh, yeah! it melts, grates, and tastes just like dairy cheese and nutritional stats are awesome.  i'm impressed and sold.  gonna try some rice cheese too.

i've been a fan of Blue Diamond brand almond milk since Hungry-Girl introduced me to it a few years ago, but decided to try the Silk brand because of the lower calorie count.

it is so much more creamier than i was expecting! i may have been converted indefinitely...

I picked up some of Sonny's fav granola from Whole Foods - pumpkin flax.  it's the best granola (nutrtion-wise) in the bulk aisle line up.  140 cals and 5g of sugar per serving. read your labels- granola is more like a treat/dessert as the sugar content can be super high for some of them.  a few spoonfuls over some cottage cheese or yogurt or a small serving of it is just enough.

 granola + almond milk = one great bed time snack.  if only i could stop eating bowl after bowl.

lunch today @ my desk:

seeing red today for meal 2-  grilled chicken breast, avocado, red bell pepper, tomato, spicy mustard and honey apple butter.  wrapped all up in a La Tortilla Factory white-wheat soft wrap with some strawberries on the side.

i snuck in some sugar snap peas and eggplant humus too.

we had some GORGEOUS weather in Houston today!! Sonny hates the cold and is already griping about having to stop his outside runs.  he still has time to take advantage though cause it will be hot again like tomorrow.

cajun crusted tilapia recipe coming up next.

le

i might slow down, but i will not stop

i decided to take a slow walk around the neighborhood with my little guy yesterday instead of heading to the gym.  rest is equally important..i have to keep reminding myself of this.  i always want to go hard, every single day.  moderation is key- yes, even with exercise.  how can you tell you should just chill out for a day or two?

• persistent muscle soreness.  i used to think this was a good thing.  unfortunately if your muscles don't have time to repair themselves, they can't get stronger.  don't confuse that initial soreness you get from not working out after a long time with this kind of soreness. it's more like a dull ache.  means your muscles need a BREAK. sit down somewhere.  this also proves how important it is to switch up your workouts (i do so on a weekly basis) because doing the same thing day after day can lead to overtraining, injury, and just pure boredom!!

• decreased performance.  when i know i can lift a certain weight easily but all of a sudden it feels like it has tripled in size, that's a major sign of exercise overload.  don't take backwards steps.  rest, then come back to that bar ready to add weight, not subtract.  if i'm taking a cardio class and i get winded extremely fast and we are barely getting started, that's another red flag right there.

• simply burned out.  i love me some fitness. but there have been times where i've hopped on the elliptical machine and hopped right back off after like 30 seconds cause i just didn't want to be there.  i just wasn't feeling it. at ALL.  when it gets like that for me, i know i don't need to be anywhere near the gym. at that point it's about recovery and letting that 'missing the gym' feeling come back on its own.

• always tired. more like exhausted.  working out is supposed to have the opposite effect and give you energy, making you feel better.  even if you are getting enough sleep at night but find yourself mentally and physically drained all day long, too much exercise could be the cause.

• fat gain.  working out too much can actually reverse the weight loss process.  overtraining signals the body to start burning muscle for fuel and store more fat, resulting in some weight gain. boooooo.

i taught my weights class this morning and was so pumped i hit the stairmaster for some cardio afterwards.  it's amazing what a break and a good night's rest can do for your body.  when you think it will slow your progress down or mess up your routine, it does the exact opposite!  i had a big bowl of oats for b-fast with some blackberries (currently in season and on sale) and some toasted pecans.  yeah i burned them all up!!

for my mid-morning snack, i threw the rest of those burnt pecans in about 3/4th a cup of 2% greek yogurt (21 grams of protein, remember!!).

the 0% has a tendency to taste like sour cream, it's true. i like the 2% because the added fat makes it creamier.  i also added some fresh strawberries, flax-seed, and a drizzle of honey for less than 200 cals.

lunch.

hummus & carrots and some of the tuna salad i made yesterday.  i have NO bread in the house right now whatsoever:( not even a whole wheat tortilla or crackers, nothin.  so i just ate the tuna as is.  for my starch, i roasted a sweet potato in the oven for about 30 min on 400 deg.

i cut it like an avocado, then sprinkled some brown sugar and cinnamon on it. ok and a little butter. delicious.

sweet potatoes also make AWESOME baby food.  toss a roasted one in the blender and add a little chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. the little one loves it.

it's been two weeks since my perm and i am determined to take better care of my hair once and for all.  washing it TODAY. i'm so bad about going too long without washing it- i mean i'm always sweating it back up anyway! sigh... i wrote it, you read it, so i'm gonna stick by it.  now to decide on dinner...

what do you top your plain yogurt with?

le

healthy snack: hummus

a healthy, cheap snack i love to pack.  carrots and hummus dip.

i buy both in bulk to save money and to stretch our snacks.  Sonny eats carrots as much as i do and we were running out of the smaller 1lb 1.50 packs way too fast.  this big 3lb. bag is just around 3 dollars and some change at Sams.  the Sabra brand is awesome- creamy and flavorful.  they have a huge variety of hummus flavors too like roasted red pepper and  spinach & artichoke.

why buy this size for 3 bucks, when i can get the big tub for just 5?  head to your nearest warehouse club  and get two.

1 serving (2 tbl spoons) of Sabra hummus:

cals: 80

fat: 7g

carbs: 3g

protein:  2g

don't you despise reading nutrition labels and seeing a serving size in ounces?  how much is 3 ounces of carrots!? i don't own a food scale, but after some googling, 3 oz. is about 8-10 baby carrots @ 35 cals per serving.  raw veggies are super low in calories and super good for you- so grab a big handful to dip in your hummus for around 150 calories.

what else can you dip in hummus? after ordering some hummus from Niko Nikos  (they were featured on Triple D!!) for the first time a while back, they introduced me to a variety of veggies.  theirs comes with crispy green bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and warm, fluffy pita bread.  celery and carrots sticks are affordable and easy to pack.

le