zucchini pepperoni pizza poppers

Bey and J are performing in Houston tonight and guess who's going!??!?! all of Houston!!!  except us. we're at home eating zucchini pizzas and staring at each other.

these healthy, light snacks are bursting with Italian, cheesy goodness and make THE perfect party appetizers by the way! you just need to serve them immediately while they are hot and bubbling. else, the cheese hardens up. but i can eat cheese at any temperature. especially burnt cheese. yummy.

Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Poppers

the stuff:

• 2 raw zucchini, coined 1/2 in thick
• 1/3 cup homemade marinara
• 1/4 cup turkey pepperoni rounds, chopped
• no stick cooking spray
• Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (vegan, dairy-free, cheddar, monterey  jack, pepperjack, mozzarella, etc.)

do this:

1. wrap a large flat baking plan with foil and coat with no-stick cooking spray and set your oven broiler to high
2. heat a large griddle to med-high heat  (i made pancakes for breakfast and the griddle was already out but you can use a very large skillet too) and coat it with no-stick cooking spray
3. place as many zucchini coins flat on the griddle as possible and cook for 1 minute (you may have to work in batches)
4. flip the coins over and cook for an additional minute
5. transfer the cooked coins to the baking sheet lined with foil
6. dab some marinara sauce on the top of each coin and using the back of a small spoon, spread mixture out
7. 
8.  sprinkle a few shreds of cheese on top of the sauce
9.  sprinkle some chopped turkey pepperoni on top of the cheese
10. place entire pan in your oven as close to the broiler flames as you can get and cook for approx. 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty and bubbly
11. sprinkle with Italian seasoning. done.

s/n: if you have more zucchini to use up, see if you can stretch your ingredients even further as you might have sauce/cheese, etc. left over.

 i upgraded my fry cutter!  this is the Deluxe Fry Cutter from Bed Bath & Beyond and i got it for 13 bucks after using the 5 bucks off coupon that comes in the snail mail flyer.  great, affordable investment.  the only thing i did have to do first is peel the potato, then slice it in half.  the device only opens so wide, so you might have to cut the ends off to make it fit.  other than that, no microwaving needed before cutting!  sign up for their ads directly on their website to get their coupons.

what a big helper! not just in the kitchen with me but with his little brother as well which is a huge answered prayer. many have asked how the transition with the boys has been and i can honestly say smooth.  putting Dego's dirty diapers in the diaper genie for me is exciting to him. yeah, i'm milking that for as long as he lets me.

also, these are the delish, Spicy Smoky Sweet Potato Fries from my ebook!

WHY didn't i think of this sooner... Quest Bars help out big time with my sweet toof.  i really i only get them when i go to my gym, so now that i'm going almost regularly the bars are making appearances again. THIS time though, i'm going to GNC and buying an entire box. can't keep buying them for 3 bucks at a time, pretty stupid and not cost-effective.  20g protein, 17g fiber, 170-180 cals. coconut cashew is one of my fave flavors! .

didn't get to have my early gym rendezvous this morning so i went power walking this evening.

 i strapped down the girls with two sports bras and hit the bricks.  let me tell you how much i appreciate working my back 2 or more times a week when i was preggo! the weight of these boobs right now..... whew.

le

*updated* Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships + we're registered!

had a bowl of organic rolled oats cooked in unsweetened vanilla almond milk, water, cinnamon, and vanilla before heading to my (now weekly) OB appointment this morning.   fresh blueberries, more cinnamon, more almond milk, and pure maple syrup went right on top.  i had egg whites w/ salsa on the side too. fueling up for some kickboxing a little later today.

was running late and threw on whatever (but i was comfy though!)  and we made it just in time for my group b strep test and routine check up.  if only pap smears were that quick & easy-peasy!  all is well @ 35 weeks and i thank Him for another great progress report. and yes, i smacked Chiso right after he smacked me.

on to our new hospital to registerrrrrr!

so the hospital where Chiso was born doesn't do L&D anymore. i enjoyed the experience there and was saddened after hearing that!  however, the new hospital is literally 3 minutes away, so no biggie.  AND my favorite OB in the entire universe will be there to deliver Odego this time, Lord willing.  (she was out having her twins at the time Chiso was born :'(  ) .  i went ahead and registered juuuuust in case we have to pop up there sooner than expected, but i am coming back with Sonny to take a tour so we can be cheesy and take pics and stuff.  a date i am so looking forward too, again.  i hardly EVER buy overpriced convenience store food/snacks, but i was unprepared and Chiso got restless while i filled out paper work.  so i got him this Sabra pretzel and hummus dip along with a banana.

enjoy this updated recipe of last night's dinner:

*updated* Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships

the stuff:

• 4 large, raw zucchini, halved & seeded
• 2 cups cooked and seasoned extra lean ground turkey
•  1 cup homemade marinara (add more if you'd like and the recipe is below)
• 8 turkey pepperoni, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup shredded almond or rice cheese
• 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced into coins
• 2 tsp dried italian seasoning or parsley or fresh basil
• sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

do this:

