this morning started out with an invigorating weight workout. every time i drive to the gym early in the AM feeling crappy from not enough sleep or just plain tired, i always, and i do mean always, end up feeling the complete opposite immediately afterwards.

then my day REALLY got started with some pancakes.

banana -oat surprise! pancakes.

surprise. i promise i'll use a different fruit sooner than later.

i drizzled them with my precious Walden Farms syrup. i now have a small inventory of bottles in my pantry. ever hit the store and the one (or few ) item you need is completely gone!? that's been happening to me lately. Hunt's reduced sugar ketchup....GONE. every other freakin kind of hunts ketchup is just sitting there collecting dust, untouched. rows perfectly straight. Mc Cormick smokehouse maple seasoning... nowhere to be found. the entire row! coincidence?!? vegan whipped topping... :roll: do all my readers live in this area or what LOL

well HEB did have fresh salmon on sale and plenty of it. i always keep my eye on it and 3.97 is the lowest i've ever seen it go. so, i got a few pounds. large shrimp were also going for that same price, so that went in my cart too. i seasoned a hunk of salmon with garlic and herb seasoning and roasted it in the oven along with some zucchini for lunch today. healthy, fresh, and light. clean eating makes you FEEL that way too. i also had two slices of sprouted grain sesame Ezekiel bread along with it.

i also bought some 99% lean ground turkey and cooked it up with cilantro, onions, shallots, curry, chili powder, pepper, and liquid aminos last night for dinner. i had just come in from the gym and had a craving for some cheesy enchiladas!!!

so i used that turkey mix and combined it with fresh spinach, La Tortilla Factory white-wheat soft wraps, Trader Joe's organic pizza sauce, plenty of shredded rice cheese, and fresh avocado. healthy, low-fat, low-carb, delish, and GUILT-FREE.

so as i was checking out of HEB, the best grocery store ever in life, this caught my eye. look at all those special options!!

did i mention i was still inside HEB?

who puts a mini self-serve fro-yo shop complete with not only low/no fat options but gluten and dairy-free as well inside a grocery store!?

it doesn't matter. *sheds a tear or four* two of my fave things under one roof.

did you know that a red bell pepper is green first? it doesn't grow red. did you know that? i didn't. i believe my co-worker told me that a while ago. now, it's happening on my kitchen island. cool.

nugget of info about red bell peps:

'These are more mature than green, orange or yellow bell peppers. They are rich in carotenoid phytonutrients and contain almost eleven times more beta-carotene than green bell peppers as well as one and a half times more vitamin C. Red Bell Peppers have a sweet, almost fruity taste. Pimento and paprika are both prepared from red bell peppers.'

must be why they are so expensive :shock:

almost done, last thing!

light & lean black bean pumpkin chicken chili

the stuff:

1/2 cup sweet corn
2 medium chopped tomatoes
4oz lean ground chicken breast
2 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos
1 can pure pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves
1 tsp smoked papripka
1 4 oz can no salt added tomato sauce
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or water)
1/2 cup no salt added black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 medium-large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
couple sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
1 cup mushrooms (optional)

i split the entire pot into 5 bowls of chili.

1 serving = 1 bowl

do this:

chop up the onions, shallots, and half of the cilantro, and cook it in a medium heated pot until translucent. throw in your ground chicken along with your spices and liquid aminos and cook it until there is no more pink. dump all your vegetables, canned pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans and chicken stock in...everything except the cilantro and salt. bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat. add more chopped cilantro and stir. now, taste it, and add the appropriate amount of salt to your liking. this will taste EVER better the next day!

i made a bowl for myself and topped it with fresh avocado, goat cheese, and corn thins on the side.

Sonny had a nice big helping of it too.

i'm so excited- i had a cooking date tonight with one of my dear friends!! can't wait to share what we created- good times and good food.

nite!

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!