____-free

posing practice, weight training, cardio, grocery shopping, church, and family time.

that was my weekend.  how was yours?

this particular trip to HEB was one to remember!  i have been hearing about Walden Farms this and Walden farms that in cyberspace recently.  Walden Farms products claim to be:

calorie-free

sugar-free

fat-free

carbohydrate-free

gluten-free

cholesterol-free

not ALL products are free of ALL of the things i listed, but just read the label to be sure!

my ears perk up when i hear  '____ - free' regardless, but not once have i heard so many in the same sentence and referring to one product!!!!!  my curiosity got the best of me and i ordered the infamous Walden Farms pancake syrup online.  however, man, sometimes all you have to do is ASK.  'do you carry Walden Farms products?' i asked the store associate.  i just knew she would look at me crazy and reply with 'who!?', but nope, HEB always come through for meeeeeee.

could that be?...no... calorie-free ketchup!? yeah it scares me too...i'll go back for it later though lol

i read A LOT of product reviews (i do hope for the best that they aren't fake or anything) and the Walden Farms dips (chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, etc.) aren't sounding too good.  so, i left them alone for now.

there they are...in all their glory!  bbq sauce too!  WF is on a roll.

and dressings! so for those of you who like to eat salad with your dressing lol, you should give these a try.

this is what i got outta there with in addition to my fresh fruits, veggies, and proteins.  syrup (pancake and chocolate) sesame ginger dressing (which is nothing short of awesome) and more PB2- there was a 50 cents off coupon running and i couldn't pass it up.

saturday morning, i made Chiso a bowl of oatmeal and topped it with fresh blueberries, chia seeds, peanut butter, and almond milk.

then i made some more of those oatmeal pancakes i had last week (i am HOOKED!!).  i made up the batter the night before this time and let it sit in the fridge.

 we had them again this morning. ready to try them?! here's that recipe:

super moist banana oat pancakes

the stuff:

• 1/3 cup rolled oats (***you can use pre-ground oat flower, or ground them yourself in your blender or food processor***)
• 2 egg whites
• couple dashes of cinnamon (be generous)
• splash of  real vanilla extract (OR you can use a couple drops of vanilla creme stevia if you want them sweeter!)
• 1/2 a mashed ripe banana
• 1/8th tsp of baking powder
• 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 heaping tbsp greek yogurt or unsweetened applesauce

do this:

1. mix all the ingredients well in your blender or food processor!  *s/n: if the batter is too thick for you, add some unsweetened vanilla almond milk to stretch it.  i've been adding water to keep my nutritional stats the same for my competition diet though.*
2. pour into a non-stick/sprayed skillet or griddle. you can make 1 big cake like they do at restaurants, or a stack. i like to do 4 mini cakes.
3. 3-4 min on each side.
4. you can add SO many things to your batter- the options are simply endless. top or incorporate your fav fruit or nuts and don't forget that sugar-free syrup.  i also sprayed mine with some 'i can't believe it's not butter'.  this is too easy!!! i don't even need a pancake cheat meal anymore!  tastes so darn good.  i'll be adding some PB2 into my batter when i can have it again.  enjoy and get creative.

 (for the ENTIRE recipe)

   Chiso is a fan.

heck, oatmeal hating Sonny likes them AND the syrup too. jackpot.

About Time sent me some free samples of their whey protein this past week- chocolate and birthday cake flavor.  no carbs, no fat, no aftertaste, and all natural. hmmmmmmmmmm!  as usual, i will be trying, next month.

don't wait til morning, go make some pancakes right now.  have a blessed rest of your sunday.

what is your experience with Walden Farms!? any products by them the world should know about? share!

le

1 month out

less than 1 month away.

show suit? done.  themewear?  being worked on and almost done.  there is still so much more to do, ESPECIALLY posing practice.  most of the rest will be knocked out the week of the show though.  hair, nails, waxing, tanning ...girl stuff.

*update*

142 lbs

11% body fat

my cardio hours are gettin on up there... i'm at 9+ a week.  i like to do a little every day- that works for me.  however i know some competitors who can't get to the gym as often as they like and will do double or triple duty at once. omg!  i would hate to do it that way...but i would if i had to.  shows just how much determination they have to reach their goals though.  super admirable.

i'm having VIVID dreams about the things i plan to eat after the show.  i woke up earlier this week dreaming i was stuffing a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing into my mouth.  it was so real.  however my sugar cravings are actually under control and don't bother me anymore.  i still want the fatty, greasy stuff though, and i will be having papa johns as one of my post comp meals!!! i went to my sis-in-law's graduation dinner last night (CONGRATS MICHELLE, OTC!!!!!!) and the food looked and smelled absolutely wonderful.  see?

there were egg rolls...

there was cheese dip...

can't have dip without chips...

and BREAD.

