i dip you dip we dip

happy labor day.

since it was a holiday, i went to the gym. no surprise there. i took my GFDH's (group fitness department head)  Total Conditioning Xtreme class and WELL, that's why she's the GFDH of the best gym in the universe.  i sweat in places i don't recall ever sweating in before (sweaty knees???)  and i just didn't know what to even do with myself once class was over. LOVED IT.  every sweaty second.  i headed home with Chiso and after a nice shower i sat on the bed to nurse my two month old and the next thing you know all three of us were out.  i have not had the pleasure of taking a daytime nap in.... idk.  i actually stopped taking naps purposely cause they messed with my sleep later that same night (i.e. up staring at Sonny sleeping in the dark).  however, for a good hour or so it went down and i did not fight it.  Dego was the only thing interrupting my sleep later!

my sis-in-love invited us to her church's BBQ so off we went and had a great time with family and friends eating and fellowshipping (not a word).  this is actually my to-go plate as i ate there. lol. bbq'd chicken, salmon, corn, and i made my own side salad drizzled with lite strawberry balsamic dressing. then...it was time for dessert.

when we got back home we tried out ENLIGHTENED Ice Cream instead of getting fro-yo.  impressive!  healthy ice cream?  of course we're trying it.   dipped in chocolate.  not that it even needed all the extra hoopla.  i just wanted to get Chiso involved ( he looooves to help me in the kitchen ) and more excited than he already was. sprinkles tend to do that ;)

so sprinkles for him, and toasted almonds for me! i melted down some semi-sweet chocolate chips and thinned it out with a little unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  the instructions say to let the bars sit for 3-5 minutes (pure torture by the way)  to temper before eating.  so we impatiently stuck it out before we dipped. my Sprouts Farmer's Market only carried the fudge flavor and the texture is suuuuper creamy.

how bout those stats?  no artificial sweeteners and only 70 cals per bar.  don't mind treating Chiso with these at all and hoping to get my hands on the other flavors in the near future.

 depending on what your 'thing' is, check out ENLIGHTENED, well, everywhere:

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Q: well, football season is officially here. what does this mean to you?

a. absolutely nothing

b. see ya in february, hubby

c. got my jersey ready, let's gooooo

le

feelin good, feelin great

you know the saying, 'it's gonna get worse before it gets better.'   well, things got waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better this week, starting with my food.  new stuff on the menu! went the store and got those items this past weekend so i could start my week off on the right foot.

i hit up HEB of course and saw these little pink signs aaaaall down the bulk aisle.  yep, i was in the bulk aisle and wasn't tempted at all, really! just stopped to get some papaya for Chiso and kept it moving.  but back to these signs, OK, who ruined it for everybody!? i guess i'll raise my hand too.  they better be glad i'm not eating sweets right now, hmph.  just kidding, i'm too scary to try that, really.

few things i picked up: more mc cormick grill mates seasonings (still 1 buck at HEB), some garlic powder, onion powder, and liquid smoke.  ever heard of it?? it's EVERYTHING-free and provides awesome smokey flavor for your proteins.  i had it for the first time on some baked pork chops, but i think it goes excellent with grilled steak. it's like 95 cents!

i got plenty of limes and cilantro to add to my big vat of rice.

which equals cilantro-lime rice! smelled so fresh and citrusy.

matter fact i had so many limes i decided to make a limeade.  you know, the same thing you do at restaurants sometimes.

juice of two limes, 1 tsp stevia in the raw, 8 oz cold water.  stir!  add more water as needed.

less than 3 weeks left until showtime and my meal planS are all over the place and i LOVE it!  they will keep on changing and rotating until the day of the show.  my trainer is confusing the heck outta my body and it's responding positively.  i've been carb cycling for the last few weeks, and now i'm carb loading.

 which means *drum-roll* more yummy rice and FRUIT!

meal #6 from last night. #inhaled

yesterday i felt strong enough to lift a house.  i don't ever remember feeling so high, so full of energy,  and just plain READY to tackle the weights.   ever.

still workin on that un-flexed bicep lol

i felt and looked physically stronger (to me anyway) and there were veins and muscles i had never seen before popping out everywhere.

  i felt compelled to text my trainer after my workout to tell him how much i was loving my meals and how awesome i was feeling.  he replied with 'carb loading is a beautiful thing!'.

why YES, YES IT IS!

instabreakfast this morning:

what? like all your bowls are chip-free.

i scrambled my eggs this time and added fresh cilantro, garlic & onion powder, and a little lemon pepper seasoning.  topped those banana pancakes with a few shots of 'i can't believe it's not butter' spray and some Walden Farms pancake syrup.  yep, breakfast is STILL my fav meal of the day by far.

what low or no calorie things do you add to your food for better flavor? 

le