meal preeeep! something i used to do every single sunday and wednesday without fail for a good 3 or 4 years straight. my short-lived bikini competitor season lit a fire in me, WHEW! i still meal prep here and there though, guys, because it’s convenient, and so, so beneficial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, weight, energy level, etc., etc., etc., buuuut i’m not so anal over it anymore at this point in my life.
Read Morefyi... if your waiter or waitress tell you that they absolutely love quinoa (pronounced exactly like it sounds) and it's also their favorite dish on the menu you prolly shouldn't take their word for it. #YoureWelcome #TrueStory #InsertNervousLaughter
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and another one! this is my 3rd year attending the Blog Elevated conference.
friday afternoon i cooked up and prepped a whole bunch of food & snacks for my boys to get them through the weekend. Sonny has been on a mission since july this year to lose 30 lbs or so before baby #3 arrives. because of meal prep and 6 Pack USA, he made eeeeeeet! achilles tendon issues and all. so proud of him.
my girl Ogechi & i usually attend the conference and enjoy a relaxing weekend together but she was unable to attend this year *insert gigantic sad face*. however, my prenatal fitness client, friend, belly buddy, and fellow mommy blogger, Marissa, was available and made the drive! i enjoyed hanging out and learning alongside her all weekend; check out her adorable, family, blog and try out her delish recipes while you're there! day 1! the conference was held in the newly remodeled South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center in League City, Texas.
i was crazy excited and honored to be a fitness ambassador for BE this year! i brought some fresh fruit to snack on throughout the day but y'all know i ate that soon as i got there, lol. lunch time finally rolled around though and roast beef sammiches were on the menu. 
unfortunately, brie is not a pregnancy friendly food, but i was so hungry i dismantled that bad boy and ate the protein and that pickle.
Marissa headed out to find other options and did just that; isn't it pretty!? i told her i'd take an order of whatever she got; this grilled chicken cobb salad hit THE spot. right back to it after lunch.
in between sessions there was "study hall".' it was a chance for us to go over the info we just learned and to take advantage of speaking with some of the BE mentors (other bloggers skilled in a particular area like Twitter or YouTube, etc.). i have been trying to remain consistent and spice up my YouTube vids for forever!! so, i hunted down Roccibel Volpicella to get some tips. her primary language is Spanish, so there was a translator present to help us communicate. she doesn't have a blog but has become insanely popular just from her YouTube makeup tutorials! 
since IG is my jam, i definitely wanted to attend the, "Perfecting Instagram Panel" session. each of these ladies (l to r: Meg Owens, Elly Brown, Brittany Ashmore, Jaclyn Kent) gave their own unique tips and pointers for growing their Insta audiences. they mentioned using some of the photo apps i am already use and love like Snapped, A Color Story, and VSCO. 
day 2! it's time to move! 
Kroger sponsored a 7am Zumba class and the turnout was friggin' awesome! look at all these girls (and 3 guys including our instructor) gettin' their early morning cardio ON!
my fave way to start the day.
i even won a raffle prize, wuuuut!? yeah, those chocolate almonds came in handy later in the day during sessions.
some of the breakout sessions were held at the same time, so Marissa and i split up and swapped notes afterwards #teamwork.
we learned about getting the most out of our email lists, tracking our blog analytics, and i especially enjoyed the photography session by Rachel Matthews! she provided plenty of tips for sprucing up our camera taking skills.
lunch tiiiime! we dined on grilled chicken topped with pears, wild rice, and veggies while a News Republic rep spoke to us about using multiple revenue sources effectively.
couldn't agree more.
thanks for another fun, info-packed weekend, Lisa and Bobbie!
i tweeted a couple of my takeaways:
i hope they resonate with you too. thanks for reading!
my grandma had 12 kiddos (6 boys, 6 girls) and there was even a set of twins up in there! they turned 50 this past weekend and we celebrated with an old-fashioned house partaaaaaay!
my contribution? some unpictured vegan chicken taquitos (i bought them from Whole Foods Market) and some homemade guacamole.
my uncle and his fam are vegan so we wanted to make sure there was food there they could enjoy.
vegan cupcakes from sprinkles made an appearance too! do they even look 50 years old!? happy birthday to the twins, Uncle Anthony and Aunt Annette :)
we partied til midnight but had to go pick up the boys afterwards and got home at 1-ish. needless to say, i was NOT ready to get up and drive across town for instructor training the next day. but first..... COFFEE.
it was worth it though cause i got to see my girl and master Lifetime Fitness trainer Abrea again! i've been seeing her at least once a year for various trainings for the past couple years and i never get tired of listening to this woman (she's the one with the cool hair on the left). i also saw my instructor friend and rock star Olga (yellow tank) and NEW instructor Maria(top)!! Maria has taken my early LT classes for a good while. i'm excited she'll be able to sub for me if i never need one lol. congrats to her on teaching her first class recently!
Abrea taught a fan-flippin-tastic Barbell Strength class and we all loved every sweaty second of it. i love working out with other instructors cause the energy in the room is INSANE!! so fun, so educational, and so needed to keep my own BBS class exciting and refresh my love for being an instructor period. see ya next year, Abrea!
this is what i snacked on throughout the day: fresh fruit, veggies, hummus with a few pita chips, BBQ chicken breast chunks, oatmeal, eggs, and water. i slept as long as i could so i didn't have time to make my breakfast at home. thank you, LifeCafe!
after i got home, meal prep time!!!!! have you checked out the hashtag on IG?! --->#FFLCleanEatingChallenge<--- i jumped online and saw everyone else prepping too and got SO inspired all over again!!! yall are DOIN' IT!!! i gave 3 options for protein and made two of'em: Apple Turkey Burgers and the Sticky Spicy Chicken.
then i put my meals together for the next 3 days. preparation is EVERYTHING.
meanwhile.....man i missed these guys. and i missed church that day too! luckily our church adds their sermons online so i still caught it. the next morning i was tired as crap, yall. not even gonna sugar coat it. sunday is usually my rest day so i was beat after that long day of training. i wanted to hop on Periscope super early and motivate yall for this challenge somethin' serious but my body couldn't and wouldn't get out the bed! so i slept in way later than normal and did not feel bad about it. i made breakfast immediately once up though and got going! Chiso wanted in on the challenge too lol so he had what i was having.
ok, i know it's only been ONE day but i am CRAAAAZY proud of yall!!!! seriously!!!! it's one thing to talk about changing... but when you put forth the effort to actually MAKE IT HAPPEN you are well on your way! i told yall i'd be watching via social media and i am ON IT. way to go yall! KEEP IT UP!
meal prep sunday went DOWN.
and now monday has been officially ROCKED!!! if you have not followed me on Periscope yet, what is up with that!? i thought of an idea on the elliptical today i'm gonna introduce very soon and it includes exercise via Periscope. i'll discuss super soon, so hurry up and join! man, these pictures make me smile incredibly big. yall have no idea! if you take and post at least one pic per day concerning this #fflcleaneatingchallenge i have a lil' somethin' for ya... so STICK WITH IT!
le
watch dis!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjN26SabfcY]
the stuff:
do this:
best things about this recipe:
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.
le
fit foodie le is committed to living a healthy lifestyle and showing you how to do the same. see just how great your body is designed to feel through physical activity and eating well. we are obsessed with dairy-free recipes and taking care of yourself, inside and out.
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