*****Please note that there are days where I will post more than once. So, to find out all the latest happenings and "goings-on" in our family (or my random thoughts), be sure to scroll down.*****

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend

If you follow Trim Healthy Mama (THM), then you know that the sisters recently came out with a new baking blend.  This has been something they've been working on to make THM easier when it comes to making muffins, breads, pizza crusts, and other baked goodies.  It's a combination of flours and other ingredients.  Well, as soon as I heard that this was available, I went and purchased two bags of it.  Other THM followers have been busy baking and coming up with recipes using this new blend, but the sisters posted two on YouTube.

Last night, I decided to try the luscious lemon cake.  I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical because some of the other microwave cakes/muffins I've tried just didn't match up to the real thing.  Well, I'm pleased to say that this cake was pretty darn good.  Granted, if I had actually followed the corrected amount of lemon juice, it would have been even better, but I goofed and didn't use enough.  Even so, it was still tasty.  Brian and Caleb enjoyed a bite of it, too, but I didn't share too much with them.  I promised to make them more at a later date.



If you'd like to check out and order this new THM Baking Blend, feel free to click on my affiliate link.  Again, it won't affect your purchase, but it does provide a small kickback to me as a THM affiliate.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Trim Healthy Mama Week Two in Review

Well, I’ve been eating the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) way for two weeks now. I will say that I do notice a few minor changes in my body. Prior to THM, I was having some major pain in my right elbow…not sure if it’s tendonitis, arthritis, or what. But — I was to the point of taking a multi-pack of joint vitamins. Now that I’m on THM, it’s not noticeable as much. Now, I don’t know exactly what to attribute that to, but it could be the amount of Apple Cider Vinegar I’m consuming in the Good Girl Moonshine (GGMS)…no, there’s no alcohol in it. So, for that benefit, I’m especially happy.
Here’s a look at what I ate during week two…again, if there’s no picture, then it was most likely a repeat of a prior meal.
Week Two Meals

Day One

Breakfast — 3 THM pancakes smeared with 1/3 fat cream cheese and Raspberry Polaner spread; strawberries (E)
Lunch —
2 sourdough wasa crackers smeared with laughing cow cheese, cucumber, and turkey; 2 boiled egg whites; strawberries (E)
Snack —
cheesecake smoothie (FP)
Supper —
THM cheeseburger pie; salad (S)

Day Two
Breakfast — 2 fried eggs; 3 pieces of bacon; strawberries (S)
Lunch —
2 turkey roll-ups with cream cheese and veggies; 3 boiled eggs; strawberries (S)
Snack —
coconut flour blueberry muffin; 10 squares Lily’s chocolate bar (S)
Supper —
bunless bacon cheeseburger; salad (S)

Day Three
Breakfast —
1 blueberry muffin; 1 scrambled egg w/cheese; 2 pieces bacon (S)
Lunch —
2 sourdough wasa crackers smeared with laughing cow cheese, veggies, and boiled egg whites; apple (E)
Snack —
same as day two (S)
Supper —
grilled chicken sausage with salad (S)

Day Four
Breakfast —
1 blueberry muffin; 2 scrambled eggs w/cheese; 2 pieces of bacon (S)
Lunch —
1/2 grilled chicken sausage with salad (S)
Snack —
cheesecake yogurt smoothie (FP)
Supper —
chicken fajitas from Chili’s (without the tortillas) topped with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole — this was our first meal out since I started eating this way, and it was easy to stay on plan while eating out. I also opted for unsweet tea that I sweetened with Sweet Leaf clear stevia drops (granted, I felt like a goof pulling out my dropper of stevia). (S)

Day Five
Breakfast —
2 blueberry muffins; 2 pieces of bacon (S)
Lunch —
parmesan crusted chicken; steamed broccoli; steamed green beans from Longhorn’s — we chose to eat out again after early church, and I only ate 1/3 of the chicken serving, which was about 3 oz of protein. I chose to drink unsweet tea sweetened with stevia. Most restaurants offer a nutritional menu online so you can see the carbs/fat of each item on the menu…very handy when trying to stay on plan. (S)
Snack —
raspberry cheesecake smoothie (FP)
Supper —
same as lunch (S)

Day Six
Breakfast —
2 THM pancakes smeared with 1/3 fat cream cheese and raspberry Polaner spread; 1/2 of a seedless orange with coconut creme 000 yogurt (E)
Lunch —
last 1/3 of chicken from Longhorn’s; veggies w/Ranch; ricotta cheese w/raspberries (S)
Snack —
smoothie made with cottage cheese (FP) **
Supper —
THM Pizza Casserole; salad (S)

