green 6.2

after a restful friday night, i woke up Saturday ready to take on the Green 6.2 with a few Fit Foodie Finisher friends:

Ijeoma Ikechi

Ijeoma Okoli

  Ijeoma Ugoezi

YES, 3 Ijeomas ;)

they did their thing!!! so happy they were able to come out and run for the cause!  i enjoyed hanging out and learning more about them, and i look forward to growing our team.  i love the way fitness brings people together!!! the Houston humidity was present as always, but there was no rain and the temperature was perfect.

obviously i missed the thumbs-up memo, whoops.  there were a ton of vendors at the post-race party held in the City Centre courtyard.  we refueled with bagels, bananas, muffins, and water.

there was also a kids 1k as well- look at little Superman!

i cannot WAIT to do that with Chiso!!! it was the cutest thing EVER.  the kids were all so happy to just run!

'

after getting home a little later, i finally got to make my REAL breakfast, even if it was late afternoon!  i had fun fetti birthday cake pancakes (minus the fun fetti) and topped them with regular PB2 and fresh sliced strawberries. (recipe derived from GoSuperSisters)

light and fluffy pancakes

the stuff:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbs nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 packets stevia
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

do this:

mix the dry with the dry, and wet with the wet.  slowly add the dry into the wet until combined.  batter will be THICK! cook them up on a medium heated griddle until golden brown on both sides.

i put all entries (Facebook fan page, blog post commenters, IG (Instagram) reposts) into my random name picker app and it spit out these guys:

@raceylee109 - Tracey Spicuzza

@cboutarfa92 - Courtney Boutarfa

@gorgeouswifey - Brandy McGhee

@karoniepooh - Karone Roger

@cecelisimon - Cecelia Simon

i'll be sending out their precious Fit Popcorn bags today, whoop!  i thank each of you ladies for participating and spreading the word about this giveaway.  i am so honored to be able put smiles on their faces, especially via free, healthy, FOOD!

le

Popcorn Indiana giveaway + clean, shrimp fried brown rice

back to back giveaways?! WHY NOT!

if you're following me on Instagram, then you already know by now what was in that big box.

 oooh just one of my fave snacks ever-  POPCORN!!!! THANK YOU TONS, Popcorn Indiana!

they sent me two phenomenal flavors of their new Fit Popcorn:

i have my eyes straight PEELED for the onion & dijon flavor for sure. so far my Sprouts Farmer's Market hasn't carried it.  anyway, on to the contest rules!

• Instagram: share the Popcorn Indiana giveaway pic on your own IG page!  remember to tag #popig and @fitfoodiele in the comments so i don't miss your vote.

for multiple entries, you can:

• Facebook fan page: 'Like' it!
• Follow: www.fitfoodiele.com via email (top right corner of this page;))
• Comment: on THIS post telling me your absolute, hands down, favorite Popcorn Indiana flavor. mine is dark fudge chocolate chip kettle corn.... :shock:

 Fit Popcorn stats: ★approx. 40 cals per cup★ all natural, gluten-free ★whole grain ★zero trans fat ★and non-GMO.

I just want to make somebody else's tummy and face SMILE!!!!!!!!!!! please share!

this fine tuesday morning started out with a crazy Total Body Conditioning workout as it usually does.

then breakfast.  just an egg white omelette topped with alfalfa sprouts, low carb ketchup, greek yogurt, and dijon mustard.  pancakes were super ugly and did NOT make the cut. heck that omelette barely did.

oh and i wanted to post my baby bella almond cheddar grilled cheese sammich from yesterday's lunch as i received quite a few inquiries on what the heck almond cheese is and where can you get some!  it's a dairy-free cheese substitute that shreds and tastes darn close to dairy cheese IMO.  it will melt, just takes a little longer to do so.  i  learned about the Lisanatti brand via Instagram, and i have always stuck with it.  i'll have to do a product review on some of those other brands at a later date!  you can find Lisanatti almond cheese in the cheddar, jalapeno jack, and mozzarella varieties at Sprout's Farmers Market, Whole Foods, Central Market, and most other speciality food stores.  i just read on their site that they no longer ship orders out though :(

so my first chicken fried rice recipe is super old.... a revamped was needed.  so here it is!

i used shrimp this time though as you can see ;)

clean, shrimp fried brown rice

the stuff:

• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 5 whole baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• handful of sprouts (bean, alfalfa, your choice)
• 2 tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 egg whites
• 2 green onion stalks, chopped
• 1 medium shallot or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 lb shrimp, marinated
• 5 baby carrots, chopped thinly or shaved
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup green peas (optional)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup fresh, chopped pineapple (optional)

shrimp marinade

• 2 tbsp Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning or 1 heaping tbsp Weber Boston Bay all natural seasoning
• 2 tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic

do this:

1.marinate your shrimp for at least 30 minutes in the spices, liquid aminos, cilantro, and garlic.

