Be the Glorious Hot Mess. The World Already Has Enough Pretenders

 

Somewhere along the way, too many of us were handed an invisible rulebook.

✔️ Have it all figured out.
✔️ Never ask for help.
✔️ Don't let anyone see you struggle.
✔️ Smile through the chaos.
✔️ Pretend you've got everything under control.

Cute idea.

Reality, however, showed up wearing yoga pants, carrying emotional baggage, drinking cold coffee, and saying, "Yeah... we're not doing that today."

Here's your reminder:

It's okay to be yourself.

The real version.

The one who laughs too loud, cries in the grocery store for absolutely no reason, accidentally sends a text to the wrong person, Googles things everyone else seems to magically know, and occasionally wonders if adulthood came with an instruction manual that somehow got lost in the mail.

Spoiler alert: It didn't.

It's okay to ask for help. That's wisdom, not weakness.

It's okay not to know everything. The smartest people in the room are usually the ones asking the best questions—not pretending they already have all the answers.

It's okay to make mistakes. That's how growth works. Unless you're assembling IKEA furniture... then mistakes become permanent home décor.

It's okay to have hard days.

Some days you'll feel unstoppable.

Other days you'll celebrate putting on real pants.

Both count.

Feel your feelings. Every single one of them. Ignoring them is like ignoring the check engine light. It doesn't make the problem disappear—it just guarantees a more expensive repair later.

And if you need to start over?

Start over.

Again.

As many times as it takes.

Because starting over isn't failing.

It's refusing to stay stuck.

The people judging your journey are usually sitting comfortably on the sidelines, offering unsolicited advice while contributing absolutely nothing to your growth.

Respectfully... they can file those opinions under "Not My Problem."

You don't need to be perfect.

You need to be authentic.

Because the strongest people aren't the ones who never fall.

They're the ones who stop apologizing for getting back up.

So today...

Be yourself.

Ask the question.

Make the mistake.

Cry if you need to.

Laugh when you can.

Start over if you must.

And remember...

Your story isn't behind schedule.

It's just still being written.

And personally?

I can't wait to see the next chapter.

🏡 Mortgage rates this. Mortgage rates that

 

Can we talk about what buyers actually need right now? 👀

Because here’s the truth…

Buying a home in today’s market can feel like trying to solve a puzzle while someone keeps moving the pieces. 😅

You’re hearing:
📈 “Rates are too high!”
🏠 “Home prices aren’t dropping!”
📰 “Wait for the market crash!”
💸 “You need a huge down payment!”

No wonder buyers are overwhelmed!

But here’s what I’ve learned after years in this business…

Most buyers don’t need another person throwing numbers at them.
They don’t need another “just checking in” message.
They don’t need someone telling them what they should do.

They need someone who will sit down, listen, and explain their options.

✨ What does your payment really look like?
✨ Are there down payment assistance programs that could help?
✨ Is waiting actually saving you money—or costing you opportunity?
✨ What steps can you take TODAY to put yourself in a better position?

The best mortgage advice isn’t always about finding the lowest rate.

It’s about finding the right strategy for YOUR situation.

The buyers who win in this market aren’t always the ones with the biggest bank accounts…

They’re the ones who have the right information, the right plan, and the right team. 💪🏡

So if you’ve been sitting on the sidelines thinking, “I don’t know if I can buy right now…”

Let’s talk. No pressure. No sales pitch. Just answers. ❤️

— Michelle Bivens
Your Mortgage Mama 🏡
#MortgageTips #HomeBuyingJourney #FirstTimeHomeBuyer #MarylandRealEstate #MortgageMama

Tomato, Cucumber, Cottage Cheese Salad Recipe Idea

 

Tomato, Cucumber, Cottage Cheese Salad 

Makes 1 serving 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup (12 ounces) 2% cottage cheese (1 leaner)

1 cup (149 g) cherry or mixed small tomatoes, halved (2 greens)

1/2 cup (52 g) cucumber, striped with a peeler, sliced 1/4" thick and quartered (1 green)

1 1/2 ounces avocado, sliced (1 healthy fat)

1/2 tsp Everything but the bagel seasoning (2 condiments)

Garnish with green onions, if desired

Directions:

Place cottage cheese in a large bowl.

