dairy-free cream cheese chocolate chunk cookies + Buffalo Chicken Chunks meal prep

satadaaaaay!

we all got in bed at a reasonable hour last night so Sonny and i popped up extra early.  we decided to take advantage and go get some cardio in together.

breakfast to-go was a slice of whole wheat toast slathered with Dark Chocolate Dreams and Jiffy natural peanut butters and a few banana slices.  and coffee of course!  still chugging 1/2 caff because Dego is still going strong and nursing 3 times a day.

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struggling' together!  pretty sure cardio is included in that 'through thick or thin' marriage vow, haha.  Sonny is actually having issues with his achilles tendon so the elliptical and ice are his BFF's right now.

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fun, sweaty times were had this morning in bootcamp class!  join me every saturday at 9am if you're local or visiting Houston.  Prenatal fitness classes are coming SOON!  i am looking to start them up April, my birthday month (whoop).  if you know a local preggo, fit mama that may be interested, send her my way!  email me: le@fitfoodiele.com.

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once home, it was time to refuel.  i made a huge pan of Buffalo Chicken chunks (garlic powder, onion powder, Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce, parsley, and ground black peppers) with steamed brussels sprouts for us.

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 done in less than 10 minutes!

and for dessert, a gem from Chocolate Covered Katie.  she is so dang talented!  please check her site out and i believe she just released her very first healthy dessert book, which is already #1 on Amazon. i am NOT surprised!  kudos to her. and here goes that recipe:

Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Chocolate Chunk Cookies

the stuff (source):

• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup oat flour (if making your own oat flour, grind it into a really fine powder 1st)

• 1/4 cup Truvia / Stevia for Baking or granulated sugar

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 2-5 tbsp Enjoy Life Dairy Free Mega Chocolate Chunks

• 3 tbsp full fat cream cheese (i used dairy free Tofutti (found at Sprouts))

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

do this:

1. combine oats, salt, baking soda, chocolate chips, and sugar in a large mixing bowl

2. in another bowl, add (warm) cream cheese, vanilla, and oil in bowl

3. pour wet into dry. per Katie, do NOT add extra liquid! just keep stirring and it will moisten into a batter

4. form a big ball, then roll into cookie dough balls

5. place balls on plate and freeze at least 30 min

6. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 and coat your pan with no stick cooking spray

7. place balls on tray and bake 8-10 minutes

8. they will look underdone at first, so don't touch them for at least 10 min... if you can help it!

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yep. be flexible about your methods, but stubborn about those goals.  FINISH.  you'll be so glad you didn't give up.

 i am so excited for church in the morning. night!

Q: what role does fitness play in your life?

A: i shared my thoughts via IG!

le

servin' it up

tomorrow is fridaaaaay!  man.  the spring semester Small Groups at Parkway Fellowship started up last week!  i am so happy to have a found a group specifically for expecting moms and moms with young kiddos. what a blessing it has been so far.  serving makes me incredibly happy, so i jumped at the chance and volunteered to bring snacks for our very first meeting.  here's what we munched on:

yall know real fruit snacks are pretty much always on my menu!  strawberries, nectarines, blueberries, pineapple, and cantaloupe, all fresh and on sale from my Sprouts Farmers Market.

roll up your sleeves and cut your own fruit!  that pre-cut convenience fee is ridiculous.  use those savings and buy more food. lol.

i skewered some of them just cause.

next, breakfast quesadillas!  i asked Sonny what i should make and he said breakfast tacos.  sooooooo, i tweaked his suggestion and did quesadillas, naturally. lol.  these got rave reviews from the moms!  the combo of fluffy, whole eggs, savory turkey bacon, fresh spinach, portabella mushrooms, and melty monterey jack cheese... i mean that just makes your mouth water, right?! the tortillas were fresh made from HEB.

i used whole eggs and cracked a bunch of them into a large mixing bowl the night before.  i diced half a yellow onion and threw that into the egg batter along with some cracked black pepper and liquid aminos.  the next morning, all i had to do was scramble and cook them all up of course!  i made an assembly line for each ingredient, added a little of each to the tortilla, folded it in half, and toasted it on both side using my griddle.  a little Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread  was put on the outsides of the tortilla before toasting. gave  them a lovely color, crunch, and of course that buttery flavor!

moving right along to these BOMB mini Banana Pecan Chocolate Muffins! the kiddos enjoyed these too and i'm glad because they are naturally sweetened and a great 'grab & go' option.  they work any time of day- breakfast, snack, or dessert.  you can also use walnuts instead of pecans.

i forgot to buy some greek yogurt while at the store but i had plenty of unsweetened applesauce at home. so i used that instead and they were still as moist and tasty as ever.

 it's refreshing to meet, connect, and discuss all things motherhood with other moms....or not!  we have already discussed such a wide range of topics and i look forward to more.  we all have our stories but one thing is constant; we are all women wanting to grow in our relationships with Christ and raise our little blessings up His way. 

speaking of motherhood, i wanted to share one of the best motherhood articles i've read in a good while. i completely identified with the author.

