Spaghetti Squash Chaos

my big bro met me at the gym for a workout yesterday! i missed my early gym date (again) and definitely needed to go get it in. i did one of my 6 Pack USA leg day routines and ended it with a burnout lunge-a-thon via the smith machine.

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25 lb plates on each side + 100 reps on each leg = #DONE

afterwards, i went to pick up my kiddos and this little guy was super soaked!  this was the perfect #MomIsHere moment cause i was right on time for diaper duty! have you heard about this contest going on RIGHT NOW via @Sproutchannel!?   moms, go check it out and snap some pics of you and your little one(s) for the chance to win free stuff!  it's that simple.

for the next 30 days, tag your Instagram usies #MomIsHere and #NoFilter30 to be eligible! so much LOVE flowing through those hashtags <3

on to our dinna later that evening! it's funny how when we get home everybody starts lookin' at me like, 'sooooo.... food?'

watch dis:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-DlTPUEFb8&w=560&h=315]

how i seasoned my lean ground meat:

• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey 
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 chopped yellow onion
• 2 tbsp liquid aminos
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning  
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil 

Spaghetti Squash Chaos

the stuff:

• 1 large roasted/baked spaghetti squash (30-45 min on 400 deg)
• 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey breast, cooked & seasoned (see above)
• 2 cups packed, fresh spinach
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1-2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• hand full of turkey pepperoni slices (approx. 12)

do this:

1. preheat oven to 350 deg, baking pan with foil and coat it with no stick cooking spray
2. split spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds/guts
3. scoop out the flesh of the squash (be gentle!) and add it to your skillet along with your ground meat, tomatoes, spinach, pepper, & olive oil
4. mix all together until combined
5. place empty shells on baking sheet and distribute mixture evenly back into shells
6. top spaghetti half #1 with 1/2 cup shredded cheese; do the same for #2 with the remaining cheese
7. distribute the pepperoni slices evenly on top of the cheese
8. bake for approx 10-15 min or just until the cheese melts and/or browns
9. take out of the oven and sprinkle with the fresh, chopped basil (didn't have any so i used parsley)

will you make this and tag me on Insta? it would make my LIFE!!!! it always does. i'd love to start doing features again as i appreciate when you guys make my recipes so, so much. 

this was Sonny's (Hubs) serving; he likes it HOT and eats Sriracha on everythang of course,

and here's my brother's plate. chipped plates make the world go round.  man i could eat avocado on top of just about anything!!!

if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube channel yet, do so and show me some #vlogger love then!  i really hope you all enjoy this healthy, wholesome meal as much as we did. mmmk, bye.

Q: spaghetti squash is pretty bland by itself...how do you spice yours up normally? #punintended 

le

Run Chi Run! The Green 6.2

i heard reports that it was supposed to rain like 100% all weekend, but luckily it did NOT!

i went into the boy's room around 545 am to give Dego a nursing session so he'd be good for a few hours.  afterwards, i attempted to wake Chiso up and of course he was super groggy and wondered why i was interrupting his precious sleep cause clearly it was not time to get up!  'mama what are you doing?  go back to bed, it's still night time.'

we eventually made it downstairs for breakfast to fuel up.  i had two slices of whole wheat toast with PB2 and all natural strawberry preserves, and a tall, hot mug of 1/2 caff.  Chiso requested waffles and turkey sausage and killed his plate. he was so excited at that point and ready to GO!

i couldn't get my life together and completely forgot about packet pickup last week! so, we got our bibs once we got there.  here's my race day fit that i set out the night before.  i brought my Old Faithfuls (seasoned Nike Free Runs) to wear just in case it rained cause uuhhhhh, #DoWhatYouDoButWatchMyShoesMotherNature

these babies have been getting a ton of love and i understand why!  we got them from the Nike Outlet on my birthday this past Tuesday.  they are FlyKnit 4.0 Nike Free Runs.  i should shave soon.

