August 6th - happy birthday, Hubs!

i posted to IG recently that our vacation was postponed cause of the zika virus outbreak running rampant in Florida and other tropical and domestic areas (be safe, mamas) at this time. getting a glimpse of this guy or gal helped me get out of my feelings rather quickly though!  we were just gonna roll Sonny's birthday festivities right on into our trip at that... so unfortunately i was very bummed for a few days after Hubs and i decided to call it off.  i had been looking forward to our very first family vaca all summer long.  it's just not worth the risk at 6 months preggo though.  plan b? #StayCation at one of our fave places in Houston to go!  besides, we've got 1 more year to get Dego into Disney for free before he turns 3 so it's all good, haha.  he will be more aware of what is even going on by then, and i'll also have time to save a bit more so we even can stay and play longer.  just looking for the positives, as usual.  

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 saturday morning, august 6th: happy birthday, papa!!

excitedly running to give Papa his gifts!  i barely captured them in time.the love they have for this guy...it's such an incredible thing to witness. 

we are a fit family, forreals!  Sonny and i could both receive workout shoes and gear for every single birthday and be completely fine with that.headed to birthday breakfast! we don't eat breakfast out much at all; only everything else.  always a treat.originally i planned on going to The Breakfast Klub, but changed it up while en route.  the food is fantastic and worth the wait, but that super long line with two hangry kiddos?  nah, son.   i made a game-time decision and headed to a place i knew would be a family hit,  Barnaby's Cafe! definitely one of our breakfast faves.

hot chocolate :)  we never skimp on the whipped cream round here. steak, eggs, and pancakes for the birthday boy,Chiso requested red velvet pancakes outta nowhere! they were delish. loli ordered the green eggs (egg whites with spinach and cheese, chicken apple sausage, home fries); i just can't order anything else. #iaintsorryafter trying to get Dego to look once i just let him be. that baby was hungry and i understood.we usually need a nap after we eat breakfast out, so  it was the perfect time to check into our room at hotel Sorella.  the last time Sonny and i stayed there, we were celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary in 2011.  i was pregnant with Chiso (5) and surprised Sonny with the news that weekend!  we're back again, 2.5 kiddos later. admiring my huuuur! my sista-friend Ogechi keeps me fly and not looking a mess!when Sonny is on vaca, Sonny is on VACA.  all he wants to do is...nothing!  so i took the boys to the pool while Sonny enjoyed a quiet birthday nap. afterwards, we went back upstairs to freshen up.  i sent Sonny over to the Lifetime Fitness (best gym evaaaaar ;) ) City Centre spa to get a needed back massage that he enjoyed.  it only made him sleepy again though but it worked out because Dego had just began his nap in my arms.  Sonny and Dego went to nap some more while Chiso and i headed to the gym for a pre-dinner workout.i actually got a fantastic workout in cause Chiso was fascinated with the cardio machines and had a blast all by himself lol.  i will post our workout vid and entire workout in my next post!!loved my relaxed, dinner fit that night! those jeans were always a lil' loose in the hips on me, but  they are now the perfect size for my 6 month belly. deets below!

look... between IG stories and Snap Chat i am so done with social media some days!!  every app is basically vying for our attention and i sometimes feel like i have to be active on every single thing... and that just isn't true.  

we walked right across the courtyard to Ruggles Green, another game-time decision made by the birthday boy in the family's best interest.  Texas de Brazil was my first option, but the boys kept asking for pizza so... we found a great people-watching table on the RG patio while a live 1-man-band band played Sunny 99.1 type hits on his saxophone. he was amazing!  there were kids running, playing, and dancing everywhere and the boys couldn't wait to finish their food and join them. what a seriously perfect family night. we skipped across the courtyard from RG to Red Mango for fro-yo! the boys wanted to make Sonny a homemade birthday cake, but we weren't able to whip it up the day before we left.  so, i planned to just buy a mini one or a cupcake from Sweet, which is what i did.we thank God that everything worked right on out. cheeeese!back to the room to sing happy birthday to Papa and his candle-less cupcake!  not even room service had one we could use :(Chiso picked out a yummy s'mores cupcake.we sang and split that thing 4 ways!  we then put our jammies on and watched tv 'til we all fell asleep.next morning, breakfast time again! we headed downstairs to enjoy Sorella's beautiful continental breakfast buffet. afterwards, more pool time for my water babies.   i am so honored and grateful to share and celebrate yet another birthday with Sonny and our 1st family staycation was one to remember.  happiest of birthdays, Hubs!

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S !