2.add them to a medium to high heated wok or skillet sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

3.they cook quickly, so about 3-4 minutes max will do.  remove them from the pan and set them aside for now.

4.add all onions (1 green onion stalk though)  garlic or shallots, carrots, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and aminos into the medium heated pan and cook covered until the onions are translucent and carrots are softened, about 5 minutes.

5.make a well in the middle of your wok and pour the egg whites into it.  let them cook and scramble as you continuously stir until they are done.

6.add the cooked rice, mushrooms, cooked shrimp, pepper, red pepper flakes, a little green onions, fresh pineapple, and green peas into the wok.

7. incorporate and mix well, then let it sit covered for 2-3 more minutes over low heat. chop the remaining green onion stalk and top your dish with it.

8. devourrrrrrrr!

 learn to look for the good in EVERY situation; i promise you it's there.  think positive, be positive, and positive things WILL happen.

le

perfect snack food?

one of Yahoo's top stories happens to be about today's post!  coincidence? prolly.   the article claims that popcorn contains more antioxidants than ANY other fruit or vegetable.  that's pretty big news, i'd say.  popcorn really is a great, whole grain, fibrous, healthy snack.

before you saturate it with butter, oil, salt and/or sugar, of course.  it's best to pop it yourself (on the stove or by air popper) so you are in control of the amount of toppings.  i don't have an air popper, so i whip out my pot.  never done it that way? keep reading.

no additives just plain ol' popping corn.

so, 3 tbsp = 3 cups and 1 cup = 25 calories.  i added 1 more tbsp to make it an even 100 calorie snack.

try to use as little oil as possible.  here's a tip though- both cooking spray and olive oil will have your kitchen smoking. it's best to use vegetable or corn oil.  i pour a little in the cap of the bottle and drizzle it in a medium heated pan.  you really don't need more than 1/2 a tsp.  toss in a few test kernels- once they pop, it's time.everybody in.

very important- cover the pan (preferably with the correct top) and shake it back and forth across the burner to keep the kernels from burning.  this also ensures that there are no kernels on top of one another and that they'll all get popped.  you'll need to repeat this shaking process until you don't hear anymore popping.  and yeah i know...i couldn't find the right top though.

keep shaking..almost done.

makes a nice big bowl.

now, add what you want, or eat it plain!  adjust the nutritional stats accordingly.  i normally do LOL butter and keep it at that.   this past time, i found a packet of truvia and made some kettle corn.

if you must snack while watching tv, reading, etc., munch on some homemade popcorn.  even bag it up and take it to work.

is during movie watching the only time you eat popcorn?

le

leaner & cleaner meatloaf + something you should know!!

another recipe for those ground turkey (or lean beef) logs.  i have never thought of meatloaf as a healthy dish, ever.  it even sounds like anything but healthy. every now and then i want it though, so every now and then i make it.  i know you'll enjoy and appreciate this flavorful, lighter, healthier, yet filling recipe. lean turkey meat loaf

the stuff:

meatloaf:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 minced yellow onion
• 1 med shallot or 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 slices of double fiber wheat bread
• 2 lbs of ground turkey 97% or 99% lean (i used one of each)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp liquid aminos
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites
• few squirts of low sodium worcestershire sauce

sauce:

• 1-1/2 cup low carb ketchup
• 1/4 cup coconut crystals
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard or yellow mustard
• sriracha chili sauce to taste

do this:

1. pre-heat your oven right now before you forget @ 350 deg.
2. soak the bread in the milk for a minute or two.
3. chop up the shallots and/or garlic, yellow onion, parsley, and cilantro.
4. in a huge bowl, throw everything in (soaked bread, veggies, meat, eggs, seasonings).
5. make sure those hands are scrubbed clean, then dive on in and mix and mold.

