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!

no more start/stop- catching up NOW.

good monday that is almost over to you!!

this will be crazy random but just stay with me.

i hope you guys are using and being creative the IG food pics- that's definitely some of my motivation for posting.

this was lunch @ my desk last Friday:

100 calorie multi-grain english muffin, grilled chicken breast, avocado, spicy mustard, and a crispy red bell pepper. since my job is waaaaaaaaay closer to Trader Joe's than my house, i stopped by there to get a few specialty items on my lunch break that day.

more eggplant humus wish it came in a big TUB.

i can pronounce everything. that's the kind of ingredient list i like to see and the kind you should look for as often as possible. also, natural, no additives or preservatives means eat it sooner than later! won't last but a few days.

also got some sweet sugar snap peas for dipping! in the car.

i walked into TJ's with intent to restock my fig butter, but as soon as those double entrance doors parted, i walked straight up to a tower of pumpkin butter. clever is that seasonal marketing. they also had honey apple butter and i couldn't leave without it. i did leave the mango butter for next time though.

i hit up HEB, Whole Foods, and Sams this weekend to do my real shopping. i got my sample on of course,

*high five*, HEB. but zero points for presentation. steak pizzaiola, italian chicken sausage soup, and creamy potato casserole was served at one of their live sample stations. oh God, those potatoes though :shock: . i always grab a recipe card to see just what they put in those samples and they never fail to freak me out. full-fat heavy cream and cream cheese is what made those potatoes so darn good! but they were sample size sooooo i proceeded to enjoy.

i got outta there with my usual stuff plus a few specialty items.

my kitchen island stays just like this for the most part. i like to keep my produce out where i can see it cause i'll forget about it in the fridge and it's more likely to spoil. gonna go ahead and add 'personal grocery shopper' to my resume, seriously!!! i could do this every day.

i've been using the sesame Ezekiel bread for the past few weeks, so i picked up the cinnamon raisin loaf this time.

i have sweet and savory dishes in mind for this puppy.

fat-free feta and goat cheese are still two dairy cheeses i won't be giving up (will expand on that shortly), but i was inspired to try almond cheese from a fellow health and fitness IGer. i figure i love almond milk, so i'd prolly like the cheese too. uh, yeah! it melts, grates, and tastes just like dairy cheese and nutritional stats are awesome. i'm impressed and sold. gonna try some rice cheese too.

i've been a fan of Blue Diamond brand almond milk since Hungry-Girl introduced me to it a few years ago, but decided to try the Silk brand because of the lower calorie count.

it is so much more creamier than i was expecting! i may have been converted indefinitely...

I picked up some of Sonny's fav granola from Whole Foods - pumpkin flax. it's the best granola (nutrtion-wise) in the bulk aisle line up. 140 cals and 5g of sugar per serving. read your labels- granola is more like a treat/dessert as the sugar content can be super high for some of them. a few spoonfuls over some cottage cheese or yogurt or a small serving of it is just enough.

granola + almond milk = one great bed time snack. if only i could stop eating bowl after bowl.

lunch today @ my desk:

seeing red today for meal 2- grilled chicken breast, avocado, red bell pepper, tomato, spicy mustard and honey apple butter. wrapped all up in a La Tortilla Factory white-wheat soft wrap with some strawberries on the side.

i snuck in some sugar snap peas and eggplant humus too.

we had some GORGEOUS weather in Houston today!! Sonny hates the cold and is already griping about having to stop his outside runs. he still has time to take advantage though cause it will be hot again like tomorrow.

cajun crusted tilapia recipe coming up next.