Add tomatoes and cucumbers.

Top with sliced avocado and then sprinkle 

Everything but the bagel seasoning. 

Garnish with green onions, if desired.

Healthy Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe Idea

 

If you like Chinese food, here’s a healthy version!!

Chinese Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

9 oz raw chicken breasts, cubed - should yield 6 oz cooked (1 Lean)

1/4 cup chicken broth (1/4 Condiment)

1 1/2 cups diet orange soda with 0 carbs such as diet Crush or diet Rite Tangerine Soda (I used only 1 cup)

1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Blend (2 Condiments)

1/2 cup green and red peppers, sliced (1 Green)

1 tsp olive oil (1 Healthy Fat)

1 clove garlic, minced (1 Condiment)

1 cup grated, cooked cauliflower (2 Greens)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat and saute garlic with peppers until garlic is lightly brown. Add chicken broth, soda, and Chinese 5 spice and stir until blended. Add cut-up chicken breasts, and sauté until cooked through. Serve over grated, cooked cauliflower.

Creamy Italian Chicken Zucchini Skillet

 Excited to share this new recipe! 

Creamy Italian Chicken Zucchini Skillet

🥑🧄🧀🌿🍗

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini, sliced into half-moons

1 tsp avocado oil

1½ lbs 99% lean ground turkey or 98–99% lean ground chicken

2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp Italian seasoning

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

¼ cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella

Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions: 

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the ground turkey or chicken and cook until browned, breaking it into crumbles.

Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the zucchini and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender.

Fold in the spinach and cook until wilted.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let it cool for 2–3 minutes.

Stir in the Greek yogurt until creamy. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top, cover the skillet for 2–3 minutes, and let the cheese melt.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Serving size: 4

Lean & Green Breakdown (Per Serving)

Lean: Approximately 6 oz cooked extra-lean ground turkey/chicken

Green: About 1½ cups zucchini and spinach (3 Green servings)

Healthy Fats:

¼ tsp avocado oil

1 Tbsp reduced-fat mozzarella

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐝 🍔 Recipe Idea

 

Cheeseburger Salad.  Proof that you can still enjoy the classics and stay on track with your goals 🙌 A healthier lifestyle isn’t about giving things up; it’s about making simple swaps that keep both your taste buds & your body happy. 

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐝 🍔

𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:

4.5 ounces lean cooked 95-97% ground beef (3/4 lean)

1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese (1/4 lean)

2 1/2 cups lettuce, shredded (2 1/2 greens)

1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped (1/2 green)

2 dil pickle spears, chopped (1 snack)

2 tbsp lite wish-bone Thousand Island Dressing (1 healthy fat)

2 tbsp chopped red onion (2 condiments)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Enjoy! 

𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝟏 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 

I’m Not Fake… My Social Battery Just Has a VIP Guest List 😎

 

“I don’t know how to be fake. I just become very quiet around energy that I can’t vibe with.”

And honestly? That’s a skill, not a flaw. 😂

Some people think being “real” means you have to call everyone out, explain every feeling, or turn every awkward interaction into a dramatic season finale.

Nope.

Sometimes being mature looks like simply lowering the volume.

No arguments.
No unnecessary explanations.
No trying to convince someone who already decided who they think you are.

Just… quiet.

Because when the energy feels off, my personality doesn’t disappear — it just goes into airplane mode. ✈️😂

I’m still kind. I’m still respectful. I’m still going to hold the door open, say hello, and wish you well…

…but the unlimited access pass to my jokes, my stories, my goofy side, and my “let’s laugh until we cry” personality?

Yeah… that requires the right WiFi connection. 🤷‍♀️

Not everyone gets the full version of you. And that’s okay.

