*waving*

hello? is this thing on :shock:

hi there. *jumps over the bush* i have a lot of explaining to do concerning my blog whereabouts.  for now, i just wanted to come 'back' with a lil' shout out to my amazing hubby-face. i am so HONORED and PROUD to be his wife and teammate for life! he is the epitome of a #1 fan for real and God has blessed him to be an outstanding husband and father. God reminds me often as to why we were made for each other.  i thank you for ALL you do for our family, Sonny!

hope your father's day weekend was spent honoring and remembering true fathers everywhere.

 i can't get over how much my itty, bitty BABY has grown, my goodness.  to watch him do for himself 90 percent of the time these days gives me such a proud, bittersweet feeling.  i'm sure mothers everywhere can relate.

we headed to celebrate with our parents on Sunday afternoon.

so, originally, i had an AWESOME restaurant picked out for dinner...but i remembered one very crucial thing as we were on the way.

the NBA finals were on at 7!  so i had to make a game time decision while en route and drove straight to the Houston Texans Grille  so that Sonny could enjoy himself his way on his day.

and what do ya know, Sonny's brother and lady, Kara, were there enjoying the game as well!  i definitely didn't plan that but it worked out perfectly.  they ordered those 'bigger than the state of Texas' nachos up there and i almost knocked my water-glass over scrambling for my phone to take a pic.  what can i say, food excites me!  they are monstrous in person and they threw in the towel early on them!  Sonny stuck with salmon, rice, and veggies,  since he is training, and i ordered a baja grilled shrimp salad with romaine, black beans, roasted corn, red bell pepper, cotija cheese, dressing on the side.  i ordered the 'healthiest' thing i could find on the menu for Chiso, which were those fried sweet potato tots.  they were DELISH but were way too sweet from the added sugars.

cheese pizza wasn't on the menu but i asked and they made one for Chiso. love that! #score

 Wally World had these ginormous red bell peppers for just 44 cents each this weekend.  couldn't pass it up so i got a few and made the recipe you're about to read right now:

 red pepper crock pot sirloin

the stuff:

• 1 lb lean sirloin
• 1 large chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 3 stalks chopped green onion
• 4 tbsp liquid aminos
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp pecan, hickory, or mesquite liquid smoke
• 2-3 tbsp of your favorite low-no sodium seasoning
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

do this:

add half of the veggies to your crock pot, then lay sirloin on top.  add the rest of the veggies on top of the meat.  dump all seasonings, liquids, and herbs on top of meat.  set crock pot on the lowest setting and cook the sirloin for 6 hours, or 4 hours on high.  it will be moist, juicy, and FORK TENDER BABY!

*i didn't measure the ingredients the first time honestly and it turned out great.  but if you find comfort in following a recipe, i estimated as best i could!  feel free to do your own thing with it, as you should *

then you can have something like my meal 5 from tonoooight:

boom. pow. ta-dow.

well that was REFRESHING!  taking a break from life, even your passions, is a great thing.  i have so much crazy energy right now from this small post alone, whew!   my flame has been rekindled and i typed this whole post at what seems like 554 wmp!!!!  now if i could just get back to doing this every day....... 

one day at a time though.

tell me something. ask me something.  just say HAI!

email - le@fitfoodiele.com

Instagram - fitfoodiele

Facebook Fan Page

Vine - coming SOON and i'm so dang excited about it!

Kik messenger: fitfoodiele

go buy a crock pot,

le

take it in stride

decisions, decisions.  this year has already started out with way more than i ever thought i could handle.  the major issue being my career!  I've been in the IT industry since i graduated 8 (WOW :shock:) years ago.  i'm an IT contractor, but let's just say i'm on an extended holiday vacation right now lol.  which means...... i get to spend more time in my sanctuary (my kitchen!!!!!) creating new recipes galore, playing, teaching, & showing my little big boy new things, sprucing up my wifely duties big time, and finally, putting maximum effort towards the multiple personal projects God has dropped on my heart. finding balance is hard as crap sometimes! however, i find so much comfort in the fact that He not only tells us what He wants us to do, but He makes a way for it to be done.

