a-z...get to know le

don't you just hate icebreakers!? here we goooooooooooo:

a is for age: 30th b-day is in t - 5 days!

b is for breakfast today: the usual- i start craving my oatmeal and egg whites as soon as i wake up, seriously.

c is for currently craving: all things SUGAR!!!! which proves that sugar addiction is real.  i'm conducting a little experiment. i have dropped (not quite 100% but a GREAT deal) of all processed foods from my diet and i'm only getting sugar from natural sources (100% real fruit). 1 week down and i have tightened up all over my body; lost inches all over and especially in my waist, and i'm definitely more defined. my muscles are popping out and waving hello!

d is for dinner tonight: stuffed turkey bell peppers w/ brown rice.

e is for fav type of exercise: cardio and weights COMBINED. i teach a class called Total Conditioning- it's a Lifetime Fitness signature format.  can you say calorie burning fest?!?! the first time i ever took the class i was extremely intimidated; didn't think i'd ever get the hang of teaching it.  now i can't get enough of it.

f is for irrational fear: big boats and open spaces. e.g. cruise ships and places like the grand canyon. yeah i don't get it either.

g is for gross food: most of the time i find that it's a texture thing with people.  in this case it's texture and smell for me- chitterlings. no thanks. ever.

h is for height: 5'10. my driver's license proves it.

i is for ice cream: marble slab sweet cream mixed in with chocolate chips.  any other time, it's self-serve fro-yo w/ random toppings.

j is for favorite jam: booooy when this particular song comes on in my gym class i get my second & third wind outta nowhere.  i could be a tired, sweaty mess and almost to the end of class but this song gives me a surge of energy to finish strong.  it's 'Nah Mean' by Mannie Fresh- the edited version played at 140 bmp (super fast) though! pretty sure my members are sick of it by now:)

k is for kids: my unbelievably, awesome, blessing and precious gift from God. my 10 month old. for now.

l is for current location: @ work. blogging. shhhhhhhhhhhh

m is for the most recent way you spent money: i'm TRYING to spend money and find my bday dress!! been to look for it twice now with no luck.  still need shoes too. and a bag.  i'll find something though. i always do!

n is for something you need: God and His word.  every single day. my husband.  i need some form of contact with this man on a daily basis (after we go our separate ways in the morning of course). whether it be by text, skype, facebook, email, it doesn't matter.  with all this technology, a plain ol phone call was the last thing i thought of, smh.

o is for occupation: IT manager, group fitness instructor, fitness model, entrepreneur.

p is for pet peeve: at the moment, drivers who don't turn right on red. ESPECIALLY downtown. who doesn't know this!?

q is for quote: quoting from songs is cheesy but this one is so powerful to me.  helps me push during my workouts:

'i'm a beast, i'm an animal, i'm that  monster in the mirror, the  headliner, finisher, i'm the closer, winner. best  when under pressure with seconds left i show up.

- usher  (give me more)

r is for random fact: i eat cool whip like it's ice cream. i add sugar-free chocolate syrup and make a 'mousse'.  i've thrown some chocolate PB2 up in there before as well.  i can't be the only one doing this...

s is for fav healthy snack(s): 2% greek yogurt & toasted pistachios drizzled with honey.  fresh veggies & hummus. peanut butter & celery/apple. freeze dried fruit (especially bananas), banana protein smoothie, cottage cheese w/ fruit...

t is for favorite indulgent treat: key lime pie & grain-sweetened chocolate covered raisins from whole foods. chocolate chip paradise from chilis.  my brother is the only person i know that can eat one of these a day and not gain a pound.

u is for something that makes you unique: i prefer grocery shopping over the shopping mall, any day.  but you knew that already, right!

v is for fav vegetable: sweet potatoes. they are SO versatile. sweet, savory, fried, baked...

w is for today's workout: 1 hour of total conditioning

x is for the # x rays you've had: besides being born and giving birth, i pretty much stay outta the hospital.

y is for yesterdays highlight: spending aaaaaaaall day with my little man. we attended a 1st birthday party at Gymboree Play&Music (twice in one weekend) and because my LO can't walk yet, i had to help him 'play' for the most part. got my workout for sure.

z is for time zone: CST

welp, that's a snippet of le. take 3 letters (or more, it's all good) and tell me something about you!

le

homemade kale chips and cheese sticks

the kitchen is usually my solo domain, but i never pass up the chance to share what i love with the one i love.  however, these snacks are so easy to make, i let Sonny do all the work this time.

he tore 1 big bunch of kale from its stems.  they shrink after baking, so it's cool to keep them kinda large.

washed and dried.

he then showed the kale some love and gave it an olive oil massage. no dirty talk needed though.

i went ahead and lined the baking pan with wax paper since his hands were oily.