*faints*

all within arms reach.

my bro ordered somethin i'd prolly get myself- a cheese stuffed portabella mushroom topped chicken breast.  FOODGASM.  however, i wouldn't have gotten double potatoes for sides. who does that!?

 i ate my meal in the car on the way and that helped tremendously.

i will NOT be messing these abs up.  YOU HEAR ME!? i'm screaming at that nightmare cupcake, not you.

that's all i got. i'm tired. night.

le

my boo is thirty two

i dropped the boy off with his grandparents before Sonny came home from his saturday afternoon workout and surprised him with a weekend birthday getaway.  i told him to go pack an overnight bag and to make it snappy.  s/n, is my husband the only man who packs his own iron from home???? *crickets* we then hit the streets of our city, downtown H-town! (that would be Houston.)

i always assume Sonny knows every detail to my 'surprises', which means my track record with them is awful.  however this time- success.  we checked into the Hilton America's downtown and right away, i made sure Sonny was on time for his much-needed pedi appointment in the hotel spa.

lemon water, sir? the spa was up on the 24th floor and the city views were a really nice touch.

there was also some trail mix for snacking.

oooh just taking a look around...

what's funny is that i now see the Four Seasons Hotel in the background which is where we spent our very 1st anniversary getting a couples massages!!  that was also the weekend of Hurricane Ike.  yeah, we had to postpone most of our celebrations that year cause of the storm. it happens.

bless her heart and hands :shock:

another view overlooking the Toyota Center.

i headed back down to the room to make sure we had the proper necessities-  a fridge and a microwave. of course i didn't ask if those things came with the room cause i'm a horrible planner, remember!  my training diet is still in effect, so please forgive me and believe me when i say i'm glad it wasn't my birthday!!! isn't that horrible!?  i would have wanted a cheat nibble, cheat snack, cheat meal, cheat ANYTHING.... but i just couldn't do it.

waiting for the elevator, and yes, the tummy was OUT that day, bay-bay!!

i did remember to ask for a great view- our room overlooked Discovery Green Park and Minute Maid Stadium below.

and nope, no microwave or fridge in the room, but they were both complementary, awesome.  i brought my seasonings, mustard, cinnamon, low sodium soy sauce, everythang.  while i was down there i warmed up/ate my next meal as Sonny finished up.

i picked up the in-room menu because, well, reading menus like actual books is fun.  just wanted to see all the goodies i would not be devouring!!!!!! :roll:

anyway, mission accomplished!

 toes done with slippers to match.

next, you know we checked out the gym-  wouldn't mind knocking out some cardio with a view like that!  unfortunately, that was our 1st and last trip up there for the weekend lol.

so, Sonny's #1 priority on vaca or a getaway is to SIT DOWN somewhere.  don't even get me started on the time we went to Vegas and he was NOT cool with walking up and down the strip like i planned. it was also July and 117 deg outside. but i didn't care.  i like to run the streets and take advantage of the free time and do all the things we don't usually get to see and do! however, it's not my birthday.  so, i kept the activities and walking to a minimum.

we explored the massive hotel a bit before making our way to catch the Metrorail.

i'll follow him anywhere.  i'll give him a hard time first though and i'm working on that!!! but i really will. i mean it.

shot of our highly recommended hotel.

tickets bought.

.

what's up on that Metrorail workout? seems to be working for that guy.

he even incorporated some lower body moves too.

 we rode the Metrorail to the museum district and walked around Herman Park and talked.  the simplest things make life so ...simple.

my birthday boy!!!

i really had plans to go watch the free Shakespear play @ Miller Outdoor Theater that was being put on by our alma mater's theater department.  so, we walked up the infamous Herman Park Hill and took a peek.

  however we had no blanket, no snacks, no nothin, so walking and talking sufficed.

back to downtown we go.

what's next? dinnerrrrrr (if you wanna call it that)

snappin' pics before heading downstairs.

ready for great company and convo!