isn't this the coolest sweater!? when i first saw it on the hanger in H & M i was like ok..... are you hot? are you cold?  what? pick one!!! but this morning's weather was perfect for it.  i even went back and copped it in mint; it's so Springy!  this was the last black one on the rack and it was a small..but i had to have it.  Dego was fussy while i was taking these so i paused to scoop him up. at least we matched!

sweater: H & M

tank: Nike

crops: Nike (NIke Outlet)

shoes: Nike Free Runs 4.0 FlyKnit (Nike Outlet)

lets do thissss! my 10k was up first, so Chi waited patiently with his uncle until i was done.

i'm guessing i finished around 54 minutes or so, but under 1 hour was my goal!  my race sorta went like this:

mile 1: feelin' good, pumped, light on my feet, music jammin'

mile 2: feelin' great and still passing people left and right

mile 3: this is stupid

mile 4: why did i sign up for this? this song sucks

mile 5: the faster i run the faster i finish *scrolls to Chandelier by Sia for motivation*

mile 6: time to pick up the pace!!!!!!!

'is it my turn to run yet mommy?!?!?'

yep, right after mama gets these post-race snacks. i've never heard of Level Bars but i got one of every flavor to try, some Kind Bars, a banana, some wata, and

some scrumptious muffins from Corner Bakery Cafe.

 then we headed back to the start line to tackle the 1k.

and we're off!

Chiso kept saying, "Iron Man Super Sonic Speeeeeed!" and shooting both his arms back behind him while we ran, LMBO.

boys are so fun and funny.  you can see him doing it in the video below. press play!

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 framing this one. so proud of this little boy for finishing strong and earning his medal.

 i couldn't even get outta the parking lot good before he was out like a light.

i finally got a chance to take a good look at this year's finisher shirt once we got home!  virutal goody bags were done this year too.

and now i'm finishing up this post and splitting this tasty Level bar with Sonny.  have you tried them?

happy weekend!

le

Gluten-free Strawberry Shortcake Muffins + GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!

 it's monday baybaaaaay!

 i spent mine up in the gym gettin' my sweat on and preparing for a busy day ahead.

Houston Sprouts Farmers Markets are having a gigantic strawberry sale this week!!!  the 16 oz crates are 88 CENTS each right now.  all i could think of was how much homemade berry-beet applesauce i was gonna make Dego. and myself. it is SO good, y'all.

thanks for passing on the sale info, mom! <3

so i still had tons of berries left after making applesauce and wanted to bake a healthy treat.  i got a little help from Dashing Dish to create this one and it's pretty tasty! low-fat, gluten-free goodness that can be a great to-go breakfast, a snack, or definitely a dessert.  just add cool whip!

Low-Fat Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

the stuff:

• 2.5 cups Gluten-Free oat flour (i make my own using rolled oats in the Ninja Blender)
• 1 cup 0% or 2% greek yogurt (i used Fage)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Stevia for baking
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• .5 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 cups diced strawberries
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

do this:

1. set your oven to 350 degrees and coat a 24 count mini muffin pan with no stick cooking spray very well. NO LINERS NEEDED because they will stick to the muffin. #spoileralert
2. i combined everything except the strawberries in my Ninja Blender! then i folded in 1 cup of the berries afterwards into a large mixing bowl. ***if no blender or food processor, combine wet w/ wet & dry w/ dry. mix together. fold in 1 cup of the diced berries last. 
3. spoon the mixture 3/4th of the way full into each muffin slot.
4. take the 1/2 cup of berries left and top your muffin batter with the pieces.
5. OPTIONAL: mix a little granulated stevia and cinnamon in a small bowl, then dust the tops of your muffins with the sugar mixture. nice touch!
6. bake 20-25 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

--->stats per muffin: 32 calories, 1g fat, 4 carbs, 1g sugar, 2g protein<---

i tweeted about the muffins and tagged Sprouts Farmers Market and was elated to receive a reply from those guys!

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OK. GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!

i am so excited to be partnering with one of my fave companies: Arctic Zero! check out the post i did for more information on these Fit Frozen Desserts. they always satisfy my sweet tooth while sparing my waistline. LOVE!