last thing; he sprinkled the kale with sea salt and popped them in a 350 deg oven for 12-15 min. you gotta watch them cause they burn EASILY.

again, they'll shrink, but don't overcrowd the pan.

done.

light, crispy, easy-peasy.

next, baked cheese sticks.  i LOVE cheese; i was extremely anxious to make and eat these.

the stuff:

• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• tony c's and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 beaten egg white
• 5 sticks of light mozzarella string cheese

do this:

 we halved 5 light string cheese sticks for a total of 10.  no deep-frying or high fat cheese needed and they still came out tasting like a restaurant appetizer.

flour first, then egg wash, then panko. i sprayed some no-stick cooking spray on them so the flour would stick though.

sonny got restless real quick and dumped them all in at once. men. lol

 if you have left over ingredients, make more and minimize waste.

bake for 10 min in the oven or just until the cheese starts to melt. you gotta watch these too, but i wanted mine to burn a little cause burnt cheese tastes darn good.  each stick is only 40 calories!

the marinara sauce was perfect- made it feel like we were eating pizza!  you have to eat them quick else they will be a melty mess. that wasn't a problem though.

 super crispy on the outside and all gooey and cheesy on the inside.

great job, Sonny!!! who knows, maybe i'll cut the grass this weekend.

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

perfect snack food?

one of Yahoo's top stories happens to be about today's post!  coincidence? prolly.   the article claims that popcorn contains more antioxidants than ANY other fruit or vegetable.  that's pretty big news, i'd say.  popcorn really is a great, whole grain, fibrous, healthy snack.

before you saturate it with butter, oil, salt and/or sugar, of course.  it's best to pop it yourself (on the stove or by air popper) so you are in control of the amount of toppings.  i don't have an air popper, so i whip out my pot.  never done it that way? keep reading.

no additives just plain ol' popping corn.

so, 3 tbsp = 3 cups and 1 cup = 25 calories.  i added 1 more tbsp to make it an even 100 calorie snack.

try to use as little oil as possible.  here's a tip though- both cooking spray and olive oil will have your kitchen smoking. it's best to use vegetable or corn oil.  i pour a little in the cap of the bottle and drizzle it in a medium heated pan.  you really don't need more than 1/2 a tsp.  toss in a few test kernels- once they pop, it's time.everybody in.

very important- cover the pan (preferably with the correct top) and shake it back and forth across the burner to keep the kernels from burning.  this also ensures that there are no kernels on top of one another and that they'll all get popped.  you'll need to repeat this shaking process until you don't hear anymore popping.  and yeah i know...i couldn't find the right top though.

keep shaking..almost done.

makes a nice big bowl.

now, add what you want, or eat it plain!  adjust the nutritional stats accordingly.  i normally do LOL butter and keep it at that.   this past time, i found a packet of truvia and made some kettle corn.

if you must snack while watching tv, reading, etc., munch on some homemade popcorn.  even bag it up and take it to work.

is during movie watching the only time you eat popcorn?

le

booty work

just two of the many glute exercises i do to keep mine nice and lifted. get down on all fours and engage your core by pulling your belly button into your spine.  in layman's terms, suck in your gut.

1st move: 8 heel ups - flex that foot and press up strong through your heel while keeping your leg bent at 90 deg.   squeeeeeeeeeze whichever glute you're working.

2nd move: 8 hydrants - the name explains itself!  from the starting position (90 deg angle in that leg), take that knee down and up.  get it up nice and high for every rep.

3rd move: 8 kick outs - hold that leg up there, flex that foot,  and kick it out straight for 8.

4th move: 8 glute circles - wide, exaggerated circles.  bring your knee up over the top and to your elbow, then straighten that leg back out. the wider and bigger your circle, the better.

nice and round. the circles AND your glutes!!!:)

are you still squeezing? don't let it go.

now, do the left leg, same thing.  that will be 1 set. i usually do 3 sets in a row, then take a stretch break. remember to keep correct posture the entire time.  if you haven't worked your glutes in a good while, you will feel this RIGHT away, guaranteed. and yep, it's normal to feel the right glute/leg tingling if you're working the left and vice versa.

next, squats w/ side leg lifts.

again, squeeze your glutes the entire time and really get that leg up with a flexed foot.

squat nice and low into your imaginary chair either holding your hands up and bent at 90 deg.,

or down touching the ground.  either way, make sure your knees stay BEHIND your toes at the lowest point of your squat.  if they go forward, you are asking for a knee injury..

push up from your squat into your leg lift and keep a soft knee (slightly bent in both legs). make sure all your weight is in the heel that's on the ground. NOT your toes.

squat it nice and low back in the center,

then keep it even and work that other side.  an advanced move would be to pulse that leg up in the air 3 times before you come back down to your squat.  work your way up to it.

more to come; give these two a try.

le