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

40 weeks preggo + Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti Squash

 glory to God! we made it! 40 weeks in the bag.

wednesday i had (what i hope to be) my very last routine check up with my OB before meeting Odego.

did some reading to pass the time in the waiting area and my eyes were immediately drawn to "why it's OK to get an epidural" after picking up this magazine, lol.  this birth plan is the same as my first... to give it my best shot  naturally, and call for the epi if i need it. God has already gone before me and everything is in His hands. everything.

i love that my OB involves Chiso somehow at every visit.  especially when i forget to bring his ipad!  i just love her to pieces and thank God for connecting us.  according to Chi's calculations, my belly is currently measuring at 39.7 cms (the number your belly measures in cms usually corresponds with your current week, fyi).  pretty happy to have progressed to 2 cms dilated without feeling a thing at that.  well, what i HAVE felt has not been painful at all, rather.

so i left my appointment with JUST enough time to hit the gym for one last TKB (turbo kickboxing) class!!! i also just wanted to tell the best kickboxing instructor i know that i'd be seeing her in a few weeks, or whenever i'm cleared to come back.

i started that day with lean turkey sausage, 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites, the last of a ripe avocado, all over  a sweet potato hash i could have sworn i had already added  to my blog, sorry guys!! here are the ingredients i sautéed in my no stick skillet with 1 tbsp coconut oil:

• 1 small peeled/cubed sweet potato (microwave for 1 min first to make it easier to chop)
• 1 yelllow oinion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cubed zucchini
• 1/4 cup cubed yellow squash
• 1/2 cup  cubed red bell pepper
• red pepper flakes
• sea salt (i used liquid aminos) & pepper
• fresh chopped cilantro

and i scarfed down those rotisserie chicken breast deli sammiches on Sara Lee whole wheat 45 calories & delightful bread and raw carrots after the TKB class.

   

here's dinner from tonight with the recipe as promised:

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti Squash

the stuff:

• 1 lb raw, de-veined, shelled shrimp
• 1 roasted small - medium spaghetti squash  ( i throw the whole thing in my oven on 375 for 45 min)
• 1/2 cup whole grape tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp or more lemon pepper seasoning
• cracked black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 lemon

do this:

1. heat a large wok to med-high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
2. add 2 tbsp garlic and stir constantly so it doesn't burn for about 2 minutes; add shrimp.
3. season shrimp with 1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning and black pepper; remove from wok and set aside.
4. add in another tbsp olive oil and the remaining 2 tbsp of garlic; cook for about 1 minute.
5. add bell pepper if wanted at this point and let it cook/soften for 2 minutes. if no bell pepper, just add cooked spaghetti squash into wok along with another tbsp or two of lemon pepper seasoning and black pepper. mix well.
6. halve the grape tomatoes then add them to your wok along with the cooked shrimp and cilantro; mix very well.
7. squeeze the fresh lemon over the top of everything and serve!

nutritional stats coming right up, asap. as for now, the baby waiting game continues!  have a safe, fun, friday night :)

le

turkey day 10k + november goals

happy NOVEMBER &  friday :)

let's celebrate.  have some pancakes.

i made a big one for Chiso's breakfast yesterday.  since he hadn't had them in a while (we switched to Ezekiel's cinnamon raisin bread for a little bit) he killed the whole thing in a few minutes.

it was topped with some cinnamon and a drizzle of walden farms pancake syrup.

SO, what are your fitness and nutrition goals for this month?  how often do you make goals anyway?  do you even make them? daily? weekly? monthly? making goals has become an incredibly useful tool for me now that i'm in off-season with my competition training.  whenever i write ANYTHING down (grocery list, an event, reminder, whatever) Sonny feels the need to remind me what year it is and to document things electronically.  well sometimes i don't want to!  i mean seriously.  i enjoy writing out my grocery list by hand and crossing off items one by one while i'm at the store.  i just do.  i'm pretty sure it's cause my mom did/does that.  i also like to group all my items together (frozen, produce, etc.) as i take them out of my basket and put them on the belt at checkout.  Sonny finally understands this and lets me do my thing :lol:  anyway, it will take me longer to type my entire list into my phone... and then what if it dies!?

i did a reverse selfie (which is way freakin harder to do than i thought) of my october progress which was to eat as clean as possible and to add more definition all over, especially my abs.  i stuck with my clean eating for the most part even though these weekend parties filled with pizza and cake got me a few times!   but i stayed inside my 80/20 rule, so it's all good.  i also upped my weight training and decreased my cardio.  i'd love to stay where i am right right now so that when i compete again, i'll be at an acceptable 'starting' place.

 le’s NOVEMBER 2012 fitness and nutrition goals 

• continue to stay on track with my meal plan and clean eating
• ENJOY Thanksgiving to the fullest – no meal plan, scale, nothin’ on that day
• Run this 10K on turkey day ----> http://turkeytrot.shelteringarms.org/  and beat my current PR!
• Add HIIT back into my current workout routine (sprints 2x’s a week)
• Take my ab workouts more serious

ok those are mine!  whether you write them or type your goals, just make some.   i'm not just running a 10k so i can eat like a crazy woman on TG, but  i already planned to workout anyway.  i know my gym class will be canceled like it is every year, but i'd totally be there at 5:30am sharp for anyone who wanted to get in a great weight workout that morning.