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Dego's Dedication Day + Chocolate Chick Cookie Pie

baby Dego was dedicated to the Lord recently!  Sonny and i both desire to raise these boys up His way.... that is our daily prayer.  though our parenting styles differ in some ways one thing is clear; we both love our boys deeply and have their best interests at heart.  always.  we want them to both have their own personal relationship with our Savior and we can illustrate that best by setting the example.

our niece, Camille, was also dedicated that same day!  so sunday was pretty busy.  i didn't get to meal prep like i planned,

but i did get a quick workout in that morning before coming home to cook dinner for the family we had coming over.

fresh trout is on sale at HEB this week, so i seasoned a 2 lb. fillet with one of my fave spices! i can only find Adams Reserve at HEB, and the Smokey Sweet Potato is BOMB.  450 degree oven, 12-15 minutes or until cooked through. depends on the size of the fillet though.  just pierce the thickest part with a fork to check and make sure it's done.

on the side, i made a fresh spinach salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing!

whisk together:

• 2 tbsp raw honey (or 2 tbsp granulate stevia packets)

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (or white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 tsp poppy seeds (i get mine from the bulk spice aisle at Sprouts Farmers Market)

i added crumbled goat cheese, cucumber, and avocado on top.

toss and coat!

my dad is a bean eater so i had to include them on the menu.

for dessert? deep dish cookie pie. again!

man. i have made this dessert like 6 or seven times in the past few weeks.  this has become the kind of recipe i don't even need to read anymore; it's all in my head.  and it's SO good!  and deceiving!  

Chocolate Chick Cookie Pie

the stuff:

• 1 -15 oz can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats or oatbran

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 heaping tbps unsweetened applesauce

• dash salt (maybe 1/4 tsp)

• 1.5 tbs melted coconut oil

• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar or coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips

do this:

1. throw everything except the chocolate chips into your blender/food processor and let it rip until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved.

2. in a mixing bowl, add the batter + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and combine really good

3. pour into prepared baking pan, spread batter evenly across, sprinkle on a few more chocolate chips on top, then bake for 35-40 min.

the chocolate drizzle is just melted down dairy-free chocolate chips mixed with a little unsweetened cashew milk ;)

i plopped two spoonfuls of Arctic Zero's A Lil' Bit Chippy ice cream on toppa there. had to!

we thank our friends and family for celebrating Dego's dedication with us.  it's a REALLY big deal and we treated it like one.

up on the jumbotrons!

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our homework was to write a letter to Dego as if he were 18 years old.  man, each family that went up had beautifully written, heartfelt letters for their children!  it was incredible to witness. sure we wanted to write a novel (ok, i did) but Sonny kept ours short and sweet.

what is this, a natural hair convention? LMBO

my mom, brother, and sis-in-law came up to pray over Dego with us.

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Dego was pretty excited for his big day.

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i was looking through my closet for something to wear that morning and came across my baby shower dress!  last time i wore this thing we were two weeks away from meeting Dego.  sure it was a lil' baggy, but it was perfect for the occasion.

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congrats to baby Camille and baby Dego; God's will was certainly done.

le

Vegan Coconut Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

cut off t-shirts...the secret to muscle gains ;) . that's it.  a participant actually cut this shirt for me right before our Zumba half-time performance this past monday during the Rockets game (yeah haven't gotten that post up yet, whoops) and now i want to do all my lifting shirts this way! will have to YouTube a tutorial for sure.  after Barbell Strength class this morning i did back & biceps on my own before starting my day.

whenever i see these baby 1 lb weights on the rack i think about how cute they would be for my future mini me. baby fever strikes again! i've never seen anyone actually use them (other than for a door stop) but aren't they adorable??

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on my last grocery trip, i got a few of these StarKist Tuna Creations from Walmart.  i devoured the Sweet & Spicy and Herb & Garlic flavors a few days ago and finished the Hickory Smoked tuna today. all three were tasty!  love me some portable protein!  someone on IG said they have a Ranch flavor and i sure wish i had seen it at my Wally World.  i'm on the hunt for it.

they are already packed with a ton of flavor, but to the Sweet & Spicy one i added:

• raisins
• boiled egg whites
• green onion
• Grey Poupon Mild & Creamy Dijon Mustard (calorie-free)
• cracked black pepper
• red pepper flakes
• sweet smoked paprika

and topped a few raw red bell pepper slices for lunch one day.  again, it didn't even need all the hoopla!  i usually add all those ingredients to regular, unflavored tuna though.  try it and lemme know what cha think.

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what did i end up doing with this overripe bunch of bananas?  i found a WINNER:

Vegan Coconut Banana Bread Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

say that 3 times fast!  soooooo, vegan desserts have completely won me over.  i have committed myself to creating way more of them.  i've had a handful of moms contact me about making tasty food for their kiddos with specialty diets, and dairy-free is usually at the top of their list (for the parent's diet too).  i understand completely cause bloating = :( . i found Minimalist Baker surfing the net one day and saw about a quadrillion recipes of theirs i wanted to try.  most vegan dessert recipes i've come across contain a bajillion ingredients, like forreal.  i get discouraged myself just scrolling through them.  that's another reason i like Minimalist Baker though, hence the name! simple, tasty, and they use as few ingredients possible.  busy moms appreciate that too!  i know i do.  anywaaaaaay, this recipe is oil-free, egg-free, wheat-free, diary-free and still tastes freaking AMAZING.  that's always my first concern when all the 'good' stuff is missing from a recipe, ha. i found and adapted this recipe from another healthy site i came across during cardio recently, Ambitious Kitchen.  these do NOT disappoint your taste buds or your waistline.  now that's my kinda dessert!!  all things in moderation though, yall.

no apologies...my nails are the last thing on my to-do list these days. actually they never even make the list. 

moist, delectable, and HEALTHY! 

go ahead, get PIN-happy! i'll wait :)

ok i'm done. ready?

