I have played with this recipe enough to tell you it is the closest thing to “Home for the Holidays” and every other comfort food you may need.
You will never care for the sugar laden version again after trying this.
Apple Pie Filling
Makes filling for one Apple pie.
6 apples, chopped and diced.
4 Tbs oat fiber
1/3 c Gentle Sweet
1/2 t xanthan gum
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbs lemon juice
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and put in your favorite pie crust. Bake as you would any pie.
I also doubled the pie crust in Trim Healthy Table p. To make the pie complete. This makes it a Crossover since the crust is an S, but remember, Crossovers are still on plan and sometimes necessary when you need that soul food.
(Vanilla Carb Smart ice cream may be requested by the other family members, so add that to your grocery pick up list before you forget.)
True story: I tried to make Rashida’s brownie cheesecake dessert (Trim Healthy Future p. 284), but I only wanted the brownie. So I doubled the brownie directions, baked it in a 9 x 13… and got more of a cake that was so bitter I couldn’t eat it.
I don’t know if I missed the Gentle Sweet or added too much cocoa, but my only thought to redeem the entire pan was to make a cream cheese frosting to balance it out.
My back up plan for that was if it fails, I’ll mash it all together and make our first Trim Healthy Cake Pops…
It didn’t fail.
My afternoon coffee went so well with this, I had to blog and share for myself in the future… and you all, too.
Easiest Cream Cheese Frosting
Covers one 9 x 13 cake pan generously.
(2) 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, regular or low-fat.
2 tsp. Vanilla
2/3 c. Gentle Sweet
Put all ingredients in your kitchen aid and beat until smooth.
Spread on your favorite cake, or any where you may need to redeem your baking fails.
Women are smart, creative and hard working creatures. They love their families well and try to do the right thing. SO WHY IS IT SO BLESSED HARD TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES?!?!?
Years ago when Trim Healthy Mama first came out with their huge book of explanation and recipes, there was NOTHING you could buy at the store on plan. You had to make it ALL or STARVE.
No sprouted bread, no sugar free snacks that did not contain aspartame… basically, we had to walk up the hill both ways in the snow without boots on. Every day.
Thankfully, our stores are catching on and listening. You can pretty much get your sprouted bread every week through Grocery Pickup, hallelujah!
So enter the road trips that so easily beset us and sabotage our weight loss and health goals.
Sigh.
It’s taken a pandemic of closed gas stations and stay-at-home orders to push me to get my on-plan plan in gear, but bless God, we are getting there!
Here is a list of on plan foods to make your next trip (or your crazy Drive Through Sue necessary week) a little easier! Feel free to share your own ideas, tips and tricks, and I’ll gladly add them for all our mamas.
The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng.
Psalm 68:11 KJV
Ooh, and look what arrived just in time to add to my reading material for the drive!!!! (Insert all the praise hands…!)
Happy safe traveling, my friends!
Grocery Pickup Options to stay on plan:
Strawberries, washed and sliced
Grapes
Oranges
Apples
Bananas
Peanuts
Almonds
Celery, washed and cut and bagged
Carrots, washed and cut and bagged
Rice cakes
Rice crisps
Pork rinds
Blue corn chips
Lily’s chocolate bars
Coffee with cream and truvia or any other on plan sweetener
Case of water bottles. Add True Lemon lemonade packets if you like.
Baking some treats ahead of time always helps if you can. I got lucky this trip and had peanut butter chocolate bars in excess, so I’m cutting those up and bagging them now!
Start here and let me know your thoughts. I hope this makes it just a little easier to help you stay on plan as you go out on the road again. Enjoy, my friends!!!
It can be so hard to jump on board the THM bandwagon. It’s a new way of thinking, a new way of grocery shopping, and a new way of cooking and baking. It can all seem so new, new, new that it’s too overwhelming and you give up before you even start.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Trim Healthy Mama is made up of common sense principles. If you’re a believer, there are even biblical presets you can learn about and implement. It’s truly incredible.
One of the greatest ways I’ve found to help myself implement some healthy changes in my life is to put them in plain sight.
The Trimmy Coffee is a super easy way to get yourself some much needed nutrients alongside your caffeine boost for the day.
But who in the heavens wants to fumble around for all the ingredients BEFORE that first cup of coffee?!
SOLUTION: Put the ingredients in plain sight.
