Cooking is sometimes challenging especially when you have to work and have a family. Here are some quick and healthy recipes that will save you time and keep your palettes satisfied.

Spaghetti squash carbonara.

   INGREDIENTS:

1 large squash
4 slices of bacon, thinly sliced
2 large eggs
1 cup of parmesan cheese
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp of chopped parsley
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven at 400°F
Slice squash in half. Remove all the seeds and strings.
Place in a pan  and cover with aluminum foil and let cook for 40 minutes.
When squash is ready, rake all the squash and place the inside in a pan.
Cook the thinly sliced bacon in a large skillet.
Combine eggs, cheese, and all the seasonings in a bowl.
Add the spaghetti and eggs/cheese mixture to the bacon.
Stir for 5 minutes and let cool for 1 then serve. (You can add more parmesan on top if you want)
Photo credit: food Network
 

SPICY BARBECUE CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:

8 chicken drumsticks
1/2 cup of barbecue sauce of your choice but I recommend one with less sugar
2 green chili peppers
2 chicken cubes bouillon
1 tbsp of dried parsley
1 tbsp of black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven at 375°F
Season the chicken with cubes bouillon, black pepper, and dried parsley.
Put in a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.
Slice your chili peppers
Toss the chicken in barbecue sauce then top with the peppers.
Let broil for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how brown you want it.

Craving banana bread but don't want all the carbs and sugar? Here's an easy recipe to help with your cravings.

    Ingredients:

2 cups of grinded oats
2 large bananas
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp of baking powder
1 tsp of Vanilla extract
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

     Instructions:
 
Preheat oven at 350°F
Mashup the bananas. Add the eggs and grinded oats.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix all together until even.
Lightly grease up a baking pan. Pour your mixture and let cook for 45 minutes.
Take out and let cool for 30 minutes then serve.

Here are some flourless peanut butter cookies. There are packed with protein and will keep you full.

Ingredients:

1 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon of baking soda

Instructions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F and grease cookie sheet.
Beat peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and baking soda. Mix until everything is well combined.
Roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball and place on sheet.
Put in oven and let cook for 8 to 15 minutes (depend on how brown and crispy you want them).
Place out and let cool for 10 minutes.

When it comes to working out, I usually say do what's best for you but I would definitely recommend you to get a membership at your local gym and these are the reasons why:

- Working out at home is very distracting, especially for moms.
- You can easily give up when you workout at home.
- You will find yourself taking unnecessary breaks

 I'm saying these out of experience because I was there. I will recommend to take a membership at a gym that's 24hours because you can go up there whenever you want to. A gym that has childcare (for moms because I would've never been able to exercise if my gym didn't have one). And last but not least, a gym with fitness classes. Those will really help you, especially some of you who have never worked out, not to get bored at the gym and kind of learn what to do with weights and etc.

For those of you who can't make it to the gym or can't afford it, I would recommend YouTube fitness channels. Try to workout when your kids are sleeping or at school. Also, if you have an hour lunch break at work, walk around for 30minutes then have your lunch. Or, whenever you get home, walk or jog around your neighborhood for 30 minutes to an hour and when you get home, do some push ups, sit-ups, and squats so you can work your muscles. You can also buy some weights so your workout will be a little more intense and burn more fat.

We are what we eat and I'm saying this because 90% our health issues and physical appearance mostly are determined by what we put into our bodies. Like I said earlier, I'm not the person who will ask you to turn into a vegan or cut out all your carbs or whatsoever because I don't but what I always recommend and preach on is portion control and healthy substitutes.
 
 First of, if you're a sweet lover like me, I will ask you to make your own desserts. For example, if you want to eat a cake instead of using regular flour, you can switch to oat or whole wheat flour. As your sugar, you can opt for honey and a banana (also works well even in chocolate or red velvet cake). Choose unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk and 2teaspoons of vegetable oil instead of butter. These are some tiny changes you will make that will amazingly help you achieve your healthy you.

Secondly, the main course. Red meat might be tasty and all but it's also not good for you. It elevates your blood pressure, causes gout, and many more diseases but I'm not going to ask you to completely cut it. What you can do is, have a lean steak once a month so your body will not be craving it, especially those who are meat lovers. Focus on lean chicken/turkey and some fish (make sure the fish isn't raise on antibiotics because that's a big no no). Have more vegetables on your plate than your carbs. For example, if you're eating a hamburger, have a garden salad as the side and you might add a tiny portion of sweet potato or French fries. Or if it's a pizza night, have a slice of pizza with a lot of vegetables of your choice. Vegetables and salads are very filling and will help you control your cravings if  added to the meals you love.

Thirdly, NO SODA. Yes, NO SODA. your body doesn't need soda. It's full on sugar and is very addictive. You want to drink a sparkly drink? Make your own. You can get one of those soda makers, mix your water with some lemon, or strawberry, whatever you want with honey, put it on the machine and TADA you have your SODA. Eventually you will have to stop drinking sparkly drinks because the bubbles in those, can make you blotted or gassy. Truth be told, WATER is the best thing on earth you could ever drink so DRINK SOME WATER. If you think it's tasteless, add some lemon but you are going to have to drink at least 8 cups of water a day to see the results you want.

Hello everyone,