Veggie Chili & Whole Wheat Cornbread Muffins

Hey y’all!

How has your Tuesday been? Mine was good. I woke up and watched Big Brother while I ate breakfast. I was extremely pleased with how it ended and I’m excited about tomorrow night’s episode! I went to work and had a fairly productive, but nicely paced day. I got about 2 hours of Series 6 studying in, so that was exciting! After work, I went to my favorite class, HIIT! We had a sub, but I’ve taken Cheryl’s classes before and absolutely love her! Today was no different and I had a great time. I decided to stick around for Abs afterwards and I’m fairly certain my abs are thanking me because they got a killer workout!

I’m on my last week of my 28 day challenge and I decided to make Quick & Easy Veggie Chili with some of my all-time favorite Whole Wheat Cornbread Muffins! This will be my first time trying the chili, but as it’s simmering it looks pretty dang good! I’ve had the cornbread muffins before and they’re wonderful! I can eat 3-4 at a time and I can eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus snacks in between!

Here is the final product of my dinner:

I don’t think the weather is fitting for chili, but for some reason I decided to make it this week. I think between the simplicity and the leftovers, it become an easy choice. I could eat chili year round though!

Now, completely off topic… seriously, I have no good transition.

I’ve been having a hard time finding my work/fitness/health/blogging balance. I know I’m not the only one. I have a long list of goals and although I’m doing great at work right now and I’m about to get a new certification, I feel like work consumes all of my day because I’m there from 7:30-4:30 without taking many lunches during the week (which is entirely my own fault, I’m not forced to not take a lunch). With my new healthy eating (thanks to the 28 day challenge) I know my mind is clearer than every before and I could tackle a lot more in a day if I learn how to do so. As I continue to stick to this healthy eating (at least most of the time) then my desire is to start working on this long list of goals that I have for my life outside of my normal work day.

GOAL 1: Blog 2 times a day.

I started blogging with the idea that blogging once a day was awesome, and seriously… it still is! The best advice I’ve heard though is to take notes from the blogger you want to be. That doesn’t mean that you copy someone else or you become a person that you truly are not, but you see what works for the bloggers that you enjoy reading day in and day out. For me, I absolutely love Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers. I would love for my blog to reach the level that hers is at. She blogs about 2 times a day, so to find my success, I want to follow in her footsteps. I also want meaningful content that matters to ME! I feel that blogging twice a day will help get me in the habit and allow me to improve my writing.

GOAL 2: Create a blogger event for Mississippi.

I’m not sure what this is going to be yet. I’d love to do a conference or a quarterly meet-up. I want to get brands & local business involved with our blogging community. I have a whole list of goals that fall under this one umbrella.

GOAL 3: Be active daily.

I don’t need a strict workout daily, but I want to live an active lifestyle. If I don’t have a workout planned for the day, I want to go on a walk, go a leisurely bike ride, take my dog out to the park. I want to be active! I do want 5-6 days a week for serious workouts at the gym. Heck, I’m paying for the membership, so I want to get my money’s worth! I’m not a strict gym-goer though. If it’s beautiful outside, I’m definitely going to be outside!

GOAL 4: Eat Healthy.

Thanks to Whole Foods and their 28 day challenge, I’m learning new ways to incorporate eating healthy into my every day life. It can be time consuming though which is why I feel it’s another goal I need to improve upon and balance in my life. It’s getting easier, but I still have a ways to go. I don’t want to cut out everything that I am in the 28 day challenge though, I just want to eat it in moderation. I will probably cut back heavily on my dairy because I think the benefits are amazing for me personally. I have a serious sweet-tooth, so I’ll continue baking & enjoying sweet treats, but again… in moderation and I’ll be more selective about what I choose to make!

I’m looking forward to what the rest of the year holds and all the things I’m able to accomplish by then! My mind feels sharp, I’m motivated, and I have my goals! I’ve been talking about these for a while now, but I finally feel like I’m at a place where I can work towards them!