Now, I have very limited kitchen counter space for the number of people in my home, so that real estate is PRECIOUS to me. And with four boys ages 7-15, fragile items are not a viable option. But a girls gotta have SOME sparkle and shine in her home…!
Enter my jars.
Two were leftover from a canister set from years past, probably a TJ Maxx find that survived soccer balls and cleats and everything in between.
Two more were from the Walmart home and kitchen canning section. The shadowed brown glass went perfectly with my orange ones, and so I started filling those babies to my hearts’ content.
I used simple ribbon and tags so I would not confuse my collagen and protein powder.
I kept the measuring scoops inside each jar because #dollartreesavessanity.
And once I added my favorite base from my mom (remember the girl-sparkle-shine comments above?), I was ready to barista my way to healthy.
Since the MCT Oil is pretty-but-not-so-pretty, I usually store it in the drawer below with my truvia. But you get the drift.
You will be A LOT more inclined to use your new, scary, life-changing ingredients if they are right in front of you at the ready.
Just try it. One day at a time, one change at a time.
And that Trimmy will thank you. Or is it, your body will thank you for that Trimmy?
I just listened to the podcast where Pearl and Serene talk about PMS and why you want to eat E meals to help increase your serotonin.
What a game changer! I instantly went to my Instant pot to make a batch of brown rice while I worked from home.
A few hours later, I headed to the fridge to see what I could do for lunch. I was determined to try this E meal theory.
This is what I ended up with:
1/2 cup Ground turkey taco meat
1/2 cup Brown rice
Chopped zucchini
Chopped tomato
Scant shredded cheese
I heated it all up and literally had it ready for lunch in less than five minutes. It was like all my attempts at prep work and Drive Thru Sue convenience all came together in one moment. It was magical.
Here are my takeaways:
Prep work makes the dream work. Having pre-bagged servings of both the taco meat and zucchini saved my lunch. I buy a three pound package of ground turkey with my regular groceries and cook it while I’m working on other things in the kitchen, using my homemade taco seasoning. Once it’s cooled, I portion it out in 1/2 cup (4 ozs.) servings in sandwich bags and freeze. I have no problem using the microwave to defrost it while I’m cooking other things.
Same for the zucchini. Whenever I have extra veggies with no home, I chop them up and put them in single serve baggies and toss in the freezer to add to eggs and rice bowls and any other need.
Simple is best. Because the meat was already flavored, there was hardly any need for more seasoning. I imagine some people would like hot sauce, but I had it just the way it was.
Two ingredients that take you out of Sugarland and into Whittle Your Waistland
You guys, it can seem SO HARD to make substitutions in the recipes you love sometimes!!!
You don’t want to give up ALL the things you love and make it seem like you jumped on the Crazy Slide without ever looking back, so you try to swap and sub and mix and match to take a stab at keeping some sort of comfort around you.
Sometimes, it is an epic fail. But sometimes, you win.
If you like what you made and it resembles your past favorite food enough to fool your husband or kids, we are calling that a win.
It is the same secret trick with brown sugar. You can swap that out with two super simple ingredients, and NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW.
It’s that simple.
Here is my version of sugar free brown sugar. (Is that even a thing? Well it is now.)
How to make one cup of brown sugar:
1 cup erythritol
1 Tbl molasses
Mix both into a small bowl until evenly mixed, or add directly to your recipe. No one will ever know the difference!
Like it dark? Stick with the 1 Tablespoon.
Like it lighter? Try adding just 2 teaspoons instead of the full Tablespoon.
And that’s it! Enjoy!
And I dare you to tell me the substitution was pretty much magically hidden, it’s that good and that easy.
Want to know what I put my “brown sugar” in? Try my famous chicken wing rub. And by “famous,” I mean my family loves it… but still…. That’s a good nine people right there, and counting…! Enjoy!
We love chicken wings. We also love being healthy. It took me years to be able to make a recipe that could do both, but here we are today. These chicken wings are baked in the oven (or you could use your smoker), and I teach you how to make a sugar-free rub that is second to none.
You will not believe how easy it is to have the best of both worlds: crispy, tasty and easy on your blood sugar. Enjoy!
Chicken Wing Rub
Serves 24 Wings
1/2 c. Erythritol
1 Tb. Molasses
1 Tb. Chili powder
1 Tb. Paprika
1 Tb. Ground cumin
1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
2 Tb. Garlic powder
1 Tb. Ground mustard
2 Tbl. Salt
1 Tbl. Ground black pepper
3/4 c. Grape seed oil
Directions:
Set 3 sheet pans on the counter. Lay parchment paper on each, and set a cooling rack on top of every one. Spray racks and trays with coconut oil.
