veggie chili

And I’m not talking Monday, work related stuff. I’m talking back to healthy eating and working out. Over the past few weeks I’ve been eating whatever I want, whenever I want and not really challenging myself at the gym. I was on twitter last night chatting with a couple ladies and we all decided to get back on track (or “Get Our Glow Back”, as Ange would say). It’s evident that many of us in blog world are feeling the same way as just last week Caitlin declared she was having a Back On Track month. As we all gear up for the holiday treats, parties, and cold weather comfort foods, it’s important to get back to healthy eating habits now. Here’s my plan:

Eat more fruits and veggies, home cooked meals,
Less processed foods
Drink plenty of water!
Stick to one afternoon snack between lunch and dinner (instead of say, 3)
Drink alcohol in moderation (I’m not limiting it completely, because I know I’ll want to enjoy the cocktails at the Foodbuzz blogger festival this weekend)
Incorporate more strength training and yoga into my workout routine

In light of this new plan, I woke up early for a pre-work gym visit. I thought it would be easier to rise a the crack of dawn with the time change and all. Nope, it was still hard but I managed to get my bum out of bed and make it to the gym for a 10 minute warm up on the treadmill and some arms and back strength training. Upon arriving home I took my meds- 2 digestive enzyme capulses (for my belly), lysine (for my mouth), and glucosamine/chondroitin (for my knee) and whipped up a green smoothie (also for my belly).

I bought these digestive enzymes when I was having tummy troubles a while back and I still take them every so often to aid my digestion. I figured since today was the start of my getting back on track I should help my digestive system out a little bit.

Green Smoothie

1/2 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 frozen banana
1 cup kale
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
4 cubes of ice

Place everything in the blender and blend on high until all flakes of kale have disappeared, giving your smoothie a lovely green color and tons of NUTRIENTS! So simple, yet delicious.

I have to admit that I was freezing while drinking this. It’s pretty chilly in our house since we haven’t turned on the heat. I drank it with two jackets on. haha

I also portioned out a bit of my favorite trail mix- berry trail mix from Good Foods Grocery.

I had forgotten, but today was Marketing team lunch day, which means we all go out to eat. I was super excited because we ended up going to an office favorite, Ginger Thai Taste! I ordered the vegetarian spring rolls for an appetizer.

and the vegetable Tom Yum Soup, which is a Thai hot and sour soup with onion, cilantro, tomatoes, lemongrass and lime.

So warming and delicious. I simply love Thai cuisine.

I came home from work, put a sweet po in the oven, and took a brisk walk with my main squeeze (Isaac, not Olive).

I put a little Artisana Coconut Butter on the sweet potato a la the lovely Katharina.

and then proceeded to top it with Isaac’s veggie chili. It was such a good combo. I know it kind of looks disgusting, but I promise you that it tasted much, much better than it looks.

So there you have it, DAY 1 of getting back my groove! I’m currently sipping on a little Katalyst Kombucha and starting to my pack for San Fran- only 4 days left!

Oh, but I also wanted to share this with you:

The Bolder Mat Company sent me one of their mats to review and it couldn’t have come at a better time because as I mentioned, an aspect of getting back in my groove will be to incorporate more yoga into my workout routine. I love the way yoga makes me feel calm and I love the strength training and stretching aspect of it. I hope to do more core flow and power yoga sessions in the near future. Yogadownload here I come!

As for my Go With The Flow Turtle Yoga Mat (pictured above), I LOVE it! It’s much thicker and stickier than my old mat. Plus, it much cooler- just check out the design! It makes me feel like I’m back in the Cayman Islands, plus I’ve always been a water girl so I love the wave design.

Please feel free to join in on the getting back your groove and your healthy glow! It’s going to be fun and many bloggers have already joined in. Read Ange’s post here and be sure to check out Caitlin’s Back On Track month as well.

- Brittany