A Letter to the Mothers of Today

Friends. Please slow down and focus on what matters. I spent the last 8 months trying to work from home while being a wife and mother. I wanted my house spotless and well decorated. I wanted to have a gourmet meal on the table every night when my husband got home. I wanted my kids to be well-dressed and mannered. I wanted to accomplish everything, everyday within the 24 hour time frame I was allotted, and you know what? I felt defeated every day and like I hadn't succeeded. There was always more that could be done, and I felt the weight constantly.

You know what I've come to figure out? The most successful people in life aren't those who have a million things going on, they are the ones who choose a few things that they want to focus on and make them happen. Figure out what is truly important to you, and make that your priority.

Like I mentioned, I spent the last 8 months working from home. That meant I got to be with my kids and work, what a dream! I was blessed to have such an opportunity, but I never felt truly satisfied. My children felt like a distraction from my work, rather than the most important work. I feel like I couldn't truly focus on them and their needs, and spend the time loving and nurturing them. So, what's a mom to do?

My advice to everyone is to slow down and determine your priorities. Pick three things that you want to accomplish and make them happen. I want to have a great relationship with my husband and kids, have a well-ordered home and work when I can. Seriously, stop trying to do everything at once. You will only run yourself into the ground, and feel defeated in the end.

I share all of this because I went from working full-time to part-time, and I feel great. I feel light, free and at peace. I feel like I've spent genuine time bonding with my kids and accomplished much more that I can feel good about.

Forget what social media and society are telling you. Look at what you've been blessed with and focus on that.

Xo!

Spaghetti Squash Low Carb-onara

Spaghetti squash is the second best thing that happened to me in 2014 (first was having my son, Beckham). Let me start by saying that I love carbs, give me all the carbs! My life is a constant battle between wanting to eat delicious food and wanting to be skinny. Fortunately, there are substitutions that can be made that are light on calories but still so, so tasty!

There are two things we make religiously in our house, and that's spaghetti and tacos. Needless to say, I buy my ground beef in bulk at Costco. My husband would be perfectly content if we had spaghetti or tacos every single night.

A couple nights ago, I made spaghetti for my husband and daughter using regular noodles, and spaghetti squash for myself. If you are looking for a great pasta sauce, I recommend this one from Trader Joe's.

While it would have been fairly low in calories, I did not eat the entire spaghetti squash myself. That meant I had a lot leftover in the fridge, and it only lasts a few days, cooked. I couldn't let my favorite vegetable go to waste, so I had to find something to make with it!

I found a recipe for spaghetti squash carbonara, and it was "fantastic." I quote my husband directly on that, and this is coming from the man who threw an absolute fit when I made cauliflower fried rice a few nights ago.

Bacon and cheese. Does it get better? I think not, but try out the recipe and let me know what you think!

Spaghetti Squash Low Carb-onara

4 slices of bacon (cut into small pieces)
1/4 cup of chicken stock
Minced garlic
1 spaghetti squash, cooked
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites and 1 egg including the yolk (or three full eggs)
Salt & Pepper

Start by cooking your spaghetti squash. You can either use the microwave or your conventional oven. I prefer to use the microwave, since it is much quicker. Simply cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, fill the cavity with a small amount of water and microwave for 10-13 minutes (10 for crunchier squash, 13 for softer squash).

While the squash is cooking, cut your bacon into small pieces. I prefer to use scissors, but you can do this however you want. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, and then add minced garlic. I usually add around a tablespoon, but it is totally your preference.

Let the bacon and garlic saute for one minute, and then add the chicken broth. Let it cook until the broth has evaporated (weird, I know).

In a separate bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese and eggs together and then add to the bacon and garlic. Make sure that you cook over low/medium heat, and don't let the eggs cook all the way through. The goal is not to make scrambled eggs here! I let the mixture cook for about one minute, and then added the cooked spaghetti squash.

Rewinding for a minute, your squash just finished cooking. Now what? Simply scrape it out with a fork, you will be shocked how easily it shreds into spaghetti-like strands. Voila!

Stir the mixture of ingredients until the squash is well coated in creamy deliciousness. Season with salt, pepper and a bit more Parmesan. Serve immediately to your hungry family, or eat it straight from the pan, like I did.

SO good. Probably better than regular spaghetti carbonara in my opinion, and it made me feel better about raiding my daughter's Christmas candy.

Enjoy, xoxo!

Bri's Skinny No Bake PB2 Cookies

Last night I was craving no bake cookies, bad. Of course I was out of one very important ingredient, the cocoa powder! I spent a solid two hours scouring Pinterest, looking for a recipe that called for something different. Chocolate protein powder perhaps? In the end, my search came up empty-handed.

Fast-forward to tonight. After a trip to Target, I finally had everything I needed. Oh, and of course a bunch of things I didn't need, let's be honest. Time to find a good no bake recipe!

Most no bake recipes call for peanut butter, but I wanted to use PB2. Haven't heard of it? It's the best thing invented since, well, peanut butter!

Just so you know, I am a bit of a peanut butter addict. My daughter and I actually eat it by the spoonful and call it a "peanut butter lollipop." Whatever, it's healthy, it's protein, right?

Anyway, back to the cookies! I found a recipe that made for a good foundation and then made a bunch of substitutions. Voila, skinny no bake cookies with PB2 were created! Give them a try and let me know what you think!

In my opinion, they were a little less sweet than normal no bake cookies, and pretty heavy on the oatmeal, but I still enjoyed them :)

Ingredients:

8 TBS. PB2 or PB2 Chocolate
1 Cup of Splenda (or other sweetener)
1/4 Cup of Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Butter
3 Cups of Quick Oats

Mix together all ingredients, except for the oats, and bring to a rolling boil.

Remove from heat and stir in the quick oats.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto a baking sheet, foil or parchment paper.

Enjoy straight from the spoon or wait until they have cooled. Eat one or five, no judging! I know for sure my entire batch will be gone by tomorrow.

Enjoy, xoxo!