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

no beastmode + avocado crema dip

concerning the game....

WHAT?!

i'll just keep it classy and congratulate the Pats.  moving on......

being at home to raise my boys has been one of the biggest blessings in my entire life. i am so thankful.  the only time i really hear crying from Dego is when he's uncomfortable (needs to be changed, hungry, the usual). other than that, he's showing that gummy smile off and cackling at Chiso! i thought Chiso smiled a lot but Dego takes the cake in that department.  Chiso is now a threenager. even on our most difficult, trying, exhausting days, the Lord reminds me how hard i prayed and cried for these boys.  that thought alone makes whatever i'm upset or irritated about (toddler temper tantrum, spilled food, disobedience, etc.) just not that big a deal anymore.  i actually dropped a big bowl of pancake batter and it splattered EVERYWHERE recently. everywhere. the ceiling, walls waaaaay across the room, under tables... just a gigantic mess. albeit my fault, instead of getting angry i stared at the chaos on my floor and laughed (not a crazed, hysterical, witch-like laugh or anything lol) then Chiso chimed right in with me.  i cleaned it all up with a smile.

these guys constantly remind me to stop sweating and stressing the small stuff. we just don't have time. or the energy, most days.

 so before the big game started i went outside to get a 1 hour walk/jog/run thing on!  that's all i had planned to do, but i saw new fit mom Ashley Horner on IG outside doing 300 walking lunges with her 12 day old new-born strapped to her chest and that motivated THE heck outta me.  so i did 300 walking lunges too before heading back home to...

mr. P.J.!

i'm finding it harder and harder to post these kinds of pics to IG because i don't want to discourage our 6 Pack USA clients as they work towards their own fitness goals.  i do maintain my current body fat % using my own personalized plan, but i also indulge in moderation as i am able to easily compensate via my diet and/or exercise for those indulgences to keep me where i want to be. so there! yes, i had a few slices of pizza on game day and i was back on track with no guilt or worries the next day.

my brother and sister-in-law came over to watch the game with us so i made a few snacks including this one i'd love to share with ya:

Avocado Crema Dip 

the stuff: (source)

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 - 6 oz container 0% greek yogurt
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• cracked black pepper & sea salt to taste

do this:

1. add all ingredients to your blender or food processor
2. blend until super-duper creamy (keep scraping down the sides if using a blender)
3. get scoop happy! you can dip anything you want, but i chose plantain chips and the bell peppers.

switching to the 8oz baby bottles for parties / get-togethers was a great move.  one of my pet peeves is walking around picking up half-finished water bottles at the end of a party!!!! never again. that dip in the center of the veggie plate is just Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix + 0% greek yogurt. my mom gave me that idea but used to use sour cream. so yummy!!! it really brings veggies to life.

love this stuff!! my Sprouts Farmers Market usually has a great variety of flavors too; there are so many to choose from.  we recently tried the Cheddar Caramel Mix and gave it two thumbs way up.  if you're gonna sneak snacks into the movie theater, bring this stuff!

did you watch the big game? where?

le

tidbits

saturday morning started out with bananas and Justin's almond butter. Chiso killed these things one by one and so did i! what a yummy combo. 

 i sprinkled some coconut flakes on a couple of them too.

we'll be having these more often.

it was leg day @ the gym-

i didn't even get to finish though which makes me so upset!!! i had to get to my hair appointment (time to chunk the deuce to this  weave)  and i was scolding myself for setting it so early in the day.  rushing through my gym time is the worst.  this is what i did get done though using moderate to heavy weight:

barbel squats 5 x 12

calve raises 5 x 12

machine  leg press 4 x 12

barbel dead lift 4 x 12

then i went into the empty workout room and did three full circuits of this holding 15 lb. dumbbells:

walking lunges forward/backwards (used length of room)

stationary reverse lunges (12 each leg)

stationary side lunges (12 each leg)

15 jumping squats (put the weights down 1st)

rest then repeat.

i ended it with 20 minutes of fat burning cardio on my second fav machine, the stairmaster. i have grown to love this thing.