 HELLO!  He won't leave you hanging and clueless....  but if you don't move, He can't work.   remember, 'ALL things work together for the good of those that love Him!'

you've only got ONE.  He has given me this precious time, and i'm going to ENJOY and cherish this blessing.

now let's talk about food.

i finally got that red velvet pancake recipe up, and i made my little guy a mini stack of them yesterday for breakfast.

i can't even begin to tell you how gratifying it is to see him stuff his face with VEGGIES!  cause he still hates them.  anything green goes on the floor.  good thing beets are UBER good for us!  they are low-calorie, no fat, high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and help fight various types of cancer.  i'll certainly be making some type of spinach cakes next lol.  i'm gonna get them into his diet however i can.

this photo was pre-walden farms syrup...they look so dry!! but i promise you they are moist and fluffy on the inside. Chiso doesn't appreciate my fanciness yet as he slid the whipped cream right off the top and pushed the chocolate chips around before making a pile of them in the corner of his high chair table.

Q: how do you roast your beets?

A: in a pan:)

that's it! i avoided them for the LONGEST time at the store..i mean they just look so dirty and hard to prepare.  i cut the tops off (someone told me you can save them, cook them, and eat them, but i had already tossed them in the trash) put them in a pan, and shoved them in a 450 degree oven.  in about 45 min, they were soft to the touch, and the peeling came right on off.  beets have officially been conquered!

this morning i made us some cinnamon oatmeal pancrepes.  why crepes? cause i added too much almond milk!  you can compensate by adding more dry ingredients, but i kept it as is and went for it.  i have FUN in my kitchen.  sometimes it's a great success, sometimes it sucks.  flip a coin!

since they are thinner than pancakes, my recipe made a ton.  i ate some flat, and i rolled some too. no pics of those yet though, lmbo.  i'd love to stuff them with something the next time, and i will. so sit tight.  i topped the flat ones with sugar-free cool whip, strawberry slices, and cinnamon.

so, salmon went on sale at HEB this past week and i didn't say a word.  ironically, i got so many PM's from friends letting me know about it  though LOL!!! thank you guys so much!! i'll say something next time, i promise!

red bell peppers were also on sale, so i snagged some of them too.  i made a huuuuge filet of salmon when i was prepping at the beginning of the week, and here are just a few of my meals.

honey mustard smokehouse salmon with steamed okra and red bell peppers.

the salmon was cooked at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.  i squirted it with some Bragg's liquid aminos, then seasoned it with Mc Cormick Smokehouse maple seasoning.

since i have beets at home, i wanted to make one of my fave Cheesecake Factory Salads: the beet, goat cheese, and candied pecan spring mix salad.  what a combo!  i was looking for regular old goat cheese when i came across this gem!  it's so sweet, creamy, and SOUR. the best part!  i don't really do candied nuts, so i figured the sweetness will come from the cheese, and i can keep the nuts roasted and unsalted.  i'll be making that tonight, can't wait!

last night i was browsing Instagram (fitfoodiele) and got inspiration for my final dish of the evening.  i took some scrambled egg whites with spinach, garlic powder & onion powder, incorporated some shredded salmon into it, then stuffed all that into my bell peps.  i topped them with the honey goat cheese and baked them in a 405 degree oven until the peps were tender but still crisp, and the cheese was lightly browned.

i didn't think the cheese could get any creamier or tangier...oh but it DID.  steamed okra and corn on the side!

hitting the gym today for my 2nd leg day this week and ready to get my squat ON.

a quick announcement.....

for my Houston readers, i am excited to announce that i will be instructing at 24 Hour Fitness again!!  the Katy Bella Terra Super Sport location is launching a free weekend of Les Mills, Cycle, Zumba, and recently added, Total Body Conditioning classes!  i'm ALWAYS raving about this class and how much it has improved my cardiovascular & muscular strength and endurance.  now, you can come experience it for yo self, with ME!!!!  check out the schedule and join us!

*Total Conditioning @ 11am with Leah on  Sunday, January 13th*

le