PUMPKIN FREAKING SPICE!

HAPPY FALL, YALL!

  what can i say... except, bravo, Sprouts Farmer's Market!  immediately after i checked out and was hauling my groceries to my car did i see this entire Pumpkin Spice section at the very front of the store. well played, guys.  it was filled with so many other delectable pumpkin spice flavored goodies but i limited my impulse purchases to these 3:

Pumpkin Spice Black Tea - morning delight!

Maple Pumpkin Buttter - toast, ice cream, savory sammiches, etc, etc, etc!!!

Organic Pumpkin Spice Kale Chips - just curious :)

i really did get the necessities first though!  some fresh, bargain produce,

a loaf of honey whole wheat bread, egg whites, whole eggs, fresh chicken tenderloins, Applegate natural chicken hotdogs, and some Daiya dairy-free strawberry cream cheese<---(nope, not on my original list).

i was nursing Dego earlier today and in the middle of doing so he unlatched, looked up at me and said, 'AAAAAHHHHH?' like he had just killed the last sip of soda????‪ or something!!! the boys do this all the time Sonny, but with cups of juice though, haha! #breastjuice

after he finally went down for his nap, i did a quick afternoon abs routine on Periscope! i am excited to say our home connectivity issues will soon be OVA (*knocks on wood, crosses fingers, toes, and eyes*) cause we are finally switching internet providers!  they are coming and we are waiting.

it's not what it looks like, LMBO, but here's a quickly review on the kale chips just for my IG peeps!  i didn't know what to expect with these.... but what a pleasant surprise. i snacked on them in the car as i headed to pick up Chiso from preschool.

 if you like sweet, SUPER CRUNCHY, light snacks (and all things pumpkin spice of course) then you will dig these! i didn't taste the kale at all, actually.  the entire bag is a lil' over 200 cals.  excuse my post-workout, weight glove-less, man hands. let me know what you think of them! the kale chips, not my hands. 

Dego and i went walking/running with my prenatal client tonight and she surprised me and took off like a lightening bolt!  look at that girl GO!  i was trying to keep up with her,  so serious.  she is 8 weeks postpartum and she's got goals.  most importantly...she's willing to work for them!

so get started.

Q: do workout partners help or hinder you?

Q: do you buy into the pumpkin spice hype?

mini Trader Joes haul + healthy travel snack tips

TJ's is such a fun specialty store!  they walk to the beat of their own drum.  i stopped by there yesterday and picked up a few healthy travel snacks ( hellooooo wedding anni #8!) and also some things that looked too interestingly tasty to pass up:

boo-yaaaaah! i exercised a little restraint and didn't get any chocolate. yet.

1. Trader Joe's Roasted Plantain Chips - one of my guilty pleasures!
2. Trader Joe's Pineapple Salsa - salsa + eggs = :)
3. Creamy Sun Butter - hey there, portion control!  both my boys eat this stuff right off a spoon. it's basically roasted sunflower seeds. so yummy.  it's nut-free if you or any of your loved ones have nut allergies.
4. Trader Joe's Freeze Dried Raspberries - so i picked up every single pack of freeze-dried fruit they had and the raspberries had the lowest amount of sugar per serving @ 12 grams.  the serving size is one whole bag  though and how about that fiber count-- 11 grams per serving!

1. Trader Joe's Wild King Salmon Jerky - high protein, non-refrigerated snack.  turkey jerky is great too.
2. Organic Sriracha Ranch Dressing - i knew my hubby would FLIP once he saw this!  two of his fave things combined in one.
3. Coconut Oil Spray & Olive Oil Spray -  i don't normally use oil to cook, so these are perfect.

   ---

 healthy eating travel tips:

• a lil' planning goes a long way.
• never let yourself get too hungry between meals! keeping snacks on you saves money and keeps your hunger attitude at bay.
• they never give you enough snacks on the plane anyway!
• are you even hungry.... or just thirsty?  guzzle your water every chance you get.
• protein rich, non-refrigerated, and/or nutrient rich snacks that won't leak or get smashed in your bags are best. examples:
  • low sodium turkey, salmon, beef jerky
  • roasted, unsalted raw mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts)
  • single serving nut butter packets
  • Modern Oats for a healthy breakfast
  • fresh or freeze-dried fruit (apples, bananas, raisins, avocados, halos),
  • raw veggies (carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli)
  • rice cakes
  • Quest Bars
  • Stevia packets
  • Magic Pop
  • whole grain, air popped popcorn
• take a cooler bag (or actual cooler) for refrigerated snacks like:
  • babybel / string cheese
  • unsweetened applesauce
  • pre-cut fruit
  • hummus/pretzel combo single serving
  • greek yogurt

found some new mustard i'm lovin' on!  they are from HEB and were 2 for 3 bucks.  the whole grain one is DELISH on top of fish.