700+ cals later, crotch-sweat status was achieved and we were outta there!

on our agenda for saturday was a trip to see the Rat.  { happy very 1st birthday, Levi!!!! } we hit up Chuck E. Cheese, aka, CEC, for a family birthday party.  i ate a quick meal in the car on the way of canned salmon (chicken of the sea), avocado chunks, and some asian stir fried veggies.  i think it's some rice cheese up under there somewhere too.  i sprinkled Mc Cormick's BBQ seasoning on it and it came out waaaaaaay too fast. whoops.

yeeeeah Chiso pretty much stayed cooped up under one of us for the most part.

he is not a fan of Chuck yet.   couple more trips and he'll be kicking CEC in the shins like the rest of the kids.   and yes, the weave was still present in my head at that point, lol.  i ended up having to push my appt. to the following day.  sooooo i rushed through my workout for nothin :roll:

but i'm glad i got somethin in cause WE enjoyed the 'peeza' and cupcakes.

 back on track this monday morning though, right. i hope you started your day with some GOOD stuff- i had a spinach and tomato egg white omelette, my oats made with vanilla almond milk, bananas, cinnamon, and vanilla creme stevia, and a cup of green tea.

more healthy recipes and are en route-   pumpkin chili, cauliflower crust pizza, salmon cakes, and pumpkin brownies.  it's also time for an updated oatmeal post as i make it a liiiittle different now, huh.

le

le's leg day circuit

man my heart rate was already up as i walked into the gym today!  i got into my fat burning zone right away as i warmed up on the elliptical for about 10 minutes before hitting the weights.

to get the blood flowing in my legs, i did:

leg extensions / leg curls superset -  4 sets of 12-15 reps using med-heavy weight.

next, 4 sets of 12-15 reps of seated leg press with heavy weight.

1st heavy set w/ feet shoulder width apart,

2nd heavier set with feet shoulder width apart

3rd heaviest set with feet shoulder width apart

4th burnout set with light weight (kept going until it buuuuuuuuuuurned) with my feet shaped in a v (heels together).

now for the fun stuff!!!

 i went into my gym's empty group fitness room (take advantage if your gym allows it and there's no class going on) and did the following 3 times each: (burned over 500 cals after all this!)

*****le's leg circuit*****

using 25 lb. dumbbells,

and a step bench w/ 5 risers on each side,

*i mentioned on IG that you can add more risers if you'd like, but i'm super clumsy and went with 5 today.  it was still a nice height, trust me.*

do the following straight through w/ no breaks.

• 1. 20 squats holding the dumbbells in each hand and squeezing your glutes the entire time.
• 2. walking lunges going forward (i used the length of the room, bout 30 ft i guess!?! i'm horrible with estimations), then backwards ( no, don't turn around, stay facing forward but just lunge backwards. do your best to push yourself up back up to standing and maintain that balance.)
• 3. 20 deadlifts (feet shoulder width apart (1st set) narrow stance (2nd set) wide stance (3rd set))
• 4. 20 box jumps onto your bench. drop the dumbbells first please!  be careful and land softly by putting all your weight into your heels.  drop your glutes as low as possible and get into that squat before you jump back down.

 after a round of that, my heart rate was easily over 170 according to my watch!  i walked in two big circles around the room and let my hr drop to around 130 before i started again.

lastly, i finished up legs with 3 sets of 20 reps of jumping lunges.  make sure you drop that back knee down- no slacking.

i said i'd do abs at home (i always say that lol) cause i had to hit the grocery store before i could even get home.  making progress, but i need some separation in my upper abs since i have NONE.  that's my goal for this week.

 1hr of fat burning cardio on the elliptical later, leg day was over.

startin' the week off right!!! have a GREAT evening and try this workout and lemme know what you think!