Modern Motherhood: Kelsey Nixon (plus a giveaway!)

Modern Motherhood explores how all different types of moms juggle their responsibilities — from stay-at-home moms to moms who work full time outside of the home. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I don’t know how she does it,” about another busy mother, read on!

Kelsey Nixon wants to teach you how to cook.

The host of Cooking Channel’s Kelsey’s Essentials recently published her first cookbook, Kitchen Confidence, featuring essential recipes, techniques, and tools for new home cooks. When she’s not working in her studio kitchen, Kelsey can often be found in her home kitchen cooking for her husband and toddler.

Here’s how the cooking show host, cookbook author and new mom (and fan favorite on season four of The Next Food Network Star!) balances motherhood with work and play.

Q. Where do you live?

A. I live in Brooklyn Heights, a charming area just over the Brooklyn Bridge. My son is convinced that we live on Sesame Street!

Q. Tell us a little bit about your family.

A. My son Oliver is 20 months old and the light of our lives! My husband (Robby) and I moved to NYC as newlyweds from Salt Lake City and never looked back. We both come from relatively small towns and ended up in the big city. We love raising our son amidst the hustle and bustle of “the greatest city on earth.” Oliver is a busy little boy who can’t wait for this awful winter weather to be over with so that he can finally play outside again!

Q. How do you juggle being a food personality and full-time mom?

A. It’s really tough – some days I’m better at it than others, but for the most part I still find myself searching for answers! I find a lot of solace communicating with other moms and discussing solutions that have worked for them at one time or another.

When I’m filming, I work outside of my home usually on a set somewhere, but for the most part, I work from home with my son as my sidekick. I’m so grateful for the time I get to spend with him, but I struggle just like so many other moms when it comes to separating work and family time. I think I’ll always have to work at it, but I try never to forget that I’m a very blessed woman!

Q. What does mealtime look like in your home?

A. I think that mealtime is always best when the family can be all together, but that isn’t realistic for every family all of the time. So we make mealtime work for the whole family when we can. Weekends are always a big success because we have a bit more freedom with our schedule, but during the week we take our wins where we can get them.

I usually make most of the meals, but my husband is a pro at doing the dishes. Lately, I’ve been cooking out of my new cookbook like crazy. It’s so exciting that it finally exists that I can barely contain my excitement to see the recipes in print!

Q. How do you de-stress when you’re feeling overwhelmed?

A. When feeling overwhelmed I always turn to a hot bath or a good old fashioned TV show where I can just zone out for a while and get lost in somebody else’s life!

Q. What do you most look forward to on the weekends?

A. Most definitely being together as a whole family! I used to say “sleeping in” but becoming a parent sure changes that!

Want to win your own copy of Kelsey Nixon’s Kitchen Confidence? Simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts below to enter the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway closes at 12AM CST on Saturday, March 22nd. One randomly chosen winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is picked. Good luck!

(top three photos courtesy of Kelsey Nixon; bottom photo via www.KelseyNixon.com)