Place chicken wings in a large bowl and coat with grapeseed oil. If you don’t like handling the meat, brush it on with your kitchen basting brushes.
Set oil coated chicken on sheet pans.
In another large bowl, mix all seasonings until evenly distributed. Sprinkle over chicken until fully coated and used up.
Place in oven at 425 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
Crank the broiler for the last few minutes if you like them super crispy.
Even my toughest critic, hubby born and raised in Western New York, home of The Original Chicken Wing, could not deny that these wings were the best.
I dare you to try them for yourself and see. I wouldn’t be surprised if you prefer these to the fried restaurant kind. You can eat as many as you like guilt free and never feel sick afterwards. That’s a win-win-win in my book.
And then you can say “Winner winner chicken dinner.” And it’s legit.
Anytime, anywhere, if I catch a whiff of it, I am transformed.
(Ever been to Jo-Ann Fabric’s at Christmastime, when they put entire BAGS of cinnamon-covered pinecones in their entryways????? Heaven.)
So when I saw this recipe online, I had to try it for myself, tweak it to THM, and get the cinnamon smell floating through my kitchen to get me loving my life again.
All of these ingredients can be found at Walmart, so there’s no need to order anything special, though I highly recommend the quality and business of Trim Healthy Mama. I also have a few links listed here if you’d rather Amazon some of your less known “flours” and “sugars” here.
Cinnamon Bread – THM -S
1 1/4 c. Almond flour
1/4 c. Coconut flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/3 c. Erythritol
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 c. Melted butter
1 Tbl. Molasses
3 eggs.
Preheat oven to 350 and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Mix eggs, melted butter and molasses until evenly mixed.
Put the cinnamon and erythritol in a small bowl and set aside.
Add flours and baking powder.
Fold in cinnamon sugar mix.
Mix will be a little dry. Use A spatula to flatten batter into the loaf pan.
Top with extra cinnamon and erythritol.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool before cutting and enjoy!
Disclaimer: any of the clickthroughs you find on my pages are links to products that I have used and love and trust. I may make a small commission on anything you purchase on the other side of the link, so please know it will go to fund my crazy projects, wild ideas and writing habits. It will not cost anything extra for you. Thank you for your love and support!
Try this incredibly refreshing and invigorating drink today!!!
I think I’ve shared this piece of info several times before: I was never a smoothie drinker.
I was too busy, and considered it a waste of time. I could hardly get healthy meals on the table nevermind THINK about a drink.
But then came quarantine, and I started drowning even WORSE in keeping my family together in the best way possible. (Can anyone else relate?)
Thankfully, school started winding down and I could see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
And it was getting hot.
Add the immunity issues a pandemic brings, and I got my girls to experiment with me in the kitchen, and this is what we came up with.
I call them “special ingredients” because I had to order them in order to make the smoothie what it is. But you may already have them on hand, or may just want a new grocery item to try with the change of seasons.
These grapefruits add a great twist to the smoothie and give it that tart, fresh flavor. I was not a huge fan of citrus until the heat started cranking outdoors and my waistline wasn’t where I wanted it to be. So if you are in either of those camps with me, I highly suggest you give it a try if you’re game.
The other “special” things we needed were baobab and collagen, but if you’ve been on the THM train for any amount of time especially during corona-time, you PROBABLY already have these on hand.
So once you’ve ordered and collected your ingredients, PLEASE do yourself a favor and try this smoothie.
Super Boost SweetTart Smoothie
makes 1 quart jar serving
1 1/2 c. Strawberries, blueberries or mixed berries
1 c. ice
1 1/4 c. Water
1 Tbl baobab powder
1 Tbl. Pyure organic stevia blend / super sweet blend
OR
2 1/2 tablespoons gentle sweet
4-6 packets true grapefruit
1 scoop collagen (or 2 tablespoons if you don’t have a scoop)
Put all ingredients in a blender like a Ninja and process until smooth.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: any of the clickthroughs you find on my pages are links to products that I have used and love and trust. I may make a small commission on anything you purchase on the other side of the link, so please know it will go to fund my crazy projects, wild ideas and writing habits. It will not cost anything extra for you. Thank you for your love and support!
