Homemade Reese's and a touch of depression.....
Are you lacking self-discipline?
Sunday was a good day. I baked some goods in our kitchen. Homemade bread, banana bread, no-bake cookies, and as time passed I thought of an idea, no-bake Reeses copycat!
The idea was hatched when I made the chocolate for the no-bake cookies…. So I won’t work. It is my kitchen after all. Oftentimes we are afraid of the kitchen. Scared to make a mistake. But in the mistakes are where beauty and innovation is found.
My husband was busy working in the barn, he recently built new stalls for the animals to have a fully dry-in shelter for our pigs. I was left with the 3 children to run around.
So we baked. Messes were made. Memories were made. My 7 year old said, “mom you can make anything homemade!” I like that my children will have this memory. Their mother knows how to make delicious things, out of almost nothing, I hope the memory that lasts is the one of moments like this and not the bouts of depression I battle.
I’ve shared from time to time about my mental health battles, and I’m usually met with a large outpouring of women facing similar battles. It’s alarming, that so many of us women face these battles, but we can improve our lives, we can thrive.
It’s hard to believe but, it’s true. Depression is hard, but it doesn’t have to be the end. There are ample studies on how daily exercise, limiting grains, sugars, can help manage the symptoms, these studies are legit, because they work.
I share that to give you hope. Yesterday was a day, I had zero motivation to keep going. Not to clean, not to homeschool, not to do anything. Barely live. But when I went to bed last night, I made a promise or a deal with myself. No coffee until I completed my workout. It might sound silly, but it motivated me. And I did it.
Guess what? That motivation that I lacked yesterday? Plentiful today. The dreary mood? I can manage it.
When we think about mental health, I think there often times there is the picture of poor me and I need someone to rescue me. But the reality, sometimes only YOU can rescue yourself. Only you can make the conscious decision to make the best choice for your mental health.
Sunday I was baking with my children so they would have memories and snacks for the upcoming week. On Monday, I rested and limited my phone usage. Tuesday? I chose to do the things I knew my future self would thank me for. The habits that would compound to a happier woman.
Self-discipline is mental health. Western culture lacks it so much we think someone choosing self-discipline is self-centered.
Okay, now that I got my motivational speech out and how I truly help manage my own depression, here is something I know many of you’ll want….. a no-bake reese copycat!!
This is a recipe I crafted in my brain. After making these no-bake cookies, I realized I could take some similar steps and make something new!
No-bake Copycat Reeses:
Ingredients:
Chocolate:
1/2 cup of butter (unsalted or salted)
1 1/2 cups of sugar (the original recipe calls for 2, but I cut it down a bit)
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Peanut butter filling:
1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
Directions:
In a saucepan add all the chocolate ingredients. Melt and whisk smooth.
In a 7x9 baking dish pour half of the chocolate, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
While the chocolate is hardening, in a mixer add peanut butter and powdered sugar. Whisk until fluffy.
Spread peanut butter on top of chocolate. It may be thick, but that’s okay. Pour the remainder of the chocolate on top and place in the freezer.
It tastes best when frozen. If placed into the fridge it’s like a fudgy consistency. Still good! Let me know if you try this!
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Talk soon,
Shelby