so i made some for dinner!  fresh steel head trout was on sale as well and came home with us.  i used South African Smoke seasoning & coconut aminos from Trader Joe's on it, and i bake it the same way i bake salmon-- high heat (450 degrees) @ 5-7 min per lb.

someone missed their first official day of school!  my hubby is very proud of the fact that he had perfect attendance from preschool through high school. crazy!! anyway, apparently there's a stomach virus going around that got the best of him. we sure do miss the Sprout channel's Summer Family Movie Night, but we watched his fave shows while he ate Trader Joe's (how many times can you say Trader Joe's in one post :D) turkey corn dogs, Go-Go Squeeze applesauce, and strawberry magic pop on the couch. enjoy your friday night too, fit friends!

Q:  the very last trip you took on a plane....where did you go?

let's try this again, shall we!?

and just like that....my prayers for the last 2 months have been answered.  to God  be ALL the glory.

buy FIT FOODIE LEAN right here, right NOW.

if you don't have a Paypal account, no big deal! you can log on in as a guest.

:shock:

as promised, it includes:

full page color foodie photos

*

almost 50 healthy, lean, clean, delish recipes

*

breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert & snack options

*

gluten-free, dairy-free, low-fat, low-carb, low-sugar, low-calorie, vegetarian, vegan options

*

macro & micro-nutrients included (calories, fat, sodium, carbs, fiber, protein)

*

specialty grocery list for my favorite items used in the book

*

made with tons of LOVE!

to buy Fit Foodie Lean, click meeeeee!

or click the Fit foodie Lean cover in the right sidebar up there OR the cover pic in this very post. they'll all get you to the right place.

i just want to thank each and every single one of you fit foodies for being so patient with me and the never ending battle to publish Fit Foodie Lean.  i can finally say IT IS COMPLETELY FINISHED without a shadow of a doubt.  enjoy this ebook and have fun making and devouring these recipes with your family!

*jumping up and down*

NOTE: if you've purchased Fit Foodie Lean already via amazon, EMAIL YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO TO LE@FITFOODIELE.COM RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!! please and thank you :)

for now, ummm it's super late and i have to teach in the morning, eeeeek!!!! GOODNIGHT!

le

WFM KATY <3

feast your eyes on the awesomeness that is Whole Foods Market............. KATY, TX.

i pulled up like 3 minutes before go time and hopped my butt right on in line.

they had some great grand opening deals, and fresh wild salmon was one of them!  they were selling like hot cakes under that tent up there for 5.99 a lb.

as i neared the door, i heard....music?  there was a live orchestra back there, even though you can't tell at all from this pic.  that's how WFM does it!  it didn't make the weather any warmer, but it was a nice touch.

this is the very first pic of the madness once i stepped foot in the store.  this is NOTHIN!  there were still a ton of peeps behind me.

:shock: the freshest produce ever in life :shock:

beautiful berries!

how can you not want one of everything?

so i was caught on camera using my own camera. (l)  #awkward!   i have no idea what station he was affiliated with but i do hope it was a major network LOL

beans, beans, the musical fruit!

the beloved bulk bins.  i couldn't pass up getting a couple scoops of pumpkin flax granola.

this is THE cleanest this area will ever be in life. lol

ok i have a confession.  my phone straight DIED a few minutes after i took this pic and i was devastated. seriously.  i went to bed with a full battery and did not put it on the charger and because i have soooooo much crap on my phone these days and have yet to order an SD card.  which means my battery is toast in a matter of hours. soooooo, i sped through the store and came back a few hours later with my bro for lunch.  hey i had a dr's appointment and was out anyway ;)

 i'll pick back up where i left off-

fresh

meat!

would i like a sample?  do you know who i am?

