VLOG: post-Christmas feels :(

who's enjoying vlogging? *raises hand*

seriously.  i do hope you'll continue to join me on this ride!  if you have ideas, topics, or questions, always feel free to shoot them to me. here's our post-Christmas day vlog:

to register for the Houston Commitment Day 5k click here.  if you're running, well let me know via social media or email (le@fitfoodiele.com)!

if you didn't catch our Christmas Eve vlog, here ya go! be sure to subscribe for more and leave me a thumbs up while you're there!

hope you had the BEST Christmas ever.

easy, fresh, healthy, steamed fish foil packets

watch dis!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjN26SabfcY]

Steamed Fish Foil Packets

the stuff:

• 2 lb fillet of trout (of fish of choice: salmon, halibut, etc,)
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• 1 large red (or any color) bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large zucchini, sliced thinly into rounds
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped/minced (or any fresh herb: dill, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• cracked black pepper & sea salt to taste
• 1 heaping tbsp of any seasoning blend of your choice
• 1 lemon, sliced

do this:

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. in a small bowl, mix all dry seasonings together
3. section fillet into desired portions using a sharp knife or kitchen shears
4. tear off sheets of foil (15'' x 15'') and lay them out across a large workspace
5. coat one half of the sheet with no-stick cooking spray, and place each fillet portion on that same end, leaving space between the fillet and the edge
6. place veggies & herbs around your fillet (lemon slice on top); sprinkle veggies and fillet generously with seasoning
7. fold over the uncoated side of foil covering the fillet and veggies. crimp the edges to form a packet
8. i placed the packets directly on my oven grate, but you can also place them flat on a very large baking pan.
9. bake 8-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fillet portions).  a general rule is 10 min per inch of thickness
10. take out, let cool, unseal pouch, open. *cue ooohs and aaaaahs*

best things about this recipe:

• clean up is BREEZE, right!? #disposableplate

• customizable to the MAX (fish choice, veggies, seasonings, etc) 

• easy, healthy, portioned controlled and awesome for my meal preppers!

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cause she boxed her slice up while they were talking. mama ain't no dummy :)

i hope you guys enjoyed your Mother's Day, however you spent it! remembering past, present, and future moms. this job ain't easy, but what an honor it is to be a mommy.

my fam treated my grandmother to a birthday/mother's day lunch the saturday before Mother's Day at Mia's Table.  it was my first time there and i loved the homeyness of the place!  do you even have to ask what i ordered....

grilled sammmmman! and avocado salad. yes. right up my alley.

<3

whoops. Sorry Aunt Annette!

and free soft serve? we'll be back.

so sunday i didn't get to sleep in LOL, but what better way to wake up, right!? this is all i wanted. EVERYTHING else was just an added bonus. this is why we can't co-sleep anymore right here though. we'd all wake up bruised and battered, my goodness. and YES, that hurt!

grateful for time with The 3 Bears.  it's the only thing we can't get back, so spend it wisely.       

Sonny picked another great restaurant for us to dine at after church, Latin Bites!  we pretty much shared everything you see up there. fresh & tasty.  we then went to hang out with our moms for the remainder of the day.

how'd you spend Mother's Day?

moms, what's the best gift you received?

what's the best Mother's Day gift you've given?

le

Spaghetti Squash Chaos

my big bro met me at the gym for a workout yesterday! i missed my early gym date (again) and definitely needed to go get it in. i did one of my 6 Pack USA leg day routines and ended it with a burnout lunge-a-thon via the smith machine.

 [wpvideo XHzNWJQ9]

25 lb plates on each side + 100 reps on each leg = #DONE

afterwards, i went to pick up my kiddos and this little guy was super soaked!  this was the perfect #MomIsHere moment cause i was right on time for diaper duty! have you heard about this contest going on RIGHT NOW via @Sproutchannel!?   moms, go check it out and snap some pics of you and your little one(s) for the chance to win free stuff!  it's that simple.

for the next 30 days, tag your Instagram usies #MomIsHere and #NoFilter30 to be eligible! so much LOVE flowing through those hashtags <3

on to our dinna later that evening! it's funny how when we get home everybody starts lookin' at me like, 'sooooo.... food?'

watch dis:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-DlTPUEFb8&w=560&h=315]

how i seasoned my lean ground meat:

• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey 
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 2 tbsp liquid aminos
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning  
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 

Spaghetti Squash Chaos

the stuff:

• 1 large roasted/baked spaghetti squash (30-45 min on 400 deg)
• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey breast, cooked & seasoned (see above)
• 2 cups packed, fresh spinach
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1-2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• hand full of turkey pepperoni slices (approx. 12)

do this:

1. preheat oven to 350 deg, baking pan with foil and coat it with no stick cooking spray
2. split spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds/guts
3. scoop out the flesh of the squash (be gentle!) and add it to your skillet along with your ground meat, tomatoes, spinach, pepper, & olive oil
4. mix all together until combined
5. place empty shells on baking sheet and distribute mixture evenly back into shells
6. top spaghetti half #1 with 1/2 cup shredded cheese; do the same for #2 with the remaining cheese
7. distribute the pepperoni slices evenly on top of the cheese
8. bake for approx 10-15 min or just until the cheese melts and/or browns
9. take out of the oven and sprinkle with the fresh, chopped basil (didn't have any so i used parsley)

will you make this and tag me on Insta? it would make my LIFE!!!! it always does. i'd love to start doing features again as i appreciate when you guys make my recipes so, so much. 

this was Sonny's (Hubs) serving; he likes it HOT and eats Sriracha on everythang of course,

and here's my brother's plate. chipped plates make the world go round.  man i could eat avocado on top of just about anything!!!

if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, do so and show me some #vlogger love then!  i really hope you all enjoy this healthy, wholesome meal as much as we did. mmmk, bye.

Q: spaghetti squash is pretty bland by itself...how do you spice yours up normally? #punintended 

le

Run Chi Run! The Green 6.2

i heard reports that it was supposed to rain like 100% all weekend, but luckily it did NOT!

i went into the boy's room around 545 am to give Dego a nursing session so he'd be good for a few hours.  afterwards, i attempted to wake Chiso up and of course he was super groggy and wondered why i was interrupting his precious sleep cause clearly it was not time to get up!  'mama what are you doing?  go back to bed, it's still night time.'

we eventually made it downstairs for breakfast to fuel up.  i had two slices of whole wheat toast with PB2 and all natural strawberry preserves, and a tall, hot mug of 1/2 caff.  Chiso requested waffles and turkey sausage and killed his plate. he was so excited at that point and ready to GO!

i couldn't get my life together and completely forgot about packet pickup last week! so, we got our bibs once we got there.  here's my race day fit that i set out the night before.  i brought my Old Faithfuls (seasoned Nike Free Runs) to wear just in case it rained cause uuhhhhh, #DoWhatYouDoButWatchMyShoesMotherNature

these babies have been getting a ton of love and i understand why!  we got them from the Nike Outlet on my birthday this past Tuesday.  they are FlyKnit 4.0 Nike Free Runs.  i should shave soon.

isn't this the coolest sweater!? when i first saw it on the hanger in H & M i was like ok..... are you hot? are you cold?  what? pick one!!! but this morning's weather was perfect for it.  i even went back and copped it in mint; it's so Springy!  this was the last black one on the rack and it was a small..but i had to have it.  Dego was fussy while i was taking these so i paused to scoop him up. at least we matched!

sweater: H & M

tank: Nike

crops: Nike (NIke Outlet)

shoes: Nike Free Runs 4.0 FlyKnit (Nike Outlet)

lets do thissss! my 10k was up first, so Chi waited patiently with his uncle until i was done.

i'm guessing i finished around 54 minutes or so, but under 1 hour was my goal!  my race sorta went like this:

mile 1: feelin' good, pumped, light on my feet, music jammin'

mile 2: feelin' great and still passing people left and right

mile 3: this is stupid

mile 4: why did i sign up for this? this song sucks

mile 5: the faster i run the faster i finish *scrolls to Chandelier by Sia for motivation*

mile 6: time to pick up the pace!!!!!!!

'is it my turn to run yet mommy?!?!?'

yep, right after mama gets these post-race snacks. i've never heard of Level Bars but i got one of every flavor to try, some Kind Bars, a banana, some wata, and

some scrumptious muffins from Corner Bakery Cafe.

 then we headed back to the start line to tackle the 1k.

and we're off!

Chiso kept saying, "Iron Man Super Sonic Speeeeeed!" and shooting both his arms back behind him while we ran, LMBO.

boys are so fun and funny.  you can see him doing it in the video below. press play!

