Oven Roasted Plantains + Church Fit

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the weather has been phenomenal aaaaaall weekend long in h-town!  today was no different. our breakfast before church: high-protein, buttermilk pancakes, dairy-free coco whip, zero-calorie pancake syrup, and fresh berries.  my almost 5-year-old still asks for pancakes almost every single morning.

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{top : H&M} | {jeans : H&M} | {wedges : Forever 21} | {bag : LV}

look ma, no gym clothes! i've been trying to get jazzy on the weekends after being in workout clothes, well, any other day of the week.  when i spruce things up on the outside, it does wonders for me on the inside too.  however, my toes aren't done and haven't been in months. thanks, blur tool.  yes, i did. the wedges were too cute to crop out. lol   

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Facetune-201603061067845183

 "

me: make me laugh

Sonny: sorry, i only know how to make you mad

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hey, whatever it takes to get the job done, Instagram Husband ;) anyway, this top is the epitome of comfort. i have one in several colors cause  it always makes me feel so modelesque when i throw it on!

 {top : H&M} | {jeans : H&M} | {wedges : Forever 21} | {bag : LV}

is it spring yet?! LOVE coral anything, especially workout tops. H&M has plenty of affordable, cute fitness fashions that i'll be sharing soon too!

i've been pan-frying our plantain in coconut oil for the past few years, but i wanted to try baking or broiling them instead. so i did! Sonny says i tried this a while back but it really must have been that long ago cause i do not remember attempting this.  here goes nothin'!

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perfect! when i bring them home from the store and they aren't ready yet, i put them inside a brown paper bag and in solitary confinement under my kitchen sink so they can ripen quicker.   browns spots are a very good thing. i sliced them diagonally and threw them into a mixing bowl along with:

  • few dash of cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp melted coconut 
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (can use coconut sugar) 
  • dash of sea salt
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and mixed them all around.  then, i coated my pan with foil and coconut cooking oil spray, then placed them evenly across the pan.400 degrees.  12 minutes on one side.  12 minutes on the other. done.  Sonny agrees that they still have the same texture as they do when they are deep-fried. i likes that.my food though!!! OMG, y'all, this was crazy good!  i threw it in a bowl with some already baked chicken breast chunks, avocado chunks, refried organic black beans, and some sautéed turnip greens.  a little bit of everything on your fork at once... heaven.  sweet, salty, spicy. (that's sriracha on the chicken but you already knew that)just know i took my sweet, sweet time with this bowl of goodness. these are kind of a big deal! snack smart this week; i tried my best not to go overboard on these bad boys today. yum.

  "Make it Last by Making it First" was Pastor Mike's message this morning.  i always appreciate this reminder!  cause marriage is hard. making it last is even harder....  but completely, 100% worth the fight and the effort.  with kids in the mix, you've really gotta be serious and focused about getting in some alone time together often, and try your absolutely hardest not flake on each other.  spend not just kid-free time together, but TECHNOLOGY-FREE time at that.  it's true, you really can have a crazy awesome time with your spouse and the WWW not know about it. as a new-found snap chat addict (add me, fitfoodiele) i stand by that statement 100% ;) 

new week, fit friends, let's goooooo!

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Sassy Shorts Sunday

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tell'em, Bey. admit it, you thought about her super bowl snafu after you read that quote, didn't you ;)

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i can't even begin to tell you how good church was this morning.  AND we were early! i love that feeling. i want more of that feeling. Feb. is not only black history month, but it's the month of love <3 .  our pastor is currently preaching through a series titled Tying The Knot: How To Make A Marriage That Lasts and i've been soaking up all that good info week after week.  it applies to unmarried couples as well.  i urge you to give it a listen!

anywaaaay, sunday meal prep went down as usual; Sonny always requests these particular items on his meal plan so i went to HEB earlier this week and loaded up.   baked salmon, (i used Weber Kick n' Chickn on it) wild rice, grilled gigantic steak house-sized asparagus (aren't they beautiful!?), and a spinach salad with ripe avocado, mushrooms, and tomatoes. then, 

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i put on my sassy shorts for our walk to the park today.  aren't these adorbs!? i had to have them cause they were a whopping 19 bucks, yall.  IKR! there are so many patterns and colors to choose from; i listed a few below for ya.

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top: Nike Dry-FIT Contour Short-Sleeve ( this is the updated version cause mine is a couple of years old)

sassy shorts: (on sale!) 