WHO wants to experience a chunky pint flavor of their choice in all its chunky pint gloriousness?!!? i'm tryin' to hook 4 lucky Fitfoodiele readers and/or followers up with some goodies! they'll each be sent a voucher to go pick up some of this Fit Frozen Dessert free of charge from their nearest grocery store. sharing will be totally optional!  which flava would you like.....?

what are the rules?  like this post on IG, tag an Arctic Zero lover AND someone who has been wanting to try AZ in the comments and answer my blog questions below. simple!  don't have IG?  just answer the question below to qualify. if nothin' else, ya gotta do that step.  y'all know i keep it simple though. as usual, i count all entries myself, and i will select (at random) four lucky winners bright and early on Friday morning, April 3rd.

we survived another monday lol!  i wonder who Dego gets his hunger attitude from.......  :)

Q: how do you eat your strawberries? solo? in a smoothie?  over yogurt? which chunky pint flavor would you get if you won?  YouTube vid suggestions for me?

le

sattaday

in addition to solids 2 or 3 times a day, Dego is still requesting the breast 3 times (or more) a day as well.  so yep, breastfeeding is still in full swing over here.  my trainer reminded me that nursing is just like mini workout sessions, which is such an awesome analogy.  breastfeeding has become so routine i have to stop and wonder WHY i'm so hungry in between meals sometimes!  eating more food to keep up with his demands and to keep my supply strong has never been a problem though; i certainly don't mind, haha!  s/n: i should make Chiso park his bike in the garage from now on, wow. sometimes you don't see things in the background until after you take (and post) a pic. whoops. anyway,  i trained a 6 Pack USA client of ours after heading out that day, then hit my gym for some HIIT.

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i've done these two moves separately before, but never together. i'm definitely incorporating this one into my TCX (Total Conditioning Extreme) class!

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sooooo, my brother was supposed to hop back on a plane headed to Afghanistan this past saturday (to finish up the last of his contract) but he chose not to. WOO friggin' HOO. it is finished!

we had a small family lunch the day before he was supposed to leave with Sonny's younger brother and wife (who is having her first mini me! it's a girl!)!  i admire his decision to stay and i'm elated he will be around to watch his 2nd nephew take his first steps.

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we had a birthday party to attend saturday evening!  no surprise there!  they have become our new normal.  i sat in the back seat a lot with my first-born for obvious reasons, but i admit, i have bouts of second child syndrome with Dego every now and then.  hadn't been back there in a while, so it was fun hanging out with him on the way to see The Rat.

even did a mini vlog:

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we made eeeeet!

pizza, cake, games, tokens, tickets, kids running around screaming, playing, crying... you know the drill!  Happy 3rd Birthday, Bria!  Sonny went to high school with Bria's father, Mike, and coincidentally, i went to elementary and middle school with his wife, Tashone,  on the opposite side of town. small world. 

City Centre Gap was having a fantabulous 40% off sale this weekend, so i found this cute grey dress on the final sale rack! i know it's too big but i couldn't pass up the 20 buck price.  my IG friend Alisa suggested i belt it. i agree. i suck at accessorizing.  i have been asked about my sandles a lot too- they are like 3 or 4 years old and from Urban Outfitters.  one of my fave pairs!  can't wear them without a fresh pedi though. Dego's fit is from Baby Gap; there's a camera icon on the front that says 'smile' underneath it. 4 bucks! #HammyMcHamster

Chiso doesn't eat the crusts of his pizza slices (did this child really come from me?!) so i took care of them for him lol.  other than that, no pizza and cake for this girl.  i was speaking to a 6 Pack USA client of ours recently about celebrating the small, daily victories during our ongoing fitness journeys.  she said she went to a get together recently that had WINGS (her fave), cake, and all kinds of good ol' party food, but she stuck to her guns and did not deviate from her meal plan.  she said she didn't even drink the water there lol!!!! BRAVO, Reshema! i get it though. i've been there. i usually eat way more than i plan to in social settings cause usually there is such an abundance of food.  but whenever i pass (cause we always have a choice, right?) or at least exercise some moderation instead of going crazy, i walk outta there feeling like a BOSS. a disciplined boss. and my tummy always appreciates it later. no bloating, no sugar cravings.  we stopped by Whole Foods on the way home and i hit up the hot bar for my dinner. lean grilled herbed chicken, roasted bell peppers, artichokes, and lima beans agreed waaaaay more with my tummy than that pizza and cake would have. take it one day at a time, y'all, and those small victories DO count! may they propel you to keep going and making healthier choices.

le

Roasted Carrot Cake Pancakes + Special AZ Delivery!

got a special delivery todaaay!

i knew it was a delivery cause once again i heard an engine start up and a truck burn off before i even got to my first floor, haha.

