Clean Eating - Day 8

Hey friends!

Here we are in week 2. This week's focus (besides continuing the diet) - workouts! Unfortunately today, because of the fact that my boyfriend and I share a car and our schedules for the day, I could not make it to the gym. However, did I let that keep me from moving and burning extra calories? You best believe it did NOT!

This morning I had my first experience with the Austin area metro bus system. I took the bus to work like a true city dweller! Because I took the bus, I had to walk from my place to the bus stop, and then from the bus drop off stop to my work place. Overall, that added an extra 30 minutes or so of walking to my day. I still took my 30 minute walk at lunch, so between the two of them, I still burned more calories than I would in a "regular" day. And I can tell you now that I was hungrier than usual between lunch and dinner. I still ate a very filling lunch and had my usual shake for breakfast. But because I burned some extra calories, my body processed that food faster. I wasn't famished, but it was a good little indicator that I did a little extra work today. So let me restate AGAIN for all you who don't have a gym membership but want to make a change - every little bit helps. I promise!

Tomorrow I plan to put in a good sweat session at the gym!

Here's the food log for today:

7:30am - Chocolate Banana Protein Shake (see below for recipe)
20 minutes walking from home to bus
10 minutes walking from bus to work

12:00pm - Leftover Shrimp Cakes and Roasted Vegetables (see Day 7 post for recipes)
30 minute walking break at work

3:00pm - Blueberries, Almonds

7:00pm - Homemade Chili (see below for recipe)

9:00pm - Homemade Cucumber Chips (see Day 2 post for recipe)

Chocolate Banana Protein Shake - 1 serving protein powder, 2/3 cup coconut milk, 1/3 cup cold pressed black coffee (this is a coffee concentrate, if you use regular coffee use 1 cup), 1/2 a sliced banana, 1 tsp of cocoa powder. Add stevia if needed. We REALLY like this shake. It has a great sweetness and covers up the flavor of the protein powder really well.

Homemade Chili - 2 lbs. ground beef (93% lean), Carroll Shelby's Chili Kit, 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, 8 oz. can tomato sauce. Put in crock pot on high and cook for 3 hours or until desired taste. **Important to note that we left out the masa flour from the chili kit. This chili kit has all its spices separated into bags so you can choose to leave the flour out or not. Very handy! This made about 4.5 servings, and we topped it with freshly sliced onions. Super delicious! If you want to get creative, add some other freshly cut veggies like tomatoes or bell peppers. The best way to keep from getting bored is to get creative with your recipes!

That's all for today. If you have ANYTHING you specifically WANT me to blog about, please let me know! Leave a comment below, hit me up on facebook or shoot me a text. Til tomorrow - love, health & harmony to you!