Some people get the highlight reel.
Some people get the professional version.
And a very special few get the unfiltered, weird, laughing-at-nothing, sending-memes-at-midnight version.

Protect your energy. Not everyone deserves front-row seats to your personality. 😉

#ProtectYourPeace #EnergyMatters #AuthenticallyYou #NoFakeVibes

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Recipe Idea

 

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

15 oz cooked chuck steak or Roast (Cook in the crockpot all day!) (3 leans)

4 ounces low-fat provolone cheese (1 lean)

3 tbsp low fat cream cheese (3 condiments)

4 portobello mushrooms - total weight 60 grams each cooked (4 greens)

1 cup chopped scallions (1 green)

8 oz bell peppers (3 greens)

½ cup low sodium beef broth (1/2 condiment)

1 tbsp garlic (3 condiments)

1/4 teaspoon salt (1 condiment)

1/2 teaspoon pepper (1 condiment)

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Start by slicing the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the ribs and seeds and set them aside.

2. Add the broth, garlic, sliced peppers, scallions and a dash salt and pepper, to a large saute pan and cook over medium-low heat until the onions are tender, approximately 30 minutes.

3. Slice the beef into thin strips and stir into the onion and pepper mix and heat through for about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese.

4. In the meantime, wash and gut the portobellos mushrooms. Next, fill each mushroom with the meat mixture, then top with cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown.

Makes 4 servings 

Fiery Salmon with Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant Recipe Idea

 

Great Summer Dinner and healthy to boot!!

Fiery Salmon with Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant

The Recipe:

7 oz Salmon Fillet (raw weight) (5 oz cooked weight)

1 tsp McCormick Grill Mates Fiery 5 Pepper Seasoning

1 medium zucchini, sliced (90 grams cooked weight)

2 slices of eggplant (100 grams cooked weight)

1/2 tsp black pepper

Fire up your outdoor BBQ grill and preheat it well. 

Spray tin foil with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Put salmon skin side down on a piece of tin foil big enough to wrap around the fillet. Sprinkle 1 tsp of McCormick Grill Mates Fiery 5 Pepper Seasoning on fillet. Join the long sides of the foil together up and around the salmon completely. Fold the foil sides together to create a seal and prevent them from coming apart.

Arrange zucchini slices and egg plant slices on a grill basket. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Put the salmon and grill basket with vegetables in it on your BBQ grill and close the lid to your grill. Check the salmon doneness after 15 minutes; your salmon is ready when it's light pink and moderately resilient to the touch when pressed. Flip the vegetables in the grill basket after 15 minutes. Cook & salmon for up to 25 minutes or until done.

Chicken Cacciatore and Spaghetti Squash

 

Chicken Cacciatore and Spaghetti Squash

Makes 6 serving

Per serving

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups cooked Spaghetti Squash

1 ¾ pounds chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and chopped (should be about 14 oz when cooked)

1 ½ cups low-sugar tomato sauce – Rao’s marinara is a good brand

1/2 large, bell pepper, sliced

6 1/3 ounces tomato, sliced

1/4 cup medium red onion, sliced

1 tbsp fresh garlic, pressed

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season squash with some salt and pepper and lay face down on a PAMmed cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 45 min, or until squash is fork tender and releases easily from the shell.

In the meantime, place chicken pieces, salt, cracked pepper, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic in a PAMmed pan over med-high heat. Sauté until chicken is cooked on the outside, but slightly underdone on the inside - 8-10 min. Add bell pepper, tomato and red onion and sauté for 3-5 min, until onions are translucent. Add in your tomato sauce and simmer for 15 min on low, stirring occasionally. Sauce will thicken quite a bit. You can let this simmer for longer while you wait on your squash, but don’t let your chicken get rubbery.

Pull squash out of the oven and using a fork, gently scrape the side of the squash from rind to center, creating “spaghetti noodles”. Place spaghetti squash in the center of your plate and scoop chicken and sauce over the top