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Arctic Zeroooooo! *backflip*

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i had been home for hours been home just a lil' while from teaching my 530am HIIT class and hadn't even showered yet but i had to capture this glorious moment with my AZ goodies!  keepin' it real!  no highlight reel over here.  perfect pictures all the time make me apprehensive.  that's just not real life.  plus those 'Perfect Picture' apps i recently found out about (i'm so outta the loop)... i mean, after using it once i'd feel like i'd have to use it every single time and that no picture would be worth posting without it. so i just won't use it at all!  that's just me though.   getting sexified from head to toe is fun too (it's part of the reason we work out, hello) don't get me wrong, but i love meeting followers out in the streets and being in my element = bun, headband, gym clothes.  i should be easily recognizable that way lol #nofilter

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personalization wins me over every time. THANK YOU, ARCTIC ZERO!  i am so appreciative of this! y'all know i've been lookin' for that darn Key Lime Pie flavor for weeks now.

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they sent this Product Request Form with my goodies and i thought that was such a genius idea.  i will be dropping this guy off at my Sprouts Farmers Market ASAP.  after i circle Key Lime Pie of course.

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shucky ducky quack quack. #whostillsaysthat

the new chunky pints all have bits and chunks of goodies in them!  75 cals per 1/2 cup serving and 300 cals total for the entire pint.  they are lactose-free, gluten-free, non GMO, fat-free, low glycemic, Kosher and a highly recommended fit frozen dessert.

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chunky pints... meet Chunky Butt.

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 what you're seeing up there is bits of graham cracker crust in the key lime pie chunky pint. YES!!!! THIS is what i have been waiting to devour and i finally have. two thumbs waaaay up from me. key lime pie is my fave (Papadeaux's specifically) but i said i was gonna make a completely RAW key lime pie for my birthday which is coming up faster that i expected, sheesh. it's all about the kids now anyway; i don't even remember mine is coming until somebody mentions it.  next on our tuesday to-do list was breakfast!

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with hidden veggies! yeah, it's fun being a professional veggie sneaker and all, but i do wish i wouldn't have to go through 'so much' just to get my 3 yr old to eat them.  nevertheless, I CAN'T EVEN with how good these cakes were.  and there's a Chocolate Covered Katie inspired greek yogurt frosting on top!

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 i roasted the carrots on 400 degrees in the oven (spread them in an even layer on a foiled pan) for about 30-40 min or until they are super soft.  i did drizzle them with about a tbsp of raw honey first.

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Roasted Carrot Cake Pancakes

the stuff:(source)

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• dash ginger
• dash cloves
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar OR brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1.5 cups roasted carrots

do this:

1. add every single ingredient to your blender or food processor
2. blend until super smooth
3. heat your griddle to 400 deg or set your cast iron skillet to med-high heat and coat with no-stick cooking spray
4. spoon batter onto griddle by the tbsp; cake size is up to you!
5. once bubbles start to form on top (3-4 min), flip the cake and continue to cook for another 2-3 min or until lightly browned.

top with raw, shredded carrots, greek yogurt icing, and pecan. keep scrollin' for that icing recipe!

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Cinnamon Vanilla Greek Yogurt Icing: (combine & mix!)

• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Tofutti dairy-free cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp dairy-free greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp Stevia for baking or Truvia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

make these toddler-friendly, #fitmom approved pancakes and TAG ME on IG!

Q: YouTube ideas needed....what would you like to see?! recipes? more workouts? 

have a terrific tues, y'all.

le