7 day Slim Down: Day 2

Morning!

Yep...you've guessed it.  I posted ANOTHER video todayJ  I'm on a roll this weekJ This one ran WAY longer than I planned and I had to give myself a Youtube tutorial on how to edit videos all before 8am this morningJ  So please excuse that it's a little choppy.  My deadline was met once I heard Katie chattering awayJ  Maybe I'll try to start doing these at night when I have more time to devote to "perfecting them up"...oh yeah, and maybe when my eye circles won't be so prevalentJ hahahahahaha

Annddd...as usual I moved one step forward & finally got it to embed on my blog only for Youtube to curse me with this HORRENDOUS thumbnail!!!!  (yes, I tried changing itJ)  Oh well...guess ya gotta just have a sense of humor when Youtube is insistent on making you look like you're in mid-sneezeJ

PS- Please let me know if these videos are too long or repetitive!  I tend to go off on tangents and will use words like ACCESSIBLE an absurd amount of timesJ hahahaha

Tuesday Recap:

7:00am:  Tone it Up Bikini Series Workout
I know I say in the video 962 times that I usually do the same routines, but I've been LOVING the variety of fitting in these quick Tone it Up Youtube videos.  Gonna try to add these toning videos in at some point to my day from now on.  Especially since some of them are a VERY ACCESSIBLE (There's that word again!) 10-20 minutes.

8:00am:  Coffee with 1 packet of Stevia & Almond milk

9:00am:  Breakfast- Perfect Fit Pancakes with strawberry

+ Apple Cider Vinegar Shot

Along with the Meta-D mix of ACV & apple cider, Tone it up also recommends their "Bombshell Spell" which is Pineapple juice, lime, honey & cayanne.  So I decided to make a shot based off of that with:

• 1 tablespoon ACV
• 2 tablespoons Pineapple Juice
• shot of cayenne

And the most IMPORTANT part of this:  Chasing the shot with 1/4-1/2 glass of JUICE!  It made alllllll the difference.  I really didn't hate my life AT ALL after that, so that might be a new part of my routine too.

11:00am:  Snack- Grapefruit with Stevia

Really enjoying the mid-morning snack to keep me full throughout the morning.  I'm so used to being REALLY hungry by 12:00pm SHARP and polishing off my lunch by 12:05 and then having the rest of the afternoon to ponder when the next time I can SNACK.  (sad, but trueJ)  But adding this mid-morning snack, it pushes back my lunch and then the afternoon is LESS about hunger 'crashes.'  Yet another part of this Slim down routine that I'll be incorporating into my days.

1:30pm:  Lunch- Chicken Salad

In the mix:

• 6 oz. of chicken, grilled & coated in Mrs. Dash
• 2 cups lettuce
• pea shoots
• shaved cabbage
• chopped basil
• broccoli slaw
• 1 tablespoon balsamic & juice from 1/2 lemon

+ 1/2 a mango

3:30pm:  Snack #2- Protein Shake

"Slim down approved":

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 4-5 ice cubes

I will admit, I hit a bit of a wall by this point yesterday afternoon and was REALLY not looking forward to a BLAND dinner (more on that in a sec), but this protein shake really "evened me out" and put me in a better mood.   That and...

5:30-6:15pm:  Leslie Sansone Walk/Jog  + Tone it up "Love your abs"

6:30pm:  Dinner- Asian Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini noodles

So on second inspection of the Slim down plan, I noticed that salt is actually ALLOWED both Monday & yesterday for dinner (there are days where it specifically says No Salt!), so I didn't need to eat BLAND GREENS after allJ  I will eat the healthiest things as long as they are not completely bland, and even just the PINCHES of sea salt I added to dinner last night made ALL the difference!

Here was my spice arsenal for this dinner...

Along with a pinch of salt & pepper, I added a bunch of onion powder, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds + diced scallions, garlic & chives & 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.  I rolled the pound of ground turkey into 16 meatballs, so I knew each one was about an ounce of protein.  (I had 4 & Scott had 6)

I baked the meatballs for about a half hour (that's when I snuck in my workouts) and after hitting the  zucchini with the mandolin, I sauteed the "noodles" and seasoned them up with the same spice blend and heated those until they were warmed through.

MUCH more satisfying dinner than night one and I HAVE to contribute that to the little bit of flavor.  The first bite was a little on the bland side, but Scott & I both agreed that after a few bites, it really became much more flavorful.    Definitely adding this one into my "normal" rotation.  (plus Katie LOVED those meatballs!)

8:00pm:  "Dessert"- Chamomile tea with Stevia
You were allowed yogurt on the plan last night, but opted for tea since that's what Scott was having too.  Butttt...you can hear about my "Stevia experience" in the video.  Looks like plain ole tea for the rest of the weekJ

Again, not a bad or "extreme day" at ALL.  I think the TRUE challenge of this program is going to be keeping to it Saturday & Sunday.  Those 2 days we usually enjoy splurging a bit...but I definitely want to get back to the "a bit" part of that sentence!J  So hopefully this SPLURGE-LESS weekend will set me up for being more mindful of those splurges heading into the next/normal week.  THAT'S THE PLAN, STAN!

Alright, I'm out!  Have a great Wednesday!!J