"One day….I will sleep peacefully through the night, never a worry of a sick child or a crying baby. It will be but a memory. These years of being needed are exhausting, yet fleeting. I have to stop dreaming of "one day" when things will be easier. Because the truth is, it may get easier, but it will never be better than today. Today, when I am covered in toddler snot and spit-up. Today, when I savor those chubby little arms around my neck. Today is perfect. "One day" I will get pedicures and showers alone. "One day" I will get myself back. But, today I give myself away, and I am tired and dirty and loved SO much, and I gotta go. Somebody needs me."

 that gave me chills.  especially since that paragraph described the day we were having at the time. LOL. at some point every single day, Chiso gets down on the floor to play with his cars, action figures, do flips, and other things little boys do... so Dego and i got down there with him to play.  seeing the world through their eyes is indeed humbling and Megan's article reminded me yet again to just slow down and soak in as much of these guys as i can.

my answered prayers. my miracles.

can you relate to her excerpt?

would you join or lead a small group yourself?

le

super crazy late vday post

this was our v-day weekend '15!  my parents gifted me with a Sur La Table gift card for Christmas and i finally put it to use by signing Sonny and i up for a couples cooking class. a tasty, fun, night. seriously!  if you've never done one, do one then! we were on the wait list and got in because another couple canceled.  so V-Day eve we made and devoured:

Spinach Salad with Warm Sherry Vinaigrette

Porcini-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Chocolate-Port Sauce

 Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Caramel Pot de Crème with Cocoa Nib Cookies

Sonny doesn't really do creamy type desserts so i smashed his too. omg, it was SO GOOD. i can't even remember the last time i had full-fat cream so i savored EVERY single bite of yumminess in that ramakin! the creaminess was out of this world. i'm about to sound like a Food Network Star real quick: 'the creaminess and sweetness of the custard combined with the cold, fluffy, whipped cream and crunch of the cocoa nib cookie... dessert trifection.' #AndCut

we were paired up with such a down to earth, funny couple. an #usie was a must, lol.

 they had us cracking up the entire class and made the experience so FUN.

that's what i'm talkin' about. snacks while we cook.

we took turns cooking our dinner,

and taking pics. i was trying to be jazzy for Sonny, hence the heels.  my feet hurt something serious later that night though. can't do it like i used to. and don't even want to most days! man i used to LIVE in heels.

we all came together to make a 'mock' dessert.  they just wanted us to go through the actual steps should we make it at home.  they had plenty of pre-made pots de creme ready for us in the fridge since it has to chill in there for while ahead of time.

she was a riot!

on Valentine's Day, we 'celebrated' as a fam.

Chiso and i decorated some strawberries after i taught boot camp earlier that morning.

we used a 25 cent squeeze bottle for the melted chocolate and plenty of sprinkles!  it's the same bottle i use to freestyle his pancake shapes on the griddle.  more inexpensive toddler entertainment!

then i got the boys ready so that we could go grab some dinner.  one sock already gone and we hadn't even left the house yet! i received a few compliments on my blouse while we were out lol- it's actually a dress that i tucked into my pants from Zara.

V-Day was on saturday so most restaurants were crazy full!  we tried to go to Benihana's with no reservation... HA!  that bombed so we ended up at Whole Foods Market which had something for all of us. Chiso suggested we have a picnic, so we went home and had one while watching the All Star Festivities.

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here's my foooood: chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, salad, more chicken, veggies, blah, blah, blah and water.

seriously...why do we even buy toys?  paper bags, water bottles, cardboard boxes, pots and pans...that's all they need.

did you stay in or go out for V - Day this year?

le

VLOG: baby bootcamp! exercises for babies beginning to sit up

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eekd7f8Zs3g&w=560&h=315]

• cop your own Therapy Disk!

• do this with your LO for just 10 consecutive minutes per day. they tire easily, so stopping / starting again later is expected

• this improves their balance, core strength, posture, stability, and endurance, and upper body strength and prepares them for crawling, standing, walking, etc.

• make sure there are plenty of soft pillows or cushions around baby in case he/she topples over. never leave them unsupervised, especially while using the Therapy Disk

• every baby develops differently at their own pace!

le

chocolate festival + life goals

i checked IG this morning and my eyes were immediately drawn to this comment:

reading that blessed me in a major way.  even though my IG account is mostly a combo of fitness inspiration, food, relevant funny memes, and a lil bit of family, i never want to lose sight of the BIG picture, which is pointing souls toward Christ and being a light for Him via my lifestyle.  He is apart of everything i do.  and if he isn't, i want no part of it.  my account did not start out this way though.  i used to follow the big 'fitspo' pages until they became oversexualized and promoting everything but fitness.  seems like Likes and praise from man outweigh His approval more and more these days but i refuse to compromise my faith...anymore. i have deleted many a picture because it made me uneasy and didn't sit well with my spirit.  which means it didn't sit well with Him either!  at this point in my life, i simply want what He wants.  if that means letting go of those IG pages that stunt my spiritual growth, so be it. done.  IDK how in the world i found Heather Lindsey but she has been a blessing ever since that fateful day.  whew! she inspires me daily as a woman, wife, and mother and has such an inspiring testimony.  if you aren't already following her, #youremissingout!

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relationship goals!!!

i found this on Instagram somewhere and i thought it was the cutest thing ever.  it reminded me of my parents actually. my mom is a few inches taller than my dad so they'd have to switch though, hahahaha!  this could be Sonny and i, but the amount of time i spend in any grocery store annoys him (it's an experience. hello.) and i'd never come out with just 5 items. even at Sam's.

happy sunday family funday to you! #bestpicofthebunch

speaking of grocery shopping, we took a trip to the best store eva after church today, Central Market.  the Chocolate Festival is currently going on until the 17th of this month, guys! i believe we have gone for the past 4 or 5 years now.

we strolled right on up as these guys were being served. salty, sweet PERFECTION! i grabbed a recipe card immediately.  you bet i'm gonna make a heathified version of these puppies.

here's the original version though.

we grabbed lunch inside before heading out to the patio to enjoy the live band.  Chiso is unbelievably picky and wasn't interested in anything CM had to offer. well, besides candy of course, which was not happening. so, he had a banana and some plantain chips for the time being and i made him some pizza when we got home.

i attacked the salad bar and seriously got like one scoop of everything!

we hope you had a sweet V-Day weekend ;)

Q: what's your fave chocolate covered treat?

A: raisins!

le