yummy — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

that caption is PERFECT!!! i freakin' love this picture.

i don't know about you, but i need my daily dose of endorphins! i got some this morning in the form of Total Conditioning. can you tell by those sweat stains? afterwards, i took a moment to focus on my exercise pick of the week: single leg deadlifts.

1. start in a standing position; knees soft, back flat, feet shoulder width apart, weights in front of your thighs, shoulders down and relaxed. lift right leg slightly so foot is off the floor.

2. lower your torso forward/downward. at the same time, raise your lifted leg, keeping it straight.

3. once stretch is felt mainly in your hamstrings and lower glutes, return to original position by raising torso and lowering the lifted leg.

4. straighten the knee of the supporting leg as torso becomes upright. try it again on the opposite leg! 4 sets of 12 on each leg with heavy ;) bells.

IMPORTANT TIPS:

the heavier the weight, the more challenging the exercise
keep your back flat all the way down and all the way up
hips remain square; try not to tilt or twist them. torso should face the front at all times.
go as far down as YOU feel comfy, not as far as your neighbor is going!
you can modify this exercise and keep your back toe on the ground for balance
keep your dumbbells super close to your body all the way down and all the way up.
which ever leg you are standing on should keep a soft knee ensure the weight is in your heel and not your toes

what they work: those glutes, hamstrings, lower back, core, trunk.

awesome. on to tha fooooooood!

Zucchini Pizza Cruise Ships

the stuff:

2 raw zucchini
1 cup extra lean ground turkey
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella almond cheese
1/4 cup low sodium pizza sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Mrs. Dash tomato basil no salt seasoning
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp dried basil

do this:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

halve raw zucchini (long ways) and scoop out the seeds and insides. they should look like empty canoes once done. (don't discard the insides! you can actually cook them back in with the meat if you'd like or eat them separately at a later date. either way, don't waste!)

in a large skillet, set your burner to medium-high heat. add chopped garlic and onions and sauté until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. add in your extra lean turkey meat, liquid aminos, pepper, dried basil, and Mrs. Dash seasoning. stir/saute until cooked through completely and there is no more pink.

in a separate bowl, combine the pizza sauce and turkey meat crumbles. then, divide and spoon this mixture evenly amongst your zucchini shells.

top the ships with your sliced tomato, shredded almond cheese, and finally, the chopped basil.

bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until your desired zucchini consistency.

serving size: 4 ships

approximate stats for the entire recipe! (*remember, ingredients vary by the brands you use*)

Q: how much does 'heavy' weigh?

A: i am so sure i have answered this before, but here it is again! you gotta implement a little trial and error. i usually do 12-15 reps per set. so, heavy for me equals pretty much struggling to finish on rep 8-10. it varies per exercise though! there is no set number across the board so to speak... you must see for yourself. write your beginning numbers down to track your progress, and add weight gradually over time to get better , bigger, and stronger. you'll start seeing muscles you didn't even know you had, watch!

weight lifting has transformed not only my body, but my mind. confidence booster? heck yeah! i no longer dread the dressing room mirror and i find myself trying on items i would normally shy away from. better fitting clothes is definitely an advantage worth working for! i get emails here and there concerning that darn scale and how insecure it makes people feel. you are worth so much more than a silly NUMBER. i don't watch my weight anymore; i watch my body!

i mean i just wanted to take a selfie of my new top from my sweet coworker, Monica! apparently everybody needed to use the bathroom at the same time.doing his daily ritual.

love it! workout gear is one of my fave ever gifts to receive. it's Nike, very light weight, has a cool design, and most important, racerback.

we hit the gym and i decided to take a Total Conditioning class instead of my normal weights and cardio routine. taking classes and teaching them are completely different for me concerning the workout part! i do 80%+of the workout with my class, and the rest is coaching, motivating, and walking around checking for great form. before i began teaching, seeing the instructor struggling with me provided some of THE best motivation to keep me going! so i definitely try to provide that for my members. when i'm up there on that podium, it's like i feel NO burn, seriously! my adrenaline goes crazy the entire time. talk about an endorphin high :shock:

where's waldo?

when i take a class, i feel the burn waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay sooner, LOL. i feel every thing! it's now me vs me and i go to war with that voice inside my head telling me the burn is too much and to STOP. but i refuse!

i did the class, then 30 min of fat burning cardio and got up outta there.

but not before a progress selfie lol. Chiso and i had a day of Christmas and grocery shopping to get to, and i neglected to pack our lunches. i knew we'd pass by that death trap of a food court at the mall and the smell of fries just might win me over after that workout! so, we had lunch at the gym.

and i'm glad we did! ok more like a snack. i got a smoothie for the first time in MONTHS. i've enjoyed eating my fruit instead of drinking it..that's my only reason. anyway i was super surprised to see that Lifetime now has almond milk substitutions!! what!? they are always one step ahead!

i got an almond delight which did not hit all my macros for meal 2, but it held me over juuuuust enough until we got home. don't worry, i made up for it.

i chose blueberry and banana for my fruits of choice; the best smoothie combo ever, i know!

cold and creamy.

Chiso loves the chocolate flavor of this milk too, lol! (me too)

'if it's here, it's healthy.'

100% clean menu.

on to the mall!

i spotted this while we were out shopping and did the most obnoxious double take ever. miracle slimming system. no diet and exercise required. 10 minute method. 3.99. it's called a WORKOUT for a reason, yall! it requires an effort. it's still on the shelf because unfortunately someone will buy this thing. only real, lasting results come from good nutrition and exercise. that's it. that's the secret.

i spent longer grocery shopping than Christmas shopping lol. i saw these in the bulk isle at HEB and gave them a taste...score. they are low in sugar, grain sweetened, carob chips and they taste just like semi sweet chocolate chips! grain sweetened chocolate covered raisins from Whole Foods have been my guilty pleasure for YEARS. it was the only place i could find them for a while, but carob has definitely gotten more popular lately! you'll see these guys again shortly.

TODAY was leg day and i had a grilled turkey and almond cheese sandwich on Ezekiel bread, a small red delicious apple, and some tomato & cucumber salad from Central Market before hitting the gym.

tryin to shred these puppies!!

had just finished doing my heavy squats here. i went heavy and did 4 sets of 10 of the following: barbel squats, single leg seated presses, hack squats, alternating dumbbell lunges, deadlifts, leg extensions & curls.

then i followed that up with about 10 min of abs.

nice burn!

i've been thinking about the kind of cookie i wanted to leave out for Santa, and i tried my hand at some no-bake peanut butter cookie balls that turned out darn good!

No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Carob Chip Cookie Balls

the stuff:

10 tbsp quick oats
2 tbsp carob chips (can totally use any kind of chocolate chips)
2 tbsp agave nectar (can sub honey)
2 tsp pure vanilla
2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
4 tbsp chocolate PB2

do this:

MIX! form into 10 balls and pop them into the fridge until you're ready to devour. give them at least 30 min though. if they are too sticky for you, add more oats in increments of 1 table-spoon. they were just right for us though! recipe makes 10 balls.

serving size = 1 cookie

low sugar, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free (long as your oats are gluten-free) and YUM-MY.