have you ever worked out on Thanksgiving Day???  

  my little Ruggles Green lunch date from the weekend inspired me to throw a butternut squash in our grocery basket.

 i threw the whole thing in the oven for about 20-25 minutes on 400 degrees.  after it cooled, i cut it in half, long ways.

i think i got pretty darn close to their Famous Butternut Squash.  in terms of taste, not looks, apparently.

at least Chiso thinks so- he liked it *wipes forehead*.   i used:

squash:

• walden farms pancake syrup (instead of the maple syrup)
• i can't believe it's not butter spray butter
• few dashes of cinnamon
• dash of salt

topping:

• crunchy lite granola (bulk bins at HEB/Whole Foods)
• coconut crystals (found at Whole Foods)

that's all that's in there and it was too simple to be that good.  i didn't measure a thing though and just threw it together, fyi.  i was gonna cut it into chunks and throw it in the blender, but it was soft enough to just whip/mash up in a bowl by hand.  also,  i didn't have graham crackers like the original recipe, but Sonny's lite crunchy granola worked out fine.

does he look warm?  bless his heart.  i hadn't been outside since my eeeeearly morning workout, so i assumed it was still pretty cool out.  not quite.

i took him out of the jacket and he took the hat off himself lol.  Moms, if you don't have a jogging stroller, INVEST in one.  no gym membership required.  your post baby body journey starts with some good ol' walking.  you'll be jogging/running again eventually though, and you'll be able to knock out two birds with one stone!  family time and exercise.  never let your little one be your excuse...only your reason.  we were blessed with this stroller as a baby shower gift and i am SOOOOO grateful for it.

i used the last of that fresh atlantic salmon we bought to make breakfast tacos for meal #4 that night.  i put this concoction together in my head while on our evening walk- fresh salmon, avocado, egg whites, shredded almond cheese all on a Ezekiel sprouted grain corn tortilla. yum!  the tortillas pretty much broke apart once i picked it up :( , but hey it all went to the same place.

we topped them with cilantro and salsa first.

after that, i went to my freezer for the next best thing since we're outta salmon right now- tilapia!  i baked a few pans of garlic and herb tilapia in the oven so i could prep some more meals to get us through the week.

i also made so fresh steamed asparagus for our green vegetable. lots of lemon pepper and Pam.

meal #5  for that evening consisted of spaghetti squash i baked earlier in the week, tilapia, and asparagus. i just rolled up two fork fulls of the squash and made it look like little pasta nests.  then i sprinkled them with garlic and herb seasoning and some dried parsley.

Chiso and i are gearing up to support Sonny in his 2nd bodybuilding show this weekend!

we are so ready to cheer him on :)

a trophy would be awesome, but i get to bring the man home with me! whoop whoop!

le

treadmill workout + spinach spaghetti squash bake

this was today's 30 min treadmill workout:

Time	Incline	Speed
0-2 warmup	2.0	4.0
2-3 walk	4.0	4.0
3-5 run	4.0	7.0
5-6 walk	5.0	4.0
6-8 run	5.0	7.0
8-9 walk	6.0	4.0
9-11 run	6.0	7.0
11-12 walk	7.0	4.0
12-14 run	7.0	7.0
14-15 walk	8.0	4.0
15-17 run	8.0	7.0
17-18 walk	9.0	4.0
18-20 run	9.0	7.0
20-25 walk	10	4.0
25-30 walk	15 (highest)	3.0
3-5 min cool down	0.0	2.0

print it, cut it out, and take it with you! burns over 400+ cals.

and this was tonight's dinner: spinach spaghetti squash bake.

the stuff:

• 1 shallot
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cups of 2% or low/no fat mozzarella shredded cheese
• 1 log 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 bag frozen spinach
• 2 chopped tomatoes OR 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 can Amy's low sodium chunky tomato bisque
• 1 spaghetti squash
• salt, pepper, tony's c's to taste

do this:

first and foremost, turn on your oven (350 deg) and throw the squash in there. it needs to cook at least 45 min first. in the meantime,

brown your shallots, onion, and turkey in a pan, and season it with the salt, pepper, and tony c's.

chop up all your veggies and toss them in.

microwave the spinach for about 5 minutes, then put it in a colander and press all the water out. add.

finally, pour in the soup.

grab your pan(s) and start with the squash- that'll be your 1st layer.

then, meat sauce.

and finally, my fav, plenty of cheese.  now, repeat until you run outta stuff.  remember to top it with cheese!

ready after 15-20 min in a 350 deg oven. so good, so healthy, so light, so filling.

we killed this pan but thank goodness i made two.  hitting the sack NOW- weights class in the early am!

le