We all appreciate an easy meal. Especially when it's the first and most important meal of the day. If you're like me, you're still working on becoming a morning person. Which typically means waking up late and running out the door. In that case, it's great to have something easy you can whip up and take on the go with you. This is my favorite breakfast to make, it takes no more than 5 minutes from start to finish, like really! It's packed with nutrients like protein, healthy carbs, fiber and healthy sugars. It's the perfect way to start the day, and it'll keep you full, so you aren't experiencing that mid morning crash. 

I used to grab a protein bar or make a protein shake, and realized that just wouldn't fill me up. This is the perfect alternative to breakfast on the go. Check out the ingredients and directions below!

Ingredients:
Unsweetened almond milk
Oatmeal
Blueberries 

Directions: 
Mix 1 cup of oatmeal with 1/2 cup of almond milk. Cook to your preference, I do mine quick and easy in the microwave for a little over a minute. Add blueberries, and you're ready to eat! 

It seems to be one of those scary topics. Don't talk about it too much, especially if you're effected by it. God forbid. But really, we are all immensely effected by mental health. We all have brains, we all go through ups and downs. We all have our struggles. Some people are able to bounce back easier, quicker, better than others. But that also doesn't mean you don't have your private struggles. Mental health is such a broad term. As I've been writing and editing one of my newest books, I have dedicated an entire chapter to it. 

I always understood, from a young age it's okay to struggle. It's okay to have problems and need help with dealing with them. I was never taught to frown upon getting help, like therapy or needing medication. In fact, I literally loved therapy. I recall having a conversation a few years ago with my sister about therapy. We were discussing relationships and you know, dare I say it (sex!) and she said to me "there's no way you tell your therapist all of this". I said why not? I tell him everything. I tell him so much, that he probably needs to see a therapist after he sees me! LOL. I've never seen the shame in reaching out and getting answers that maybe I can't find on my own. 

Through high school years, I only had Facebook and MySpace. In college Twitter and Instagram was introduced with everything else like Vine, Snapchat, Tumblr to follow. I feel incredibly blessed to be the last generation to have gone through high school without all the social media rage. With my personality, I think I would have been having anxiety attacks daily and a terrible self esteem. Now, it's an entirely new ball game. Students now have the world at their fingertips at all times. And with all the amazing benefits comes so many negatives, like anything in life. I should also clarify, with social media especially, you don't need to be a kid to be negatively effected by it. Social media is an amazing tool, but more times then not, it can also be so damaging. We live in a world that tells you on a daily basis that who you are isn't good enough. So my biggest question is, why aren't we talking about it more? 

When you are beginning to feel the weight of the world, talk about it. Something you might find so minuscule might be so huge for someone else. We all get effected by things differently. Make sure you're checking up on your friends and family. Make sure you're having the conversations. Mental health as a whole can be a slippery slope. We can all be so good at hiding what's really going on in our lives. Be that person who reaches out. Be the one who helped stop that anxiety attack. Be the shoulder to cry on, when they feel like no one else is there. Being there is so much more than we sometimes realize. 

I've become so passionate about this topic, which is why I dedicated a paragraph to it, mainly because I feel I have been so blessed with people being there for me. During some of my darkest moments, I have had friends and family members pick me back up. Without them I do wonder where I would be. I'm grateful that I was introduced to therapy and knew it was okay to get help when I needed it. So many people in our world, not so far from you are struggling. It could be the cashier at the supermarket, your waitress at dinner, your classmate, your coworker, your parent. You are never too far away from touching someones life and making their day better. Pass on a smile today, lend a helping hand and be a part of the solution. 

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you know I'm alway interested in re-creating my favorite foods. I am a serious sucker for anything salty, which really means all Chinese foods. Lo-mein is literally my favorite food on the planet. That being said, all the sodium and bloat that comes with it, isn't always worth it. Only on some days it is ;). So I got a craving the other night and decided I could do it all on my own. I wanted to keep it "healthy" still, as well as high in protein and veggie intake. 

Ingredients: 
Chickpea spaghetti
Bell pepper
White onion
Broccoli
Zucchini 
Carrots 
Water crescents 
Mushrooms
Chicken 
​Baby corn
Oyster sauce
Low sodium soy sauce
Sesame oil 

Directions:
Cook your chickpea pasta in one pot. Chop up all of your vegetables and chicken, toss into a sauce pan with some sesame oil, pepper and garlic powder. Once your pasta is cooked through, drain and add to your vegetables. *I'm not huge on measuring usually, but I didn't want to drown it in salt so I did measure both oyster and soy sauce.* I put in 2 tsp of soy sauce, consistently mixing, and added about 3 tsp of oyster sauce. You can obviously add more or less according to taste. 

This recipe is so delicious and tastes just as good the next couple of days, like real Chinese left overs would! I realized next recipe I wanted a bit more greens, so I could add in snap peas, celery, edamame, and spinach. The options are seriously endless! Drop a comment on how you make your stir frys! 

1. Just do it. 
2. If it was easy, everyone would do it. 
3. Put on your big girl pants and get shit done. 
4. You only fail when you stop trying 
5. Great things never came from comfort zones
6. Behaved women barely make history 
7. The comeback is always stronger then the setback
8. You did not come this far, just to get this far
9. If you were able to believe in Santa for like 8 years, you can believe in yourself for 5 minutes
10. You can't live a positive life with a negative mind
11. You will be exactly as happy as you decide to be
12. You can start over, each morning
13. The best view comes after the hardest climb
14. Be stronger than your excuses
15. You are capable of amazing things today
16. Believe you can and you're halfway there
17. Don't ignore your own potential 
18. Smile at strangers, we're all in this together
19. You have to be odd to be number one
20. Be all in or get all out, there is no halfway