i had a plethora of tea flavors to choose from. *sarcasm*

while Sonny devoured his fried onion ring topped salad, yummy!!

looked and smelled DELICIOUS.  field greens, dried cherries, oregon bleu cheese, balsamic vinaigrette all nestled under those fried rings.

we ended the evening with movies and QT- Sonny wouldn't have wanted it any other way!!

the next morning. we ordered room service and ate our egg whites in style.

 with a side of 6 dollar *SIDE-EYE* grapes.  the bday boy wanted grapes and he got them.

this was only a teaser as we are UBER ready to celebrate 5 years of blessed married folk life next month.  it will be a much-needed break for us both that can't come quick enough!! until then, happy 32, boo.

le

le's leg day circuit

man my heart rate was already up as i walked into the gym today!  i got into my fat burning zone right away as i warmed up on the elliptical for about 10 minutes before hitting the weights.

to get the blood flowing in my legs, i did:

leg extensions / leg curls superset -  4 sets of 12-15 reps using med-heavy weight.

next, 4 sets of 12-15 reps of seated leg press with heavy weight.

1st heavy set w/ feet shoulder width apart,

2nd heavier set with feet shoulder width apart

3rd heaviest set with feet shoulder width apart

4th burnout set with light weight (kept going until it buuuuuuuuuuurned) with my feet shaped in a v (heels together).

now for the fun stuff!!!

 i went into my gym's empty group fitness room (take advantage if your gym allows it and there's no class going on) and did the following 3 times each: (burned over 500 cals after all this!)

*****le's leg circuit*****

using 25 lb. dumbbells,

and a step bench w/ 5 risers on each side,

*i mentioned on IG that you can add more risers if you'd like, but i'm super clumsy and went with 5 today.  it was still a nice height, trust me.*

do the following straight through w/ no breaks.

• 1. 20 squats holding the dumbbells in each hand and squeezing your glutes the entire time.
• 2. walking lunges going forward (i used the length of the room, bout 30 ft i guess!?! i'm horrible with estimations), then backwards ( no, don't turn around, stay facing forward but just lunge backwards. do your best to push yourself up back up to standing and maintain that balance.)
• 3. 20 deadlifts (feet shoulder width apart (1st set) narrow stance (2nd set) wide stance (3rd set))
• 4. 20 box jumps onto your bench. drop the dumbbells first please!  be careful and land softly by putting all your weight into your heels.  drop your glutes as low as possible and get into that squat before you jump back down.

 after a round of that, my heart rate was easily over 170 according to my watch!  i walked in two big circles around the room and let my hr drop to around 130 before i started again.

lastly, i finished up legs with 3 sets of 20 reps of jumping lunges.  make sure you drop that back knee down- no slacking.

i said i'd do abs at home (i always say that lol) cause i had to hit the grocery store before i could even get home.  making progress, but i need some separation in my upper abs since i have NONE.  that's my goal for this week.

 1hr of fat burning cardio on the elliptical later, leg day was over.

startin' the week off right!!! have a GREAT evening and try this workout and lemme know what you think!

goodies

so thankful for encouraging friends!got this in the mail today from a dear friend of mine and it was RIGHT on time.  today is low carb day :lol:  thanks, BM ;) love you, girl!

july was a BLUR. hey, august.

there are a bazillion products i cannot wait to try next month. next month...NEXT MONTH is my show!!!!  burnout is not even the word these days.  i have been trying to run outside more for my cardio cause even the smell of walking into my gym sometimes makes me sick to my stomach, sad, and a tired, defeated feeling comes over my entire body.  yes, all that happens at once!  nothing a rest day can't fix though...i'm definitely waving my white flag and in need of one.  i am still learning to listen to my body and not overdo it.  over time, i have learned to distinguish the 'crap i don't feel like going to the gym' feeling vs the 'i have absolutely no energy to lift a THING today' feeling.  there is a huge difference.  when the only thing i can take away from my workout is the fact that i can say i went, that's not good enough.  i'm doing more harm than good by forcing my workout rather than just sitting down somewhere, resting, and hitting it hard the next day.i posted this earlier today on IG- another instagrammer mentioned how her abs stay flat even after a satisfying meal and i LOVE that and couldn't agree more.  it's all from simply keeping your diet clean.  before, i'd either be a bloated mess all over or mushy in my midsection from high sodium, sugar, and additives hiding in processed and restaurant foods.  my tummy stays the same all day long- flat.

