the most perfect cheesy eggs

Can we talk real quick about this "snow day" that's happening in Georgia right now?
My office closed (which hardly ever happens), and it's currently sunny with no clouds.
What on earth?!

I won't lie, I am enjoying the surprise day at home with the kiddos!
But working from home with two small children is a whole thing, ya'll.  I think I could go a lifetime without seeing another Mickey Mouse Christmas movie.
An actual lifetime.

In the spirit of being "snowed" in, staying in pjs all day, and hopefully having the time to make some breakfast in your own kitchen for once (I swear, it is such a luxury to me to make breakfast at home on a weekday - it's what I look forward to on work from home days!), let's talk about cheesy eggs!

Eggs are such a tricky thing.
I don't think I've ever really been good at eggs, honestly.  Mine were always too dry, or had that weird film they get if the pan is too hot when you pour them in, or were just generally meh.
Then one day years ago, Joe decided he wanted to be good at eggs and did some research on how.
Quick question - why did I never think to Google it?
So anyway, he taught me the magic of cooking eggs "low and slow," and boy, does that make a difference.
It takes a liiiiittle bit longer, but it's so worth it.  And when I say longer, I mean it takes like 3 minutes instead of 1 minute.

I will say, I remember him telling me once that you shouldn't season the eggs ahead of time.  I think I prefer to season them pre-cook because it ensures the seasoning is evenly distributed, but they are a little prettier if you don't.
Let's not make this more complicated than it needs to be.
Do we even really care when S&P is added if there's cheese involved?

Didn't think so.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 eggs
• shredded cheese of choice (I used a Mexican blend - sharp cheddar would be tasty too)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a skillet on low/medium-low heat, and melt butter.  I'd say juuust under 2 tbsp for every 3 eggs you're making. (I think the butter is key and takes them to another level! It's going to look like a lot, but trust me on this.)
   
   
   
2. Whisk the eggs with some salt and pepper, to taste.  Really whisk them up - put some muscle into it!
3. Pour them into the butter, and slowly stir until they begin to come together.
4. When they are still wet in the center, add your cheese of choice.  Add a healthy handful, between 1/4 - 1/2 cup.
   
   
   
5. Stir a few more times, and take them out of the pan early.  When my gut says they need 10 more seconds, I take them out and they tend to be perfect! (They'll still cook a little on your plate from residual heat.)

I think whisking them up quickly makes them fluffier (am I making that up?), and then cooking them in butter, slowly, and taking them out before they can overcook makes such a difference.

They are so delicious!

And here's the good news - the keto diet encourages you to have butter...and cheese...AND EGGS.  So eat these and bask in your healthiness.

protein coffee

I am an avid believer in morning workouts.
Mostly because if I don't do it before noon, I convince myself I'm too busy/tired/insert excuse here and I skip it.
So, many weekday mornings, I'm up at 4:55am to make it to a 5:30am barre class.
I know it sounds hard, but trust me - this is the best way to start the day!!!  The world is quiet, everyone is still asleep, and I can spend some time serving myself before I serve others.  I have found this to be key to my sanity as a working mom.

The thing about morning workouts, though, is that I'm usually ravenous afterwards.
I'm one of those people that wakes up ready to eat a full breakfast, regardless of the time.
So after a tough workout, I am ready to eat anything and everything in sight.
Lucky for me, there's no time for that.
Between getting myself ready, getting the kids ready, prepping bottles for daycare, making sure we all have everything we need for a successful day (in an hour's time, by the way), I rarely have time to cook breakfast at home on a weekday.
And by rarely, I mean, never.

Enter the idea of protein coffee.

I am not the first person to have this idea (thank goodness).
There are tons of threads online about this very notion with tips and tricks, most of which say "whatever you do, do not add protein to hot coffee because it will clump."

And listen, I love iced coffee just as much as the next person.
It's really my caffeine vehicle of choice, if available.
But it's SO COLD outside right now!!!!
I cannot drink iced coffee in a cold car on the way to work in 20 degree weather.  My bones need to be warmed!

I asked this question on Instagram the other night, and so many of you had great ideas.
- Use a frother (I ended up doing this!).
- Use collagen peptides instead (I already do this sometimes, but I had a very specific idea in my head of something new here).
- Try different kinds of blenders and proteins.

So many good things.

So I woke up Tuesday on a mission to try, and it worked!  It wasn't quiiiiite sweet enough, so I tried again today and I think I'm getting closer!
But it's at a place where I think I can share it with you as a base idea, and you can fancy it up however you please.

Ingredients

• 2 splashes of half and half
• 1/2 scoop of vanilla whey protein (I used Simple Truth brand for this, but I love Vega brand Protein & Greens too!) 
• 1 splash vanilla extract - optional
• 1 cup hot brewed coffee
• sweetener to taste (I used monk fruit sweetener, sugar would work fine too!)

Instructions

1. Add the half and half, protein, and vanilla to your frother (or in a cup, if you have a hand frother - I used this one instead)
2. Froth together until foamy and perfect
3. Fill your mug with coffee, add a little sweetener, and pour the protein froth on top
4. Mix and enjoy!

Here are some things I've found:

- A full scoop of protein made the froth kind of pasty...at least for me it did.  It was still delicious, but it wasn't as light and foamy as I personally like it to be. Go with 1/2 a scoop and work your way up - I'm sure some protein brands react differently!

- The particular brand of protein I used is not as sweet as you'd think - I would say the vanilla flavor is extremely subtle - so if you like your coffee sweet, definitely add sweetener!

- The only thing I forgot this morning was a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.  I think that would make this even more of a treat, so do that if you want to get fancy.

- The key is frothing the protein with a cold liquid first, because in this case, the internet wasn't wrong - protein will clump in hot coffee if added in powder form.

Have you ever tried this before?  What was your outcome?

Do you have a favorite way to make coffee?

Please tell me!

And for anyone interested, this is the sweetener I used.

Joe and I have been following a keto diet for a few weeks now, so I'm still learning what we are and aren't allowed to have, but this is a sweetener I have been referred to many times!

Found it here on Amazon if you are interested.

I'm baaaaaaack

Well, it only took me 4+ years to muster the energy to get back on track here.  Guess it could be worse.

Or could it?

A lot of life has happened since I blogged last.  I got married, got a job I love, built a house, had not one but TWO babies, and, well, just turned into some version of an adult, I guess!
I mean some days I do look in the mirror and think "oh my god, who left me in charge of two human lives, I'm just a child myself!"
But then I remember I'm 31 now.
HOW did that happen?

Alas, here I am.
I've spent these last 4 years growing up, becoming a wife and mother, navigating so many new responsibilities...but one thing has stayed constant.  My love of cooking.
I've practiced, failed, triumphed, majorly failed (ya'll, do not put raw garlic into cauliflower mash...trust me on this), and triumphed again.  I am so ready to share with you all that I have learned!

I have so much more to talk about these days, too.  My number one goal here will always be recipe sharing, but I want to chat with you about life things too!  Kids, marriage, motherhood, what it's like to be continuously trying to lose baby weight (oh hi, last 2 years of my life).

Let's be friends again, okay?