Day Seven
Breakfast —
2 THM pancakes smeared with 1/3 fat cream cheese and raspberry Polaner spread; 2 pieces Canadian bacon (96% lean); seedless orange (E)
Lunch —
1 slice of sesame Ezekiel bread w/fat free mozzarella cheese and 1 piece Canadian bacon; 1 sourdough wasa cracker smeared with laughing cow cheese, peppers, and Canadian bacon; 1/2 of a seedless orange (E) **
Snack —
THM light baked custard w/macerated raspberries (FP) **
Supper —
2 fried eggs, bacon, and sauteed mushrooms over a bed of spinach (S)
**Again, these were not my favorites. The cottage cheese in the smoothie didn’t taste right to me, but maybe that’s because I’m not a huge cottage cheese fan. I’ve learned that I’m not really a fan of Ezekiel bread either. The THM light baked custard was just nasty…I don’t know if it messed up by leaving out the (optional) glucomannan, or what, but I won’t try it again.
I also wanted to add that I will sometimes have a snack before bed...this is rare, but on the rare occasion that I do, it's either an attempt at a THM dessert, muffin in a mug, or 10 pieces of a Lily's chocolate bar. I don't include these on my meals b/c it's rare enough that I just don't. LOL!

Now, for the results from the scale:
Week 1 loss: 5.2 lbs
Week 2 loss: 1.6 lbs
TOTAL weight loss so far: 6.8 lbs

Keep in mind, it's not only about the scale. It's also about how you feel and look. I can tell that I'm losing inches, but since we didn't do measurements at the beginning, I'm waiting to report on those at the one month weigh in. If you're interested in looking further into Trim Healthy Mama, I'd love it if you clicked through my affiliate link. This does not affect your purchase at all, but it does give me a small kickback.

Feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions regarding my meals or Trim Healthy Mama. I'd love it if you joined me on this journey.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

2015-16 Curriculum Choices

It’s that time of year again when we homeschool moms start assessing our current curriculum choices to see if any changes need to be made for the upcoming school year. We aren’t making too many changes, but there are a few. Here’s our curriculum line up for the upcoming school year.

Caleb, Seventh Grade
Bible — God’s Great Covenant New Testament 1
Spelling —
Sequential Spelling 3
English —
Winston Grammar Basic
Writing —
real-world writing skills (letters, thank-you notes, outlines, simple essays, etc)
Math —
Teaching Textbooks 7
History —
mom-created war curriculum using lapbook and notebooking components, videos, books, etc.
Science —
God’s Design for Life Chemistry and Ecology
Vocabulary —
Vocabulary Cartoons
Reading —
Book vs Movie (read book, watch the movie, complete a comparison activity)

Micah, Second Grade

Bible —
Finding God’s Promises
Spelling —
CLP Building Spelling Skills
English —
ACE English PACES
Handwriting —
BJUP Handwriting 2
Writing —
WriteShop Primary A & B
Math —
CLE Sunrise Math 2
History —
Abeka Our America
Science —
Abeka Enjoying God’s World
Reading —
reading books of various genres

I’m pretty excited about the upcoming year, and I hope the boys will be as well. I know Caleb is excited about his history and science as we’re doing exactly what he asked to do. What about you…have you decided what you’re using for next year? Feel free to comment and share…I’d love to see your plans!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Frikadellen — THM modified

So, one of the favorite dishes in our house is Frikadellen. If you’re not familiar with the dish, it’s basically a German hamburger patty of sorts. Before I started Trim Healthy Mama, I would use traditional store-bought bread crumbs as a filler and to roll the patties in once formed. However, those are now out with THM. I had to find an alternative that would be on plan. After posting my question on the THM Beginners Facebook group (I highly recommend this group if you’re new to THM), I got several suggestions. I decided to toast up a Joseph’s Pita and use a bit of oatmeal. Once the pita was toasted, I put it in the Ninja. I added a bit of oatmeal, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Then I blended it until it was a fine ground powder.

Here’s my THM modified version of Frikadellen:
1 pound ground beef
1-2 Joseph’s Pitas toasted and ground (you need about 1/4-1/2 cup)
1/2 small onion diced and sauteed or dried onion flakes (rehydrated)
1/4 cup almond milk (or other plan approved flavorless milk)
basil
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and form into small patties…any shape will work. Then, saute the patties on both sides in coconut oil and butter. Once they’re brown on both sides, transfer them into a dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until done.

Traditionally, I would roll the patties into additional bread crumbs before sauteeing them; however, I was a little afraid to do that since I hadn’t ever used a Joseph’s pita as bread crumbs. It didn’t affect the outcome at all.

Should you like to find out more information about Trim Healthy Mama or order any of their products, I’d be most grateful if you did so through my affiliate link…I will receive a small commission, but this will not affect your purchase at all.