1. set your oven to 350 degrees and coat a large baking pan with foil and no-stick cooking spray.
2. after halving the zucchini, scoop some of the insides out using a small spoon.  they should look like empty canoes cruise ships once you're done; arrange them flat and seed-side up on your baking sheet.
3. mix the cooked ground turkey and the marinara sauce together, then spoon the mixture evenly into/onto the zucchini.
4. sprinkle the turkey pepperoni, tomato, and italian seasoning on top of the cruise ships, and bake them for about 20 minutes.
5. remove them from the oven and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. ( i used 2% colby jack cause that's all i had. to keep this recipe dairy free, use almond or rice cheese.)
6. let them bake once more for 7-10 minutes or just until the cheese melts to your liking.
7. top with fresh basil or parsley!

i thought i posted my marinara recipe in the Fit N' Crispy Chicken Parm post but maybe it didn't save like i thought?? can't explain that one.  but here it is:

homemade marinara:

the stuff:

• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 6 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend (optional)
• sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

do this:

1. heat a large sauce pan to medium-low heat; once hot, pour in your olive oil.
2. add onions & garlic and sauté until translucent...about 2-3 minutes.
3. add in the rest of the ingredients except sea salt and cracked black pepper, stir, cover, and let simmer for 12-15 minutes.
4. shut off heat; add mixture to your blender or food processor and blend on high until super smooth.

you can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge to be used for pizza sauce, wing dip, breadstick dip, whatever!

happy hump day! hollaaaaaaaaa

le

lean turkey pumpkin black bean chili + sweet golden conebread

conebread. today is spell-it-like-you-say-it-day.

aaaah yeeeeez.... it's finally chili and cornbread weather in Houston!

if you're like me, then you prolly already have multiple cans of pure pumpkin in your pantry in prep for next month. whoa.  way too many p's in one sentence.  pop one of those babies open and make this chili while we count down the days until TG.

lean turkey pumpkin black bean chili (adapted from here)

the stuff:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 can Low Sodium Black Beans
• 4 tbsp Liquid Aminos
• 1 can Libby's pure pumpkin
• 1 can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
•  1 tsp sriracha chili sauce
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup baby portabella mushrooms, chopped

do this:

1. spray your large pan with no-stick cooking spray and set it to medium - high heat.
2. add onion, bell pepper, & garlic, 1 tbsp of the cilantro, and cook while stirring frequently until translucent; about 4-5 minutes.
3. add ground turkey (or chicken, or beef) and cook until browned.
4. add tomatoes, pumpkin, mushrooms, chicken broth, sweet corn, sriracha, chili powder, cumin, garlic & onion powder, liquid aminos, rest of the cilantro and pepper and bring to a boil.
5. reduce heat to medium low and add beans.
6. cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 more minutes so those flavors can work their magic.

 my recipe made 8 cups with a little extra left over.  so for 1 heaping cup of chili:

and because you can't eat one without the other,

sweet golden cornbread: (adapted from here)

• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Stone Ground Yellow Corn Meal
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill 100& Stone Ground Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Stevia for baking
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance Whipped Organic Buttery Spread, slightly melted
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn

do this:

1. preheat oven to  425°
2. sift together dry ingredients into a bowl.
3. add egg, milk, butter, corn, and oil.
4. beat until smooth; do not overbeat.
5. spray your pan with no-stick cooking spray (or add some melted buttery spread to the bottom of the pan and pour your batter into it for those buttery, crackalicious, crispy edges!!! thanks mom :)
6. bake for 20-23 minutes.

i put my batter in a 9 in round pan and cut it into 8 slices.  stats for 1 slice:

uuuugggghhh, is it November yet!?!?!? all i wanted to do was clock in and teach my class this morning :shock:

Halloween has just never been my thing.  this is a picture, AND the thing is fake, and it's still giving me chills.  blood, gore, guts, horror movies - no thank you!

Q: what is your least favorite holiday?

le

it's a choice

i'm focusing on the positives of this journey.  i have to. i usually feel like quitting just before my next meal when i'm at my weakest and hungry.  i think of every excuse in the book not to go through with this thing during those moments. :-| so, i choose to focus on what makes me happy, and not sulk over the fact that i can't eat any of my fav foods right now.  i've been told over and over again that this is a mental process.  mind over matter.

 although food prep is A LOT of darn work, the whole process of preparing, balancing, and piecing our meals together lifts my spirits every single time.  my heart belonged to the kitchen before i started on my bodybuilding journey, and thankfully that won't change.  i just can't pick off of and snack on everything like i used to!

foodprep

1 oz of this, two cups of that...

sonnyfood

my big bro and his appetite came over to watch the game last night.  he opened the fridge and was transported to Le Fit Foods for a second.   because i already have our food portioned perfectly and ready to go in the fridge, that = no leftovers.  i got rid of or gave away all the tempting snack food we usually eat, so i knew i would have to cook up something from scratch for him.

ground turkey

hello, spaghetti, my long time friend.  i used 85/15 ground turkey (it's cheaper and he could use the fat anyway lol), fresh tomatoes, a little canned garlic and herb sauce (will make my own in the future- YES i am now too good for canned sauce),  cilantro, onions, and garlic.  and i added a little something special to my sauce- have you tried this flavor yet?!

lc cheese

it has a smoky taste and makes the sauce so creamy.

sauce

i'm glad i ate my own dinner first- it smelled darn good.

spaghettidinner

i  served it over some whole wheat pasta.  who won the game? i went to bed :lol:

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