'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times..'

thursday.... was pretty epic.

wednesday? HA. easily one of the most frustrating days of my life.  i felt the same level of anger when i attempted to release my e-cookbook for the first time in the summer of 2013. error after error and issue after issue went on for weeks.  i was pretty distraught and defeated about the whole thing. luckily, wednesday's drama only lasted about 24 hours.  thank. God.  i'm in the process of building my YouTube channel and i struuuuuggled for hours on end from sun up to sun down that day trying to create and upload my very first vid.  just one dang 2 min video!!!  i even took my frustration out on Chiso and we all know that's a big no-no.  #mommyguilt = terrible. well, i can gratefully say the struggle wasn't in vain.  i can't teach a class on it or anything lol but i now know enough about editing software to get things poppin'.  practice makes PROGRESS, not perfect.  i appreciate that struggle today....but wednesday?  i did NOT want to hear that. which brings me to this reminder: life is filled with problems. expect them! they are all trials which test our faith.  anyone can have faith in God during fair weather, sure. the true test of our faith is how we respond when it's raining cats and dogs. i get quiet, angry, frustrated, and i struggle and suffer alone or just nag the heck out of Sonny 'til the issue is fixed.  i'm a work in progress in that department.  i'm thankful for friends who keep me grounded when i just want to scream my face off though.  it's like God puts me on their hearts/minds and they call or text at the perfect time. never fails. so when you're in the valley, remember this verse and keep your head UP:

 Psalms 30:5 '...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'

now, He didn't say which morning, but He said that joy would come and it's impossible for Him to fail or break a promise.

i woke up early thursday morning to go teach Barbell Strength class and still hadn't figured out how to fix my vid at that point but i was determined to SMILE and have a better day and claimed the victory!  i subbed a class that night for another instructor and when i tell you it was one of the best TCX (Total Conditioning Extreme) classes i have ever taught... man. such an indescribable feeling.  they gave me a standing ovation!  ok they were already standing LMBO but that abrupt applause at the end of class made my heart so full.  when i got home that night i got my video up successfully.  man!  from one of the roughest days to one of the best days. that's just the roller coaster called Life. buckle up.

 soooooo, *drum roll* check us out in our first video, Tank Top Arms, and SUBSCRIBE to my channel!

Fitfoodie Le.

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

i made some Italian chicken in my crock pot earlier this week and feasted on it for a couple of days. easy recipe below.

easy Italian crock pot chicken

the stuff:

• 4 chicken breasts (boneless or bone-in, your call. just make sure they fit)
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

do this:

1. everybody in the pool! chicken first, seasonings second.
2. turn pot on low and cook for 6 hours. *white meat cooks fast and can get super dry; test the breast with your fork during the 5-6 hr mark.)

 i've always been on the fence about vlogging cause 1.) i often look a mess and 2.) vlogging is waaaay more personal than blogging IMO, but creating this video was so much fun, even the editing part!! you'll definitely be seeing more vids (recipes, workouts, mom stuff) from us!  suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

so, what would you like to see on my channel? 

share some of your favorite YouTube channels below!

le

p2 pancakes - pumpkin & protein

guess what i'm up doing? editing exercise VIDEOS!!!! i like step by step pictorials for exercises in magazines etc, but that PLUS a video of someone actually doing the move is even better.  don't you think? i do!  so, that's the plan.  i saw today just how much work goes into doing these vids, whew.  all worth it though.  Sonny is my camera man for the moment and is also in charge of alerting me if i say something wack or correcting me if my form is slipping. yall bear with me/us- i hope to post my first vid (glute work!!!) any day now.

i taught an hour long strength class this morning and i left feeling so energized.  as bad as i wanted my oatmeal, i sped home to make a new, clean breakfast: pumpkin protein pancakes.

1 serving (the entire recipe):

175 cals

30 g protein

11 carbs

6.5 g fiber

i gave Sonny two and topped my two with PB2.

you don't have to use protein powder if you don't want- you can use whole wheat flour instead.  that will, however, change up your nutritional stats.

p2 pancakes

the stuff:

• 1 scoop protein powder OR 2 tbsp of whole wheat flour
• 4 tbsp pure canned pumpkin
• 2 egg whites or 1/4th cup liquid egg whites
• 2 tbsp almond milk, soy milk, or even skim
• 1 packet truvia (or any other 0 cal sweetener you'd like)
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or more..dash away)

do this:

mix everything together,  spray your no-stick cooking spray into your pan, and cook.  once bubbles start to form, go ahead and flip them. they cook quickly on med. heat, so keep your eyes on them.

tonight's dinner was TOO EASY.  here's my salmon slab from earlier this week.  i put it in a pan, sprinkled my dry ranch dressing mix on top, and put it right back in the fridge.  after about 2o min or so, the seasoning had completely soaked into the fish, so i popped it in the oven.

450 deg for just 10 min.

 that is IT.

i made some red beans in my slow cooker the night before, so i paired the salmon with them as well as some 'coleslaw'.  i turned the package around and could not figure out for the life of me why the stats were so dang high for some dry cabbage.  then i found that little packet of fat dressing hiding in there and proceeded to toss it OUT.

9 grams of fat and 10g sugar for just a two tbsp serving? no thank you.  i liked the coleslaw dry better anyway because it added crunch.

i like bowls. a lot.  as a kid, i HAD to eat my food portions one at a time and they could not be touching. so weird.  but now, i like a little bit of everything in one bite.  this is one of my fav, beat up bowls.  i think it's older than me.

this was just a quick snack as we're headed out the door to another, yep, you guessed it- 1st birthday par-tay! it's gonna be a positive, productive monday tomorrow.  claim it; it's yours.

le