Let me know if you try this dish. It’s one of our favorites.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Trim Healthy Mama Week One in Review

If you are my friend on Facebook, then you know that I started Trim Healthy Mama last week. If you’re not familiar with Trim Healthy Mama, then let me give you a brief explanation. The main idea of this lifestyle change is that you don’t want to mix your fuel sources when you sit down to eat. If you’re going to eat a meal high in fats, then you need to limit your carbs. If you’re wanting to eat a meal high in carbs, then you want to limit your fats. There are also times when you want to limit carbs and fats and just stick to protein…this type of meal allows your body to burn all that extra adipose tissue it’s accumulated over time. However, regardless of which meal type you choose, you ALWAYS include protein…protein is key to every meal. All of this information is given in the book in much greater detail, and you’ll notice that there are names for these meals…Satisfying (S), Energizing (E), Fuel Pull (FP), Crossover, and S Helper. You also want to cut out all white sugar and white processed flour. The sisters who wrote THM recommend Stevia as a sugar substitute, but there are many on the plan who have chosen other alternative sugars…as long as you stick to an on-plan recommendation, then you won’t sabotage your efforts. I, myself, chose Stevia and a blend of Stevia/Erythritol to use as my sugar alternative.

I’ll admit that I’ve had many, many friends join the THM lifestyle well before I did. I was just always scared that it would be way too complicated for me to understand. I’m wishing I had started sooner because it’s really not that tough. Once you understand the premise, then it’s easier to watch what goes into each meal. It’s also not hard to implement this plan at family meal times either. The book comes with so many recipes…some better than others as always is the case with a plethora of recipes. For our family, the only thing I’ve really done at this point is make sure the boys still have a carb source at their meals, even if I’m not having one. This means I may have to make up a small batch of pasta or rice for them, but it’s really not that hard.

I want to say that this is not a diet…it’s a lifestyle change. There have been so many success stories, and I hope to be another. It’s just a matter of being mindful of the fuels you put into your mouth and limiting your sugar.

Now that I’ve given you a synopsis of the program, I’ll share my week one meals. If there’s no picture, then that means it was simply repeat of a previous meal.

Week One Meals
Day One
Breakfast — egg white scramble, Ezekiel bread with Polaner spread (E)
Lunch — chicken salad in Joseph’s pita; sliced cucumber and peppers w/Ranch; raspberries (S)
Snack — Big Boysmoothie with 1/4 cup chopped pecans (S) **
Dinner — crockpot chicken tacos — I served the meat over lettuce and added regular toppings (S)




Day Two
Breakfast — 2 THM pancakes smeared with 1/3 fat cream cheese and Polaner spread; egg white scramble (E)
Lunch — same as day one (S)
Snack —
Oikos 000 Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup chopped pecans added (S)
Dinner — Grilled chicken sausage; steamed cauliflower; spinach casserole (S) **












Day Three
Breakfast —
2 fried eggs; 3 pieces bacon; ricotta cheese w/raspberries (S)
Lunch —
same as days one and two, but I added ricotta cheese w/raspberries (S)
Snack —
000 yogurt w/chopped pecans (S)
Dinner —
Grilled salmon burger (without a bun) smeared with mayo; salad w/cucumber, sunflower seeds, goat cheese, and Ranch (S)

Day Four
Breakfast —
2 THM pancakes smeared with cream cheese and Polaner spread; 000 vanilla yogurt w/raspberries (E)
Lunch —
4chicken veggie roll-ups [deli meat smeared with cream cheese with cucumber and peppers rolled up] with a salad (S)
Snack —
1/2 cup ricotta cheese w/raspberries and pecans (S)
Dinner —German frikadellen; steamed vegetables; salad (S)













Day Five
Breakfast —
almond flour blueberry muffins w/4 pieces bacon (S) **
Lunch —
leftover frikadellen with steamed broccoli (S)
Snack —
cottage berry whip w/chopped pecans folded in (S)
Dinner —
Grilled salmon burger with salad (S)


Day Six
Breakfast —
3 THM pancakes with cream cheese and Polaner spread (E)
Lunch —
2 boiled eggs; 2 turkey/cream cheese/veggie roll-ups; ricotta cheese w/raspberries (S)
Snack —
smoothie (FP)
Dinner —
coconut crusted chicken tenders; sautéed green beans; steamed broccoli and cauliflower (S) **











Day Seven
Breakfast — 3 THM pancakes smeared with cream cheese and Polaner spread (E)
Lunch —
1 sourdough wasa cracker smeared with 1 laughing cow cheese wedge w/cucumber and two pieces of turkey added on top; 3 boiled eggs (S)
Snack —
smoothie (FP)
Dinner — 2 fried eggs over a bed of spinach w/mushrooms and bacon (S)



**These recipes were flops…they were not liked**

So, as you can see, I was not eating small meals. This is not about starvation or denying yourself of certain food groups. It’s a well-rounded plan where you can partake of ALL the food groups…you just need to be mindful of what’s going into your mouth while you’re eating. You also want to look at your sugar content in foods…it’s important that sugar not be an added ingredient when looking at the ingredients list on labels.

I weighed in this morning, and I lost 5.2 lbs during my first week. That’s enough of a success for me to continue on this lifestyle path. I will add in exercise at some point, but for now, I’m focusing on getting the meal types down. If you should decide you want to try Trim Healthy Mama and wish to order any products, I’d love it if you’d consider purchasing through my affiliate link. I will receive a small commission, but it does not affect your purchase.

***I apologize for the layout of this post. Blogger isn't cooperating very well, and the blog app on my Mac didn't want to upload images. Go figure.***

 
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