Vegan Coconut Banana Bread Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

the stuff:

• 2 cups gluten-free oat flour (make your own...i used rolled oats + Ninja Blender)
• 1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats, un-blended (just for texture)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey or light agave nectar
• 3 medium ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 heaping tbsp unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chunks

topping:

• 1/2 tsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chunks, melted
• 1 heaping tbsp toasted coconut flakes (optional...but that crunch and toasted flavor is everything)

do this:

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees & coat baking pan with non-stick cooking spray
2. oat flour: place oats into blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour.
3. transfer oat flour to a medium bowl and add: 1/4 rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
4. throw bananas, vanilla, applesauce, and honey into blender; blend 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy
5. add wet mixture to oat flour mixture and mix until just combined
6. gently fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chunks
7. pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly with rubber spatula
8. bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
9. let cool for 10 min.
10. prepare drizzle by adding 2 tablespoons of chocolate chunks + coconut oil in microwave safe bowl. microwave on high 30 seconds; stir well to combine then drizzle over the top of bars.  sprinkle toasted coconuts over bars. cut into 16 bars and serve it UP!

***NUTRITIONAL STATS( per 1 bar): 98 calories, 18g carbs, 4g fat,  2g protein, 10g sugar***

LOVE AT FIRST BITE!

make these, take a pic, then TAG ME on IG or Facebook and let me know what you thought of this treat!

Q: what are some of your favorite IG accounts to follow for recipes?  please share!

le

dairy-free cream cheese chocolate chunk cookies + Buffalo Chicken Chunks meal prep

satadaaaaay!

we all got in bed at a reasonable hour last night so Sonny and i popped up extra early.  we decided to take advantage and go get some cardio in together.

breakfast to-go was a slice of whole wheat toast slathered with Dark Chocolate Dreams and Jiffy natural peanut butters and a few banana slices.  and coffee of course!  still chugging 1/2 caff because Dego is still going strong and nursing 3 times a day.

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struggling' together!  pretty sure cardio is included in that 'through thick or thin' marriage vow, haha.  Sonny is actually having issues with his achilles tendon so the elliptical and ice are his BFF's right now.

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fun, sweaty times were had this morning in bootcamp class!  join me every saturday at 9am if you're local or visiting Houston.  Prenatal fitness classes are coming SOON!  i am looking to start them up April, my birthday month (whoop).  if you know a local preggo, fit mama that may be interested, send her my way!  email me: le@fitfoodiele.com.

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once home, it was time to refuel.  i made a huge pan of Buffalo Chicken chunks (garlic powder, onion powder, Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce, parsley, and ground black peppers) with steamed brussels sprouts for us.

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 done in less than 10 minutes!

and for dessert, a gem from Chocolate Covered Katie.  she is so dang talented!  please check her site out and i believe she just released her very first healthy dessert book, which is already #1 on Amazon. i am NOT surprised!  kudos to her. and here goes that recipe:

Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Chocolate Chunk Cookies

the stuff (source):

• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup oat flour (if making your own oat flour, grind it into a really fine powder 1st)

• 1/4 cup Truvia / Stevia for Baking or granulated sugar

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 2-5 tbsp Enjoy Life Dairy Free Mega Chocolate Chunks

• 3 tbsp full fat cream cheese (i used dairy free Tofutti (found at Sprouts))

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

do this:

1. combine oats, salt, baking soda, chocolate chips, and sugar in a large mixing bowl

2. in another bowl, add (warm) cream cheese, vanilla, and oil in bowl

3. pour wet into dry. per Katie, do NOT add extra liquid! just keep stirring and it will moisten into a batter

4. form a big ball, then roll into cookie dough balls

5. place balls on plate and freeze at least 30 min

6. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 and coat your pan with no stick cooking spray

7. place balls on tray and bake 8-10 minutes

8. they will look underdone at first, so don't touch them for at least 10 min... if you can help it!

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yep. be flexible about your methods, but stubborn about those goals.  FINISH.  you'll be so glad you didn't give up.

 i am so excited for church in the morning. night!

Q: what role does fitness play in your life?

A: i shared my thoughts via IG!

le

VLOG: produce run & banana ice cream

here's a super late VLOG! or whatever! few things to note before viewing:

• this was like my 4th attempt recording the banana ice cream process.... and i still failed #sodone
• i went from morning bootcamp straight to a Women's Health Symposium (Pink Goes Red), then came home to record immediately while i still had daylight; please excuse and forgive the rachetness that is my hair
• i really am cock and crossed eyed sometimes
• that's cool
• avocado hair mask recipe: 1 ripe avocado, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp honey. mix; slather all over hair, cover, sit under dry for 15 min. rinse.
• ordering an external microphone ASAP. i know/hear what i'm saying...but you prolly don't. lol
• this was fun
• enjoy

 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-qIBIBac5w&w=560&h=315]

suggestions? feedback? comment BELOW!

le