what's happening this week? finding a SUIT and themewear, that's what.  i have been googling to the high heavens on what colors pop, what shade is best for my skin, etc., aaggggggghhhhhhh!!! my posing coach, Christine, simply said 'go with your first instinct.'  simple as that. so, i will.

i visited a shop by referral from Christine, grabbed a handful of suits and tried them on.  those things are pretty darn tiny.  talk about 'barely there', my goodness!  stepping outside my box, big time.

i am such a BOY with this kind of stuff.  there is so much more to be done. hair, nails, waxing, tanning, etc,.  this is a pretty darn expensive sport.  and i didn't even mention my training yet! (workouts, meal plan, and FOOD).  i discussed with Christine the best portion of the show for me to enter seeing as how i have about 5 weeks left.  she advised me to stick with Bikini.  so, Figure will just have to wait as i don't have enough time to put on THAT much muscle.  so, if there's a next time, i'm comin for ya, Figure!!!

so i have said already how excited i am to get back in my kitchen and make and EAT up some stuff.  i see new products every day on instagram, blogs, and foodie mags,  and i went online and finally ordered a few that sparked my interest and my taste buds!  i was supposed to stop looking at these sites before my comp, i know.  anyway,  i'll pass on bargain shopping for clothes, but not food!  it really is cheaper to order some stuff online.  and there are always coupon codes, free shipping, and other deals that help.

via IG (instagram), @powercakes gave out her coupon code for saving 5 dollars on your first www.IHERB.com purchase. SWEET DEAL!  i just used mine AND got free shipping since my order was over 20 bucks.  now, if September would just get here already i'll be one happy fit foodie.  look what i got:

soups, stir-frys, and spring rolls OH MY!! these are kelp noodles.  i loooove thai crystal noodle soup and pretty much all type of soup.  and noodles.   i have so many ideas for these puppies.  and hello, 12 calories per serving! I KNOW!!  kelp noodles are raw, gluten-free, fat-free, rice-free, low in carbs & calories, full of minerals and ready to eat.  have you tried them?

been hearing SO much about this stuff.  what sold me? 'tastes like cheese'.   well we'll just have to see then, won't see.  after reading reviews, customers raved how great this stuff is sprinkled on air popped popcorn, over soups and stews, and even encrusting proteins in it.  i'll see what i can do.

so splenda's rep has gotten worse and worse over time.  it's been known to cause/increase the risk of cancer, weight gain, bloating- man too many negative things to name.  just red flags everywhere.   i actually swore off the stuff a few months ago (Sonny chunked it. all of it.), but i walked past the above pic in HEB and the mocha part sucked me right back in.  however Sonny threw it right back out.

  then i heard/read about Stevia.

zero cals, non bitter, all natural.  i bought the granules from HEB before i discovered there was a liquid form!  so, i ordered some.

vanilla,

and

chocolate!

no sugar alcohols, bitter after-taste, and calorie free. stay tuuuuuuuned.

3 more things- look, i had a lot to say today.

1.) when i visit food blogs, i look for specific things. fantastic, enticing pics draw me in first and foremost, but what i always end up looking for and totally appreciate is nutritional stats!! people can say they don't count calories all day long...but come on..you have to have SOME kinda ball park figure to make sure you're staying on track, clean diet or not.  SO, one thing i plan to execute after this show is including the nutritional stats to my recipes.  sure, there are a crapload of web apps these days that you can just type the ingredients into yourself, but i dont want you to have to work so hard when you come visit me!

2.) although i have no plans to ever fully commit to a 100% paleo, vegan, vegetarian, or even clean diet (only 85% and i meant that), i can't get enough of their deserts!  there are sooooo many ways you can 'indulge' and satisfy your sweet tooth without eating the full fat and calorie laden stuff.  i am on a mission to create cleaner deserts as well as incorporate more natural, raw ingredients.  working on cleaner pies, cakes, cookies, muffins, breads, and pudding recipes all day every day.

3.) i'd tell ya what i'm having for dinner but you already know. :roll: just got through putting some of my meals together for tomorrow .

i'll tell you anyway.  marinated sirloin steak, french cut green beans, and brown rice.  after i nuke one, i add low sodium worcestershire sauce or my mustard, and some fresh cilantro.  yum!!

 Chiso is keeping busy in the midst of all this madness.

happy friday in advance!  nite.

le