veggies

bowl

juice

shake

Happy Monday, y’all! I hope everyone had an AMAZING weekend and enjoyed themselves. I spent Friday-Sunday in Kansas City with my amazing girlfriend/fellow blogger babe Tanisha from Heels on A Farm attending Go Blog Social, drinking champagne and dancing the nights away. More to come on what I thought of GBS, what I learned, and a ton of photos later on this month! So Monday…my least favorite day of the week. I mean it’s not so much I dislike Mondays as much as I dislike the weekend being over and all of the emails I get to scroll through when I walk into the office. A typical start to the work week begins with a morning workout followed by espresso, espresso, emails, and more espresso. Last Monday was different, though, and so I felt obliged to share why that was the case: I followed the Monday Glow Guide! Created by sisters Annie & Cat, this guide is a plan to kick-start your week and make you glow from the inside out; and who doesn’t want to glow!?

Last weekend I got an OrangeTheory workout AND a Pilates Reformer class in, didn’t have any alcohol, and ate normal. I didn’t head into last Monday feeling like I have overdone anything or over-indulged in any way during the weekend so I was a little bit unsure how the guide would really benefit me {just being honest!} since I didn’t feel like I needed a clean out or cleanse. Lets just say I may have underestimated the power of the Glow Guide a bit. The Monday Glow Guide is a one-day eating plan that helps you focus on what you’re putting in your body throughout the entire day in order to get yourself set up for a week of success. It is full of healthy recipes, nutritional info, and answers to ‘why’ specific foods are important and beneficial. At just over 1,400 calories for the day, I actually felt a bit full at the end of the day but not in a bloated or ‘I ate to much’ way. Because I try to eat organic as much as possible and love to cook, I actually had a majority of the ingredients required already in my refrigerator and pantry but combined them in a way that I may not have otherwise done on my own. {side note: Kyle was a HUGE fan of the egg bake!} Also, the ‘dressing’ recipe that was included for lunch was TO DIE FOR. I seriously made it 3 more times during the week because I’m literally obsessed. One of my favorite parts of the guide was the ‘notes’ portion where I wrote down how I was feeling, what I thought of the recipes, etc.

‘Monday Morning // thoughts about starting this program & how you’re feeling!’
“A little nervous & super excited! Any time I follow a strict plan I always seem to crave things I wouldn’t normally–it’s like I psych myself out. I worked out Saturday & Sunday pretty intensively and ate well so I’m hoping today continues the positive trend and sets me up for a good week”
‘Monday Night // almost done pretty lady! Do you feel like you’re glowing?’
“I feel plenty full – almost too much which is awesome. I had great energy all day and only had 1 cup of coffee for breakfast instead of my usual 3-4 coffees/espressos on a Monday! I prepped Overnight Oats for breakfast tomorrow to keep up the positive feelings and am excited to try out the Caesar Beauty Bowl later this week too!”

Above were two of the 6 questions I filled out throughout the day and it really made me think of the choices I was making and consciously pay attention to what food I was fueling my body with and at what times of the day. Overall I think Annie & Cat have a great philosophy for starting off your week on the highest note possible. Their recipes incorporate real {and great-tasting} ingredients and I felt fully satisfied after the day was over. If you struggle with where to start from a meal-plan perspective but aren’t sure you are ready to commit to something as hardcore as Whole30, I think this is a fantastic step in the right direction! It’s truly the perfect way to get your inner glow on and share your light! xox