i stuck with the boring, classic loaf shape and put it on my broil/grill pan. i'll be more adventurous next time.

as you can see, i like my veggies nice and chunky.  you can dice/mince them if that's too big for your liking.

top the loaf with only half the sauce for now, and let it bake for 45 minutes.  that'll produce this:

 go ahead and sauce it one more time, and pop it back in the for last 15.

i fished out my meat thermometer and stuck it right in the center of the loaf- that little dial shot up so fast!! it was definitely overdone and i worried that it might be dry as i was already using lean meat.

nope, it was still juicy, flavorful, and moist.  even still, i suggest you check the temp after about 35 minutes in.

 2 lbs makes plenty- we ate off this thing for about 3 days for sure.  tasted better and better each time.

instead of the usual mashed potatoes and peas, i did cabbage.  cabbage is a nutritious veggie that is cheap and produces A LOT. it doesn't wilt down so much like spinach does.

 i sliced up 1 yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, and a few slices of bacon for flavor (2-3).  before topping the pot and letting it simmer on med-low for about 20 minutes, i pour in about 1/2 - 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth to help get the steaming process going.  i like my cabbage with a little crunch to it, but you'll just have to taste test it along the way.  oh don't forget to add fresh cracked black pepper and as little salt as necessary.  i was able to get 12 generous slices out of the loaf.

stats per serving:

cals: 140 (w/out sauce)

165 (w/ sauce)

fat: 1.6g

protein: 6g

fiber: 1g

last thing i HAD to share! no matter how much i love a product, i never trust their (or anybody's) portion sizes.  i was getting snacks ready for the week and although i  didn't want to lol, i put that chocolate drizzled popcorn to the test....i just had to know.  the bags says 1.5 cups is one serving, and that there are 6 servings total in the bag. that equals, yes, 9 cups of popcorn.

um...

...

i only managed to scoop out 6 cups. barely. more like 5 and 3/4th.

to be honest, i was expecting the exact opposite so i could tell you to be careful about taking in WAY MORE cals than what the label actually says!!!

...not this.

 i don't know whether to be happy there are 400+ cals less than i anticipated in the entire bag, or to write a letter to Popcorn, Indiana about my 3 missing cups!! regardless, a lesson was learned.  read the label and do your own measurements.

when's the last time you ate or even made meatloaf?

le

only the best, ever.

ooooh if only i could only post every day!! life would be grand.  but no, my little one is not having that.  aaaand as luck would have it, my HP laptop quit on me. makes it that much more difficult to keep up with this thing.  however, i'm committed and i'm gonna keep on trucking. this concludes my pity party. breakfast was my usual bowl of oats and egg white omelette with cheese.  i had an oval apple for my mid morning snack- yeah it didn't look like an apple to me either. Central Market was sampling them this past weekend and they tasted like a mixture of apple and pear to me! so, i got a pair.

i also got some fresh whole wheat tortillas while there.  I threw some skinless chicken breasts and ranch dressing mix into my crock pot last night, so this morning we woke up to our lunch all ready to go.  gotta love that thing. today's lunch- a whole wheat, ranch chicken wrap!

i added about a tablespoon of mashed avocado, some cilantro, half a tomato, and half of a laughing cow cheese wheel. nope, no lettuce:(

we'll be eating the rest of that chicken for dinner tonight for sure. i'll have to come up with a creative way to serve it and get back to ya.

 one more thing about CM,  i MUST tell you about this popcorn Sonny and i were introduced to on V-day last month during the chocolate festival.  it's only the best i've ever had, no big deal.  i was already hooked on Popcorn, Indiana's kettle corn, but  now....oh but now.  i went to CM that very same weekend just to get some more bags... only there was not a bag in sight. the shelf was completely cleared out. i was so bummed, but i completely understood.  sooooo when i stopped by CM this past weekend for lunch with my mom, you know i checked for it again. and hello, it was on sale- 2 bags for 4 bucks!!!!! i got two and so did my mom.

ignore the ash on my hand and focus on the chocolate chips on that kernel!! seriously good.

this drizzled chocolate popcorn is definitely an indulgent snack.  i mean it even says it on the bag:)

hope you have a fab monday and an even better week!!

 what's one of your favorite indulgent snacks?

le