 [wpvideo GcB2B5xs]

 framing this one. so proud of this little boy for finishing strong and earning his medal.

 i couldn't even get outta the parking lot good before he was out like a light.

i finally got a chance to take a good look at this year's finisher shirt once we got home!  virutal goody bags were done this year too.

and now i'm finishing up this post and splitting this tasty Level bar with Sonny.  have you tried them?

happy weekend!

le

Vegan Coconut Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

cut off t-shirts...the secret to muscle gains ;) . that's it.  a participant actually cut this shirt for me right before our Zumba half-time performance this past monday during the Rockets game (yeah haven't gotten that post up yet, whoops) and now i want to do all my lifting shirts this way! will have to YouTube a tutorial for sure.  after Barbell Strength class this morning i did back & biceps on my own before starting my day.

whenever i see these baby 1 lb weights on the rack i think about how cute they would be for my future mini me. baby fever strikes again! i've never seen anyone actually use them (other than for a door stop) but aren't they adorable??

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on my last grocery trip, i got a few of these StarKist Tuna Creations from Walmart.  i devoured the Sweet & Spicy and Herb & Garlic flavors a few days ago and finished the Hickory Smoked tuna today. all three were tasty!  love me some portable protein!  someone on IG said they have a Ranch flavor and i sure wish i had seen it at my Wally World.  i'm on the hunt for it.

they are already packed with a ton of flavor, but to the Sweet & Spicy one i added:

• raisins
• boiled egg whites
• green onion
• Grey Poupon Mild & Creamy Dijon Mustard (calorie-free)
• cracked black pepper
• red pepper flakes
• sweet smoked paprika

and topped a few raw red bell pepper slices for lunch one day.  again, it didn't even need all the hoopla!  i usually add all those ingredients to regular, unflavored tuna though.  try it and lemme know what cha think.

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what did i end up doing with this overripe bunch of bananas?  i found a WINNER:

Vegan Coconut Banana Bread Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

say that 3 times fast!  soooooo, vegan desserts have completely won me over.  i have committed myself to creating way more of them.  i've had a handful of moms contact me about making tasty food for their kiddos with specialty diets, and dairy-free is usually at the top of their list (for the parent's diet too).  i understand completely cause bloating = :( . i found Minimalist Baker surfing the net one day and saw about a quadrillion recipes of theirs i wanted to try.  most vegan dessert recipes i've come across contain a bajillion ingredients, like forreal.  i get discouraged myself just scrolling through them.  that's another reason i like Minimalist Baker though, hence the name! simple, tasty, and they use as few ingredients possible.  busy moms appreciate that too!  i know i do.  anywaaaaaay, this recipe is oil-free, egg-free, wheat-free, diary-free and still tastes freaking AMAZING.  that's always my first concern when all the 'good' stuff is missing from a recipe, ha. i found and adapted this recipe from another healthy site i came across during cardio recently, Ambitious Kitchen.  these do NOT disappoint your taste buds or your waistline.  now that's my kinda dessert!!  all things in moderation though, yall.

no apologies...my nails are the last thing on my to-do list these days. actually they never even make the list. 

moist, delectable, and HEALTHY! 

go ahead, get PIN-happy! i'll wait :)

ok i'm done. ready?

Vegan Coconut Banana Bread Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

the stuff:

• 2 cups gluten-free oat flour (make your own...i used rolled oats + Ninja Blender)
• 1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats, un-blended (just for texture)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey or light agave nectar
• 3 medium ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 heaping tbsp unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chunks

topping:

• 1/2 tsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chunks, melted
• 1 heaping tbsp toasted coconut flakes (optional...but that crunch and toasted flavor is everything)

do this:

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees & coat baking pan with non-stick cooking spray
2. oat flour: place oats into blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour.
3. transfer oat flour to a medium bowl and add: 1/4 rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
4. throw bananas, vanilla, applesauce, and honey into blender; blend 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy
5. add wet mixture to oat flour mixture and mix until just combined
6. gently fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chunks
7. pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly with rubber spatula
8. bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
9. let cool for 10 min.
10. prepare drizzle by adding 2 tablespoons of chocolate chunks + coconut oil in microwave safe bowl. microwave on high 30 seconds; stir well to combine then drizzle over the top of bars.  sprinkle toasted coconuts over bars. cut into 16 bars and serve it UP!

***NUTRITIONAL STATS( per 1 bar): 98 calories, 18g carbs, 4g fat,  2g protein, 10g sugar***

LOVE AT FIRST BITE!

make these, take a pic, then TAG ME on IG or Facebook and let me know what you thought of this treat!

Q: what are some of your favorite IG accounts to follow for recipes?  please share!

le