Nike Pro Mezzo Short,

Nike Pro Three-Inch Short,

Nike Pro Dri-Fit Shorts

sneaks: Free Run 5.0

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i've been fighting so hard to try to stay away from wearing so much black! why is it so hard :|

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here's dessert!  i always use a little organic buttery spread (1 tbsp) + coconut oil (2 tsp) in my pan. make sure your pan is on low-medium heat; they burn cook crazy fast.       happiness is..... sitting outside on the porch with a bowl of pan-fried plantains.  here's to another great week, fit friends!

WORK HARD AND BE KIND! THAT IS ALL.

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Weekend Treat = True Food Kitchen

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i'll be shifting things around concerning my prenatal one-on-one sessions & class times as i have accepted a 10:15am saturday TCX class at my Lifetime location!!!! i am crazy excited about it because i have been holding down the butt-crack-of-dawn shift for a while now....but it is certainly nice to see more new faces, daylight, and teach in a prime time slot. i am so ready to GROW this class and rock out with the members on saturday mornings! yall know i loooove my saturday morning workouts.  so, *a-hem* for all those peeps that never quite made it to my 5:30am classes, now's your chance to give me a try ;)

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the child center was hosting a Reindeer Games event for the kiddies, so after class i walked my tykes right over to the party.  look who we ran into! i felt so bad for Mrs. Claus, ha. but i'm sure she has seen and experienced some crazy stuff dealing with young kiddos and all. Dego has not having it,

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so this is the only thing i could come up with to make him sit still. #whatevs

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i usually don't eat/drink much of anything besides coffee before teaching HIIT, so we had lunch at the Lifetime Cafe before heading out cause ya girl was hoongry.  i refueled with a mediterranean egg white wrap and roasted carrots. so filling!  kids get hunger attitudes just like we do (if not worse) so we all chowed down.  this is why i take breakfast so important now that Chiso is in school! he can't leave the house without it.

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later that evening i met up with my hubby, sis-in-love, and a few more friends and family to support my bro-in-love, Brian!  he cleaned UP and won 1st place NPC Physique Open AND NPC Physique Novice.  biiiig congrats to him; what a huge win for the 6 Pack USA team!

after church sunday, we finally headed to see the big tree at the Houston Galleria. Sonny doesn't fancy the word 'tradition' but this is one i'd like to keep going...forever!  we actually had family pictures scheduled but the rain killed our plans....again. this is our last week and chance to take them...ugh.  i have our outfits laid out and everything :( . wish us luck, ha!

"Chiso, do something cool!"

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"ok, watch me whip." #boom

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i can't even deal. 4? no way.

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the best out of 87.  enough of this. let's go eat.

for dinner, we went to a place recommended by a friend and client, Frances! True Food Kitchen did not disappoint.

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their menu is comprised of the anti-inflammatory food pyramid. my body definitely appreciated that! love this concept and cannot wait to try out...the rest of the menu.

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i started with their kale-aid.

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(how deliciously cute is that?)

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then, Sonny and i split their edamame dumplings per Frances' suggestion. they made us anticipate our entreès that much more.

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do you see those perfectly cooked shrimp?  *kisses finger tips* BELLISSIMO!!! the Panang Curry was THE STUFF. i usually don't do dairy-based/creamy sauces and/or soups but uuuuuh, the description sounded too good to resist.  i was impressed and elated to report that i did not even bloat afterwards! awesome. Sonny requested half chicken & half shrimp with his, so i told our waiter i wanted the exact same thang.

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pizza for the boys!  well, just one boy. Dego was knocked out the entire time, so i fed him at home.

after we went to Pink Berry, lol.  both of our phones were dead by that point, so no fro-yo pics, womp.

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my bowl looked a lil' somethin' like this though!  stole this pic from our maui 8th wedding anni trip.

Q:  fit friends! what else is good at True Food Kitchen!? i ran into a friend of mine (owner and CEO of Inner Me Studios, Nicole Phillips) while there and she ordered quinoa pancakes which were NOT on the lunch menu... so of course i looked at her plate like 'what are thoooooose????' bwhahahaha.  have you tried this place?

ok byeeeeee

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#SundayBumday + Healthy Cookies!