'air chilled' is a new term i said i'd google later. the tender was super juicy!

right, Matt?

and wow, that camera man was still there.

 these were so cute. and true.

we rounded a corner of the store and walked past the gourmet grilled cheese and specialty beer station.

it was a little after lunch time here and the store was CRACKIN'.

and then we saw a walking banana and had to get a pic!  and yes...i've officially been #photobombed by the lovely shopper behind us.

twice, smh!!!! who does these types of things!? i thought you only photobombed people you know!

we kept going and passed the delectable desserts...

just looking!

they had pizza samples left and right, mmmmm.

next up was the prepared foods section.

man...food presentation at its finest. *DROOLING*

this was matt's incentive for coming with me. free lunch!  he got a sammich at the sammich station.

gettin' mo samples...sushi samples.

it was a shrimp, avocado,  multigrain rice roll; lovely combo!

we turned around and saw several fresh food bars like the olive one above,

and this multicultural one.  variety is something WF never lacks!

so many overwhelming options to choose from.

 and uuuuuuuuweeeeeeee that 8.49 per lb. hurts my HEART!  especially when i remember when it was 2.99.........

last thing on this side of the store was the cool coffee bar.

more samples on the way to checkout- this tasted like kombaucha soda. not bad!

i meant to get some canned tuna while i was there so i cut through the frozen foods aisle and ran into this thing-  i thought it just rotated commercials and advertisements all day long, but nope, i touched the screen and was wowed immediately!

'touch a produce item for recipes and information.'

um, OK!!!

recipes, ideas, and tips galore! what a fantastic tool!

wait, how did i end up here?  focus!!!

got the tuna and headed to checkout, but not before passing up the to-go bakery case.... YUMMERS

seating area was CRAY-CRAY so we went home to eat.

i'm sure this area will be boomin' once Houston weather warms back up.

more samples outside!? of course! just some grilled fillet mignon, no big deal.

they even have their very own food truck(s).  i'm not surprised!

smelled amazing...

i'll save it for the next trip.

OH, a lady was standing at the door on our way out with a basket FULL of free grocery bags!  i loved this pattern the second i saw it.

juuuust expanding my grocery bag collection.

see, i didn't do too bad at all! this was nothin.

tuna, kettlecorn, bell peppers (5 for 5 dollar deal), pumpkin flax granola, and a loaf of seeduction bread for my mama.

aaaand the very last #foodie shot- half of Matt's reuben flat bread wrap. delish!

i think ALL but like one of my friends can stand grocery shopping lol!

Q: have you ever attended a store's grand opening? any store!

le

WFM FTW

AAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!  a WHOLE FOODS MARKET is opening up on my sida town!!!!!

*high five* to my friend Carla for texting me this golden nugget of info as i had no idea, smh! this is both good & bad according to Sonny but i already promised myself to not go HAM in there.  i am asked repeatedly what my grocery bill is like as a few readers assumed i do all my shopping in Whole Foods and Trader Joes and that is sooooo not the case guys! i use both of these havens as specialty stores ONLY.  i'm a crazy foodie and grocery shopping is fun to me, but i have my limits :lol:.   i oogle at and am intrigued by weird, quirky, healthy & indulgent food combos, seasonings, snacks, treats, and all things FOOD. exhibit A:

this is currently in my snack corner and this is why i get *side-eyes* when i get home. you and i both know that nobody needs this stuff. all natural, double chocolate cookies, fig butter, chocolate covered pretzels, raspberry fruit spread, nori wraps....

let's be clear- i get my fresh produce and staple items from HEB, Wally World (Walmart), Sams, Fiesta,  Kroger... i'll even go to Food Town or the like if they are having a fantastic sale and the produce looks presentable. i don't by organic (severely overpriced in my opinion and i've seen, read, and tasted evidence to prove that the 'regular' produce is equal to or greater!) and that keeps my bill low.  the organic produce business is BOOMING!!!! but, it won't get any of my hard-earned money.

i often wonder what i'd be doing now had i not started this blog or had i postponed my decision yet again to compete in that bikini competition last Sept.  there are great moves, and then there are lessons.  you'll never know though if you don't step out on faith.  sometimes you can step out at your own pace, and sometimes you are evicted immediately, ready or not!

go boldly and confidently in the direction of your dreams!!!! don't let the fear of the unknown keep you from moving forward....only fear standing still.

Q: what is your favorite SPECIALTY store?

come on, i wanna hear from you so i can go check it out too!

le