#SundayBumday

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cause after church, this is pretty much how we spent the rest of our afternoon!  it has been raining non-stop since yesterday morning... seriously. no breaks it seems like.  hurricane Patricia is NOT playing.  we spent all day yesterday in humble, texas at the Mocha Kid Expo (post coming up next) and had a BLAST. so we needed to stay in the house and #NetflixNoChill today anyway.  WE killed that entire bag of Boom Chika Pop kettlecorn!! it's time to have another giveaway with Angie's! #WaitOnIt

#ImUsingHashtagsLikeThisIsTwitterOrSomething

#ICantStop

#SorryNotSorry

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i whipped out my crock pot and just starting cooking!  i threw some chicken breasts in there (i sliced up 3 whole oranges + a cup of Sprouts Farmers Market Honey Chipotle bbq sauce + 3 stalks of green onion) for us to eat through wednesday. totally made that 'recipe' up on the spot and it turned out delicious.  for dinner, baked tilapia, sautéed peppers and asparagus (marinated in Coconut Aminos first), and a sweet potato for Sonny.  i had cauliflower 'mashed potatoes'! this is whatcha do:

  1. boil some frozen cauliflower until it is super tender (about 10 min or so) in some unsweetened cashew milk and a dash of sea salt. pour in enough milk to cover the cauliflower.
  2. drain it, throw it in your food processor, and blended it for about 10 seconds, making it half creamy, half chunky.  OR you can blend until it's super smooth if that's your thing.
  3. add cracked black pepper and some chopped green onion on top!  you can even make 'loaded mashed potatoes' and add bacon and cheese, YUM.  i bet the kiddos would NEVER know. haven't tried that on my 4-year-old though....yet.

tasted JUST like mashed potatoes. texture and errythang!

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for dessert.... yes, please. i've been waiting to try these guys out!  Sprouts Farmer's Market has them 3 for 5 this week, so i took them up on that deal. they're VEGAN, people! no eggs, no dairy!

Chiso chose the chocolate chip to tackle first, so i warmed it up in the microwave for 20 seconds.

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smelled incredible... was hoping it tasted the same.

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we split it in 4 and dove right in. seriously good.

impressive facts, right!?  agreed!

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the stats aren't too shabby either! it's dessert for crying out loud!  subway cookies are waaaaay smaller and are around 220 cals EACH.  this is prolly the biggest, healthiest cookie i've ever eaten and enjoyed.

are you ready for a new week? ready or not, it's here!  nite :)

Q: what's your favorite thing to do when it's raining outside?  

WE WON! Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers + The Nike + app

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when this happens i'm usually in the study doing some late night blogging.  if Sonny gets home later than the boy's bed time, i do the same thing, lol.  i love having them snuggled up next to me! co-sleeping has always been our thing. they'll be going off to college tomorrow so i'm soaking them all in every chance i get.

helloooooo Nike + friends!!!

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seriously, thank you guys for adding me!  i made an IG post and told people to join me on the app but  have been confined to the dang treadmill and stair master since my last long run like a week and a half ago. i know, ugh!!!  i need this accountability and motivation though and seeing people rack up their miles makes me want to get back out there too. i will!  especially since my half marathon  is quickly approaching.

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 keep it up, yall! after my 7 miles and the Texans football game....we headed to get our grub on.


how cool is this? i would LOVE to have something this eclectic and awesome for my kitchen!

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this spatula art can be found on the wall by the front registers at Jerry Built Homegrown Burgers, West U location.  i won't be that person that says 'i never win ANYTHING!!!' (even though i totally said that on the periscope vid we did lol) and it's been a while but ya girl scored a JerryBuilt Homegrown Burgers gift card via their Facebook photo contest recently!

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we were super excited to head there for some healthy eats after church sunday.

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so we did! look at that spread!

i found JB back in August for Sonny's birthday weekend and we have been like 4 times since then and it's only October.  the kids LOVE the food and the gigantic chalk board in the front of the dining room is a great kid-friendly idea.  we frequent the West University location inside the 610 loop but there is also a location in the Woodlands, TX as well.  this time we had:

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fresh fruit for Dego & i (along with some yogurt i brought from home that he is addicted to)

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a nitrate-free, grass-fed beef hotdog on a multigrain bun, and................. 20151004_165248-01

one of the best foods ever on earth!!!!! some creamy, mac n cheese.20151004_165433-01

instead of the Jerry's Cobb, i went with the Houston salad! spring mix, kale, baby spinach, romaine, jicama, roasted sweet corn & black beans pico, queso fresco, avocado, cilantro, and house-made croutons w/ house-made cilantro lime vinaigrette.  YAS. i got a salad to save some macros for that mac and cheese of course.

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Chiso got a nitrate-free hotdog as well with a side of fries.

you'll have to scroll back up to the aerial pic to see Sonny's burger it was gone before i got a chance to get a solo shot of it, haha.  he got the Saint Arnold again and the photo i took from his birthday weekend of that same burger won us the gift card! sweet.

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Chiso can't go without leaving his mark on the board.

i just want to thank JBHB for being SO generous to our family; we have enjoyed every meal we've eaten there!  i always recommend this family-friendly, healthy joint to everyone we know.  highly recommended and fitfoodiele approved.

Q: what family friendly eateries in your city do you love and recommend? 

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